Gentlemen Prefer Curves: A Perfect Fit Novel (40 page)

She heard the door open and close behind her. “I totally ruined my storming out by coming into this bedroom. I’m going to have to storm out in the other direction next time.”

“I think it was perfectly well executed.”

She turned around to see her father-in-law there and not her husband.

“I can see why he likes you.” He walked toward her, backing her against the dresser. “My son is more like me than anybody knows. I was never attracted to the slender society girls I grew up with. My first love was one of my mother’s maids, a beautiful curvy girl from the islands.” He touched Belinda’s face. She cringed, knocking his hand away, ready to punch him, but he caught her fist in his hands. “I wasn’t foolish enough to marry her, though.”

“Get. Off. Of. Me.” Belinda felt her blood pressure go up.

“I have a proposition for you. Leave him. I’ll set you up nicely.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? This is not about money! I don’t need your money and I sure as hell don’t want it.”

“You could come away with me. I can keep you happy, Belinda. You wouldn’t have to work again. You would just have one purpose in life.”

“To be your whore?” she asked in disbelief.

“You are keeping my son from his destiny. I put him down so I can build him up. He’s smart. He calm and he doesn’t blow under pressure. He’s my only child. I need him to take my place. A Lancaster has been at the top of my company for the past one hundred years and I can’t allow a girl with big tits and a tight dress to ruin that for him.”

“So you’re suggesting I run away with you to save him.”

“If you loved him, you would do that for him.”

Belinda didn’t see Carter come up behind his father until it was too late. He grabbed the older man by the jacket and slammed him against the wall, causing the whole room to shake. “My wife.” His fist pounded into his father’s face. “She’s my wife. It’s bad enough you tried to chase her away and now you’re trying to steal her from me.” He punched him again, blood spurting from John’s nose this time. “You stay away from her. Away from us.”

Belinda grabbed him. “Enough, Carter.”

*   *   *

His hand was raised to hit his father again, but Belinda grabbed him, stopping him before he killed the man. He would have killed him, too, if she had let him. He’d walked into the room to come after her, to take her away from this place, only to find her with his father, her body pressed against a dresser.

His mind went blank then. He turned back into that angry boy who used to get into fights and take his temper out on anybody who came his way.

“It’s okay, Carter.”

“He had his hands on you.”

“I know, but I’m fine. I think we should go now.” She led him away and he saw his mother in the doorway, tears streaming down her face.

“I’m so sorry, Carter. Belinda. I have no words.”

“You’re going to divorce him,” he told his mother.

“I—I…” She nodded. “Can I come live here?”

“I want you here.” He kissed her face. “We’re done with him.”

*   *   *

“What’s that white stuff in the middle?” Ruby asked Belinda a few weeks later. She was helping to cook dinner, or trying to help. Sometimes she got in the way, or made a mess, or dropped eggshells in things, but Belinda didn’t mind having her around while she cooked. And she had been cooking every night in Carter’s old-fashioned kitchen. She had made it a point to stay with them after the final meeting with his father. He had been quiet since then, obviously hurt by his father’s brutal betrayal, and she just wanted to show him that she was there for him. That they were a united front.

“It’s ricotta cheese. Any good lasagna has ricotta in it.”

“It looks gross.” Ruby frowned.

“Then don’t eat it. You’ll have to cook your own dinner and you can’t reach the stove but I’m sure you’ll find a way to manage.” She winked at her, causing Ruby to grin and reveal her teeth that hadn’t quite grown in yet.

“I’ll eat it. I like the way you cook. It’s much better than the way Daddy cooks.”

“Thank you, baby doll.”

“I like that you stay here with us now.”

“Do you?” She ran her fingers through Ruby’s shiny curls. “You aren’t sick of me yet?”

“No. Not yet. Maybe when I get older I’ll get sick of you, but right now I love you.”

She smiled at Ruby and bent to kiss her forehead. “I love you, too, kid. I hope I don’t get sick of you until you’re thirteen. But then I’ll trade you in for a younger cuter model.”

“Where are my two favorite ladies?”

“In the kitchen,” Ruby yelled. “We’re cooking dinner for you!”

