Dr. Danye was a psychologist and not a psychiatrist. One significant difference was that psychiatrists were medical doctors with advanced specialized training who could prescribe medication, whereas psychologists focused on therapy but were not licensed to prescribe drugs. Not that Amber would feel comfortable taking any meds in her condition for the sake of her unborn child. At least not if she didn’t have to.
“I…I’ll be fine, really,” she reassured him, sitting back down on the seat opposite him. “On the plus side, you remember when I told you I was feeling so lonely and alone?”
“Yes, go on.”
“Well, good news. I bumped into an old friend of mine. Well, an ex but we were good friends. He’s been nothing but helpful and supportive to me. I mean, especially considering that I’m a complex person with a whole lot of baggage under my belt. He’s made me feel special.”
“Oh, good. Glad to hear it, Amber. You deserve that.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Amber told the doctor about their chance meeting at her prenatal class and all they’d shared together during the past month. They’d practically picked up where they left off without missing a beat.
“That sounds like a true friend. When you can just pick up where you left off as if you’ve never spent time apart means you had something special to begin with. He seems like a really decent guy, Amber,” Dr. Danye assessed. He then paused briefly and scrutinized her expression. She was looking down at her hands. “I sense there is some apprehension there, Amber.”
“Well, there is. Sort of. He asked about the father of my child.”
The doctor looked up, face frozen. “And? What did you tell him?”
“I…I couldn’t tell him. I decided that I’m not going to tell anybody. There’s no law against it. The truth is, my baby’s father is out of the picture and has nothing to do with the child. So that’s that.”
“But if you want to start an honest and open relationship with this man, don’t you think he should know?”
“I suppose. But…I really don’t think I’m ready to mention anything yet. Maybe one day but definitely not now. I’ve been hurt badly in the past. Oh, God. The worst thing that could happen is that he wouldn’t understand. I don’t want to be judged. I’ve spent so much of my life—after the accident, being judged.”
“Fair enough, Amber. I’m sure if he cares about you the way you say he does he’d understand.”
Amber bit down on her lip, rubbing her belly protectively with all the love and warmth in her body. “I sure hope he does.”
* * *
“Well, somebody’s in a good mood,” Lucas called out to his brother Jules as he entered the study at Romero Manor. Jules was speaking with his grandfather Toni and their other brother Zack.
“Hey, Lucas,” Jules responded.
“Hey yourself, bro. Look at that cheesy grin on your face. You’ve been in a good mood lately and something tells me it’s not the new deal you landed with the family center.”
“Yeah. Very funny.” Jules looked out the French glass doors to the verdant garden and scenic hills outside with the panoramic view outside. Truth was, he was obsessing over Amber. Ever since they’d met up over a month ago, he would think of nothing else—even while in meetings and boardrooms.
“Well, why shouldn’t he be in a good mood?” Toni chimed in. “Venus told me all about you and Amber, Jules. That’s very good of you. I hope you two get back together, especially after that horrible boyfriend of hers left her with that baby she’s carrying.”
“Gramps!”
“What? Well, that’s why she’s been accompanying you to our family dinners lately, isn’t it? You two have something going, isn’t that right?”
“Toni,” Shelly chimed in. “Leave Jules alone. You’re always on about these boys being in a relationship.”
“Oh, not just any relationship, Shelly dear.”
And just like that, in unison, the entire group said at the same time, “It’s all about marriage. Marriage is the building block of a healthy relationship.”
Toni looked stunned and taken aback. He growled playfully under his breath. “That’s not funny.”
“No offense, Gramps, but you do sound like a broken record.”
“A broken record? There’s nothing broken about me here. I’ve never given up on finding true love after your dear grandmother passed away many years ago. It took me five tries but look how happy I am with dear Shelly. If I can do it in my late seventies, by God, what about you handsome, successful boys? Look at Antonio and Lucas and Zack and even your brother, the mayor, Carl. Come on now. You, Dion, Troy and Alonso need to get going. Life is too short to live alone. “
Jules’s heart pounded in his chest. A sinking feeling slammed into his gut. He wanted so badly to be a daddy—one day. He just took it for granted that he always would be. He’d been so great with Amber in the past and now?
Even if they got back together she could not have a biological child with him. Yeah, it was a blessing that she was pregnant. It just wasn’t his child. He drew in a deep breath and tried to hide the hurt and pain circulating in his blood. The sheer disappointment with himself not listening to his grandfather in the past. He should have acted faster with Amber. If only he had been ready then to make a commitment to her.
Maybe then, before Jules’s accident, they would have been married and had a family. But man, it sucked to be wrong. He was typically never wrong about anything. But he looked around and saw how happy Antonio was with Lucy and their little guy Alexander and how Lucas and Maxine had a pretty little girl Mary-Louise. Zack and Blue had Jefferson, and Carl and Venus just gave birth to their second son, Christopher, who was only a couple months old.
