Home Run (13 page)

She let out a long deliberate breath. No matter what he’d just said to her, she wasn’t going to tell him—not yet. Christian had made many promises and she needed to know he’d keep a few of them, before she told him her secret. For now, she’d simply enjoy the moment to breathe while laughter resonated from downstairs.

Christian had helped them with the fort. They’d had a tea party and now they were picking it all up, with some protest, to get ready for dinner. Victoria was standing over the stove boiling noodles, he thought, and he took a moment to walk over to her.

He made sure not to touch her. “You don’t have to feed me. I dropped in uninvited. I’ll catch dinner when I go.”

“It’s only spaghetti with sauce on the side. Sam doesn’t like sauce. But I have plenty.”

He smiled. “If you don’t mind. I’ll bring over some groceries tomorrow to offset some meals.”

He noticed she swallowed hard, but she didn’t turn to look at him. “You’re coming tomorrow?”

“I would like to stop by and maybe I could take the kids to the park for a little bit. I saw a small glove the other day at the store. It’s not too early to get Sam playing catch. Or Ali for that matter.”

Tori continued to stir the pot of noodles, but her jaw tightened. “You don’t just have to suddenly come and step in. They’ve been this long without a man in their life.”

“I don’t think they should be without one any longer.”

“Chris, I can’t let them get used to having someone around to have them just up and leave.”

He knew where she was going and he wasn’t going to let her win this. “That isn’t going to happen. I’m here for the long haul and even if you and Scott get back together I’ll be here to help you out. I promised Dave I’d look after them and I will.”

Her lips softened. “Scott isn’t coming back.”

“Well, if someone else comes along then. The point is, I’m here. I never should have
not
been here.”

He could see the tear well in her eye, so he turned away and went back to picking up little cars and stuffed animals.

Victoria watched Chris help the kids. Why was he there? This was crazy. And now he wanted to come back tomorrow?

Sure, she felt that warmth she always did when it came to him, but she couldn’t have him around knowing that he was just going to break her heart again. How could he not? And now it wasn’t just her heart he was going to break, it would be Sam and Ali’s too. Luckily Scott had only been around a few times, but Chris—he was different. Ali remembered him. Sam, he didn’t remember much, but he’d obviously attached himself to Chris. She toyed with the thought again; about telling him about the baby. If this kept up, there’d be no choice.

She watched as he carried both of them, one on his back, the other on his waist—which had to hurt like hell—to the bathroom to wash their hands for dinner.

Give yourself some time,
she warned herself.
He’s probably not even going to show up tomorrow.

Dinner was pleasant. Chris refused to let her serve him until the kids were sure they had enough food. When she did serve him, he was gracious. Not that she’d expected anything less. His mother had raised him right.

After dinner he offered to clean up while she got their baths going, and he’d made it clear he’d like to be there for the reading of
Red Fish, Blue Fish
. She agreed and, a half hour later, she called down the stairs for him.

She sat on the edge of Sam’s bed, ready to read the book. The moment caught her in the chest when he walked into the room in the dim light. It was too cozy.

This was how it was supposed to have been. She wasn’t going to cry. This crying was getting out of control, but having been around her sister and Sonia when they were pregnant, she knew it was part of the process.

He stood near the door and leaned up against the wall casually. With a nod he gave her a wink to start the story.

Victoria moistened her lips with her tongue as they seemed to have gone dry.

Ali clutched Poppy and Sam’s eyes were already heavy. She started the story, but even the easy rhymes were hard to follow knowing Christian was standing there watching her with those sexy brown eyes.

By the time she was finished, she realized Christian was the only one still listening. Both Sam and Ali were fast asleep.

She closed the book. “I think you wore them out tonight.”

“Trust me, I was fighting it myself. They wore me out too. I don’t know how you do this every day.”

A part of her wanted to tell him that, with him there, the night had been much easier.

She looked down at the little blonde angel clutching the worn out dog. In the past few months, she’d become just too big for her to carry and it had become necessary for her to wake her almost every night to walk to bed.

