The Army Doctor's Wedding (6 page)

Chapter Six

With nothing but the clothes on her back and her passport,
Alice felt almost naked in the arrivals hall at Brize Norton military airport.
At the field hospital, it hadn't mattered that she had nothing. Everything was
so primitive there. Back here in England, in the heart of civilization,
everything was different.

She brushed at the dust on her
clothes, self-conscious when she noticed the women in colorful summer dresses
there to welcome home their husbands.

"Everyone else has a bag. I
feel weird with nothing."

"Don't worry," Cameron
said. "We'll make sure you have everything you need when we get to my brother's
place."

She hadn't taken much with her to
Africa. Her important belongings like her bank cards were stashed at the
women's refuge in London where she had volunteered while she was at college. As
soon as she could, she planned to visit her old friend Maeve who ran the
refuge, collect her stuff, and introduce Cameron, if he were interested in
coming.

More of her things remained in
her old bedroom at her parents' house, but she had no intention of going there,
even though she would like her mother to see Sami. It wasn't worth the risk.
Her mother could never keep a secret from her father. If he found out Alice was
trying to adopt a baby, he would interfere.

A tearful woman ran forward and
hugged a soldier they had traveled with. He picked up his little girl and swung
her around, making her giggle. What must it be like to have a real marriage
with a man who loved you and his children? Alice couldn't even imagine.

"I'll call my brother and
see where he is." Cameron had his bag in one hand and Sami's carrier in
the other. He put them down on the floor next to a seat so Alice could sit
beside Sami. Then he pressed his mobile phone to his ear, wandering back and
forth, absently rubbing his chin.

"Rad, we've landed," he
said.

A long sigh of relief whispered between
Alice's lips. She gently rubbed her sleeping baby, who was oblivious to the
fact he was now on British soil. She had been so fearful for Sami's safety. If
the authorities in his homeland had taken him from her, he likely wouldn't have
survived.

"My brother will be here in
five. He's just entered the gates." Cameron sat beside her and leaned over
to peer at Sami. "Is the little guy okay?"

"Still asleep." She
held aside the edge of the bag to give Cameron a view of Sami.

"How about you?"
Cameron raised a hand and stroked some loose strands of hair back from her
face.

Her pulse leaped. Every time he
touched her she couldn't think straight. A strange woolly sensation filled her
head, and she went all tingly. Part of her longed for his touch, yet another part
of her wished he would keep his distance and stop confusing her. This wasn't
real. Their supposed relationship was all pretense. Yet she had difficulty
remembering that when he appeared to be so caring.

"Ah, there's Radley."
Cameron jumped up and strode towards a man in army uniform. They embraced, both
laughing and thumping each other on the back.

"Glad to see you home in one
piece," Radley said, throwing an arm around Cameron's shoulders. The
likeness between the two men was amazing. Radley was an inch or two taller than
Cameron, with the same dark hair, brown eyes, and easy smile.

Alice rose as they approached, a
tentative smile on her lips.

"You must be Alice."
Radley extended a hand and shook hers firmly. "Nice to meet you." His
gaze flicked to her arm before returning to her face. "I gather you had a
close shave with the rebel forces. I bet you're pleased to be home."

Alice nodded. "Thank you for
picking us up."

"No problem." Radley
smacked the back of Cameron's head playfully. "Had to pick up the little
brother anyway."

Sami chose that moment to wake
and let out a thin wail of hunger. Radley bent over the bag, his expression
softening. "This must be the baby you want Fabian to see." He moved
the cover away from Sami's mouth so he could see his lip. "Any fissure in
the soft palate?"

"No, just the lip,"
Cameron answered.

"In that case, Fabian should
be able to operate immediately. Probably the sooner the better."

Alice's heart skipped a beat. She
gripped Sami's tiny hand, relief mingled with nerves that her baby was to have
an operation.

Radley must have noticed her
expression because he smiled reassuringly. "Nothing to worry about.
Lieutenant Colonel Fabian is one of the best plastic surgeons in the
world."

