Unnatural Calamities (13 page)

“No, but Toph. The date. God. I didn’t understand. Oh my god. I mean, it didn’t occur to me. No big deal, I thought, stress. But my period. Oh. Oh.”

His face went blank. “How late are you?”

“Almost a week.”

His first reaction was absurd and calm. “You should not be drinking that wine then.”

His simple words pushed her over the edge.

She burst into tears.

Chapter Eleven

Janey’s announcement left Toph feeling shocked, dazed and slightly dizzy. He also felt like pulling her up and dancing her around the room. He’d burst into song but he’d probably scare Janey. He couldn’t carry a tune to save his life.

Of course. This was a fine answer. He adored Cynthia, his one baby, and had always wanted more. A little Janey Junior would be fine. Thirty-five was not too old to be a new father. And the delicious grown-up Janey Carmody would be all his without having to go through the fearful nonsense and worry of dating. Uncertainty, the hallmark of any courtship, bugged the hell out of Toph.

Ah. But perhaps she didn’t consider courtship nonsense.

“Janey?” He put down his wineglass, walked over to her and squatted next to her chair. Her pale, sweet eyes, huge with tears, reminded him of the moment after Zack’s bullet had grazed her. Damn. The pain couldn’t be blamed on Zack this time. “Janey? It’ll be okay. Really.”

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. But…Toph, I’m sorry.”

He hauled her off the chair and into his arms. Still on his haunches, he rocked back on his heels to balance her weight.

He begged, “Stop crying, please. Don’t be sorry.”

She let him hold her and make comforting noises into her cinnamon-scented hair. Under the circumstances, he felt a twinge of guilt for noticing and enjoying the details, especially when she gulped, still half crying, “This is awful,” into his chest. He didn’t feel guilty enough to let go of her, however.

“No. You don’t understand. If I’m pregnant, I don’t think I can get an abortion.”

“No, no, of course not.”

She took a deep sniff. He fished out his handkerchief and handed it to her. She blew her nose, started to give the handkerchief back then changed her mind.

“Oops. I’ll wash it first.” She turned the folded piece of white linen over and over in her hands. “Do you know that you are the only man I know who carries one of these?”

“A throwback,” he agreed. He dropped down to the floor and pulled her against him.

She rested between his outstretched legs and tilted her head up to give him a watery smile.

“Thanks for being pleasant about this. It’s just that when you said that about the wine, I suddenly realized it was probably true. And at that moment, when I understood that I-I am probably pregnant. Well, I think I want to have this baby. If there is one.”

“That’s good,” he said.

She rubbed her eyes. “I remember at the hospital one of the nurses asking me if Zack had attacked me and telling me I had been sexually active. I was out of it, and I thought she was asking me. I bet she was telling me. Anyway, I was amused by what she said next. She said they hadn’t given me any medication that might harm a fetus.”

“That’s good,” he said again.

“And, Toph, it won’t be a problem for you. I promise, I won’t bug you for child support. In fact, I know you want to avoid public notice, so I’ll say something like it was an anonymous donor.”

“No. That’s bad,” he said.

In the circle of his arms, she grew still. “What do you mean?”

“If there is a baby, I want to be his or her father, Janey. And I don’t just mean child support.”

She twisted around and scooted backward on her bottom, out from his arms. He didn’t like the empty, cooling space where she’d been and wanted her warm body cuddled against him again.

She pressed her lips tight. “But you have a family. I mean what about Cynthia? What about Bea and all the rest of them? Mickey?”

He shrugged, unconcerned. “They’ll be fine.”

“Oh. My. So you’d want to be a father again? Well, there’s one more thing I would not have guessed about you.” She looked at him, her usually expressive eyes shuttered. “Oh my good gosh. Life will never be the same. Even if there is no baby. It’s all changed.”

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. Her little body was supple. Lithe and rounded. He remembered the feel of her and an astounding, harsh stab of desire sliced through him.

She rested her forehead on her knees and said, “Even before now, I mean before I found out about what we had, ah, done in the bathtub, nothing has been the same. I keep waiting for everything to go back to normal and it won’t. And not because I got shot or because of that asinine Zack.”

“What’s changed then?”

