Furever Yours (8 page)

Dawson
waited outside the rental shack for over an hour, but Jade never showed.
Frowning, he scanned the snowy landscape for her with his keen eyes, then
turned and walked around the shack so he could search the slopes, wondering if
he’d missed her somehow. He didn’t know how that could happen, since she would
have had to walk passed the shack without him, but that must've been what
occurred because the only other explanation was that she’d stood him up.

            And
there was no way that had happened
—not
after the incredible sex they’d had last night, and the wonderful companionship
they’d shared for the last two days
.

            But
as one hour became two and his search of the slopes turned up nothing, Dawson
had to admit that though she might not
have
purposely stood him up, she definitely hadn’t shown. The worry that had been
steadily gnawing a hole in his gut started to burn, and, unable to handle it
anymore, he turned and headed toward the lodge where Jade had told him she was
staying.

            "Hi,
” he told the woman behind the desk, a dark
skinned Latina who bore a faint resemblance to Jade. He wondered if they were
related and then remembered that it was a family business. She most likely was.
“I’m looking for Jade Garcia. Have you seen her?”

            The
woman
—whose name tag announced
her as Rachel—sat up straighter, her dark eyes glowing. “Oh, you must be
the guy she’s seeing,” she said, her voice bubbling. But then a frown bunched
her brows together. “She... she didn’t tell you that she’d left?”

            "No.
” Hurt, he recoiled. “She... she’s gone? As in,
gone from the resort?”

            Sympathy
filled Rachel
’s eyes as she nodded.
“Her boss called and told her she was needed back at the studio. She left in a
real hurry early this morning.”

            "Oh.
” A hollow ache filled his chest. So she really
had left. And she hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye?

            Maybe
last night hadn
’t
meant as much to her as it had to him. The thought filled him with a kind of
helpless anger. Even if she hadn’t felt the same way, she could have at least
told him so. For fuck’s sake, they’d had another date this afternoon, and she
knew where he was staying! She could have stopped by to tell him she was
leaving.

            "Hey,
don
’t take it so personally,”
Rachel said, clearly reading his thoughts from the expression on his face. “She
didn’t say goodbye to me either, and I’m related to her. The only reason I knew
is because Gabriel told me when we were changing shifts... and I doubt he would
have known if he hadn’t seen her charging out of here with her luggage.” She
smiled a little. “When Jade’s got something on her mind, she tends to block out
everything else.”

            "Okay.
” He wasn’t sure how to take that since he
didn’t know how close Jade was to the rest of her family outside her
grandparents, but he had to admit Rachel’s words made him feel a little better.
“Do... do you think maybe you have a phone number for her? I really wanted to
say goodbye.”

            Rachel
shook her head.
“I
don’t have anything like that... but you should ask Abuelito Garcia.” She
pointed towards the elevator. “I saw him go back up the elevator. He might be
in his rooms right now.”

            "I
’ll go talk to him.” Relief coursed through
Dawson as Rachel gave him her grandfather’s room number, and he quickly headed
for the elevator and took it up to the third floor. As he rode, he admitted to
himself that he didn’t want Jade’s number so he could say goodbye. He wanted
her number so that he could meet up with her again. For Christ’s sake, they
both lived in the LA area. The chemistry between them had been so explosive it
had rocked his world, and he couldn’t let her get away, not if it was possible
that she could be his mate. And, with the way things had been between them last
night, it was not only possible, but likely.

            Taking
a deep breath,
Dawson
knocked on the door Rachel had told him to go to, anxiety biting into his
chest. This wasn’t exactly the way he’d introduce himself to a prospective
mate’s family... but what else could he do?

            The
door opened to reveal an older woman with smooth, coffee colored skin and
graying black hair wearing a long woolen dress and Native American jewelry.
Fine wrinkles fanned out from the corners of her eyes and around her mouth, and
the wizened look in her dark eyes told him, along with the shape of her mouth
and face that were so similar to Jade
’s,
that this was Jade’s grandmother.

            "Good
afternoon, Mrs. Garcia.
” God,
but this felt so incredibly awkward. “I’m looking for Mr. Garcia. Is he here?”

            "No,
he
’s taking care of a plumbing
issue in one of the guest rooms.” Her brow furrowed. “Did Rachel send you up
here to find him? We don’t usually handle guest matters at our private
residence, but I’d be happy to help you.” She smiled graciously but the tone
underlying her words told Dawson that Mrs. Garcia was going to have some choice
words for Rachel.

            "No,
no, it
’s not about that,” Dawson
said, rushing to correct the misconception before Rachel got in trouble. “I’m
completely satisfied with my experience here at the Lodge.” He smiled at the
woman. “It’s just... I was supposed to meet Jade this afternoon to go skiing,
and she hasn’t shown up.”

            "Oh!
” Surprise flared in the woman’s dark eyes, and
she smiled. “So you are the young man that Jade has been keeping from us.” She
looked him up and down with a critical eye, then made a sound in her throat
that sounded a lot like approval. “I don’t see why, though. I would be happy to
have any of my children or grand children bring home a man who looks like you.”

