Authors: Emma Daniels
THE DREAM CHILD (17 page)
“Three months. That would be before you two met then, wouldn’t it?”
Victor nodded glumly.
It was Rita’s turn to frown. “And she said the baby wasn’t yours.”
“Yes,” he ground out.
“Whose baby did she say it was? If there really is a baby, which I sincerely doubt.”
“She said it was some guy she met at a party or something. She said she was too drunk to remember his name.” God, he hated going over this all again!
Rita shook her head in abject denial. “That’s not like Sophie at all. There is no way she’d get herself into a situation like that.”
“Sounds very much like a great excuse to get me out of her life though, wouldn’t you think?” Victor said bitterly.
Rita gave him a long hard look before she spoke again. “Sophie would
never
make something up just to hurt someone… Where the heck did you come up with all this anyway? It’s the biggest load of crock I’ve ever heard.”
“Oh great, now I’m making it all up. Jesus. What is it with you two? Why don’t you just get the hell out of here? I’ve had enough of the both of you.” His outburst made him cough.
“You bet I’m getting out of here. I realise now what a dumb idea it was to come in the first place.” She got to her feet. “Besides if Sophie were pregnant, which I know she isn’t, Mum and I would be the first to know, because Sophie would be so happy about it, she’d want to shout it from the rooftops. You have got to be the sickest person in the world to come up with something like this. I’m just glad she had the sense to send you packing when she did.”
Before Victor got the chance to retaliate, she was out of her chair and waddling across the floor as fast and her swollen abdomen would allow.
“I didn’t lie, damn it,” he called after her, but she kept on walking.
He slumped back against his pillows, feeling utterly shattered.
Why would Sophie tell him such lies to get him out of her life? And why bother to show up yesterday? Had she in fact been trying to set him up for something?
After dealing with the likes of Louise, who thought everyone was a crook, Victor wouldn’t put anything past her. The two women had worked together for goodness knows how long before he’d arrived in the section.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Louise had had it in for him ever since he’d moved her out of the fraud unit. Just as well he hadn’t done as his father suggested and had Sophie moved on. That was probably exactly what the two women hoped he’d do so that they could file some kind of harassment case against him.
He should have known not to let his guard down. Never trust a work colleague. Never trust anyone period, he thought in disgust. All they wanted was use you and hurt you for their own aims.
His father had been right, yet again. Victor had been a fool, a fool to fall for a pretty face just because she’d tempted him in his dreams.
He would never make that mistake again.
No woman would ever use Victor Rose again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
When Sophie walked out of her nineteen week ultrasound scan she knew she couldn’t keep the news from her family much longer. Even though she’d bought loose fitting clothes that hid her expanding waistline, she knew the time had come to tell them, particularly since everything was progressing normally.
The woman at the clinic had asked her if she wanted to know the sex of the baby, but Sophie had said no, as long as the baby was fine, that was all that mattered to her.
Once again everyone else appeared to have arrived with a partner, but it didn’t bother Sophie so much now. She was used to doing everything for herself. Even if this had been Duncan’s baby, she’d more or less convinced herself she would have ended up looking after the two of them anyway.
As for the baby’s real father, she hadn’t seen him since her visit to the hospital. True to his word he never returned to the Students Section. Neither did she want to know where he was working now.
The weekend of Sophie’s birthday seemed as good a time as any to break the news to her family. Rita was cooking a feast on Saturday night as usual, and all members of her family would be there.
Rita’s baby was due in a few weeks, and even though she was exhausted, she’d ordered Sophie not to arrive early to help, telling her she was the birthday girl and that the party was in her honour.
Sophie left for her sister’s house at six, knowing she’d still be there a little early, but she could always spend some time with her niece and nephew.
When she pulled up outside her sister’s house and turned off the engine, she felt a distinct motion inside her abdomen. She’d been experiencing flutters, like butterflies flittering about for a few weeks now, but this was the first time she’d felt any real movement.
She placed her hand there, marvelling at the sensation. This is what she’d been looking forward to, the feeling of the baby inside her, and she smiled serenely to herself.
“Oh we are going to be so happy together little one,” she whispered in awe. “Such a shame you’ll never know your father.”
That thought sobered her. Before she could let it get to her, she got out of the car and made her way up the path to the front door. It had been difficult, but most of the time she managed to keep her handsome dream lover out of her mind.
She had to believe a miracle had brought her this child, a child just for her. If God had wanted this baby to have a father, He would have organised things differently.
Her child had to be someone special to be brought into the world like this. She’d been given an incredible gift, a rare chance to do something wonderful. And if it meant she had to do it alone, she would. She had her parents and her sister, who could provide all the support and information she needed.
Carmen and Lachlan greeted her at the door as usual, and she hugged them warmly. Soon they would have a little cousin to play with, as well as another sister or brother. Rita hadn’t wanted to know the sex of her third child either.
Despite her obvious exhaustion with the latter stages of pregnancy, Rita had excelled herself. The food was delicious, and so was the massive birthday cake that Simon bought out at the end of the meal.
