Grill Me, Baby (28 page)

“Yes,” she finally managed. She looked down at the floor and then closed her eyes, willing strength into her heart. She felt unhinged and vulnerable wearing the mauve silk robe that Bobby had given her last Valentine’s Day. With a pang, she remembered that he had always loved seeing her in that robe.

Bobby leaned forward and took her chin in his hand, forcing her face upward as he studied her with those damn blue eyes. “Aren’t you going to let me in?” 

“
Eh…em…bueno
. I guess so,” she babbled, edging away. She realized she sounded like an idiot. All she knew was that her legs were wobbling and she was worried she might start hyperventilating.

Bobby followed her into the living room with a loose-limbed gait. His navy polo shirt strained over his shoulders. Well-worn jeans cupped his muscular butt and hard thighs commanding her undivided attention. She took a steadying breath and averted her gaze.

“Let me hold him,” he said, settling on her couch.

“Maybe later. He’s a little fussy right now,” Claudia hedged, sitting across from him. 

“I can handle a tiny baby,” he said with confidence. Bobby regarded her with a mixture of love and exasperation. 

Why was he acting so composed, so in control of his emotions? Claudia had expected him to be furious that she had not told him she was pregnant. But he was acting unruffled, like nothing was wrong. Who had told him? Paolo? 

Her brother, the snitch, had run out last night after throwing a sandwich and a thermos in a bag, making a ruckus about Maki needing him. He had told Claudia he would be gone most of the night. Good, because she was so furious with him for spilling the news about Mikey without giving her the chance to tell her husband first, she didn’t know what she would do to Paolo if he suddenly walked through the door. 

Claudia reluctantly handed Mikey to Bobby and was amazed when Mikey didn’t fuss. Bobby rested him on his knees, holding Mikey’s little body in his large hands as he closely looked at his son. 

“Hey, son, looks like your
mamá
has been feeding you well.” Bobby smiled at Claudia and her heart flipped. “He looks just like me. Same nose. Same eyes.”

“He has
my
eyes,” Claudia countered, her gumption surfacing to bolster her.

“No, he doesn’t, Bambi. You have brown eyes and our son’s eyes are blue.”

“All babies have blue eyes. They might turn dark later—”

“His won’t. They’ll be as blue as mine,” he stated with smug certainty. 

“Well, Mikey has my chin,” she retorted.

“That he does.” Bobby tapped the tiny cleft in Claudia’s chin. “And it’s as stubborn as ever.”

After a loaded pause, Claudia uttered the burning question lodged in her throat. “How did you know about him? Who told you?”

“Your neighbor. Señora Fuentes.”

Claudia was stunned, but he could not possibly be making it up. How else would he know her neighbor’s name? “Señora Fuentes? When did she tell you?” she demanded.

“The day you finally returned my calls, but didn’t leave a message. When I called you back, Señora Fuentes answered and said you were taking a bath. That’s when she lit into me.” He shook his head wryly. 

“Serves you right!”

“Man, she gave me hell about you having to raise your baby alone and at such a young age. When I told her I had no idea you were even pregnant and that I would never have allowed you to go through it alone, she finally believed me and gave me your address.”

“Oh, God,” Claudia groaned. “She should have never done that!” Paolo had warned her that Señora Fuentes was a busybody, but Claudia loved her all the same. The kind widow had been like a surrogate mother to her and she was fun company.

“I’m glad she did.” Bobby gave her a reproachful look. “At least somebody did the mature thing.” 

“You think
you
did the mature thing?” Claudia’s chin rose defiantly. “I did try calling you, remember? When you didn’t pick up, I texted you the next day.”

“I was already on a flight over. I figured I’d come see you before you tried to put more barriers between us.”

“I had a good reason to put up those barriers.” Past resentment mushroomed inside her. “You thought you had the perfect solution to go on your newest adventure—just send the little wifey back to Buenos Aires. As you can see, I never left,” she said triumphantly. 

“Damn it, you led me to believe you were going back.” Bobby’s face registered shock, then disapproval. 

“No, I didn’t,” she retorted. “I never agreed to anything.”

“I would have never given up trying to reach you if I hadn’t thought you were safe with your family.” Bobby’s jaw worked as he visibly strove to keep cool. “No wonder you wouldn’t return my calls. You didn’t want me to know where you were.”

“That’s right.”