“I’ll get her.” Christian moved toward her.

“Are you sure? She’s too big for me now.”

He nodded and moved in to scoop her up in his arms. Victoria had to press her hand to her stomach as she watched him carry her out of the room. They were a family, whether he’d stay or not. She had that part of him growing inside her and it was up to her to let him in.

She turned off the light and hurried downstairs to compose herself before she had to face Chris and tell him goodbye.

The kitchen was spotless and all traces of dinner had been cleaned up. Even the pot had been washed and leftovers put up.

The hum of the dishwasher caught her attention, but then there was something else. A rattling—no a buzzing of a cell phone on silent.

She looked around until she found the source. Chris’s phone had fallen out while he was playing with the kids and it was on the floor in the family room.

Victoria picked it up as it buzzed again. The message splayed on the screen. It was what appeared to be one of seven messages from a Rachael.

DON’T BOTHER TO CALL.

Again, those stupid and pesky tears welled in her eyes. She could only assume Rachael was the woman he was dressed up for. Christian didn’t usually just look that good unless he was out to impress.

There was a sharp pain in her chest, but she had to let it go. He wasn’t hers to keep. She’d made it as clear to him after they’d spent the night together that she didn’t need him—just as he’d made it clear he couldn’t make a family with her.

A wave of nausea began to move through her. Not now. Not now! She pressed her hand to her stomach, but it wasn’t going to hold.

As she looked up she noticed Christian walking into the kitchen. He moved to her swiftly.

“Are you okay?” His eyes were wide and he looked scared. Why would he be scared if he thought she was only sick? But those were the eyes of someone frightened.

“I don’t feel well.”

“C’mon, sit down.”

He helped her to the couch. “I’ll get you some water.”

She could hear him in the kitchen opening and closing doors to cabinets. A moment later he was back with water.

“Here sip this.”

She reached for the glass, but her hand was shaky. He helped her until she got a sip down and everything began to feel more normal.

“Better?”

She nodded, but now her eyes were growing heavy. “I’m fine. I’ll be okay.”

“Tori, I can stay. If you still don’t feel well I can…”

“No. No, you can’t stay.”

He only nodded as if that was exactly what he thought she’d say.

“I’ve managed in worse situations. Besides, Ali will be up in a few hours. You being here will only confuse her.”

“A few hours?” His eyebrows narrowed.

“She wakes up a few times a night looking for her mother. Most of the time she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.”

He shook his head. “That’s terrible, for both of you.”

Victoria shrugged. “It’s just part of our life.” She felt the vibration of the phone in her hand again. She looked down at it and she wanted to squeeze it into a million pieces.

She looked up at him and lifted her hand. “This is yours. You left it out here.”

“Oh. I hadn’t even noticed.” He looked at the screen, frowned, and then tucked it into his pocket.

She took another sip of the water and then focused in on him. “Did you stand up a date?”

The lines around his eyes deepened. “I came here and that was more important.”

“I don’t suppose Rachel thinks so.”

He didn’t say anything else and she’d wished he’d just tell her that Rachel was his assistant or something, but she knew better. She’d tried to move on with Scott and it was now obvious he’d tried to move on with Rachel.

“Can I help you upstairs?”

She wanted to tell him that if he would tuck her in and tuck himself in next to her that would be the best. But she knew it wouldn’t make everything better. Christian had to want that.

“I’ll be fine.”

He’d tried to convince her again, but she held to what she thought was best. “And you really don’t have to come by tomorrow. You’re busy.”

“I’ll be here. Let me be here.”

She walked behind him to the door. He pulled it open and turned to her. She was almost waiting for him to try and kiss her. But he didn’t.

“Can I bring anything tomorrow?”

Shaking her head she looked into his eyes—those dark and sexy eyes. “No. And like I said, you don’t have to come.”

“I’ll be here,” he reiterated through clenched teeth.

He stepped over the threshold.

