by Gina Wilkins
“So can I.”
He held out a hand to her. “Then we’re agreed. Our baby is going to have two parents who will always put his—or her—interests ahead of their own.”
She laid her hand in his. “So you think we’re doing the right thing?”
His fingers closing warmly around hers, he smiled a bit crookedly this time. “Beats the hell out of me. I just know it feels right now.”
“You could sound a little more confident.”
He chuckled. “I don’t have a crystal ball, Cecilia. We don’t even know that we can have a child together. All I know is that I’ll be the best father I can be and that you’ll make a great mother. If you’re still certain this is what you want—”
“It is,” she cut in quickly. “It’s all I’ve wanted for a very long time.”
“Then let’s go for it.”
She inhaled deeply, then released the breath in a long sigh. The decision had been made. There was no going back now. She could hardly believe that she was finally taking steps to make sure her most cherished lifelong dream could come true.
Chapter Six
Cecilia might have worried that nerves would interfere with their lovemaking this time. After all, it was different when there was a goal other than simple pleasure at stake. If Geoff had been at all tense or awkward, she would have understood and forgiven him.
Instead, he seduced her as if it were the first time again. As if nothing mattered more to him than her pleasure. As if there were nowhere in the world he would rather be, nothing he would rather be doing than making love with her on this summer night.
His kisses went from gentle to passionate, his movements from practiced to impetuous. He was an amazing lover—generous, thorough, patient. Even when he was obviously driven by an overwhelming need for climax, he made sure she found her own release before he gave in to his.
Lying sated and exhausted beside him afterward, she wondered at his control. Was everything he did always so calculated? Even his seemingly impulsive decision to help her conceive had come after a day of thought and consideration, during which she would bet he had deliberated every angle and potential repercussion. This was very likely the most rebellious and nonconformist action he had ever taken, and even in that he had made it clear that he intended to be fully responsible for and committed to the child they were making.
“Geoff?”
The arm behind her tightened a bit as he drew her more snugly against him. “Mmm?”
He sounded half-asleep. As lazy and satisfied as she was. She couldn’t help smiling a little before asking, “What will your family think about this?”
He lifted his head from the pillow, casting a glance downward at their nude, intimately entwined bodies. “About this?”
She giggled. “I meant about you having a child with me. If you intend to claim the child as your own—”
“Which I do.”
She nodded. “So what will they think about you having a baby with Eric’s sister? One of their employees. A woman who, by the way, is considerably older than you.”
“You keep mentioning your age. Does it really bother you that you’re thirty-seven and I’m thirty-two? It’s not that great a difference, you know. And they are, after all, only numbers.”
“I know. But I can’t help but think your family won’t approve.”
“I won’t lie to you, Cecilia, they’re going to think I’ve lost my mind. At first. As I’ve told you, they want me to get married. Start a family in the traditional way. They don’t understand why I won’t let them fix me up with a nice girl with the right connections. They’ll understand my wanting a child—after all, I’ve been raised to appreciate the value of family—but they won’t believe I’m going about it the right way.”
It was what she had expected, of course, but still…
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, then brushed a kiss across her forehead. “They’ll come around. If there’s one thing my grandmother loves, it’s babies. And Dad will be tickled to be a grandfather, even if it isn’t exactly the way he had envisioned. To be honest, he has begun to wonder aloud if he’s ever going to have grandkids.”
“Still—”
“Cecilia. It’s my life. My choice. For once my family will just have to accept that. And they will.”
Once again she thought she heard the faintest trace of rebellion in his voice, as if this was the first time in a very long while that he had risked openly defying his family. As if he rather enjoyed the prospect.
“And if you do find that nice girl with the ‘right’ connections that you want to marry?” she couldn’t help asking, keeping her voice carefully neutral. “What do you expect her to think about you having a child?”
“I have no interest in getting married, can’t think of anyone I would want to marry, but if it should ever happen that I meet someone I feel that way about, she’ll just have to accept the decisions I made before I met her. The same holds true for you, you know. You may well meet someone, yourself….”
She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “Not likely. I’m too…well, I won’t say old, but too set in my ways to be interested in marriage now. I like making my own decisions. Handling my own problems. Setting my own priorities.”
“Some of that will change when you have a child.”
“True. But I’ll still be in charge of my own household.”
“Your marriage must have been a very unhappy one.”
She hadn’t realized she had revealed quite so much. “Yes, it was. But I’m not bitter or angry. Just realistic.”
He shifted to lean over her, his expression both grave and tender at the same time. “Any man who would make you unhappy—who was not respectful of your needs and your dreams, who tried to break your valiant and independent spirit, who didn’t value you for the strong, capable woman you are—was not worth the time you wasted with him.”
She grinned and slid her arms around his neck. “You know what? You are absolutely right.”
A gleam of satisfaction and renewed desire warmed his beautiful eyes. “I usually am,” he murmured as he lowered his head to hers.
Cecilia refused to spend the night. It was quite late when Geoff escorted her to his door. “Are you sure you won’t let me follow you home?”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’ve got the kind of job that often takes me out in the middle of the night, remember?”
