Tristan's Redemption (11 page)

Abby shook her head as the doorbell rang again—Tristan was going a little overboard. What would he like if they were married? If she were pregnant with his child? The thought stopped her cold. Where on earth had thoughts of marriage come from? David hadn
’t even been gone a year. And that certainly would give Marianne lots of gossip fodder. Still, now that the idea was planted, it didn’t seem as scary as it would have, maybe, three months ago.

Two days ago, after delivering Abby home, Tristan had called with the name of a housecleaning service and told her a delivery would be made that afternoon. Tristan had an upright freezer delivered with instructions to install wherever would be most convenient for Abby. Bewildered, she pointed the delivery guys to the garage, where they set everything up. Tristan explained, when he finally was able to answer the phone, that the freezer was for the caterer. Abby protested, but Tristan said he
’d made arrangements with a reputable organic caterer for individually packaged meals and snacks. If she got hungry and it wasn’t in the freezer, the food probably didn’t exist.

Tristan told her that someone would be by to do yard work. There was a knock and Abby opened the door in shock.
“Ehron?”

The very tall man tipped his hat.
“Yes, ma’am.”

“
Tristan said to expect someone to do my yard work. You’re a painter.”

Ehron chuckled.
“Just call me a jack of all trades. Mr. Ramirez is familiar with my work and if he recommended me, I can assure you I’m the best.” He looked past her into the den. “Is now not a good time?”

“
What? No, it’s perfect. Come on in. And please excuse me for being rude.” Abby shut the door behind Ehron and wished she’d been a little quicker with what she was doing before he got there. “Uh, I guess this looks a little ridiculous, huh?”

“
Not at all.” Ehron glanced down at the mountainous pile of baby clothes on the couch. “You’re preparing for a little one.”

“
I sure am. But...could you please keep this between us? Tristan has arranged for a house cleaner, but I just felt the need to be the one to do my baby’s laundry and arrange everything in his room.”

Ehron smirked.
“Just let me know if you need anything strenuous done.”

“
Deal.” Abby shook his hand with a smile and exhaled in relief. If Tristan arranged for anyone else to come take care of her, it would make her feel like an invalid. “So, yard work, huh?”

“
Today, yard work. As far as the future goes, who knows?” Ehron shrugged and looked around.

Abby wanted to protest, to tell Tristan that enough was enough, that she could pay for her own home upkeep, but...it felt good to be nurtured. She wasn
’t feminist enough to look this particular gift horse in the mouth and tell it to go away.

“
What about trimming trees? I’ve got a magnolia that is too close to the house and I’ve been meaning to get it trimmed back.” Abby looked out with window with a frown. “You know, I probably should have it cut down because it really is too close. But I can’t bring myself to do it.”

“
Trimming isn’t a problem. I’ll get started right now.”

Abby followed Ehron to the door.
“Thank you.”

He inclined his head.
“My pleasure.”

She shut the door behind him and went back to folding her baby
’s clothes.

~

Tristan resisted the urge to wave at the neighbors as he drove down Abby’s street. As David, he’d had conversations with these people. Some had been over to the house for cook-outs. He had to remind himself that they didn’t know Tristan Ramirez.

He pulled into the driveway in time to spot Abby going around the house. He got out and followed her. She stood beside the magnolia that had originally been the selling point for the lot. Abby had said she wanted to be able to open the windows and smell the blooms from the tree. Now, she cocked her head and put her hands on her hips.

“Is there a problem with the tree?”

Abby looked over her shoulder and greeting him with a smile.
“No. I asked Ehron if he would trim the branches back because there used to be a problem with the leaves clogging up the gutters. Now, it seems as if the tree has moved.”

She was right. The tree was at least ten feet farther away from the house than it had been
last year. “Huh. Did the limbs get trimmed?”

“
I don’t know. Ehron walked back out to get started and I got very sleepy all of a sudden. I lay down for a quick nap and when I got up, he was gone.” She frowned.

No, he thought. The angel likely made her go to sleep and moved the damned tree.
“You’re probably just tired. As the pregnancy progresses, I imagine you’ll need more rest.” He held open his arms and Abby leaned into his chest.

“
Maybe. I guess I should thank you.”

“
For?”

“
The freezer, the food, Ehron’s help, however he did that...”

“
Abby, you already thanked me for the freezer and food. If you want to thank me for anything else, let me take you out for dinner.”

“
But we can go inside and I can fix you something here. God knows you arranged for enough food to feed a battalion.”

