• Fifteen •

I’m just trying to protect King.

Rumor

A cold, damp cloth was pressed against my head and cheeks. My lungs no longer burned, and I was lying down. I tried to remember where I was before opening my eyes because I was clearly not alone. Someone was moving the cloth around my face gently.

“He can’t know. No one can. At least not right now. There is too much at stake,” I heard Maeme speak above me.

“You think it’s smart to keep this from him?” Dr. Drew’s voice sounded unsure.

“Yes. For now. I know, and that is all she needs. I can take care of her. Make sure she and my great-grandbaby are okay. There are issues that have to be dealt with first. If King knows, then he will act irrationally. Mess up. Get himself killed. This baby needs its father.”

“Very well. It’s your call. You’d better keep me alive when the time comes.”

She wasn’t going to tell King. I lay there, trying to decide if I was relieved or not. Did I want him to know? Could I keep this a secret from him? How would he get himself killed?

“You are safe. This is my call, and I will take full responsibility.”

“You’ll tell Blaise?” It was a question, not a demand.

Maeme sighed. “Yes. I’ll have to. But he will agree with me. Hopefully, he’ll move the Insantos bullshit to the top of his priority list when he finds out.”

I opened my eyes then and stared up at Maeme beside me, taking the cloth from my face. Her eyes met mine.

“There she is,” she said softly. “You had too much to take in at one time. Couldn’t handle it all. But you’re fine. You are going to stay that way too. I’m gonna take care of you.”

My hand moved to my stomach. It was still flat, and that made it even harder to believe there was a child inside of me. A living being that was part of me.

“The baby is just fine too,” Maeme said, patting the top of my hand gently. “Just lie there and relax. Take deep breaths. You are going to be okay. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you or my great-grandbaby.”

That lump of emotion began growing in my throat again.

“You’re not going to tell King,” I said, wanting to clarify what I had heard.

She squeezed my hand in hers. “Not right away. He needs to stay focused. What he is dealing with right now is dangerous, and if his head isn’t in the game, he could get hurt. Or killed. Neither of us wants that.”

“I’ll leave you two to talk. But the vitamins we discussed are right here,” Dr. Drew told Maeme. “I’ll be back in a week to check on her, and I’ll get the ultrasound machine moved in this weekend while King is gone.”

“Thank you, Drew,” she replied. “We are just fine.”

“I’d go over what all she needs to eat and what to do to take care of her and the baby, but I figure you’ve got that handled.”

“That I do.” Maeme’s bright tone didn’t match her expression. The worry lines in her face were hard to mask.

I wanted to be alone. Back at the cottage. I needed time to think this all through. There were so many questions and fears running through my head. I didn’t know where to even start.

Dr. Drew gave me an encouraging smile. “I leave you in good hands.”

I managed a nod, but nothing more.

“Now, let’s sit you up slowly and move you to a more comfortable location,” Maeme suggested.

“I had alcohol last night,” I told her as the thought hit me.

She took my hand and pulled me up to a sitting position again. “Won’t hurt a thing. Most women have a few drinks before they find out their pregnant. You’re early still. The baby didn’t get any of it.”

That was a small relief among the list of things I had to worry about.

“Now, we are gonna go up to the sunroom. I’ll bring you a cup of peppermint tea, and you can read a book and relax.”

I wasn’t going to be able to focus on a book, but I stood up and let her lead me up the stairs anyway. Perhaps while I pretended to read, I could think about what would happen next. How I would move forward. What I would tell King when the time came.

I just wished I knew how he was going to react.

The sunroom was warm, and the view of Maeme’s backyard with all the flowers in bloom would normally be a cozy, welcome spot. The book in my lap remained unread, although it lay open. Thankfully, Maeme had left me alone with my thoughts.

I stared out at the azaleas, Spanish bluebells, and tulips. My hand kept finding its way to my stomach. The reality seemed to be even too much for me to comprehend. The longer I sat and let this sink in, the more I found that I wanted the baby. Even if King didn’t, I did. I loved this baby, and how odd that was. To love something you’d never seen and just found out existed. It was strange and powerful. I looked down at my hand covering where the tiny baby was now growing.

Even with all the fear and uncertainty, a small trickle of joy was finding its way inside. Slowly taking over all else. I hadn’t planned this, but now that it was here, I wanted it. Possibly more than I wanted anything else.

The sound of Maeme’s footsteps got my attention, and I moved my hand from my stomach and turned several pages in the book before she appeared. I didn’t want her to think I was in here worrying. I couldn’t explain what I was currently going through, and feeling as if I had to stressed me out.

“I brought lunch,” Maeme said as she entered the sunroom.

I glanced up from the book in my lap to see her carrying a tray.

“I could have come to the kitchen to eat,” I told her, closing the book and setting it on the table beside me.

“You’ve had a lot to take in today. You need to relax,” she informed me, placing the tray down in front of me.

There was pasta salad with cucumbers, which I loved, fresh mixed berries, and what looked like chicken salad inside a croissant.

“Did you like the tea? I have some more that will be safe for you to drink if you’d like to try another.”

I shook my head. “The water is fine. Thank you. This looks amazing,” I replied.

“I’ve got to make sure you eat properly,” she said, giving me a pointed look.

I hoped that didn’t mean she was planning on keeping me here. Not that I didn’t enjoy her home, but I wanted to go back to King. He’d want me back with him too. There would be no explanation that she could give him to change that.

“I reckon King will be back soon,” she said, taking the seat across from me.

I reached for the tray and set it in my lap. “He didn’t say where he was going or for how long,” I told her.

“He leaves in a few days, as you know. If he thinks something is off with you, we might have a problem with him leaving. He has to go, Rumor. This is vitally important to us. If he knows you’re pregnant, he won’t leave.”

I wasn’t so sure. I picked up a strawberry and took a bite, simply nodding. I didn’t know what she wanted me to say.

“I don’t want you to feel alone in this. I’m just trying to protect King. He’s a hothead, and if he thinks he has to choose, he’ll choose you and the baby. That could get him killed. In our world, the family comes first, and that’s not necessarily the biological one. We will get this Scotlin May thing behind us, handle the Insantos, and when you bring my great-grandchild into this world, all will be well. I just need you to trust me.”

Trust with this family was a touchy subject. I trusted them to keep me safe, but I also knew there was so much I didn’t know. They would lie to me if they felt they needed to. I would never get the complete truth.

“Okay,” I replied, knowing I could say nothing else.

“Good,” she said, smiling and standing back up. “Now, I will leave you to eat in peace and enjoy your book.”

“Thanks again for lunch,” I told her.

Her smile was genuine and warm. That I could trust.