Cameron moved to her side, put an
arm around her, and angled his head close. "It's a routine procedure. All
Sami will have is a tiny scar."

Alice leaned the side of her head
on his shoulder, instinctively accepting the comfort he offered. She might have
only known him for a few weeks, but it seemed like longer. Being thrown
together in such extreme circumstances had brought them close.

He had been wonderful,
supportive, and helpful. It would be great to stay with him, to have someone on
her side, someone who would put himself out to help her.

Radley's amused chuckle drew her
gaze. "Olivia was fretting over the sleeping arrangements, worrying if we
had enough bedrooms what with Mum and Dad coming for the weekend as well. Looks
like you two will be happy to share a room."

Alice tensed, heat streaking through
her body and bursting in her cheeks. Cameron would have to tell his brother
that they weren't really a couple, yet she had been enjoying the pretense.

Cameron's arm tightened around
her shoulders. "That's fine," he said. "Of course we'll share. I
guess you'll find out soon enough, so I might as well tell you now—Alice is my
wife."

***

Alice sat in the back of Radley's large black 4x4 beside
Sami, who was strapped in a luxury baby seat that belonged to Radley's baby
daughter.

Her thoughts churned, her emotions
swinging all over the place. Cameron had told his brother they were married,
but he hadn't explained their temporary arrangement. Now Cameron's family would
believe the marriage was the real thing.

Why had he lied? Did he worry his
parents wouldn't accept her and Sami if they knew the truth? Was it possible he
really had feelings for her?

No, that was just wishful
thinking.

Alice rubbed her temples. Too
many wild thoughts swirled in her head. She didn't know if she was pleased or
upset. Now they would have to maintain the pretense in front of people who knew
Cameron, and could tell when he lied. All she'd wanted was help to bring her
baby boy here. Everything seemed to be getting out of hand.

Her eyelids fell and she yawned,
suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue after the long day of traveling. In the
front, Cameron and Radley discussed the progress of the conflict in Africa. The
pleasant timbre of their deep masculine voices washed over her and she dozed.

"Nearly there," Cameron
said after a while.

She opened her eyes to see him
looking back at her between the seats. "You can have a nap when we get to
Radley's, if you like. I'll look after Sami."

"I'll see how I feel."
Alice smiled and Cameron reached back and squeezed her knee. He had helped her
with Sami, but it was the first time he had offered to look after him. She was
pleased but uncertain as well. They needed to discuss this fake marriage and
lay the ground rules so she knew what to expect.

The car glided along a narrow
country road with bushy hedges on either side and colorful wildflowers
scattered among the green grass. Radley turned the car between two stone
pillars and the tires crunched up a gravel drive between borders of shrubs and
flowers before swinging around to park in front of a large country house.

"Home," Radley said, a
smile in his voice. He jumped out and strode towards the front door. A tall,
elegant woman with long dark hair stepped out carrying a baby girl. He enclosed
them in his arms and kissed the woman and baby, then they exchanged a few words
and both looked at the car.

Alice dropped her gaze,
embarrassed to be caught watching them so closely. Radley seemed to be much
like Cameron—a kind man, one who cared about his family.

The car door opened, and Cameron
unclipped Sami from the baby seat and lifted him out. Alice climbed out too and
stretched as Cameron stopped beside her. "I expect you'd like to carry the
little guy in." He passed the sleepy baby across, careful to make sure she
had a secure hold on him with her good arm before letting go. "I'll get
the bags."

Before he could move to the
trunk, a little boy dashed out of the front door. "Uncle Cam, Uncle
Cam."

Cameron whooped, picked up the
child, and swung him around, a grin on his face. "How's my favorite
boy?"

"All right. Have you brought
me a present?"

"That's not very polite,
George." Radley's wife frowned and strode over to them with an embarrassed
shake of her head. "Presents tomorrow, young man." She leaned in and
kissed Cameron's cheek while he hugged her son.

"Hi, Livi. This rascal
keeping you on your toes?"

She rolled her eyes but it was
plain she adored her little boy.

Cameron kissed the soft dark
curls on top of the baby girl's hair and tweaked her pink hair clip.
"How's my pretty little niece?"

