Baby Comes First (11 page)

“Marry me, and you won’t have to.”

She looked at him sharply. “Is that your
solution to everything?”

“Everything so far.” He smiled. “You must
admit, if you marry me, the gossipers will have a great time,
trying to figure everything out.”

He had a point. Hannah didn’t know what was
worse, having her co-workers wonder who the father of her baby was,
or having them think she’d been sleeping with her boss. She
groaned. “They’re going to think you’ve been chasing me around the
desk for months.”

“I should have thought of that myself,” Luke
said seriously, then laughed, throwing his head back. “It certainly
would have livened up the work day.”

His laugh made up her mind. She’d been
agonizing for days, unable to decide whether she should marry him.
But when he laughed, he seemed so open, so real, Hannah realized
that she genuinely liked him. She enjoyed his company and she
didn’t mind their occasional verbal spats. They might not agree on
every issue, but she felt as if she could trust him, and they could
build a life together.

It wasn’t going to be the romantic dream of
her girlhood, but they could be happy.

He noticed her silence and misunderstanding
the cause of it, said, “If you’re concerned about what people will
say, I’ll see what I can do to limit the rumors.”

“No, it doesn’t matter,” she said calmly.
“Because I’m going to marry you.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.”

He smiled. “Good,” he said, then started
outlining his plans. He had gathered information about applying for
a wedding license and arranging for a judge to marry them within
the next week. “I think it would be best to get married at your
house, so you can still lie down as much as possible. We can move
into my house after the baby’s born.”

Hannah listened in amazement as he spoke,
feeling as if she were being swept along by a tidal wave.

If theirs were a normal engagement, he would
have kissed her, and they would probably have gone out to dinner to
celebrate. But this wasn’t a normal engagement, she reminded
herself. Their marriage was more a matter of convenience than
anything else. She shouldn’t be upset by his plans. He was an
attorney, used to getting all the details right – what else did she
expect?

He continued, “A large crowd is impractical.
I’d like to keep it under twenty people, if possible.” He glanced
at her. “What do you think?”

She was glad that he was at least going
through the motions of getting her input. She said quietly, “I
always thought I’d get married in a church, with a big white dress
and -”

“Eight months pregnant?”

Hannah frowned. She knew some women who would
have the guts to carry that off, but she didn’t. He was right, a
smaller ceremony would be more appropriate. And, as he said, she
was supposed to lie down. “Maybe we should get married after the
baby’s born,” she suggested.

“No.”

She was startled by his vehemence. “Why not?
If we wait until then, I’ll be able to walk around and enjoy the
day.”

“It’s simpler if we’re married before the
baby’s born. Then there aren’t any problems with my having to
adopt. If we’re married, the child will be presumed to be mine.
Besides, it will look better.”

Hannah wondered, did people still
discriminate against illegitimate children? “Whatever you want is
fine with me,” she said finally. Now that she’d made her decision,
she wasn’t going to quibble over the details.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Hannah had spoken to Luke’s sister Margaret
several times on the phone when she worked as his secretary, but
she had never met her face to face until Margaret invited herself
over for a ‘chat.’ She called the day after Hannah had agreed to
marry Luke. “You must be going crazy trying to plan a wedding while
you’re bedridden,” Margaret had commiserated.

“It’s not that difficult. We’re not having a
large wedding,” Hannah explained. “Since I’m lying down, it will be
a very small ceremony with only a few friends and family
members.”

“But you must have food!” Margaret insisted.
“What are you going to feed people?”

Hannah had a feeling that bulldozers must be
the norm in Luke’s family. “Mrs. Parker is planning to make a
cake,” she said.

“Well, I’ll just pop over and see what I can
do to help,” Margaret said, “Would this afternoon be all
right?”

Hannah agreed. She was anxious to meet some
of Luke’s family. He had two sisters and a brother, and each of
them was married with children. After years of almost no family,
she was suddenly going to have an abundance of in-laws.

