Nothing Less Than Love (3 page)

She became gloomy thinking of what
Jordan could give their baby that she couldn’t. Once or twice, she
even contemplated accepting Marcus’s proposal but knew that it was
wrong. She would be providing for her baby within his family, but
Gwyneth knew Jordan would kill her if he ever learned the
truth.

♥♥♥

A week before college started again,
she made plans to leave. She already knew she wouldn’t be returning
to school for a while, but didn’t want Beth or the Del Royces to
become suspicious as to why she wasn’t leaving for college. Gwyneth
had concealed her secret from everyone except Marcus, and she knew
she’d have to reveal her pregnancy if she announced she was
quitting school. She’d given her goodbyes to Ethel, the tea shop
owner, who’d been teary-eyed when she left. The sweet lady had also
pressed an envelope into her hands. “What’s this?’ she’d asked.
She’d already received her final wages.

“It’s for the baby,” Ethel said
kindly. When Gwyneth’s eyes widened in shock, she continued. “I can
tell, honey. I’ve had six children myself. You’ve got the
glow.”

Which was true, Gwyneth mused. Her
hair was shinier and fuller, and her face was glowingly clear. The
morning sickness still assailed her from time to time, but that was
fading and she felt wonderful.

Gwyneth was lost in thought, filling
her suitcase, when Marcus knocked and entered. “I wish you weren’t
going,” he said, sounding sulky. It was the same tone he’d used the
first day they’d been sent to their respective private schools at
the age of eight. “It’s not fair.”

Gwyneth laughed. “You sound just like
you did when you were eight. Do you remember...?” They reminisced
for a while and were both half-reclining on the bed when they
finished. “Well, I’ve got to finish packing,” Gwyneth said with a
sigh. “My plane leaves in two hours.”

“You could stay,” Marcus burst out.
“Marry me, and you don’t have to leave. I’ll take care of you
and—”

“How generous,” said Jordan, leaning
against the doorjamb. Then he turned his hot gaze on Gwyneth. “But
I’m sure Gwyneth has many other men panting after her, Marcus. Wait
a few years and grow up some before you try to handle
her.”

Marcus’s face flushed, and Gwyneth
knew he was going to explode. “Marcus I think you’d better leave
now. I need to finish packing and get on my way.”

Marcus shot a look at Jordan then at
her resolved face and headed to the door.

Jordan’s arm blocked his
exit. “Just a moment, brother. You still haven’t heard her answer.”
He turned savagely to Gwyneth. “I want to hear you tell him
no,
Gwenny
,” he
said mockingly, calling her by the pet name Lilly used for
her.

Eyes narrowing, Gwyneth whispered.
“No.”

Satisfied, Jordan dropped his arm and
Marcus stalked out after saying a goodbye to Gwyneth. “If you need
anything—or change your mind—call me.”

Gwyneth turned her back to Jordan and
resumed her packing. She was taking a lot more with her than she’d
brought because she didn’t think she would ever be back. “If you’ll
excuse me, I must finish this.”

“Look at me.” His tone was
arctic.

She moved her head and forced her gaze
up. “I want you to stay away from Marcus and this house. And from
now on, I’ll be approving any requests you have for money,” he
added harshly.

She merely shrugged and resumed her
packing. She almost felt sorry for him. He would be so disappointed
to be denied the opportunity to deny her requests, because she
would never ask him for anything.

“
You’re a cold little bitch.
Do you imagine I’ll relent and let you bleed Dad or Mom dry again?”
When she refused to answer, Jordan moved to her side. Without a
word, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his mouth against
hers. Gwyneth remained unresponsive as long as she could before
surrendering. As soon as she relaxed, Jordan stepped away from her.
She watched numbly as he left her room without looking
back.

