Her Secrets (4 page)

MINI TEMPER TANTRUMS

SEVEN

While Willow showered her mom called her sisters. After showering, she dressed and went into the kitchen. Her sisters were sitting at the table, laughing and eating. It smelled delicious, like bacon and coffee.

“Hey, party animal. Next time you drink a bottle of vodka, invite me over. I
want to have fun too,” Liv said. Willow blushed. She’d been angry and sad and frustrated last night, but she hadn’t meant to overdo it.

“What, no makeup
?” Heather asked.

Willow shook her
head, working to ignore the sick worry filling her stomach. For some reason she fretted that if she put on make up and did herself up for Austin, she’d jinx whatever was happening and he wouldn’t come back. So she’d put on an old pair of jeans and an oversized long-sleeved thermo shirt. Her feet were bare, and her wet hair was in a bun. She’d brushed her teeth, shaved her legs, and put deodorant on. Any more would seem hopeful, or so she told herself.

Sara glanced over. “You’ve got a way with words, dear sister.”
She indicated the opened laptop.

Willow
chuckled along with her mom and sisters. “Where’s Emma?” she asked, turning in a circle.

“I put her down for a nap,”
mom said, taking a bite of bacon.

Willow
stole a piece off of bacon off her plate and shoved it in her mouth. “Mmmmm, delicious.” She went for another but her mom slapped her hand away.

“Get your own.” She point
ed toward a plate on the counter.

She
looked over and noticed there was buttered toast as well. She grabbed a plate, took another piece of bacon and two pieces of toast. Homemade strawberry jam sat on the table and she used a knife and covered the toast. “Heather, did you make this?” she asked, taking a bite.

Willow bit into
her toast and smiled around the jam. “Yeah, hope you like it.”

“
It’s delicious. You shouldn’t have started without me.” She chewed slowly, happy to be with her family.

“It isn’t my fault you were in the shower when I brought it over.”

“Still, if it’s min—”

S
omeone knocked on the door.  Willow knew who it was, who it had to be. “Austin,” she whispered, her stomach flying into her throat. She stood, but couldn’t go to the door.  She was too nervous.

“I’m so excited we finally get to meet
him,” Sara said, walking past Willow and opening the door.

It was Austin. He still wore his jeans, t
ee shirt, and boots. His hair was pushed back off his face and Willow could see the crinkles on the sides of his eyes. In his arms were a bundle of wrapped presents.

He
’d come back. Willow covered her mouth, unable to stop the happy giggle that gurgled up through her chest.

Austin’
s eyes found hers and he winked.

Willow’s mom took charge since she
couldn’t move, her sisters were gawking, and Austin was still standing in the doorway. “Let the man in, ladies. For goodness sake.” She pushed aside Willow’s sisters and pulled him in the house by the arm.

“Thank
you.”

“You’re welcome, dear.” Willow’s
mom helped him tuck the presents under the tree. “Take a seat.”

Austin sat on the
couch, on the center cushion. He leaned back, resting his hands on his knees. Liv sat on the cushion to the left of him and Sara sat on the cushion to the right. Willow’s mom took the rocking chair.

“So why don’t
you tell us about yourself?” Willow’s mom asked, crossing one leg over the other. Liv and Sara leaned in, gigantic grins plastered on their faces.

“Well, okay. I
’m from Dallas. I met Willow a couple of summers ago. I fell hard for her and, apparently,” he clasped his hands together and glanced around the room, “I have a daughter.”

Liv patted him on the knee. “What do you do for a living?”

“My family is in the oil business. My great granddaddy started it many years ago. It’s been passed down from father to son and was…” He took a deep breath before continuing, “ultimately passed on to me.”

Holy shit. He belonged to those Merricks.
As in Merrick Oil. They had the jingle
If you want your car to last, get your gas fast at Meerrrr-iiiiick.
They were the biggest oil company in the United States.

Willow
never would’ve guessed he was so incredibly wealthy, not by looking at him. His clothes were casual, and the way he wore his hair—longer. At the moment he even had a little scruff on his face. He didn’t look like a man who was the sole heir to the Merrick fortune.

The St. James sisters and their mom
were small town people, but that didn’t mean they lived under rocks. Everyone knew the Merrick Oil name. Her sisters were suddenly excited, all chatting at Austin at once. Even her mom’s eyes had perked up. Willow still hadn’t moved.

She and Austin
had nothing in common. He was like royalty and she was a mere commoner.

