Nothing Less Than Love (4 page)

Nodding, Gwyneth wiped her eyes with a
tissue. “I agree, but I’m not telling him until after the wedding.
I don’t want anything to upset Beth’s big day.”

♥♥♥

Gwyneth survived the next four days by
blending in to the scenery. She got fitted for her dress, a
delicate shade of pink that was surprisingly flattering,
considering the size of her stomach. She got more acquainted with
Griffin and liked him a lot. Of course he was wonderful with Beth
and that assured she would like him to a certain extent either way.
He was sweet and very supportive. By the morning of the wedding,
he’d offered to back her in a business of her choice and she’d
agreed. They were going to meet after the honeymoon to sign the
contract.

The day of the wedding was beautiful
and warm. It was a surprisingly warm November day and Beth moaned
about the fact that the ceremony was being held inside. It was a
frantic morning with caters running around busily, florists
arranging, and the wedding party rushing to be ready by two
o’clock. Beth looked years younger than forty and radiantly
happy.

The ceremony went through without a
hitch, and Gwyneth’s eyes were leaking surreptitiously as the
minister presented Mr. and Mrs. Wyckazer for the first time. She
met Jordan’s eyes quite by accident and they burned intensely,
drilling through her. With a shiver, she walked with the procession
back down the aisle and joined the people milling around the
ballroom, where the reception was being held. It was a wonderful
afternoon, but after a couple of hours Gwyneth’s back was aching
and she quietly made her excuses to Howard and Lilly before going
upstairs to lie down.

She was drifting into her afternoon
nap when there was a terse knock on the door and Jordan entered.
“My father said you weren’t feeling well, and I wanted to check on
you—” He trailed off.

Gwyneth’s eyebrow shot up. “Er, just a
backache. I was on my feet a long time.”

He cleared his throat. “It must be
heavy to carry it around all day,” he said gruffly.

She levered herself into a sitting
position. “It’s a he and yes, he’s a bit heavy at times.” Hey eyes
narrowed. “Why are being so nice to me?” she asked
suspiciously.

Jordan eased into the recliner by the
bed. “I had a talk with Marcus. He told me I was being a jerk and
that was the nicest phrase he used. He assured me he’s not the
father of the kid, and that I was being cruel to you for no reason.
He’s put the money in the account because apparently the bastard
responsible isn’t going to take care of you. I guess I owe you an
apology.”

Gwyneth shook her head. “He may not be
a bastard. I haven’t told him about the baby. He has no reason to
suspect he’s the father. In fact, he only recently found out I’m
expecting. And before you apologize there is something I should
tell you.” For the first time in Gwyneth’s memory, Jordan wasn’t
tense or angry with her. He just seemed tired and washed out. “I
don’t know how to tell you this—” She couldn’t meet his eyes. “The
night you were so sick, my first night back, we—” This was even
harder than she had expected.

“What?” Jordan asked softly when she
couldn’t continue. He stripped off his bow tie and undid the first
two buttons of his pleated shirt.

Her head bowed and voice hoarse,
Gwyneth confessed, “We had sex.”

Jordan exploded from his seat. “What
game are you playing now? I think I’d remember something like that,
don’t you?” He loomed over her.

Gwyneth shook her head. “I didn’t
realize you were delirious, and I well, I wasn’t really thinking.
It just happened...I’m sorry.”

Jordan looked pale. “Are you telling
me the truth?” When she nodded, he continued, “But why now? Why not
right after it happened?” He trailed off and stared intently at her
stomach. “Are you trying to say it’s mine?”

Gwyneth couldn’t speak because of the
lump in her throat so she nodded again.

He started laughing. “You are so
good.”

“What?” she asked numbly.

“Let me guess—some broke loser gets
you knocked up and runs off. So you think of a perfect way to cover
your mistake. Blame it on Jordan. After all, the poor guy was so
ill he can’t remember what happened. He won’t know the difference.
It might have worked, except I know you and girls like you.” He
turned away from her before whirling back around. “Were you going
to stick it on Marcus until you realized he had a
fiancée?”

Gwyneth covered her ears and screamed.
“Get out of my room. Just get out. I knew you wouldn’t believe me.
I’ll have my attorney set up a DNA test after he’s born.” She was
crying hysterically, but was unconcerned about showing her emotions
for once. She was shaking with rage and stress. “Just leave,” she
cried out again and he walked out, frowning.

As soon as Jordan was gone, Gwyneth
threw her clothes in the suitcase and raced downstairs as fast as
her bulk would allow. She eased out of the house so she didn’t
disturb the guests and found her aunt’s Honda still in the garage.
“Damn him,” she cursed aloud as she drove into the city. Forget
him, she didn’t need him—they didn’t need him. She would raise her
son alone and do a terrific job. There would be no DNA test,
because she didn’t give a damn about proving the boy was Jordan’s
right then. Why would she want him to be an influence in her son’s
life? Without Jordan, he’d be twice the man his father was. She
ignored the niggle of sadness eating at her. She had known he’d
react this way, so why was she so upset and
disappointed?

At the airport, it cost more to switch
her ticket to leave that night, and she barely made her seat before
they were airborne. She was too keyed up on the trip back to think
and got extremely ill in the lavatory. It was a relief to land, and
she caught a taxi home.

Rob and Nita were concerned about her
physical state, and she agreed to see the doctor if she hadn’t
calmed down by tomorrow. Of course, after a hot bath and a night of
sleep, she felt much better and had calmed considerably. She knew
they would be all right without Jordan, and he was the one missing
out by not knowing their son.

♥♥♥

She resumed her life and was sort of
happy. Griffin finalized the contract with her, and she started on
the plans for her business. She rented the building and began to
order her merchandise. She’d decided on a children’s boutique and
had a lot of work to do to be ready for the grand opening after the
birth of her baby. The remaining four months passed quickly as she
got her business in order, rented a small house, decorated the
nursery, and searched for a baby’s name.

