Pregnancy Plan (13 page)

“
You must be Jillian,” the balding man
beside Derek said. The stranger looked to be about forty, with
round wire-rim glasses and the sturdy build of a boxer.

“
Yes.”

“
I’m Kevin. It’s nice to finally meet
you. Derek has told me a lot about you.” The man held out his
hand.

She shook it while introducing the rest of
the group, but never broke contact with Derek. “Thank you for
bringing him back home to us. I hope the trip wasn’t too
tiring.”

“
It was a long trip. He slept part of
the way, but I'm sure he's probably still tired. Because of the way
we left the Middle East, there isn’t any luggage to claim,” Kevin
explained. “That should speed up your getting out of here. I have a
connecting flight to catch, so if you don’t mind, I’ll say
farewell.”

Kevin turned. “I’ll see you around,
Derek.”

Not responding, he just stared at the man.
Kevin turned to Jillian. “Call me if you need anything.”

“
Thanks again, Kevin. I’m sure Derek
appreciates everything you’ve done for him. You’ve been a good
friend. If you’re ever in Gladewater look us up.” She smiled and
waved goodbye to the man as he walked away.

She turned for the exit, pulling Derek
along. “Well, I guess we can go. No point in standing around
here.”

The hustle and bustle of the people
constantly shifting around him over the last eight hours left Derek
confused about his surroundings. Now he glanced around the interior
of the car. Plush black seats, two people in the front seat, yet a
familiar scent greeted his nose—strawberry shampoo. The woman
beside him had her left hand resting on his thigh. Another man sat
on her other side.

Who was she?

He felt a connection and stared at her hand.
A memory tugged at him--something about the ruby stone on her hand
sparked a vision. His mind drifted to a different scene.

“
Derek, I want you to take this ring.”
The gorgeous woman in front of him placed it in his hand and closed
his fingers around it. “Give it to the girl you want to marry. Then
she’ll know how much you truly love her.”

His mother’s eyes reflected her love as she
kissed his hand. “Give it with love and it will return love to you.
I want so much for you to be happy.”

Another pair of eyes flashed a different
memory. His attention returned to his leg, Jillian’s hand.

He pressed a brief kiss to her hand and
whispered, “Mine.” She belonged to him. His wife.

She stared at him, searching his eyes and
then her lips move. “Always and forever, I’ll be yours.”

The words filled the void and calmed the
pulse of panic beating through his body at his inability to
communicate. He gazed into her eyes.

Truth, honesty, love. Could he find all
those things with her? The eyes gazing into his showed
understanding, hope, and compassion. He had a hard time believing
anyone could love him; he’d always been alone. Only his mother had
understood his need to protect. Jillian either didn’t mind, or knew
him well enough to know he only wanted to safeguard the ones he
loved.

The memories settled and he recognized his
brother Jason, Kelly, and Michael. And of course, Jillian. While in
Germany, he’d wondered if she’d been a dream. Flashes of them
making love had haunted his dreams, making him wonder if the whole
weekend had been a fantasy.

After the doctors started questioning her
existence, he’d questioned himself as to whether or not she was
real. Looking at her now, he had no doubts that she was everything
he remembered.

She’d been the only reason he’d fought the
fog in his head. It would have been easier to let it carry him away
to a peaceful sleep, but he knew she needed him. He couldn’t let
her down. She was the mother of his baby, a part of him growing
inside her. He had to be here to take care of them. That was his
job.

A hand covered her stomach. “How is my
baby?” His eyes never left her face, he searched for her reaction
to his question.

“
The baby is fine, Derek.” She placed
her hand over his and pressed gently. Her face glowed with
love.

“
Baby! What baby?” Michael
demanded.

“
Our baby.” Still gazing at Derek,
Jillian answered.

“
What the hell is going on here? Why
didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?” Her brother grabbed her arm
and yanked her around to him.

