A Special Summer (Love Conquers All) (18 page)

As good as he made her feel, Summer wasn’t one bit disillusioned. She knew the man too well. Sure, he treated her like a princess and pampered her from the time her eyes opened in the morning until they closed at night. She was aware his actions were primarily for that of the baby. Countless times he told her, “I just want the baby to be safe. That’s my main concern, so let me take care of you.”

Summer believed with all her heart he’d fallen madly in love with their baby. With every opportunity he touched, kissed or talked to her belly. He’d done the one thing he’d sworn to her he would never do… give his love, his heart to another person. Summer was now certain that for this reason he would honor his threat of filing for full custody. She wished a million times she’d told him about the baby. Now in hindsight, it would have been better to be rejected than to lose her baby.

She clung to the hope that when she told him everything he’d believe her intentions were never to deceive or hurt him. All she wanted to do was to keep their baby safe, to keep their baby alive.

Each evening the pair retired to Nick’s king size bed for the night. Summer watched television until she drifted off to sleep, while Nick brought documents from work to bed. She’d complain, “Do you always have to bring work stuff to bed?”

After
light
reading he’d turn the channel from whatever Summer had been watching to
Date Line.
If circumstances were different anyone looking from the outside would have guessed they were a happily married couple.

Shifting in her sleep, Summer rolled from her back onto her side. Throwing a slender arm leisurely across Nick’s midsection brought her swollen belly to rest against his side. A slow smile curved his full lips as his eyes traveled from the television to rest on Summer’s soft body cuddled next to him. Having her around all the time was more pleasant than he expected. He was never the type of man who always had to have a woman around. Yes, he appreciated the beauty of women, and all they offered to satisfy his carnal cravings. However, it wasn’t a necessity to be chained to one.

After the debacle with Veronica, he absolutely refused to bring another woman home to his bed. Other women after Veronica were always taken to luxury hotels. The acts they performed were strictly to alleviate a basic primal need, nothing more. The instant a female bed buddy questioned, “Why can’t we go to your place or my place?” She was history. Nick didn’t play those games.

By the time Summer came along Nick was just plain tired. Tired of women throwing themselves at him. Tired of women pretending to love him. Tired of women trying to take him home to meet their parents. Tired of women after a month of dating hinting at marriage and a family. What he was most tired of was sleeping and waking up in hotel beds with women he didn’t care anything about.
There has to be more than this,
he’d think to himself.

Summer hadn’t been anything like the others. She didn’t expect him to pamper or spoil her with expensive gifts. Her main interest was in getting to know the
real
Nicholas Stiles, not the wealthy businessman. She wanted to know what he was like as a child. Did he enjoy being an only child? Or did he hate it at times as much as she had growing up? Who taught him to ride a bike? What was his favorite color? What made him happy? What made him sad? Why had he decided on the corporate world and not follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and become a lawyer?

Nick detested nosy women who asked too many questions and talked too much. Any other time he would’ve dismissed the prying questions. Summer’s inquiries, however, were a sincere attempt to get to know him. He found himself intrigued with her. Other women assumed his main ambition in life was to gain epic wealth and status. Whereas, Summer’s astuteness brought her to the conclusion that he wasn’t driven by wealth or status. Though he developed a number of successful businesses from the ground up, his true passion was to recreate. He’d been blessed with the ability of taking a failing company and turn it into a thriving business. After three to five years of the company performing well he would sell to the highest bidder for a lucrative profit.

“Wow, Nick, do you know how many jobs you saved? How many people you kept from the unemployment line and possibly becoming homeless statistics?”

Summer got him. The others never appreciated the true man he was beneath the tailored suits, designer shoes, and expensive cars. They didn’t care about the long hours he worked to keep a deteriorating company from going under. Nor did they care about how he literally saved people’s livelihoods. Their only interest was in how stacked his financial portfolio was.

With Summer, Nick changed little by little. Changes he himself felt were uncharacteristic even for him.
Though he made it clear he wasn’t interested in a serious relationship he began to exclusively date her. And for the first time in years he had welcomed a female presence into his sanctuary. Initially he’d cursed himself when he offered, “Let me make dinner for you, Beautiful.” Later, he learned his reservations were for naught. Summer respected his space. When the time came in their relationship when she’d spend a night or two he never had to tell her, “Don’t leave this or that here.” Whatever she brought with her to his place went right along with her when she left. There was never any straggling panties, bras, or nightgowns. Not even so much as a forgotten toothbrush to announce she’d been there.

There was one change he would never allow as long as he lived. After Veronica’s betrayal he promised himself he’d never let another woman get close to his heart. Breaking up with Summer was the right thing to do. She’d manage to wiggle her way near his heart. If he weren’t careful she would be the one reason he would rethink his position on love. And as much as he cared about her, he would never love her.

While away from her he reflected on their relationship. Summer was the only woman he ever dated that never, not once, asked him for anything. No jewelry, furs, shopping sprees, nothing. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it. He wasn’t a stingy man. He didn’t mind showering beautiful women with gifts. And he would have gladly given her whatever she asked of him.

