Carrying Hope (11 page)

“Marcie,” I chastised, “I think I’ve proven to you that I want to do much more than talk to you.”

An attractive blush crept up from her chest until her face was a delightful shade of pink.

“Well, we have plenty of time to get to know each other. Why don’t we start the movie?”

She nodded eagerly, claiming a spot at the other end of the couch.

“I don’t bite, you know,” I teased.

“Well… I know… I just thought that…” her cheeks turned pink again and I tried to think of all the numerous ways I could replicate the effect.

I dimmed the lights again and started the movie that she picked out.

“We could have watched the other one, you know.”

“I wouldn’t want to argue with a pregnant lady. And if that’s your way of saying ‘thank you’: you’re welcome.”

“Thank you,” she amended.

“Shh, the movie’s starting.”

She stifled an adorable giggle before turning her attention to the large television on the wall.

Ten hours later, my alarm went off in my pants pocket.

My eyes struggled to adjust to the early morning light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I started to stretch, but realized that something — or rather someone — was on my chest.

Marcie was curled up on the couch beside me with her head resting right above my heart. One of my arms was wrapped around her and she slumbered peacefully.

I couldn’t believe I’d fallen asleep on the couch! For years I struggled to fall asleep at all. Now, two nights in a row I’d had restful dreamless sleep. I was hesitant to credit Marcie with the phenomenon, but the coincidence wasn’t lost on me.

I didn’t want to wake her: she looked angelic with a halo of radiant sunlight shining in her auburn hair. I couldn’t miss my meeting though. I gingerly wriggled my way out from under her, replacing my chest with a pillow as seamlessly as possible. I jumped in the shower and put on a less wrinkled ensemble. I didn’t know who I was meeting and I wasn’t about to give anyone an excuse to spread rumors about me. Appearance mattered to some people.

Before I left, I scribbled a hasty note instructing her to order breakfast or whatever she wanted. I felt bad for leaving her like this, but she knew the circumstances… or thought she did.

A breath of crisp fall air helped me shake off my sleepy haze and prepare myself for what was to come. I looked at my phone again to get the address that Tanner sent me the day before and hailed a cab.

I tipped the taxi driver generously for the speedy trip across town. The address I was given happened to be another five-star hotel. It was still early enough that Congressmen and other government officials from out of town were just leaving their rooms to start the day. The lobby was full of men in suits with briefcases. I had no idea who it was I was supposed to meet.

I approached the concierge with my dilemma.

“How may I help you, sir?”

“I’m supposed to be meeting someone here, but I’m not sure who or where. I was hoping maybe they left some information with you.”

“I can certainly check for you, what’s your name?”

“Dorian. Bryce Dorian.”

He looked through a stack of papers before removing a yellow envelope from the stack.

“Mr. Dorian, this was left for you.”

I took the envelope from him, wondering what could possibly be inside of it that couldn’t have been mailed to me.

First, I pulled a hand-written note out of the envelope.

Sorry I wasn’t able to meet you in person. It wasn’t safe. Don’t open the second envelope until you’re home.

- A Friend

I scoffed and pulled the second envelope out of the first. I was tired of people warning me that this search wasn’t safe. I wasn’t going to be scared off by some hypothetical boogey man that didn’t have the balls to face his own son.

I pored over the documents; each piece of paper had a large ‘CLASSIFIED’ stamp across it. Businessmen and politicians alike swarmed around me in their efforts to get to work. I was so anxious to see what was in the envelope I hadn’t even bothered to remove myself from foot traffic.

If I understood what I was looking at, this was the closest we’d gotten to my father. The documents in my hand proved that someone from the Capital Building redacted my original birth certificate and issued a new one.  I had never been able to find proof that something like that happened. This was a huge break. I now knew what I was dealing with.

Without hesitation I called Tanner.

“Do you know what fucking time it is?” He groaned half-asleep.

“Shit, I forgot. I’m sorry. I just wanted to tell you I got what I came here for.”

“No shit!” He was fully awake and alert now. “You know who he is?”

“No, but we’re getting close. This changes everything, Tanner.”

“Damn straight! It’s about time we caught a break.”

“Yeah it is. Get some sleep. I’ll be back home in a few hours.”

“Hey, how are things with Delilah?”

I rolled my eyes at his reference.

“She’s not going to bring down my empire. And things are fine. Also, none of your business.”

“I’m just saying it’s pretty shady that she just happens to be there…”

“I know your position on the subject, Tanner,” I growled, giving him the unspoken warning that he should drop it.

“Sheesh, okay. See you later.”

I place my phone back in my pocket and tucked the precious documents into my breast pocket before heading back out onto the busy city street.

Chapter 13

In the week since D.C., I hardly saw Bryce at all. My bruises were starting to fade, but my morning sickness was stubbornly sticking around. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to take another eight months of this.

Clara, Francis, and I became quick friends. Clara’s endless flirtation and Francis’s bemused reaction to her was always entertaining. They still had a job to do, though, and I couldn’t keep interrupting them all of the time just because I was bored.