Tristan shook his head. He didn
’t think he could go in there and enjoy a meal with Abby, with all the memories of doing the very same thing as David going through his head. “That’s for you, later. It would make me very happy if you would come with me.”

Abby
’s lips curled up in a smile. “In that case...”

~

Abby put her glass down, guessing she was probably the only woman Tristan had dined with that had milk with spaghetti. His plate was empty, and he sipped his wine as he watched her. Her feelings for Tristan were growing at an alarming rate—she spent the night at his house, for the love of God—but she knew nothing about the life he had before her, while she had shared much about David. She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “What was she like?”

“
Who?”

“
Your wife.”

“
Oh.” Tristan steepled his hands. “Caring, patient, intelligent, generous.” He looked off into the distance with sadness in his eyes. “Unlucky.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Abby, I was not the best husband. She loved me, or at least she acted like she did. I can’t say for sure because the only time I returned her affections was in the bedroom.” He cringed. “Sorry, that’s not polite subject matter.”

“
Don’t apologize.” Abby patted her belly. “I think we can both safely say that we had sex with our spouses.”

His lip curled in a semblance of a smile.
“Good point. But, in regards to my marriage, I wasn’t there. We made public appearances together, lived in the same house but...I wasn’t the most attentive of husbands. At times,” Tristan paused to take another drink, “my memories seem like looking through a window at other people’s lives.”

How odd.
Abby couldn’t understand because she cherished her memories of David because, until the last day, most of them were good. “What changed?”

Tristan shrugged.
“I became a completely different man while on sabbatical.”

He smiled, as i
f there were an underlying punch line to that remark. “Do you think you’ll remain like you are now?”

“
And how,” he asked, looking amused, “am I now?”

“
Attentive, caring, protecting, and I have a feeling the longer we spend together, the more I’ll discover about you.”

He chuckled and took another swallow of wine.
“I have no doubt of that.”

“
I’m sure. So,” and this was important, “are you going to be gone a lot, now that you’re back at work?”

“
I’ll be gone some. It’s the nature of my work. But I have also discovered that the ability to delegate is a wonderful thing. I have vice presidents that are more than capable of handling the responsibilities I used to take on personally.”

“
That’s good.” She breathed a sigh of relief.

“
Were you concerned about not seeing me?”

Abby nodded.

“Don’t be.” Tristan reached across the table and held her hands tenderly. “You’re infinitely precious to me. I’m not spending any more time away from Atlanta than necessary. I don’t want to be apart from you,” Tristan looked down at her stomach, “or the baby.”

Abby felt her eyes watering. His hands were so strong, his voic
e confident, his eyes sincere. “You don’t have a personal hero complex do you?”

“
No, I’m no hero at all, Abby.”

There was a haunted expression on his face. She smiled and eventually, Tristan did as well. He
’d saved her from despair. How could he not see that?

You think you aren
’t a hero. Well that’s exactly something that a hero would say about himself.

“
Why are the doctors doing an ultrasound today?” Tristan followed Abby around her living room as she straightened. The house was spotless, the cleaning service saw to that. But Abby was fidgeting. Nesting.

“
Just to measure growth. I haven’t been able to feel him as much lately and my obstetrician ordered one as a precautionary measure, really.” Abby looked down at her watch. “I wonder where my parents are.”

Tristan looked at the door, growing more nervous by the second, for several reasons. Abby
’s parents had loved David. He’d charmed her mother with ease. Her father was another matter altogether, but even he was easily won over when David revealed his season passes to the Braves. Jackson Adams, Abby’s father, was of the opinion that historians had it wrong. Jesus wasn’t born in Bethlehem; he was born at Turner Field.

This time around, Abby was a widow, pregnant with David
’s baby, and Tristan was a businessman with a ruthless reputation. Jackson was an accountant for an international law firm, so he would be very familiar with Tristan Ramirez. The man had been protective of his only daughter before, but Tristan being a new person in Abby’s life, combined with his reputation, was going to make Jackson exceptionally apprehensive.

She frowned and checked her watch again.
“They’re never late.”

“
Your appointment’s in an hour?”

“
Uh huh.” She peered out the window nervously.

“
Maybe you should call them.”

“
I should.” Abby pressed a few numbers and held the phone to her ear, resting her other hand protectively on her bump and highlighting the other reason for Tristan’s nervousness.