Margaret turned out to be a tall, middle-aged
woman, and Hannah could see a family resemblance in the shape of
her face and her eyes. “So you’re the woman who has trapped my
brother,” Margaret said cheerfully. “It’s nice to meet you.”

What exactly had Luke told his sister? He’d
said he wasn’t going to tell anyone about her going to the sperm
bank, but what had he told her? Margaret must think it was strange
that he was going to marry his pregnant secretary, unless she
thought the baby was his, too.

“It’s about time someone snatched him up,”
Margaret continued, apparently not noticing Hannah’s silence. “I
was afraid he’d be a miserable widower the rest of his life,
thinking about nothing but his legal cases.” She smiled.
“Personally, I wouldn’t blame him if he had. Living with Gloria
would be enough to sour anyone on the idea of marriage. Nothing was
ever good enough for her.” Margaret stopped herself. “But I
shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”

I wouldn’t mind
. Hannah wished she
could learn more about Luke’s first marriage, but she wasn’t going
to ask. No doubt Margaret thought Luke had already told her
everything she needed to know.

Margaret glanced around her living room. “I
like your house,” she said approvingly. “You’ll be good for
Luke.”

Why, because Margaret liked her decor? Hannah
watched her future sister-in-law with amusement, wondering when, if
ever, she would have a chance to speak. She could see now, where
Luke had developed the ability to talk a mile a minute. It must
have been a necessary survival skill when he was growing up.

“You love him, don’t you?”

Hannah gasped, startled by the question. “I
think we’ll be happy together, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Margaret peered at her closely. “I hope you
are,” she said seriously, then changed the subject with lightening
speed. “Do you have a dress?”

It took Hannah a moment to realize what she
was talking about. Hannah said, “I have a light green dress that
will do.”

Margaret frowned. “Don’t you want something
new for your wedding day?”

Hannah pointed to her rounded stomach. “I’m
hardly in the shape for white lace and satin.”

“Nonsense,” Margaret said, and Hannah could
hear the family resemblance in that word as well. “They have
wedding dresses to fit everyone these days. Would you like me to
help you find something?”

“If it wouldn’t be too much of a bother,”
Hannah said, beginning to get excited by the idea. She’d like to
have a new dress and to look as beautiful as possible. After all,
it was still her wedding day.

Margaret beamed. “This is going to be
fun.”

#

Luke slammed a racquetball against the back
wall of the court. It felt good to move. He felt as if he’d been
holed up in his office for days, only taking breaks to make
arrangements for the wedding.

He was getting married again. For something
that ought to be simple, there were an increasing number of details
to take care of -- including getting his house ready, changing his
will and getting Hannah added to his insurance. He hoped he wasn’t
forgetting anything important.

But at least it wasn’t the circus he’d had
when he married Gloria. They’d had a huge reception with over three
hundred guests. That had been a nightmare – trying to please Gloria
and her parents. They married right after he graduated from law
school, and although he had a good job, he hadn’t received his
first paycheck. He’d taken Gloria on the honeymoon, hoping his
credit card wouldn’t be denied.

This time around, he didn’t have to worry
about money.

And Hannah was nothing like Gloria. She was a
calmer, more even-tempered woman, with a wry sense of humor. She
would be much easier to live with.

Part of him found it difficult to believe
that Hannah had finally accepted him and agreed on the date. She’d
wanted to wait until after the baby was born, and he recognized the
logic of her reasoning, but he’d been afraid that if they waited,
she’d change her mind.

He hadn’t wanted to lose her, so he’d
insisted.

He stepped back to hit the ball again.

“Point,” Brad Moshier said. He was one of the
other partners in the firm. He reached down to pick up the small
rubber ball. “Your game’s off today. Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Luke shifted his weight back and
forth between his feet, ready for the next play. He leaned forward,
determined to focus on the game. They played for twenty more
intense, heart-pounding, sweaty minutes. Finally he won, fifteen to
three. Luke opened his gym bag to put his racquet away.

