Flirting with the Society Doctor / When One Night Isn't Enough (40 page)

Ali sat back, picked up the plastic card and flipped it over in her fingers. For a man whose wife had wreaked havoc with his credit then disappeared, it was a huge display of trust. That night, when her cell phone rang at exactly ten o’clock, Ali wanted to answer, to tell Jared how much she appreciated his letter and his faith in her.

As per his request, she didn’t.

She did, however, answer the phone four weeks later, when his call came two hours and twelve minutes late and he hadn’t responded to her three messages.

At the first ring she grabbed it from the pillow beside her and whipped it open. “Hello.”

“I was worried I’d wake you,” he said.

“As if I could go to sleep thinking something may have happened to you.” Her body melted with relief at the sound of his tired voice.

“Hey. You’re not supposed to answer the phone when I call.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Busy. Three gunshot wounds and an attempted suicide.” Someone spoke in the background. “Give me a minute,” Jared responded.

“I won’t keep you.”

He lowered his voice. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” So much. She wanted to tell him she loved him and, despite all that had happened, she’d never stopped. That she might be willing to give cohabitation a try if he agreed to certain ground rules. That maybe the future didn’t need to be all planned out, and they could start the journey into parenthood together, take one day at a time and see where the winding, bumpy trip took them.

“I’ve got to go,” he said. “I’ll see you soon.”

If only she could bring herself to believe him.

* * *

At four in the morning, bleary-eyed and on the verge of falling asleep at the wheel, Jared steered his car into the driveway of his new house. A pile of plowed snow reflected in his headlights. The front walk had been shoveled. Nice surprises, as he hadn’t told anyone when he’d be arriving.

Not talking to Ali, except for one brief conversation, not knowing what she was thinking or planning, had almost driven him completely insane. He’d considered every possible scenario, good and bad. Living apart, juggling custody. Living together, his personal choice. What if she insisted on separate bedrooms? What if she opted for a custody battle? What if she’d used his time away to leave town and he never saw her again?

Trust. He trusted Ali. She would never do that.

Jared popped an antacid into his mouth from the roll that had been his constant companion of late and hoped, once again, that he hadn’t made the biggest mistake of his life by leaving.

Exhausted, he grabbed his small duffel from the rear seat and got out of the car. When he came to the garden gnome by the front steps, he reached around the back and opened the secret compartment, as instructed, to retrieve the key.

Worried he’d have to wait for the furnace to heat up, Jared said a silent thank you to whoever had forgotten to lower the thermostat. Then he headed upstairs, plopped face down onto the bed in the master bedroom, and went to sleep.

He had no idea what time it was when he awoke, but bright sunlight burned through his eyelids. His first purchase would be blackout curtains. He inhaled the aroma of French toast. Couldn’t be. He inhaled again. Definitely French toast, with lots of cinnamon, the way he liked it.

Ali.

Jared jumped out of bed and took off down the stairs to the kitchen.

She stood at the stove, wearing a pair of flannel sleep pants and a clingy light pink tank that outlined her bigger-than-he-remembered-them breasts and the slight swell of her belly. Music played from a small radio on the counter. Ali moved her hips in time to the beat. A thing of beauty. The love of his life. His future.

He leaned against the door frame, content to watch.

She looked down at her arm, rubbed at the tiny hairs, then turned to him with a look of surprise. “You came back.”

“I told you I would.” Earning Ali’s trust would take time. “I will never lie to you again. Ever.”

She moved the pan off the burner, reached for the knob to turn it off and looked back at him. “So when I’m big and fat and ask you, ‘Do these pants make my butt look big?’ you’ll tell me the truth?”

He nodded. “As long as you understand that when I look at you all I see is beautiful.”

She gave him a small smile. “I missed you, so much.”

“I missed you, too.” He opened his arms and she lunged into them, held on to him as tightly as he held on to her. This was where he belonged. Jared had finally found home

“You feel like you’ve lost weight,” she said.

“Because, when work got crazy, I didn’t have you to remind me to eat.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I never stopped,” she said into his shoulder. “What?”

“In your letter. You wrote you hoped I could find my way back to loving you. But I never stopped.”

