Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (50 page)

She finished freshening up. When she rejoined Brandon, he was standing in front of the window looking out over the courtyard. He turned when she came back into the room.

“
Better?” he asked.

She nodded. “Just let me get out of these clothes. I’ve been in them far too long.”

She began to peel off her clothes, but Brandon pushed aside her hands and began to undress her. He laid kisses over her body. She moaned in response.

“
I thought we were going for a snack.”

“
This is my snack.”

They never made it to the courtyard that day, or the next. They did not even emerge from their hotel room for two days. Room service delivered breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hotel staff snickered and fought over who would get to deliver the meals to the honeymoon couple.

Two days after their arrival they finally emerged, flushing in embarrassment as the waiter took their orders.

“
I’ve asked the concierge to make us some dinner reservations,” Brandon said over breakfast.

“
Good. I don’t think I care to eat another meal in that room,” she teased.

“
We didn’t do a whole lot of eating,” Brandon reminded her.

She ignored him. “What’s first on our sight-seeing tour? Please tell me you didn’t book one of those guided tours.”

“
Absolutely not!” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “I want you all to myself.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “The desk clerk said the Eiffel Tower is close.”

“
Then that should be first.”

They finished their breakfast and hurried on their way. Jessica read from a brochure as they took the elevator to the top of the tower. “It says here the tower was designed and built by the French civil engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889. It is 984 feet high. No wonder my stomach is lurching,” she added. She continued reading, “The tower, constructed of about 6300 metric tons (about 7000 tons) of iron, has stairs and elevators. A meteorological station, a radio communications station, and a television transmission antenna, as well as a suite of rooms once used by Eiffel, are located near the top of the tower. Do you think they’ll let us tour the rooms?”

Brandon shrugged, pulled her close, and bit her neck playfully. “I only want to tour you.”

She hit him with the brochure. “Stop that,” she teased, but grinned nonetheless, flattered by his lust.

The elevator stopped, and they walked onto the observation deck. The wind played gently with Jessica’s hair as she marveled at the sight of the city spread out before her.

“
Is that the Seine River?”

“
Yes, I believe it is,” Brandon said. “We can walk to it from our hotel.”

“
Oh, then let’s make sure we do.”

They stood for a while, Jessica leaning back against Brandon, Brandon’s arms wrapped tightly around her. The world projected a perfect light and neither one of them was eager to end the moment.

They ate lunch in the restaurant on the first floor, and then headed back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

They dined at the Alain Ducasse au Plaza athénée and walked the city afterward, trying to walk off the exquisite meal. Jessica was thoughtful as they walked hand in hand. She had been sick again that morning, and she began to suspect she might be pregnant. This was a devastating suspicion, because if she were, in fact, pregnant, there was no possible way it could be Brandon’s baby. Jeffrey would be the father. Her stomach lurched, and her heart ached at the thought.

“
What’s on your mind?” Brandon asked, as he watched her profile in the setting sun.

She breathed deeply. Should she say something to him? No, she wasn’t going to ruin their honeymoon over it. She would see a doctor as soon as they got home. She smiled at him.

“
It’s been a wonderful honeymoon, Brandon. I’m just enjoying it. I’m glad we decided to walk.”

“
Well, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” he asked.

“
I was thinking about a museum; perhaps the Louvre. It’s one of the largest and most famous museums in the entire world, you know.”

“
Yes, I think I remember studying that in school. Isn’t the Mona Lisa there?”

“
Yes. I can’t wait to see it.”

They flagged a taxi back to the hotel and tumbled into bed, exhausted and happy.

The rest of their honeymoon flew by in a whirl. They took many walks through the parks, and rode carriages all over the city.

Brandon teased Jessica that she could never get away from her photography, as she went through roll after roll of film.

She took pictures of Brandon walking, and of Brandon in the carriage, and of Brandon eating, and even of Brandon sleeping. She even managed to convince a passerby to take a picture of the two of them standing in front of the Seine River.

She managed to eat as many different and interesting, and some bizarre tasting meals, as she could. She was determined only to eat what the French ate while she was in Paris. She had insisted on ordering for herself. Brandon laughed at her when she wrinkled her nose at the snails that were set down in front of her. The waiter smirked when she plugged her nose and swallowed. To her surprise, she actually liked them. After that, she ordered them every night.

They only had two days left of their trip, when Jessica pulled out her map and exclaimed, “We only have two days left and look at all we have left to see!”

He had crashed out in a chair and barely acknowledged what she had said. She was lying on the bed. She picked up a pillow and threw it at him.

“
Did you hear what I said?”

He opened one eye, looked at her, and laughed. “You’re killing me with your sightseeing.”

“
We’re running out of time,” she protested, “and I haven’t even done any shopping yet. Mom and Amy will shoot me if I don’t bring them at least one outfit from Paris.”

He got up from the chair and came to the bed, pinning her down. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s take a nap, fool around a little, and then we can get back to doing the tourist thing.”

They made love again, napped, and began their excursions. Over the next two days, Jessica eagerly dragged Brandon all over the city of love. They saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, marveling at the impressive gothic architecture. They played in the fountain at Concord Square, making a wish and throwing coins into the fountain, laughing like children.

Brandon, trying to impress Jessica with his knowledge of the French language, stopped a police officer to ask directions to the Champs Elysees Avenue. Brandon, wanting to impress her, smirked and asked,
“Voulez-vous s'il vous plaît me donner un baiser?”
However, what he actually asked him was, “Will you please give me a kiss?” Fortunately, for them, the police officer had a good sense of humor, and all three of them roared with laughter when he complied with Brandon’s request.

