Romance Me (Boxed Set) (26 page)

“It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”

“Perhaps, but I still missed my chance, my chance to do the right thing.” He turned and looked at her, his eyes still brimming with unshed tears. “Lisa, you and that man are having a child. Right now he is at his worst, but give him time. He’s mourning the loss of one baby and doesn’t know what to do about the other. He’ll come around.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded.

“I know I told you that I wouldn’t leave no matter what you told me, but I’m not the father. I can’t get in the way of a man and his child. I’ll always be around if you need me, but you need to work things out with the father.”

“No, it’s not like—”

Eric held up his hand. “Trust me, I work these types of cases every day. Men freak out when they first realize they’re going to be a father and then they get their heads on straight. He’ll be back. Don’t worry. No man could ever abandon their child.” He scooped his coat off the back of the recliner and turned toward the door. “It’s time for me to leave. This baby isn’t mine and I don’t deserve another chance.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Hey, Betty. What did you find out?” Eric spoke into the speaker of his Blue-tooth headset as he drove back to his office.

“The man had a rough beginning,” Betty said. “The documents state he was put in foster care because of abandonment. Never really found a home, but ended up fighting his way up the social and economic food chain. He started out in real estate in his hometown, bought some homes near where he grew up, which he sold on loan to friends and neighbors. Based on the article I read, he foreclosed on all of them, putting them out on the street, and sold the land for profit to a septic business. Put quite a few companies in town out of business, too.”

“No one is that evil.” He turned the corner and headed up a side street. “Why would he do something like that?”

“It was his mother’s home town,” Betty said. “Apparently, his mother was a small town woman who, according to his father, trapped him into marriage with a baby. The scandal ruined the man’s reputation. Back then, you didn’t get busted with a baby like that. Based on police records, Mark’s father killed himself when he was only ten. The father left a suicide note, stating that Mark’s mother ruined his life by trapping him into marrying her. Mark ran away from home, and his mother ended up dying of a drug overdose. After that, he bounced from one foster home to another for the rest of his youth.”

“Geesh, that man has to have issues.” Eric rolled into the parking lot outside his office and killed the engine.

Betty cleared her throat. “Listen, there’s some other stuff I ran across in his background check, which isn’t business related.”

“What’s that?” Eric wrapped his fingers around the leather handle of his briefcase and opened his car door.

“Well, I stumbled upon a few custody suits. He’s been accused on a number of occasions of getting women pregnant then leaving them, though most of the women recanted their statements later on. Some appeared to have gotten a lump sum of money while others just disappeared. None of them had children, though. Not that I found.”

A sting shot over Eric’s flesh. He slammed the car door and marched to his office. “What do you mean,
disappeared
?”

“I’m not sure. It doesn’t look like foul play or anything like that. There were no missing person reports or charges filed. Their credit history and job history just ended. I’m thinking they relocated, took on an alias, probably with the help of Mr. Brenson.”

“I see. So, the man bullies the girls into either giving the baby up or having an abortion then relocates them away from his prestigious life.” Eric entered the office, passed Connie without a word and tossed his briefcase on his desk. “Thanks, Betty. I appreciate your efforts.”

“I don’t mind at all. I still owed you for the promotion you put me in for before you left. But don’t you have a law practice in your home town?” Betty asked.

“Yes, but it’s a small town. I didn’t want word getting out about this guy. Thanks again, and as for the promotion, you don’t owe me. You earned it. Take care,” Eric said before ending the call and placing the phone on top of his briefcase.

“Sir, everything okay?” Connie asked, remaining in the doorway, her laptop in hand.

“Yes.” Eric raked his hand through his hair.
Don’t do it. This isn’t your business.

“Sir?” Connie stepped into the room. “You look like you just found out your mother’s in the hospital.”

“Not my mother, but someone I know.” Visions of Lisa lying in that bed while that man paced outside her room, urging her to end her baby’s life, shredded his resolve. “Can you pull up every previous case in the last ten years regarding child custody prior to birth?”

She nodded and retreated to her desk.

Eric knew the law, but he’d hoped to find some sort of loop hole. If this man didn’t want the baby, perhaps Eric could find something to dangle in front of him.

He rolled up his sleeves and sat down just as his phone buzzed. “Hey, Mom. How’s Lisa? Everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s you I’m worried about.”

“Don’t be. Listen, I have to go. I’ve got a lot of work to do.” Eric held the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he retrieved his laptop from his briefcase.

“You do?”

“Yes. I know Lisa’s not my client, but I’m doing a little research.”

“I knew you couldn’t turn your back on her,” his mother said with an air of pride in her voice.

“Yes, well, you were right. I couldn’t save my child, but maybe I can save Lisa’s.” Eric cleared his throat, not wanting to talk anymore on the subject.

“You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do?” she asked.

“Of course, but for now, keep an eye on Lisa. I’m better off helping her from my desk than the hospital room, but you can’t tell her anything. I don’t want to get her hopes up.”

“Understood. Good luck, son.” His mother ended the call and he set his phone on the desk.

“I’ve got my laptop running a search. You need anything else?” Connie asked.

“No, but I hope you don’t mind working some over time. I’ll pay you, of course.” He opened his laptop and switched it on.

“Not necessary. My cousin Cathy told me about this SOB. I’ll work pro bono, too.”

“Does everyone know?” Eric asked.

“Pretty much. The entire town’s pulling for you to save the day.” She winked.

“I’m not her knight in shining armor, you know. At most, I’m riding a broken down horse cross-country in a snow storm. You know this is a worthless search as much as I do.”

“Yet, I know you’ll figure something out. You’re a big shot corporate attorney from New York City. If nothing else, you’re used to bluffing and getting things done.”

