Four days later, Stephanie stood in the bathroom and stared in shock at the result of the home-pregnancy test.
Positive.
It shouldn’t be surprising. Her period was several days late and the mere thought of breakfast was enough to make her stomach feel like she was on a bobbing sailboat. Still, she was amazed that she’d gotten pregnant. She’d been taking her pills regularly and had never missed a one.
The only birth control that’s foolproof is abstinence. The advice of her ob-gyn back in Fort Lauderdale had mostly drifted through one ear and out the other. Even when the doctor had been writing Stephanie’s prescription, she’d warned her that having sex while on the Pill could produce a pregnancy. At that time, Stephanie’s last boyfriend had ended their relationship because she’d refused to give him an interest-free loan to buy a fishing boat. Sex had been the last thing on her mind. All she’d wanted was something strong enough to keep her periods from popping up way too early. She’d had no way of knowing then that she’d eventually be falling into bed with a virile cowboy.
Now she was going to have Acton’s baby. Oh, Lord, how ironic!
Overwhelmed, she placed a protective hand over the region of her womb and leaned heavily against the vanity. She’d not spoken to Acton since that evening they’d argued in the Paws and Claws parking lot. What was he going to think about this development? Being a daddy to Linus for a few hours at a time wasn’t the same as being a full-time parent. Was he prepared for that much commitment?
Deep down, she believed Acton was a good man with good intentions. But he was only twenty-five and anyone who knew him said he was far from ready to settle down with a wife and children.
So why did you fall into bed with him, Stephanie? Why did you leap into his arms and let yourself dream about a future with him?
Because she loved him. Truly loved him, she answered the chastising voice in her head. But what good was love going to do her now? Acton thought she didn’t need him. That she didn’t want to include him in the important aspects of her life. How was she going to make him see that he was wrong?
A wave of nausea washed over her and she leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on her face in an effort to ease her heaving stomach.
It didn’t matter how Acton reacted to the news that he was going to be a father, she firmly told herself. For years she’d wanted a baby and dreamed about being a mother. Now that she was actually pregnant, even under such dismal circumstances, she was happy that they’d created a child together.
Acton removed the saddle from the bay horse tied at the hitching post and carried it into the tack room. Right behind him, Shawn carried an armload of saddle blankets and bridles.
The two brothers had spent most of the morning riding the back pastures, checking on late calving cows. It was a job that Acton normally loved. Anytime he could spend a few hours on a horse, he was in heaven. But today he’d simply gone through the motions. But then, ever since he and Stephanie had parted ways, he’d been living on automatic pilot.
“I’m glad Dad is driving over to San Antonio this afternoon to see about buying that hay baler he’s had his eye on,” Shawn said. “If we work like hell while he’s gone, we can finish the fence and surprise him.”
With a mocking grunt, Acton lifted the saddle onto a wooden stand and jerked the fenders into place. “He’d be surprised, all right. He thinks we can’t do anything right without him watching over our shoulders.”
Frowning, Shawn hung the wet blankets on a hook to allow them to dry. “That’s not true and you know it. What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? You haven’t said more than a dozen words this morning and most of them have been sarcastic.”
Closing his eyes, Acton lifted his hat from his head and combed fingers through is hair. “Sorry, Shawn,” he said ruefully. “I hadn’t realized I was being so surly. I’ve been—”
“A real jerk,” Shawn interrupted as he walked over to where Acton stood. “What’s up?”
Acton’s nostrils flared as he sucked in a weary breath. “Nothing. I’m just not feeling well, that’s all.”
Unconvinced, Shawn shook his head. “Try again. You’re not sick. You’re miserable about something. And I have a feeling it’s that Fortune woman. Acton, I tried to tell you—”
“Damn it, Shawn, I don’t need to be preached at by you! Things are bad enough as it is and—”
Shawn interrupted. “What things? What’s happened?”
Shaking his head with defeat, Acton sat down on an upended feed bucket and quickly explained about Linus and how a man claiming to be his father has requested a DNA test.
“You think this man is legitimate?” Shawn asked.
Acton shrugged. “He must have good reason to believe he’s the father. But I can’t say for sure. Stephanie and I haven’t spoken since the day she got the news. She’d rather be with her brothers. They’re more capable of helping her deal with a crisis than me, apparently,” he said sarcastically. “And you’re right, Shawn, I should’ve listened to you and Mom. Stephanie will never see me as an equal. Or as a man who can take care of her.”
“Aren’t you being a little hard on yourself, Acton? And on her?”