Of course, Amber, who was also a friend of Venus, visited the estate in the last week to see Venus and the baby and no doubt got to talking about Amber staying at one of Jules’s spare condo suites. Yeah, it was hard to keep a secret around the Romero estate, or Romero city, as the land their grandfather owned that happened to be a huge chunk of the city of Mayberry Hill was often dubbed. Jules shouldn’t be that surprised that rumors flew fast to his grandfather’s ears about Jules and Amber.
Jules shoved his hands in his pockets and proceeded to leave the study before his emotions got the best of him. He knew his family was only trying to be their usual playful selves but it wasn’t helping. Turmoil raged through him.
“What’s wrong, my boy?” Toni called out.
“Nothing, Gramps. I’m just heading out for a little fresh air. I’ll be back. Got to make a quick call,” he told them.
When he walked out at the front grand marble entrance, he made his way down the stone pathway through the front garden and who did he see coming up the pathway? Carl.
“Well, Mr. Mayor. What brings you to this humble part of town? Where’s Venus?”
“Venus is at a hair appointment.”
“Oh, cool. Listen, Carl. I’m glad we’re meeting out here. I need to ask you something.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I see how you get along with Tristan, even though he’s…well, you know, not your biological son.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, do you feel any different about…?”
“What exactly are you trying to say, Jules?”
Jules drew in a deep breath. He really didn’t want to tell anyone. But he had to open up to Carl. He just had to.
“If I tell you something, you’ve got to swear you won’t mention a thing. Not even to Gramps. I don’t want him getting all worried.”
“You know I’m good to go, bro.”
He told Carl about the results of the accident.
“Man, why didn’t you say anything before? Jules, I’m real sorry.”
“Hey, it’s nothing to be sorry about. It is what it is. And besides, nothing’s set in stone yet.”
“Man, that really sucks! But you’ve had a few girlfriends since the accident,” Carl noted.
“Oh yeah. My sex life has
n’t been altered after the accident. Oh, I’ve got no trouble fulfilling the lovely ladies in that department!” Jules grinned. “Amber and I broke up long before that accident but I’ve dated since then. You know that.”
And it was true. Jules had no trouble securing hot dates and a mutually fulfilling sex life with whoever was his current girlfriend. Of course, Amber was the only “girlfriend” he hadn’t slept with even though they were friends long before they officially dated briefly.
Jules and his brothers often spoke frankly about sex, their sex lives and all kinds of stuff so this conversation was no different.
“Well, that’s good to hear. So what’s troubling you, then?”
“Well, the girls I dated since the accident understood I wasn’t the marrying type and they were okay with it. As was I.”
“But Amber is the one you think you want to spend the rest of your life with?” Carl tried to clarify.
“Correction. I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I know I do. I’ve just been a bit distant around her, intimacy wise. God, she turns me on and I know she feels the same way about me, but in her condition, I just want to give her space.”
“Well, I can tell you hormones can get real crazy for some pregnant women.”
“I know. Anyway, I just feel that because of what the doc said-”
“So doc thinks you’ll be shooting blanks or something?”
Jules shrugged. “Everything’s good with me; you know I’m healthy as an ox. But yeah, there’s a possibility I may not be able to get Amber pregnant if our relationship progresses into more and it pisses me off. I mean, we’ve gotten really close like old times this past month and a half. It’s like we reconnected all over again as if we’d never been out of touch. There’s something between us. I really want to make this work for us but…I think she’d like to have more kids. She didn’t say as such, but I got the feeling.”
“I know what you mean. But you know sometimes doctors can be wrong, right? I mean, everything’s good with you, right?”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t even know I might not have kids if he hadn’t told me.”
“I really think he’s wrong. But if it’s any consolation, it doesn’t matter anyway. Family is family. And blood doesn’t make you family.”
“Amen to that.”
“Besides, you know I love Tristan as my own.”
“I know.”
“Well, one day he asked me about his real father and asked how I can be a father.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Well, I told him in the best way I could a preschooler, that there are all kinds of daddies.”
“Good.”
“Truth is, Jules, we both know that blood is thicker than water.”
“I know.”
“But love is thicker than blood.”
“So true, man.” Jules nodded in agreement. His brother Carl inherited their grandfather’s sense of wisdom and sage advice. No wonder Carl won the mayoral election. He’d always been one heck of a talker. “You’re right. There are people who would do things for you that your own family wouldn’t and vice versa. Blood doesn’t make a family. You know if Amber does give us a second chance, I would love to be daddy to her child. But there’s so much about her she won’t let me in on.”
“Like what?”
“Well, she doesn’t want to talk about the baby’s father. All I know is that his name is Rex.”
Carl had a look of shock on his face. “Why not?”
Jules recalled all too well that Carl had been through a similar experience when Venus didn’t want to let on to Tristan’s real daddy’s identity. Carl rubbed his forehead. “I hope the dude is not some drug cartel or something akin,” Carl said.
Jules chuckled. “Very funny. With a name like Rex? I don’t think so, bro. He’s just not around. Besides, she said not putting a father’s name on the birth certificate will mean her child will be deprived of a father, as she was. She didn’t want her child suffering the same sort of stigma or embarrassment in showing her birth certificate with that omitted information.”
