Maybe This Time (The Educators Book 3) (7 page)

Steph had to play this right. “Yeah, it’s a bummer. I’m in jail indefinitely.”

“You like the Teach, though. You sure you’re not digging the time you spend with her after school?”

“You kidding? I hate it. I got a kitten, so I’d rather be home with her.” She pulled out her cell phone and showed the picture of Violet.

Sometimes these three could be so girly. They ohhed and ahhed over the cat. Then they traded stories about what they did last night and dissed the kids that were passing until the warning bell rang. Before they all left for class, Schmooze focused on the real reason for this meeting. “I got another plan for Tom Tom.”

Stephanie stiffened. This wasn’t going to be good. Mitz asked, “What is it?”

From inside her purse, Schmooze pulled out rolled up papers secured them with rubber bands. She handed one each to them. “Read ‘em and weep, ladies, and don’t let anybody else see what’s in there.”

The bell rang and they headed out in different directions. Stephanie didn’t look at the papers until third period when she asked for a pass to the lav and locked herself inside a stall. Unrolling the sheets, she finally took a peek at them.

Oh my God! 

They were downloaded from a website. At the top, the first read, “How to Build a Pipe Bomb.”

Chapter 6

Delaney cuddled into Gage’s bed, absorbing the scent of him in the pillows and on the soft brown sheets. She’d had an awful day. After school, she and ten kids decorated her room but when she took a bite of the pizza she ordered for them, she felt sick again, had rushed to the faculty bathroom and thrown up. As she had that morning, she was better afterward, but when she brought Stephanie home, she’d gotten weak and dizzy so Steph insisted she lie down—in her dad’s room. Delaney was probably contaminating the bed, but she’d been too tired to resist.

She’d dozed on and off, hearing Stephanie downstairs now and again. Then she must have slept soundly because the next time she woke up, it was to a knock on the door. Rolling over, she saw Gage enter the room. He was wearing a dark suit and white shirt. “Hey, I came to check on you. You all right?”

“Yes, I got so tired all of a sudden. Steph insisted I lie down in here.”

He closed the door, approached the bed and sat down next to her. A day’s growth of beard stubbled his face. Reaching out he ran his hand down her cheek. “As much as I’ve wanted to get you back in my bed, this isn’t the way I’d choose to do it.”

“Back at ya.” She laughed, but lay there staring up at him. “Steph was by herself, Gage, but I knew she wouldn’t leave because I didn’t feel well.”

“I agree. Right now, I’m more worried about you. Do you think you have the flu?”

“You know, I don’t. I was ill this morning, and at school, but I feel fine now. I was just so tired.”

Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. “You work too hard. And now you have this extra responsibility of Steph.”

“I don’t see her that way.”

“I love that about you. Admire it, really.”

She glanced around. “I like your room.”

It was dramatic with high ceilings, two skylights, built-in teak furniture—the bed as well as the dressers and wall unit for a TV and stereo. Because her defenses were down, she grabbed his hand. “Do a lot of entertaining in here, Mr. Grayson?”

“Not enough, and certainly not lately. Problem is there’s this woman who’s driving me crazy because I can’t have her. I don’t want anybody else in this room.”

Another knock on the door. Steph opened it and stepped inside. For a minute, she frowned at Gage’s intimate position on the bed. Had she seen him hold her hand? He stood and said, “Just testing for a fever. She doesn’t have one.”

“Oh.”

“I feel better, too.”

Flinging back the light throw, she slid off the bed. The world tilted and she grabbed onto Gage. He held her tight. “Oh, wow,” she said regaining her balance.

Gage shook his head. “You aren’t better.”

She put her hand on her stomach. “I am. Except for that dizziness.”

“Do you want to rest more?” Steph sounded concerned.

“No thanks. I’ll go home now.”

“You’re not driving anywhere. Let’s go downstairs and make sure you’re all right. Stay a bit longer. If you’re not all better in an hour or so, Steph and I will drive you home.”

Not used to taking orders from anyone, Delaney nonetheless didn’t argue, mainly because he was right.

Gage followed behind the two women downstairs, worried as hell about Delaney. He hated the thought of her being sick, at home alone when she didn’t feel well. But he couldn’t do much about it, given the fucking circumstances. The past week, seeing so much of her had made him resent the hell out of the situation. And he’d meant what he said. He couldn’t date anyone else.

