Page 31 of Nightclub Surprise
“It is.” I opened the last two doors, showing him the drawers that were inside of them. “And here are the drawers for your otherthings.”
Neither quite knew how to act; they were clearly overwhelmed. And when I took Tawny to a room that was very similar to Calum’s, she began to cry. I held her in my arms to soothe her. “This is too much,August.”
“No, this is what your life is now, Tawny. You belong here with me. Our son deserves this. And so do you.” I kissed her on top of her head as I swayed withher.
Resting her head on my chest, we watched our son as he ran around the room, marveling at everything. The puzzle of my life felt as if it was finally being solved. Hope filled me for ourfuture.
Nothing could stop menow.
Chapter Eighteen
August
“I started out this day nearly catching on fire, and now I’m swimmin’ in a pool that’s inside a house that I get to live in!” Calum said just before he jumped off the diving board, creating a splash that echoed inside the glassroom.
Tawny and I sat on the edge of the pool, our feet dangling in the water. She didn’t have a bathing suit, so she couldn’t get in. I opted to sit out with her, and Calum was happy to swim in a pair ofshorts.
Our fingers entwined, our shoulders touching as we leaned against each other, we watched our son playing away in front of us. I don’t think I’d ever been in a better mood. The sound of the door opening had us turning to see who it was. “Good evening, sir,” my chef, Tara, greeted us. “I’ve come to see what you all want for dinner. With the new additions, I’d like to prepare a meal they’ll enjoy,too.”
Calum dog-paddled his way to us, the red life jacket he wore keeping him afloat. “I love chili dogs. Oh, and I love Frenchfries.”
Tawny cleared her throat. “But little boys who want to grow up to be strong men like their fathers have to eat more than junk food to get that way.” She directed her attention to Tara. “So, anything healthy is good with us. I don’t like to eat fried foods and don’t like Calum to, either. I’ve always stayed away from sugary foods and drinks as well. I’m a nurse, so nutrition is more important to me thantaste.”
“Ah, I see. So, let me see if this is a typical meal you’d enjoy,” Tara said, getting a bead on Tawny. “Roasted chicken in an almond sauce, organic fresh green beans with wild mushrooms, and baked sweet potatoes with a touch of cinnamon and brown sugar butter. How’s thatsound?”
“That sounds nutritious and delicious,” Tawny said with a wide smile. “And I usually give Calum an eight-ounce glass of almond or coconut milk, or a mixture of the two, unsweetened, of course. And a glass of water,too.”
With a nod, Tara had one more question, “I usually serve fowl with white wine. Is that okay with you,ma’am?”
“Yes, of course. And water though, please make sure there’s water on the table,” Tawny said with a smile. “I’m an avid water drinker. It’s like a little miracle, health-wise.”
“I will remember that then. I’ll have the minifridge in your bedroom stocked with some bottled water, and I’ll stock Calum’s with some healthy choices, too.” And with that, Tara left us alone oncemore.
Tawny shook her head. “That was weird,huh?”
“What, telling our chef how you want to eat?” I asked with a chuckle. “No, it’s what you’re supposed to do. Tara’s a great chef and eager to please, so feel free to let her know whatever you want.” Her lips were just too close not to kiss, so I stole one kiss from her as Calum paddled around the pool. “He’s wearing himself out rather well, don’t youthink?”
She nodded and gave me a sexy little grin. “After this, a filling meal, a warm bath, and a bedtime story, he should be out like alight.”
“Then Mommy and Daddy can play.” I kissed her again. “Thank you for coming here withme.”
Leaning her head on my shoulder, she ran her hand over my chest. “Thank you for asking us to come. My pride gets in my waysometimes.”
“That’s okay.” One look at Calum as he climbed out of the pool to go down the slide reminded me of something that had been on my mind. “Tawny, I thought you told me you were on the pill thatnight.”
She ducked her head, suddenly shy—and maybe feeling a little guilty. “Yeah, you remember thatright.”
“So, how did you manage to get pregnant?” I took her by the chin to get her to look at meagain.
“Well,” she said, then her eyes cut to the left before coming back to meet mine. “I lied aboutthat.”
“Why on Earth would you lie about that?” I askedher.
“Because I wanted you. And I didn’t have any condoms and doubted you did. And I wanted to feel you and only you. I know that was immature of me—and very wrong and unfair to you. And I knew the risk I was taking. But I didn’t care. I wanted you so damn badly, nothing else mattered to me.” Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, August. I never meant to get pregnant. I never meant to hurt you in any way. That’s why I kept it to myself. I felt it to be my responsibility, notyours.”
“But he’s my blood, baby. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but you should know that if you had told me you were pregnant, then I wouldn’t have stayed in the marines past my initial two-year commitment.” My thoughts turned to what had happened after the first two years had gone by. I’d been on some very dangerous missions, missions I would never have taken if I’d known I had akid.
“I’m sorry. I really am,” she whispered. “You and I were nothing to each other at the time. That was my biggest reason behind keeping things tomyself.”