“I’m just trying to be real, Shawn. And right now reality hurts like hell.” He wiped a hand over his face, then stared blindly at the toes of his boots. “I’ll admit that when we got the news about Linus I didn’t handle things too well. But to be honest, Shawn, I was just as cut up as she was over the whole idea that someone might be going to be taking our baby away.”
“Our baby?”
He didn’t try to hide the pain in his eyes as he looked up at his brother. “I guess that sounds foolish to you. But Linus was beginning to feel like my son, too. Now he’s—” Acton swallowed. “Well, it looks like there’s a strong possibility he’ll be going to go live with his real dad. And there’s not a damned thing I can do to stop it.”
“So the both of you were scared and hurting and you lashed out at each other. That’s understandable. Have you thought about reaching out to her, trying to apologize? I’m not saying she’s right and you’re wrong, Acton, I’m just saying one of you has to extend an olive branch.”
“I don’t think she’ll accept an olive branch or anything else from me,” Acton said dully.
Shawn opened his mouth to reply at the same time Acton’s phone dinged with an incoming text message.
“I’d better check this. It might be Dad.” He pulled the phone from his pocket and was immediately shocked to see a message from Dillon Fortune. “What the hell?”
“What is it? Has Dad blown a tire or something?”
Acton gripped the phone as he tapped the screen to open the message. “No. It’s from Stephanie’s brother, Dillon.” After rapidly scanning the short text, he said in a stunned voice, “He and his brothers are worried about her. They’d like for me to come speak with them.”
“Seriously?”
Dazed, Acton rose from his seat on the bucket. “Yes. He says if I can get away, they’ll be at their office in the work yard across from the Shoppes.”
“Are you going?”
Groaning, Acton lifted his gaze to the dusty cobwebs hanging from the rafters of the tack room. “Yes. But I don’t get any of this. They don’t approve of me. At least, that’s the feeling I get from them. So what could they want?”
“To hell with them!” Shawn boomed. “They need to know you don’t approve of them!”
Shaking his head, Acton began unbuckling his chaps. “No, Shawn. This is not about me and them. Not now. It’s about Stephanie and what’s best for her. No matter what, I want her to be happy. Even if that means I have to step out of her life—permanently.”
Shawn’s eyes narrowed shrewdly and then his mouth fell open. “You really love this woman, don’t you?”
Acton had been asking himself that very question for the past several days. Funny how it had taken a simple text from her brother to allow him to see the answer plain and clear.
“Yes. I do love her. Somehow I have to make her understand that.”
Shawn gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “You go show the Fortunes they’re not dealing with a hayseed.”
Even though horse manure was probably dried around the edges of his boots and dust had turned his black hat to brown, Acton didn’t waste time changing into clean clothes. He drove straight to The Shoppes, where several pickup trucks and other work vehicles were parked around the modular building that served as the makeshift office of Fortune Brothers Construction.
Off to one side, three workers were loading scaffolds onto the back of a long, flatbed trailer, while a few feet away, a heating-and-cooling van braked to a halt. Dust billowed from the wheels as the driver jumped out and hurried into the office.
Acton followed at a slower pace, and after placing a brief knock on the door, he stepped inside a long room furnished with a desk at each end and a grouping of comfortable furniture in between.
All three of Stephanie’s brothers were present, along with the man who’d jumped out of the van. All turned to look at Acton and then the man behind one of the desks the one he remembered as Steven, rose and walked over to greet him.
“Hello, Mr. Donovan. We’re glad you could come.”
He reached out to shake hands and Acton politely complied. “Hello, Mr. Fortune.”
He inclined his head toward the two men walking over to join them. “I imagine you remember Dillon and Callum.”
Dillon was dressed in jeans, boots and a plaid Western shirt. He looked much like the natives of Rambling Rose, while Callum and Steven were both in khakis and ties and appeared as though they’d be more comfortable in a high-rise office in downtown Houston.
Acton shook hands with the other two men and Steven gestured toward the couch and armchairs. “Let’s sit.”
While the four men took their seats, the van guy grabbed a handful of papers from one of the desks and discreetly let himself out of the office.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what this is about,” Callum said.
Acton tried not to grimace. “You three haven’t exactly invited me to be friends. So, yeah, I’m wondering.”
To Acton’s surprise, Dillon appeared regretful. “I can’t speak for my brothers, but I’m sorry about that, Acton. It’s not that we had anything against you personally. It’s more like we, uh, we worry about Stephanie. She’s been hurt too many times.”
