Snowfall and Secrets (The Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 1) (8 page)

Tess recoiled. That word had never occurred to her. Somehow drunk and taken advantage of was easier to accept. Tess supposed it didn’t matter; her mother would be disappointed. Her friends would think she was just a slut who got into another mess and let some guy use her.

“I was thinking of maybe adoption,” said Tess. She wiped her eyes with her napkin.

Marie fiddled with her salad before responding. “I understand. I can get you some information, and when the snow clears, there are some people on the mainland I can put you in touch with that can help. First though, forgive yourself. Think of the baby as a part of you, outside of what happened. Then we can talk about it again in the spring.”

Marie resumed eating. Tess dug around for her cookie. Marie hadn’t exaggerated the size any, and it was still warm, melt-in-your-mouth good.

“Also,” added Marie. “We should do some tests. Make sure you didn’t pick up any random STDs.”

Tess grimaced. She hadn’t thought about that. “Yeah, you are probably right.”

“I’ll draw some blood after we eat. We’ll have to send it to the mainland. But I should have the results in a few days. Have you told anyone else about this?”

“No.” She didn’t plan on telling anyone either.

“You shouldn’t keep this bottled up. I hope you feel like you can talk to me. It’ll help you process. Any other skeletons in your closet?”

Tess laughed. “Loads. But none that are relevant to this conversation. It does feel good to talk though.”

“Anytime. Psychiatrist is one of the many hats I wear, and your secret is safe with me. Though, I’m not sure how long you can hide it. Are you going to tell Doc?”

“Probably not until late spring. I plan on returning next year, but, obviously, I’ll need some time off.” She frowned. “Are there daycares on the island in case I do keep it? The baby.”
Marie smiled and nodded. “Just one. Well, two, but one does newborns to two, and the other is more of a preschool. Cate runs it. She only has two kids right now, but Priscilla is due in April, so her baby might be there as well. Cate is good at what she does. If I had little ones, I’d trust them to her. Are you sure your mother is going to be okay with you living here by yourself with her grandbaby?”

Tess laughed. No her mother was not going to be okay with that. At all.

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead. This will the first grandbaby. But it’s not her child.”
“You’re pretty headstrong.” Marie chuckled. “But kids have a way of changing things. As much as I want to keep you around, you might want to consider going home in the summer and having the baby around your family.”

Tess shook her head. “I don’t want to raise a baby in Miami. Besides, I like here. In spite of the fact that it’s freezing outside.”

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. When are going to tell your mom?”

“Probably not until this summer. She’s planning a visit after school’s out.”

Marie put her cookie down and frowned.

“You’re going to wait that long?”

“Yes. Didn’t you just say that she would try to talk me into coming home? The longer I wait to tell her, the less time she has to try to convince me to come home.”

“You will tell her before she gets off the plane though? Imagine her reaction if she sees you before you tell her? You’ll be pretty big by then.”

“I don’t know. It might be worth it just to see her reaction,” Tess said, grinning.

Marie shook her head. “Your funeral.”

“Do you have kids?” Tess wanted to take the attention off herself. She blathered plenty about her own problems.

“Yes. Two boys. They both live in the L.P. One is in college studying engineering, and the other has a medical practice in Grand Rapids.”

“L.P.?”

“Lower Peninsula. Do you know any of the Michigan acronyms?”

“Sorry. No. I’ve only been here for a week.” Tess stuffed another bite of cookie in her mouth. At this rate, she wouldn’t be hiding her bump for long. “You must be very proud of your sons.”

Marie smiled and wiggled her eyebrows at Tess. “I am. They are both coming home this weekend. You should come for dinner on Friday and meet them.”

She knew that look. It was the same look her mother gave her every time she wanted to introduce her to one of her friend’s sons.

“You want me to come meet your sons? Did you forget why I’m here?”

Marie snorted. “They could do worse. You should see the girls they bring home sometimes. You’re pretty, independent, you have a good head on your shoulders, and I like you.”

Tess creased her eyebrows. “But I’m pregnant.”

“Sure you are. But extenuating circumstances, love. You don’t have a crazy ex-boyfriend, smoke weed, or take an unusual amount of prescription drugs. As long as your blood test comes out clean, I’d say you’d be the best thing either one of them has ever brought home. Though you may want to wait until one of them falls in love before you spill the beans about the baby.”

“Yep and then he goes running for the hills.”

“Nonsense. Men fall hard.”

“Okay, I’ll come to dinner, but only because I like you. I’m not interested in seducing one of your sons.”

Marie laughed. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. They’ll be the ones fighting over you. We’ll see you Friday at six.”

“Can I bring anything?”

“Nope. I love to cook when the boys come home. No one else is allowed in my kitchen.”

Tess headed to the small grocery store after she left Marie to get milk since she was out. Again. While she stood in the baking aisle trying to decide if she wanted to bake cookies, cake, or brownies, her phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, but it was a Michigan area code.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Tess.” It was Sara.

“Everything okay?” Tess asked. Sara was watching half of her class today.

“Better than okay. I just had to call and tell you Whitters showed up after lunch today with a black eye.” Sara giggled. The mom of three actually giggled.

“What?” Shocked, Tess grabbed a box of brownies off the shelf. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, but I knew you’d appreciate it.” Sara sniggered. “Alright, I better get back, but if I hear more, I’ll call you after school.”

