Having My Baby (13 page)

He didn’t protest. Instead, he said, “I’ll get dressed and be right out.”

She slipped out of the room and made her way down the hallway. Everybody was gone, including the stroller with Ryan in it. A glance out the window told her Sandy had taken everyone back to her place.

Pacing the floor, she suddenly regretted wearing tight jeans and shoes with heels instead of sweatpants and her comfortable sneakers. Earlier, when she had squeezed her bottom into ridiculously tight jeans, she had been so excited to fit into her pre-pregnancy clothes, she hadn’t thought twice about what Derrick’s reaction might be.

But what was she doing
?
Why had she come to his apartment in the first place
? Only a few days ago, she’d wanted Derrick Baylor as far away from her as humanly possible. And now suddenly she wanted him to take her in his arms and ravish her.

She palmed her forehead in disgust.

The expression on his face after he’d lifted her from the floor spelled
R-E-G-R-E-T
in capital letters.

She looked around his apartment.
Now what
? She needed to get out of here, and fast. She grabbed her purse from the coffee table, left his apartment, and shut the door quietly behind her. Her eyes stung at the realization she’d made a fool of herself.

“Mom,” she said as she came through the door to her apartment. Forcing a smile, she took her mother into her arms and gently squeezed her bony, rigid body. Her sweet smelling perfume was overwhelming and it took everything in her power not to cough and wheeze.

Sandy was sitting in Jill’s favorite chair, holding Ryan while Lexi sat on the floor close to Sandy’s feet. With a crayon in each hand, Lexi busily colored in her books.

Jill set her gaze on her father. He looked out of place on her lime-green couch. And yet, oddly enough, he looked the same as always: the same perfectly fitted dark suit, the same starched button-down shirt, the same disappointed frown. He would be turning sixty this year. His hair was thick with very little grey. There wasn’t a hair out of place. If he didn’t always look so angry, she might consider him to be a handsome man.

“What was that over there?” he asked, his voice as stiff as her mother’s posture.

Jill sighed. “I thought you knew.”

“Knew what?”

“I told Mom I was dating Derrick Baylor, quarterback for the Condors.”

“She mentioned it,” her father said. “He is an athlete. I guess I should have expected to find you in a compromising position on the floor of his bedroom. From the looks of it, you two are getting along just fine.”

Jill felt a burst of heat creep into her face. “We’re doing well,” Jill lied, “but what you saw over there isn’t what you think. Derrick has a bad knee. I was helping him to his bedroom when he tripped and we both fell and then the frame broke—”

“Stop with the stories,” he interrupted. “Your mother has been trying to convince me that you’ve grown up. I’ve been in California for less than an hour and I can already see that nothing has changed. I’m very disappointed.”

Jill lifted her chin. “I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said, but the truth was, she’d heard it all before. She’d always been one big disappointment to her father. Never mind that she’d never once been caught in a compromising position before. It’s just the way it was. Jill was only thankful that her younger sister, Laura, hadn’t joined them. Jill loved her sister, but the pressure her parents put on Jill to be like Laura was too much. She loved her family, but all three of them had a way of making her feel small and unworthy. It had taken her father five minutes to cause all of her insecurities to come rushing forth.

“I canceled more than one important meeting to make this trip,” her father cut into her thoughts. “We wanted to support you and your new baby—”

“Your grandson’s name is Ryan,” she cut in.

“I can see now,” her father went on, “that believing you might have grown into a responsible young lady was only wishful thinking on our parts.”

“I need to go,” Jill said right before she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she said.

“Howiewood,” Lexi shouted when Derrick entered the apartment.

Derrick smiled at Lexi. His limp was no longer noticeable as he entered. He looked about the room and extended his arm toward her father, ready to shake his hand. Her father would have nothing to do with him. Simply put, her father was a snob.

Straightening, Derrick’s arm fell back to his side before he headed for her mother instead. Jill’s mom was as friendly as a two by four, but at least she managed to place a limp hand in Derrick’s palm. Once her mother had her hand back, she pulled a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer from her purse and wiped the germs clean.