“That’s why it smells so good in here.” He kissed Belinda’s cheek and then bent to kiss Ruby. On the outside he looked like the same old Carter, but she could tell that he was still off. Things had become a little strained between them. Ruby might not have been able to tell, but she knew. She just didn’t know how to fix it.

“Dinner smells amazing. Can I help you with anything?”

“Actually, would you mind keeping an eye on the lasagna? I’ve got to run to the store and pick up some garlic bread.”

“I’ll get it. You should have told me to pick it up on my way home.”

“I didn’t want to bother you at work. I know you were busy today.”

“And so were you.” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a hug. “You do a lot for us. I don’t want you to think I don’t notice that.”

She nodded, hugging him tightly, wishing she could snap him out of this mood.

“Come on, Ruby. Let’s get some bread for Belinda.”

“No, thank you. I want to stay here with Belinda.”

Carter’s face turned to stone, and Belinda knew that Ruby had hurt him. He had been a little sensitive about Ruby lately. And Belinda realized that she had to take a step back. She wanted to be an equal parent, but she knew that Ruby was still Carter’s only child and he needed to feel that bond with her. Especially now that all hopes of having any sort of relationship with his father had died painfully.

“Go with your father. You’ve been with me all day. I could use a few minutes alone.”

Ruby shrugged. “I wanna stay home with you.”

She shook her head. “Go with your father. If you stay here I’m going to make you dry dishes. If you go with him you can probably get him to buy you candy.”

“But—”

“Ruby…”

“If she doesn’t want to go she doesn’t have to, Belinda. Stop trying to convince her otherwise. I’ll go by myself. It seems like everyone prefers you anyway.”

There was no denying the sharpness in his voice. Even Ruby noticed it and looked up at him with surprise.

Belinda’s first instinct was to snap back at him, but she didn’t want to argue with him in front of Ruby.

But this wasn’t her fault.

“Okay,” she said softly.

He grabbed his keys off the counter and walked out the door.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said immediately. “I didn’t mean to make him mad.” Her eyes went big with panic. “I’m sorry.”

She lifted the child off her feet and hugged her tightly. “Relax, baby doll. You’re not in trouble, but I think you hurt your daddy’s feelings. He wants to spend time with you. Just you and him. It’s just been you and him all these years, so it hurts his feelings when you don’t go to him because he loves you more than anybody else on the planet. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Why don’t you go get washed up for dinner?”

Ruby ran off as soon as she set her down. She was alone, feeling completely at a loss for a moment. But then the front door opened and she was surprised to see Carter rushing toward her.

“I’m a dick.” He cupped her face in his hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “I’m sorry.” He pressed his lips to hers. “I was…”

“You were hurt. I’m not trying to come between you and her.”

“I know. I just can’t shake what happened.”

“I know. I can’t imagine how you must feel.” But she had an idea. He was barely talking to her anymore, so in his head that some days she barely reached him.

“I’m sorry, Bell. I don’t want to fuck this up. I love you too much.”

“It’s okay.” It was going to take time, but she wasn’t sure how long they could survive this.

*   *   *

“There’s a house for sale on my street,” Cherri said to Belinda a month later. “Four bedrooms, three bathrooms. Two-car garage. It needs a little work, though. Are you prepared to take on something like that?”

“I don’t know.” She looked back at Ruby, who was a little way behind them trying to kick a soccer ball from the middle of Elder Park to the parking lot. “We haven’t talked about it much. Our first time looking at houses will be on Saturday, but I think I would be open to renovating a house. We could put our stamp on it together.”

“Ellis and Mike just finished the process. Their house looks great. I’m sure they could help you find a good contractor.”

“Yeah, I’ll ask her about it later.”

“Belinda?” Cherri stopped pushing her son and placed her hands on her shoulders. “What the hell is up with you? You should be excited. You’re buying a house with the guy you love.”

“I am.”

“Then what’s your deal?”

She wasn’t exactly sure. Things had mostly gone back to normal with Carter, but there was still that little bit of distance between them. It was almost like he blamed her for the break with his father. She knew that wasn’t strictly true. But she really had been the catalyst, the biggest and final thing that came between them. Carter claimed to hate his father, but she knew that he loved the man, or had once upon a time. All Carter wanted was for him to respect his decisions.