Brad watched him. “About Hannah Hansen,” he
began carefully.

“What about her?”

“People are talking.”

Luke wiped his face with a towel. “They
shouldn’t talk so much.”

‘Your personal life is your own business, of
course, unless it affects the firm.”

Luke should have known there was a reason
Brad had wanted to play racquetball on a Wednesday. He tossed the
towel into the gym’s laundry basket. He said, “What exactly are you
saying?”

Visibly embarrassed, Brad said, “Does she
have grounds for a sexual harassment case? Is she going to sue you
for paternity?”

No doubt this had been discussed in
committee, and Brad had been given the unpleasant job of finding
out.

Luke smiled and wished Hannah could hear this
conversation. “I don’t think so. We’re getting married in three
days.”

#

There were only three days before the
wedding, and Hannah still hadn’t found the right time to tell Luke
he was the father of her baby.

She asked him to stay for dinner, and they
ate in her den, while he watched a sports show on a cable channel
and she lay on the couch, working on a counted cross-stitch
project. We look like an old married couple, already, she thought,
amused. She glanced at Luke, noticing a few strands of gray above
his temples. He was a handsome man, and had the kind of looks that
would improve with age.

“This game is going nowhere,” Luke said
finally, and turned off the television. He glanced at the project
she was making. “You’re just about finished, aren’t you?”

Hannah completed a stitch and held up the
needlework for his inspection. The fabric contained a pastel border
of teddy bears and blocks, with a blank space for the baby’s name
and date of birth. “Once the baby’s born, I’ll fill in the
details.”

“Knowing you, you’ll finish it before you
leave the hospital.”

“Maybe.” She was a little nervous about
having a c-section and wondered how the recovery would be. She
might not have the energy or desire to be sewing.

Luke was silent for a moment, looking down at
her, as if he wanted to say something.

Hannah felt herself blush at his scrutiny.
“What is it?” she asked, self-consciously reaching up to touch her
hair. She hadn’t pulled it back tonight. Did she look terrible?

Luke didn’t seem to mind. He sat on the edge
of the couch, and she scooted over, giving him room. He rested his
arm on the back of the couch and said seriously, “I’m thinking
about the wedding.”

Was he having second thoughts?

“And I’ve come to the conclusion that we are
inadequately prepared.”

“In what way?”

He kept his face expressionless, but there
was a glint his eye. “The kiss.”

Hannah tried to match his dry humor. “Oh.
That.” she said lightly, although inside, she felt her pulse jump
with anticipation. He had only kissed her once, the brief kiss when
he proposed.

He continued, “If we don’t practice, we might
bump noses when the judge says ‘you may kiss the bride.’”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

He leaned closer. “Think how embarrassing
that would be,” he murmured.

His face was only a few inches from hers. She
strove to keep her voice steady. “You’re right. We definitely need
to practice.”

He reached over and touched his lips to hers
in a brief, tentative touch, then pulled back, watching her. His
eyes were so dark, they looked black.

That wasn’t long enough, she thought, staring
back at him, wondering what he would do next.

“Not bad,” he judged. “But I think we can do
better.” He leaned over her, bracing himself with his hands on the
couch so he didn’t touch her, except for his lips.

This kiss was longer, stronger, and sent a
languid warmth rippling through her.

“Sweet,” he murmured, as he pulled back a
fraction of an inch to catch his breath.

Hannah, eager for the next attempt, raised
her lips to meet his, and their noses brushed against each
other.

Luke laughed, a low rumble in his throat and
kissed the end of her nose. “We’re doing this all wrong,” he said
suddenly, and climbed off the couch. “Stand up.”

Hannah felt a little dazed. “But I’m supposed
–“

“I heard what the doctor said, and she said
you can stand for five minutes. So stand up, and let me kiss you
for five minutes. You do intend to stand up for the wedding
ceremony, don’t you?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Then we need to practice kissing standing
up.” He held out his hand.