Chapter 14
Peter
After my date with Honey, I felt like I was walking on air for the rest of the week. Even work was a breeze. Dealing with my father had never been easier. The next Monday morning, I was going to walk into his office and tell him that I was married and that the newly-crowned Honey Anastas was carrying his first grandchild.
At least, that’s what I hoped to do.
I knew it was silly to think about Honey being pregnant so soon. It had hardly been a month since we’d met, but we couldn’t stay away from each other. Every time I saw her, I felt more drawn to her than ever before. I wanted her. I wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to take her in my arms and love her.
And you’re going to marry her, I thought to myself as I stared in the mirror and adjusted my tie.
Don, my private investigator, had been doing a good job sending me pictures and details of Pamela’s day-to-day life. The only problem was that none of the information had been particularly relevant. It was all boring, normal stuff – her grocery shopping at the expensive organic stores in Manhattan, her having brunch with her girlfriends. There was nothing even remotely sordid.
And I was starting to get frustrated.
On Friday, I called Evangeline and told her I wouldn’t be in the office until early afternoon. After hanging up, I called Don.
“Hey,” Don said. It sounded like his mouth was full. “What do you want?”
“Is this a bad time?” I raised my eyebrow. “I am paying you, after all.”
Don snorted. “I’m in the middle of breakfast,” he said, chewing noisily. I imagined crumbs flying out and hitting his phone. “What’s up?”
“Where are you headed today, with Pamela?”
“Hmm, gimme a minute,” Don replied.
I waited patiently.
“I have her on the book for an appointment at this clinic,” Don said. “Why? You feel like showin’ up?”
“Not exactly,” I lied. “Thanks.”
Don and I hung up, and I slipped my phone in my pocket. I knew it was probably a bad idea to tail Pamela – after all, it wasn’t exactly like I had any investigating experience – but I couldn’t help my curiosity. I was dying to see what she did during the day. Did she have another lover, the father of her unborn child?
Or was she up to something much more malicious?
Either way, I was about to find out.
The day was dark and stormy – fall was coming to New York, and I grabbed my umbrella before leaving my condo. Renaldo was waiting for me out front. I had him take me to my office, and I watched from the lobby as he drove away. It felt weird sneaking around my own driver, but I didn’t want anyone to know what I was doing.
As soon as the coast was clear, I walked three blocks east and stood on the corner. Sure enough, there was a small building with a bright green awning.
“Best Chances Fertility Clinic,” read the awning in a scripted font.
Great, I thought, rolling my eyes. A sperm bank. She went to a sperm bank, and she’s trying to say the kid is mine!
I didn’t have to wait long. Before I’d been on the curb for ten minutes, I spotted Pamela’s lithe figure. She was wearing a designer trench coat, and her hair was tucked up in a bun on the top of her head. She wore giant sunglasses, but they didn’t go far in disguising her.
I grabbed my phone from my pocket and swiped open the camera. As Pamela walked inside the clinic, I snapped a few photos before tucking my phone back in my pocket.
I’m sure my father would be very interested to see this, I thought, glancing down to make sure the pictures had come out.
Just as I was deciding whether I should wait and confront Pamela or leave and wait until I had more evidence, I saw Honey. She was on the opposite sidewalk, striding along in a dark leather jacket with her hair in a braid.
Shit, I thought. She can’t see me, not doing this! She’ll think I’ve lost my mind!
I tried to turn on my heel and run, but it was too late.
“Peter!” Honey called. “Is that you?”
Shit.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, turning around and forcing a bright smile. “How are you?”
Honey smiled – but hers was genuine. She threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug.
“I miss you,” Honey purred in my ear. She pulled away and gave me a mischievous look. “We should get out of here.” She shivered. “It’s freezing outside!”
“Um, yeah, well, the thing is…” I trailed off nervously. Oh, nothing, I added silently, trying not to panic. Just waiting for my lying scumbag of an ex-girlfriend to emerge from that fertility clinic!
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Just waiting for a friend.”
“Well, I hope they hurry up,” Honey said. “You want lunch after this?”
“I should really get back to the office,” I said, struggling to keep one eye on Honey and the other on the door of the fertility clinic. “Maybe tomorrow.”
Honey giggled. “I’m going shopping tomorrow,” she said. “With Beth.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “You know. For a dress.”
I grinned. Thinking about Honey all dolled up in a wedding gown filled me with happiness. It was strange to admit – I knew that most rational guys would run for the hills at the idea of someone they’d known for less than three months wearing bridal whites. But this was different. Honey and I had an arrangement – it obviously wasn’t about love.
“Good,” I said.
“And I was thinking, maybe we could take a trip, or something,” Honey said. She shrugged.
“Maybe,” I said.
“Peter? Are you all right?” Honey looked into my eyes, and I saw the concern on her face. “You’re acting a little strange.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“Good,” Honey said. She babbled on: “or we don’t have to go on a trip, we could always just go out for a nice meal after the courthouse.” She laughed. “Maybe if we show up in our fancy clothes, we can get some free champagne.”