Michael’s hand on his wife’s arm sent an
electric jolt of energy surging through Derek. He knocked Michael’s
hand away, and tugged Jillian back against his chest.

No one touched his wife without going
through him. Not even her own brother. Ready to do battle, he
glared at Michael, waiting for him to make the next move.

Jillian snuggled closer. “Derek and I
decided right from the beginning that we wanted children.” She
smiled at her brother. “I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted him
to be here to share in the excitement. You should be congratulating
us.”

Michael leaned back, and Derek relaxed a
little.

“
Congratulations, you two. When is the
baby due?” Kelly interrupted from the front seat.

“
That’s great. I guess that means I
finally get to be an uncle.” Jason comment held no
excitement.

“
You and Michael will both be
first-time uncles. You’ll have until Christmas to get used to the
idea,” Jillian teased. “I hope you two can handle it.”

At the condo, Derek watched as Jason pulled
into the garage right next to a blue truck. Once the car had
stopped, he waited until his brother passed before he opened the
door and helped Jillian out. They started for the door.

She slid her hand along the side railing of
the truck. “We’ll take the truck home with us tomorrow, Derek. I
don’t want to leave old blue behind.”

He blinked she remembered his special
connection with his dad’s truck. Touched by her gesture, he glanced
around. The others had already gone into the house. They didn’t
really care that he was home. Had it always been this way?

Yes, but for once he didn’t care. The only
person that mattered now was Jillian. She was his world.

“
I don’t know about you guys but I’m
hungry. Why don’t we order a pizza and have it delivered?” Kelly
said as he and Jillian entered the kitchen.

“
That sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Jason entered from the living room. Michael agreed.

“
What kind of pizza do you want,
Derek?” Jillian turned to him with a funny look of
expectation.

He could tell she knew the answer but she
was waiting for him to reply. Looking at her, he wondered what else
he’d forgotten.

“
He likes all meat.” Kelly answered
for him.

“
I’m waiting for him to tell me.”
Jillian smiled at him. “What kind of pizza do you like?”

Slowly, he remembered her asking him this
same question, the night they’d gotten together, but he couldn’t
remember where they had been. “The pizza dude always brings all
meat pizzas.”

She threw her arms around him and kissed
him. “Yes, he does.”

Derek held her tight and she wiggled
invitingly in his arms. His answer had pleased her. Her joy
lightened his heart and his mind wandered.

He had forgotten how easy she was to please.
Never during their time together had she made any unreasonable
demands. She always gave of herself, with no thought of taking what
wasn’t freely offered. She made him feel wanted.

It was a refreshing change to be welcomed
home. Usually, Jason and Kelly left whenever he came into town.
They claimed that they wanted to give him time to himself, but he’d
always suspected they wanted to get away from him.

Ever since his parents’ death, he’d felt
like he didn’t belong. Now, he had Jillian, and wherever she was
would be home.

“
No. He’s going home with me.” Her
angry response jerked him back to the present. He listened to the
people talking around him.

“
That’s not a good idea, Jillian.
Derek doesn’t seem to be feeling very well right now.” Jason
argued. His face flushed, his voice elevated.

“
How can you talk about him as if he’s
not even here?” she snarled at his brother. “Tell them, Derek! Tell
them, you’re going home with me!”

Her eyes begged him to respond. He glanced
at the others. They were waiting for his answer. “I’m going home
with Jillian.”

“
Be reasonable, Derek, you’ve just
gotten out of the hospital. Jillian is pregnant. You can’t expect
her to take care of you too.” Jason shifted on his feet as if ready
to attack.

“
I won’t go home without him.” She
slid her arms around him and he could feel the anger radiating from
her.

He held her tight and ended the
conversation. “I’m going home with her.”

The smoky haze in his mind blanketed the
anger boiling inside. How could his brother do this to him? Didn’t
Jason know how much he wanted, needed, ached to be with Jillian?
All the emotions crowding in his mind made Derek want to hurt
someone. “There really isn’t any way you can stop me.”

