Live-In Position (48 page)

I kept myself busy with laundry and cooking for most of the afternoon. Quicker than I had hoped, Victoria was getting ready for bed and I would be forced to face him. Then an idea hit me. While Victoria brushed her teeth, I ran to the bedroom,
his
bedroom, and swiftly went through my nighttime routine before returning to her room.

“How about a story?” I asked just as she was climbing into bed.

“Definitely,” she nodded with a large smile.

I climbed into bed next to her and read until she fell asleep. As soon as she was out, I placed the book on the stand, switched off the side-table lamp, and snuggled next to her. I wouldn’t have to sleep in
his
bed tonight, after all.

C
hapter
T
wenty

-NINE

WHEN THE BEDROOM door clicked it woke me from sleep. Collin’s arms were under me and putting me in
his
bed.

“What are you doing?” I croaked out quietly.

“Putting you in our bed, where you belong.” His clipped tone alarmed me.

“I’m sleeping with Victoria tonight,” I said defiantly, sitting up.

He grabbed my arm and looked down at me. “Lie down, Sophia.”

Well, hello Anti-Christ, I haven’t seen you in a while.

“Don’t order me around. I’m not your live-in whore.” I pushed up from the bed.

“Goddamn it, Sophia,” he growled loudly. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop with the whore crap?

“Well, why don’t you just throw some more money at me and walk away? Isn’t that what guys do to their whores?”

He stood stoically.

“I’ll be in Victoria’s room.” My jaw was tensed so tight I could barely part my teeth to speak.

“I’m sorry.” His hand touched my shoulder. “I reacted badly. I just, I want you so much.” His arms wrapped around my waist.

“You have me.”

“Do I? Or do I only have you until you leave?”

I faced him.

“I’m not Grace. Stop comparing me to her!”

“Well, I’m not one of those guys you just mentioned so stop comparing me to them. I love you, regardless of how we met.”

“Okay, fair enough,” I grumbled.

“Please sleep next to me.” He motioned to the bed.

I took a deep breath and slipped back under the covers. Arguing wasn’t worth my energy or his.

CONNER WENT DIRECTLY into a rehabilitation center in Seattle where Juliet could stay with him. Allison took over Juliet’s business, which delayed her moving out of our house. Ilene found a townhouse only a block from us and was moving in within a week. Collin had been helping her get all of the arrangements made but was called away to be a key speaker at a conference. This obligation meant he wouldn’t be home when Grace arrived on Friday for her first visit with Victoria.

I had my phone meeting with Mr. Stark, as well as a few other Fine Print Publishing employees. He was sending me a copy of the proposed contract. The editing was on my mind when Grace arrived at the house.

Her face was smug but seemed different. Perhaps it was her straightened hair. Her makeup was still perfection, like always, and I began to feel a bit under-dressed. The feelings of inferiority were swept from my mind as she pulled her coat off.

Her once flat stomach had a small, but noticeable bump.
Could she really be? I mean, a full-sized lunch could possibly cause bloating on the poster child for anorexia
. This was different. It was surely a baby bump.

Shoving her coat in my direction, I brought my eyes from her abdomen to her face. She had one brow raised at me. I quickly took the coat and began to hang it up.

“Just ask,” she said, annoyed.

“Ask what?” I feigned stupidity as I slipped the coat over the hanger.

She remained silent. I turned back to her. There was a small smirk on her face.

“Are you truly going to pretend you didn’t notice my stomach?” Her long manicured nails ran through her shiny straight locks.

“It’s none of my business if you are.” I paused. “Shall we?” I motioned toward the living room.

“Pregnant,” she stated.

“Excuse me?”

“The word you were avoiding is pregnant, and yes, I’m pregnant.” She looked like she had won a contest.

“Well, congratulations,” I mumbled, motioning again to the living room.

Who in the hell was she pregnant by, and why would she have another child? She barely thought about her first born.

“Afraid it’s Collins?” Her snide remark set something off inside of me.

“No, I’m quite sure I know where he spends his time, especially his nights.” I gestured once more to the living room.

“Hmm,” she snorted. “Then I guess it’s real.”

My eyes followed her glare to my left hand. I dropped my hand and walked into the living room. She could follow or stand out there in the hall, for all I cared.

“I thought it was just some ploy he schemed up,” she sighed as she sat her bony ass in the high back leather chair across from me. “I guess he’s lowered his standards. Though, perhaps in this case, since you’re the help, it’s as high as the standards can be.”

The smugness on her face was eating away at me. I wanted to slap it.

Do not hit a pregnant woman…do not hit a pregnant woman.
I took a deep calming breath.
Her face isn’t pregnant.
Another deep breath was necessary, along with a slap to my subconscious.
Do not hit a pregnant woman.
I’m not sure when I got so mean or where it all came from, but she brought out the evil in me. Perhaps it was Collin’s influence. After all, I am engaged to the Antichrist.

“Does this child have a father?” Her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. “I mean, I hope someone is there when you get bored with this child as well.” I forced a fake smile.

