‘Heavens! It’s almost as old as I am!’ Nell exclaimed, setting the whole table erupting in laughter as she patted it with one hand, taking Tegan’s in her other. ‘I love it. You’re such a lovely girl. Isn’t she a lovely girl, Maverick?’
Maverick grunted his reply, relieved from having to give a more comprehensive answer by the arrival of dessert and Nell’s cries of delight.
Tegan had barely touched her dessert before she excused herself from the table, sending his hackles up. She’d toyed with the seafood entrée and the main course as well, chasing food around her plate but hardly catching anything more than morsels. Even her water sat untouched. That was no way to nurture a baby.
Especially not his.
Something ferocious twisted in his gut. Could it be? Was she really carrying his child? He’d promised himself after the Tina debacle that never again would he be put in a situation where he was at the mercy of a woman claiming to be carrying his child. And, when he’d first discovered the news this morning, it had been that bitter past first and foremost in his mind, driving his reaction in a rush of bad blood and acrid memories.
But Tina had never been carrying his baby, and even when he’d believed she had he’d never encountered the curious burst of pride he felt right now.
The thought that she was carrying his child…
God, but it did things to him. It foamed his blood to white hot. It swelled his heart with pride. It made him want to damn her, and yet protect her at the same time. It made him want to howl at the moon and tear someone to pieces…
‘Your mother was like that with you, you know. Couldn’t bear to touch a drop.’
Gears shifted and crunched in his mind as Nell’s words filtered through. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Vanessa. Not drinking. Your mother was like that with you. Not like me. Strong as a bear, I was. Never knew a day’s morning sickness…Maverick, where are you going?’
CHAPTER TWELVE
SHE patted her face with a damp towel and breathed deeply. She hadn’t been ill, but it had been touch and go there for a while. Morning sickness. It had to have been a man who’d coined that expression and got it so wrong.
She tossed the hand-towel into the basket on her way out. If she didn’t get back soon, guard-dog Maverick would probably put out an APB on her. But outside it was Phil Rogerson she bumped into coming the other way.
‘Having a nice lunch?’ he asked, smiling broadly.
She smiled and nodded, expecting the exchange to end there and for them to go their separate ways.
‘Oh, I meant to ask you,’ he added, when he was almost past her. ‘Why is it that Nell calls you Vanessa?’
She smiled, not for the first time appreciating the irony. ‘She didn’t think I looked like a Morgan.’
His head tilted. ‘How odd. Well, she’s definitely a character.’
Tegan had a quick glance around, saw they were alone and took a fortifying breath. There was no time like the present.
‘Actually, Phil,’ she started tentatively, ‘I’ve got something I need to tell you. Do you have a moment?’
His brow creased into the time-worn lines that criss-crossed his brow. ‘Of course, my dear.’ He pointed to a small sitting area on the terrace just outside the restaurant. ‘Let’s sit there and you can tell me what’s on your mind.’
‘And that’s how it all came about.’ Tegan hesitated, trying to gauge his reaction. ‘I’m sorry to have deceived you, Phil. I hated doing it, but at the time I couldn’t see a way out of it. But I had to tell you myself, before you found out some other way.’
He patted her on the shoulder. ‘Well, if it’s any consolation, I knew something wasn’t quite right. You knew far too much about Sam and what he was doing in Somalia to have just been relaying it from your sister’s experiences—but I couldn’t put my finger on how it was possible. But now that you’ve explained your sister is a twin…’ He nodded. ‘It all falls into place. So, what happens to you now then, now that your secret is out?’
‘I don’t know, to be honest. I know I’ve let everyone down. I’ve got a lot of ground to make up.’
‘Well,’ he said, patting her hands, ‘if you’re ever looking for a job, you come and see me. I’ll have you back on the dream team before you can say Jack Robinson.’
‘Thanks so much, Phil. I’ve been feeling so guilty. I had to explain to you myself.’
He squeezed her shoulder as they stood. ‘I appreciate your telling me. And I think you must be a pretty special sister to not only do what you did, but to carry it off so ably. Hats off to you. And, don’t forget, Doris still wants to see your sister—ah!’ He corrected himself with a gruff laugh. ‘To see you, to talk more about what Sam was up to, whenever you can. Okay? Oh, and by the way, Sam called yesterday! He’s coming home in three months. Doris is over the moon. Talk about the best Christmas ever.’