The Billioniare's Bought Bride (Contemporary Romance) (13 page)

“I’ve seen him,” she whispered, her eyes clear and certain.

“Who?”

“Larry.” Gail mentioned her deceased husband’s name.  The rest of her sentence enunciated slowly between gasps for air. “He’s waiting for me to finish my good-byes.”

Tears rained down Madison’s cheeks and try as she might, she couldn’t stop their flow. “I love you, Aunt Gail.”

“My child.” She closed her eyes for a brief moment until the coughing spell subsided. Gail winced and Madison wondered when her last morphine shot had been. Suddenly her aunt’s eyes flew open. “Remember the eagles. The feather. My Bible.”

Maddy found the Bible tucked just beneath the covers. A feather peeked out and Maddy removed it.

“Remember what they mean.” Aunt Gail closed her eyes.  “Good-bye, Maddy. I love you.”

“I love you, Aunt Gail.” Madison kissed her aunt’s wrinkled cheek. Dylan’s hands rested on Maddy’s shoulders, and only by depending on his strength was she able to straighten. He supported her as they walked out the door.

Jonathan and Jake immediately went wordlessly went to their mother’s room.

Dylan stretched out his arms and pulled Maddy to his chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against the top of her head. “I’m here for you.”

She let him hold her in his arms, keeping her safe and secure especially after her sobs increased when a nurse arrived to tell them that Aunt Gail’s suffering was over.

Madison made it through the next four days as if she were an airplane flying on autopilot. Like when he’d saved Summerhaven, she let Dylan take care of everything.

He became her rock, and she leaned on him without question. She made love to him with pure abandon, escaping into a world of physical pleasure instead of personal pain.

They were all gone now: her parents, her grandparents, and Aunt Gail. Her family had never been close, more like a wheel with her grandparents the bolt at the center. Thanks to Dylan, she had the solace of Summerhaven. She would never lose that.

As she wandered through the condolence reception following the funeral, Maddy realized how few people she knew. Sure, she knew names and recognized faces. She could make the required social pleasantries. But the family wasn’t close knit, and except for Dylan and Ted, she was alone in a room of strangers offering sympathies and support. Until the next family wedding or funeral, she doubted she would see anyone again.

She nodded an acknowledgement at someone and wove her way through Jake’s crowded house. Ted had flown in from Florida an hour or two before last night’s visitation.

After his perfunctory, required appearance, he’d jetted off to meet some old friends at a club on Washington Avenue. His only words to her had been a curt hello. 

“There you are.” Ted slid up to her and Maddy noted his blue suit fit his figure perfectly. “I’ve been waiting to talk to you.”

She stared at him, part of her unwilling to converse with the man who’d drained her trust fund and almost cost her her home. But she had been raised a Johansson. “That’s fine.”

“Could we go somewhere a little more private?”

Maddy allowed him to guide her to the brick patio. The September day was pleasant enough to forgo a jacket, meaning her black long sleeved dress was perfectly comfortable. She dropped into a cushioned chair next to the patio table. Beyond a swimming pool lay covered and dormant, red and yellow leaves already dropping on the green safety tarp.

“What did you want, Ted?” She leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table and resting her head on her hands. She was exhausted.

“I wanted to speak with you about your husband.”

Maddy sighed, exhaustion overriding manners. “Why?  Unless you’re planning on apologizing for your harsh words before my wedding, I’ll be honest. I don’t want to hear it.”

Ted picked a scrap of lint off his jacket sleeve and flicked it to the ground. “Okay, you’re right. I reacted poorly when you called and told me you were marrying the man.”

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

Ted’s scoff grated. “Well, what did you expect?  You know as well as I do that Dylan Blackwater has always had a vendetta against our family, Madison. Especially me. Hell, we were kids. Kids are supposed to be tough and fight each other and I thought I was defending your honor. But that’s no excuse for what Blackwater did to Grandfather, driving him into the grave.”
             