“You better.” Tess grinned as she dropped her phone into her purse. Sometimes karma got it right. Whitters must have put his hands on the wrong girl.

At home, she found Lukas outside playing in the snow with Dio. Watching Dio try to catch snowballs as Lukas bent over laughing made her heart beat faster. He was so good with Dio. She imagined he had to be great with kids.

Tess shook her head and balanced her grocery bags. It was bad enough Marie was trying to set her up with either of her sons, now Tess was trying to see herself with Lukas.

He straightened and jogged over.

“You’re home early.” He took one of her bags. He reached for the other, but she pulled away. She could still carry at least part of her own groceries.

“I had an appointment,” she bit out, more irritated with herself and her thoughts than she was with him.

Lukas frowned. “With who?”

“None of your business.”

Lukas raised his eyebrows. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy. I was just curious.”

Tess dropped her shoulders, ashamed at her behavior. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I had a doctor’s appointment.”

“With Marie? She’s brilliant. Way too good for a small town doctor. Her oldest son owns Dio’s sister Una.”

“So he was number one, huh? Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”

He chuckled. “Maybe a little. He and I were always super competitive. We grew up together.”

“Marie said they are coming home this weekend and invited me to dinner on Friday.”

Lukas rolled his eyes. “Be warned. When that woman gets an idea in her head, she doesn’t back down easily.”

“What idea?” She knew exactly what he was talking about, but she wanted to hear his take on it.

“You mean, you can’t tell?”

Lukas snatched the second bag out of her hand and started walking to her carriage house.

“The one where she tries to set you up with one of her boys. I expect she doesn’t care whether it is Hayden or Joshua.” Lukas chuckled. “Watch out for her. She has serious grandbaby fever.”

Tess felt her face go pale. Did he know? How could he know? She followed him into the house, lost for words.

L
ukas set the bags on Tess’s counter and tried to quell the growing jealousy in his chest. He and Hayden had their share of fights over girls, but that was in high school when there were only five eligible girls in the whole school.

He had to get a grip. He held no claim on Tess. Hell, he’d been trying to avoid her, but the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to be near her. It didn’t help that she seemed pretty oblivious to her appeal, which made her that much more attractive.

Tess rummaged through a small bag and pulled out dog treats. She opened the box and fed one to Dio. His chest tightened. Definitely not letting Hayden get his hands on her. He’d call Marie tonight and confirm his invitation to dinner on Friday.

“What makes you think she wants to set me up with her sons?” asked Tess, pulling out a gallon of milk.

“Because Marie loves her boys more than anything on this earth. She sees them once every couple of months. If she’s inviting you to dinner with them, it’s because she wants them to meet you.”

“That’s absurd. Why would she want to do that?”

He stood closer to her than he probably should. But the Jorgenson boys were about to be unleashed on her. He had to move quickly, or he’d lose her to one of them. Probably Hayden. Joshua was too young.

She wouldn’t look up at him. He put a finger on her chin and made her look him in the eyes. He wanted to see those captivating brown things anyway. When she met his eyes, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. If she wanted him, he was hers. Though Hayden would be better for her than him. She’d be less likely to get hurt.

“You don’t see it? You’re gorgeous, smart, well-educated, independent, and brave.”

“You’re just being nice.” She fidgeted but didn’t pull away. If she leaned in, he’d kiss her, and if she didn’t shove him away, he might not stop.

“I see it, and if I know Marie, she already told you the same.” He backed away. It was hard, but he didn’t want to push her if she wasn’t ready or didn’t want him. “Wear something conservative. Hayden doesn’t like girls who wear clothes that are too revealing.”

That was a total lie. Hayden always liked his girls a little on the risqué side. That was probably why Marie hated the ones he brought home. It was also the reason that they never fought about girls once they left the island. They had totally different tastes. Though Tess might be a problem. She always looked sexy no matter what she wore. It was something in the curve of her hips.

He had to get out of there before he did something he’d regret. He searched for Dio and saw her cowering behind Tess.

“Come on, girl, we gotta go.”

Dio leaned into Tess and wouldn’t look at him. The dog might like Tess better than he did.

He finally had to drag her out by the collar. As soon as she hit the snow though, she ran for his house. He dialed Marie as soon as he got into his place.

“Hey, Lukas, I haven’t heard from you in a while.” There was a hint of a chuckle in her voice. “How can I help you?”

“Hayden’s coming to drive me crazy this weekend. He said I could crash dinner Friday night. Thought I better check with you.” Marie made huge meals every Friday night when her boys came home. He’d been to dinner plenty of times when they were in college. He’d even gone for a while when he moved back, but after his wife left him, he didn’t like being around happy families, and eventually they stopped inviting him.

“You know you’re always welcome. I don’t suppose there’s a pretty brunette that could hitch a ride.”

She smelled a rat.

“Tess, sure. I’ll bring her with me.”

Marie laughed. “She’s quite a catch, isn’t she?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. Mind if I bring Dio?”

“Of course not. Hayden’s bringing Una.”

Lukas was looking forward to seeing Hayden. He hadn’t come home in a while. Marie pounced quickly, though he couldn’t blame her. Tess was quite a catch. If one of the Jorgenson boys didn’t make a move, someone else on the island was bound to go after her. If Lukas was being honest, he’d rather see her with Hayden. No, that was lie, he’d rather see her with himself.