Having His Child

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His gentle tone sapped her strength even as it wore her down. “Nothing. I am tired. And yes, I’ve slept. Now will you just lay off?”

He simply stared.

She groaned. “I’m sorry.” She patted his hand, wishing she could tell him how she was feeling, but she didn’t even know. She felt confused, and talking things over with Lucas had always helped in the past. But this—well, this wasn’t something she could share just yet. And she didn’t know when she could. She was deceiving her best friend. She smothered a moan. Now she felt worse, especially when he was looking at her all concerned.

Luc tried not to frown, but she was hiding something. They didn’t have many secrets, and he didn’t like that she was shutting him out. It stung. But he knew better than to push her. When she was ready, she’d tell him. She always did. Resolutely, he picked up his plate again, toed off his shoes, sank into the sofa and restarted the video. They ate in silence, and as the movie played, the tension eased. They laughed, picked the scenes apart, made snide comments about the cheesy dialogue, then when that was over, they cleaned up their dinner mess before popping in another movie.

Sitting beside Angela on the couch, Lucas was watching Arnold Schwarzenegger demolish another town to get the bad guy when he realized Angela was leaning her head on his shoulder. He looked down and smiled. She was sound asleep, and he shifted her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She snuggled against him, her body heat seeping into him. He sighed with the simple pleasure of it and kept watching the movie. Yet long after it was over and the room was dark, Lucas held her, wondering why he felt complete peace and contentment. And just how he was going to deal with it.

Her bracelet was missing. The one Lucas had given her. Angela was frantic, tearing apart her house. She’d gone so far as to go back to the studio and search till she remembered having it on when she left the radio station. Now hard fear swept her as she jammed her hand beneath the cushions of the sofa, then tore them off, digging. Nothing. Nothing! Oh, Lord, she should never have accepted it, she thought. This was just like her to lose something so precious to her. Tears burned her eyes, and the worst part was that she’d agreed to go to a Candler Hospital fund-raiser tonight, a yearly duty with her job, yet this time, her escort was Lucas. And he would be here any minute.

She stood and went into the kitchen, looking around. Suddenly she stuffed her hand down the sink drain, feeling, hoping and finding nothing. With a moan of despair, she opened the cabinet under the sink and stared for a second, then went to the closet for her tools. In moments she’d laid a towel down to protect her dress, shut off the water line and was under the sink, opening the elbow joint.

She was struggling with the metal pipe collar when she heard, “Good Lord, Angela. Now I’ve seen everything.”

She flinched, and sorrow engulfed her. Lucas. She thought about pretending nothing was wrong, but in her current state, there was no way around it.

Lucas bent and peered under the sink. “A fine time to do house repairs.” Especially in a red cocktail dress, he thought, letting his gaze slide over her shapely legs. Fleetingly he wondered if those stockings were the kind with the lace tops like she’d worn for Randy. He shook his head. “Angela, this is silly.”

She sniffled, keeping her face averted. “Come back in an hour.”

“I can’t. We’re supposed to be there in thirty minutes. I’m on the board. I need to be there for the presentation.”

“Yes,” she muttered. “I know.” Oh, she didn’t want to tell him she’d lost the bracelet already.

Lucas reached for her. “Would you come out from under there, for the love of Mike?”

Sighing heavily, Angela laid the monkey wrench aside and shifted out from under the sink. Lucas grasped both of her hands and pulled her to her feet. Instantly she let go and stepped back. She couldn’t look at him and busied herself with smoothing her dress.

“Well, you look ready to go,” he said skeptically.

“I am. I just need a minute to freshen up.”

His gaze shifted to the mess under the sink. “And you needed to repair the sink before leaving?”

“It’s a girl thing, you wouldn’t understand.” She hurried past him, rushing upstairs for her wrap and evening bag. She took one look at herself in the mirror and she moaned. Her eyes were red. She went into her bathroom to make repairs. The time gave her a chance to get a handle on her emotions. Oh, she was an idiot. What must Lucas be thinking?

She patted on some powder, freshened her lipstick and brushed her hair. She was about to adjust her stockings when she saw Lucas roll around the door frame and lean against the wall.

Very softly, he said, “Are you going to tell me why you were under the sink in an evening dress? Because I couldn’t find a damn thing wrong with that drainpipe.”

She inhaled. “You didn’t run the water, did you?”

“No,” he said carefully, frowning.

She let out a relieved breath.

“You were looking for something.”

Angela nodded, unable to confess that she’d carelessly lost his gift. Her heart was breaking over it.

“Was it by chance—” He fished in his pocket, then held out his hand. “This?”

The strand of diamonds dangled from his fingertip.

“Oh, thank God,” she cried, rushing forward and taking it from him. “I thought it was gone forever.” She examined the clasp.

“I fixed it. The clasp was loose,” he said, and when she wrapped it over her wrist, he stepped forward to help her secure it. Her hands were shaking.

“It’s just a bracelet,” he said to her bowed head.

“No, it’s not.” Her voice broke a bit. “It’s priceless to me.”

“Why?” he said softly.

“Because you gave it to me.”

Something warm ignited in his chest then, spreading through him like wildfire, yet when she continued to stare at her wrist, he tucked a finger under her chin, forcing her head up till she met his gaze. “Aren’t you going to ask where I found it?”

Her tapered brows knitted. “Where was it?” she asked, and another wave of panic swept over her.

“In my house, Ange. In fact, it was snagged in my bedspread.” He watched the color drain from her beautiful face. “Now. You haven’t been to my place in a while. And I know you haven’t been in my bed.”

His softly spoken words, the mere suggestion lacing through them, sent curls of heat through her body.

“So that can only mean one thing.”

“And what might that be?” She swallowed, praying she wasn’t caught, then knowing she was.

He took a step closer, gazing down at her. “Why have you taken a second job as my wife for hire?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Then his expression darkened, his blue eyes crystal sharp. “And why the hell did you lie to me about it?”

Her chin jutted out. “I didn’t lie. Exactly.”

“You just didn’t care enough to tell me that you’re my wife for hire?”

The accusation in his voice stung. “That’s not true, and you know it.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his hand across his mouth. “I do. But that doesn’t explain why you kept this from me. I should have realized it, though. Who else would know all my favorite foods?” He sighed. “But you should have told me.”

“It wasn’t any of your business.” She moved past him into her bedroom.

He was hot on her heels. “You’re my friend. If you needed money, why didn’t you come to me?”