For One Night Only (23 page)

Rosa
’s voice rang out over the garden, calling her husband. Hector laughed as he got to his feet. ‘Talking of sins, I think I forgot to load the dishwasher.’ Heading into the house, he called over his shoulder, ‘don’t stay out here too long.’

Ruben watched him walk away, still reeling from the conversation. Everything he thought he knew about his father, and therefore himself, had just been turned on its head. He’d been fighting for years to prove that he was nothing like the man who had raised him. Now, for the first time in his life, he hoped he was, at least in one respect. His father had changed for the better and kept the woman he loved.

Ruben realized too that he had been hiding behind his hatred of his father for years. Any aspect of his personality he didn’t like had been blamed on his upbringing. It was time to let that go. He was a grown man and responsible for his own actions. Sure, his childhood could and should have been better, but that was history. Everybody had moved on, except for him.
Hell, even
Bethany had.

The shock of seeing her with Simon again had almost finished him off. He’d gone to her house a few days after the board meeting, emboldened by the hesitation he’d seen in her eyes when they spoke.
Maybe he had given up too easily?

She wasn’t home when he arrived so he’d waited in his car, watching for her. Late afternoon had dragged into early evening by the time she appeared. Ruben was about to reveal his presence when he saw her driver door open and Simon jump out. He rushed around to help her before walking with her to the house, his arm thrown around her shoulders in a possessive manner that made Ruben feel ill.

The desire to break Simon’s neck almost won out over his need to get the hell away from there before he did something stupid. He’d gunned the engine, roaring away from her house, unwilling to subject himself to more torment.

Ruben could feel the temper rising in him all these months later as he remembered that day.
How could Beth have been so false
? He couldn’t remember how many times he’d asked her about Simon and whether she still loved him. She’d even made him feel like a paranoid jerk for being so jealous over her ex-fiancé.

He hadn’t stayed angry with her for long, though. It was his fault they weren’t together and she owed him nothing. She was a free agent and had moved on. Sure, he wished it hadn’t been Simon, but it was none of his business anymore. Ruben knew he would have felt awful no matter who she had turned to.

He’d spent many nights going over in his head what he should have done differently.
Hindsight was a bitch…not only did it taunt you with the knowledge that you’d screwed up, it also showed you what could have had.
His fear that Beth wouldn’t want him if she really knew him had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. She had been right…she’d never really known him. All she had seen was the man he thought he should be—one that tried to control everything around him and in the end controlled nothing, not even his own happiness.

A blaze of gold and red across the sky moments before the sun finally disappeared earned his appreciation as he took a deep, cleansing breath to chase away the memories.

He wasn’t over
Bethany yet, who knew if he ever would be, but he felt calmer than he had in a long time. The visit home had done him good.

Finishing his beer, he walked back to the house. He would stay for another day or so, determined that when he left home this time, he wouldn’t be running from his past.

Bethany
grappled her considerable bulk up out of the chair.
Ugh!
She hated being pregnant. Her due date had passed and she wondered how long she would have to walk around feeling like she had a bowling ball between her legs. Donna appeared beside her instantly.

‘Beth, there is no point me being here if you won’t let me look after you,’ she admonished, walking slowly beside her sister as she waddled to the kitchen.

‘I have to keep moving, Donna. Sitting in one place is driving me crazy.’ Lowering herself gingerly onto a kitchen chair, Beth rubbed her belly. ‘Please, come out baby girl. I am desperate to see you.’

‘I wonder if she is going to look like you,’ Donna mused, patting the bump tenderly.

Beth bit back the tears that threatened. She prayed daily that the baby looked like Ruben. She missed his warm brown eyes and she longed to see them again in the face of his daughter. Donna smoothed the hair from her brow, watchful as usual and aware of her sadness. ‘All I seem to do is cry these days,’ Beth smiled through her tears.

‘Ah, the joys of motherhood.’