A Scrabble board was already set up in the great room. Steph crossed to it and dropped to the floor. “Want to finish our game?”

“Sure.” Delaney shot him a sideways glance. “Maybe your dad will join us.”

“I haven’t played in years.”

“Come on, Dad. We used to play board games all the time when I was little. I bet I can beat you at some now.”

Taking off his tie and suit coat, he settled around the low tile topped table. Two hours later, Delaney was beating the pants off both of them. She checked her watch. “It’s eight already and you haven’t eaten. I need to go.”

“Stay for dinner,” Steph pleaded. “Mrs. Johnson left chicken and potato salad.”

“No, I’m not going to tempt the fates by eating tonight. I’ll head out.”

At the doorway, Steph said goodbye, then, “I’m going to go watch the Real Housewives of Denver upstairs, okay, Dad? I had pizza at school.”

He’d given her back the remote. “All right. I’ll walk your teacher out.”

The night was cool but he felt warm. Must be Delaney’s proximity as he accompanied her to her car. He smiled when he saw her little Mazda. “I used to have a sports car, too.”

Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she crossed her arms over her chest. “You know what, Gage? You used to have a better life.”

“Excuse me?”

“At one time, you had a job you liked, a daughter you saw more and played games with, and a car that was fun. How did it happen that you lost all that?”

The reality of her words hit him like a blow to the face. “I don’t know, Delaney. Sometimes life just happens.” Bending down he opened the door and before she got in, she looked up at him with those dark eyes. Stephanie’s room was in the back and they were in the driveway, so he tugged Delaney closer. They stared at each other in the intimate cover of night.

Then she stepped back. “Damn it.”

“Yeah, damn it.”

She slid inside the car. Before he closed the door, he said, “Drive carefully.”

Watching her take off, he thought about her words—his life
had
been different years ago. But he liked what he had now better, didn’t he?

Damn, the woman confused him and aroused the hell out of him. He’d wanted to climb right into that bed with her tonight. But he had responsibilities that precluded a relationship with Delaney Dawson. And there didn’t seem to be anything that could change that. Depressed, he went inside his condo.

o0o

After the third morning that Delaney woke up and wretched violently—then felt fine all day except for a spate or two of dizziness--she had to admit some truths to herself.

So two hours before school, she sat in her car outside the all night drugstore and thought about the night she’d spent with Gage. He’d had two condoms in his wallet and she’d kept one in her overnight bag. They’d made love using them three times, but they’d had one encounter—in the shower, where he’d taken her against the wall as the water beat down on them. She remembered the sensation of the hot spray prickling her skin as he drove into her. Emptied himself into her. With no protection. Ergo: she could be pregnant. And she could find out right now because that wonderful night in Atlanta had happened three weeks ago. Her period wasn’t due for another week, so it hadn’t been a dangerous time.

Tell that to Catholic mothers around the world.

She took in a deep breath. Forced herself to go inside the store. Bought the kit and drove straight home. Once there, she strode to the bathroom and peed on a stick. A few minutes later the results came in.

And as elated as she was to have gotten the one dream, other than to be a teacher, that she’d had all her life, the feeling was tainted by how this would affect Stephanie and her relationship with Delaney and her dad.

o0o

Late Thursday, Jill Jorgenson entered Gage’s office. Usually, the tall, striking associate was meticulous with her clothes and makeup, but she seemed fragile and pale today. “Hey, Jill. You all right? You look a little peaked.”

Her smile was thousand-watt. “With good reason.” She put her hand on her stomach. “Got a baby coming.”

The thrill on her face made Gage smile. “Congratulations. I’m assuming you’re happy.”

“We’ve been trying to conceive for years. I should be more circumspect around here, but I know everything will work out. This little one is my priority.”

He remembered feeling the same way about Steph when Andrea told him she was pregnant. What followed had been a rough patch because she had to go off her medicine, but the initial discovery had been exhilarating.

Jill took a chair at the conference table where he already sat. “Just so you know, though, I may have to run out of here quick. I’ve been barfing at the drop of a hat.” She laughed. “Or I fall asleep at the worst possible times.”