Emma started to cry and Willow
snapped to attention. Austin stood as well. “May I go in with you?”

A hint of a smile crossed her lips. Then she cleared her
throat. “Sure.”

Willow glanced at her
mom. She stood and walked to the door. “Come on, you three. Let’s give these two some privacy.”

Three grown women threw mini temper tantrums, but grudgingly l
eft. When the door was closed, Willow looked shyly at Austin.

“Ready to meet your daughter?”

“Yes, I am.”

A LITTLE WHIMPER

EIGHT

Emma’s bedroom was small. Willow had painted the walls butter yellow. The curtains and bedding were white. The crib was honey colored and there were large stickers of the Winnie-the-Pooh characters adorning the walls. Across from the crib was a dresser with a Winnie-the-Pooh lamp. Under the window stood the changing table and across from that was the closet.

Willow
went to Emma. “Hi, baby-girl. Did you have a nice nap?” Emma stopped crying and smiled. Austin came up behind her and she heard him suck in his breath.

“She’s exquisite, Will
.”

Tingly warmth surrounded her body and stopped at her heart. It hurt. She
wasn’t sure what Austin’s plans were, but she wanted him to stay with her, with them.

“She is,” Willow
agreed, nuzzling her daughter’s neck. Emma giggled.

“May I hold her?”

Willow turned toward him. “What do you think, Emma? Should we let daddy hold you?” She smiled wide.

Austin held
out his arms and Willow placed Emma in them. She looked so tiny against his large chest. Carefully he turned the baby so Emma faced him.

Seeing the way he held her, the way he looked at her as though she was the most precious gi
ft he’d ever been given, made Willow hot for him. So damn hot. She wanted to rip his clothes off and do things.

He looked at Willow and she was sure he knew what she
was thinking. “This turns you on, doesn’t it?”

She swallowed and stuffed her hands in her
front pockets. “Whatever.”

He laughed and Emma giggled. “I think it does. I think she likes seeing you in my arms, baby.”

Willow left the room so she could hide her intense blush.
Everything seemed to be happening so fast. Last night he’d called her a liar. Now he accepted the truth and everything was fine. She wanted it to be, but she kept remembering how little she knew about him. How much time had passed without hearing a word from him? Those things mattered, didn’t they?

Austin followed Willow out of Emma’s bedroom. He sat on the couch. It was easy to see the wonder in his eyes. Willow went into the kitchen.
It was almost time for Emma to eat again.

How would he handle feeding her, burping her, changing her diaper? Sure
, babies were cute, but they were also a lot of work. They were sometimes messy, and smelly, and irritating. Willow adored everything about Emma, but then she’d given birth to her. Austin wasn’t around for the pregnancy or the birth. He had no connection with her other than what he was doing now.

Willow
glanced into the living room and saw Austin cooing quietly to Emma. He had her head in his hands. Her body was a little longer than his forearms. He was bouncing her up and down gently while he spoke. Emma tried to reach out and grab his face and he kissed her fingers.

Ano
ther wave of lust ran through Willow. God, was he being so sexy on purpose?

Emma let out a little whimper.

Austin looked up and smirked. “You’re getting her something to eat, right?”

Willow shook her
self out of her lusty haze. “Yes.” Her voice sounded hoarse and Austin winked. “It’s almost ready.” She put the lid on the bottle and brought it over.

“See, mommy’s handling it.
Yes, she is.”

“Want me to feed her?” she
asked, picking up a burp cloth from the armrest on the rocking chair.

“I’d like to, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” she said, unconvinced he really wanted to do it. “You’ll need to burp her after three ounces. Do you know how?”

Austin’s
face grew serious. “When she’s ready, I’ll let you show me.”

He scooted
back on the couch and turned Emma so her head rested on his right arm, then put the bottle in her mouth. Emma had recently started to reach out to the bottle and “help” hold it. She did that with Austin. Willow watched his face melt. “Willow, she’s the most amazing child I’ve ever seen.” He kept his eyes on Emma and continued. “I’m so sorry I doubted you. My wife and I tried for years. When we finally decided to be tested our doctor told me it was highly unlikely I would ever be a father.”

“Did he say why?” Willow
asked, sitting in the rocking chair, watching him—admiring him, really.

“He said I didn’t have enough boys in the tank
.” Austin shrugged. “We talked about other methods, but not too long after that appointment she got sick and our focus changed.” His eyes met mine. “I—” his eyes watered. He closed them and shook his head slightly. “I won’t lose you, Willow. Understand that?” He opened his eyes and they pierced into Willow, held her in place.