Beth grimaced. ‘Don’t remind me, Sis. I am not looking forward to the sleepless nights either.’ Fresh tears washed over her. ‘Oh God. What if I’m a terrible mother?’

‘You won’t be.’ Donna reassured her. ‘You’ve got me to help you. And don’t forget, we had the best Mom in the world.’

‘She had to be. She was both mother and father to us.’

Donna nodded, distracted. She was unusually solemn. Beth could see she was fighting the urge to say something. She didn’t have to wait long to find out what was on her sister’s mind.

‘Beth…’ Donna began. ‘Have you thought anymore about letting Ruben know he is about to become a father?’

So, that’s what the sad face was about. ‘I don’t want to discuss this again. You know my reasons for not telling him.’

‘I know the reasons you’ve convinced yourself of, Beth,’ she replied. ‘But is it fair to affect three lives over a matter of principle?’

‘You don’t understand, Donna. Trust is a huge issue for me and Ruben betrayed my trust. He took a paternity test and had no intention of telling me about it. That’s huge by anybody’s standards.’
Why was she doing this to her now?
Donna of all people knew how heartbroken she still was over her break up with Ruben and to be reminded of it was the last thing she needed just before giving birth.

‘Coming from anybody else, I would believe it. But I know you, Beth. Be honest, your relationship was doomed from day one. The script was already written. You went into it expecting to be let down and deceived. All Ruben did was play his part.’ Beth was stunned. Donna had never spoken to her that way. And she wasn’t done either.

‘The guy made a mistake…a huge one, I’ll give you that…but that’s all it was. He probably panicked and chose the wrong course of action. But ask yourself, Beth, was he wrong to be afraid of how you would take the news?’ She paused then, allowing her words to sink in.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You overreacted, Beth. You tried and convicted him in an afternoon. The guy never had a chance to put things right and you didn’t hang around long enough to see if what you had was strong enough to overcome it.’

Bethany
knew she was right. She’d said it to herself a million times since the split. It still didn’t change the fact she was about to have his baby…a baby he neither knew of nor wanted.

‘Don’t you see, none of that even matters anymore, Donna? I can’t ever see him again. I am about to have his child. A child he told me in LA he may never be ready for.’

Donna let out a harsh breath, shaking her head in defeat. ‘He still has a right to know, sweetheart. What you are doing to him and this baby now, by denying them their relationship, is far, far worse than anything he did.’

Bethany
sat in stunned silence, shock at her sister’s words rendering her speechless. Straining for the indignation she should be feeling after being spoken to in such a way, she came up with nothing. The niggling pain she’d been ignoring for the past half hour kicked up a notch, causing her to cry.

‘Darling, I’m sorry!’ Donna was immediately on her feet, putting her arms around her. ‘I’ve got a big mouth. Take no notice of me.’

‘It’s not that,’ Beth wailed. ‘My back is killing me. I think the baby is coming.’

Donna started crying too. ‘Oh no, I’ve forced you into labor,’ she exclaimed so dramatically that they both began to laugh through their tears.

Many hours later as she began to get sleepy after the emotional and physical strain of giving birth,
Bethany peeked over into the crib aligned with her bed. Stretching out a hand, she watched in wonder as the small fist opened up as she touched it, just long enough to grip tightly onto her finger.

Just like her father, little Tiana Dorothea Navarro—all seven pounds of her—had stolen
Bethany’s heart.

* * * *

Ruben was glad to finally get off stage. It had been almost a year since he’d last played Vegas and he hadn’t wanted to return anytime soon. Memories had begun assaulting him the moment he’d stepped off the plane onto the tarmac six hours earlier. The sooner he got through the stage door and out of this town, the happier he would be.

Surprised at how raw his wounds still were, he hadn’t been able to help but scan the crowd, hoping to see her face. Of course, he’d know she wouldn’t be there. His performance had suffered badly as a consequence, adding to his worsening mood. Byron was giving him a wide berth too. Ruben felt bad that his friend always felt it was best to keep out of his way at times like this, but he guessed Byron was right.

