She’d gotten her way, but she was so stupid. Alex never showed up, never called; Alex apparently had nothing to say to her.
Then she’d cried herself to sleep last night, which explained the headache. It also explained her appearance when she looked in the mirror. She had puffy, red-rimmed eyes. Her mouth was dry and she stared hard at her stomach for a full minute. There was no way anyone could tell she was pregnant, right?
Maybe she’d say she got pregnant after, and the baby was just early. That was a plausible lie if Alex believed she’d go out and sleep with anyone after their affair. And he might want to believe whatever excused him from any responsibility.
Too bad she’d fallen in love with him. She turned on the shower with a sigh. She planned to call in sick today. Alex would know she was home, heartsick, but that couldn’t be helped. She loved a man who didn’t want to be in a relationship about anything but sex. Him saying that so plainly, even if she hadn’t gotten knocked up, made their affair all but over. Kellie couldn’t continue to sleep with him, to spend time with him, to share experiences with him, all the while falling more and more in love when he didn’t feel anything for her.
It was embarrassing, really. She stepped under the shower and let the steamy hot water sluice over her skin. How many times had they made love here? Or in her bed, on her couch, on the kitchen island, for heaven’s sake?
Everywhere she turned, she was reminded of Alex. How bossy he was in bed, and how generous he was out of it. She’d once told him she wanted an out of print book and he’d called around the whole country until he found a copy, in Boston, and had it sent to her.
She started to cry again, but it didn’t matter. She let the water hit her face and wash them away. He was the man she’d waited for, the one who could make her feel things, be alive, forget everything—and she’d never get to be with him because he didn’t love her back.
***
He walked up the sidewalk to the door and rang the bell. After a minute, Diane answered. “Oh, Alex. I was hoping it was Kellie.”
“Are you expecting her?” Hope blossomed inside him at the chance to see her again.
“Well, no. Just hoping. Are you here to see David?”
Alex knew David planned to return to work on Monday, so it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that he might need to discuss some work issues with him. If only that were the reason. But, he could do this. He would do this—he’d do anything for Kellie. “Yes. I need to speak with him about some important matters.”
“Sure. Come on in.” Diane led him deeper into the house. David sat in the living room. It was early, but he and Diane were both dressed and ready for the day. He wondered if he’d caught them getting ready to go out or something. “David, Alex is here to see you.”
“Hey, old friend.”
Alex winced at that. They were old friends. David had been there for him when he’d found out about the death of a daughter he’d never known, had helped him out when Alex wanted to do something for her mother. She was Alex’s one and only former girlfriend. He didn’t intend to let Kellie go.
“Hi. Listen, we need to talk. This isn’t going to be good news for you.”
Diane gave him a curious half-smile. “I’ll just let you boys get to work, then.”
“What’s up?” David asked.
Alex crossed the room and sat down in an easy-chair across from David. “I have to tell you something.”
“You said,” David smirked at him. “Just get to the point.”
“I’ve fallen in love with someone. I just want you to know that I love her, I’d do anything for her. I want to marry her.”
“How is that not good news? I couldn’t be happier for you. I’d offer you a drink but it’s early and the doctors have told me to lay off the alcohol.”
Alex held up a hand. “Because I’m not finished yet.”
“Well don’t keep me in suspense. Who is she?”
Alex let out a slow breath, preparing for hell to break loose. Once David calmed down and realized Alex wanted to marry Kellie, it would be okay. He hoped. “It’s Kellie.”
“Kellie?”
“Your daughter, Kellie.”
Grabbing at his shirt, David ripped open the top button. “You son-of-a-bitch. You’re the one?”
David jumped up but Alex remained in his seat. He didn’t want to have a fight with David—he wanted his blessing.
“She told you?”
“You got her pregnant, left her to face it alone, and then you come here and give me flowery words about how you’ve fallen in love with her? If you loved her, she wouldn’t have had to call her mother to hold her hand yesterday.” David’s voice rose until it cracked. He grabbed at his chest and shouted, “Diane!”
Alex scanned the room, trying to make sense of what David had said. Kellie was pregnant? Why didn’t she tell him? He knew he was the father. Kellie would never, ever screw around with anyone else.
He hopped up and went to David. His face was a mottled red, and he was having trouble catching his breath. “Are you all right?”
Diane came in, took one look at David, and said, “Go start your car. We’ve got to get him to the hospital.”
“He’s… the one.” David said.
“The one what?” Diane looked between the two men. Alex hated to say it again, to hurt this family any more than he already had. And he needed to get to Kellie.
“The one… who got Kellie… pregnant and left her.”
Diane turned on Alex, her face thunderous, but then she faced David. “We have to get you to the hospital, baby.”
This was a disaster of epic proportions. How would he tell Kellie he’d caused her father to have another heart attack? What if David didn’t make it? That got him moving. He put a hand on David’s shoulder to lead him to the car, but David shrugged it off.
Once they got him seated in the back, Alex gunned the engine to life and peeled out. Diane turned to him. “If he doesn’t make it, I will cut off your balls myself, Alex Leblanc.”
Alex shook his head. He couldn’t even blame them for hating him. He kind of hated himself, for pushing Kellie away so hard she’d thought she’d have to go through this alone.