I laughed, too. “God, can you imagine what would happen if a photographer saw us? We’d be on the front page of the paper.”
Honey didn’t smile like I expected. “Peter, what if your father gets really angry about this?” She asked softly, biting her lip. “What if…what if he knows?” She added in a quiet voice. “What if he tells you that it doesn’t count, you know, because of the contract…” Honey trailed off, biting her lip.
I shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll do that,” I replied. I frowned. To be honest, I hadn’t thought much of my father lately. It had been weeks since we’d talked – and I wanted to believe that he’d be happy that I’d finally found a wife, especially a wife who knew how to behave in high society.
“But you don’t know, because you haven’t asked him,” Honey continued. She shook her head. “Peter, I don’t know – maybe we should say something. Maybe we should have dinner with him or something, you know? Maybe he should get to know me before I marry his son.”
“I’m an adult,” I said flatly. Thinking about my father had taken me out of my confident mood, and now I felt bleak and depressed as if black clouds were circling the air above my head.
“So am I,” Honey said. She sighed. “I just know that…well, sometimes people like you and me are obligated to our parents, you know?” She leaned in close. “I never thought I’d be on the hook for billions of dollars…but our families are complicated.”
I blinked. In the excitement of wooing Honey, I’d almost forgotten about her little financial problem.
“I know,” I said quickly. “But you’ll get the money for your father, I promise. I swear, Honey – no matter what happens, I’ll help you.”
Honey was starting to look panicked. “But if your father doesn’t accept the marriage, you won’t have any choice,” she said, gnawing on her lip until I saw blood appear. “I mean, if he tells you it’s invalid, he won’t sign over the company, and then you won’t have the money,” she said quickly, getting lost in her own thoughts.
“Just stay calm,” I said, putting my hands on her shoulders. “Honey, take a deep breath. This is going to be okay – we are going to be okay, you got it?”
Honey nodded, but she didn’t look like she believed me. Just as she was about to speak, I saw the doors of the fertility clinic open.
“Look, I should really get back to my office,” I said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Peter,” Honey said, putting her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes. “What are you doing? We’re in the middle of a really serious conversation right now!”
Her voice was getting high and shrill, and I cringed.
“Honey, please,” I said through gritted teeth. “Can we talk about this later? I’ll explain everything, I swear—“
“Peter?”
The high, musical sound of Pamela’s voice reached my ears, and I cringed.
“Hi,” I said flatly, turning around.
Pamela was standing there, jutting her hips to the side and smirking at me. When she saw Honey, her smile faded.
“Who is this?”
“This is Honey,” I said, reaching for Honey’s hand and taking it. “My fiancée.”
The blood drained from Pamela’s sculpted face until she was completely white. Her eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped as she raised a hand to me in anger, shaking her fist like an angry schoolmarm.
“Peter, I don’t know what kind of little joke you’re trying to pull, but it’s not going to work,” Pamela hissed. “I’m not going to just stand here and let you humiliate me!”
I shrugged. Oddly, Pamela’s rage and anger was restoring my confidence, and suddenly I felt every inch of the Manhattan executive.
“Then leave,” I said, laughing. “I don’t care, Pamela. We’ve been over for weeks.”
“Peter,” Pamela said. She swallowed hard and stepped forward. “You can’t mean that!”
I shrugged again. “I mean every word of what I’ve just said,” I replied. “And by the way, Pamela, you’ve been caught.” I pointed to the green canvas awning of the fertility clinic and then to Pamela’s lower stomach, which was just beginning to show the faintest hint of a bulge.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pamela said arrogantly, tossing her blonde hair. “It’s not my fault if I’ve put on a few pounds since you dumped me!” She made a pouting face. “Grieving girls eat a lot of ice cream, you know that.”
I laughed. “You’re full of shit,” I said. “The baby, Pamela. It’s not mine.”
Pamela blinked. Her smug look faded. “You’re wrong,” she said in a shaky, unsteady voice. “It’s your baby, Peter.”
“There’s no way,” I said. “And if you’d like to submit to a paternity test as soon as the kid is born, I’d like that. Because god knows, Pamela, it might not even be from this clinic!” I pointed at the awning again. “I forgot, were you and Andrew using condoms?”
Pamela’s mouth twisted into a hateful grimace. “Fuck you, Peter,” she snarled. “I’m done with you.” Whirling around on her expensively-shod heel, she stalked away.
Beside me, Honey burst out laughing.
“What?” I asked warily. “What now?”
Honey put her head on my shoulder. “Nothing,” she said. She reached for my hand and laced her fingers with mine. “I’m just happy for you, that’s all.”
I felt my face relax into a lazy grin. Dipping my face to Honey’s, I kissed her and wrapped my arms around her narrow waist.
“I’m happy, too,” I replied. “The happiest I’ve been in a long, long time.”