Jill had already had enough. Besides, she was going to be late for Ryan’s doctor appointment if she didn’t leave soon. “If I had known you two were coming,” Jill said, “I would have had time to prepare, but as things stand, Derrick and I are on our way to Ryan’s doctor appointment. We need to go.”

“You’re not going to say hello to your sister?”

Jill’s eyes widened as she looked at Sandy.

Sandy nodded. “She’s in the other room, washing up.”

“She’s distraught after seeing you copulate on the floor with that man,” her father said.

“He has a name,” Jill said.

“Howiewood,” her father said as he smiled at Lexi. “Isn’t that right?”

Lexi nodded, happy to oblige.

“Copulate?” Derrick repeated. He looked at Jill. “Is he serious?”

Jill answered the question with a tight nod and even tighter smile.

“How could you?” Jill’s mother asked.

“We were not having sex,” Jill said, exasperated.

“You told me you were dating a football player,” her mother said, “but I had no idea you had taken it to the next level. It’s no wonder Laura is bawling her eyes out in the other room.”

“I wasn’t crying,” Laura said as she joined them. She looked at Derrick and her mouth dropped open. “Is this the guy you were banging over there?”

Jill couldn’t believe her ears…or her eyes. If Mom hadn’t just told her that Laura was here, she would never have guessed that the twenty-six year old woman standing before her was her younger sister, Laura. She hadn’t seen Laura in nearly a year, but that didn’t explain the transformation. Her sister used to wear pencil skirts and cashmere sweaters with tiny pearl buttons. Today she was dressed in all black, the fabric hugging her body like a second skin. The girl standing in front of her looked more like Lady Gaga than Laura. “Are those leather pants you have on?”

Laura smiled brightly. “Aren’t they great?”

Jill didn’t know what to say. She was confused and she needed to go. “I hate to run, but Derrick and I need to take Ryan to the doctor’s. Why don’t you come with us, so we can catch up?”

“I would love to join you.”

Jill looked at Derrick. The poor man looked as if he was afraid to make another move. “Could you grab the stroller and the baby’s bag?”

He did as she asked while Jill took Ryan from Sandy.

“I’ll lock the doors for you and then call you later,” Sandy said.

Jill thanked her before gesturing toward her sister and heading for the door. “Where are you staying?” Jill asked her mother.

“At the Amarano.”

“We have reservations at the Sky House for 7 pm,” her father said. “We will see you there.”

