“Third door down on the right.”
Bella watched her friend stalk off and she hurriedly pulled on her clothes wrapping the scarf around her neck as she checked her messages. Tyler had sent her updates about his meeting throughout the afternoon, and she hoped the last one meant it had ended well. She was grinning from ear to ear when Jessica returned her eyes shining with unshed tears as she nodded.
“Jess it’ll be fine, I promise,” she told her with a hug. “Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner? You can help me figure out what to do with the kitchen and then we can talk without anyone overhearing…”
“I can’t Bella, I can’t believe I let this happen. I can’t afford to raise a baby on my own,” Jessica cried sinking down onto the chair in the room.
“Jess you’re not alone in this. Even if you and Toby decide not to go anywhere with the relationship, he’ll be a great dad. Plus, he makes a bundle with me showing off his clothes,” she teased trying to get her to smile. “It’ll all work out.”
“How can it? He’s seeing someone else…”
“He is?” Toby asked stepping into the doorway holding out the hot cocoa he’d just returned with. “That’s news to me. Bella, love…”
“I’m off, my husband wants to celebrate his fabulous new deal,” she said hugging Jessica then kissing Toby on the cheek warning him, “I will stop wearing your designs if you hurt her.”
“Won’t happen love,” he told her, and she felt reassured that they’d work it out somehow.
She waited inside as the doorman hailed a cab for her trying to avoid the photographers who’d been following her for weeks. They’d shown up when she and Steven had been out shopping last week and the headlines had made her laugh until she cried by their absurdity. There were more waiting outside their building, and she sighed waiting for the doorman of the apartment complex to open the door for her. Maybe Tyler was right…maybe she should give in and start letting Tristan do his full job. The intrusion into her life she could handle but lately the photographs had begun to get a bit pushy, one physically blocking her way as she had tried to get through the airport for the last-minute shoot she’d been contacted and begged to do.
She changed into a simple dress, perfect for wherever Tyler decided to take her for dinner and walked over to the wall of windows that looked out at the skyline of the city and let the tension ease out of her body. She was booked from now until the middle of February but after that she had a week free, a week she hoped to spend with Tyler, maybe she should have Haley, his latest assistant block the week out that way she could convince him to go away from the craziness here and simply relax with her.
“Well, if it isn’t my gorgeous wife,” Tyler said slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. “Good day?”
“Great…for me at least,” she told him.
“Jess?” he asked knowing the two women had been talking non-stop the last week.
“Yeah, look you have to swear that you won’t say anything, not even to Jess but, she’s pregnant…and Toby’s the father,” she told him.
“Wow, that’s an interesting match. Are you okay with it?”
“What? Because I’m not pregnant? Ty, I’m okay it’s not like we’ve been working at getting pregnant, if it’s meant to be it will be…”
“I meant more that your designer is going to be with your best friend all the time now but I’m guessing Mom’s been hinting about us starting a family again, hasn’t she?”
“And Charlie, and Toby, at least before he found out he was going to be a father, and the stupid photographers constantly ask…I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’ve got so many jobs booked that I’m barely going to see you in the next seven to eight weeks and I don’t want to think about everyone pushing us to have a baby. I want to hear about the brilliancy that is my husband and this new deal…so come on, tell me.”
“On the way to the restaurant,” he said kissing her. The kiss lingered growing deeper, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as her head swam.
She pulled back with a smile whispering, “Still want to go to the restaurant?”
“No,” he growled picking her up and carrying her to the couch. He sat down and she stretched out against him, forcing him back until they were lying side by side.
“Bella…” he warned as her hands slipped inside his shirt.
“Kiss me Ty,” she whispered into his ear, and he happily complied.
***
“Arabella over here…Arabella to your left…one more…” the photographers shouted as she strolled down the red carpet smiling though she didn’t feel like it in the least. Tyler was late for an event she hadn’t wanted to come to in the first place, but she hadn’t been able to get out of it. Her tiny cameo in the film that was opening had mandated it and so instead of being home tonight for the first time since Christmas she was freezing in a creation Toby had outdone himself on and her husband was nowhere in sight.
“Arabella, where’s that darling man of yours?” one of the reporters from the television tabloid shows asked with a glint in her eyes that Bella knew meant trouble.
“Chained to his desk,” she stated with a wink that convinced everyone she was lying.
“Are the rumors true that your designer is expecting a child with a friend?” another asked.
“You’d have to ask Toby about that, but I can tell you his designs are like children to him, each has a special name…”