Phoenix's Heart (16 page)

“Why is my father here?” s
he said in a higher voice.

He smiled
down at her. “Darling, he knows about you being pregnant, and he wanted to talk to us.”

Now she felt
the color drain from her face. “I didn’t want to tell him yet.”

“Darling you aren’t going to have a normal pregnancy, there isn't a lot of time to wait.”

Jennifer knew this, and understood why they need to talk to him. She hoped he didn't bring his new young wife. Brittney was Jennifer's best friend growing up, and they were always together. It was always Megan, Brittney and Jennifer, until they all turned twenty-three. That was when Jennifer walked in on Brittney and her father together. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She also weighed like ninety pounds soaking wet.

“Darling, did you hear anything tha
t I was just saying?” She shook her head. “I have a famous chef cooking for us tonight. And I told him to make you something special.”

She smiled
at her sexy incubus. “You are too good to me.”

He winked
. “Are you complaining?”

Jennifer shook her head and grinned
. “Hell no, I love it,” she said as she walked away, but she didn't miss his laughter. The door opened before Jennifer could do it, she saw Mark.

“Hello Ms. Cruz, and Mr. DuPont. Welcome home
. Your guests are waiting in the living room.”

Jennifer sighed and walked past Mark. S
he wasn’t looking forward to seeing her father. He always told her that she was disappointing him in some way. Now she was unmarried and pregnant.

She felt
a warm hand take hers. “I am here, and I will stand next to you no matter what.”

He lead
her through was house, into a part of the house she had never seen. This part of his house was done in warm dark reds and browns. When they walked into a large open room, she saw her father and Brittney making out. Jennifer wanted to scream, but squeezed Phoenix's hand instead.

“Mr. Cruz?” Phoenix
said, and her father slowly moved away from her former best friend.

The first thing
he did was narrow his eyes on her stomach, which felt like it was growing by the minute. “Jennifer how could you?” He shook his head.

Brittney giggled
. “Oh honey, at lease she picked a rich man.” She put her arms up and spun in a circle to show Jennifer the surrounding room.

Jennifer looked
back at her father, and he glared at her. “I have enough money, she didn't need to spread her legs for some rich man.” Jennifer's mouth dropped open, and Phoenix squeezed her hand.

“Dad!”

She saw Phoenix shaking his head, so she shut her mouth and let him handle it. “Scott, that is no way for you to talk about your daughter, as I can see you have no room to talk.” Jennifer turned to look at Phoenix, he smiled down at her. He looked up to where she knew Brittney was standing. “How old are you, Jennifer's age?”

Jennifer looked at Brittney, and she flipped
her super long blonde hair behind her shoulder. “Yeah, we grew up together. I always thought she had a hot dad.”

Jennifer didn’t know if it was
what she said or because she was pregnant, but she wanted to throw up.

“D
arling, are you okay?” He took her face into his hands, and as she stared into his eyes. She nodded. “Brittney, right?” He let go of her face, and turned his attention back to Brittney and her father.

“Yeah,” s
he said in her high voice.

“Scott, you are the one who needs to be ashamed. Your daughter
is the most amazing woman I have ever met. And she will be the best damn mother.” Jennifer looked at the ground and smiled.

“Then you should marry her, if you care so
much about her.” Jennifer looked back at Phoenix, and she prayed he didn’t mention he asked her.

“Sir, I
didn’t want to marry her just because she was having my babies. I want to be madly in love with her.” He said the last part as he was staring into her eyes.

“Love doesn't mean anything. She needs a husband on her arm or people will think she is a tramp.”

Jennifer watched Phoenix's face transform. He looked like he wanted to kill her father. “You need to get out now, I will not have you calling Jennifer any kind of names in my house.” No one has ever told her father what to do, and Phoenix just did. She took a chance and looked at her father, his mouth was hanging open.

He quickly shut it, and ran
his fingers through his hair. “No one has ever stood up for Jenny like that, and I can tell you care about her.” He took a breath then looked at Jennifer. “Jenny I am sorry. It’s just I don’t ever want you to be a single mother.”

“I do care about Jennifer more than any other woman in my life and I will do everything to make sure she doesn't end up as a s
ingle mother.” Jennifer felt him taking more of her heart.

“Good that is what matters,” h
er father said.

Someone cleared their throat and Jennifer looked
over her shoulder. Mark was standing there. “The chef is ready for you.”

“Thank you Mark,
” Phoenix said, and then looked back at her dad. “Are you going to stay?”

Jennifer looked
back at her dad, and he smiled. “If you will still have us.”

Phoenix squeezed
her hand. “That is up to your daughter.” She looked up at him, he grinned down at her and she nodded. He was still her father, even if she didn't like his new wife.

Phoenix lead
them into his beautiful dining room. He had a large chandelier, and it sparkled a little too much which made her think it wasn’t crystals. There was a huge table that fit twenty people sitting in the middle of the room. She looked down at the floor and it was the same marble from his office with the same gold specks.

“Oh
my god, this room is beautiful,” Brittney said, and for once in a long time Jennifer agreed.

“Thank you.” He pulled Jennifer to a chair, and pulled
it out for her. “There you go angel.” She sat down and he pushed her chair in, kissing the top of her head.

Phoenix sat next to her, and took
her hand back under the table. Her dad and Brittney sat across from them. A man with a white chef’s hat walked out carrying some food, and there were three other people behind him with food. The chef walked to Jennifer and smiled.