            A
smile twitched at Dawson
’s
lips—damn, but this woman was forward. “I’m happy that you think so, Mrs.
Garcia... but I guess Jade didn’t feel the same way.” His mood plummeted.
“Rachel told me she’d been in a hurry and that she had to go back to work. I
was wondering if I might be able to get a phone number from you.”

            Mrs.
Garcia arched a brow.
“I’m
not sure a phone number will do you much good,” she said. “Jade might not be
back for a long while.”

            "Still,
” he said doggedly. “I have to try. She told me
that she lives in LA, and so do I. I can’t pass up the opportunity to get to
know your granddaughter better. I would regret it for the rest of my life,
knowing that she lives nearby but not being able to see her again.”

            Jade
’s grandmother nodded, her dark eyes gleaming
with approval. “I don’t have her cell phone number, but I do have a landline,”
she said. “Give me a moment to get my phone book. You might not be able to
reach her now but you should be able to get hold of her once she’s home, and
then you can convince her to come back here and marry you.” She winked and then
shut the door so that she could get her book of phone numbers.

            Dawson
grinned despite himself. Maybe marriage wasn
’t
on the table yet, but her grandmother definitely had the right idea. He’d get
her on the phone and brow beat her for breaking his heart and then reel her
back in so he could decide once and for all whether or not they were truly
meant to be together.

Two
weeks later.

            Jade
staggered out of her friend Emily
’s
bathroom, her legs weak and shaky and her stomach roiling with nausea. “God,”
she rasped, her throat still burning as she collapsed onto Emily’s couch. The
taste of vomit lingered at the edges of her mouth even though she’d rinsed with
Listerine three times. “I’m so sorry, Em.”

            Emily,
who was sitting in the recliner watching her flat screen TV, paused and turned
to look at Jade. Her pale blue eyes were round with concern.
“Hon, there’s nothing for you to apologize
about. You're the one who feels like shit.”

            "I
know,
” Jade groaned, leaning her
head back against the couch cushion. She knew that she should go hunt around in
the kitchen for some saltine crackers to try and settle her stomach, but she
was afraid that if she moved again she’d start retching. “But still, nobody
likes to have a sick person crashing on their couch.”

            Almost
as soon as she
’d arrived back home,
her apartment manager had informed her that they were redoing all the plumbing
and electric in the apartment and that she wouldn’t have any running water or
electricity for about two weeks. Why they’d picked the Christmas season to do
this kind of thing was beyond Jade, but they’d compensated all of the tenants
for the inconvenience... sort of. The money was only enough for a closet sized
motel room, so Jade had instead asked Emily if she could crash on her couch,
which was much more comfortable than a motel room mattress plus included the
luxury of being bed-bug free. It was shortly after she’d moved in that the
sickness had started.

            "Honey,
” Emily said slowly. “I’m not sure that you're
ill.”

            Jade
chuckled and then immediately regretted it when her stomach pitched.
“Of course, I’m ill. What the hell else would
this be?”

            Emily
’s brow furrowed. “I’d believe you if it weren’t
for the fact that you've got no other symptoms of illness, and your nausea
seems to strike at totally random intervals.”

            Jade
lifted her head, an uneasy feeling forming in the pit of her stomach... which
was saying something considering how awful she already felt.
“What exactly are you saying, Em?”

            Emily
sucked in a breath.
“Have
you had sex recently?”

            A
flush crept over Jade
’s
cheeks at the memory of Dawson’s muscular body covering hers as his cock
plunged into her. “Maybe,” she said defensively.

            Emily
snorted.
“I’m going to try not to be offended
that you didn’t tell me you got some on your vacation because you're feeling so
shitty.” She folded her arms. “Fact is, hon, you need to take a pregnancy test
because you could be expecting.”

            Jade
sat up straight, shock making her momentarily forget the nausea.
“No way!”
That couldn’t possibly be true.
“I’m on the pill!'

            Emily
gave her a sympathetic look.
“There’s
a reason the HHS says it’s ninety-one percent effective.”

            Jade
scowled.
“That’s only if you miss days
or run out of pills, and I haven’t. It’s supposed to be ninety-nine point five
percent effective if you take it correctly.”

            Emily
gave Jade an arch look.
“Yeah,
well, tell that to the baby growing inside of you.”

            "There
’s no baby growing inside me,” Jade declared.
Yeah, okay, so her stomach was turning itself into knots but that was probably
because of the illness. Seriously, she was working 12-hour days trying to fix
this advertising nightmare. The stress was bound to be taking a toll on her
body. Good thing she was wrapping up because she desperately needed some
R&R time so that she could kick this bug.

            "Oh
yeah?
” Emily challenged. “Well then,
there should be no problem with you taking a test—just to make sure.”

            "I
’m not going out to the drug store, Em,” Jade
groaned, leaning her head back against the couch cushion again. “I just can’t
do it right now. I’ll hurl all over the cashier.”

