Carrying Hope (7 page)

The doctor’s announcement only made the ridiculousness of my scenario all the more apparent. I knew nothing about this woman. I didn’t even know her name without rifling through her things. All I knew was that she saved me and from that I’d formulated a plan that involved marriage and children and a million other nonsensical ideas.

I felt like I was being kicked in the stomach all over again. How had I allowed myself to go so far off the deep-end over this woman? Never in my life had I thought about a woman in my life farther into the future than breakfast the next morning. Of course, the one woman that instilled some kind of romantic inclinations in me
would
already be with someone else and pregnant.

Regardless, she saved my life and I couldn’t go backing out of my offer to help her now. It didn’t matter if that offer to help was tinged with my ulterior motive to get her in my life. Now I would just have to put that desire aside and help her out of the goodness of my heart.

The ringing in my ears drowned out the sound of Marcie repeating her question.

“You… you didn’t know?” I asked, stumbling to find my voice. How could I feel like my entire world was upside down when only hours ago I didn’t even know this woman?

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears and she shook her head, soft sobs over-taking her.

I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and tell her I was going to take care of everything. But that wasn’t my job. Another man already had that job.

Truth be told, I didn’t really know what to do. I wrung my hands nervously in my lap. They itched to touch her, to soothe her worries, but it wasn’t my place. A vice clenched around my heart; she couldn’t be mine. I may have done plenty of under-handed dirty things in the business world to get what I wanted, but I would never
ever
try to keep a child from its father. That was too low even for me.

“Is there someone I should call?… The father?” Bile rose in my throat at the last words. I was only her pretend fiancé, but deferring to another man where her safety was concerned didn’t sit well with me.

She shook her head again and her tears flowed in earnest now. Her shoulders shook with sobs that she couldn’t contain, though I could see her trying to push them back.

Propriety be damned; I reached for her hand, so soft and small in my own, and stroked the inside of her wrist with my thumb.

“What’s wrong, Marcie? Please, talk to me.”

Her eyes, reddened with her personal grief, locked onto mine. I swiped an errant tear from her streaked face, loving the way she leaned into my hand. Surely this wasn’t all in my head? She responded to me the same way I responded to her.

She sniffled and bit her lip. I could almost see the war raging in her head: should she tell me or not? I didn’t know what she was debating telling me, but it was clearly something that weighed heavily on her mind.

“The… the father doesn’t want anything to do with me,” she managed to say between sobs.

I didn’t think it was possible, but my heart sank lower. She wasn’t over him; he was through with her. That still didn’t leave much room for me, but it was something.

“I’m sorry, Marcie,” I tried to sound sympathetic to hide the bit of hope that was slipping back into my thoughts.

She shook her head again, her sobs harder than ever.

“H-h-he kicked me out of our house,” she cried, now squeezing my hand in hers.

“What about your family?” I asked, not wanting to seem too eager to jump in and save the day.

Another shake.

“I don’t have a-a-any. And I…” a new wave of sobs wracked her battered body.

I brushed a stray piece of her auburn hair behind her ear.

“Shhh… It’s okay, Marcie,” I cooed, hoping to help her calm down.

“No, it’s not. I lost my job today… my boyfriend dumped me, I’m homeless and now I’m p-pr-pregnant.”

And I thought I was having a rough day.

“What if you came to stay with me until you get back on your feet?”

Her wide eyes met with mine, filled with disbelief.

“I c-couldn’t…” she protested.

“Well, why not? It doesn’t sound like you have a better option. Allow me to repay you for your good deed. Please, it will help me sleep at night.” I held my breath waiting for an answer. I couldn’t believe how anxious I was, hoping that this woman would allow me into her life.

I could see her starting to come around as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

“I don’t want to impose, really.”

The thought of Marcie in my home, with her sweet innocence and her gorgeous body didn’t sound like an imposition at all.

Of course, she had no idea who I was, either.

“Believe me; I wouldn’t make the offer if it would be an imposition. I’ll call and have a room set up for you.”

She looked like she wanted to protest again, but thought better of it. If her story was to be believed —and I had no reason to doubt her— then I was her best option. Pride may make her want to turn my help away, but motherly instincts would make her realize that she shouldn’t be homeless.

I stepped out of the room, my chest full of nerves. Had I really just invited a strange woman to share my home? Not only that, but a strange
pregnant
woman?

I dialed Tanner’s number; he was going to have a field day with this.

“There you are, asshole,” he answered the phone before the first ring even finished.

“Waiting by the phone for my call?” I teased.

“Yeah, because some fucking idiot left me a message saying he was headed to the hospital and then dismissed my fucking calls.”

I winced; this was more than his usual playful ribbing. Tanner was pissed.

“Look, I’m sorry, I can explain…”

“Explain what? Why I’ve been sitting here for hours worried out of my mind? Explain why you didn’t answer my calls? Or maybe you care to explain what you’re doing
in the fucking hospital
?”

