Pregnancy Plan (29 page)

He glared at her without answering. This was
the woman he was in love with. Couldn’t she have found a way?

“
How did you expect to ever get away
with it?” Jason asked.

“
Get away with what? If Derek is
committed to me and I’m committed to him, what is there to get away
with?” Her hands lay spread out in front of her.

“
But aren’t their some legal issues
involved?” Kelly suggested.

“
Like what? When Derek and I bought
this house, we were just two people buying a house together. I
still use my maiden name on my driver’s license and credit cards.”
Jillian answered as if presenting her case before a judge. He
couldn’t help but feel pride at the way she’d thought this all out
but...

“
According to the state of Texas, if
we pass the three-prong test, we’re married. We pass all three.”
she stated.

Karen Ann joined her behind the counter.
“Look we understand why you did it, but there’s no reason you can’t
get married now.” She peered down at Jillian’s stomach.

“
It’s not like I don’t want to get
married. I just couldn’t think of a way to tell
everyone.”

Karen Ann wrapped her arms around his
wife…no. “Don’t worry, Jillian. We’ll work it out.”

Derek heard the argument, knew the facts,
but he couldn’t come to terms with the betrayal. Pushing to his
feet, he headed for the back door.

****

The slamming of the door vibrated through
Jillian’s body. Derek, a man of honor, wasn’t going to overlook her
lie. No matter what the reason.

“
The only problem now is whether he’s
still willing to marry me.” She felt bruised and
battered.

Jason stood. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“
No. This is my fault. I’ll go talk to
him.” Jillian rushed toward the door before Jason could leave the
table.

“
Why don’t you guys finish your
dinner? We’ll be back in a little while.” She closed the door
quietly behind her and heard the door to his workshop slam
shut.

He had a right to be upset. Hell, she’d be
upset too. But he’d have to get over it. She’d worked too hard to
make their marriage come together. She wasn’t going to give up on
it now.

Her heart beat like a drum as she stood
outside the door of the workshop. With a cleansing breath, she
knocked and opened the door.

Looking around the room, she found him in
the middle of the room, sawing a piece of wood.

“
Can I come in?” Jillian stepped
inside, closed the door, locked it, and then leaned back against
it.

“
It looks like you already have.” He
didn’t bother to look up.

She watched the muscles in his arms and back
bunch. His good looks called to her as much now as they did when
she’d first met him. His hair, which was longer now, still curved
at the ends. Energy flowed through him like electricity and it
hummed a rhythm she couldn’t ignore. She wanted, needed, and loved
him with all her heart. He had to forgive her.

He continued with the chore of sawing the
wood and never looked her way. She glanced around the room, noting
the small changes he’d made. Tools were placed back where they
belonged. No dust lay on the counters.

She circled the room, touching tools and
gliding her hand over the smooth surface of the cabinets. Tiring of
the silence, she voiced the first words that entered her head.
“Okay, go ahead. Tell me you’re leaving.”

“
What?” Derek peered up, his eyes
burning with resentment.

“
Well, isn’t that what you’re planning
to say? After all, how can you live with a liar?”

She watched him gather his control. He set
down the saw and spoke very calmly, too calmly. The man was furious
with her. “Jillian, I’m trying really hard not to get mad here.
Let’s leave it alone.”

Rage poured from every cell of his body. Who
was he kidding? There was no way he’d get over this if he didn’t
let it out.

“
Why don’t you want to get
mad?”

His dark eyes pinned her in place, screaming
his temper. “Because I don’t want to say or do something I might
regret. My anger seems to cause terrible things to happen.”

She studied her fingernails, playing for
time, trying to calm her own racing pulse. Could she handle his
wrath?

“
If you hold it inside it will only
cause you problems, but if you let it go I think we can work
through it.” She danced on the balls of her feet like a boxer.
“Your anger won’t kill me. Go ahead. Let's have it.”

Fists clamped, face red, Derek barked, “Damn
it, Jillian, you lied to me.”

Still across the room from him, she spoke
conversationally. “Did I?” Her hands fell.

He stalked toward her, his eyes inflamed.
“You know damn well you did.”

Toe-to-toe with him, she glanced up. “Then I
guess you lied too.” With his attention centered on her, she had no
intention of letting him back away.

“
What?”

“
I said you lied too. Who was it that
told everyone we were married in the first place?” Jillian shoved
her finger into the center of his chest.

“
You can't blame me for that one. I
was half out of my head with worry about who was going to take care
of you and the baby if I died.”

“
Well, it didn’t stop you from
leaving,” Jillian yelled. How she’d begged him not to go on his
last assignment. Yet, he hadn’t listen, instead he’d walked out the
door, not even bothering to kiss her goodbye.

His hands tightened over her shoulders.
“Don’t start with that. You know I felt guilty about leaving you. I
didn’t want to go.”

“
Then why did you?” she yelled in his
face.

His furious eyes dared her to argue his
point. “You know I had responsibilities that I had to take care
of.”

The argument still didn’t wash. “Funny, I
felt the same way when I said we were married.”

His eyes narrowed, he released her and
stepped back. “It’s not the same, Jillian.”

“
Really? That’s strange. Because I
think it is.” She grabbed his arm when he started to turn away,
pulling him back around to face her. “There you were on the other
side of the world. Not responding to anyone, calling for me. What
was I supposed to do?”

