“Thank you. I’ve
been here a week and should think about going home.”
“Stay forever if you like. You’re safe here.” Carol reached for the pastry box. “Oh good, he brought two cherry tarts.”
Ana didn’t think of her personal calendar until she returned home and found it in her lingerie drawer. When she realized her period was three weeks late, she quickly recounted. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter how many times she checked the days. She was still late. She’d been in a serious accident, had anesthesia, taken pain meds, and maybe the combination had upset her body’s rhythm. But with the way her life had been going lately, she doubted such a convenient explanation would prove true. Condoms weren’t 100 percent effective, and things had progressed so quickly with Alejandro, she hadn’t even had time to think about going back on the pill. Clearly it had been another gigantic mistake on her part.
Fatima wasn’t there on a Sunday afternoon to go out for a pregnancy test, and while some pharmacies delivered, she’d have to use an assumed name and ask Juan at the security desk to watch for it. She could send for a whole list of health supplies—Band-Aids, cotton balls, antibiotic ointment, her favorite hand cream and bubble bath. That would fill up the bag, but the pregnancy test would be all that mattered, and whoever filled the order would know it.
She wondered if Alejandro would be glad to hear the news. With her leg in a cast, she couldn’t dance away her choking fear, but she’d wanted a clear break, not an everlasting tie to him. He’d left a message for her when he’d picked up the cats. After he had them. He’d not asked beforehand. If he had asked, she’d probably have let them go rather than return his call. His calls since had all included an update on Romeo and Juliet’s welfare. He certainly knew how to hang on when she wanted to let go. She lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling for more than an hour, but no escape for her newfound dilemma appeared. No matter how much she didn’t want to do so, she’d have to get up and call Alejandro. Her voice shook as she said hello.
“My God, Ana, have you finally returned one of my calls?”
“I’m home, and I need you to do a favor for me.”
“Do you want the kittens back? They’ve made themselves at home with me, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to disrupt their lives again so soon.”
“Shut up and listen. I need you to buy a pregnancy test and bring it to my condo.” She ended the call before he could give her a smart reply, and he didn’t call back. Maybe he’d been so shocked he would stay home and pretend she hadn’t finally called him after all.
Piles of papers and files were stacked on his father’s desk, and he’d only worked halfway through them. He got up and stretched. Unlike Ana, he’d had time to adjust to her pregnancy, but that didn’t mean he’d found the best way to respond. He’d played out a dozen dialogues in his mind, and each always ended with her furious with him. If he admitted he’d known since she left the hospital, she’d damn him for keeping the secret. If he played dumb, he’d be lying to her. There was no way to win, but he’d have to face Ana all the same. He wouldn’t keep her waiting and grabbed his coat to run her errand.
Along with the pregnancy test, he bought pink roses and a box of chocolate-covered almonds. His mouth was so dry when he knocked on her door, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to speak.
Ana hopped to the door and welcomed Alejandro with an impatient nod. “Thank you, but you needn’t have brought flowers and candy.”
He carried everything into the kitchen, found a glass and took a drink before she could toss him out. “I thought if we had something to celebrate, we’d need candy and flowers.”
“Possibly. In your many messages, you didn’t mention you were growing a beard.”
“You listened? I thought every word zoomed straight into the ether. I need to look mature and solidly responsible to run the Ortiz Line. Does it work?”
His beard grew low on his cheeks and accented his features handsomely. That he was even better looking twisted her insides. “I’m not the one to ask. The vases are under the sink. If you’ll put the roses in one, I’ll go and take the test.”
He handed her the box. “Do you want to talk about options first? That way there won’t be any pressure afterward.”
She leaned against the counter. “I’d rather not speculate.”
He opened the box of candy. “Have a chocolate almond or two first. Maja told me chocolate works wonders.”
She took them and hopped away. He was equally on edge and ate a couple. He trimmed the stems of the roses the way his mother had, placed them in an elegant crystal vase and carried them into the living room. If he were going to tell the truth, and damn the consequences, he’d have to do it before she told him what the test showed. He didn’t want to hover outside her bathroom door, but thought he could sit in the chair in her bedroom corner without upsetting her too badly.
When she came out of the bathroom wiping tears from her cheeks, he spoke softly so she’d notice him without being frightened. “I already know what the test shows. Dr. Pallares ran tests when you entered the hospital, and one showed you were pregnant.”
Astonished, she eased down on the foot of the bed. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
“She thought we should wait until you felt better.”
“We? Oh, I’d almost forgotten, you were pretending to be my husband. So you’ve known all this time and didn’t tell me?” She closed her eyes for a moment and sniffed away the last of her tears. “What’s your excuse? You’ve had plenty of time to dream up something really creative.”
No excuse would justify his silence. “I don’t have one.”
She glared at him. “I’ll give you one. If we married on board the Siren, then you’d have a claim to the child before I even knew I’d have one. Perfect. You don’t need a beard, although it’s attractive, as everything about you is, but you’d remain darkly sinister without it.”
He didn’t move. “I wanted you and the baby and still do.”
She looked away. “Will you please go? My life keeps lurching out of control, and I need time to think.”
“My life isn’t going as well I’d hoped either, but we’ll make great parents.” He stood and leaned down to place a light kiss on her hair. “What do you want for dinner? You ought to eat, and you don’t look in the mood to cook.”