Fire and Desire (Arabesque) (22 page)

“Maurice?”

“Yes?”

“I thought that maybe you didn’t hear me. I said I came to talk to you about—”

“I know what you said, Stella. I heard you. Now hear me. There will never be a divorce between us.”

A hushed silence fell in the room after Maurice’s statement. Neither he nor Stella said anything else for the longest moment. Then he noticed the tears gathering in her eyes, and another shaft of pain tore through him. “Does a divorce from me mean that much to you, Stella?”

Stella wiped away her tears. “No, but I can’t live like this anymore, Maurice. I can’t live day after day knowing how much you hate me and how much you despise me for not trusting you enough and for not believing in you when I should have.”

“I have never given you a reason not to trust me, Stella.”

“I know, and I made a mistake. It was a costly mistake, and one I’ll regret for the rest of my life. All I can offer you is an apology. But you have to let me get on with my life. Both Trevor and Gina have lives of their own now. They aren’t children anymore for us to protect. It’s time to put an end to what never will be again. You’ve gone to great lengths to make sure I know that.”

“I have not,” Maurice answered defensively.

Stella put her glass on the table and stood. Her eyes filled with more tears. “Yes, you have. I don’t want to be a choke around your neck any longer, Maurice. You have to let me go.”

Maurice pushed back from the mantel and walked over to where Stella stood. A mirage of hurt, pain and mistakes flashed before him. Then just as quickly it was replaced by memories: good memories of their wedding day, memories of the day they had brought a newborn Trevor home from the hospital, then years later, Gina. There were more good memories than there were hurts, pains and mistakes. Over the years they had both suffered. His pride had always kept him from completely forgiving her. His inability to put the past behind him had always kept a reconciliation from ever happening between them.

Now it was time move on or stay put. Maurice knew which he preferred doing. When he came to stand directly in front of her, he said in a deep, clear voice, “I can’t give you a divorce, Stella, because I still love you, and I will always love you. I know there’s a lot of healing left to do between us, and it will take time and love to get through it. But I’m willing to try if you are. We’ve wasted too many precious years already, Stel, and I don’t want to waste any more living apart from you. If you’ll take me back as your husband, I promise that the two of us will live the rest of our lives together happy, spoiling any grandchildren Trevor and Gina will give us one day. I promise to bring sunshine back into your eyes or die trying.”

When Stella realized just what Maurice was saying, and what he was offering, she reached out for him. “Oh, Maurice, I love you, too,” she said before he pulled her into his arms.

Maudlin Avery checked the thermometer she had just taken out of Corinthians’s mouth. “You don’t have a fever, sweetheart. How about explaining those symptoms of yours to me again.”

Corinthians nodded. “I sometimes feel dizzy and nauseated first thing in the mornings, and I can’t keep any of my breakfast down. I usually start feeling better around lunchtime.”

Maudlin eyed her daughter thoughtfully. “And just how long have you had these symptoms?”

Corinthians shrugged. “For the past couple of days or so. What do you think it might be?”

Maudlin doubted Corinthians was ready to hear what she thought was a possibility. Maybe it was time to drop a hint. “I’m not sure, dear. When was your last period?”

Corinthians frowned, wondering why her mother would ask her that. She thought back. When it occurred to her that the last time had been a couple of weeks before her trip to South America, she felt a sense of panic. Her body was extremely regular. She could not remember it ever being late. She and Trevor had not used any protection when they had made love. How on earth could something like that slip her mind!

“Corinthians?”

“Ahh, I need to go out.”

Maudlin raised a brow. “Go out where?”

But Corinthians did not answer. She was already rushing out the door.

C
orinthians stared at the pregnancy kit sitting on the counter in her bathroom. She studied it with as much intensity as she would a geological core sample that had been taken from the earth’s center.

She had analyzed the kit several times after she’d purchased it yesterday, and had read the directions so many times she had them memorized. According to what it said, the best time to get results was in the mornings. And it was morning. But she couldn’t make herself take the next step, although it would take less than a minute and her worries would be over…or just beginning.

During the night, all she could think about was the possibility that she was carrying Trevor’s child. She had berated herself a thousand times for engaging in unprotected sex; however, she knew if she were pregnant she wanted his child more than anything.

Corinthians rubbed a hand across her forehead, not wanting to think about what her parents would say, especially her father. He had always drilled into her and Joshua the moral teachings of the Bible—sexual activity outside of marriage, protected or otherwise, was wrong. On the other hand, he had also taught them that a person was responsible for whatever decisions they chose to make in life. It had been her decision to make love with Trevor, and the outcome of that decision would be her responsibility.

She took a long, deep breath. Her parents had left to visit a sick church member at the hospital right after breakfast. It was a breakfast she couldn’t stand to look at, much less eat, without getting a queasy stomach.

She had settled on having a piece of dry toast and a glass of orange juice. However, as soon as her parents had left, she’d rushed to the nearest bathroom when her stomach had refused to cooperate to keep what she had eaten down. Although she was alone in the house, a part of her wanted to wait and take the pregnancy test in the privacy of her own place when she returned to Texas in a few days. That would give her time to sort things through before announcing to her parents that they would be grandparents.