They ended their journey with a tour of the Sacred Heart. Jessica’s heart sank when it was finally time to go home.

They said a tearful goodbye to the hotel staff, and promised to come back for an anniversary. After ten fun-filled days, they took a taxi—ironically the same taxi that had delivered them to the hotel—to the airport for a dreaded plane trip back home.

As soon as the plane was in the air, Jessica snuggled down onto Brandon’s shoulder and fell fast asleep. He bent down, kissed the top of her head, laid his head down upon hers, and they both slept the entire trip home.

**********

CHAPTER 32

Jessica heard the cries as she slowly woke from her deep sleep. Glancing beside her, she saw that Brandon was sound asleep. The crying became louder as she desperately searched for the baby, but all she could manage to do was sit up in her bed.

Suddenly, Jeffrey came bursting through the door, carrying the baby in his arms.

“
So, you thought you could deceive me, did you? Did you not think that I would guess it was my baby you were carrying, and not that of my worthless brother?”

Jessica started to protest, but nothing came out. When had he found out? She wondered. She looked beside her for support from Brandon, but all he did was gloat at her.

“
Really, Jessica, did you honestly think to pass that bastard child off as my offspring?”

They both began to laugh hideously as Jeffrey went out the window with her beautiful baby daughter. She screamed and tried to run after him, but something held her back. She struggled to get free, but the hands that held her would not let go. Brandon was laughing and saying over-and-over-again. “Let them go. Let them go. Let them go.”

She could hear laughing as her consciousness slipped away, then suddenly she was aware of someone shaking her.

She woke to Brandon leaning over her in concern. “Jessica. Are you all right?” he asked. “You’re having a nightmare.”

She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Her hands flew to her stomach, feeling the small but evident bulge that grew there. Her child was safe and Brandon was beside her.

He had been ecstatic when he had found out about her pregnancy. She honestly had meant to tell him the truth, but he was so happy. She didn’t have the heart to break it to him. She kept telling herself that today would be the day, but each day he would rub his hands over her progressively swelling belly and declare his love. She started to think she could pass the baby off as his, and began to imagine their life together.

She had not seen Jeffrey since discovering her pregnancy. She hoped never to see him again. Surely, he would be suspicious that the child growing inside her was his.

She would have to tell Brandon someday. He would figure it out when the baby was born earlier than the due date she had falsely given him. Brandon had insisted that she go to the best doctor, who just happened to be a friend of the family. She had lied to him about the date of her last menstrual cycle, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to fool him for long—long enough, she hoped, to decide what to do about the baby.

The fact that she had this dream was proof that she worried about her dilemma.

Now, as she lay shaking in Brandon’s arms, she felt overwhelmed by her need to tell him the truth. She took a deep breath. “We need to talk.” The ringing of the telephone interrupted her.

“
I’ll be right back,” he said as he rubbed her belly and kissed her on the cheek. “It’s going to be great,” he said, grinning. He slipped from beneath the covers and left to answer the phone. When he returned, he looked white and frightened.

“
That was Matthew. Mother has had a stroke. They have rushed her to the hospital. We have to leave immediately.” Before he could finish talking, she was out of bed and packing their luggage.

They had come to the summer home for a few weeks of relaxation. Jessica’s doctor had suggested the trip, sensing the tension she felt. Under the circumstances, she knew they had to return home.

She had grown considerably close to her mother-in-law in the few short months since marrying Brandon. She spent many afternoons with her, sipping tea and laughing over boyhood antics. She learned more about Brandon over tea than she had throughout their entire courtship.

Virginia’s health had continued to deteriorate. Jessica suspected she was holding out to see her grandchild arrive. Whether she knew Jessica was farther along than she pretended to be, she did not say. However, Jessica was confident that she had no idea her youngest son actually was the father.

By the time Brandon had dressed and brought the car around, she was waiting in the hallway, ready to go. She glanced up at the picture of Brandon’s first wife, hanging beside his in the great hall. In light of the facts she now knew about her, she seemed to be wearing a smug expression on her face. It’s just your imagination, she scolded. How ironic that this woman, now dead for several years, could be such an instrument in the problem she now faced in her own life. She had hurt Brandon so much, causing this closing up in him. What would have happened if Brandon had never met Tina? She would be having his baby, instead of his brother’s, no doubt.

“
Are you ready?” Brandon placed his hand on the small of her back and looked up at the picture at which she had been staring. “We need to talk about her.”

She didn’t respond, but she followed him out to the car and slid onto the seat beside him. He was visibly upset about his mother. She was glad she had not told him about the baby. Two shocks at once would have driven him over the edge.

They continued their drive to the airport in silence. The drive seemed to take forever, but finally, they arrived at the airport and boarded a plane that would take them to heartache and tragedy.

The chauffer greeted them upon their arrival and with a somber mood, loaded their luggage into the trunk and whisked them off to the hospital.

Virginia was lying quite still in her hospital bed, and for a minute, Jessica thought they might be too late. However, as she moved closer, she could see the slow rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. Her time was near. Jessica felt a heavy sadness permeate her heart.

In the short time she had known this remarkable woman—who had loved and given of herself so freely, who had taken others to her bosom, offering comfort and encouragement, and who had accepted her into her family with all the warmth and kindness she could muster—she had grown to love her. She would miss her terribly. She bent down and kissed her on the cheek. Even on her deathbed, she looked dignified.