            "Not
to worry.
” Emily jumped to her feet.
“I've got some stashed away in case of emergencies like this. I’ll go and get
one right now.”

            Dread
curled Jade
’s toes as she watched
Emily disappear into her room. Try as she might to deny it, Emily had sewn the
seeds of the possibility of pregnancy in her mind, and she couldn’t ignore it.
God, what if she really was pregnant? What was she going to do? Should she get
an abortion?

            Dawson
’s achingly handsome face rose up in her vision
and guilt jabbed at her heart. The idea of crushing such a tiny life inside
her, one that would have its father’s features, was too much for her to
contemplate. But how was she going to raise this kid by herself? She’d never
wanted the single mother life. She firmly believed that a child needed both
parents to have a truly balanced childhood. She’d never planned on having
children out of wedlock. But, she didn’t have Dawson’s number, didn’t have any
way of contacting him at all outside of calling the lodge and seeing if she
could get hold of him. And that was a long shot, too.

            Emily
came back into the room and tossed a pink, rectangular box into Jade
’s lap. “Here you are,” she said. “Go pee on the
stick.”

            Jade
sighed, shoving aside her fear as best she could. Gripping the box tightly, she
gingerly shuffled off to the bathroom so that she could determine the truth of
things once and for all. There was no point in being afraid and worrying if she
didn
’t even know whether or not
there was a kid growing inside her, right?

            When
she came back out of the bathroom, her face was ashen.

            Sympathy
filled Emily
’s eyes. “Positive,
huh?” She crossed the room to give Jade a hug, who was standing there looking
shell-shocked. “Normally I’d squeal and dance around the room with you... but I
get the idea that you're not thrilled about this.”

            "I...
I don
’t know what to think.” Jade
wrapped her arms around Emily’s slender waist and held on. “I... I've never
been pregnant before.”

            Emily
laughed, then stepped back.
“There’s
always a first time for everything,” she said, shaking her head. “Trust me,
you’ll get through this. You're a strong woman, and you've got childbearing
hips.” She squeezed said hips playfully.

            Jade
’s lips twitched at the saucy gesture. “I don’t
know, Emily. I don’t want to be a single mom.”

            "Then
don
’t.” Emily placed her hands on
her hips. “Call the guy up and tell him. If he’s half the man you think he is,
he’ll accept the baby and you guys can get married and live happily ever after.
Or not,” Emily added with a shrug. “Not everybody has to get married.”

            "Okay.
” Jade let out a long breath. “Yeah, you're
right. I’ll call the resort and see if I can get him.” It was late at night, so
he should be at his cabin right now... unless he was with another woman.

            Her
gut twisted at that thought, and she tried to ignore how awful the thought made
her feel. She had no right to feel betrayed by that idea
—she’d left him without so much as a
goodbye. Any guy would have written her off by now, which only made calling him
even scarier now that she thought of it. What if he’d found another woman and
actually liked her? Or worse, was in love with her?

            Stop
it. Even if he doesn
’t want
to be with you, you still have to let him know he’s going to be a father.

            She
pulled out her cellphone and then dialed the number for the lodge.

            An
unfamiliar voice answered the phone
.
Whoever they’d assigned for the night shift wasn’t family. “Encantamiento Lodge
and Resort, how can I help you?”

            "Hi.
” Jade paused for a moment, scrambling to
remember which cabin Dawson was in. “Can you patch me through to Cabin 104,
please?”

            "Certainly.
Please hold.
”

            The
phone rang for a minute and then someone picked up.
“Hello?”

            Jade
’s heart plummeted into her stomach at the sound
of a woman’s husky voice. “Umm... hi.” She wanted to hang up, to pretend that
the call had never happened, but she knew that she would be up all night,
conjuring up visions of what the woman on the other end looked like and
wondering whether or not Dawson gave her the same molten silver look that had
made feel Jade so wanted and desirable. Plus, she had to tell him. “I’m looking
for Dawson McKinnon?”

            "Dawson
McKinnon?
” Annoyance crept into the
woman’s tone, driving the sleep from her voice. “There’s no Dawson McKinnon
here, it’s just me and my husband. You should call the lodge back and make sure
you have the right number. Goodnight.”

            "Wait!
” Jade cried. “You... are you staying in Cabin 104?”

            "Yes.
” The woman sounded cross. “And I’d really like
to get some sleep now. Goodnight.”

            There
was a sharp click and then the sound of a dial tone. Relief swept through Jade
so fast she felt light headed as she sagged back down onto the couch cushions.

            "Well?
” Emily asked, a curious expression on her face.
“What happened?”

            "He
wasn
’t there,” Jade told her. The
relief gave way to another bout of anxiety. “He’d already left the cabin. I...
I don’t understand. I thought he was staying there through Christmas.”

            "Maybe
something came up and he had to go,
”
Emily said gently. “You're not the only one that happens to.”

            "Yeah,
” Jade said bitterly, staring down at her
stomach. “But when I have to go, the person I leave behind isn’t usually
pregnant.”