“Claudia,” he began in a strained tone. “We both know it wasn’t an
adventure
. I worked damn hard in those oil sands. And I did it only to make good money for us.”

“I told you it was over if you left me! But you left anyway,” she stubbornly persisted. 

Bobby’s clear blue eyes turned turbulent. “We’re married. I took that vow to mean forever,” he stated evenly. “Why didn’t you let me know when you found out you were pregnant?” 

“I didn’t want you to come back to me because of Mikey,” she said, her voice rising. “Which is exactly what you did.”

“I told you I was coming back,” he replied angrily. “I was always going to come back to you when the six months were up. Señora Fuentes saved me from buying a ticket to Argentina. Remind me to thank her one day.” Taking a deep breath, he looked at the ceiling and then back at Claudia as if trying to summon divine patience. He glanced down at his son. “You named him Mikey?”

“His full name is Michael Robert Woodbridge.” She fought the hot tears that burned the back of her eyelids.

Bobby nodded. “I like it.”

Claudia’s heart ached as she watched father and son, alike in many ways, bonding naturally. “Bobby.” She paused and swallowed hard against the clogging, emotional knot in her throat. “Did Señora Fuentes tell you about the horrible problems your parents are causing?”

“No.” Bobby’s body stiffened and his eyes narrowed into sharp blue lasers. “What problems are they causing?”

By the time Claudia finished telling Bobby about his parents and their cutthroat lawyer, Max Weintraub, Bobby’s self-control dissolved. His jaw clenched and unclenched as a play of fierce emotions crossed his face—shock, fury, indignation.

“I wish you had told me about it sooner. You wouldn’t have had to deal with all their crap,” he said, his tight voice laced with disgust. “Don’t worry, Bambi. To hell with their lawyer and to hell with them. Now that I’m back, I’ll take care of this. They won’t mess with us again.”

The doorbell rang, startling Claudia and waking up Mikey who had just nodded off in Bobby’s arms.

“Who’s that?” Bobby asked, glancing at the door impatiently. “Paolo?”

“I don’t think so unless he forgot his keys.” Claudia hesitated, not moving a muscle to answer the door. She wanted this time alone with Bobby. The last thing they needed was an interruption.

“Want me to get it?”

“No, I will.” 

Claudia opened the door and almost shut it again when she saw the cute and friendly neighbor she had met a week ago while sunbathing by the pool. Juan Ramirez was a senior at the University of Miami, studying business. They had struck up a pleasant conversation in Spanish when he had gone down for a study break. With a pang of regret, Claudia realized she should have never told him she was staying with Paolo. Juan had misread her friendliness and he’d gotten the wrong idea. Claudia was so starved for friends, she had been thrilled to find someone young and Spanish-speaking in Paolo’s building. 

Juan held out a white paper bag. “
Hola
, have you eaten yet? I brought you a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Sesame, your favorite. And the crazy Brazilian comedy I was telling you about. We can discuss it tonight over Chinese if you like,” he said, blushing.

“Thanks, Juan. That was kind of you. But tonight’s going to be impossible.” Claudia glanced over her shoulder with trepidation. She worried about the impression they were giving Bobby, chatting as if they were dating. She had only met Juan a week ago and she had certainly done nothing to encourage him. Now the love struck kid was bringing her breakfast and a movie to watch over Chinese food!

Juan followed her uneasy gaze. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you have company.”

Bobby rose from the sofa and ambled to the door, every muscle in his six foot two build possessively flexed as he gave Juan a measured look. “I’m not company. I’m Claudia’s husband.” He lifted Mikey. “And this is our son.”

Poor Juan turned beet red. “Oh. Nice to meet you. I’m Juan Ramirez. Uh, Paolo’s neighbor.” He swayed on unsteady feet before Bobby’s ferocious, territorial stare, clutching the take-out bag to his chest as if it were a life vest. “I guess I’d better get going.”

“You guessed right,” Bobby said. 

“
Adiós
, Juan. I’ll tell Paolo you stopped by. Again, that was very nice of you,” she said, trying to smooth things over for Juan’s sake—and hers. Bobby looked incensed.

“You shouldn’t have been rude to him,” Claudia said when Juan left. “Juan is a friend, nothing else.”

“He’s a lovesick kid,” Bobby said bluntly, “and you shouldn’t be encouraging him.”