***
Kellie closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. Please let my dad live to be a grandfather to this child. “I’m on my way.”
“And, Kellie… we know about Alex.”
“How could you?” She didn’t understand what could’ve happened. She certainly hadn’t told anyone, not even her best friend. Had someone at the office overheard something, the fight between Alex and Chase Valentine, maybe?
“Alex came by this morning.”
“And that’s why Daddy’s having another heart attack? Oh, my God. This is all my fault.”
“No, this is all Alex’s fault.” Her voice was hard as a stone. “We don’t know that he’s having a heart attack. We’re just being safe. Just… get to the hospital.”
“I will. I’m leaving right now.” Kellie hung up the phone and ran to the bathroom. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt from college, ran a comb through her blonde locks, then pulled them up with a hair tie. In a rush, she brushed her teeth before running out the door. When she realized she’d forgotten her keys and purse, she had to come back.
She drove quick as possible to the hospital nearest her parents, where her father had gone for his last heart attack. Why would Alex have gone to her father? Some misplaced sense of guilt, a need to ease his conscience for breaking her heart?
What if they'd told him about the baby? Surely not—she'd begged them not to tell anyone. She couldn't think about all this right now. She just had to think positive, healing thoughts for her father.
In the emergency department lobby, Alex sat not far from where she'd sat and waited to find out more about her father just… what? Seven weeks ago. Please, not another heart attack.
If Alex had told her father, then that would've been quite a shock. Their knocked up daughter had an affair with her dad’s business partner. She stalked up to him. “What did you do?”
“Me, really? You're fucking pregnant, Kellie. Were you even going to tell me?” Alex stood up, his voice rising.
She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder, running her fingers through the strands. “No. I don't know. You were pretty clear about not wanting to be trapped.”
“This is different—you’re different.” He pulled a box from his pocket and flipped it open. A big, clear diamond sparkled at her. “Marry me, Kellie.”
“Stop it, Alex. People are staring.” Kellie glared at the people looking at them until they turned away, one-by-one. “This is the last thing I want, you marrying me because I’m pregnant.”
“It’s not because you’re pregnant.” He grasped her by the elbow and tugged her to a corner of the lobby. “I’d planned to do this so different. I was going to have that music we picked out at the bookstore playing and make you dinner with candles.”
“You’re not making any sense. You couldn’t have known I was pregnant before this morning. I didn’t know myself until yesterday.”
He took her other arm and pulled her closer, into his embrace. “Think about it, Kellie. Why do you think I went to see your dad today?”
“I don’t know what you were thinking. I just hope he’s okay.” Tears brimmed her eyes.
He squeezed her tight. “He will be—he has to be.”
“Let’s just wait until we hear something about my dad before we talk about anything else. I can’t think while he’s in danger. I can’t—”
“Shh.” He kissed the top of her head. “You don’t have to.”
Together, they sat. Alex was perfect. He went to fetch her coffee and made her eat a breakfast sandwich, he held her hand, he asked the nurse for status updates. It was a shame he was only offering to marry her because of the pregnancy because she loved him and he was a good man.
She sighed, worried she was going to cry again. This was all too much—the pregnancy, her dad, her broken heart. She couldn’t take much more.
The doors whooshed open and her mom walked out, arms crossed over her middle. She looked shaken but not broken, but what if it was shock?
Kellie jumped up and ran to Diane. “Mom? Is he okay?”
Her mother took her hand and nodded. “He’s fine. It wasn’t a heart attack. The stress just… overworked his heart a bit.”
Diane gave a pointed look in Alex’s direction. He stood a respectable distance away. Far enough that he wasn’t eavesdropping but close enough if Kellie should need him. “Did you work things out yet?” her mother asked her.
“Mom, these are not the times when a man and woman have to get married because they made a baby. I won’t do that.” The nurse at the reception desk near them jerked her head up, openly listening to their conversation now.
“But, Kellie… he came this morning to ask your father for his blessing. He wanted to marry you before he found out about the baby.” Diane shrugged. “Do what makes you happy, sweetie. I don’t approve of him getting involved with you, but the man doesn’t want you because you’re pregnant.”
Her hands flew to her mouth as it all clicked into place. She’d been too upset to realize it earlier, but Alex already had a ring. He couldn’t have gotten one this morning, after he found out. He’d been planning to propose to her when he went to her parents’ house today.
Kellie flew into Alex’s arms, holding him tight. She’d never let him go again.
“Kellie? What is it, honey? Is your dad okay?”
She blinked back tears of happiness this time. “He’s fine. I just… I need to hear what you want.”
“I want to marry you.” He took her by the shoulders and held her, gazing into her eyes.
“One question, I need to know one thing. Why? If it’s not the baby, then why?”
He tucked a finger under her chin and used the other to pull her close. “Because I love you. I’m so in love with you, I can’t bear the thought of being away from you.”
Releasing her, he got down on one knee and opened the box. “Will you?”
Kellie looked around. Everyone in the room was actively watching them now. And that was okay because she wanted to remember this moment, when Alex proposed and they became one sweet little family forever. “Yes.”
*****
THE END