A Passion Redeemed (43 page)

He pushed her hand away. "Don't sling this on me. You're the one plastered against your old fiance, doing only God knows what."

Shock stilled the blood in her veins. In a knee-jerk reaction, she slapped him hard across the face, the sound deafening in the silent kitchen. "Don't you dare accuse me or that man of anything tawdry. He's got more restraint in his little finger than you have in your entire body, Collin McGuire. And how dare you accuse either of us of any unseemly behavior when I've had to fend you off for the last month, your commitment to God or no."

She spun around. He grabbed her arm and jerked her back, his eyes crazed. "Don't you dare walk away from me." The anger in his eyes suddenly melted, and he crushed her to his chest, pressing his lips to her hair. "Faith, forgive me. I don't know what gets into me. You're right, I have no reason to suspect you of a thing other than Mitch Dennehy scares the living daylights out of me."

She relaxed in his arms, sinking against him with a frustrated sigh. "Collin, I love you. Don't you know that by now? Aren't you secure in that? I chose you over Mitch, and I'd do it again. And that man walked away and let me." She pulled away and cradled his face with her hands. "Because he knew. Knew deep down that my heart belonged to you. Not him."

He pulled her back, burying his face in her neck. He gave her a gentle kiss. "I know. He's right. I am a moron. I'll apologize, I promise."

She wriggled out of his grasp. "Good. You owe him one."

He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. "I owe you one too. For accusing you of something I know you would never do." He attempted a smile. "How well I know."

Her cheeks heated. She pulled her hand away.

He sighed and shifted, digging his hands in his pockets. She saw a rare blush of shame creep up his neck into his face. He avoided her eyes. "And I apologize for pushing you this last month. God forgive me, it was wrong." He looked up. "If you hadn't been strong, we could have gotten into serious trouble."

She folded her arms. "It wasn't easy."

"I know. But I'm grateful you're a forgiving woman. And I'm especially grateful it's a short-term problem. You have my word, Faith-I promise to be a good boy until the wedding." He hooked her waist to pull her back into his embrace, his breath hot against her face. "And after that, I just promise to be good. Very, very good."

Charity stretched in the bed, feeling wonderful despite the cramps bubbling in her stomach. She sighed and tugged the cover up to her chin. The nap had done her a world of good. Her time of the month always made her so tired. She glanced up at a sound at the door.

Mitch poked his head in. "Finally-the princess has risen! Your mother's cooking up a storm. She said twenty minutes. Need anything?"

Charity flashed him a sleepy smile. "Yes. Everybody knows a princess doesn't wake up without a kiss."

His mouth twisted into a wry smile as he propped against the door. "Forget it. I intend to stay out of harm's way until we're safely married. I'm here to carry you downstairs and nothing more. Do you need to use the loo?"

"No," she said with a teasing pout, "but if you would be kind enough to hand me my skirt and blouse off the other bed, I'd be most grateful."

He strolled in and snatched the items, then handed them to her with a patient smile. "I'll be waiting outside. Call me when you're ready." He turned to go.

"And the hairbrush off the bureau, please, if you don't mind. The hand mirror would be lovely too." She fluttered her lashes.

He deposited both on the nightstand and turned toward the door.

"Oh, and I almost forgot ... Faith has the most wonderful perfume she said I could use. It's right there on the bureau in the blue bottle. See it?"

He glanced at the bureau, then back. He squinted. "Are you going to be this much trouble after we're married?"

She grinned and sat up in bed, the blanket tucked tightly to her chin. "Oh, way more, I assure you! But, don't worry ... I have every intention of making it well worth your while."

He grunted and retrieved the perfume, then set it on the nightstand. He cocked a brow. "You better," he mumbled, then gave her a dangerous grin before striding from the room.

The door clicked shut and she sighed. Goodness, but she was crazy about that man! Humming under her breath, she quickly dressed, then brushed her hair to a high sheen. She dabbed a touch of perfume to her neck and wrists and set the bottle back on the table. With a low groan, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped on one shoe and then the other. She swept her hair over her shoulders and folded her hands in her lap. "I'm rea ... dy," she called in a singsong voice.

The door swung open and Mitch grinned. "That didn't take long. You look nice." He picked her up in his arms and sniffed. "Mmm ... you smell nice too."

She tossed her head back and grinned, then fingered the back of his collar. "Thank you. And how do I taste?" she asked.

His gaze dropped to her lips, and she saw his throat shift. "Not willing to find out, little girl," he said with a twist of a smile. "While we're in this house, you're off limits ... until tomorrow, when we become man and wife."

She started to grin, then caught her breath. Tomorrow. He wanted to get married tomorrow.

His brows dipped into a frown. "What's wrong?"

She drew in a deep breath, realizing that tomorrow night, nothing would keep him from her bed. She put a hand to her stomach, feeling the cramps.

"Charity, what's wrong?"

Her lips trembled into a smile. "Nothing. Mother just said something about a big brunch at Mrs. Gerson's, and we'll probably be there most of the day. I'm not sure we'll have time to get married tomorrow. It may have to wait."

He hefted her in his arms and headed to the door, his jaw stiff with intent. "We're getting married tomorrow, and nothing is going to stop us. I'm not going to sleep two nights in a room with you and lie to your family in the process. I'll buy you breakfast out. After." He gave her a quick kiss on the top of the head. "Come on, little girl, your father is anxious to see you."

She swallowed hard as he carried her from the room and down the hall. "Uh, Mitch, I better stop off in the bathroom after all. Sorry."

