Worth the Drive (16 page)

After his round – the lowest of the day, putting him atop the leader board – Katie waited by the ropes until
Darío
made his way to her through the autograph seekers.

He kissed her on both cheeks. “Katie,
it’s great
to see you here. Is Lizzie here, too?”

Katie felt a bit of relief that he thought she was here with Lizzie and hadn’t turned into some crazy fan stalking him. “No. I’m here alone,” she said, watching his reaction.

He looked at her for a moment, then that crooked smile made its way onto his face and Katie couldn’t help but smile back. “
Let’s
have
some
dinner. I have to clean up, will you wait?”

Of course she’d wait. She’d been waiting for this for two weeks,
ever
since the girls had made her realize she had to tell
Darío
about the baby.

After a day in the Memphis sun, s
he’d cleaned herself up as
much
as possible in the clubhouse ladies room that
Darío
had gotten her into, driven her own rental car to the restaurant he’d told her about, had a lovely dinner, and now they sat over coffee – decaf for her – and she still hadn’t gotten the courage up to tell him he was going to be a father.

She’d been enjoying herself too much. It felt wonderful to see him. His tan had deepened in the two and a half months since she’d seen him in Texas. The white on his forehead where his hat perched during rounds was a bit more pronounced. But those eyes. Those eyes were still the exact shade of milk chocolate that she remembered.

He paid the bill and made a move to leave. “Katie, would you like to follow me back to the hotel?” he asked.

She could see the question in his eyes. She so badly wanted to just say yes and worry about telling him tomorrow. She couldn’t be that cowardly.

“No, let’s go back to my motel. I’m sure it’s not nearly as nice as yours. In fact, it’s a dive, but it was the only thing I could get on such short notice. Anyway, I have something there I need you to see.” She watched him digest this, saw his look of curiosity.
He probably figures I have some kind of crazy sex toys there. Ah, if only.
“I’m at the Motel Six just off the freeway, by the airport,” she said.

A look of concern crossed his face. “My God, you shoul
d not stay in that area. We’ll
go get your things, and this ‘something’ y
ou wish to show me and then I’
ll bring you back to my hotel,” he said.

“There aren’t any vacancies at your hotel. It’s all booked up with Tour people,” Katie explained.

“I’m
not suggesting
you get
your own room,
Gata
,” he said, his accent heavy at the end, lulling Katie.

It would be so easy to do that. Not tell
Darío
about the baby until tomorrow. Have one more night of heated sex with the man who had made her feel again. The man who had brought her out of her deep freeze. The man who was the father of the miracle growing inside her.

She was a coward to even entertain the thought, but entertain it she did. “Well, let’s play it by ear. If you still want me to come and stay with you once we’ve talked, I’d like that very much,” she said.

She had once again piqu
ed his curiosity and he gave her a questioning look, but didn’t say anything else.

He led her to the parking lot, putting her in her ca
r and then heading to his. “I’l
l follow you Katie, but if we get separated, what room are you in?”

She told him and then started on her way. It was almost as if she coul
d hear a drum roll in her head the entire drive to the motel.

Or Taps on a trumpet. Something ominuous an
d
foreboding.

He pulled in right behind her and she waited at the door to her room for him. She led him inside and turned on the lights to the dingy room, embarrassed for him to see where she was staying. She’d tried to get in to a nicer place, but with a Tour event in town and apparently some sort of dental conference, this was the best she could do.

He closed the door behind him and turned Katie, taking her into his arms. He nuzzled her neck. “You feel so good,
Gata
. Smell so good.” He breathed her in deeply and she found her arms curling around her neck, copying his actions and breathing in the scent of him.

He smelled of aftershave, soap and man. She held on tight, not wanting to let go. To lose the feelings of warmth he brought out in her. Fearing she’d never feel this warm again once she dropped her bombshell.

Determined to get it over with, she took a deep breath and stepped away from
Darío
’s embrace. His arms reached for her again, but she took another step back. He looked at her, tilting his head in question.

“
Darío
, I have to tell you something. Something that I’m very happy about and I hope you’ll be happy for me.”

His brow furrowed. “You have reconciled with your husband,” he said, his voice flat.

Katie almost laughed. “God, no. No, that isn’t it.” She thought she saw him sigh in relief. “
Darío
,” she continued, “I’m pregnant.”

He looked puzzled at first and Katie waited. Soon, his eyes narrowed on her. “I thought you were not able to conceive?” he said.

She bit her lip, glad that she’d used the Chapstick he’d given her to protect the skin that she was biting off in her nervousness. “I thought so, too, but apparently not. I’m going to have a child. I’m going to be a mother.”

His shoulders came back, as if bracing himself. His eyes narrowed even more, producing only brown slits. He waited for her to finish. She did.

“It’s your baby,
Darío
.”

Chapter
Ten

Never give a golfer an ultimatum unless you’re prepared to lose.

-Abigail Van Buren
, advice columnist

Darío
couldn’t believe it. He was going to be a father? Him?

A moment of elation flooded through him before a black shadow encased all thoughts. What did he know of fatherhood? Then his thoughts turned from himself back to Katie.