Her breath hitched and she leaned forward, clasping her hands together. How could she
make him understand what he was saying? It was obvious he cared and that felt good, damn wonderful in fact, but… “Austin, we haven’t seen each other in fifteen months, and while it’s obvious you’ve taken to your daughter and she you…” Willow paused unable to go on.

From the moment she
received his email every feeling she ever had for him returned in full. It was possible he’d kept his feelings for her.

“Willow? Will?”

She shook away my thoughts. “Yes, Austin.”

“She’s ready to be burped.”

“Oh, right.” She went and sat next to him, then took Emma. “Hey baby girl.” She sat Willow on her lap, one hand on her baby’s back, the other near her head in front. The burp cloth was in the hand near Emma’s face. “Babies used to be burped by patting them on the back while you draped them over your shoulder, but my pediatrician showed me this way. See, if you just lean her over a little and rub her back—” Emma interrupted with a burp. “See? It works really well. Wanna try?”

“Sure.” Austin took her
and copied the way Willow had been holding Emma. When the burp cloth was in his hand she helped him put it in the right spot. “Like this?”

“Yep, you got it. Now just gently rub her back.”

Austin did and Emma burped twice more.

“Easy, right?”

“Not too bad,” Austin said.

Willow
snickered. “Good, ‘cause when you’re done feeding her you get to change her diaper.”

He grimaced and then winked.

“I’m going to make something to eat. Any requests?”

“Whatever you’re having,” he said
, his focus back on the baby.

Willow
made two bologna and cheese sandwiches with a little mayo, a side of chips, and a bunch of red grapes. She set the plates on the table and went back into the living room. Austin was burping Emma again. Willow leaned against the wall and watched. When he glanced up she smiled. It would be easy to get used to a life with Austin in it. But the fact remained he was oil royalty. He had responsibilities, meetings to attend, money to make, an image to keep up, and probably a lot of women with no kids and no cancer vying for his attention. This wouldn’t last long. He’d realize all of that soon enough and then he’d leave again.

Even if he said he didn’t want to, he’d have to. It wasn’t like
he could give his life up for Willow.

“Lunch is ready,” she said, trying to fight down her
sadness.

“Good, I’m starved,”
he said, standing and handing her Emma’s empty bottle.

“Give her to me. I’ll change her and you can eat.”

Austin shook his head. “I’ll change her. You just show me what to do.”

“Okay,” she
said, following him into Emma’s bedroom.

He
laid Emma on the changing table and scooted over. “Show me.”

Willow
went through the steps, talking as she did things until Emma’s diaper had been changed. “Think you can handle it?” she asked when she was finished.

“Of course
,” he said waving his hand at her nonchalantly. “Although you might have to show me a couple more times.”

She laughed. “Fine,” she
said with mock sarcasm.  “Let’s wash our hands and then we can eat.”

They
took turns washing their hands in the bathroom and then walked into the kitchen. Austin held Emma.

Willow opened her
arms. “Let me put her in her bouncy chair?”

Austin raised a brow. “What’s a bouncy chair?”

“Well,” Willow began, taking Emma and setting her in what looked like a banana chair adorned with elephants, monkeys, and birds. “This is a bouncy chair.” Willow buckled her in and Emma started to kick her legs. The chair bounced with her movements. “See, it bounces.”

She
picked up her baby and the chair and set it on the table. “Never leave her on the table or a counter unattended. The whole chair can move and she can fall, okay?”

“Good to know.” He reached out a
nd covered Willow’s hand with his large one.

She
pushed his plate in front of him. It contained a whole sandwich, plus half of hers. “Hope you like bologna.” She gave him a cheeky smile, ready for him to get totally grossed out. He’d probably never even seen bologna up close.

He surprised her
and took a big bite of the sandwich. Chewed, swallowed and smiled. “Delicious. The best dinner I’ve ever had.”

“Really?” Willow
couldn’t help but laugh. It felt good. She took a grape and popped it in her mouth.

A
ustin reached out and touched her shoulder. “I’ve noticed you seem thinner than the last time I saw you. Is that because of the medication?”

She swallowed and nodded. She wasn’t ready to discuss her
cancer again. It was what it was.

“I made some calls. Since it’s
the holiday it was difficult to get a hold of her, but I finally did, and Dr. Freedman agreed to look at your chart and meet with you on Monday.”