And before letting Trevor know he would be a father.

Corinthians wondered how he would handle the news. She gave herself a mental shake. Why should she concern herself with how he would handle it? Trevor Grant was the least of her worries right now. His failure to call had pretty much told her just what she meant to him. Nothing.

She would eventually tell him about her pregnancy—if she was actually pregnant—but she would let him know from the jump that he was under no obligation to do anything for her or her child. She would handle things without his help.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. She left the confines of the bathroom and headed toward the door, wondering who would be visiting this early in the morning. It wasn’t even nine o’clock. Without thinking twice, she opened the door before checking to see whom her visitor was.

Intense surprise hit her full force and a soft gasp escaped her when she saw Trevor standing in the doorway. She was immediately consumed by a mixture of feelings—joy at seeing him again, puzzlement as to why he had come and anger at herself for still loving him so much.

“Trevor, what are you doing here?” The shock of seeing him caused the words to wedge in her throat.

Trevor gazed down at the woman who was the object of his fire, his desire and his complete love. He felt a tightness in his throat when he thought further that there was a possibility she would one day become the mother of his child. He studied her to see if he could detect any change over the past three weeks and found none. She still possessed the same startling beauty, the same refined yet fiery class that could make her a well-bred lady one minute, and a sensual hellion the next.

Today, standing in the door wearing a floral print sundress, she looked cool and composed, as if the hot, scorching Louisiana heat of summer had no effect on her. He knew at that moment he would love her forever and that if she was carrying his child, it was just an added bonus.

“Trevor, I asked what are you doing here?”

Her words broke into his thoughts. “I need to talk with you about something, Corinthians.”

Trevor’s voice, deep and smooth, shimmered in the air and sent a ripple of awareness through her. An image suddenly flashed through her mind; the memory of her naked in his arms while he made unadulterated, passionate love to her. Then, just as quickly, another visage came into play. It was the one of her waking up in that hotel room in Key West to discover he had left her without having said goodbye. That, coupled with the fact that he had not contacted her since their return to the States, hurt more than anything.

“I can’t imagine anything we have to talk about.”

Trevor stared at her a long time before saying. “I can.” He pushed himself away from the doorjamb and walked past her into the house.

Corinthians took a sharp intake of breath when their bodies accidentally touched when he passed. When he turned around to face her, she stared at him, angered that he thought he could do whatever pleased him. “I didn’t invite you in.”

“I promise not to take up much of your time.”

Corinthians tried not to focus on what he was wearing, but couldn’t help herself. The open V of his shirt exposed a portion of his dark, hairy chest. It was the same chest she could barely keep her eyes off during the times he’d walked around in the jungle shirtless.

She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts clouding it. She needed to get her mind back on track. Closing the door, she walked into the room to face him. “What do you want?”

Trevor took a deep breath. When he had arrived, he had had every intention of just coming right out and asking her if she was pregnant. But when she had answered the door, he’d almost reached out and taken her into his arms and kissed her, wanting to experience the taste of her again. He wanted the feel of her in his arms.

“Trevor, I asked why—”

Corinthians stopped talking when suddenly the queasiness in her stomach returned. Muttering a barely audible “excuse me,” she dashed down the hall to her bedroom.

That was where Trevor found her moments later stretched out across the bed. When she heard the sound of him entering the room, she tried to pull herself together and sit up, but couldn’t. She was too weak to move. What she was experiencing this morning was worse than ever. Coupled with her nausea, she felt unusually weak and dizzy.

“Corinthians?”

She forced herself to turn toward the soft sound of Trevor’s voice. He was kneeling beside the bed. “Are you all right?” His voice was filled with deep concern.

Although she answered with a slight nod, the truth of the matter was that she was not all right. She no longer needed a pregnancy test to tell her what her body was forcing her to accept.

“Stay put, I’ll be right back.”

She watched him walk into the connecting bathroom and return moments later with a warm, damp washcloth. He sat on the side of the bed and gently slipped his arms around her. Lifting her into his lap, he began to lightly wipe her face. After he had finished, he tenderly stroked her cheek with his knuckles, gazing down at her intently.

“You know, don’t you?” Corinthians managed to get out her words in a shaky whisper. There was no way he could not have seen the pregnancy kit sitting big as day on the counter in her bathroom.

His dark eyes held hers. “Yeah, I know. I had a gut feeling about it. That’s why I came,” he said quietly.

“But how?” she asked with wonder in her voice.

“It doesn’t matter.” He gently eased her out of his arms and placed her on her back in the center of the bed. Kicking off his shoes, he lay down beside her and cuddled her in his arms, placing his hand on her unsettled stomach. He began rubbing it soothingly. Through the cotton material of her dress, she felt him trail his fingers across her belly and around her navel, the place where his child nested inside of her.

A lump formed in Corinthians’s throat. Although Trevor didn’t love her, he had always been there to take care of her when she needed taking care of. And in his own way, he was taking care of her now. She tried to stifle a yawn or two, then gave up. She slowly drifted off to sleep with Trevor holding her in his arms.

