For You I Do (6 page)

“Why…what’s wrong?”

“If you must know…I’m pregnant.”

Chapter 7

Pregnant.

No, he couldn’t have possibly heard her right.

“Did you say you’re pregnant?”

Pulling herself up to her full five-foot-two-inch height, Bianca frowned. “Yes, I said I’m pregnant. Now go and tell Jaden and let me sit here and feel sorry for myself.” She moved over to the window with her arms folded against her chest, as if she were suddenly cold. Closing her eyes, she murmured, “My mother is going to kill me.”

London couldn’t have been more stunned if she had suddenly reached out and punched him hard in the stomach.
Pregnant.

“Your mother can be a little over the top at times, but I think she’ll get over it eventually.”

“Eventually?” she mocked, then snorted rudely. “She’s never going to forgive me for this. Especially not after everyone finds out Collin was messing around on his pregnant fiancée with another woman. All my mother cares about is how things look.

And this looks like something on one of those daytime soap operas. Oh, God! I’ll never hear the end of it.”

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He hated to admit it, but Bianca was right about that. In a town as small as Sheraton Beach, everybody knew everybody and gossip was rampant. This would be the scandal of the year.

London knew Bianca was in pain and something inside tugged at his gut and told him to do or say something comforting. “How did you…”

She swung around. “Get pregnant? I guess I represent condoms’ two percent failure rate.” Moving away from the window, she added, “It must have happened two months ago when I suspected that one had broken.” She flopped down on the couch. “How could Collin do this to me? I thought he loved me!”

she shouted, then started crying again. She looked so miserable London closed his eyes and silently cursed Jaden under his breath for getting him involved in Bianca’s personal life.

He was tempted to apologize, say his goodbyes and start walking, but Bianca was hurting. Considering the evidence before her, she had every right to be devastated. No matter what he personally thought of the creep, Bianca obviously loved Collin. She wouldn’t have been engaged to him otherwise. He couldn’t expect her to simply brush it off, chalk it up as a loss and get over the betrayal in a matter of minutes.

He moved over to the side of the couch and knelt down in front of her. He never liked to see a woman cry. Only he didn’t know what to say or do. He reached for the box of tissues on the end table and handed it to her. When Bianca noticed his kind gesture, she broke down and sobbed openly.

Immediately, London scooped her up into his arms and took a seat on the couch cradling her against his chest while she cried.

He tried to ignore the feelings she aroused in him as he held her sweet, soft body against him. She felt so good in his arms, he found himself tightening his hold with one hand while he stroked her cheek with the other.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” he whispered words of reassurance close to her ear. “It will all work out—just wait and see.”

He’d forgotten how delicately Bianca was built. She seemed so small, with her shoulders slumped in resignation and her body curled in a ball across his lap.

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For You I Do

“You’re not in this alone. I know your family would never turn their backs on you.”

She raised her eyes to his. They were so close he could see a tiny mole on the side of her delectable mouth that he had never noticed before.

“I know my family means well and they would do everything in their power to support me…after the initial shock,” Bianca began between sniffles. “Mother will cry, the three J’s will start in on how they taught me better than that, and then they’ll be out hunting for Collin. And there is no telling what they’ll do once they find him.” She paused for a long thoughtful moment. “Even though that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” Realizing that she was being ridiculous, she shook her head. “Then there are the townspeople and the gossiping. Mother would lock herself in the house for weeks and you know how she loves to shop. I’m sorry, but I can’t bring that kind of scandal to my family. Having a baby out of wedlock is unacceptable and you know it. No woman in my family has ever found herself pregnant without a husband. We Beaumont women have too much common sense to let something like that happen…until now.” She sniffled. “Why can’t the floor just open up and swallow me?”

He felt sorry for her because he knew that everyone in the town looked up to the Beaumont family as if they were role models. One slipup and they would never hear the end of it.

Bianca was right. The second they caught wind that she was pregnant, and the father was nowhere around, her family would start feeling the heat.

“How far along are you?”

Despair swept over her face. “Almost three months.”

London pulled back and made sure she saw the incredulous look on his face. “Three months! And you haven’t said anything?”

Feeling a little flustered, she batted his arm away then moved and took the seat on the couch beside him.

“I’ve only known for a few weeks. I was so busy working on the marketing campaign for the new hotel that I didn’t even notice when I’d missed my period.”

“Didn’t you have morning sickness?”

“A little.” Bianca dragged her knees to her chest and rested
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her chin on her knees. “I thought it was stress. Collin was worried about his unit being deployed and I guess in the back of my mind I was worried about that, too. Then he started asking me to marry him and as much as I wanted to, I just wasn’t sure if I really…”

she dropped her voice and cleared her throat as if she suddenly remembered who it was she was sharing her personal life with.

“What made you finally decide to agree to marry him?”

She didn’t meet his eyes and the answer became obvious. He nodded knowingly. “When you found out you were pregnant.”

It wasn’t a question, even though she nodded at his statement.

His lips pressed into a grim line. “Does he know that the baby is the only reason why you agreed?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “He doesn’t know I’m pregnant.”

London wiped a hand down his face. “This is great, Bianca, just great! Why the hell didn’t you tell him?”

She hitched her chin high as she pointed down at the photographs. “Considering the evidence, do you really think that would have made a difference?” she barked sarcastically. Taking a deep breath, she added, “I had planned to surprise him on our honeymoon.”

There was a long, strained silence. “So what are you going to do now?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I plan to keep the baby.

I’ll just have to raise her myself.” She rose and moved over to the love seat, putting distance between them, and he was grateful.

Her sweet scent was driving him crazy.