Once Maddy had believed that. But she’d taken some time to contact Stephen Johansson’s doctor. “Ted, all Dylan did was buy up some land that Grandfather tried to purchase for himself. In fact, when Dylan sold North Star Island to the people who own the Big Island, he gave me the access strip to me as a wedding gift. It’s time to end all this pettiness.”

Ted shifted, his manner incredulous. “Maddy, you have no clue what you did when you took his money, did you?”

“I saved Summerhaven.” Maddy shrugged, trying to convey a confidence she didn’t totally possess. She forced her eyes to remain open. “There’s no sin in that. Besides, I checked with the family doctor. Grandfather was just old. No land war did him in.”

Ted’s nostrils flared. “You defend Dylan Blackwater.”

“He’s my husband and I love him. I always have.” Madison said. Despite saying the words for appearance’s sake, they were, after all, the truth.

Her brother fumed. “I forget how naïve you are. Your husband is nothing like you think he is. If you know what I do—”

Maddy rubbed her eyes and yawned again. She’d felt ill all week, probably a little stomach flu that was understandable under the stressful circumstances.

“Ted, I’m sorry, but I’m not up this conversation today. I’ve just lost Aunt Gail. Compared to that, this conversation can wait, can’t it? I don’t know how much more bad news I can take, especially when I’m still more than a little angry about what you did to my trust fund.”

“Speaking of that—”

The glass in Madison’s hand was empty, and her dry mouth indicated she should get a refill, or better, find Dylan and go home. She rose. “It’ll have to wait.”

She reentered the house and found Dylan in conversation with Jonathan’s wife.  Dylan’s eyes flickered over her as she approached, and she nodded at the wordless question he’d asked. He, too, was ready to leave. He made his excuses and came over to her.

He slid a hand under her elbow and guided her toward a quiet corner. “How are you
holding up?” 

“I’ve hit the wall,” she said, referring to her state of exhaustion. 

“Let’s go then.” Dylan reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out his cell phone and snapped it open. “We’re on our way,” he said before hitting the end button. 

He lifted her chin and studied her face. “The plane has been on stand-by. Bryan should have us cleared to fly when we arrive.”

She yawned, which forced him to move his fingers. “What about our luggage?”  They’d left everything in the hotel room.

“I had it delivered to the airport earlier this afternoon.”

She blinked. “Oh.”

“I told you I’d always take care of you, Maddy. I don’t break my vows.”

“I know you don’t. I couldn’t have made it through this without you.” She let him support her weight.

They made their way through the house, stopping to say good-byes and accept final condolences. At last they reached the foyer. Dylan put his hand on the doorknob.

“Sneaking out early?”

Madison turned. “Ted.” 

“It’s a reception. I didn’t know there was a clock ticking,” Dylan said. The sharpness in Dylan’s tone startled Madison, and she glanced at her husband in surprise. He’d clenched his jaw, and the muscle in his cheek twitched with agitation. She knew he could be formidable, but this was the first time she’d seen it.

“Guys,” she began.

“Whereas you may not know Madison’s responsibilities to her family, I do,” Ted said. Now that both men had fully grown into their adult bodies, Madison saw that Dylan
dominated Ted by at least three inches. “She should be one of the last to leave. She’s immediate family.”

“We have a plane waiting,” Dylan ground out, and Maddy could tell that he was keeping some brutal anger in check. While Dylan might have “forgiven” her, he hadn’t forgiven Ted. “My wife is tired, and Jonathan and Jake both understand that.”

“Still.” Ted shrugged and his collar bunched around his neck. “Madison was Gail’s favorite. She should remain here.”

Madison shifted side to side, her tiredness steamrolling over her. She’d already stayed in St. Louis longer than anyone had expected. In fact, she’d been here for so long she didn’t even know what day it was anymore. Everything had blended together in one giant blur.

“Ted.” Dylan’s voice conveyed his warning. “Worry about yourself.”