"Emma's fine, aren't you,
sweetie." Olivia hefted the girl higher to see Cameron, but she buried her
face in her mother's neck. "Just a little shy, as you can see."

Cameron stepped over to Alice,
George hanging on his hand. "Olivia, this is Alice, my wife."

Olivia's eyes opened like
saucers, and she choked on her greeting. She pressed a hand over her mouth, her
startled gaze fixed on Alice. "I had no idea you were married."

After a few awkward seconds she
seemed to recover. A genuine smile of pleasure replaced the shock. She leaned
in and kissed Alice's cheek. "Wow. It's lovely to meet the woman who has
finally made Cameron commit. I didn't think it would ever happen."

Olivia beamed at her as though
she had won the lottery. A flush swept over Alice. She hated deceiving
Cameron's relatives.

Alice pushed aside her guilt and
composed herself. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for putting me up. I
really appreciate it."

Tall and elegant in tailored
cream pants and a floral blouse, her long hair thick and shiny, Olivia was
slightly intimidating. She looked like a model. In comparison, Alice resembled
something the cat had dragged in and left on the mat.

Olivia angled her head to see
Sami's face. "This little man is obviously the baby you rescued. He's very
young to have flown so far. How'd he handle the trip?"

"No problem at all. Although
I think he's ready for a bottle. He woke up at the airport, but the car ride
sent him to sleep again."

Olivia glanced over her shoulder
to where Radley had joined in the roughhousing with Cameron and George.
"Remember, George is only five," she said to the men.

"I'm six tomorrow,
Mummy," the boy shouted.

"Nearly grown up then."
Cameron tossed the squealing boy in the air and caught him.

"Come on," Olivia said,
grabbing the baby bag from the trunk. "Let's leave the boys to play."

The two women walked side by side
towards the house, both cuddling their babies. Alice followed Olivia through
the front door. A vase of lilies sat on a hall table and their fragrance filled
the room.

A wide staircase rose in the
center of the hall. Olivia started up it. "Radley mentioned that you want
to adopt Sami in the UK. I'm a lawyer and have worked on similar cases. It's
actually against the law to bring a foreign child into the UK for adoption if
you haven't been approved by an adoption agency, but I think Cameron's father
has already smoothed that out." She glanced back with a conspiratorial
smile. "It's useful having a father-in-law who works for the MOD. He has
the ear of some very important people. All we need to do is get you an
appointment with an adoption agency so you and Cameron can be approved to
adopt. Until then, you should be able to foster Sami."

Olivia made the adoption process
sound easy. Alice hoped it would be. If anyone tried to take Sami away from her
she wasn't sure what she'd do, but she wouldn't give her baby up.

"Here you are." Olivia
pushed open a door on the landing and led the way into a large, airy bedroom
overlooking the back garden.

Alice's gaze settled on the
king-size bed and she swallowed. She would share that with Cameron. A shivery
feeling swept through her and she turned away, trying to focus on anything
except the bed.

A lacy bassinet rested on a stand
in the corner with a baby changing table underneath the window. This was a
dream come true.

"This is lovely. Thank you
so much for everything. I don't have much for Sami, so the baby things are a
godsend." Alice laid Sami on the bed, her shoulder aching from all the
carrying.

"Radley warned me you
wouldn't have much with you." Olivia pulled out some drawers on the
changing unit to reveal baby clothes. "These are newborn size so they
should fit him. Emma is nine months now. We grew out of them awhile ago, didn't
we, my big girl." She kissed her daughter's forehead, then turned and indicated
some women's clothes folded on the chair. "I hope these will tide you over
until you have a chance to pick up your own things."

Tears pricked Alice's eyes.
Cameron's relatives were so kind. She didn't deserve it.

***

Cameron passed the ball to George, taking care not to kick
too hard. His son ran after it and knocked it on to Radley. This was almost
like old times—he and Radley knocking a ball around together in the back
garden. Only time had marched on and things had changed so much he barely
remembered the carefree boy he had been back then.