“How dare—” Victoria’s arrival downstairs cut off her angered words. Grace swiftly stood and held her arms open to her.

“Oh baby,” she cooed.

Victoria’s face bunched up for a second with reluctance before she stepped into her arms.

“Grace,” she mumbled her greeting.

“What is this Grace nonsense?” Grace tightened her embrace around Victoria. “You know that I am your mommy.” She pulled back. Victoria stepped back from Grace’s arms.

“I’d rather call you Grace,” she mumbled before walking and taking a seat next to me.

With a light clearing of her throat, Grace sat down again, across from us. “I see.” Her voice reflected her embarrassment and discomfort.

“Why don’t I get some iced tea and snacks for you?” I patted Victoria’s knee before I exited the living room.

In the kitchen, I released the built up tension with one large puff of breath and set about gathering things onto a tray. I was placing some fruit and cheese on a plate when Mrs. Baker startled me.

“Is that Grace?” she whispered from behind me.

I nodded.

“Did I see what I think I saw?” I wrinkled my brow at her confusing question. She shaped a large belly over her stomach with her hands.

“Oh,” I nodded, “yes.”

“Why in the world is she having another child?” Mrs. Baker complained. “She didn’t bother to take care of the first one.” Hard lines formed on her face.

I nodded in agreement with a sigh. Mrs. Baker left the kitchen mumbling un-pleasantries in regards to Grace’s newly discovered condition.

“I thought the same thing,” I breathed out to the empty room.

Picking up the tray, I walked back to the living room. When I entered, my attention was drawn to the horrible look on Victoria’s face.

“You’re having another baby?” she choked.

“Yes,” Grace beamed, “isn’t it exciting? You’ll be a big sister.”

I set the tray down and stepped back. Victoria thought I was leaving again.

“Don’t leave me, Mommy,” she cried out and wrapped her arms around my legs. Her cast bit into the side of my thigh.

“Mommy?!” Grace stood from the chair with an anger-flushed face. “You are not her mother. I am!”

I opened my mouth, but Victoria unburied her head from my body and turned on Grace.

“No, you aren’t!” she cried. “Sophia is the best mommy I could ever ask for! Why don’t you just go be with your new baby and leave me alone?”

In a flash of red hair, Victoria ran from the room. The slam of her bedroom door floated down around us. Grace cleared her throat, bringing my attention back to her.

“I suppose I should go.” She walked to the closet and retrieved her coat. She was slipping into it when she spoke again. “Tell Collin I’ll call him to discuss visiting our daughter next Friday.”

“Next Friday will be fine.” I forced a smile.

“Hmm, yes, well I would much rather discuss it with Collin. You know, parent to parent,” she sneered.

“Yes, well I can assure you that Collin will agree with my approval for next Friday.” I pulled open the door for her to leave.

Just when I thought I was rid of her, she turned back around in the doorway.

“Tell Collin I’ll call him later.” She smiled wide and then finally left.

I slammed the door and screamed before climbing the stairs to check on Victoria.

Collin called five times while he was away. I couldn’t stomach talking about Grace so I told him the edited version with a promise to discuss it in more detail when he came back.

Tuesday afternoon, as I drove Victoria to her dance class, my phone rang. Victoria pulled it out of my purse for me and answered.

“Mommy’s phone,” she giggled. I laughed and shook my head. “Hi, Daddy,” she squealed happily. “Uh-huh, yep, we’re on our way to dance class,” she groaned the last two words. “Okay, hold on.” She extended her arm with the phone in her hand. “Daddy wants to talk to you.”

I brought the phone to my ear and held it with my shoulder.

“Hello?”

“I’ve missed the sound of your voice.”

“You just spoke with me last night.”

“So?” he challenged. “When will the two of you be home?”

“We’re just pulling up to the studio and her lesson lasts about an hour so I would say no longer than an hour and a half.”

He groaned.

“What?”

“That’s too long. I miss you.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper.

“I missed you too.” Victoria made gagging sounds from behind me and I had to fight from laughing. “We’ll have time together after dinner and—”

“After dinner?” he grumbled. “I don’t want to wait that long.”

“Sorry, but dinner is sort of necessary.” I pulled into a spot and parked the car. “Hey, we’re here so I need to get her inside. I will let you know when we are leaving, okay?”

“Okay. Sophia?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” We hung up. I scrambled to get Victoria out of the car. Once inside the dressing room, I had to fight with her leotard sleeve to get it over her cast.

“My arm is itchy,” she whined.

“I know, I’m sorry. You won’t have the cast for too much longer.”

She groaned and hurried off to the studio room. I took a seat in the waiting area and read over the book contract for the third time. I only had two more days before it had to be returned to the publisher. My nerves felt like there were firecrackers exploding at the ends.

Victoria’s lesson seemed to go by quickly, having been distracted by all the legal terminology in the contract. Even with the help of the legal dictionary I bought, I was still unclear about a few things. I shoved the contract into my purse after deciding to call Mr. Stark for clarification.