It was
not
a request, Jill realized. It was an order.

~~~

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Derrick told Laura as they headed for the parking lot. “Jill has told me all about you.”

“Liar,” Laura said.

He laughed.

Jill unlocked the door to her Volkswagen Jetta. Derrick took Ryan from her and while he strapped Ryan into the car seat in the back, Jill pulled her sister to the side. “What’s with the new look?”

“I’m just having fun,” Laura said. “For the first time since I was born, I’m doing what I want to do.”

“And what is that exactly?”

“I’m singing in a rock band.”

“You can sing?”

Laura laughed as she nodded. “After dinner tonight, I’ll be heading home. Mom and Dad don’t know it, but I’ll be long gone before they return home.”

“Where are you going?”

“The band and I are traveling around the world.”

Jill didn’t know what to think. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.” Laura clasped Jill’s hand in hers. “I’ve also never been happier. I came to California because I wanted to see you before I left.”

Jill shook her head. “I don’t know what to think.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear horrible things about me from Mom and Dad once they know what I’m up to, but I wanted you to hear it all from me first.”

“I wish we had more time to talk.”

“I do, too, but don’t worry. I’ll call you from the road and email you updates.”

Jill took her sister in her arms and hugged her tight.

“We should have stood up to Dad years ago,” Laura said, her voice growing serious. “We always gave up too easily. Some things,” Laura said, glancing at Derrick, “are worth fighting for.”

“I’m glad you’re happy. You promise to stay in contact?”

“I promise.” They hugged for a long moment before Laura turned back to the car and climbed into the backseat next to Ryan’s carrier.

Derrick was folding the stroller at the back of the car and Jill joined him. He placed a hand on her arm before she could get away. “You ran out of my apartment because of the kiss, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“That kiss threw both of us off guard,” he told her, “but I want you to know that it won’t happen again. If we’re going to be friends, then we need to keep things cordial between us. It was a mistake and I take full responsibility.”

Great. Just great
. “I think that would be best,” she lied. “Let’s keep things
cordial
.” She put out a hand for him to shake. “Deal?”

He shook her hand as if they were good pals. “Deal.”

Jill tried not to show any emotion as she climbed in behind the wheel and turned on the car. She watched quietly as Derrick squeezed his six-foot-two inch, two hundred and twenty pound body into the passenger seat of her Jetta.

He looked ridiculously squished. “You don’t have to come. I have Laura to keep me company.”

“A team of wild horses couldn’t stop me from coming to Ryan’s doctor appointment,” he said, and he must have meant it, because his knees, the good and the bad, were pressed against the glove box and his head was only a quarter of an inch away from hitting the ceiling.

The engine purred as Jill merged onto the main road.

“What’s going on between you two?” Laura asked. “You’re not really dating, are you?”

Jill didn’t say a word.

“You two can’t fool me,” Laura added.

“You’re right,” Derrick said, “we’re not dating.” He looked at Jill. “What was all that talk in your apartment about the two of us dating, anyhow?”

Jill swished a hand through the air as if it was no big deal. “I told Mom we were dating in hopes that my parents wouldn’t come to visit.”

Derrick frowned. “Why would our dating cause your parents to stay at home?”

“Ridiculous, I know,” Jill said, “but the truth is my dad doesn’t like football players.”

“He thinks athletes are worthless creatures,” Laura added with a laugh.

Not too surprisingly, Derrick didn’t laugh with her. The moment Jill was alone with her sister, she planned to ask Laura what she had done with her real sister—the bashful, quiet sister who never wore mascara, let alone false eyelashes.
What the heck was going on here
?

“Let me get this straight,” Derrick said. “You told your parents that we were dating in hopes that they would stay away.”

“Yes,” Jill answered.

“But you plan to straighten them out the next time you see them?”

“No,” Jill said.

Laura laughed again.

“Why not?”

“Because for the first time in my life I don’t care what they think about me.” Jill used the rearview mirror to glance at her sister. “How long are Mom and Dad planning on staying?”

“Two or three nights,” Laura said. “I think Dad has business in San Francisco.” She reached forward and put a hand on Derrick’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Hollywood, a few outings, a dinner or two, and it will all be over before you know it.”

“I’m not worried,” he said, “because there’s no way I’m getting involved in your family problems. No outings or dinners for me.”

Jill tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “If you don’t come to dinner with me and my family tonight, then Ryan and I will not be attending your family barbeque this weekend. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

He frowned. “The idea that you were dating me obviously wasn’t scary enough to keep them away. So what’s the point in keeping up the charade?”

“I think they’re calling Jill’s bluff,” Laura said. “They didn’t believe Jill would stoop that low, so they came to California to see it for themselves.”

As Jill nodded in agreement, a glance his way revealed an unyielding jaw. Derrick was not happy with the fact that as far as her parents were concerned, he was pond scum. Well, that was just too bad. Jill figured if she had to suffer through a dinner or two, then Derrick might as well suffer, too. “You did say you wanted to be a part of Ryan’s life,” Jill said. “Be careful what you wish for.”

“Okay,” he said under his breath. “I’ll do it.”

Laura clapped her hands together, making Jill feel as if she had Lexi in the backseat of her car instead of a grown woman.

Keeping her eyes on the road, it didn’t take long for Jill’s thoughts to meander to the kiss. She could still taste him on her lips. Hoping to take her mind off of the heat sizzling within, she turned on the radio and rolled her eyes when “This Kiss” by Faith Hill belted out from the speakers:

I
don’t want another heartbreak

I don’t need another turn to cry, no

I don’t want to learn the hard way

She shut the radio off.