♥♥♥

Gwyneth bade farewell to everyone
before Beth drove her to the airport. Gwyneth boarded, intending to
never come back. Not knowing what was going on in her niece’s life,
Beth was sad to see her leave but not unduly worried. She retrieved
her Honda from the parking garage and drove the forty minutes to
her lover’s quiet estate. He grew grapes for wine, and he was
Lilly’s brother. At that moment, neither fact weighed heavily on
Beth’s mind as she anticipated spending a night with
Griffin.

He met her at the door and swept her
into a passionate embrace. Griffin lifted Beth into his arms and
carried her to the bedroom, where he made love to her slowly.
Afterward, they lay together, sated, and spoke quietly. “I want you
to marry me,” he asked for the thousandth time.

Sighing, Beth rolled over. “Why do you
always do this? Must you always propose when you know I’ll say no?
Do you know how hard it is to refuse?”

Griffin laughed. “Then stop saying no.
I know you love me. I know you want to marry me and have children
with me. Stop being afraid and live your own life.”

“What about Gwyneth?” Beth asked the
familiar question.

“She’s a big girl and wants you to be
happy. You’ll see. Marry me, or I’ll make love to you until you
can’t move,” he threatened teasingly.

Puckering her beautiful face, Beth
said, “Okay, I will. But don’t blame me if Lilly goes through the
roof.” She laughed at his stunned expression. “And as for kids, I’m
too old.”

Griffin swept her into his arms, his
eyes watering. “You mean it? You’ll marry me?” At her happy nod he
whooped and then said. “You’re only forty, and I’m just
forty-three. I’m sure we can make a kid. In fact, let’s get
started.”

Chapter Four

It was two months later before Beth
broke the news to Gwyneth by telephone. After their conversation,
she sat at the table and mindlessly stirred the cup of tea she’d
been brewing when her aunt called. She hadn’t quite recovered from
the shock, but was happy for Beth. All these years, Beth had been
with Griffin and had never said a word. Gwyneth giggled as she
thought about Lilly’s reaction. Accordig to Beth, it had been more
of a shock for her, but she was gracious about the sudden change of
Beth from housekeeper to sister-in-law.

With a catch in her heart, Gwyneth
realized she would never have any reason to return to the Del Royce
manor after she got through the wedding next weekend. She was so
close to safe, she thought with a grimace. Then she smiled down at
her stomach where her son, at five months along, floated.
Ultrasound had revealed her little boy just last week, and on the
first attempt. “Well, you can’t be disguised, so we’ll just go with
the flow.” Gwyneth patted him absently as he slept in her womb.
With a tremble in her voice she added, “I think it’s time to tell
your daddy. I just hope he believes me.”

She’d done well in the two months
since she’d returned to Los Angeles. At the moment, she was staying
with her married friends Rob and Nita, but she would be getting her
own apartment next month. She was working as a retail manager in a
shoe store on the mall as she explored the option of opening her
own business after her son was born.

Marcus had sent money every month,
which she had promptly returned, until he went around her and
opened an account with her name, where he deposited a lump sum
every month. Gwyneth was determined not to use a penny of the money
and otherwise not be dependent on the Del Royces for anything. It
was a gradual process, but she’d come to the conclusion last week,
while seeing the baby on the ultrasound screen, that she had to
tell Jordan about their mutual miracle. It was another consequence
she was forced to accept, but she couldn’t deny her child the right
to know his father—assuming Jordan would want to know their son.
Even if he believed he’d fathered her child—which seemed unlikely
without DNA testing—would he want to acknowledge himself as the
father or her son? After all, she was just the housekeeper’s
niece.

♥♥♥

Gwyneth had promised Beth she’d come a
few days early to be fitted for her maid-of-honor dress and so they
could catch up. She’d gotten word of the wedding Saturday and flew
out on a commuter plane to San Francisco on the Tuesday before the
wedding. She didn’t have to be back at work until next. It was an
easy trip, but the slightest movements made her nauseous, and she
was relieved to get out at the airport in San Francisco, where
Marcus was leaning against a sports car. On his arm was a petite
little redhead he introduced as Monica. “My, how you’ve grown,” he
quipped at her tummy before giving her a fierce hug. “So it’s for
real,” he said in amazement.