“You could call me when you get there—just so I’ll know you’re safe.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t start practicing your fathering skills on me, Geoff. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.”
He laughed and looped an arm around her shoulders for a quick hug. “I’ve never met anyone quite as stubbornly independent as you—with the possible exception of my sister. So will we see each other tomorrow?”
“I have plans for lunch, but I’m free tomorrow evening. Unless you have other plans?”
He shook his head. “How about taking in a movie? I haven’t seen any of the big summer blockbusters this year. It’s been forever since I’ve been to a theater for some popcorn and a couple of hours of mindless entertainment.”
She chuckled. “Actually, I did sort of want to see that new superhero film. Eric loved it, but his taste in film is sometimes questionable, so it could be awful.”
“Let’s go find out, shall we? I have to admit, I was hoping to see that one, too. Have I mentioned I had a serious comic book addiction as a kid?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“My mother finally sent me to a twelve-step program to break me of the habit. She called it school. I learned to appreciate other types of literature, but I kept a stash of comics hidden under my mattress.”
“No girlie magazines?”
“I eventually worked my way up to those,” he confessed, looking not the least embarrassed. “I outgrew them both about the time I was able to grow a mustache. But I still have a soft spot for the comics. So I
’d like to see the movie, even though it will probably make a mess of the original story, as those films so often do.”
“Then, it’s a date.” And then, because that sounded too cozy for the relationship they had agreed upon, she said quickly, “Well, not a date, exactly, but a plan. I mean…”
“It’s a date,” Geoff interrupted firmly and pressed a kiss on her still-parted lips before opening his door. “Drive carefully, Cecilia. I’ll call you tomorrow to arrange a time.”
She drove home in a haze of bemusement that her life had changed so drastically in the past twenty-four hours. And her state of mind was so mixed up that she wasn’t sure which was harder to believe—that she had a date with Geoff Bingham or that she could even now be carrying his child.
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can fix for you while I’m here, CeCe? Didn’t you say you’ve got a squeaky hinge in the bathroom that’s been driving you nuts?”
Cecilia smiled lovingly across the dining table at her brother, who, along with his fiancée, had joined her for Sunday lunch. Eric had called her CeCe from the time he had learned to speak, and it was certainly too late to try to change that habit now. She wouldn’t be at all surprised if his child called her “Aunt CeCe.” Oh, well, she supposed she could live with that as long as Eric looked this happy, she mused, watching the adoring look he gave Hannah.
“I took care of the squeaky hinge myself. A little shot of oil was all it needed.”
Eric frowned. “What about the step that was coming loose on the back porch?”
“I found a hammer and a nail, and I fixed it myself. I have paid attention to a few of your maintenance lessons, you know.”
Hannah laughed. “Looks as if you aren’t quite as indispensable as you think, Eric. Your sister is perfectly capable of looking after herself.”
“She always has been,” Eric admitted. “I just like to delude myself occasionally into thinking that she needs me.”
“I will always need you,” Cecilia assured him. “Just not necessarily as an on-call handyman. You have your own life now, and it’s about to get very busy,” she added with a meaningful glance at Hannah’s rapidly expanding tummy.
Resting a hand on the bulge, Hannah sighed a little. “None too soon, as far as I’m concerned.”
Cecilia smiled. “Between the wedding and childbirth classes and setting up your household, the next eight weeks are going to pass more quickly than you can imagine. It won’t be long at all before you’re holding that baby in your arms.”
And maybe, if she was lucky, she would hold a baby of her own before this time next year, she thought wistfully.
“So, CeCe, Hannah and I were thinking about going to the park this evening to hear the bluegrass band that’s scheduled to perform. Would you like to join us?”
“Thank you, but I have other plans,” she said, busying herself by scooping another spoonful of peas onto his plate. “Here, have some more of these. You never eat enough vegetables. You’ll have to keep an eye on that, Hannah. I swear he would live on junk food and candy if we let him.”
Eric cleared his throat. “I am an adult.”
“So eat like one.”
Hannah laughed again.
“What plans do you have this evening?” Eric asked, turning the conversation back to Cecilia.
She should have known her ploy to change the subject wouldn’t have worked. Eric was like a dog with a juicy bone when his curiosity was aroused. “I’m going to a movie.”
“Alone?”
“Eric,” Hannah murmured, “your sister would tell you her plans if she wanted you to know them.”
“Hey, if she can monitor my diet, I can ask a few questions about her life,” he retorted. “Who’re you going to the movie with, CeCe?”
She sighed. Might as well answer him, she told herself in resignation. The way gossip spread through this town, he would hear it eventually, anyway. “Geoff Bingham.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. Eric looked startled. “Geoff Bingham? You mean it was true that you two had dinner together after the reception Friday evening? I thought that was just a case of mistaken identity.”
“How could you possibly have heard about that already?”
“Oh, you know. Someone saw you and told someone else who told— But that isn’t important. I didn’t even believe it.”
