Chapter Seven
Heidi pushed the dark, bumble-bee glasses up the bridge of her nose. She hadn’t seen them yet, but there was no denying that the paparazzi would crop up soon enough. It had been three weeks of constant media attention and she had gotten used to it by now. She almost enjoyed it sometimes, but not today. Today she wanted to be left alone.
Despite her own misgivings, she knew the part she had to play. It was business, after all, as David and Declan kept reminding her, and she was going to have to carry it through until the end. They’d sold it to the media successfully and the fans had gobbled it up. Sweet girl next door Heidi Scott, Declan Xavier’s best friend’s sister. They were introduced at a party and quickly fell in love. Heidi was the girl who tamed Declan Xavier, the rock star who lived a life governed by no rules.
The paparazzi loved her because she posed for photos for them, and the fans appreciated her because she was always there by Declan’s side. They smiled, kissed and held hands in front of the camera. They were seen in public strolling in Central Park, going to the grocery store or sharing an ice cream cone. The public wanted to know everything about their relationship and David’s meticulously-planned PR skills were so far working out great. Heidi was living the fairytale celebrity romance that girls all over the country wanted to live.
They’d cut her hair shorter than usual, into a sassy, wavy bob. She was wearing a pair of frayed denim shorts that showed off her carefully tanned long legs, and a thin cotton t-shirt that clung to her body and accentuated her curves. Heidi had her own fan base now, and they all wanted to know what she ate and where she worked out.
Heidi never left the house without makeup anymore. Even today, on her short walk to the drugstore, she had remembered to put on a pale coral lipstick and brighten her eyes with dark eyeliner.
She ignored the thoughts rolling around in her head, the panic that was starting to erupt. She had been getting sick every morning for the last few days. Declan always woke up early and left the room, which meant that he hadn’t yet caught her throwing up in the bathroom, but she was certain by now that this had not been caused by anything she had eaten.
Heidi pushed open the drugstore doors and rushed in. She saw what she needed. Two pregnancy tests, no, four for good measure. She kept the glasses on her face as she walked up to the counter. She paid in cash and shoved the tests into her large basket bag.
When she opened the door, the cameras were there.
“Are you sick, Heidi?” a reporter yelled at her, as cameras flashed.
“Heidi. Do you have a cold?” another paparazzi asked her, following her close on her heels. She could feel the sweat on her forehead. She was beginning to panic now. David didn’t know. Nobody knew. Everyone would lose their minds if they got the slightest hint.
“It’s just sunscreen lotion. See?” Heidi pulled a spare tube out from her bag and held it up for the reporters. She maintained the smile on her face, the sweet, delightful smile that the entertainment newspapers loved to write about. The paparazzi seemed to be happy with that response. They asked her to pose for a few shots, which she obliged them with, and then she waved at them as she walked away, back towards the house.
“Miss, Mr. David has been looking for you,” Maud greeted her at the door when Heidi returned.
“Thanks, Maud. Is he here?” she asked, dragging the glasses off her face. Maud reached for her bag, but she clung on to it. She’d even broken Maud, as Declan had predicted. Maud worshiped her now, happy that her beloved Mr. Declan had finally found a woman who could control him.
“No, but he said he’ll be back in a few hours,” Maud said, and Heidi walked towards the stairs.
“Let me know when he’s here. I’ll be in my room,” she said, as she headed towards the bedroom. She needed to be alone.
All four tests were positive. Heidi was pregnant, with Declan’s child. She put her head in her hands and tried to steady her breathing. That one night of weakness with him was now going to change their lives forever. How was she going to deal with this? Who could she tell? This had not been the plan, and David would lose his mind if and when he found out.
Heidi paced the bathroom floor, sweat trickling down her temples. Her hand went instinctively to stroke her belly. She was going to be a mother. Declan was going to be responsible not only for her bakery but also for giving her a child. She could never tell him. Panic rose in her chest. He would detest her all his life if he found out.
Heidi came out of the bathroom in a panic. She’d spent more than an hour locked up in there. Hurrying down the stairs from the bedroom, she ran into the kitchen. She was opening and closing closets, banging cutlery and plates, when Maud came in to find her covered in a cold sweat.
“What’s wrong?” Maud asked, concern coloring her voice.
“Where’s the flour? The eggs? Do you have some baking soda?” Heidi was in a daze. She was fumbling with her words.
“Calm down, miss. Why do you need those things?” Maud had walked up to her and was now patting her shoulder.
“I want to bake a cake,” Heidi said, looking at her with crazed eyes.
“Alright. We’ll bake something. Just calm down.” Maud was smiling at her with kind eyes. She could see that Heidi was having a panic attack.