Once they had sung happy birthday and Sophie had blown out the candles, she held up her hands and told them to hold the presents.
“I have a present of my own I want to share with you,” she said, meeting the faces of all those sitting around the table. “You are all in for the biggest shock of your lives.”
Sophie stood up and smoothed down her smock top. “Does it look like I’ve been putting on weight to you?”
“Well yeah, it does now that you’re holding your hands under your tummy like that,” her mother observed.
“Why are you trying to put on weight for anyway?” Simon asked.
“Only temporarily. I’m having a baby,” Sophie announced proudly. “Twenty weeks today on my birthday.”
Looking at the faces of her family around her, she could see she’d stunned them beyond belief. All the adults were starting at her with their mouths agape, and their eyes wide with shock.
“Another baby!” Carmen said. “Wow, that means I get a cousin, doesn’t it?”
“That’s exactly what it means, so there will be two more children in this family very soon,” Sophie told her.
“Wait a minute?” Rita broke in. “You told me you and Vic broke up.”
“We did. Ages ago.”
“But it’s his baby though, isn’t it?”
“Can we discuss this later after Carmen and Lachlan have gone to bed? I really want to enjoy this moment,” Sophie said. “I just want you all to be happy for me, as happy as I am for having made it this far.”
“We are, dear,” Vicky said, taking Sophie’s hand in hers as Sophie sat back down again. “We’re just shocked, that’s all.”
“You’re not going to have this kid on your own, are you?” Simon asked in concern.
“No, I’ve got all of you, haven’t I?”
“Yes of course, but it’s so hard doing it on your own,” Rita acknowledged. I’ve got Simon, but it’s still a struggle sometimes.”
Simon got to his feet. “Come on kids, time for bed, I think.”
After they had bid the adults good night, and Sophie had gone in to read them a bedtime story, she returned to the living room to face the barrage of questions she knew were coming.
“Did the rotten sod leave you as soon as you told him you were pregnant?” her father demanded angrily.
“No Dad. He doesn’t even know.”
“Wait a minute?” Rita interjected. “When I went to see him, he was going on about – “
“What do you mean, you went to see him?” Sophie demanded.
Rita looked contrite. “I didn’t want to tell you about it because I thought you’d done the right thing at the time. He was under the impression the baby was someone else’s… You don’t want him to know it’s his. Why?”
“Because he’d never believe me.” How could she tell her family about the dreams she’d had about Victor?
“Why not?” everyone asked at once.
“Look, Vic and I are through. That’s all I’m prepared to say at the moment. He won’t be a part of this, so please just accept that I’m having this baby on my own… and I would really appreciate your support.”
“Of course you have our support,” Vicky said.
“But I feel like kicking that damn Vic right into next week,” Allan muttered.
“So do I,” Simon agreed. “I’d be happy to rough him up a bit for you, Soph.”
Despite herself, Sophie smiled, grateful for her family’s protectiveness. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Of course Rita wanted to pursue the matter further, and rang Sophie the following day.
“Why the hell did you lie to him for Sophie? Why tell him some half-baked tale about a one night stand?”
“Did he tell you that?”
“Yes, and he seemed more than a little put out about it. At the time I thought he was just being a jerk. Now I realise how upset he really was. I think if you told him the truth he’d be happy to help you. Why on earth won’t you?”
“I wish I could, Rita, but I conceived the baby before I even met Victor.”
“Then how can you say it’s his? I don’t understand.”
“And you never will. No one will, because I conceived this baby in my dreams. Now tell me I’m stark raving mad.”
“You said you had dreams about Vic before you even met him…. Oh I get it, they were really sexy dreams.”
“Well I kind of alluded to that fact before.”
“Ok, no need to go into any more detail now, but you know how crazy that sounds.”
“Aha,” Sophie said nodding to herself, knowing her sister couldn’t see her doing it.
“My God, this really is bizarre.”
“You don’t believe me either, do you?”
“I know you’re pregnant and the usual way is to sleep with someone. Maybe you really did meet one another before, but now you have some kind of mental block about it. Why don’t you at least talk to him about it? A DNA test would confirm if he’s the father. Then he’d have to accept his responsibility, even if it’s just financial.”
“And how do I get him to do that?”
“Hmm, might be a bit tricky. Geez, Sophie. I know you wanted a baby, but this is one hell of a way to go about it.”
“Tell me about it,” she muttered.
Ever since arriving home from his period of convalescence at his parents’ house, Victor had been dreaming about Sophie’s baby.
Night after night, week after week, the same dream haunted him, until he couldn’t stand it any more.
She stood before him in a white flowing nightgown, cradling a small wrapped bundle in her arms. All he could see of the baby was the top of its tiny head and a tuft of fair hair. Sophie looked so contented and serene as she gazed lovingly down at the infant.
The sight of them made Victor want to scream in outrage. He felt the impotent anger course through him as he stood alone in the shadows watching mother and child.
Then, as though she sensed his presence, she looked up. On catching sight of him, she smiled at him. “Come, Victor, come see your child.”