He halted on the top step and gave her a droll smile. "Yes, ma'am." He turned and deposited her in the bathroom. "I'll be right outside."

She nodded and watched as he closed the door. Her stomach cramped again, and she pressed her hand to her abdomen. She bit her lip and glanced in the mirror. Maybe it would work. Her time of the month would be almost over. And if not, she could tell him it had just come, mere hours after they were married. Nothing more than a false alarm. A smile flickered to her lips. And no baby to take care of. Just Mitch. She sucked in a deep breath and smiled. Yes, that could work-she was sure. The perfect scenario for the perfect life.

The smile faded from her lips and she closed her eyes. Except for one minor flaw. Her stomach tightened into a knot on top of another bout of cramps as she realized what waited at the bottom of the stairs.

Facing her father again.

Faith looked up as Collin stood and pushed in his chair. "Mrs. O'Connor, dinner was wonderful. But I have an early day tomorrow, so I'm going to head out."

Marcy blinked. But we haven't even had dessert yet. And you'll miss trimming the tree. We waited all this time for Charity to be here before we decorated, and now you're leaving?"

He smiled and tugged Faith up from her chair. "If I want a honeymoon with your daughter the week after next, I have to get a lot done this week. Brady can only do so much."

Patrick leaned back in his chair and unbuttoned his vest. "Hate to see you work a Saturday, Collin, but at least your business is thriving. See you tomorrow night for dinner?"

Collin grinned. "Honestly, Mr. O'Connor, when's the last time I missed one of Mrs. O'Connor's Saturday night feasts? I'll be here." He shot Charity a smile and nodded at Mitch. "Congratulations, you two, and welcome home. Good night, everyone."

Faith followed him to the front door. "I hate to see you work so much."

He backed her against the wall and pressed in for a gentle kiss. "You're worth it, Little Bit. A week with you in New York-sheer heaven."

She kissed him back, clinging tightly to his waist. "Oh, Collin, I can't wait. And I'm not talking about New York."

He smiled and pushed her away. "Me too. Now get back in there and have some fun." He lifted her chin. "Just not too much without me, okay?"

She stifled a yawn and smiled. "Nope, I think I'll go upstairs and change my sheets for Mitch, since he's sleeping in my bed tonight. Then I'm going to turn in myself."

"Where? With Katie?"

Faith groaned and sagged against Collin's chest. "Yes, with Katie. Which is why I need to go to sleep early. Once she gets done trimming that tree, she'll probably keep me up all night."

Collin kissed her nose, then brushed her lips. "I love you, Faith."

"Me too, Collin. Good night."

She closed the door and leaned against it, listening to the laughter floating out from the dining room. She smiled a sad smile, her mood melancholy. It was hard to believe she'd be leaving this house soon, this family she loved, if only to move into Collin's flat a few blocks away. And now with Charity home, and Mitch, things seemed even stranger yet. No, she definitely needed a good night's sleep, if only to drive this edgy feeling from her soul.

She popped her head in the dining room where she caught the tail end of one of Mitch's stories. Marcy looked up. "Faith, are you all right? You look pale."

She smiled. "Yes, Mother, I'm fine. Just really tired. I think the wedding is taking its toll on both Collin and me. If you don't mind, I'm going to go up and change the sheets on my bed for Mitch, then turn in, in Katie's room."

"You're sleeping with me?" Katie jumped up in her chair, eyes wide with excitement.

Faith leveled her with a threatening look. "Yes, Katie Rose, but only if you don't kick me like you used to at Grandmother's."

"I promise, Faith, I'll be still as a mouse."

Faith smiled. "Then I'll be waiting for you after you trim the tree, okay?" She rounded the table to kiss her mother and father good night, then stopped to hug Charity and smile at Mitch. "Good night, you two lovebirds. I'm glad you're home, Charity. I'm looking forward to spending time with you before the wedding."

Charity smiled. "Good night, Faith. Thanks for giving up your bed."

She gave Mitch a smirk. "Well, I suppose it's for a good cause. Good night, everyone."

Faith felt like an old woman as she trudged up the steps, her exhaustion warring with an uneasy feeling inside. She dismissed it and entered her room, lighting the lamp on the bureau. In a near-numb state, she moved to the linen closet in the hall and pulled out a fresh set of sheets, then returned and tossed them on Charity's bed. With a huge yawn, she stripped the sheets off her own bed and replaced them, smoothing the comforter just right. She sighed and turned around, noting the rumpled covers on Charity's bed. She reached for the edge of the blanket and pulled it back, ready to tuck it in. She gasped.

Blood on the sheets.

Faith froze. The edge of the cover slipped from her hand. With shaky fingers, she pulled it back to stare. Either Charity was miscarrying ... or she wasn't pregnant at all ...

She dropped on the bed and closed her eyes, her thoughts buzzing in her brain. What was going on? Or more true to form, what was Charity up to? She thought of Mitch and groaned. He deserved so much more. A woman he could trust. A woman who wasn't tricking him to marry her, if that's what Charity was doing. She pressed her hand to her head, exhaustion overpowering her. "Dear Lord, what should I do? I need your help, please."

Faith stood to her feet. Resolve suddenly buoyed her energy. She flipped the covers back and marched downstairs, where her family was just finishing dessert.

Marcy looked up in surprise. "I thought you were going to bed?"

Faith forced a smile. "I am, but I'd like to talk to Charity first. In private, if I could." She glanced at Mitch. "Would you mind carrying her up to our bedroom? Just for a few moments?"