“I see.”
Carl had already heard about the scars that Amber was left with emotionally and physically. It was no longer a secret. Amber told Venus and became more open about it and started to wear more comfortable clothing for the weather, revealing some skin appropriately instead of wearing thick sweaters and covering every inch of her body in hot temperatures.
“Listen, I’m going to pick up Amber. She’s at an appointment.”
“You guys really do look good together, Jules. I really hope you guys hit it off again and walk down that aisle. I was feeling the same way you were at one point. I thought marriage would really tie me down but having Venus at my side day and night and enjoying her company and love is amazing. And as Gramps would say…”
“I know, I know…It’s better to marry than to burn with passion.” Jules grinned and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Whatever.”
“Good luck, man.”
“Thanks. Oh, and, Carl?”
“Yeah?” Carl said, turning to face Jules.
“Listen, you know I need to check out a few things regarding that accident that happened to Amber a long time ago. You know, when her folks were killed.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I want to get our boys on the case, too. She just told me the cops reopened the investigation after all these years. I just want to make sure Amber will be protected at all costs.”
“Sure. We can get our guys on the job.”
“Thanks. She keeps having nightmares about the past and I’m concerned. Her aunt’s a real charmer. And I don’t mean literally. But there are a lot of things going on I don’t like. I’m pretty sure Mavis’s constant bickering at Amber has contributed to Amber’s self-esteem issues over the years. But if Amber is going to be part of my future I want to make sure she’ll be always safe—from whatever it is she’s running or whomever she’s afraid of.”
“What makes you think she’s running?”
“Well, she’s got a lot of pent-up emotions about her past. I think her aunt really pulled a number on her with emotional abuse. I don’t even like the way she looks at Amber now and the way she talks to her—with no respect. Amber’s feeling more uneasy lately. I think she’s more worried about how her anxiety could affect the baby’s well-being. She even insisted that I stay with her at the condo. Which, of course, is totally cool with me. You know how I feel about her. But I could see terror in her eyes.”
“Sure thing, Jules. I’ll make sure Dion gets the guys on it. Consider it done. If it hadn’t been for Amber, I wouldn’t have Venus. Amber practically saved her life in more ways than one. Amber is family now. Don’t worry, she’ll be good.”
“Thanks.”
Jules knew he could always count on Carl and his other brother, Dion. They were the closest out of all the brothers. When Carl was in hot water, Jules was right there by his side, especially during the scandalous mud-slinging mayoral campaign that almost knocked Carl out of the game. Jules was there by his side.
Jules was going to make sure Amber was protected … come what may.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Later, Amber arrived at the main entrance French doors at Romero Manor after Jules dropped her off. “I’ll be right back, I’ve just got to pick up something for Gramps,” he told her before giving her a peck on the cheek.
“Sure.”
She noticed the door was slightly ajar and thought it was odd. But Jules had already driven off. “That’s strange.” It was late afternoon and the lights seemed to be off in the home. Her heart thumped madly in her chest. Why was she nervous? She was at Romero Manor, right? The home was safe if nothing more. She’d been there many times before including the last time they had a massive family dinner to which she enjoyed being a guest of Jules.
Amber moved the door open and the entrance was dim. She made her way on the marble stone floor towards the living room. That was often the
place where everyone gathered before dinner. She frowned at not seeing any signs of life in the residence.
She reached into her bag to call Jules but stopped. Curiosity got the best of her. She walked into the study. “Hello. Anybody here?”
She only heard the echo of her voice. Was she dreaming? What was going on?
She turned around and then saw a light flash over by the study. How odd that nobody was around. The entire family was to be gathered for dinner shortly. Then she saw Jules come in from the study.
“Jules. W-what’s going on? What are you doing in the study? I thought you dropped me off and went to get something.” Was she losing her ever-loving mind? If she didn’t know any better she would have thought she was hallucinating. Oh, boy! She really needed to see a therapist.
“I did, baby,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and bending down to kiss her forehead. He was ever so tall. She was often mesmerized by his height—that Romero height, all of his brothers were over six feet two inches-and his lean, fit muscular frame. “I parked outside and used the garden entrance to get inside,” he said, his cheeks dimpled as he gave her that sweet boyish grin she adored.
“B-but why?”
“Come here, I have something to show you.”
He gently led her into the dark study where the lights were off. When he flicked on the light switch, she almost jolted with joy.
“Surprise!!!!” everyone called out. Balloons floated from the air and everyone clapped.
She read the huge banner overhead. “It’s A Baby Shower!”
“I’m sorry, hon. I really wanted to tell you but I thought I would surprise you.”
“Oh, Jules. I…I don’t know what to say,” she laughed hysterically. “This is….oh, my goodness!” Her voice was overcome with emotion.
Amber figured Jules knew she was worried about not having enough for the baby and not knowing what to buy for her first child. And look at how he responded. She had confided to him once that she never got a chance to have little girl parties or birthday parties growing up, which was all too sad.
The Billionaire's Baby (The Romero Brothers, Book 5) Page 7