He pulled back.

She looked up at him with watery eyes.

“You mean …?”

“I love you, Jared.” She took his hand and placed it on her belly. “We love you. And we need you in our lives, too.”

His heart pounding with pure joy, Jared pulled Ali back into his arms. “You’ve got me.” Day and night, every minute he could manage, from here on out. Jared held her close, perfectly happy to remain that way until he collapsed from exhaustion.

But in all too short a time Ali said, “Hey. How’d you get in here?”

“Gramps gave me the go-ahead to move in anytime. He told me where to find the key. What are you doing here?” Obviously not cooking him a welcome-home breakfast.

“Since I’ve been spending most of my time here, cleaning and sorting, I’ve been sleeping over. Wait a minute.” She pulled out of his embrace. “Move in? You bought Gramps’s house?
You’re
the new owner?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Based on her look of absolute shock, Jared didn’t wait for an answer. “Hold on. I have something to show you. Do not move.” He took the stairs two at a time, rummaged through his duffel until he found the papers he sought, and hurried back to the kitchen. He handed her the deed to the house.

“It’s in both our names.” She looked up. Stunned. “How? Why?”

“Gramps’s attorney handled the sale so you’ll have to address how with him. Come and sit down.” He guided her to one of the four olive-green chairs surrounding his kitchen table, and she sat. He settled in next to her and shifted to face her. “As for why.” He took her hand in his. “When I suggested we live together, it was never my intention to make you feel like a guest in my home, to make you feel
dependent on me or indebted to me. I want us to be equal partners.”

She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

“When I mentioned I was looking to buy a house, Gramps suggested this one. He said you loved it.”

“I do.”

“Which is why I bought it. Whether I live here, or you live here, or we both live here together, which is my personal preference, by the way—” his heart lifted when she smiled “—you will always be half owner. The house can’t be sold without your consent, and you have just as much right to live here as I do.”

“But I didn’t pay my share.”

“You don’t have to. It’s my gift to you.” She looked on the verge of arguing.

“Jared, I—”

“Before you go on,” he interrupted her. “Here.” He handed her the other legal document in his hand. “My divorce is final. You have your reasons for not wanting to live together. I understand.” But he planned to do his best to resolve each one. Starting with, “You can cross me being married off your list.”

“I was going to say I don’t know how to thank you. Purchasing Gramps’s house and putting it in both our names means so much.” She wiped at the corner of her eye. “I used to dream of raising my children in a house like this one. It’s perfect. And you’ve made it possible. Thank you.”

The house was old, in need of updating and a new roof. It was far from perfect. But if Ali was happy, he was happy. “You’re welcome.”

“Oh.” She stood up. “I have something for you, too.” She left the room and returned with two credit cards. “I didn’t use either of them.”

“I know.” And as much as he loved and trusted her, he’d suffered a bit of trepidation when he’d received his bill.

“While I appreciate the offer, it’s not necessary for you to give me access to your credit. If we live together, I’ll expect to keep our finances separate.”

“Anything you want.” As long as he didn’t have to spend one more night without her.

“Anything?” She stood and climbed on to his lap, the apex of her thighs flush with his growing erection. “You may want to think twice about that.” She reached for the bottom hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. He lifted his arms to assist her.

“You see,” she continued, swirling her knuckles over his nipples, “when I hit the three-month mark of my pregnancy my nausea vanished, but another problem cropped up.” She rocked her hips and, after so many weeks apart, Jared almost cried out from the pleasure. She lowered her mouth to his ear and whispered, “I fear it may make me a bit demanding.”

How had he managed to get so lucky? “I love you, Ali. And I’m fully prepared to take the bad with the good.” He lifted her tank over her head and eased her forward until her bare breasts met his chest. Magnificent. “Feel free to demand away, whenever, wherever and however you like.”

“You are a good man, Jared Padget.” She reached for the button of his jeans.

And he proceeded to show her just how good.

Five months later

“Y
OU’RE
having contractions, aren’t you?” Jared asked his wife of four hours and thirty-five minutes.