Her fears of what she could have lost
sparked her anger. “When Jason called, telling me you’d been hurt,
I thought I would go insane with worry. When he asked if we were
married, I told him yes.” The frustration of that moment hit her.
“I would have told him anything to get you back.”

Frustrated by his lack of understanding, she
screamed. “Don’t you see? I needed you.”

****

The anguish on her face broke through his
bitterness. Derek was blaming her for an untruth that had saved
him. She’d pulled him from the brink of hell. The misery he’d
dredged her through stabbed at his anger, deflating it.

She had stood by him, sacrificed her honor,
and changed her entire lifestyle to accommodate him, giving up her
freedom to take care of him. What more could he ask for?

He had no reason to be upset. She had backed
him up one hundred percent with no guarantee that things would work
out.

Staring into her face, he saw the love she
always gave him. It made him wonder what he’d done to deserve such
a woman in his life.

Wrapping his arms around her, Derek drew her
close. “It’s okay. Jillian, I’m home.”

“
But I could have lost you.” Her tears
fell on his chest and her arms circled his neck.

He stroked her back, trying to calm her. He
began to see the nightmare she’d lived with. Well, it was finally
over. “Honey, you don’t have to cry.”

Her arms clamped around him. She hiccupped
and whispered in his ear. “You’re not still mad?”

“
No, I’m not mad. But we still need to
get married. Maybe Kelly and Jason will go for a double
wedding.”

Tiny kisses fell on his neck. “I won’t ever
lie to you, again.”

“
You’d better not.” Derek drew back so
he could look down into her face. “Tell you what. To show you I’m
not angry any more why don’t, I show you what I’ve been working
on?”

“
That would be wonderful.” Jillian
smiled and loosened her grip.

He walked across the room and removed a
canvas over an object on the floor.

****

Jillian waited expectantly for him to step
out of the way. Her gaze fell on the cradle. “Oh Derek, it’s
beautiful.”

Examining the fine wood grain, she ran her
hands over the bed, admired the smooth texture. With a little push
the cradle rocked back and forth on its runners. She marveled at
the headboard where there were three small rocking horses cut out
of the wood. “You did a great job. How long have you been working
on it?”

He placed his arm around her shoulders, and
stared at the crib. “On and off since you showed me your father’s
workshop.”

She snuggled closer to him, absorbing the
love radiating from him. “You never said a word about doing
this.”

“
Well, I wanted it to be a surprise.”
He spun her around to face him, and gathered her up next to him.
The emotions reflected in his eyes made her melt. “I love you, Mrs.
Jillian Wilson Harris. And I promise you that no matter what, we
will always be together.”

“
I’ll agree with that.” She slid her
arms around his neck and whispered. “We’ve never made love in
here.”

His lips covered hers.

Tina Gayle is a person that enjoys learning
new things. After trying several different careers, she decided
that she really wanted to be a Pretender. She discovered as a
writer, she could go anywhere and do anything, the perfect job for
her. Already a natural storyteller, she worked to convert the skill
she developed as a child into creating characters and stories with
passion and ambition.

In her free time, she’s busy with her
husband, two active boys, a large extended family and many
friends.

Website:
http//www.tinagayle.net

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Amazon Author Page:
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My blog:
http://tinagayle.blogspot.com

Executive Wives Series:
(Romance with
strong women fiction elements)

Revive – Marketing Exec’s Widow

Birth – IT Exec’s Baby

Breath – CFO’s Affair (coming out summer of
2013)

Life – Dilemma of the CEO’s Widow (coming
out late 2013)

Family Tree Series:

Summer’s Growth -

Fallen Leaves – coming out in 2013

Winter’s Wonders – coming out in 2014

Spring’s Rebirth – coming out in 2014

Pregnancy Plan

Baby Decision

Mating Rituals

Youthful Decision

“You sure you want an older home?” Jennifer
Larson stepped into the living room of the early-American style
home, eyed the faded wallpaper and fought the dust tickling her
nose. The doors leading from the room had the added benefit of
creating functional areas for the office space her client wanted.
But sheer age and the dilapidated state of the place would require
a significant amount of time and money to return the house to its
prior glory.

“Yes, I like a house that has weathered a
few storms and developed the divine grace that comes with age.
Given a little care, she’ll be in the perfect spot to shine.” Hagan
Cheney, a few feet away, stood by the large front window. The
bright afternoon sun drew long shadows across the floor, adding to
the dreary surroundings. A prevailing wind whistled around the
house and through the bare oak tree in the small front yard, a
salacious cat-call to alert every female to clutch their skirt
close.

She shivered and air rushed through her nose
on a loud sneeze.

“Gesundheit,” Hagan threw over his shoulder,
shifting so that his masculine silhouette blocked her view of the
wintry landscape.

“Thank you.” Jen tilted her head and
narrowed her gaze. His tall, lean form topped hers even with
three-inch heels on, a welcome rarity from the men she usually met.
In addition, he had strawberry-blond hair, a known weakness of
hers. The reddish-gold locks danced along the collar of his black
shirt, teasing her with the idea of running her hands through the
thick mass. Her fingers twitched. She dropped her gaze. Tight jeans
covered a round, squeezable butt. Hot awareness suddenly sizzled,
stunning Jen with its power. She knotted her hands into fists and
fought the unwelcome attraction.