Trevor continued to softly massage Corinthians’s stomach long after he knew she had gone to sleep. He knew he should get up, leave and come back later so the two of them could talk. But the rough airplane ride into Louisiana, combined with a number of sleepless nights, made his eyes flutter a few times. Then like Corinthians, he, too, drifted off to sleep.

Gina pulled her car up in front of the quaint oceanside inn. It was a beautiful Spanish-style structure that overlooked the Gulf of Mexico. She wondered why her mother had asked that she join her for brunch there. Her mother’s voice on the phone had been rushed, almost anxious. And the only thing she had said was to join her for brunch at this place. She had a surprise for her.

Taking a deep sigh, she looked out over the ocean, watching the waves repeatedly hit against the rocks just offshore. The view was breathtaking. She wondered what had made her mother select such a charming and enchanting place to eat. The setting was too beautiful to just eat and leave. It was a place a person would want to stay awhile to enjoy and appreciate the surrounding beauty, savor the moments and cherish the memories. It would be a perfect place for lovers.

After entering the building, she glanced around the restaurant, searching for her mother. She saw her waving at her from across the room, trying to get her attention.

Gina smiled and began walking in that direction. When she got closer, she slowed her pace when she recognized her father sitting next to her mother. A number of questions flooded her mind.

“Mom? Dad? What’s going on?” she asked, pulling out a chair and joining them at the table.

Stella Grant smiled brightly. “Your father and I have something to tell you. We wish Trevor could be here, but he left a message on my answering machine saying he had to go away unexpectedly on business.”

Gina nodded. She then looked at her parents, waiting. “Well? What is it you and Dad have to tell me?”

Gina watched as her father reached across the table and took her mother’s hand in his. She then watched her mother’s face light up with a beautiful, peaceful glow, one she had never seen before. And her father, she thought, seemed more relaxed, at ease and also at peace.

She glanced from one to the other. “Mom? Dad? What’s going on?”

It was Maurice Grant who finally spoke. “Gina, your mother and I have decided to renew our vows and live the rest of our lives together as man and wife. We love each other very much and don’t want to waste any more years apart.”

Gina closed her eyes. It had been nearly twenty years since a little girl had gotten on her knees and asked God to bring her parents back together. It had been a request she had continued to pray for over the years. The answer had been a long time coming, but He had come through for her.

“Gina, are you all right?”

Her mother’s soft voice was filled with concern. Gina opened her eyes, not ashamed of the tears that filled them. The smile she gave her parents was full, happy and, most of all, thankful. “I’m fine, Mom. It’s just that I’m filled with so much happiness for the two of you. I just had to take a moment to thank God for everything. He has truly answered my prayer.”

“Corinthians Elizabeth Avery, wake up!”

As the sharp, loud voice of her father suddenly demanded, Corinthians came awake immediately. Her sudden movement also made Trevor open his eyes. He wiped the sleep from his face and found himself staring up into Reverend Avery’s deep, dark frown. Next to the man’s side was a nice-looking older woman Trevor could only assume was Corinthians’s mother.

“Dad! Mom!” Corinthians was saying, scrambling off the bed. “When did you get back?”

“Never mind when we got back. I want to know what’s going on here?” her father asked. The tone of his voice did not hide the fact that he was upset.

“It’s not what you think, Dad. See, we still have our clothes on.”

Reverend Avery’s frown deepened. “Is that supposed to assure me of anything, young lady? You better have a good reason why you and Mr. Grant are sharing a bed in my house. I want to see the both of you in my study in less than five minutes.”

Without saying anything else, he turned and walked out of the bedroom.

Corinthians wished there were some place where she could go and hide. She turned pleading eyes to her mother who was still standing next to the bed. “Mom, please, talk to him.”

Her mother shook her head. “No, sweetheart, this is one you’ll have to handle on your own.”

Maudlin Avery then turned her full attention to the man who had not made an effort to get up out of her daughter’s bed. So this was Trevor Grant, the man who had made her son’s knees shake and had put her daughter in a tizzy when she had awakened in Key West to discover him gone. He was also the man—if her guess was right—who had fathered her first grandchild.

“Mr. Trevor Grant, I assume,” she said, extending her hand out to him. “I’m glad to meet you.”

Trevor relaxed somewhat. The smile on Mrs. Avery’s face was friendly. He couldn’t help but return the smile. “Yes, ma’am. I’m glad to meet you, too,” he said, sitting up and accepting her handshake.

“I’ll give you fair warning, Mr. Grant. My husband gave you and Corinthians less than five minutes. If I were you two, I’d make it even less than that.” Smiling brightly, Maudlin Avery turned and walked out of the room.

Corinthians closed her eyes, feeling a headache coming on. She knew her father was livid. It didn’t matter that she and Trevor were fully clothed. All that mattered to him was that he had found them in bed together…under his roof.

“Corinthians?”

Corinthians eyes flew open and she gave Trevor a look that could have melted steel. Why did she always manage to find herself in some of the most embarrassing situations with this man?

“You have to go so I can smooth things over with my father. I appreciate your being here when I wasn’t feeling well, but I’m fine now. It’ll be best if you go.”