“So why worry now? Stephanie has ended things with me. She’s apparently seen things your way.”
Steven was stunned. “We didn’t tell her to end things with you! In fact, she hasn’t mentioned anything about the two of you. When did this happen?”
So, Acton thought sickly, he wasn’t important enough to Stephanie for her to mention him, even as an afterthought.
Acton said, “The day the doctor ordered her to take Linus in for a DNA swab.”
Callum nodded with sudden dawning. “I’m beginning to see. She was very distraught that night. We thought it was all about Linus.”
“She was heartbroken,” Acton said in a clipped tone. “Over Linus, not me. So now you don’t need to worry about Stephanie any longer. She’s free to date anyone she wants.”
The brothers exchanged troubled glances before Steven leveled a pointed look at Acton. “Is that what you want? To step out of Stephanie’s life?”
“Hell no!” he retorted, then cleared his throat and said, “I mean, I want Stephanie to be happy. That’s what’s important to me. I, uh, well... I wish that she still cared about me. Because my feelings for her are very serious. Maybe she didn’t understand that. Or maybe she did understand and it didn’t matter to her. I was seeing me and her and Linus as a family. But now that Linus might be going away, I guess everything is over.”
The brothers kept looking at each other as if they were totally confused.
It was Steven who finally said, “We’ve made a mistake about you, Acton. We thought you were probably just playing Stephanie along. She’s beautiful and rich and unfortunately a bit gullible.”
“So you three think,” Acton said, his voice brittle. “I happen to think she’s very smart and special. And her heart is bigger than her head.”
“Look,” Callum said, “we don’t know what was said between you two, but we do know that Stephanie is in a bad way. And we believe you might be able to help.”
“How? Before I left to come over here, I tried texting her. So far she’s ignored my message. I figure she’ll keep on ignoring me.”
Dillon said, “Eric Johnson, Linus’s father, and a social worker will be coming to the ranch this evening to collect Linus. We don’t have to tell you that once the baby is gone, Stephanie is going to be crushed.”
Acton felt as if he’d been punched. “You mean the test results are back? The man actually is Linus’s father?”
Callum nodded. “The test has determined that Eric is the father.”
Acton mulled over the jarring news. Stephanie’s heart must be tearing right down the middle, he thought sickly.
Steven cast him a hopeful glance. “We thought you might try to see Steph tomorrow. After she’s had tonight to pull herself together.”
Acton scooted to the edge of the chair. “What makes you think she’d want to see me tomorrow? Or even agree to see me?”
Callum was the one to answer. “Before this matter with Linus’s father came up, Stephanie was happier than we’d ever seen her. We all agree that part of that happiness had to do with you. If you say you’re serious about our sister, then we ask that you don’t give up on her. She needs you now...more than ever.”
This was the last thing Acton had expected to hear from Stephanie’s brothers, and though it made him feel somewhat better, he still had a multitude of doubts.
“I’m not sure how forgiving Stephanie might be,” Acton said. “But I promise you, I’m not giving up.”
At Paws and Claws, Stephanie was in the recovery room, checking on recuperating patients, when Dayna stuck her head in the door.
“Do you have time for one more patient?” she asked.
“Dr. Neil left the building about five minutes ago,” Stephanie answered.
“I know. He stopped by the front desk on his way out. But you’re still here. And a woman has come in with her cat. She says he’s limping on his front paw.”
Stephanie glanced at her watch as she walked over to where Dayna stood. “It’s still a half hour before we close the doors. I suppose I could have a look.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say.” Dayna shot her a coy grin, then turned to leave. “I’ll put them in Exam Room 3.”
Sensing Dayna was holding something back, Stephanie called out. “Wait, Dayna! Just who is this woman?”
Her smile even wider, Dayna glanced over her shoulder at Stephanie. “Faye Donovan.”
Acton’s mother? Wait—could he have sent her on his behalf? No! That was a ridiculous thought. Acton would never let anyone do his talking for him. Even so, how was she going to face Faye Donovan? This child she was carrying was going to be the woman’s grandchild. What would she think if she knew?
Dayna suddenly stepped closer. “You look pale, Stephanie. Are you okay? I can tell Mrs. Donovan to come back tomorrow.”
Putting the meeting off wouldn’t help Stephanie. It would only cause the cat to suffer longer than need be.
Squaring her shoulders, she said, “Don’t do that. I’m okay—just a bit tired. We’ve had a very busy day.”
Dayna blew out a weary breath as she turned to leave. “You telling me. I’m going to be seeing cats and dogs in my sleep.”