On Summer’s birthday when Nick presented her with a small package wrapped in aqua paper with a white satin ribbon, her hands slightly trembled as she delicately opened the package. She was in awe as diamond earrings sparkled and winked at her. Nick ignored how his heart fluttered when she looked from the exquisite gift then back to him.

“Nick, these are so beautiful. Thank you. No one has ever given me such a gorgeous gift before.”

He’d never experienced sincere gratitude from a woman. The others always act as if they deserved his exquisite gifts.

Who was he fooling? Nick’s feelings ran deeper than merely caring for Summer. It had taken months of his being without her to see the light, to see that their relationship was beyond the physical. That night on the plane back to Philly, he confessed to himself he wanted her back in his life. In the recesses of his mind, thousands of feet in the air, he toyed with the idea that one day he could bring himself to love her.

Just as quickly as he toyed with the idea it fled his mind as he stood face to face with a very pregnant Summer. Instantaneously rage rushed through his entire being. He had been played again; in spite of all the defenses he constructed to guard his heart. Here he was making plans to build a future, taking a chance on opening his heart, only to be made a fool of again.

What started off as pleasant memories of the petite woman next to him came crashing down like an implosion as anger and doubt overtook him. Hissing a string of expletives, Nick removed Summer’s hand from his midsection as he left the bed.

Summer, a light sleeper, had been aware when Nick left the bed. She sensed his irritation as he mumbled angrily to himself.
What in the world is wrong with him?

Maybe he had forgotten to do something for work. Nick had shared with Summer that he was in the middle of a major deal. Maybe things weren’t going well.

Summer slept off and on. An hour had passed and Nick hadn’t returned to bed. She was getting worried. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, waddling down the hall to his office, she peeked her head in. “He’s not in there.” Nor was he in the hall bathroom, guest bedroom, den or kitchen. Summer was relieved when she found him in the living room.

Nick sat in an armchair gazing out the window at nothing in particular. Something wasn’t right. He appeared troubled. As she eased up to the chair, Summer wasn’t sure if she should approach him. “Nick, are you coming back to bed?”

“No. Go back to bed Summer.” He snarled in a chilly tone causing Summer to stiffen. He was upset with her, but why?

“Did I do something?”

“I don’t know. You tell me Summer, did you?” His voice dripped with sarcasm as the muscle in his left jaw twitched from being clenched so tight.

The atmosphere was thick with tension. Summer quietly eased over to the sofa, sat down, and braced herself for the storm.
This is it. I’m tired. I want this over once and for all.

With that resolved the next question she asked was the impetus which made all hell break loose. “Is there something you want to know Nick?” Summer said with a hint of an attitude boosting her confidence a little bit. Shoot, she was tired of Nick’s mess.

Nick rose from the chair. Taking a few long strides he planted his large frame on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Leaning forward on his elbows he came into Summer’s space intimidating the hell out of her.

Here we go again
, Summer thought to herself.

Seconds ticked by as they stared at each other. Summer was determined to meet his stony stare.
I’m going to stand up to him this time.

If she just held her stare, kept her eyes locked with his, she’d be all right. She dropped her gaze the moment Nick’s features became distorted. Her resolve to stand up to him crumbled even further when he spoke.

“Yeah, Summer, I want to know why you didn’t tell me you were pregnant.”

Summer whispered, “I wanted to.”

“Speak up! I can’t hear you!”

“I said I wanted to tell you, Nick.”

“Why didn’t you Summer, huh?”

“I didn’t tell you because at first I was going to have an abortion.”

“Why?”

“Because you didn’t want to be with me anymore and if you didn’t want me I figured you wouldn’t want a baby either.”

“Did I ever tell you I didn’t want children?”

“You told me never to find myself pregnant by you. You said if I did you’d tell me to flush it.”

The pain was evident in her quivering voice as she replayed his words back to him.

I did tell her that.
He remembered the very night he had told her.
“What happened, why didn’t you get the abortion?”

Tears slowly ran down her cheeks.
He really wanted me to kill our baby.
Wiping tears away with the palm of her hand she silently wished she could wipe the pain away just as easily. “I went to the appointment with every intention of ending the pregnancy but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.” Slowly she pulled her gaze up to meet his. Nick’s demeanor was unmoved; her eyes drifted from his gaze to the floor.

“Summer, I’m still not getting why you never tried to contact me.”

“I thought if I had told you early on that you would have
made
me have an abortion or deny that the baby was yours.” Summer took a deep breath then added, “And when I wanted to tell you it never felt like the time was right.”

He didn’t argue with her on the point about the abortion, she was right. Hell, he would have driven her to the appointment and waited to make sure the deed was done. Honestly, he may have even denied the kid given his history with Veronica.

Nick was never one to hold back, he spoke his mind regardless how blunt or abrasive. “Yeah, well you’re right. I probably would have told you to get an abortion. But nevertheless I should have had a say so in the decision. Thanks to you, that never happened. And what is this lame excuse about the timing not being right? What happened to when you turned three, four… hell, five months pregnant! You could’ve told me then. Instead I come to your house to find you seven months pregnant, Summer! Seven damn months!”

Anger was fully consuming him as he bit out every sharp, piercing word. As each word exploded from his mouth his body propelled in Summer’s direction, making her extremely uncomfortable.