A Child's Heart (Trent & Cassie's Story) A River City Novel (10 page)

He sat up, opened her hand, and counted. “We’re
missing one.”

Panic seized her. “This is not funny.”

“I’m clean, very clean.”

“Well, so am I, but I don’t want to find out I’m
pregnant.”

“You’re on the pill or patch or whatever women are
using these days, right?”

“No!”

“You’re not using anything?” He stood and began to
sort through the crumpled sheets.

“There’s been no reason for me to use anything. I
don’t run around screwing every guy I meet. You had no right to
enter me without a condom.”

“I swear to God, I used one!”

Every wonderful loving thought exited her mind as if
they had never been there. She turned abruptly and went to her
bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She dropped the wad in the
small trashcan and washed her hands. Bending at the waist, she
rested her head on the cool stone counter of her sink. She needed
to clear her head and think sensibly.

“Cas, open the door. I promise, I used a condom.
Don’t you remember my putting it on?”

“Go away.”

“Cas, please.”

“Go away. I’m not up to coping with this problem.”
Warmth spilled between her legs and began to run. She grabbed a
tissue and began to wipe. “Dammit, Trent, I’m dripping in your cum.
You never used one!”

***

He turned away from the door and
sat on the edge of the bed, checking the sheets one last
time.
How can anything that wonderful, end
so badly?
Pulling on his clothes, he found
another empty packet on the floor next to his socks.

“Cas, before I leave, I want you to tell me how many
times we made love and how many foil wrappers you picked up.”

“Four times.” She put her toe on the foot lever and
looked into the lined trashcan. “Three condoms and three
wrappers.”

“One wrapper was on the floor.” He slipped the
colorful foil under the door.

“So where’s the condom?”

“I have no idea.”

She opened the door between them and the pain in her
expression was obvious. She would barely look at him, and he knew
she was as upset as he.

Taking her shoulders in his hands and then cupping
her chin, he gazed at her downcast eyes. “I used a condom. It’s got
to be here someplace. I didn’t take it off. You were on top, you
rolled over beside me, and took my hand.”

“Are you certain you used one?”

“Yes, and I gave you the fourth wrapper.”

“Then why am I dripping in your fluids?”

His mind raced. “I’ve never had such wild sex. What
are the odds of losing it?”

“Well, it’s lost.” She bit her lower lip.

“No, I mean inside you?”

She raised her gaze to him, but her wide-eyed
expression showed her horror. “Could that happen?”

Shrugging, he asked, “How would I know? I’ve never
had sex like I’ve had tonight.” He picked her up and put her on the
bed. Then he sat next to her and ran his hand over her mons and
between her legs. “There’s one way to find out.”

Slipping one finger inside, he found it and pulled it
out. “Here you go, Houdini.”

She closed her eyes. “I don’t need to find out I’m
pregnant.”

“If you are, I’ll have to marry you so we can have
sex like that every night for as long as we live.”

“That’s not the least bit funny.”

“Promise me one thing. If you do get pregnant, please
don’t destroy my child. If you don’t want the baby, I’ll raise it.
I’ll pay any expenses involved with the pregnancy.”

“There’s a pill, it forces the body to have a period.
It’s not the same as an abortion.”

“Yes, it is. It’s my child, too. Give it a
chance.”

“I want a shower.” She rolled off the bed and went
back to her bathroom.

When she emerged, she looked more like a drown rat
with her wet hair pasted to her head and shoulders. She walked into
her closet and put on the white nightgown. “I thought about
greeting you in this, but I opted for my everyday stuff.”

“May I spend the night? I won’t touch you again. I
also don’t want to leave you like this.”

She waved her hand at him to follow her into the
other room. She opened the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of
wine. “I was hoping we’d be celebrating some wonderful evening
together.” She poured two glasses and handed him one. “To lousy
luck. It matches the rest of my life.”

“You have that all wrong. To the most beautiful,
sexy, phenomenal woman I’ve ever met, who for a few hours made me
feel like a man again.”

She touched his cheek as tears spilled down hers.
“You are a man. I didn’t think it was possible for a man to make
love that many times.”