She was right. It didn’t concern him. But he’d seen too many women struggle to raise children on their own. He knew she would never have to worry about money, but the thought of her going through the pregnancy alone, not to mention raising a child without a husband bothered him. Her baby didn’t deserve to be the subject of gossip.

“What about Collin? He does have a right to know about his child.”

She snorted rudely. “Just as I had a right to know he was messing around on me! I don’t want to have anything to do with him ever again, and neither will my child.”

He stared across and witnessed the anger burning in the depths
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For You I Do

of her eyes. This was the Bianca he knew, the independent woman who didn’t let anything or anyone stand in her way.

“I think raising your child alone would be a mistake,” he said finally. “A child needs a father.” She didn’t respond. “Bianca, I’ve been out in the real world. And a woman can’t teach a boy how to be a man.”

Bianca met his gaze again and her walnut eyes were troubled. He sensed that she wasn’t very confident about raising a child alone.

“That’s what I’ve got three brothers for. Lord, I feel sorry for this baby if I’m having a girl. The three J’s won’t let a boy come within twenty feet of her.” Despite her despair, she giggled, then suddenly stopped, struggling with her emotions. “I can do this.

I know I can. I love kids and I’ve always wanted a family of my own. It’s not quite the way I had planned it, but it will work out.”

London began to pace. He’d never seen this side of Bianca.

He assumed that she was perfectly happy with her demanding job and her friends and her many charitable activities. He knew she read children’s books to students at the local elementary school, but he never guessed that her motherly instincts had kicked in.

“If that’s your choice, then I support you one hundred percent,” he said after a moment, “but before you make your final decision I want you to think about what you’ll be doing.”

Her temper flared without warning. “London, I’m not getting rid of my baby!”

He looked at her and felt a sense of relief to know that she already cared about the little life growing inside her. “Good. I’m glad. I just want you to be sure you realize what you’re up against. I know you’re having a hard enough time worrying about your parents’ reaction.”

“Yes, but I’m keeping this baby even if they threaten to disown me. I’ve saved enough money that I can get by for a while.”

Not to mention the trust fund her grandfather had left each of the Beaumont children and grandchildren. Rumor had it that Roger Beaumont Sr. had left them millions. No, money was not an issue for any of them.

“So what’s the next step?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking of maybe taking an extended
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vacation and moving out of the country for the next six months.”

She gave a strangled laugh.

“Ha-ha. Nice try.” He moved back over to the couch with one hand tucked in the front pocket of his pants.

She sobered then leaned her head back against the cushion and he watched the worry return to the corners of her mouth and eyes. “I just wish it didn’t matter so much what other people think of me.”

He shrugged. “You care about other people’s feelings and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Bianca pushed her hair back from her face. “Yes, there is, when it affects a decision I have to make about my life. I should be excited about this baby growing inside me; instead all I can think about is how much I’m disappointing my parents.”

“I really think you should try talking to them.”

She frowned.

“What about your brothers?”

This time she shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

“Then you’re going to have to come up with a plan. I don’t know much about having babies, but I do know that it’s not too much longer before you’ll start showing.”

“The only reason I was marrying Collin was because I was carrying his child.”

His brow rose. “You don’t love him?”

“No, not really. Seeing those pictures, I realized that I am more humiliated than heartbroken. I suspected my feelings for him weren’t that strong, but in order to have a father for my child I was willing to give us a chance. Don’t get me wrong. I am quite fond of Collin, and he is a very caring and compassionate person, but there was something missing in our relationship.” Her eyes rose to meet his. “But I guess that’s no longer important.”

“Nope. I guess it’s not.” He gave her a warm smile. “If you like, I can go with you to talk to your parents.”

“Thanks, that’s sweet of you but this is something I have to figure out on my own.” Momentarily, Bianca closed her eyes again and he watched her lower lip tremble. She wasn’t as confident as she tried to make him believe. “I wish there were some way I could rent a husband for nine months.”

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For You I Do

He chuckled and Bianca opened her eyes, smiled and laughed along with him.

“Sure you can. You’ll just have to find someone else to marry you.”

Bianca suddenly stopped laughing and her eyes grew large with astonishment. “Oh, my goodness! London that’s a wonderful idea. If I can find someone else to be my fiancé, my parents will never know the difference. You wouldn’t know anyone stupid enough to want to do that, would you?”

“Yeah, actually, I do. What’s wrong with me?”

Chapter 8

The words were out of London’s mouth before he realized it.

Now what had made him go and say something like that?
he wondered. Guilt probably. What else could it have been? The last thing he needed in his life was a pregnant woman on the rebound.

Especially one he was attracted to.

Bianca was staring at him suspiciously. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“You don’t think that you and I should—that we would…”

pausing, she shook her head and gave a half laugh. “No, of course not.” She gave another laugh. “London, you can be a clown when you want to be.”

Insulted, London frowned at her. He hadn’t meant to volun-teer to help her, but now that he had he wondered what was so funny about his proposal.

Bianca didn’t wait for his reply. She rose and headed into the kitchen. Pride refused to let his suggestion go unanswered.

Following her, he stepped into the spacious kitchen to find Bianca pulling out a box of decaffeinated tea from the cabinet.

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“What do you mean, of course not?” he asked as he moved and rested his elbows against the granite countertop.

“Forget, I even said that.” She laughed with a shake of her head, as if the idea were completely ridiculous, he noted with mounting annoyance. “I didn’t mean to laugh but I know you’re not even trying to go there with me.” She dropped a tea bag in the mug, then filled it with fresh tap water.

Folding massive hands over a broad chest, London glared over at her. “And why not?”

Her eyebrows rose slightly as if she were surprised that he’d even ask.

“Why…because…well…” And then she burst out laughing.