C.J. Carmichael - A Baby Between Them

“But…”

He shut the door and she heard his footsteps as he walked away down the hall.

Oddly enough, Rae did fall asleep after that, and when she woke up the next morning, Aidan’s words were still in her head. This baby definitely has something to do to me. And for the next few weeks, so do you.

He’d made his decision out of guilt and responsibility. Rae was certain this was the case. And yet, she had to admit that she was glad, really, really glad, he’d decided to stay.

She wasn’t happy about feeling this way. In fact, she hated to think that the man still held this much power over her.

But there it was. When it came to Aidan Wythe, she was an absolute fool.

Of course, there was always the possibility that he’d rethought his position over the past couple of hours. For all she knew, he could have tossed his suitcase back in his car and taken the first ferry off the island this morning.

Rae dressed for her morning walk in shorts and T-shirt, then headed to the kitchen for breakfast. In the past, this was a meal she had always skipped, but since she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d become more disciplined.

The sight of Aidan standing by the stove stopped her short. “You’re still here?”

“I told you last night I was staying.”

“Yes. But before you slept with me, you promised I was going to be the head of the acquisitions department. Then, instead, you made me head of operations in Pittsburgh.” She perched on a bar stool. “I just thought you might have changed your mind again.”

Aidan gave her a dirty look, but instead of defending himself, he pointed at a frying pan on top of the gas range. Now she noticed a pitcher of beaten eggs, and bowls of diced peppers, mushrooms and ham on the side.

“Would you like an omelet?”

How could she say no?

When they were done eating, Aidan asked to see the information on the adoptive parents. Rae brought down the envelope from her bedroom, but Aidan didn’t even glance inside.

“What are you going to do now?” he asked.

“Walk to the beach.”

“Sounds good.”

“It does?”

“Yeah.” He shot her a challenging look. “Do you mind if I come with you?”

What was with him? He couldn’t want to be spending all this time with her. Yet, he seemed perfectly content as he donned his sunglasses and locked the front door on the way out.

There were no sidewalks, so they kept to the left-hand side of the road.

“Why did your mother choose this island for a vacation spot? Why not someplace in the U.S.?”

“She and Harrison’s mother were best friends. And the Kincaids have had a place here since the eighteen hundreds.”

“Is the house that old?”

“It’s been renovated several times, but I believe the Kincaids have always been faithful to the original architecture.”

Aidan filled her in on bits and pieces of Summer Island’s history. As they neared the beach, he shielded his eyes from the sun and focused on someone ahead of them. “That looks like Harrison’s sister. She has Autumn with her.”

It was early in the day and there weren’t many people on the beach, just a few mothers with young children. Rae had no trouble spotting the woman Aidan was talking about. Nessa was a petite, pretty woman with dark hair. She was tossing a Frisbee to a little girl who appeared to be around seven years old. The little girl had dark hair, too, but she was more than just pretty. Even at her young age, Rae could tell she was going to grow up to be exceptionally beautiful.

Clearly, this was Simone DeRosier’s daughter. Though the jazz singer had been dead for a year by the time Rae joined Kincaid Communications, she had heard plenty of stories about the famous woman from her coworkers. According to the rumors, though Simone had often been away on tours and promotional gigs, she’d been a devoted mother, if not quite a devoted wife.

“I heard that Harrison’s sister has multiple sclerosis,” Rae said. “But she looks perfectly normal.”

“We’re hoping she’s going to be one of the lucky ones,” Aidan said. “The disease has been in remission for almost a year now.”

“Autumn is beautiful,” Rae said. “She looks amazingly like her mother.”

“Yeah. That’s what everyone says.”

Aidan sounded gloomy, and Rae shot him a curious look. Simone DeRosier had been a classic beauty. Surely the fact that her daughter resembled her was not a bad thing?

NESSA KINCAID BROOKE spun the Frisbee toward her niece, then froze as a pregnant woman approached the beach from the road. Nessa had antennae for expectant mothers, just as in a crowd she always picked out babies…especially infants.

The pregnant woman walked in that particular wide-footed way that was so common to the final trimester. One hand rested on her rounded belly.

What would it feel like to have a baby inside you? With all her heart, Nessa envied the woman. She was beautiful, too, with dark, wavy hair and a fair, yet rosy complexion.

Nessa checked out the man beside her, then blinked as she recognized Aidan.

Harrison had told her Aidan was coming to the island for a holiday. So that meant this woman with him was Rae Cordell, the up-and-coming corporate genius Harrison was so pumped about.

He and Justine had told her that, while Aidan wasn’t saying anything, the scuttlebutt at Kincaid Communications was that Rae and Aidan had had an affair, then Aidan had transferred Rae to the Pittsburgh office.

It all sounded too sordid to Nessa. Not like Aidan, at all. Yet, the fact that he was here with Rae now, made it likely the story was true.

“Watch out, Auntie Nessa!”

The Frisbee was coming right for her head. Nessa snatched it out of the air, then laughed at Autumn. “That was a good throw.” She pointed to Aidan. “But look who’s here.”

Autumn glanced over her shoulder, then started to run. “Uncle Aidan!”

Nessa followed at a slower pace, watching as Autumn hurled herself into Aidan’s arms for a hug. Aidan’s eyes were on Nessa as he squeezed the little girl briefly, then gently set her on the ground.

In the past, Nessa had noticed a certain reserve in Aidan’s manner with the little girl. Given the close relationship between Aidan and the Kincaid family—in particular, Harrison—that had always struck her as odd.

“Aidan, hi. Harrison told me you were coming to the island.”

“Hey, Nessa. It’s good to see you. You’re looking terrific.” He hugged her warmly.

“Uncle Aidan!” Autumn tugged on the hem of his T-shirt. “Auntie Nessa taught me some new songs. Do you want to hear them?”

He brushed his curly hair back from his forehead. “Umm…”

“Later, honey!” Nessa laughed. “Give us a minute to chat, first.” She held out a hand to Rae, trying not to look too longingly at the obvious evidence of her pregnancy. “Hi, I’ve been meaning to drop by the summerhouse to introduce myself. Harrison has told me how invaluable you are at Kincaid Communications.”

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