I asked multiple times what Bryce was up to, but no one ever really gave me an answer. I still had no idea what kind of business he practiced.

Actually, I hadn’t learned anything new about him since our night in D.C. I woke up on the couch that morning and found his note. I couldn’t remember falling asleep, but I’d slept through the night.

I was disappointed to find him gone, but I knew he had business to attend to. I ordered breakfast for the two of us and had a table set and everything when he returned. He took one look at me and asked why I wasn’t ready to leave.

That’s when I realized that trying to predict how Bryce would act toward me was harder than using a hula hoop for a fishing net. One minute he acted like he couldn’t keep his hands off of me and the next he was gone.

On the plane ride home, I tried to jokingly apologize for my movie choice since I’d fallen asleep, but he only grunted in reply. He was engrossed in a stack of papers that he kept making notes on. I wished I knew the secret to unlocking his mysterious brain.

I tried my best to find a new job, but there weren’t many openings for pregnant homeless high school drop-outs. I did have one skill I could fall back on. Surely Nana would understand how desperate my situation was. I had a baby to think about! I couldn’t just stay with Bryce forever, as glorious as that sounded. I would need seed money if I was going to pick up old habits. I knew that Bryce would give me anything I asked for, but I didn’t want to ask him for money.

It was probably for the best. I knew I shouldn’t anyway. No matter how tempting it was, I needed to stay strong.

I wandered around the big empty house, wondering why Bryce had this place when it was only him. Then again, I knew better than to try to understand him.

I hated how frequently my mind wandered to the kiss that we shared in the hotel room. I could still smell him, taste him, feel his warm skin under my fingers and I wanted more. His kisses left me breathless, panting, and aching for his touch. Kissing Bryce was not like any other kiss I ever experienced. He was gentle and sweet, but there was a barely contained heat simmering behind his cool facade. He gave me a tiny taste and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. If his kisses alone could drive me this crazy, I didn’t even want to think of how other things would affect me.

While I was lost in my memories and fantasies, my feet brought me to my favorite part of Bryce’s home: the garden.

When I was very small, before my Nana got sick, she would take me into her garden every spring to plant all the new vegetables and flowers. Feeling fresh moist earth under my fingers brought back so many good memories; a rare commodity from my childhood.

Though I loved it dearly, it struck me as odd that Bryce’s garden wasn’t more well-maintained. Fallen leaves scattered the walkways, over-grown vines wrapped around the benches and the flower beds were crowded with weeds. If he had a gardener he should fire him.

“I thought I’d find you out here,” Clara appeared through the garden gate, carrying a steaming mug of her infamous cocoa.

“I don’t feel like I belong in there.”

“Pish posh. Frankie loves you and I don’t think you’re half bad either.”

I gave her a half-hearted smile. I knew she was trying to cheer me up.

“No offense, Clara; you’re not the ones I’m worried about.”

The older woman sat on the bench next to me, handing me the mug. She placed her hand on my knee gently and sighed.

“Sweetie, you mustn’t take it personally. Mr. Dorian doesn’t let anyone close. Well, aside from Tanner.”

That piqued my interest.

“Who?”

“You haven’t met Tanner yet? He’s around all the time. He’s Mr. Dorian’s best friend. Since they were boys,” she added.

I nibbled on my bottom lip in between sips of the magnificent beverage.

“They’re not… you know…” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively. I didn’t think it was possible after the way Bryce kissed me, but I had to know.

“What? Inspecting each other’s sausage? No, of course not. They’re more like brothers.” She patted my knee encouragingly.

“Just give him time; he’ll come around dear.”

I nodded, staring off into the distance. I didn’t want even Clara to know how much I was thinking about him.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Oh?”

“Does Bryce have a gardener?”

The older woman chuckled merrily.

“It’s dreadful out here, isn’t it?”

“It is a little disgraceful for such a beautiful house to have a garden like this.”

She nodded.

“I agree. There was a gardener, but he didn’t work out. Mr. Dorian didn’t want to hire another one after that.”

“Do you think he would mind if I started to take care of it?”

“Of course not! He’s given you free reign of the household. You can do whatever you want.”

“Really?”

“Sure! Give Frankie a list of the things you’ll need and he’ll get everything for you.”

I set to work right away, scouting the garden and planning my vision. It was too late in the year to really expect much, but if I planted the right things, by spring this garden would be in full bloom. There was a small tool shed that had all of the equipment I needed to start pruning and weeding, so I got a little head start on that while Francis worked diligently to acquire the foliage I requested.

The next day, I really got down to work. I loved getting my hands dirty and feeling like I was actually doing something with my time rather than just floating around aimlessly. The weather took a turn and temperatures dropped dramatically as the day went on. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky, but the wind whipped through me, chilling me to the core.

By the end of the second day, I’d cleared out most of the weeds and had begun my planting. My fingers were numb with cold and caked with dark rich soil. I stood back at the garden gate with my hands on my hips, admiring my handiwork.

“It already looks better,” Clara appeared from the kitchen, toting a thermos with her.