“Jennifer?” h
e said with an accent, and she nodded. He sat a plate in front of her with pizza and a lot of pepperoni on it. She burst out laughing, this was the best thing ever. “Phoenix told me you had a craving for this, so I made my family's secret recipe. It came from Italy.” He slightly bowed. “Please take a bite, and tell me what you think.”

Jennifer nodded, and lifted
a piece to her mouth. As soon as she took a bite she moaned. There was so much favor in that one bite she thought her mouth would explode. She swallowed and jumped up to hug the chef. “Thank you so much this is amazing.” She could tell that she took him by surprise, and she smiled at him. “You are a freaking cooking rock star!”

He smiled
and took her hand; he kissed her knuckles. “I am so very happy you liked it. I shall make more for you whenever you want.” He winked at her, and she felt Phoenix's heated gaze on her back. She smiled then turned around to walk back to her seat.

After dinner
, Jennifer and Phoenix walked her dad and Brittney to the door. Dinner was better than she thought it would be. Her dad said he couldn't wait to be a grandfather, and Brittney said she would never be a grandmother. Which was fine with her, her babies would have Cameo as their grandmother.

“Jenny, I want you to be happy.” Her father
leaned in and kissed her cheek.

She smiled
at her dad, and Brittney pushed him out-of-the-way. She kissed both or Jennifer's cheeks. “You are looking so fat!”

“Brittney, why don't I walk you
out and show you my newest SUV,” Phoenix said and winked at Jennifer.

“I would love to!” Brittney
said, and then jumped up and down.

Jennifer did
n’t say anything until the front door shut. “Dad, I want to know about Christina.”

Th
ey hadn’t really talked about her real mother, and Cameo only knew a little. “What do you want to know?”

“Was she an angel?” His eyes widen
ed in surprise.

He dropped
his head down. “Yes, she fell for me and I let her die.”

Jennifer took
a deep breath, and got enough courage to ask her next question. “How did she die?”

He looked
away, she kind of knew what happened. She had read the old newspapers, but she wanted to hear it from him. She didn't think he was going to answer her, it was at least three minutes before he looked at her.

“There was a man that came into our house, he beat and burned your mother. He killed her by cutting of
f her head, and leaving her dismembered body for me to find. You were upstairs in your crib when all of this happened.” He paused and she saw tears in his eyes that matched her own. “Jennifer, I wish like hell I was there, maybe if I didn't work so many hours I would have saved her.”

Her tears fell as she shook
her head. “No Dad, I would have probably lost both of you.”

He hugged her tightly to him and she did
the same. “You know I am really happy that you and Cameo have stayed close. She was one of your mother’s best friends.” She moved back a little to look at him. She never knew that, she never knew that Cameo knew her mother.

“I didn’t know Cameo and Christi
na knew each other.” She wondered why Cameo would keep this from her. She was the only mother Jennifer had really known, and thought she knew everything about her.

“Jennifer
, don’t be mad at Cameo. She loves you and didn’t tell you because I told her not to.”

She shook
her head. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I thought it was what was best for you, but I can see now that it wasn't. Just don’t be mad at her, she has wanted to tell you for years.” Jennifer
knew her mother and father still talked once in a while.

“Fine
. I won't be mad at her, but I can't say the same for you.” She looked away from him. Her father was always kept things from her, and then she had to dig. Like when he started seeing Brittney, he kept it from her until he married her.

“I can deal with
that, but I love you.” He walked to the door, but paused, “And you will always be my little girl.”

Jennifer sighed, and rushed to stop her dad. She put
her hand on his shoulder. “I love you too, Dad.” He turned his head to the side and she saw his smile.

“Good bye
, sweetie,” he said, and walked away.

Chapter Twelve

Jennifer waited for Phoenix to walk back in. He smiled at her when he did. When he smiled at her like that, she thought he did love her, but didn't know it.

“That wasn't too bad,” h
e said as he dropped to his knees in front of her. He laid his lips against her baby bump. It now looked like a basketball.

“It started out bad
ly, but ended well. And I never thanked you for standing up for me.” She reached down and ran her fingers in his silky wavy hair. “Thank you so much.”

He grinned up at her, and she returned
his beautiful grin. “Oh darling, there is no need to thank me. I won't let anyone talk to you like you are nothing, because you are my something.” He paused, and his smile widened. “You are everything to me now.” He lifted up her shirt, and kissed her belly again. “And you two are everything to me too, just like your momma.”

“Oh Phoenix,” s
he said as she yawned.

He stood up and kissed
her sweetly on the lips. “Let me take you to bed.”

She yawned
again. “I don’t think I am up for anything but sleep.”

Phoenix
wrapped his arms around her waist. “Let’s sleep, I can tell that is what you need.”

She laughed, and laid
her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat for a second. “Okay Phoenix, take me to bed.” He took her hand, and she smiled.

“Yes ma’am.” His voice seemed
to have more of a southern twang to it. They walked up hand and hand to his bedroom. She decided to sleep naked, and he did too. It didn't take long to fall asleep.

***

Phoenix watched Jennifer sleeping on his arm. He had never slept with a woman before, and he loved the feeling of her next to him. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was, and if possible she was more beautiful as she slept. It's crazy to him how her belly seemed to be growing every minute.