The house smelt of key lime pie when Declan walked into the kitchen.
“What is that smell? Is that Heidi’s baking I detect?” He entered the room, rolling a set of keys around his forefinger. Maud smiled as she helped Heidi cut the pie into several pieces. Heidi looked up into Declan’s eyes and then immediately looked away.
“When can I sample some of that?” he asked and came over to stand beside her. When they were not in public, he didn’t touch her. He was careful to behave normally with her, and they had long conversations in bed together, spoke about life and their childhoods and aspirations, but they never touched. She saw a look of sadness in his eyes sometimes, but he was quick to mask it.
“It needs to cool down,” Maud answered for Heidi, who was refusing to look at him.
“Give it to me in minutes. I’m drooling here,” he said and dug a finger right into the middle of the pie. Heidi screeched loudly and both Declan and Maud looked at her in horror. There had been no need for that reaction.
“What’s wrong, Heidi?” Declan asked, concerned and worried. She had managed to calm herself down a little with the baking, but now seeing him had thrown her over the edge again.
“Can we talk, Declan?” she asked, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Sure thing,” Declan said, still frowning.
“I’ll go and see if the rose bushes need to be trimmed,” Maud said, and quickly walked out of the kitchen, closing the door behind her.
“What’s going on?” Declan turned to her again, crossing his arms over his chest. “That scream wasn’t just about the pie, was it? You’ve been on edge for the last few days.”
Heidi sighed, slowly taking the apron off her body and laying it on the kitchen island. It was hard to look at him and not melt instantly. Even now, after several weeks of living in the same house, she hadn’t got over how connected she felt to Declan. It had only grown stronger. She still couldn’t stop thinking about how good he looked naked, how gently he had held her that night.
“I’m just tired. And bored,” she said, forcing the words out of her mouth. He had tied his hair into a small ponytail at his nape. He was a tall figure, hovering over her as he stood close to her. He licked his lips and his blue eyes bored into her face. Declan was thinking, assessing the situation.
“Bored?” he repeated.
“I have nothing to do other than walk the streets of NYC and pose for pictures. I think we should talk to David about ending this.” She tried to whisper, aware that there could be someone listening. Declan frowned.
“You want this to end? It’s only been a couple of weeks.” He wasn’t speaking in whispers, and it was clear to see that the suggestion had surprised him.
“I know. But I miss my normal life.”
“But I thought you were happy here. What do you need?”
“I am happy here. But I’d be happier if I got back to my usual things.”
“Like waitressing?”
“No, like sleeping on my own bed, in my own apartment.” Heidi’s voice was a little raised now, and Declan had taken a few steps towards her. His face was twisted in frustration and surprise.
“But three weeks isn’t enough. That isn’t a solid relationship. That doesn’t prove anything. They’ll only hate me more.” Declan breathed out loudly and ran his hands through his hair.
“What do you want? This to go on for years?” she asked, and Declan shook his head.
“A few months? I don’t know. I thought this was working well.” He raised his voice and Heidi whipped away from him.
“I just want to return to my normal life now. That’s it. If you don’t want to pay the whole amount like we discussed, I’ll accept a partial payment.”
She heard him sighing and then pulling out a chair to sit down.
“This isn’t about the money or a business deal, Heidi. I thought we were having fun. I thought I’d made a genuinely good friend,” Declan said, and Heidi whipped around to face him.
“Of course this is a business deal. You’ve said it a hundred times to remind me.” She could feel tears stinging her eyelids. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him.
“I said it because that’s what you said. The first evening when we met, remember? This stopped being a business deal for me when you walked into my house and told Maud off. I knew then that there was a friendship growing.” Declan stood up from his chair and walked towards her.
“I just want to go home.” Heidi pushed past him, afraid of what might happen if he came any closer than that.
The door of the kitchen flew open and David walked in. His face was as red and furious as Heidi’s was, and they both looked at him in surprise.
“What the hell, David? What’s happened to you?” Declan asked, his voice dying a little at the sight of David.
“David?” Heidi asked her brother, after he had been silent for a while, glaring at Heidi first and then at Declan.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Declan asked, and David turned to Heidi again.
“What?” she asked, afraid of the way her brother looked at that moment. What had happened to cause this reaction?
“Do you want to explain to me why you were buying pregnancy tests at the drug store today?” David asked, in a slow, grueling voice, stepping towards Heidi, who was now retreating into a corner of the kitchen.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Declan asked, in a thundering voice.
“Just what I said. Why do you need pregnancy tests, Heidi?” David repeated himself, not taking his eyes off his sister. Heidi felt at that moment like she was about to burst at the seams.