“Well, it’s true,” Cecilia admitted. “Geoff was hungry at the reception, and so was I, so we had dinner together at Melinda’s.”
“And tonight you’re seeing a movie together.”
“Yes. Neither of us had plans for the evening, so…”
No way was she telling her brother what she and Geoff were really up to. There would be time enough for that when—if, she corrected herself cautiously—it became a fait accompli. After it was too late for Eric to try to change her mind, which she had no doubt that he would do.
“What’s going on?” Eric asked bluntly. “You’re dating a Bingham? Aren’t you the one who warned me about getting involved with one of them?”
“For heaven’s sake, Eric.” Feeling her cheeks warm, Cecilia cast a quick, apologetic look at Hannah, who looked more embarrassed than offended. “You know I’m delighted that you’re marrying Hannah.”
“Of course. Once you got to know her you saw how wonderful she is. And, of course, she wasn’t really raised a Bingham, since she was a teenager when she found out that Billy Bingham was her father. But Geoff—he’s a Bingham to his neatly polished wingtips. I wouldn’t have thought he was your type at all.”
“I’m not marrying him, Eric, I’m simply taking in a movie with him,” she replied. Among other things, she silently added.
Eric didn’t look particularly reassured. “But—”
“Goodness, the baby certainly is active this afternoon,” Hannah said suddenly, pressing her hand to her tummy again. “Feels as if there’s a jazzercise class taking place in there.”
To Cecilia’s great relief, and obviously exactly as Hannah had intended, that drew Eric’s attention away from his sister’s social life. He had to reach over to feel the baby’s movements, which led to more talk about prenatal care and delivery preparations, which led again to the plans for the simple wedding that would take place very soon.
Cecilia knew her brother had allowed himself to be distracted. He hadn’t forgotten her impending date with Geoff. He confirmed that suspicion as he and Hannah prepared to walk out the front door a little while later.
“Watch yourself with Bingham this evening, you hear?” he warned his sister after kissing her cheek. “The guy practically oozes charm. He’s the family politician and has a way of getting anything he wants.”
“Don’t worry. I know exactly what Geoff is like,” Cecilia replied lightly. And since Geoff’s wants at the moment were closely aligned with her own, she hoped sincerely that Eric was right about Geoff always getting his way.
Still looking a bit fretful, Eric allowed Hannah to tow him away, leaving Cecilia to get ready for another interesting evening with Geoff.
Geoff found himself approaching Cecilia’s front door with a spring in his step that made him feel strangely like an eager teenager. After a rather tense day, an evening in Cecilia’s warm, pleasant and undemanding company sounded awfully nice.
And speaking of teenagers…
He raised a hand in greeting to the redhead who had just hurried out of the house next door in response to an imperative horn blast from a long-haired boy in a battered brown pickup truck spotted with patches of gray primer. The girl quickly returned Geoff’s wave, then jumped into the truck, which was peeling away from the curb almost before she could close her door.
So much for the social niceties of modern teenage dating, Geoff thought with a glance at the small bouquet of flowers in his hand.
Cecilia seemed delighted by the offering. “These weren’t necessary, but thank you,” she said, burying her face in the fragrant blooms for a moment.
Grinning, Geoff motioned toward the house
next door. “Guess I could have just pulled up to the curb and blown the horn. Seemed to work for your neighbor.”
Cecilia sighed and shook her head. “Marlin refuses to get out of his truck when he picks Brandy up for their dates. She says it’s because her grandparents don’t like him, but that behavior certainly doesn’t endear him to them.”
“Is he the one who gave her the shiner?”
Cecilia seemed startled by the question. “Her bruised cheek, you mean? She told me she did that while playing a game of catch. She didn’t get her glove up fast enough.”
“Mmm.” It hadn’t looked like a softball injury to Geoff, but he supposed Cecilia knew what was going on next door better than he did. “Ready for the movie?”
“Just let me put these in water,” she said, turning quickly with the flowers. “You can wait in the living room. I’ll be right back.”
Closing the front door behind him, he caught her arm to detain her for a moment. Before she could ask what he was doing, he planted a long, firm kiss on her lips.
“That was just to hold me over until later,” he murmured when he released her.
Her expression held just a hint of reproach. “You are a fresh one, Mr. Bingham.”
“Want me to stop?”
With a smile brilliant enough to make him blink, she murmured, “Don’t you dare.”
He was grinning when she turned to walk away, adding a seductive swish of her hips to her movements. He really liked this woman.
There were only two movie theaters in the immediate area—downtown Binghamton’s old-style movie house, the Bijou, which offered a selection of new and classic family films, and a more modern four-screen metroplex in an adjoining town. Geoff took Cecilia to the latter, since that was where the superhero film was playing.
There was a good-size crowd at the theater on this nice summer evening, and once again there were a few who obviously recognized both Cecilia and Geoff. Once again they exchanged nods of greeting without getting entangled in conversation. Cecilia couldn’t imagine what the gossips were making of her second public appearance with Geoff, but she wouldn’t worry about that for now.