Chapter Five

Gwyneth went into labor in the office
of her small building. When her water broke, she ruined her office
chair and the carpet underneath. She remained calm, called for a
taxi, and got hold of Monica and Marcus, who were living together
in an apartment in Los Angeles. “Monica, it’s time. Can you meet me
there?” Monica was her Lamaze partner and said she’d be there as
soon as possible. The taxi arrived then and Gwyneth left for the
hospital.

♥♥♥

Monica took time to make a phone call
before heading for Cedars-Sinai. It took a minute to get through
Jordan’s dragon of a secretary. “Yes.” He sounded harried. “What
can I do for you, Monica? I’m pretty busy.”

“I thought you should know Gwyneth’s
having your son. She’s at Cedar-Sinai.” Monica didn’t bother to say
goodbye before replacing the phone on the hook. She left a note for
Marcus and was on her way.

♥♥♥

“I can’t do this anymore.” Gwyneth
grunted as another pain ripped through her. “Please make it stop.”
She was begging and her determination to have a natural childbirth
was wavering. “Give me a painkiller,” she screeched at Dr.
Anderson.

Remaining calm, the doctor told her.
“You’re too close to delivery for anything. If you get something
now, it can harm your son.”

“Give me that damn medicine or I’m
quitting,” Gwyneth shouted unreasonably, not thinking clearly at
the moment.

“No,” a calm voice assured her,
“You’re not. You have to do this a while longer, Gwyneth.” Jordan
was suddenly beside her, dressed in green scrubs, and Gwyneth
realized Monica was gone.

“Why are you here?” she asked
weakly.

Taking her hand and leaning close, he
whispered. “To see the birth of my son. Our son.”

Renewing her efforts, Gwyneth
continued to struggle to give birth to her son. She’d been in labor
for fourteen hours when the doctor finally said, “You’re too small
and he’s too big. We need to do a c-section. Are you up for this?”
Gwyneth, too exhausted to move, squeezed Jordan’s hand, and he
answered for her.

They sedated her, and Jordan refused
to leave as they took out the baby. Gwyneth slept through the
miracle of their son’s birth. He emerged into the world with
platinum curls, light blue eyes, and screaming with all his might.
When he was placed in Jordan’s arms they were both crying. “He’s
beautiful,” Jordan whispered. He looked at Gwyneth as they wheeled
her out of the OR. “Thank you,” he said so lovingly the doctor
teared up, and she’d seen hundreds of deliveries. Jordan
reluctantly relinquished his newborn son to the nurse who was
taking him upstairs.

♥♥♥

Gwyneth was awake and cradling the
baby in her arms when Jordan came in the room. He held a huge white
bear and a bouquet of white roses. “How are you feeling?” he
asked.

She was still extremely emotional.
“Fine.” She burst into tears. Jordan sat on the bed and gathered
them both into his arms. “You don’t have to be here,” she said with
a sniff.

“Don’t you think I’ve skipped out of
enough of my child’s life? Haven’t I left you alone for too long
already?” he asked angrily. He was clearyly upset with himself for
what he’d done to her. “But that’s going to change. Once we’re
married—”

She shook her head and hugged her son
close to her breast. “No, I’m not marrying you just because of my
child. I won’t marry for less than love.”

He shook his head. “You little idiot.
Haven’t you figured out I’m in love with you yet?”

She gasped. “That’s crazy. You hate
me.”

“
Why do you think I was so
jealous of Marcus? I’ve been incredibly hard on you because I’ve
been fighting my feelings for years. I think maybe I let myself
take advantage of you that night so I could have an excuse for
rushing you.”

Gwyneth shook her head. “I appreciate
the effort to convince me, but you don’t have to do
this.”

“Yes I do,” he insisted. “I should
have told you a long time ago. You’ve been an adult for three
years, and I still haven’t had the nerve to tell you. I love you,
and I want you to marry me. Even if we didn’t have a baby, I would
have eventually proposed. I panicked when I found out you were
pregnant, because I thought there was someone else in your life,
and I’d lost my chance. Is there a chance you could maybe return my
feelings someday?” he asked in a rush.

Overwhelmed, Gwyneth shook her head.
“I don’t know. This is so much to take in. How can this be
happening? Nothing’s like I thought it was.” Seeing his crestfallen
expression, she burst out. “Do you think I’d have made love with
you if I didn’t love you? I’m not like that, so I do love
you.”

His face brightened and he hugged her
again before he kissed her full on the mouth. Just then the baby
squawked in protest. “He’s hungry,” Gwyneth whispered shyly before
feeding the baby. When he’d fallen asleep again, still latched onto
her breast, she looked up. “Do you still want to get
married?”

“Of course. I want to take you both
home as quickly as I can.” He said it so forcefully that he left no
doubts about his sincerity.

She repositioned the baby into the
crook of her arm. “We want to go home with you too.” They spent
quite a long time curled on the bed when Gwyneth started laughing.
“In all the excitement, we haven’t picked a name for
him.”

Jordan smiled gently. “What was your
father’s name?”

Gwyneth wrinkled her brow
thoughtfully. “Caleb.”

“How about Caleb Howard Del
Royce?”

She thought it over and agreed.
“Jordan, Gwyneth, and Caleb Del Royce,” she tried experimentally.
“I like it.”

“Me too.” They sealed it with a
kiss.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Lilly LaRue lives near Victoria,
British Columbia. She enjoys fishing, cruising, and whale watching.
If she isn’t in the beach house her partner built with his own
hands, you’ll find her on the water. She has a seafaring
Newfoundland, named Newton, who loves the water almost as much as
Lilly.