“Me. I don’t know why. I’m restless.”

“Post-traumatic stress?

“Maybe. No. I don’t think so.”

“Okay, maybe you’re antsy because you know it’s time to settle down. You’re going to have to, you know. If there’s a baby coming.”

She looked up at him, something, perhaps fear or anger, glazing her blue eyes. “Yeah, so I’ve heard.”

Time to bury any sign of nerves. He took in a silent breath of air and let it out slowly.

There.

Done.

Usually it was that simple to calm himself. “I can help you figure out a plan. In fact, I volunteer my services in more than helping you start a business. I’ve been thinking it’s time for a change in my personal life too. Maybe we can help each other. How about we get married?”

She met his eyes, a twitchy smile on her face, obviously waiting for him to laugh so she could join in.

He smiled back and said, “I’m perfectly serious about this. Janey Carmody. Will you marry me?”

Janey felt her jaw drop. Her mouth really did fall open. “Christopher Dunham, you are a crazy man. Add up all the hours we’ve spent together and we’ve known each other less than a day. And most of that time was under really bizarre circumstances.”

He still smiled at her but it wasn’t his easy grin. This was his smooth, dangerous smile with entirely too much confidence in it. “You said you like punks. Isn’t a punk anyone who takes risks? Makes stupendous life-changing decisions every day or so? Okay, I’m a punk. A hooligan. I’m your type of man. Marry me.”

She drew in a ragged breath. “Listen. You can’t make important decisions like this. God. All this crap happens to you and you just let it run your life?”

“When life hands you lemons,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “Toph. I don’t know anything about you. I don’t know if you vote Republican or Socialist.”

“Independent. Occasionally borderline liberal, but don’t tell anyone around here.”

“No, I mean all sorts of things about you. Anything.”

“I have a lot of money.”

She gave a weak laugh. “I’ve heard. How much?”

Toph was startled to realize he had no idea what he was worth these days. He let Jet deal with that. A big change from the old days when he pored over those figures, getting his jollies from seeing them rise. When had he stopped giving a damn? Probably about the time he knew Cynthia wasn’t going to be part of his daily life anymore. About the time Bea packed up and left their old house, the one he cared about.

He’d been drifting for years.

This was perfect, better than lemonade. He grinned at her. “More than enough money. What else do you need to know? How about, I have a slight reaction to pollen, but no life-threatening allergies. Type A positive blood, I think. No serious illnesses. I never wore braces. My most embarrassing secret—other than a recent incident in a bath tub—when I was young, I admired ‘New Kids on the Block’. Second most embarrassing secret, I actually thought I could be an Olympic swimmer and, third, I used to root for the New York Yankees.”

He ticked off the traits on the fingers of one hand. “In middle school, I once cheated on a test. I didn’t get caught but I failed the test anyway. In college I was a bio major, most definitely not a business major. The first woman I ever fell in love with was named Betty, a psychology major, but I lost track of her when she dropped out after she failed an exam.”

Janey started laughing too hard to hear the rest of his list. When she calmed down, she noticed Toph squinting at her speculatively.

“All this talk of exams gives me a good idea,” he said. “It’s Saturday, isn’t it.”

“Yes.”

“Where’s Rachel?”

“She’s sleeping over at her friend Diana’s house.”

“I thought so. Cynthia said Diana’s having a big slumber party. Let’s have one too, Janey, a small slumber party. Come with me. Or we can stay here. Come on. Let’s sleep together. Do you remember when you said you might only be interested in me because of the bizarre circumstances?”

“I kind of remember this.”

“You called yourself a sick cookie.” He leaned over and lightly encircled her ankle with one hand.

“Okay. Now I remember.”

The thumb grazed across her ankle bone, creating heavy warmth right up to the back of her knee. “Right, so let’s have a test. We’ll make it as normal as possible. Mr. and Mrs. Average at home. Without the kids. If I can turn you on then you have to seriously consider my marriage proposal.” The strong hand let go of her ankle and rubbed along her calf.

“Toph, marriage is more than a good time in bed.”

“Yes, Dr. Janey, I know that.” The stroke of his fingers created more heat that shot right through her whole body. “But it’s a start. Plus we might get to make love again if you agree, and that’s my idea of a very good time.”