“Bluffing?” Eric asked, his fingers stopping in the middle of typing in his password.

“Yes.” Connie quirked an eyebrow at him.

Eric shot out of his chair. “You’re a genius. Put some coffee on, we’ve got some paperwork to file.”

Adam was right. Everyone had their price, something for which they were willing to get their hands dirty. That innocent baby and Lisa was his.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lisa woke to the sound of the garbage truck taking away her trash. Too bad it couldn’t take away her pain. She rolled on her side, her cheeks crusted with dried up tears. Glancing at her clock, she turned off the alarm before it could ring. Seven in the morning, only an hour until she had to be at the hospital for the sonogram and blood work.

Night after night, she’d dreamt of holding her little one in her arms, only to discover its lifeless body wrapped in white cloth. A shiver shot through her and she folded into herself. Daytime was no better, filled with the knowledge she’d lost one baby already…and Eric.

Her phone chirped, indicating Judy was trying once again to reach her. The woman had been a gem, bringing her food and watching over her without hovering.

I’ll be there soon
, Judy’s text read.

She hadn’t told Judy about today’s appointment, but it didn’t surprise her. Judy had a way of finding things out.

No need. I’ll come by the antique store after,
Lisa replied.

She had to be strong and figure this out on her own. Just like she’d always done. It was time to stop depending on Judy. She was Eric’s family, not Lisa’s.

Lisa pushed from the bed and dressed slowly, reminding herself that she had to follow the doctor’s instructions to the letter, avoiding stress, getting lots of rest, eating and drinking properly, and taking her vitamins. She’d never been sedentary for so long. It had been torture.

After brushing her teeth, she slid on her tennis shoes, not wanting to risk a fall on the icy sidewalks, and retrieved her coat.

Ding Dong.

Lisa traipsed to the door and peeked through the side window. Judy stood on her front porch, waving back at her. “It’s just me. Open up. It’s cold.”

Lisa swung the door open. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, hon. You didn’t really think I’d let you travel to the hospital on your own, did you?”

Lisa shook her head. “It’s only five miles from here.”

“Doesn’t matter, I want to be there with you. Besides, you’re on bed rest. So, I’ll drive.” Judy about-faced and marched from Lisa’s little rented house, brooking no further discussion.

A bitter chill swept up the front walk. Lisa hesitated, wanting to return to the warmth and safety of her bed. Yes, it had been torture lying still for so long, but anything was better than facing potentially bad news of her baby.

“Come on, now,” Judy called from the car.

Lisa locked the front door and shuffled to the car, avoiding icy patches. As she climbed into the passenger seat, a warm air blowing from the vents and Judy’s Lilac perfume greeted her. A scent she’d grown fond of.

Judy slid the car into gear then guided it down the drive and onto the quaint side street before turning onto Main. A soft tune about love and loss sang from the speaker by Lisa’s leg, an appropriate cadence for her ride to the hospital.

In an attempt to force her racing thoughts toward something positive, she slid her finger up to illuminate the display on her phone and glanced over her email.

“You haven’t heard from him at all?” Judy asked.

Lisa scrolled through the messages. “I wasn’t checking for that. I thought I might have some business to take care of.”

Judy patted Lisa’s hand. “Hon, you know you can’t lie to me.”

Lisa bowed her head. “No, not a word. How did you know?”

“I know you. And besides, the online shop isn’t even active yet, so what business would there be?”

Lisa straightened in her seat. “I meant to tell you about that. It’s just with everything that happened. I mean, I’d never start something without speaking to you first. How did you find out about it?”

“Calm down. I knew you wouldn’t do anything without speaking to me. Cathy mentioned it. She stopped in the other day and asked about it. Of course, it was an excuse to find out how you’re doing. And, of course, she wanted to gossip and speculate about what happened before you arrived here.”

Lisa chuckled. “In her own way, I think she cares.”

“Oh, she cares all right. She’s got a big heart, but she has a mouth to match it. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cathy. She was there for me a long time ago. It’s just, I’ve learned to keep some things to myself. Everyone in the town has a big heart. We’re just all different in how we show it.”

Judy rolled to a stop and lowered her window while guiding the car into the parking garage. The loud buzz from the ticket machine erupted until Judy snatched the gold paper and drove forward, pulling into a space on the second aisle.

Every moment that ticked away, Lisa willed the news to be good. “Judy?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” Lisa mumbled, twisting her purse strap.

“For what, honey?”

“Being here. Everyone always leaves me. But the one person that should turn her back to be with her son is by my side.”

Judy leaned over and wrapped her arms around Lisa. “Oh, hon. I know you worry about being alone, but you don’t have to. I’m going to be here through the entire pregnancy.”

“No.” Lisa leaned back, her heart turning into a solid mass. “If the baby’s okay then I’m leaving. I’ll go back to New York and face the music. I’ll figure out how to deal with Mark, but it’s time for me to stand on my own two feet.” The words she’d practice sounded robotic, even to her, but she had to do this. It wasn’t fair to separate a mother and son because of her issues. “And if the baby’s not okay, well, then…”

“Shh. Enough of this non-sense,” Judy scolded. “Now, first of all, my son would want you to stay, so don’t go leaving because you think it’s better for him. It’s not. I’m his mother and you’re what’s good for him. He just doesn’t know it yet. He’s scared. After losing one woman and baby, he can’t bring himself to face that kind of loss again. Not yet. Yes, he did step aside, thinking Mark should be the one here for you, but if he knew Mark wasn’t here—”

“You can’t tell him that. I won’t have him around because he feels sorry for me.”