Today, he would see his baby for the first time. Tristan didn
’t give a damn that biologically, another man was his father. This baby was
his
, regardless of whatever body Tristan was in. He would be the one kicking a soccer ball in the yard, talking to him about girls and holding Abby’s hand as he crossed the stage at graduation. And the doctors would not have ordered an ultrasound just to be safe, would they? Did they think something was wrong?

“
Mom, hey. Where are you guys? What? Is he okay? Do you need me to come? I can stop by and pick you something up for dinner. Are you sure? Yes, I promise I’ll have them to print you off a picture too. Sure. Yeah. I love you too. Bye.”

Abby turned to Tristan, frowning.
“Daddy has a migraine. Mom just got him home from the doctor. She had to take him in for an injection.”

“
I’m sorry.”

She shrugged.
“Me too. But it happens. They aren’t usually bad enough for him to go to the doctor, though.”

“
Was he upset over me being with you?”

“
No. I hadn’t told them yet. They know we see each other and spend a lot of time together, but I hadn’t told them I asked you to be there too.”

“
Oh.” That bought him a little time, at least.

“
Well, I guess we’d better be going. It may be a little difficult to find parking at the office around lunch.”

Tristan palmed his keys and smiled.
“I’m ready when you are.”

~

Luckily, there was parking close to the entrance but that didn’t mean a damned thing. Abby checked in forty-five minutes ago and hadn’t been seen yet. Tristan looked around the waiting room and saw women who had been there just as long as they had.

This is just ridiculous.

Abby looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes. “Are you okay? You seem more nervous than me.”

He immediately calmed.
“I’m fine. It’s just this whole concept of waiting on health care.”

She fought a laugh.
“Technically, my appointment was only ten minutes ago. Someone, and I’m not naming names, got us here in record time.” She put her hand on his arm. “Besides, I’m kind of glad there aren’t express lanes here. I want the doctors to take their time and get a good look at him.”

“
Abby Daniels.”

Tristan
’s heart started pounding.
I’m about to see my son.

Abby stood.
“Are you sure about going back with me?”

“
There is nowhere I would rather be.”

~

Abby laughed as the sonographer applied the gel. “It tickles.”

The woman chuckled.
“Sorry. At least it’s warm though. When my oldest child was born, I swear they stored this gel in cryofreeze before they used it on pregnant women.”

Abby cringed.
“You would have to peel me off the ceiling if this stuff was cold.”

“
Oh honey, I did. Trust me.” She turned to Tristan, who stood beside the bed like Abby’s guard dog. “Do you want to have a seat or should I have her move over?”

Tristan turned a bright shade of pink.
“Where should I sit?”

“
I’ll be working down here and, sorry, you can’t have my seat. Pull a seat up from the corner and sit by Mom’s head.”

Tristan did as asked
, and Abby smiled expectantly. She reached out for his hand and noticed a slight tremble as he wrapped his fingers around hers. “How are you doing?”

“
Excited to see my little boy.”

“
Okay, guys, it’s show time.” The tech applied the wand and the room filled with a
whoosh whoosh
sound.

“
What is that?”

“
It’s the baby’s heartbeat.”

Abby looked at Tristan as he stared at the monitor.
“That’s him?”

“
Sure is. That’s his leg.” The word femur popped up on the screen as the technologist typed. “Abby, his femur length is about a week or two ahead of schedule. Looks like you may have a basketball player on your hands.”

“
He’s going to be tall.”

Tristan squeezed her hand. Sharing this experience with him was incredible. He watched the screen with fascination. She smiled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“And here is the boy shot. There is the turtle.”

~

Tristan wished he could make out the baby’s different parts, but everything looked like a gray blob. The technician worked her way up to the heart and stopped there. All other sound stopped except for the rapid
thump thump
. Tristan’s vision blurred as he watched the rhythmical movement of his son’s heart.

“
That is amazing.”

Abby
’s fingers tightened around his, and he looked down to see her crying. Tristan leaned over, his lips by her ear. “He’s perfect, Abby. You’ve done so well.”

She rewarded him with a smile and mouthed
thank you
.

The technician finished and stood, print outs in hand. Her face was neutral, her earlier humor gone.
“I’m going to go grab the doctor and I’ll be right back.”

Abby leaned up as best she could.
“Is there something wrong?”

“
Nothing for you to worry about. I just think I see a little extra fluid and I want the doctor to double check.”

As the door closed, Abby looked up at Tristan with worry.
“Extra fluid? What could that be?”

Wrapping his arms around Abby, he stared at the door.
“I don’t know. But before we leave, we’re going to find out.”

