to start a family, and that you were overjoyed to finally get pregnant, but how do you feel about the baby now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you still want it?”
Emily’s fork clattered to the plate. She stared at him, stunned. Reflexively, her hand splayed over her flat tummy. “Of course I do. How could I not? I don’t know how you can even ask such a—” The look on his face stopped her. “Oh. I see. You mean, now that I know Keith’s true colors, do I want his baby?”
“Something like that,” Dillon admitted, watching her in that intent way he had.
“Just because Keith fathered this child, that doesn’t necessarily mean he or she will inherit his character flaws. This will be my child, too.”
“If that’s how you feel, then why didn’t you tell anyone you were pregnant?”
Emily looked down and fixed her gaze on her fingers, plucking at the napkin in her lap. “I don’t know, exactly,” she mumbled. “I just didn’t want to.”
Lord, she didn’t want to talk about this. She didn’t want to talk, period. Or be around anyone. All she wanted was to be left alone. Then she could crawl back into bed and curl up under the covers and give in to the terrible pain and lethargy that threatened to smother her.
“Why not?” Dillon persisted.
“For one thing, I didn’t want to give the wagging tongues anything else to gossip about.” She kept her gaze lowered, avoiding his, and plucked at the napkin.
“You could’ve told the family. The news may have mitigated Mother’s grief a bit and maybe even gotten her off your back.”
Emily shook her head. “Actually, if I had a choice, I’d never tell Adele. You know how she was about Keith. I’m afraid she’ll see this baby as a substitute for him and try to take over. Once I tell her, I’m sure I’ll have a battle on my hands. I’m just not up to that right now.”
Emily raked her spread fingers through her hair. It was almost dry now, and curling around her face and shoulders. “Anyway…I…I wanted to hold on to this one thing, the one bright point in this whole mess. My little secret.” She looked at him pleadingly. “Can you understand that?”
“Yeah, I think so. Actually, you’re probably doing the smart thing keeping the news from Mother for as long as you can.”
“So…you won’t tell her?”
One corner of his mouth quirked. “We don’t communicate all that often. Trust me, she won’t hear it from me.”
Emily’s shoulders drooped with relief. Despite his less-than-perfect relationship with his mother, she had half expected him to take Adele’s side.
“You do realize that you’re going to have to tell her eventually, don’t you?” he prodded gently. “Pregnancy isn’t something you can hide forever.”
“I know. But I’d like to put it off for as long as I can.” Secretly, she harbored the fantasy that she’d never have to tell her mother-in-law.
Adele had never cared for her. It wasn’t personal—at least, Emily didn’t think so. Keith’s mother simply had not believed any woman was good enough for her precious younger son. Emily didn’t expect to hear much from Adele in the future, if she heard from her at all, which suited her just fine.
Listlessly, Emily picked up the fork again. Nibbling a bite of pancake, she let her mind drift. She didn’t want to think about that right now. She didn’t want to think about anything.
Covertly, Dillon watched the way she picked at her food. She was so withdrawn she was barely conscious of him or anything else. Surely that depth of depression couldn’t be endured for long, he thought.
He was trying to think of a way to distract her when the telephone rang, shattering the quiet of the kitchen.
Emily jumped. “Oh, Lord, who can that be? I…I don’t want to talk to anyone.”
“Take it easy. You don’t have to. I’ll get it,” Dillon said, rising.
Snatching up the receiver of the wall telephone, he growled, “Maguire residence.”
“Dillon. I was hoping I’d find you there,” his sister said. “I tried calling your place but I got no answer.”
“I’m helping Emily with the legal red tape.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good. I suppose someone from the family should, but to tell you the truth, it just never occurred to me. I guess I was too focused on getting Mother home before she made another scene.”
“Yeah, I appreciate that. So, why’d you call, Charlotte?”
“Well, it’s Mother. She, uh…she says she needs to get away for a while. So she’s decided to go home with Roger and me.”
“What about her job?”
“She’d already talked to the head of the university about taking an emergency sabbatical, and they’re being very understanding. Midterm starts soon, so it’s a fairly good time. It’ll be difficult, but President Toomy is sure he can find a substitute professor to fill in for Mother.”
“How long does she plan on being away?”
“Until the fall semester starts.”
“I see.” Typical, he thought. His mother was going to be gone for nine months or so, but she couldn’t bring herself to call and tell him herself. She had to get Charlotte to do it for her.
“I’m sorry, Dillon,” Charlotte said softly. He didn’t have to ask for what. Both of his siblings had always been aware of their mother’s animosity toward him.
“Yeah, well, par for the course. Tell her I hope she enjoys her visit.”
“Uh…actually, there is one other thing.”
“Shoot.”
“She wants to know if you’ll keep an eye on her house while she’s away, maybe stop by every few days and water her plants and make sure everything’s all right?”
Dillon gave a snort of mirthless laughter. “Sure. Why not.”
“Oh, good. She’ll be relieved. She said to tell you she’d leave the key under the mat.”
She’d have to, Dillon thought. She refused to give him a key of his own to her elegant little town house.
“So, when are you leaving?” he asked.
“Actually…we’re heading for the airport in a few minutes. We’re booked on an early afternoon flight to Sarasota.”
Silence stretched out as Dillon absorbed that. He supposed he should consider himself lucky that she’d bothered to let him know at all. If she hadn’t needed him to look after her precious plants, she probably wouldn’t have. “I see. Well, have a good flight.”