“Neither did I, but I guess with the right woman,
anything can happen.”

“We proved that.”

Taking her wine glass, he put it on the counter and
pulled her to him. His mouth covered hers. Her tongue darted into
his mouth, sending a bolt of hot passion right to the very tip of
his penis. She leaned into him, grinding her hips and pelvis
against him. His thumbs found her nipples, and they responded to
his touch by hardening. Her fingers made their way to his fly, and
soon he was standing with his jeans around his ankles and his
boxers someplace on his thighs. He pulled her nightgown over her
head and then lifted her to his waist. Her legs wrapped him as she
lowered her pelvis over his erection.

“Condom,” he whispered.

“A little late to start worrying about that.”

His stance was awkward and impeded by his jeans. He
leaned her onto the counter and continued his piston assault. She
climaxed several times before the clenching deep inside of him
warned him of his own orgasm. Quickly he withdrew, destroying the
promise of an intense climax.

She rested her head upon his shoulder. “Why did you
pull out?”

“The last time was an accident. This would have been
purposeful. Can’t throw caution to the wind and then ask for
mercy.”

***

“Ready?” Trent asked Cassie.

“Almost. I thought if I brought my fishing clothes
with me, it would save us time. I can change in your bathroom.”

“If my mom says anything, let me handle it. I’ll tell
her I came over early to pick you up.”

“Don’t lie. She has no right to say anything anyway.
We're adults, and it’s not her business.”

“You don’t know my mom. She’ll say something.”

“Okay, I think I’m ready.” She grabbed the pearls off
of her bureau and checked her image in the mirror. Her yellow,
cotton dress with tiny, tuxedo pleats was plain, but stylish. She
had twisted her hair into a figure eight and secured it with a
large barrette.

He smiled at her. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks, will you help me with this?” She handed him
her pearl bracelet for him to hook.

“We’ll have breakfast at my house after Mass.”

She nodded and followed him out the door. In less
than fifteen minutes, they were walking through his kitchen, where
his mom was waiting for him.

“Don’t give me any crap about sneaking out of here
early to pick her up. You spent the night with her, again.”

He looked at Cassie and then at his mom. “Yes. I did.
End of discussion.”

“That’s so wrong!”

“Not when you find someone worth loving. God doesn’t
chastise us for loving another person.”

“God teaches us to wait until we’re married.”

“He also said it is better to spill your seed into
the belly of a whore than to spew it on the ground. And she’s not a
whore.”

“Trenton Michael Callahan, Junior!”

Cassie dissolved into giggles and then with some
semblance of composure said, “Please, Mrs. Callahan, we’re all
adults. Yes, he spent the night with me, and he was very much a
gentleman. You’ve raised a wonderful man, and I’m so thankful that
I’ve met him.”

“Well, it doesn’t look right to have him sleeping
someplace other than his home.”

“We’re not children. We had a little wine and we
talked. I didn’t want him driving home under the
circumstances.”

“My son is very young. Not many men his age are
widowers and taking care of a child like Shawn. He’s had to grow up
fast.” Mrs. Callahan handed Cassie a mug.

Cassie fixed a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen
table.

“Bet there are a lot of things he never told you,
such as why he turned down a full scholarship to marry
Colleen.”

Cassie sucked in a deep breath. “He’s never said a
word about a scholarship.”

“Colleen was almost five months pregnant when he
married her. Seems he couldn’t wait for marriage, and I doubt he’s
changed much. He’s just like his father.”

Sipping her coffee, she decided to let Trent’s mom
ramble.

“Three months later, he’s the father of a preemie
with big problems, and widowed.”

“I thought Shawn's heart condition wasn’t discovered
until later.”

“Shawn was less than two pounds when he was born.
Could have held him in one hand if they had let us. His lungs
weren’t fully developed. I had to force Trent to go to the
hospital. Then I dragged him to church. I was thinking he’d settled
down in his parental role, until you came along.”

“Trent’s a wonderful father to Shawn.”