“You know, Dylan. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I received some rather disturbing legal demands the other day. Considering that you’ve been raised to believe everything you want belongs to you, including my sister, I wasn’t surprised. You’ve always been a loser. You’ll never be good enough, you know.”

Ted’s sneer was obvious.

“We will not discuss this here,” Dylan snapped, indicating his temper was on a short shoestring. The last thing Maddy wanted was another fight like ten years ago, especially today.

“Ted,” she implored while resting her head on Dylan’s arm, “I’m a zombie. Why don’t you visit us in Chicago later in the month?”

His gaze remained locked on Dylan’s, like an invisible war between the two men. He finally broke contact and smiled at his sister, although the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’ll do that.”

Without another word, he strode off, leaving Maddy to wonder exactly what was going on. She filed it away as something to think about, later.

“Come on,” Dylan said, looping his arm through Maddy’s. “Let’s go home.”

Chapter Nine

As the start of October arrived, the wind beat against the windows, but it could not match the rate of Maddy’s heartbeat.

“What do you mean, I’m pregnant?” Disbelief had Madison staring at the doctor. She hadn’t been feeling well, and she’d thought she had a cold and some vaginal cramping. The tall redhead woman smiled.

“You’re expecting. The test I had you take says you’re pregnant.” With a flap of her white coat, she flipped the light switch off. “Now lie back and let’s see exactly what we’ve got here.”

“I can’t be pregnant. I had a period. Or I thought I did.”

“Let’s see for sure,” Doctor Manqué said as she squeezed some cold gel on Maddy’s skin. Within moments the ultrasound wand hummed over her flat stomach as the doctor performed a sonogram.

“Oh, you’re definitely pregnant,” Dr. Manqué said as she pointed to a small monitor. “That little grain of rice is your baby. He or she’s not giving us a view of much else but that flickering dot is the baby’s heartbeat. I’d say you’re six to eight weeks, but to
be absolutely certain, I’ll send you to the Woman’s Health Center for a level two ultrasound when you’re about fifteen weeks. You’ll see everything then—arms, legs, fingers, head circumference. After that, we’ll adjust your due date if necessary.” 

The doctor removed a black and white picture from the sonogram unit and handed the photo to Madison. Then the doctor picked up a small paper wheel. “I’m going to figure out your due date.”

While she did that, Madison studied the small picture. Just like what she’d seen on the monitor, the tiny baby did indeed look like a white outline of a grain of rice on a black background.

“Given the information you gave me, I’d say your due date is June 1.” The doctor’s expression was sympathetic. “I can see you’re in a state of shock.”

“This wasn’t planned.”

“Many babies aren’t. Are you okay?”

Was she okay? If she was this far along, had she conceived the very first time? “Yes, I’m okay with this. Like I said, I thought I had a period.”

“Sometimes you do spot early in the pregnancy,” Dr. Manqué said with a reassuring pat on Maddy’s arm. “But don’t worry, your baby is just fine and doing well. So I’m assuming that I’ll see you every four weeks until week thirty-two?”

“Yes,” Maddy said, for she’d known immediately that despite the circumstances surrounding her marriage, she already loved her child. Just seeing the picture had unleashed a flood of maternal feelings.

“Good,” Dr. Manqué approved. “Marla out front will give you a prescription for vitamins and a packet of information. Be sure to take that scan. Your husband will love seeing it.”

Would he? Madison didn’t really know. While Dylan been warm and loving, especially in bed, once they’d arrived back in Chicago, he’d been totally preoccupied with something business-related. She’d asked him about it, but he’d brushed her off and told her not to worry. As for her brother, he’d never called.

Dr. Manqué stood at the doorway. “Now, don’t worry about sex. You have no restrictions. I’ll meet you up at the front desk with some brochures.”

Using her fingertip, Maddy traced the little rice grain. Her baby. She touched her stomach. How would Dylan react? She sighed.