~

“Abby, why did you miss your glucose tolerance test?”

She looked at Dr. Reynolds.
“I asked to reschedule that morning because I was vomiting. I was told someone would call me back with the new date.”

“
Do you remember who you spoke with?”

“
No. I was fairly sick that day. Sorry.”

“
Mmm. Okay, here’s the deal. You’ve had some high normal glucose tests here in the office and the ultrasound clearly shows polyhydramnios, which is basically an excess amount of amniotic fluid. I think you’ve probably got gestational diabetes.”

Tristan stiffened
, and Abby nodded. “My mom had it with me. What about the baby? Did everything look good with him?”

“
He looked fine, but we are going to monitor you for the rest of your pregnancy. There are risks with polydramnios.”

Abby took a deep breath.
“Such as?”

“
It could resolve on its own, but there are other possibilities, such as cord prolapse, premature birth, early rupturing of membranes, placental abruption.” Tristan felt sick and Abby looked the same. Dr. Reynolds noticed and patted her on the shoulder. “But we will monitor you closely. Now, you need to come in first thing tomorrow for a glucose tolerance test. It’s going to take a while, so bring a book or something to keep you occupied. They will get you set up at the front and I want to see you back next week for your regularly scheduled appointment.”

“
Thanks, Dr. Reynolds.”

“
Hold on.” Tristan stepped forward to block him from leaving, if necessary. If this man tried to get out the door, he was going to have six-and-a-half feet of pissed-off man to deal with. “Why can’t you test her now?”

“
Because the first reading is taken fasting, and I assume Abby has eaten today.” He glanced at her for confirmation.

She nodded.
“I have.”

“
Well then, we need to wait until the morning.” Dr. Reynolds turned his gaze on Tristan. “But I agree on getting this done sooner than later.”

“
You’ll let us know when you have the results,” Tristan demanded in a voice that brooked no argument.

“
Abby will know the results tomorrow.”

With that, Dr. Reynolds walked out and Abby put her hand on Tristan
’s arm. “Can we get out of here? I need to cry.”

“
Absolutely.” He held her hand as they walked to the front, knowing exactly what she meant. He felt scared enough to cry, too.

~

Abby sighed as she pressed
end call
.

“
What did he say?”

“
Definitely gestational diabetes, but it should be manageable by diet. Which means no sugar, watch my carbohydrates. I also have to start monitoring my blood sugar. Basically, I have to eliminate everything from my diet that I’ve been craving.” She looked toward her kitchen. “I should send my stash with you to get rid of the temptation.”

Tristan wasn
’t very happy about the thought of leaving her here alone. If he had his way, the stash would be safe because she would be at his house. “What sort of contraband are you hiding?”

“
Snickers, Reese’s and Goobers.”

He arched an eyebrow and grinned.
“Are you concerned the Georgia peanut industry isn’t turning a profit?”

Abby cracked a smile.
“Seems like it, huh.” She flopped down on the couch and put her hand on her belly. Tristan sat beside her. “Thank goodness the baby is doing well.”

“
Yes, he is.” Ehron had an uncanny ability to show up just when Tristan needed him most, and last night, the angel spent the better part of an hour assuring him that both Abby and the baby were fine. Abby laid her head on his shoulder and Tristan closed his eyes, savoring her closeness.

“
Thank you for spending so much time with me the past couple of days.” She nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. “Having someone with me has made this easier.”

I
’m never leaving you again.

“
Abby, look at me.” She raised her head. “There is nowhere I would rather be.” Tristan kissed her and the first touch of his lips on hers felt like coming home.

Abby responded, softly moaning into his mouth and Tristan deepened the kiss.

He felt her hand on his shoulder, pulling him closer.
She wants this.
He turned, so he could ease her back on the couch and pulled back so he could see her face.

“
Tristan.” Abby’s eyes were bright and her lips parted, her chest heaving with each breath.

“
Do you want this, Abby?”
Please God, let her want it.

“
More than anything.”

Tristan lowered his head and kissed her neck. She arched her back and turned her head to the side to allow him better access. Kissing her neck always drove Abby wild, and her panting breaths let him know she loved what he was doing.

He kissed until he got to the top of her shirt, and she brought her trembling fingers up to the first button. Tristan watched in fascination as her shirt opened and her body became exposed. Abby’s skin was as flawless as he remembered, her breasts a bit fuller. The cups on the bra were modest but not demure enough to hide her beauty. She looked up hesitantly, as if questioning his opinion on her pregnant body.