The world froze.

Gage saw Delaney pale and wan in his bed.

He heard Steph say her teacher had thrown up twice at school and she was dizzy that night at his house.

Oh my God!

The day dragged and he left work as soon as Steph called to say they were home, at his condo. Though he knew he couldn’t confront Delaney right away, he simply had to see her.

Her Mazda wasn’t in the driveway. Could they have gone somewhere? No, when he got inside, he heard noise upstairs in Stephanie’s room. Trying to calm his racing heart, he climbed the steps, walked down the hall and found…Jesus Christ! Stephanie and Andrea were sitting on the bed. When she pivoted around, his ex-wife smiled. “Hello, darling. I’m back.”

o0o

Insecurity haunted Delaney as she stretched out on her couch in the living room. She’d come back here when the beautiful Andrea, who was even more gorgeous and sophisticated than Brie Corelli, told Delaney she could leave. In reality, the woman had dismissed her like she was a babysitter. Delaney could understand why. She’d borrowed biking shorts and a Black Eyed Peas T-shirt from Stephanie and they’d gone for a long walk around the neighborhood. She’d scrubbed all her makeup off and pulled her hair up in a ponytail so she probably seemed closer to Steph’s age than Gage’s. Minutes after they returned to the house, the doorbell had rung.

Andrea had embraced Stephanie and seemed genuinely glad to see her. Steph was reserved, though. But when Andrea insisted Delaney leave so mother and daughter could have some time together, Delaney lit out of there fast. Trying to erase the way Gage’s ex had looked down at her, she’d come home, combed her hair out so it hung in soft waves down her back and dressed in plain jeans and an over-sized white top.

The doorbell rang sometime later. That didn’t happen often. Her dearth of friends was obvious again. She wanted somebody to share the baby news with. And when she had this child, she’d need people in her life. Well, she’d have to get them. Rising from the hammock, she crossed the room, opened the front door.

And there he stood. The father of her child. He’d taken his tie off, but was still in a navy blue pinstripe suit and white shirt he must have worn to work. His eyes sparked green with emotion. Alarm shot through her. “Is it Stephanie?”

“No, but we need to talk about her later.” He stepped inside without being invited and didn’t sit. He ran his hand through his hair and mussed it beautifully. Delaney’s whole body tingled at the sight of him. Finally, he stopped pacing and faced her. “Are you pregnant?”

It was the last thing she expected. Her hand went to her stomach and she stood stock still.

“I think you are. The unexplained nausea. Dizziness. And the nap you took at my house that day. If you are, it’s got to be mine. You haven’t slept with anyone since we came back. I know it in my bones.”

“No.”

“No, you’re not pregnant or no, you haven’t slept with another man?”

With a momentous leap of faith, she said, “I haven’t slept with another man.”

“Oh, my God. Oh, Delaney.”

“I found out Monday. I didn’t even know if I was going to tell you. But I’m having this child, Gage.”

He frowned. “Of course you are.”

The tightness in her throat loosened. She hadn’t known how he’d react if she told him.
Thank you Lord for that one.

“I don’t expect you to marry me or anything,” she rushed on to say. “I don’t expect you to be her father. But…”

She fell silent as he approached her and drew her gently in his arms, cuddling her close to his heart. Her eyes closed, she sighed at his familiar scent and the rapid beat of his heart beneath her ear. They stayed that way, savoring the moment, his hand lightly stroking her hair, for a long time.

When they pulled apart, he focused on her intently. “I’m so pleased, Delaney. I can’t express how much.”

“Why?”

He looked confused. “Because new life is a miracle.”

“Actually, no. It’s biological, a sperm and egg.”

“Don’t minimize this. Having a child is beautiful and wonderful and I do very much want to be his or her—I don’t care which--father.”

The expression on his face was profound and delight replaced all the insecurity she felt earlier. “I am, too. I’ve always wanted a baby. I can’t tell you how much.”

He grinned.

After a few moments, she sobered. “This is going to cause a lot of problems, though, Gage.”

“At work?”

“Maybe. They could probably fire me on a morals charge. But I was referring to Steph. I’m afraid she’ll think I showed an interest in her because of you.”