“My mother keeps asking us when we are going to get married.”

“You’re already married.”

“I know, but I think she would rather that we have a wedding before buying a house. She says we always do things backward.”

“You do. But is that what you want? Do you want a big wedding?”

“Would you judge me if I said yes?”

“Hell, no. Ellis and I have been planning your wedding in our heads even before we knew about Carter. Ellis has sketches of big extravagant dresses for you that she keeps in a book.”

“That’s nuts.”

“We never claimed to be sane. That’s why you love us.”

“It’s true. I shouldn’t need a ceremony to feel like we’re married but I kind of do. Last time didn’t feel real because I didn’t have my family there. I didn’t have Ellis there. I didn’t know you then, but you’re my best friend, too, and I needed you there to make it real.”

“So tell Carter that you want to get married again. Tell him you want your wedding.”

“If I have to tell him then it won’t be genuine. He should want to walk down the aisle with me. He should want to do this in front of our family and friends.”

“I’m sure he does, but men are stupid. You have to tell them these things.”

“Okay. I will. I’ll talk to him tonight.”

“Belinda.” Ruby ran up to them and grabbed hold of her hand. “You think we could get a dog when we move to our new house?”

“I don’t know, babe. That’s something we’ll have to ask your father about.”

“I don’t think he likes dogs very much.” She looked up at Cherri. “Maybe we could borrow your dog sometimes so Daddy gets used to him.”

“Rufus would love to have a little girl to play with. I would bring him to the park with us but he loves my husband too much. He barely leaves his side.”

“I think Daddy gets sad sometimes that there are no boys in the house. He needs a boy to play with.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, you could have a baby for him.”

“Excuse me?” she said as she heard Cherri snort.

“You could have a baby for him, or we could get a boy dog.”

“Oh, Ruby.” Belinda ruffled her hair. “You are either the sweetest child on the planet or a master manipulator.”

“Can we get frozen yogurt today?”

“Yes, but after you eat your lunch.”

“Okay.” The ball slipped out of her grasp as they approached the parking lot. She let go of Belinda’s hand to chase after it.

“Ruby, don’t run out in the parking lot.”

“I just want to get the ball. Your daddy just bought it for me.”

“Ruby!”

“That truck is backing out quickly, Belinda,” Cherri warned as Ruby ran farther out into the parking lot.

“I know. Ruby Lancaster, you stop right there!” She ran after her.

“I’m coming.” She ran right behind the pickup. Belinda was right behind her. “I just—”

Belinda grabbed her arm, yanking her out of the way, but she wasn’t quick enough because she heard Cherri scream at the same moment she felt the impact of the truck.

CHAPTER 25

The first to say good-bye …

Carter didn’t remember the drive to the hospital or even getting out of the car. He didn’t remember walking down the hall in the emergency room. He didn’t remember any of the words that the nurse had said to him while she showed him the way. All he could think of was Ruby. Ruby was hit by a truck. It was happening again. His nightmare was repeating itself. He had almost lost her once. She had three surgeries. She was hooked up to a ventilator. She had tubes coming out of her nose. He wanted to die then. It was the worst time in his life, and he knew he couldn’t survive seeing his baby hurt again.

“There she is, Mr. Lancaster.”

He walked into the room slowly. Slowly because he almost didn’t want to see her, because he couldn’t bear seeing her hurt again. It was too much. Her face was turned away from him. She looked pale, but whole, not the almost lifeless being he saw the last time this happened. Her arm was in a sling and wrapped tightly in a bandage. It wasn’t as bad as he thought.

He thanked God for that. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God.

He approached her slowly, afraid to touch her, afraid that she was like a mirage that was going to break apart, disappear through his fingers if he touched her. But he wanted to touch her and hold her and squeeze her. He wanted to never let her out of his sight again.

“She’s okay,” he heard Belinda say from behind him. “Most of the damage came from me.”

He turned around to look at her. She had her cell phone in her hand. She didn’t look like herself. Her eyes were wide, remorseful, regretful, and he knew whatever took place was her fault.