You are a jealous man,
Claudia thought with a glimmer of satisfaction. “I don’t encourage him. Juan is a really nice guy and we’re friends, that’s all. He is friendly with Paolo, too, as are all of our neighbors.”

“Where is your suitcase?” Bobby asked, changing the subject. Claudia followed his gaze as he glanced around Paolo’s apartment that was cluttered with baby items.

“It’s in the closet. Why?”

The fevered glint in Bobby’s blue eyes held her captive. “We need some time alone to reconnect. I’ve booked us a suite at the Mandarin where these ‘friendly’ neighbors can leave us the hell alone.”

Claudia stared at him in surprise. The Mandarin Oriental was one of the coolest hotels in Miami where the rich and famous hung out.

“Why don’t you ask Señora Fuentes to watch Mikey for a couple of hours?” he suggested.

Nothing would have pleased her more than time alone with her estranged husband. “I wish I could,” Claudia lamented. “But I can’t just leave Mikey like that. I’m nursing him and in a few hours he’s going to wake up ravenous for his next feeding.”

Bobby’s gaze dipped to his wife’s milk-engorged breasts. “No wonder,” he murmured, the corners of his mouth turning upward. “Looks like there’s plenty of milk.”

“There is. Mikey is thriving,” she said proudly. She hid a smile. Bobby was a breast man and the look in his eyes said he loved how her full breasts were nearly doubled in size. 

With a wry shake of his head, Bobby tore his gaze away from Claudia’s bosom. “Where do you and Mikey sleep?”

“In Paolo’s room,” Claudia said with a guilty pang. “I feel bad about it, but Paolo still insists on sleeping on the couch. I’m afraid Mikey and I have turned his bachelor pad into a nursery.”

“I’m going to find us a big, comfortable apartment.” Bobby eyed her and then said cautiously, “There’s something else you should know. And before you start getting upset, I want you to listen to reason.”

Every fine hair on her body stood on end. “What are you talking about?” she asked in a shaky voice.

Bobby exhaled deeply. “My shift is over. I will be here for six months.” He paused. “Then I have to leave again.”

“What? You are leaving
again
?” Claudia’s stomach took a nosedive when Bobby nodded affirmatively. “No!” she almost shrieked, but she stopped before she frightened Mikey.

Holding her gaze steadily, Bobby said, “I signed on again before I knew about Mikey. I was planning on making as much money as I could for a year and then I would never go away again.”

“Bobby, how could you?” Shock and despair tore at Claudia’s insides and she couldn’t stand to look at her husband. She suddenly hated him. They had a baby now and he was planning to leave again!

Bobby reached out to touch her, but Claudia recoiled instantly. “Stop it, Bambi. You gotta understand. I’m doing it for us…for our son.” His earnest blue eyes searched her face, seeking to convince her. “I need to make sure I can provide for Mikey. One more six-month term and then no more.” He held his right hand up. “I promise.” 

A feeling of deceit crept into Claudia’s heart as she stared at her prodigal husband. Her worst fear had come true—Bobby still had wanderlust. He was so addicted to travel and adventures that nothing would make him change, not even their baby, and certainly not her!

She snatched Mikey from his arms and held on to her baby for dear life. “Either get another job and stay with us or get out of our lives!” she cried, fury roiling inside her until she thought her skin would break out in angry red hives. Mikey woke up and started to wail. “Look, now Mikey is upset! I mean it, Bobby. Next time you won’t find us so easily.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Michaela found Tiffany at the first floor lobby of the hospital leaning against a vending machine, munching on a granola bar and sipping coffee. Her mass of golden curls had gone awry, but she still looked sexy in her hot pink mini and silver stiletto sandals. The addition of Paolo’s oversized, gray warm-up jacket slung over her bare shoulders made her little sister look like she was on the walk of shame.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” Tiffany drawled, giving Michaela a sassy once-over. “Did you have a good night’s
rest
, Mic?” Her question oozed innuendo. She glanced at her watch. “Hmm…ten o’clock. How was breakfast in bed?”

“Hush up.” Michaela grinned. “How are Willow and Magda doing?”

“No trace of blood in Aunt Willow’s urine, so they took the catheter out. They both seem to be on the mend.”

Michaela breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good.”

“Everything is under control, as I told you when I called this morning. Remember?” Tiffany raised an eyebrow and gave Michaela an expectant look. “Don’t change the subject on me. I heard your Latin lover’s sultry voice in the background.”