She adjusted a strap on her voluminous tangerine—don’t dare call it orange—sundress. “Braxton-Hicks. Nothing to worry about,” Ali muttered out of the left side of her mouth and continued to greet their guests. “Welcome to our home, Mrs. Tupper. I’m so happy you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it, Allison.” Ali’s old neighbor turned to Jared. “You should see the bozo who moved into her condo, full of tattoos and earrings. I think he’s running drugs.”

“You look fabulous, Mrs. Tupper,” Ali commented. “I haven’t seen you without a cane in years.”

“Your man worked some voodoo magic and my sore’s all gone.”

“And not a moment too soon.” Jared arched his back and rubbed his belly. “I think I put on ten pounds from all the cake you fed me each time I came to visit.”

“Food’s on the back patio,” Ali said.

“I hope there’s dancing,” Mrs. Tupper said, and walked off.

“You’re having one right now. I can tell.” Lips pursed,
she forced out a breath, both hands rubbed at her low back. She looked like she wanted to pinch him. Hard. He stepped out of reach and clicked the timer on his watch. “That’s ten minutes apart.”

Contraction over, she said, “Do not ruin my wedding day, Jared. It’s my party and I intend to enjoy it. Gramps, Mrs. Meyer and our friends from the senior center have been preparing and decorating for days.” She put her hand on his arm. “Don’t make me take away that watch. I will tell you when I’m in labor. Now, go mingle.”

“I am not leaving your side, Mrs. Padget.” He threaded her arm through his. “If we’re going to mingle, we’ll do it together.”

She let out a huff. He didn’t care. He loved this woman and the baby she carried, his baby, and no way would he stray more than five feet away from her when she was having contractions.

“The house looks fantabulous and so do you,” Roxie said, coming over in a flourish to give Ali a kiss on the cheek. She handed a big pink box to Jared, placed her palms on each side of Ali’s rotund belly and rubbed in small circular motions. “Is Roxie going to find the man of her dreams at this shindig? One kick for yes, two for no.” She closed her eyes and waited. “Nothing. The kid’s unreliable. Typical male.”

Roxie turned to Jared. “You are one lucky guy, Dr. P. Screw it up and I’ll geld you. Don’t you forget it.”

“You won’t let me,” he replied with a big smile.

“Damn straight. Where’s the booze?” Roxie walked off in search of the bar.

The doorbell rang. “Would you get that?” Ali asked. “I’ll put this present on the table.” She hurried off, looking rather eager to be rid of him.

Jared opened the door, prepared to welcome the next
guests to their small gathering, to see his mother standing on the porch. He felt like he’d taken an uppercut to the gut. His mother looked like she’d aged twenty years since the last time he’d seen her, her posture hunched, making her appear shorter than her usual five feet five inches, and frail. Her hair, now more gray than black, was cut short. Her eyes, once warm, now looked at him with apprehension.

“What are you doing here, Mom?” Jared asked, careful to keep his voice even.

“Your wife invited me.”

Over her shoulder Jared saw an older man with thinning hair watching them from his car.

Ali walked up beside him. “Aren’t you going to invite your mom into our home?” Bending forward so her belly didn’t get in the way, she leaned out to give his mother a hug. “Welcome to our home, Mrs. Padget. We’re so glad you could come.”

We are? Jared wondered. Maybe if he’d had a little advance warning he could have mustered gladness. Right now he couldn’t get past shock.

“Come in. Come in.”

Once his mother walked inside, the man drove off.

Jared watched his wife walk his mother into the kitchen and introduce her to Mrs. Meyer like they were old friends.

The doorbell rang again. Jared braced himself for whatever might be on the other side before opening the door. “Whew. It’s only you.”

“That’s some greeting,” Victoria said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t take her for granted or you’ll be sorry.”

“Yes. I know. Sweet little Polly already warned me. Roxie threatened my manhood. Any more problems with
the leg?” A few months back Victoria had taken a nasty fall in the stairwell at work.

“I can predict when a storm’s coming but other than that I’m back to normal.”

“Where’s Kyle?” The new man in Victoria’s life.

“At the hospital. He’ll stop by later.”

Jared looked down at Victoria’s son. “Hey, Jake.” He held up his hand for the eight-year-old redhead to slap.