“Don’t ruin what I’ve worked so hard to make
happen.”

“I won’t. I adore Shawn.” Her mind
was racing.
He’s twenty-two? He doesn’t
look it or act it. He told me she was pregnant when they graduated.
I wasn't thinking. I’m robbing the cradle and there’s a possibility
I’m pregnant. What have I done?

~~11~~

Cassie discovered just how hectic a week could be.
Going to the school board should have been easy, but instead, their
laptop to screen system wasn’t working, forcing her to use notes
and a dry mark board. All her pretty graphs on her laptop were
unavailable. They told her they would get back to her with their
decision.

She would have never admitted it to anyone, but going
to Mayor Bruno Giovanni over the budget problems rattled her
confidence. Mrs. Winston’s careful records showed she was turning
enough of a profit to continue to bring in more shows such as the
expensive dinosaur exhibit.

The mayor was pleasant. He nodded, asked a few
questions, made copies of everything she had brought, and promised
he’d look into it. She walked out of his office disappointed.

What exactly did I expect? Nothing
earth shattering, that’s for certain. Maybe a little acknowledgment
of the job I’ve been doing?

Sticking her key into the ignition, her old car
responded with a handful of slow grinding noises. She tapped the
gas pedal and tried again. She tried again and this time there was
no response. She squeezed her eyes closed as her fist hit the
steering wheel. “Dammit, start. I don’t need this!”

With the sun beating down on her car, perspiration
began to run down her face. She got out and looked for any signs of
shade. A small restaurant across the street from the parking lot
gave hope of refuge.

Seated in a wooden booth with a glass of iced tea,
she knew she had to do something. She pulled out her cell phone and
called the museum.

“Hi, it’s Cassie. I’m so glad you didn’t leave early
for lunch.”

“What’s wrong, honey?” Mrs. Winston asked.

“I’ve got a problem with my car. I’ll be back as soon
as I can get it handled.”

“That’s fine, take whatever time you need.”

“Thanks.”

The young waitress set a small bowl of mixed lettuce
on the table. Cassie tried to force a smile as she closed her
phone. “Thanks, to you, too.”

Towing plus repairs would be expensive, and her
budget was limited. She punched another set of numbers into her
phone and waited until it went to his message system.

Darn, I don’t need this!
“Trent, this is Cassie. Call me back. My car has
quit. I don’t know what’s wrong. It won’t start.”

A few forkfuls of salad later, her phone rang.
“Hello.”

A deep voice answered, “Hi. Where are you?”

“I’m sitting in restaurant called Sal’s, across the
street from City Hall’s parking lot.”

“I know exactly where you are. Order a Coke and two
slices of pizza with pepperoni for me. Where’s your car?”

Knowing he was about to rescue her, sent a wave of
relief through her. “In the city's parking lot. Do you know
anything about cars?”

“Not much. Don’t panic. Give me a few minutes to get
there. I was in the shop when you called. I’ll wash up and be there
in a few minutes. Um, Cas, I'm in my uniform. I hope that's all
right. I don't want to embarrass you.”

"Never. There's nothing wrong with you being in your
uniform."

In less than fifteen minutes, he slipped into the
booth across from her. “Sorry, but when I’m out there with all
those saws running, it’s useless to answer the phone. I wouldn’t be
able to hear you, even if I did take my earplugs out.”

“I don’t want to make you late going back to
work.”

“I’m fine. This place makes the best pizza. When you
tried to start the car, what happened?”

She imitated the noises, and he grinned at her.

“Sounds like your battery. When we’re done, we’ll try
one more time. There’s an auto parts store not far from here.
Batteries vary in prices, but I’m willing to bet it’ll be less than
a hundred to buy a new one for what you’re driving. How old is your
battery?”

“How would I know?”

He took a couple of bites of his pizza. “How old is
your car?”

“It’s seven years old.”

“Did you buy it new?”

“No, it was two years old when I bought it.”

“Have you ever replaced the battery?”

She shook her head.

“Then that is the most likely reason for it not
starting. You’re lucky it’s lasted this long.”

“Why do men know these things?”