I held the phone away from my ear as he shouted another string of obscenities at me.

“Yeah, I can explain all of that.”

“I’m listening, dick breath,” he spat.

I took a deep breath and launched into the entire explanation. The mugging, Marcie saving me, the trip to the hospital, the baby, everything.

“So, I need you to make sure there isn’t anything
sensitive
lying around. She’s going to be staying with me for a while.”

“ARE YOU INSANE?” he bellowed from the other end of the call.

“You just met this woman, in the worst part of town, I might add. How do you know
she’s
not a junkie or a hooker or something?”

My blood boiled at his accusations. If Tanner were standing in front of me, I likely would have decked him. I couldn’t explain the deep-seated need I had to protect Marcie’s honor. It outweighed even my loyalty to my best friend and it scared the shit out of me.

“She’s not. Trust me. I just know.”

“This is
not
what I meant when I told you to find a nice girl, Bryce.”

I sighed, pushing my fingers through my hair in frustration.

“I know. I didn’t exactly plan things this way, either. I just need you to do this one thing for me, okay? We’ll get everything else worked out later.”

“This is the most reckless impulsive thing you’ve ever done. Are you sure
you’re
not the one that hit his head?”

“Fuck you,” I griped, starting to doubt the wisdom of my choice. Was Tanner right? Was I being impulsive and reckless? Marcie
was
in that shady neighborhood, but so was I. That didn’t make me a junkie or a criminal. Surely, she had her own reasons for being there that didn’t involve some nefarious plot by my mysterious father.

“Well, I just hope you know what you’re doing,” he warned ominously.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I mocked, hoping to lighten the tension between us.

The call ended and I dialed another number, this time for my housekeeper: Clara.

“Hello?” she sounded like she’d been sleeping. I felt guilty to wake her, but I knew she wouldn’t mind. After so many years in my employ, Clara was more of a second mother to me than a staff member.

“I’m sorry to bother you so late, Clara.”

She perked up immediately.

“Oh, Mr. Dorian! That’s all right; what do you need?”

I smiled, knowing that she would take care of everything.

“I’m bringing home a guest tonight. I need you to prepare one of the guest rooms for a young woman.”

“A young woman, Mr. Dorian?” I could hear her unspoken question: a woman that isn’t sharing your room?

“Yes, a very special woman. Do whatever you need to make her feel at home.”

“Of course, sir.”

With those two things taken care of, I could return my focus to Marcie. I probably should have been concerned with how rapidly she seemed to infiltrate my thoughts, but at the moment, I only wanted to keep my eyes on her and know that she was safe.

Bryce assured me again and again that harboring a homeless pregnant woman wouldn’t get in his way. I didn’t see how that was possible, though I learned pretty quickly that there was no arguing with him.

He left me alone in the hospital long enough to fetch his car from the bar he’d left it at. I debated calling Kevin to tell him about the baby. On the one hand, I thought that he deserved to know about it. On the other hand, he made it pretty clear to me that he wasn’t interested in anything other than some casual sex. I didn’t think that he would feel any kind of responsibility or affection towards the baby, so I eventually decided against telling him.

I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I couldn’t raise a baby on my own. I rested a hand on my pudgy stomach, imagining it grow large and distended with a baby. I never gave much consideration to being a mother. My own mother wasn’t very good at the job, so I didn’t have much faith that I’d be any better at it.

I would never abandon my child, though. I would always be there. If I were truly honest with myself, I would admit that adoption was my best option. I couldn’t stand the thought of killing the little creature growing inside of me, but I also knew that I wasn’t in any kind of position to raise a child.

Still, I had plenty of time to make this decision and I was still trying to adjust to the idea. Bryce returned before I could even fully accept my new situation. My life had changed in so many ways in the past day that my head was still reeling. I was exhausted and hungry and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed for the next thirty hours or so.

“That was fast,” I commented as he walked back through the door to my room.

He looked like he’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Yeah… I drive fast.”

“I’ll say,” I couldn’t help but grin at his sheepish look.

“Well, I talked to your doctor and they agreed to release you as long as I keep an eye on you.” He pulled my backpack out of the tiny closet and tossed it in my lap.

“I was wondering where this was!” I exclaimed, grateful to be reunited with my few remaining belongings.

“Yeah, sorry again about messing with it,” he scuffed his toes against the tile, not looking me in the eyes for some reason.

“That’s okay. I’m just going to go change then…” He didn’t look like he was going to leave. I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and realized that the gown did nothing to cover my ample backside.

“Could you… um… turn around or something?”

His face reddened again as he turned on his heel, shielding his eyes.

I slipped into a pair of jeans and a tank top. I also took the time to fix my messy ponytail and examined my face in the mirror. One whole side of my face was covered in a nasty blue-black bruise. My left eye was swollen and red and the rest of my face was tender to the touch. I could see why the police officer was concerned for my safety; I looked like Hell.

Well, at least I knew Bryce wasn’t trying to help me to get in my pants.