With Dayna gone, Stephanie smoothed a hand over her hair, then straightened the white lab coat she was wearing over her moss green blouse. This wasn’t the way she’d envisioned meeting Acton’s mother, but now that he’d apparently walked out of Stephanie’s life, she supposed it hardly mattered where she met the woman.
Down the long hallway, Stephanie rapped her knuckles on the door of Exam Room 3, then stepped inside. Standing next to the examination table was a tall, slim woman with short blond hair. Somewhere in her fifties, she had soft, pretty features that faintly resembled Acton’s sister, Gina. She was dressed casually in jeans, cowboy boots and a denim jacket. But it was the gentle smile on her face that caught Stephanie’s attention.
“Hello. I’m Stephanie Fortune,” she introduced herself.
The woman offered her hand. “I’m Faye Donovan.”
Stephanie shook her hand, while hoping she didn’t look as nervous as she felt. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Please, just call me Faye. All my friends do.”
Was she implying she wanted them to be friends? Oh Lord, just how much did Faye know about her son’s relationship with Stephanie? Didn’t she know it was over between them? Except that it couldn’t ever be over entirely, Stephanie thought sickly. Not with the baby coming.
Clearing her throat, she said, “All right. And please, call me Stephanie.”
“Thanks, I will.” Smiling again, Faye gestured to the cat carrier. “Samson seems to have something wrong with his paw. I tried to look at it myself, but he’s not the most cooperative cat on the ranch.”
“Dr. Neil has already left for the day,” Stephanie explained. “But I’ll see what I can do for him. If that’s okay.”
“That would be great,” Faye said brightly. “Samson is an outdoor cat and he loves to roam and get into mischief. I’m thinking he might have stepped on a mesquite thorn.”
“That’s possible,” Stephanie agreed, while Faye unlatched the door on the carrier. “Is he friendly with strangers?”
“The only thing I’ve ever seen Samson bite is another cat,” Faye answered. “I can’t predict how he’ll react to you. But Acton says you’re a genius with animals, so I’m sure you won’t have a problem.”
Yes, Acton had praised her work as a veterinarian assistant. But as a woman, she wasn’t sure what he was thinking or feeling.
“I hope you’re right,” Stephanie replied.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the large, black tomcat to cozy up to Stephanie and she quickly went about examining all four feet.
“Are you sure Samson was limping earlier?” Stephanie asked a few minutes later as she stroked the cat’s back. “He appears to be walking up and down the exam table just fine and I don’t find a thing wrong with any of his pads.”
Stephanie didn’t miss the sheepish expression stealing across Faye’s face.
“Samson always was a little faker,” she said. “He’ll do anything for attention.”
“I guess he’s decided he’s over his lameness now,” Stephanie replied.
Faye’s chuckle was riddled with guilt. “I’m sorry, Stephanie. You’ve caught me red handed. There’s nothing wrong with Samson. I just used him as an excuse to see you.”
Stephanie had already come to that conclusion. Still it was a surprise to hear Faye admit it.
“To see me? Why?”
Shaking her head, Faye said, “In spite of how this looks, I’m actually not an interfering mother. But this one time, it’s just that I can see—the whole family can see—that Acton is in a bad way. He’s not behaving like himself, at all. And I thought you might want to know. To talk with him. Maybe?”
These past few days since she and Acton had quarreled had been some of the worst of Stephanie’s life. To think that Acton might be hurting, too, jarred her already ragged senses. “So he told you we argued?”
“No. The last time Acton mentioned you was when he asked me about having you over for dinner one night soon. I happily agreed. And then a day or two later, his mood just completely changed. He became a complete grouch, with hardly a word for anyone. His father and I didn’t have to wonder what was wrong. We knew something must have gone wrong between the two of you.”
The pain in Stephanie’s chest was smothering her and she had to look away from Faye’s perceptive gaze before she could speak. “I haven’t heard from Acton in the past few days. I think he’s decided I’m not right for him.”
Faye sighed. “And what about what you’ve decided? Do you feel the same way? That he’s not right for you?”
The question caused Stephanie’s gaze to swing back to Faye’s concerned face. “No! I mean, I thought we were perfect for each other. And then...this thing with Linus’s father happened and, well, now everything is just...awful.”
Faye stepped forward and gently patted Stephanie’s arm. “I’m sorry, Stephanie. God knows I didn’t come here to upset you. I understand you have enough problems without my interference.”
She had problems, all right, Stephanie thought glumly. Far more than Faye could know. “Then you know about Linus?”
