Second Chance, Baby. A.C. Arthur
him and his estranged wife in a baby store.
“Fine. Let’s go.” He reached for her hand and wasn’t surprised that she didn’t readily give it to him. With a long sigh, he took her hand, albeit gently, and led her out of the store.
Across the street was a bistro. It looked like one of those French shops with the awning trimmed in some curling material. Houston’s typical cold front, which signaled the official shift from autumn to winter, hadn’t yet hit, so small tables with fancy-backed white chairs were still set outside for customers. He bypassed the host with a nod then proceeded directly to a table in the shade. Pulling out her chair, he watched as Felicia sat down. Her scent, that perfume she loved so much from Clinique, wafted up through his nostrils. God, he missed her.
Taking a seat across from her, Ty tried valiantly not to yell again. She’d just said our baby, meaning theirs—his and hers. When had she gotten pregnant? And when had she planned to tell him?
Before speaking, he looked at her closely. She looked tired but even that didn’t hamper her beauty, or the added glow he noted around her cheeks. Her honey-brown complexion was accented by high cheekbones and wide, expressive eyes. How many nights had he stared into those eyes and pledged his undying love?
His gaze fell to her breasts and his mouth watered. He’d always loved her body. She was small, but curvy and soft in all the right places.
Ty had dubbed her his sweetheart and vowed to always protect her from any harm or danger. But the way she was looking at him made Ty feel as if the person she needed protection from was him. Traveling farther down, he saw that the top she wore, which fitted across her bodice, flared from a band of material at her rib cage. There was no real sign of a pregnant stomach but the blouse was a lot looser than Felicia’s normal attire.
She was pregnant. That realization hit him with warm finality. Having children had been a few years off in his life plan. Yet, Harmon’s immortality had him lately thinking of family. A lot.
“It was the night of the funeral,” she said when he continued to watch her.
Lifting his gaze to her face, he marveled at the soft auburn curls of her hair that rested so adoringly at her shoulders. Her round, cherublike face, full lips and soulful eyes bore into him. “Why did you leave?” he asked with his emotions clogging his throat.
She sighed and sat back in the chair. “We’re not on the same page anymore, Ty. You know that. You want your business and I want…more.”
“I want you,” he said without hesitation.
She tilted her head to the side. “We can’t always have what we want.”
He clenched his teeth. For as sweet as Felicia was, she could be just as stubborn as he. “You had no right to keep a secret like this.” If there was one thing Ty hated, it was secrets. They had a way of coming back to haunt you. Or slap you in the face. “Did you ever plan to tell me about my child?”
Felicia looked offended. “Of course I was going to tell you. I would never keep you away from your child. Even if you don’t want one. I just didn’t want you to think I was trying to trap you or something.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “First off, I never said I didn’t want a child.”
“You never said you did. And besides that, actions speak louder than words, Ty. Working twenty hours a day, weekends included, barely having time to eat dinner with me, let alone make love to me, said it all.”
“It wasn’t like that. It was just never the right time.”
“Oh, really? Then tell me what it was like. For you, I mean. Did you really think we had a good marriage?” Her hands had been waving as she spoke, a sure sign that this conversation was about to get very emotional.
“Sure there were rough days, but that was normal. I thought we were both getting what we wanted.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “No. You were getting what you wanted. I was just taking up space.”
Ty let her words marinate and tried like hell to hold on to his temper. How could she sit here and use his actions to justify why she hadn’t told him about his child?
On another note, there could be some truth to her words. He did work a lot, but that was for the good of them both, for their future. He wanted them to be financially secure, outside of the Braddock fortune. Working hard was the only way a man could adequately provide for his family. He’d learned that from his father.
All this past mumbo jumbo aside, Ty was not about to let Felicia raise his baby without him. “I want you back, Felicia. I never wanted you to leave.”
“Ty.” She sighed.
The shreds of his calm shattered and he slammed his hands down on the table. “You will not shut me out of this pregnancy or my child’s life, no matter what you think you know about me!”
“Keep your voice down,” she said sternly, as if he were one of her students.
Ty dragged a hand down his face. His temples hurt like hell. “I don’t know what you want me to say, what you want me to do, Felicia.”
“Like I said, what I wanted never mattered to you.” When he was about to say something else, she held up a hand to stop him. “Now that you know, I will keep you in the loop about the pregnancy. You can be a father to your child.”
“Thanks for the permission,” he snapped.
She frowned. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what? Don’t act pissed off? Well, I am. So deal with it.” How dare she keep this from him? And how dare she act like she was doing him a favor by allowing him to be in his child’s life? They were once so happy. How had they come to this?
“That’s just it, Ty. I have been dealing with it. I’ve been dealing with you and your twisted priorities and your lack of attention. But I don’t have to take it.”
Her words were curt, sharp and sounded entirely too final for his liking. “So what are you saying? You don’t want to be with me?” Asking the question made him feel vulnerable and insufficient. Sitting up straighter, he cleared his throat. “We took vows, Felicia. And I for one didn’t take them lightly. There are problems in every marriage. The true test is loyalty and patience. Does our love mean so little to you that you won’t even try?”
No, the hell he wasn’t! she thought.
He was not turning the tables on her, making this all seem like her fault. She’d tried and tried. Talking and planning romantic weekends and trying to bring back the spark they’d once had. All to no avail.
“You were the one who stopped trying, Ty. Your job always came first. Making your next million meant more than making love to your wife. And you expected me to simply be there to help you celebrate. I won’t be your trophy wife. It takes two to make a marriage work.”
He touched his fingers to his temples and rubbed. He had a headache and Felicia immediately felt guilty. Ty always got headaches when he was hungry or tired. She could guess what the culprit was this time. Opening her purse, she dug inside and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. “You haven’t eaten today, have you?”
“What?” he asked, his eyes squinting as he looked at her.
“Food? Did you have any? Breakfast, lunch? Never mind.” She opened the bottle and poured two pills into her hand. Signaling the waiter, she ordered them two glasses of water and salads. The water came first and she put the pills in Ty’s hand.
He didn’t say a word but popped the pills and lifted the glass to drink.
“Three meals a day can easily be woven into your work schedule. How do you expect to keep up your strength if you forget to eat? You are not Superman,” she said, watching him swallow.
He chuckled. “I was your Superman once.”
Felicia had to