Baby Business(9)

"Yes, she did." He knew now that she had done it because of what he'd  said about not wanting a family. From what Adam said, he must have hurt  her. "I'll take care of Cassidy."



"Make sure you do."



"Are you threatening me?" He knew he'd do the same if he were Cassidy's  brother and some other man had abandoned her. It was a sobering thought,  and for the first time he was forced to look outside of himself.



"Yes," Adam said, totally unashamed of himself. "I should have done it  the first time you dated her. I knew you were the kind of man who always  put himself first."



"The same can be said of any successful businessman. And that's what women want, Adam. Success."



"They also want a guy to be able to balance that with family time."



"I don't see a ring on your finger. What makes you an expert?"



"The fact that I don't have a ring. I've spent my entire life avoiding  the situation you're in because for me work always comes first."



Donovan knew it did for him, too. Always had. That was why he'd let  Cassidy go. Because he'd known she could interfere with his success.



Donovan didn't want to have this discussion with Adam. The pressure he  was under at work to make sure that every aspect of his division was  running smoothly was tremendous.



"If it were any other woman, I'd walk away," Donovan said, realizing the  words for the truth they were. It didn't matter that he'd had  Granddaddy's will as an excuse to get back to her side. He'd wanted  Cassidy for a long time. And now that he had her back where she  belonged-in his life-he wasn't going to let her go.



The music started and Donovan saw Emma walking up the aisle. And then,  Cassidy. She looked so lovely that for a second his breath caught in his  throat. He was humbled by the fact that she was marrying him and having  his baby.



Humbled by the fact that this woman was now going to be his. When she  got to his side and he took her hand in his, he saw the joy on her face  and knew he never wanted to disappoint her.



She could never know that he had come back into her life because of a  will. That he was marrying her not only for herself but also because his  job demanded it.



The lie of omission weighed on him. He would have to balance it with his  actions. He was marrying her, and that was ultimately what she'd always  wanted. And he would do his damnedest to be a good husband and father.  But part of him-the man who was her lover-knew that Cassidy was never  going to see a lie as balanced out by anything.



As he took her small hand in his and turned to face the pastor, he vowed  to himself that he'd make their life together so fulfilling that, if  she ever found out the real reason he'd come back to her, it wouldn't  matter.



As the pastor led them through the ceremony, he felt the noose tighten.  He heard words he'd heard a hundred times before in other ceremonies,  but this time they sank in. This time they resonated throughout his  body. His hand tightened in Cassidy's, and she looked up at him.                       
       
           



       



"You okay?" she mouthed.



He nodded. But was he? Marriage wasn't something to be entered into  lightly. And this was the worst possible time for him to be having this  thought, but maybe marrying Cassidy wasn't the only solution.



Then the pastor asked if he took Cassidy to be his, and the panic and  the uncertainty left. Cassidy was already his, and this ceremony today  would do nothing but affirm that to the world.



"I do," he said.



Cassidy smiled up at him, and that was it. That moment of panic  retreated to a place where he would never have to think about it again.  He wasn't a man who looked back and lamented the choices he'd made. He  was a man who looked forward and shaped his own destiny, and this  moment, with this woman, was where he was meant to be.



The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur and before he knew it, the pastor was telling him he could kiss his new wife.



He pulled Cassidy into his arms, felt the bump of her belly against his  stomach. As he lowered his head to hers, she came up on her tiptoes,  meeting his lips. He stroked her mouth with his tongue before pushing  inside. She held on to his shoulders and he bent her back over his arm,  kissing her and claiming her … Cassidy Franzone-no, Cassidy Tolley. His  wife, his woman, the mother of his child.





"Cassidy, do you have a minute?"



"Sure, what's up?"



"I just heard something … I don't want to make waves on your wedding day, but-"



"Emma, just say it. Whatever it is."



"Um … there's something weird going on with Tolley-Patterson."



"Like what?"



"I don't have the details, but one of the attorneys at my father's firm,  Jacob Eldred, handled Maxwell Patterson's will. I was talking with some  of the firm's associates at a cocktail gathering the other night, and  when I mentioned I was attending your wedding, they said something about  Maxwell's will."



"His grandfather's will?"



"I couldn't ask more. I started to, and then they realized that they  shouldn't be talking to me about the matter, so I asked my father, but  you know how he is."



Cassidy sat down and Emma sat next to her, holding her hand. "I … I don't know what to think."



"I know, Cassidy. It may just be business, but I was thinking about how he came back to you out of the blue … ."



"I don't think our marriage has anything to do with his job. His grandfather liked the fact that Donovan was single."



"You're right. I just wanted to mention it."



"Mention what?" Donovan asked, coming up behind them.



"Nothing, Donovan. Just a comment I'd heard about you and your grandfather's will."



Cassidy wasn't sure, but it almost looked as if Donovan's face went white. "Like what?"



"Nothing specific, just that it was a bit strange."



"Well it's one of those old-time Southern wills. Nothing either of you has to worry about."



Emma and Donovan had never been great friends. She wished they'd find a  way to get along, but it wasn't a main concern of hers. They didn't have  to be best friends for her to continue her relationship with each of  them.



"Of course it isn't. That's business and this is personal," she said to  Donovan. Donovan reached for her hand and she gave it to him. He drew  her to her feet. "Did you need me for something?"



"I wanted to dance with you," he said. "Will you excuse us, Emma?"



Her friend nodded, but Cassidy sensed that it wasn't over. There was  more to what Emma had been saying, and she'd talk to Donovan about it  later. Tonight, she wanted to enjoy their party. To hang on to the  illusion that he was her Prince Charming and she was embarking on  happily-ever-after with him.



The band started to play "Do You Remember" by Jack Johnson, and Cassidy tipped her head back. "Did you request this?"



"I did. I couldn't think of a better song to be our first as husband and wife."



She'd always liked the song. It had a feeling of permanence to it. A  feeling that the couple would be together forever. And she'd always  wanted that for her and Donovan.



"I didn't think you'd remember I liked this song."



"I remember everything about you, Cassidy."



Sometimes, when he said things like that, she knew that her doubts about  him were groundless. He drew her closer and sang along with the lead  singer. His voice made her feel good deep inside.                       
       
           



       



She loved being in his arms. She'd missed that so much. She sighed and  snuggled closer to him. His hands smoothed down her back and he shifted a  bit to pull her even closer.



"Baby, you okay?"



"Yes. I've missed your arms around me."



"Me, too," he said. "We'll never sleep apart again."



She liked the sound of that. But she knew he traveled for business and doubted the words were the absolute truth.



She'd thought that getting married today would ease some of the doubts  she'd been carrying inside, but instead she realized that more were  being generated.



"Don't you want that?" he asked.



"Yes. I've missed sleeping next to you."



"I'm hearing some hesitation in your voice."



"There isn't any. I was just thinking how our lives sometimes don't follow the path we want for them."



"Even me?"



"Especially you."



"What can I do to alleviate those fears?"



She shrugged. "I don't know. I worry about a lot of things lately."