Faye nodded. “Acton has talked a lot about you and the baby. When he told us about the father coming we could see he was crushed about the whole thing.”
“Yes. So am I.”
A moment of awkward silence passed and then Faye said, “I understand that you’re probably thinking Acton isn’t ready to settle down. It’s no secret that he’s dated plenty of women. I’m sure you’ve been told that. But until he met you he was never serious about any of them. Whatever you’re thinking, Stephanie, he’s a good, hard-working man. And he loves children. That’s all I’m going to say. Except that I hope you two can patch things up, because I have a feeling you and I could be great friends.”
With tears stinging the back of her eyes, Stephanie did her best to smile. “Thank you, Faye. I won’t forget what you’ve said.”
But in the end would it make any difference? Stephanie didn’t know. The only thing she knew for certain was that Acton had chosen to walk away from her, and in the next few hours Linus would be out of her life. Those two realities were almost more than she could bear.
That evening, Stephanie and Linus, along with her three brothers, were in the great room of the Fame and Fortune Ranch house, waiting for Eric Johnson to arrive.
In the past days since Stephanie had spoken with child services and set up the meeting with Linus’s father, Steven had taken it upon himself to research the man’s background. He was thirty-five, a native of the Houston area and a wealthy businessman who owned a trucking firm that operated nationwide. He was currently single and from what information Steven had gathered, he’d been dating Linus’s mother. But something had obviously gone awry between the two of them and Laurel had ended things abruptly.
Two days ago, Stephanie had spoken over the phone to the social worker dealing with Linus’s case and the woman had explained that Eric had provided the agency with a letter that Laurel had written to him. He’d also produced signed documents from friends who knew both Laurel and Eric, stating that the two had been in a real relationship. The information had been enough to warrant a DNA test. And now he was coming to collect his son. His baby.
Each time those words tried to enter Stephanie’s brain, she fought them like a tigress protecting her cubs. No matter what kind of papers Eric had provided, or what the lab test said, as far as she was concerned, Linus had been her baby for more than two months now. Everything inside her screamed that he belonged with her.
“Stephanie, are you okay? Would you like for me to put Linus in his bassinet?”
She looked around to see that Steven had come to stand next to the rocker, where she clung to Linus and hummed the Texas sandman lullaby to him.
Oh, God, if she could only turn back to all those times she and Acton and Linus had been together as a family. Her heart had been full then. Now it was nothing but a ragged ball of pain.
Acton is in a bad way. He’s not behaving like himself at all. Faye’s words drifted through her mind, causing the pain in her heart to intensify.
“No,” she said hoarsely. “I want to hold him. This might be the last time.”
He was studying her with a worried look when the doorbell suddenly rang. Stephanie flinched.
“I’ll answer it,” Callum offered.
When he returned to the great room, he was followed by a tall young man with light brown hair and a middle-aged woman wearing a plain dark suit.
Dillon and Steven promptly walked over to join them, while Stephanie remained frozen in the rocker, her fingers clenched to Linus’s blanket.
She could hear her brothers introducing themselves, and then a few more pleasantries were exchanged before the man stepped away from the group and began walking toward her.
He was dressed in an expensive-looking sports jacket, dark slacks and a pair of Italian loafers. By the casual way he wore the clothing, Stephanie could tell he was a man who was accustomed to having the best of things.
He came to a stop a few feet in front of her chair and the knots that were already tying her stomach twisted even tighter. “You must be Stephanie,” he said. “I’m Eric Johnson. Nice to meet you.”
With Linus in her arms, she rose from the rocker and extended a hand to him. “Yes, I’m Stephanie,” she said automatically. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Johnson.”
His gaze immediately dropped to Linus and a bright smile spread across his face. “So this is my son. I’ve been waiting for this moment and now that it’s here, I, uh, well, I’m blown away. He’s incredible!”
Her throat was clamped so tight she had to swallow twice before she could utter a reply. “Linus is a very special little guy.”
His gaze was full of awe as he continued to look down at Linus. “Dr. Green has shared all his medical history, but you’re the person who can tell me about his personality. Does he cry much?”
Since she’d learned of Eric Johnson’s existence, she’d thought of him only as a shadowy figure who’d be taking Linus away from her. She’d not pictured him as a father seeing his baby for the first time. She’d not imagined him wanting this baby as much as she wanted him. She could see now how misguided her thinking had been.
Drawing in a bracing breath, she said, “Linus is a very good baby. If he cries it’s usually because he’s hungry or wants his diaper changed. He never has a tummy ache and only spits up on occasion. He loves his bottle and usually wakes just once in the night around two.”