He led Jillian up the stairs to his room,
leaving the others behind. Once in his room, she sat on the bed
while he gazed at the king-size bed, weight equipment, and a
dresser. Those were the only items in the room. No pictures graced
the walls. No personal items were left on the dresser. A stranger
could have lived here.

Derek never considered this room more than a
resting-place. If he had to walk away right now, he wouldn’t miss
it. As matter of fact, he would probably prefer it. Stepping to the
closet, he grabbed the clothes hanging inside. He needed to pack
and get ready to leave.

“
We need to talk about this.” She
stood in his way as he carried things to his bed. He stared at her,
confusion clouded her eyes. She didn’t realize this had been a long
time coming.

Yes, he might be a little confused because
of his accident, but this was crystal clear. Jason had been at odds
with him ever since his parents had died. Derek had to get out
now.

“
It’ll be okay, Jillian.” He wrapped
his arms around her and held her close. He wanted to protect her
from the hurt that he was feeling, to somehow find the words to
explain it to her. But he couldn’t. And did she really need to know
his heartache?

She ran her hands up and down his back. Just
knowing she cared helped sooth his raw nerves. He eased back and
peered down into her tear-filled eyes. “Don’t cry.”

“
Don’t be mad at him. Jason was only
trying to protect me, not hurt you. You would have done the same
thing for Kelly.” Her gaze begged him to understand. “He’s worried
about you too, Derek. He’s only trying to help.”

“
No.” He had no doubts behind his
brother’s real motivation.

“
Yes. He loves you, Derek. But like
you, he doesn’t know how to show it. Give him a chance.” Jillian
buried her head in his shoulder.

He wanted to believe her, but he refused to
delude himself anymore. Jason wanted to separate him from her, the
girl he’d married.

A knock on the door interrupted their
embrace. “Come in,” she called, turning in his arms.

Slowly, the door opened. His brother stood
on the threshold. “The pizza has arrived. Why don’t you guys come
down and get something to eat.” A short paused ensued, then Jason
continued. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to force you two
apart. But I thought it might be better if you stayed here with me,
Derek. I guess I was wrong.”

“
That’s okay, Jason, we know you were
only trying to help.” Jillian smiled up at him. “Don’t
we?”

Derek nodded. He’d let her believe the lie,
because the truth—that his brother didn’t care—was too ugly to
face.

****

Trapped by Derek’s arm across her back,
Jillian cuddled closer, pleased to have him sleeping beside her.
His body heat enveloped her and she savored the feeling of being
protected from the world.

Events from the night before drift through
her head. For a while, everyone had been on edge after Jason and
Derek’s argument, but thankfully, the evening passed without
another incident. However, she’d claimed to be tired so they could
cut the evening short. He had come upstairs with her to pack. She
must have fallen asleep because she couldn’t remember him coming to
bed.

When she woke again, she felt a hand caress
her stomach and settle on her breast. She marveled at the intimate
contact. His hand squeezed her tender breast.

Fuller and more sensitive with her
pregnancy, she moaned with pleasure and glanced over her shoulder
at his face. The gray stone wall his eyes presented showed no sign
of desire, but Jillian had started to notice small signs whenever
Derek was having a strong emotion. He’d
freeze with
all his attention centered on the person who was causing the
intense reaction.

The growth on his cheek reminded her of the
dark pirate she’d played with on their first night together. She
cupped his cheek, and the small hairs tickled her hand. Fascinated
by his face, she explored the fullness of his mouth.

With great care, she touched his lips,
tracing the edge with her index finger. Closer and closer, she
ventured near the moist center. When his lips parted, she slipped
her finger into his mouth.

When his tongue touched her sensitive digit,
shivers raced up and down her spine. Her gaze rose to meet his. The
concentrated focus on her revealed her place inside the walls his
mind had built.