“Chris,” she called and he turned back. “If you can’t always be here for them, then please don’t be. I can’t explain to them your leaving if you do this.”

His eyes narrowed. He pursed his lips and walked away.

Chapter Sixteen

It had been a week since Victoria had held that pregnancy test in her hand. A week since Scott walked out of her life and somehow Christian had walked back in.

He’d been there every night after work and, just as he’d promised, he was helping out. On Sunday night he’d walked through the door with groceries and again on Thursday. They’d taken walks around the park as a family. He’d bought that ball and two gloves and begun teaching both kids how to catch.

He wasn’t just stepping in as the playmate either. On three of those nights last week, he’d cooked dinner so Victoria could play with the kids. She’d even found him in the laundry room doing their laundry.

She hadn’t quite yet figured out his motivation, maybe it would make it easier to finally tell him about the baby since he’d begun to integrate himself into their lives.

On her day off, she’d been able to get an appointment to the doctor and her pregnancy was confirmed. Now she sat at Sonia’s kitchen table finally ready to tell her best friend—well, she’d get to it.

“You’d think these kids hadn’t seen each other in a month. Gretchen has been waiting all week to show Ali her new Barbie.”

“I’m glad they get along so well. I’d like to think they’ll stay friends as long as we have.”

Sonia nodded and took a sip of her iced tea. “Maybe Gretchen will know when Ali is hiding something from her.”

Victoria tightened her lips. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t told her yet. She should have known Sonia would know something wasn’t right with her.

“Scott and I broke up.”

Sonia turned, her mouth open. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Probably because the next day Christian started coming around.”

Sonia blinked her eyes rapidly. “Why? Did you tell him Scott left you?”

“Not really. I told John when he came to fix the sink. He’d asked why my guy wasn’t fixing the sink and I said I had no guy. Then he asked if I was sick and I told him I had been. Then Christian showed up because he heard I was sick and that there wasn’t anyone around to help me out.”

Sonia narrowed her eyes at her. “So taking Scott to the wedding was really a good thing? I mean it woke Christian up.”

In more than one way.

Sonia covered her hand with hers. “This has nothing to do with Christian just showing up, does it?”

Victoria swallowed hard and tried to gather her nerves. She took in a cleansing breath and let it out. “I’m pregnant.”

Sonia’s eyes opened wide and then her mouth opened and closed. She covered it with her hand and then slowly dropped it. “Oh, Tori.”

“That wasn’t the reaction I thought you’d have. It was mine, but…”

“How long?”

She ran her tongue over her teeth. “Five weeks.”

Sonia covered her mouth again. “Christian’s?”

Tori nodded.

“And is that why he’s come around?”

Victoria shook her head. “The only other person that knows is Scott.”

“And that’s why he left?”

She nodded.

“Oh, honey.”

“It’s going to be okay. I don’t expect Christian to hang around much longer. And when he finds out about the baby, he’ll run. He’s been playing favorite uncle all week, but it’s only been a week. If he couldn’t be a father to the kids, he can’t be father to his baby.”

“But you can’t do this alone.”

“I don’t think I’ll have to. The baby is a Keller. They won’t let me do this alone.”

“But is that enough?”

“It’s going to have to be.”

Sonia stood up and walked around the table and pulled Victoria up out of her chair and pulled her into an embrace.

“I’m here too. Whatever you need. I’m here.”

“Thank you,” Victoria said pulling back. “But don’t say anything. Not yet. I’m not ready for the kids to know or for Chris to know.”

“You don’t have forever on this. He’ll figure this out soon you know.”

“I know.”

Victoria thought she’d see how the week went and then she could decide how she wanted to handle telling Christian.

~*~

Christian tapped his pencil against the top of his desk as he looked over the plans for the baseball stadium. In the past two weeks, he’d had a change of heart when it came to the project.

He’d been playing catch with Ali and Sam each night when he got to their house. And even at three-years-old, Sam showed the same promise his father had. Dave should have been major league. Christian would never understand why he hadn’t been picked up.