Eric extended his arms toward the baby. “If you don’t mind, I’d really like to hold him.”
“Of course.” Her response sounded brittle, but he was too busy plucking Linus from her arms to notice.
Feeling as though she was about to crack into a million pieces, Stephanie watched him carefully position Linus in the crook of his arm.
“My son,” he said with a wealth of tenderness. “You and I have lots of catching up to do.”
I guess it would be best for Linus to have his real dad. And probably best for you.
As she watched a look of awe come over Eric Johnson’s face, Acton’s words drifted through her mind, haunting her with the truth. Even in Stephanie’s distraught state of mind she could see this moment was monumental for him, and despite the pain she was feeling, she realized she couldn’t resent the man for wanting his own child.
“Excuse me,” she told him. “I need to speak with my brothers.”
Leaving father and son, she walked across the room to her brothers and the social worker. The woman’s features were haggard, her shoulders slumped. No doubt, the consequences of a stressful job, Stephanie concluded.
“I’m Margaret Malloy,” she said, politely introducing herself to Stephanie. “I want to thank you, especially, for making this transfer easy for everyone concerned.”
Easy? There wasn’t anything easy about having her heart ripped out of her chest, Stephanie thought. But there was no point in piling her misery on this woman. It wasn’t Margaret Malloy’s fault that this series of events had touched all their lives.
“I want what’s best for Linus,” she said simply.
Sensing Stephanie’s frazzled emotions, the agent gave her an empathetic smile. “I’ll go take a look at the baby and give you a few minutes alone with your brothers.”
After the woman excused herself and walked away, Steven took one look at Stephanie’s face and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Stay strong, honey. You’ll get through this.”
“Sure,” she said stiffly. “I’ll get through.”
“You should take comfort in the fact that Eric appears to be a good guy,” Callum said to her. “And he truly wants his son.”
“What about Laurel?” Stephanie asked. “Has he heard from her?”
“No. But he has a few ideas about where she might’ve gone,” Steven said. “He’s already talked to the authorities about her.”
“Hell of a way for a man to find out he’s a father,” Dillon said, lowering his voice so that only the four of them could hear. “Getting a letter from his ex-girlfriend telling him she was carrying his baby.”
Steven said, “Yeah, that was bad enough. But he had no idea where she or his unborn child had gone to. It wasn’t until he saw a news article about a woman going into labor in Rambling Rose, then later leaving the baby at the pediatric center and disappearing into the wild blue. He considered it a long shot that the story might be about Laurel, but he decided to look into it. I’m not sure how I’d handle that kind of shock to the senses.”
Stephanie’s eyes burned with unshed tears. “It’s pretty obvious he’s not going to change his mind and decide to leave Linus here with me.”
Callum shook his head. “Sorry, honey. No chance of that happening. He’s walking on air.”
Drawing in a shuddering breath, she said, “I have Linus’s things all packed. I’ll go get them.”
“I’ll help you,” Steven told her.
As soon as they returned from Stephanie’s suite with Linus’s belongings, Eric and the agent were ready to leave.
Thankfully, he was thoughtful enough to allow Stephanie a moment alone with Linus and she carried the baby to a private spot in the room.
“My sweet little boy, I love you so,” she whispered as she smoothed a finger over his soft hair. “I have to tell you goodbye now. If Acton was here he’d tell you goodbye, too.”
As though he understood, the baby let out a short cry and boxed the air with his little fist.
Smiling through her tears, she bent and placed a kiss on his forehead and drew in his baby scent one last time. Then, squaring her shoulders, she carried him back to his waiting father.
“Please keep me updated on how he’s doing,” she told him through the tightness in her throat.
“I will,” he promised. “And thanks again for taking such good care of my son.”
Seeing Stephanie was about to break apart, Callum quickly ushered the three toward the foyer. “I’ll see you out,” he told them.
Stephanie watched until Linus and his father disappeared. By then, Steven was at her side, patting her hand in an effort to console her.
“Linus has his father in his life now,” he said. “Just concentrate on that good thought.”
A real parent. In a little more than eight months she and Acton were going to be real parents. They just weren’t going to be parents together.
Dillon stepped forward and peered closely at her face. “Stephanie? Are you okay? You look white.”
As she looked helplessly at both brothers, her stomach roiled in protest.
“I—I’m sorry! I’m going to be sick!”
She raced to the nearest bathroom and as she threw up over the commode, she thought about Acton and how she was going to face him with the news about their baby.