Baby On The Way (15 page)

Simply because her relationship with Del hadn’t been the fairy-tale romance she’d always dreamed of, she’d told herself her feelings for him didn’t exist. But they did. She loved Del. She had from the first. That was the reason she hadn’t moved out when he’d left. She’d known he’d be back.and she’d also known, whether she’d admitted it to herself or not, that he would never turn his back on his own child. This wonderful house somehow wasn’t quite so wonderful without Del in it. It wasn’t her love for the house or town that had kept her there. It was her love for him.

She sighed, cuddling the baby closer. So maybe it was time to quit playing games, time to stand on her own two feet like she kept telling Del she wanted to do. She’d move to Vicksville, or the nearby town of Cauldron. Close enough for him to see Nikki when he could, yet far enough for Libby to keep things in perspective. Because she couldn’t stay here, not if he didn’t love her, too. She refused to torture herself any longer with make-believe.

Nikki made a snuffling sound, beginning to whimper again. Libby pressed her lips against the baby’s hair. “It’s past time, sweetie,” she said softly, “that your mother finally grew up.”

The door opened. Libby was proud that this time she didn’t hope. She didn’t even glance around as she said huskily, “I think Nikki and I might be moving, Chris. Something’s come up.”

The silence stretched behind her. Libby turned around to explain further and froze, her eyes widening. Del was standing in the doorway.

Del shut the door and took a step toward her, but
paused when Libby didn’t move or speak. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She looked pale and scared, staring at him with wide eyes, her hair a little messy, a towel that Nikki had burped up on thrown over her shoulder. She’d never looked more appealing.and he’d never been more afraid of losing her. He swallowed. “Please don’t leave, Libby,” he said. “Not right when I’ve come home.”

She still didn’t move, and his heart sank. Had he waited too long to discover what was really important in his life? “I love you,” he added slowly. “I should have told you before I left—I definitely should have told you the first night we made love. Because from the moment I first saw you, I knew my life had changed.”

She swallowed. “Oh, Del.” Sudden tears welled in her eyes. She sniffed. “Do you mean it? You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better?”

“No—but you’d sure make me feel better if you told me that you loved me, too,” he said truthfully. He tried to smile, but couldn’t quite manage it. “I’m dying here.”

A smile trembled on her lips. “I do. You know I do.”

He did know it. Her love was shining on her face in a soft glow. He strode over to her and slid his hands along her jaw into her hair, tilting her face up to his. He kissed her—long and tenderly—ignoring the indignant kicking of the baby caught between them.

Finally, he lifted his mouth. Libby sighed, relaxing against him for a moment. But Nikki was having none of that. She gave a loud wail.

Libby glanced down at her little daughter. “Oh, dear.”

“‘Oh, dear’ is right,” Del agreed, carefully taking Nikki away from her. He looked down into his baby’s crumpled-up face. “Stop that,” he scolded gently. “Can’t you see I’m proposing to your mom?”

Abruptly, Nikki stopped crying, blinking up at him with her pansy eyes. Obviously she was as startled to see him as her mother had been. “I love you,” he told Nikki, walking with her to the door, “but right now you’re just a little pest. So let me find another pest to take care of you.”

He opened the door. “Christine!”

“You bellowed, brother?” his sister asked, popping her head around the kitchen door.

“Yeah. Here take Nikki for a while. I need to talk with Libby.” He put the baby in his sister’s willing arms. He started to close the door, then paused. “Oh, and by the way.”

Christine, busy making faces at the baby, looked up inquiringly.

“…I’m Nikki’s real father—and you’re an aunt.”

“Wah!” Chris squawked.

He shut the door in her face and locked it.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Libby said reprovingly, trying not to smile.

Del’s smile was wide, white and satisfied. “Yeah, I know.”

He strode back to Libby, anxious to have her in his arms again. He pulled her close and bent to kiss her, ignoring the pounding on the door and Christine’s muffled threats.

By the time he lifted his head again, Chris had apparently given up and gone away.

Del put his lips against the soft skin of Libby’s temple.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he breathed. “I love you so much. I never want to leave you again.”

“I don’t want you to.” But she frowned, giving a slight push to hold him away. “But I don’t want you to lose your job. I was wrong—”

“No, you were right.” He hugged her to him again. “As for my work, I told them I wanted to cut back on the fieldwork—take a desk job. I may have to travel a little, but nothing like I did before.”

She clutched his sleeve, her eyes troubled. “Oh, Del. Do you mind?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s the work I enjoy—not the traveling. And now I have the best of both worlds. I’ll be doing what I enjoy—yet will still be here with you and Nikki,” he said in satisfaction. He gave her a squeeze. “I don’t ever want you to get accustomed to not having me in your life.”

“That would never happen.” She laid her head against his shoulder. “And you’re sure you want to stay in Lone Oak?”

His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Don’t you? I like this old house and town—Chris and I had a lot of fun growing up here. Can you think of a better place to raise our kids?”

She smiled mistily. “No, I can’t.” She held him tighter and laid her head against his shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re here, you want to stay—and that you love me.”

“Believe it.” He rocked her gently, resting his cheek against her hair. She felt so good, smelled so sweet. Like baby powder, sour milk and Libby.

She pressed a kiss against his throat, and his arms tightened around her. He could feel her smiling against
his skin as she drawled, “Of course, there’s one way you can make me believe it all…”

“What’s that?”

“Tell me your real name.”

He glanced down at her. She was watching him from beneath her lashes, a teasing smile on her face. His body tightened with desire. “Libby,” he said thickly, “if you’ll marry me, I’ll tell the world.”

Announcing the Marriage of Elizabeth Anne Sinclair to Adelbertus Delaney on Saturday, the Twenty-second of November at the Lone Oak, Oregon, Congregational Church “To Love and to Cherish, Forever and Ever”

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eISBN 978-14592-7412-9

BABY ON THE WAY

Copyright © 1997 by Sandra Novy Chvostal

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