She pulled her legs away and tucked them under her butt. Her brain, not her body, was going to conduct these talks. “You do have a way of sweeping a girl off her feet.”

“Well? Are you swept? Where shall we go? Let’s get started before you fall asleep. The test won’t count if that happens.”

She scanned his face. He had those intent, hooded eyes again. A man on a mission. “You’re serious, aren’t you,” she asked.

“Never more so.” He pushed himself up with a grunt then stood scrutinizing her. Towering above her, with that jacket and tie, his arm folded across his chest, Toph brought back a dim memory of some assistant principal in Janey’s past. He was someone waiting for an answer, and no matter what she said, she’d be in trouble.

Nonsense. Janey was an adult too. “This is too much too soon, Toph. Until a half hour ago. No, more like fifteen bloody minutes ago! I had no idea about what happened…about the incident in the bathtub and about the ah…baby. Potential baby,” she corrected.

“All right. If it’s too fast for you then how about just a kiss or two?”

She twitched her uninjured shoulder impatiently. “And if that’s too fast?”

“A hug?”

She sighed. “You know, I feel kind of crummy. I could be pregnant. I was shot a couple of weeks ago. I still get headaches from the concussion, I think.”

“Okay. Right. We can skip the sex. I’ll bring you breakfast in bed. Forget the test altogether. Just let me stay.”

“Why are you so insistent?”

His dark eyebrows rose in surprise. “Because I think I’m right. If you’re pregnant, we ought to get married.”

“Huh. Mickey warned me about you.”

Toph shifted his weight onto his heels. “Yeah? What did he say?”

“That you were a pain in the, uh, neck.”

“Mickey, of all people, should talk.”

She laughed, grateful the intensity had gone out of his voice and stance. “Yes, Mr. O’Connor is an enormous pain. And have I forgotten to thank you for forcing him to take care of us? Seriously. He’s amazing. But what he said about you made sense. You decide what people need or want and then keep after them until they do it.”

Toph wandered over to his glass of wine and gulped most of it down. “I see people’s talents. I help them achieve their goals.”

“He said that too.”

“Janey, I am not a bully.”

She nodded her agreement. “No. Zack is a bully. You’re too smart. You’re determined.”

“Okay, I’m determined. Nothing wrong with that. But I am not a bully, so if you tell me to go home, I’ll leave.”

He gave her a friendly, warm smile. Nothing threatening. “On the other hand, I’ll be back and keep coming back until you tell me to get lost and you mean it.”

Janey swallowed hard. She understood that Toph Dunham’s quiet confidence was impervious to most outside forces. Was he bordering on the insanely conceited? Probably not. He seemed to know the difference between “I think” and “I know”. She couldn’t see him as a stalker.

He put down his glass again and took a step toward her. Slowly. A man approaching a fear-filled wild animal. A kind of stalker, after all.

“Janey,” he said.

She held still and closed her eyes. She was lost if she met those gleaming eyes when he watched her like that.

Then again…

Why the heck not?

For the moment she didn’t mind if someone powerful took over. Since she had woken up in the hospital, she’d been waiting for someone to come take care of her, hold her and tell her everything would be all right.

Her parents were dead. They probably wouldn’t have run over to help her if they’d been alive. Her sister was in jail, again, and young Rachel would be too scared by the job of taking care of her only caregiver, so she had just kept her mouth shut. Her friends were a tremendous help when they could come over, but everyone was so busy. And now there was the, oh God, possibility of a baby to think about. Oh my good gosh. She would just give in temporarily. Just for now.

She heard the rustle of his clothing as he knelt down near her again.

Later she’d fight him off. Once she’d recovered. Because she wanted to be honest, she warned him, “Okay, listen. This is just for now. I decide how to lead my life in the long run. I’ll pick my own course and I’m not going to allow acts of God to take charge of my life.”

The rustling stopped. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. I can’t be one of your…your people. But all right, I’ll let you treat me like a brainless sap for a day or two.”

His large warm hands rubbed up and down the bathrobe on her arms then lightly grasped her forearms to pull her closer.

“I’d be a brainless sap myself if I treated you that way.” He sounded insulted and amused.