She stood in front of him, biting on those succulent lips, her blue eyes huge with…what? Excitement? Trepidation? She didn’t look pregnant, she looked sexy as hell. She wasn’t showing at all, but if indeed this was his child, she wouldn’t be showing yet anyway.

He knew nothing of pregnant women, but he seemed to remember that they began to show outwardly around the
third or four
th month, sometimes even later.

He still hadn’t said a word, trying to take in the news. She walked toward the small round table in the room and took a folder out of a large envelope, holding it loosely in front of her. The folder cover sagged and
Darío
could see several papers inside. Still not able to comprehend that he was to be a father,
Darío
’s mind swam as he tried to make sense of the legal looking papers she held.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ve seen a lawyer, and taken care of everything.”

“Taken care of everything?”
Darío
repeated. That could encompass a myriad of decisions concerning his child, none of which he was going to allow without his consent.

She wouldn’t be considering aborting his child would she?
Darío
was sickened by the idea, and quickly dismissed it. Katie had always wanted a child, she would not dream of getting rid of one now. And why would she need to see him and be waving some legal documents at him if that were the case. She’d simply do it and he’d never be the wiser.

The thought that a child of his could be aborted without his knowledge ran a chill through him. Katie saw him bristle and misunderstood.

“Really, these are airtight. There’s no need to worry, once you sign them I’ll never bother you again. It’ll be like we,” she rubbed her belly as she made the plural, “
n
ever existed.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“We’ll just go back to Hancock and you’ll never hear from us again. I promise. And signing those papers will guarantee it.”

What the hell was she trying to pull? Was this some sort of extortion? He looked at the papers she was holding out to him and then back to her face. He still thought she was the most exquisite woman he’d ever seen. Even the ugliness of this situation could not affect her serene, flawless beauty.

“Just what exactly do these papers say?” he asked. The golfers on Tour were warned all the time about women who preyed on professional athletes, trying to become pregnant so that they could sue the father for astronomical amounts of child support. It was particularly prevalent in the NBA where the players, because of their size, were such easy targets in bars and restaurants.
Darío
knew of at least one player on the Tour who was paying huge sums monthly to a woman he barely knew but
for the one night they created a child.

And they’d seen what kind of women Tiger had slept with when they all started coming out of the woodwork after the scandal broke.

Was this what Katie was doing? Was her talk about her infertility just a ruse to get him to have unprotected sex? If that indeed was her game, what were the chances that this child was even his?

“The papers basically say that you relinquish all rights, legal and otherwise
,
to this child and that I give up all rights to ask you for any type of monetary or emotional support.”

Ah.
Well, that put a different spin on it
.
Could what she was saying be true,
that
she didn’t want anything from him? He corrected himself. She wanted one thing from him – his child.

If this
was
his child, that was one thing he would never give her.

“I cannot sign these papers,”
he said.

She looked down at the folder, trying to see what
Darío
found offensive. She
must not
realize how offended he was that she wanted him out of h
is child’s life. And he wouldn’
t tell her, his pride would not allow it.

She put the folder back on the table. “Of course you’ll want to have someone look them over. All the legal mumbo-jumbo was a bit confusing for me, too.”

He waved her words away. “It is not that, although I will look them over and if I have any questions, I will call my attorney.
”
He led her to the bed and gently pushed her shoulders so that she sat on the edge. He pulled a straight chair from the table and dragged it toward the bed. He sat down facing her.

The room was cool from the air conditioner and Katie’s bare arms were covered in gooseflesh. He got up and turned down the air conditioner and sat once more in front of Katie. “Now, Katie, explain to me how this could happen.”

A smile lit her face and
Darío
lost his train of thought, just staring at the transformation that talking about being pregnant brought out in her. Her cheeks bloomed with color as she explained her concerns about her symptoms – never considering being pregnant – her visit to the doctor’s office, and telling her friends.

“And, you didn’t know this when you met her, ‘cause she wasn’t showing yet, but Lizzie is pregnant too. She’s five months along – no wait – closer to
six, so she’ll deliver before I will
, but our babies will be close in age. Isn’t that great?”

Darío
was ashamed of the mercenary motivations he’d assigned to Katie. This woman was born to be a mother. Everything in her demeanor changed as she talked about her pregnancy. How lucky she was to have very little nausea, the vitamins she was taking, and on and on. She became relaxed and animated right before
Darío
’s eyes. He had thought it an old wive’s tale about pregnant women giving off a glow, but now knew it to be true. Katie was radiant, and
Darío
was pleased that in a small way, he was responsible for making this woman so happy.

“Which brings us back to the papers. I know this is all a lot to take in,” she finished.

“
Sí
,”
Darío
said. “I am a bit shocked.”

Katie rose from the bed and went again to the table and the folder. This time when she held it out to
Darío
, he took it. “Take your time, there’s no hurry. Well, I guess there sort of is,” she chuckled. “You have about six and a half months to sign them.” She smiled, her white teeth sparkling.

“I’ll look them over tonight. Can you meet me for breakfast tomorrow?” he asked. She nodded and they agreed on a time and place to meet the next morning. Being Saturday, the tournament’s parings would be done by standings, and
Darío
was
at
the top, which guaranteed him a later tee time.