“Of course it is.” Gwyneth laughed
before turning her attention to Monica. She was out-going and
friendly and they were fast friends. She thought it was romantic
that Griffin had waited so long for his one true love. When she
said that part, she met Marcus’s eyes, and they got lost in each
other. Gwyneth gently teased them and was impressed when Monica
shyly displayed her engagement ring.

♥♥♥

At the house, Gwyneth greeted all of
the Del Royces, except Jordan, who was at work as usual. If Howard
and Lilly were surprised about the baby, they didn’t say anything.
They congratulated her, then Howard asked, “So when’s your wedding,
little lady?”

Shaking her head, Gwyneth said sadly.
“There won’t be one for me anytime soon. Now, where is
Beth?”

As she asked, Beth and Griffin breezed
in. Her aunt froze, clearly stunned. “You’re pregnant.” She
stumbled, and her fiancé steadied her. “Why didn’t you tell
me?”

Gwyneth shrugged guiltily. “No one
knew except Marcus, and he only knows because he’s the one who made
me go to the doctor.”

Suddenly, the two women were crying
and hugging and it didn’t matter that she hadn’t told her aunt. The
reunion was tiring and Gwyneth went to her old room to take a
nap.

She was shocked to find it had been
redecorated in neutral colors and converted to a guest room. Tears
spilled down her cheeks as she removed the powder blue maternity
dress and fell into the bed, exhausted. She knew it wasn’t really
her room, but she was sad to see all her things gone.

She awakened some hours later to find
someone in her room. At first, she’d thought Tasha had brought a
tray, but when sleep dispelled she recognized Jordan. Gasping, she
drew the cover to her neck. “What are you doing in
here?”

“I volunteered to take care of you
since you’d been so kind to me on a previous occasion,” he said
sardonically. “Our new housekeeper, Saundra, sent up some roast
turkey breast.” With a shifting of expression, all pretenses,
mocking or otherwise, faded away. He ripped the covers off and
stared at her swollen stomach. It was entirely visible since she’d
been so tired that Gwyneth had only removed her dress and bra
before falling into bed. “So it’s true.” He almost vibrated with
rage.

As she modestly covered herself, she
asked, “Why are you so angry? What difference does it make to
you?”

Jordan raked a hand through his
platinum curls, cropped close to his head. “You come into this
home, pregnant with the bastard of my brother. Come into my home
when his fiancée is in attendance, and then ask me what’s wrong?”
He painfully grabbed her arm. “You had better not come between
them. If you knew how long it took him to get over
Victoria—”

Gwyneth shook her head. “But it isn’t
Marcus’s son. Where did you get such a crazy idea?”

He snorted as he tore around the
bedroom. “I heard him propose and recently he’s been putting money
in your account every month. A lot of money. Some might say
blackmail money…” He left the accusation dangling.

Gwyneth hugged herself as she burst
into laughter. “What a bunch of nonsense. He isn’t trying to hide
anything. He’s just a concerned friend who wants to help me. If you
know about the account, you also know I haven’t used a cent of it.”
Forgoing modesty in her anger, Gwyneth tossed off the blanket and
put on her discarded bra as Jordan watched, impassive. Casually she
pulled on the dress and spun around. “Will you zip me?” she asked
sweetly. Jordan growled and left her room, slamming the door behind
him.

Gwyneth started out laughing again but
burst into tears. She was sobbing when a quiet knock sounded on her
door. Tentatively, Monica peaked in and asked about her. Maybe
she’d carried her secret too long, or maybe Monica was just easy to
talk to, but the story came pouring out of Gwyneth. Monica held her
hand and never interrupted. Finally she said. “Wow. This is quite a
mess.” She nodded resolutely. “You have to tell Jordan the truth.
It’s the only option.”