Showering and dressing as fast as he could, Ruben was out of the stage door in minutes. Getting through the swarms of fans wouldn’t be that easy. His latest release had raised his profile again, attracting new admirers along with the ones that had followed him for years. Ruben always tried to make time for them. He’d be nothing without them. The noise level was deafening as they all vied for his attention. Security was working full time keeping the crowd under control as he followed the golden rule and ‘kept moving’. One persistent voice drew his attention.

Turning to scan the throng, his eyes landed on a teenage girl, jumping up and down on the spot. He froze as he recognized the face…but why? The girl, seeing him look her way, shouted louder. Recognition slammed into him, it was
Bethany’s niece.
She’s sure grown in the last year,
he thought as he scrambled for her name. Guessing she wanted an autograph, he gestured to security to get her nearer to him.

‘Ruben,’ she said breathlessly as she was brought to him. ‘I am Tyla. You know my Aunt Bethany.’ The pain hearing her name always caused never ceased to surprise him. ‘You’ve got to see her. It’s like, so important.’

‘Why, is she ill?’ Fear gripped at him. Unable to hear her, he had to get the kid out of this madness. Opening the door to the limo, he told her to get in.

‘Oh, wow. This is amazing,’ Tyla said, awestruck at the luxurious interior of the sleek black Mercedes. She fell silent as her wide eyes took in the television screens, plush carpeting and leather upholstery, seemingly unaware of Ruben.

So help him, if this kid was yanking his chain, he was gonna lose it
. ‘What is wrong with
Bethany?’ Ruben fought to keep his voice calm.

‘Oh, she’s fine. She doesn’t know I am here,’ the girl whispered, as if confiding, ‘but you really need to see her.’

‘Why?’

Her eyes flew open in horror. ‘I
so
can’t tell you. I promised I wouldn’t.’ Ruben couldn’t help, but laugh. She was driving him crazy, but she was a cute kid.

‘Then what are you doing here?’

‘I didn’t promise that I wouldn’t try to get you to visit her.’ She babbled on, warming to her topic. ‘Grown-ups are so stupid sometimes.’

Ruben shook his head, unsure of how much she knew of his history with her aunt. ‘I don’t think
Bethany wants to see me, Tyla. It was nice of you to try, but there is really no point.’

Leaping forward, she grabbed his hand. ‘Oh please, you have to see her. It’s like, so huge.’

Gently extricating the fingers she was crushing, Ruben decided to put an end to it. ‘I am sorry…I can’t. It was sweet of you to try, but you shouldn’t really meddle in your Aunt’s life.’

Tyla burst into tears, startling Ruben into silence. Her words came out in a jumble. ‘It’s so hard for her…she’s…she’s…not coping…Tiana wont sleep…Aunt Beth has to work and she’s so tired—’

‘Tiana? Who is Tiana?’ Ruben saw the girl reel in shock. Her hand flew to her mouth as if trying to pull back her words back in. Ruben was losing patience. ‘I said, who is Tiana?’

Tyla squirmed in her seat, avoiding his eyes. ‘Tiana is her baby,’ she muttered so quietly, he wasn’t sure if he’d heard right.

‘What?’

‘I said she’s her baby,’ Tyla groaned. ‘Please, please don’t tell her I told you. She would so kill me.’

Ruben couldn’t put the girl out of her misery. His brain was paralyzed. ‘How old is she?’

‘Tiana? Six weeks and, ohmigod, she is so cute.’ Tyla’s expression became serious. ‘Please, Ruben, don’t tell her I said anything. My mom will lose it, big time.’

Ruben’s heart soared and fell in a matter of seconds. The timing meant the baby had to be his…but what about Simon?

‘I won’t say anything—I promise,’ he reassured her. It was a promise he knew he couldn’t keep. If
Bethany thought she could simply ignore him so that she and Simon could play happy family with his baby— then she was in for a shock.