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Chapter Three

The message was waiting for Maya when she logged into the Facebook page she had set up for Maya’s Chocolates.


Hello, Maya! I’m so happy to learn that you are opening a shop in the United States. I had the pleasure of tasting your chocolate almost thirty years ago when I was in St. Michel. And sure if it hasn’t been haunting me ever since. I will be in the Dallas area next week and I will stop in and say hello. Charles Jordan


While she wasn’t inundated with fan mail, she did get a piece now and again. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the message. Except for the line, And sure if it hasn’t been haunting me ever since. Something about the turn of those words had been haunting her.

They called to mind a man she had known long ago. Actually, it was about twenty-nine or thirty years ago that Ian had been in her life. Huh. Another coincidence. But he’d disappeared just as fast as he’d appeared and swept her off her feet.

The memory weighed heavily on her heart.

Maya clicked on Charles Jordan’s name, eager to see if she could find any more information on his profile page. But he didn’t have a photo of himself for his profile picture. Instead, he had a generic picture of a snowcapped mountain range.

The page had been created a couple of years ago, but there hadn’t been much activity. There were no other pictures and his list of friends was not open for the public to view.

Maya grappled with an uneasy feeling. Mr. Jordan’s words, And sure if it hasn’t been haunting me ever since, rang in her mind. In her head, she’d heard them in Ian’s voice. They were as clear as if he’d spoken them an hour ago.

Ian Brannigan. Her Irishman. Her love.

He’d simply left one day, never called and never come back. For a long time, she had been so numb she could barely function. Then she had gotten angry. That’s when she’d called his family in Dublin for contact information. Even though several years had passed by that point, Maya had been ready for an explanation. That’s when the real heartbreak started. His mother had delivered the sad news that Ian was dead. He’d died in an accident on his way home from France.

That’s why he’d never called. That’s why the future she’d hoped they would have together never happened. That’s why she’d never been able to fall in love with anyone else.

Ian had taken the largest part of her heart with him on that cold October day. And the rest of it had died nine months later when the nurse took their baby girl from her arms and whisked her away.

She was barely eighteen years old. She wasn’t married, and the baby’s father had obviously abandoned them. Or at least that’s what everyone had thought then. But he hadn’t abandoned them. It was both crushing and vindicating to learn that Ian hadn’t abandoned them. He hadn’t even known that she was carrying his child when he’d kissed her goodbye that last time.

However, that didn’t change the fact that Maya was an unwed teenage mother, a disgrace to her family.

Her mother and grandmother made arrangements for her to go away for a while. She was allowed to come back after the baby was born. That way no one would ever be the wiser, the family name would be saved and they could hold their heads up high.

Maya knew that she could hope all she wanted to, but this Charles Jordan, no matter the imagined similarities, was not her Ian Brannigan.

Once again, Maya clicked on the message balloon icon and reread Charles Jordan’s message. She was just about to type a quick reply when she heard a knock at the front door.

She wasn’t expecting anyone, but she made her way from the kitchen to the front of the store to see who was calling. To her surprise, it was Bia.

Things had ended on such a horrific note the other day that Maya quite honestly thought it would be a very long time before she heard from Bia again.

She gave a friendly wave to test the waters. To her relief, Bia waved back, even if she wasn’t smiling. The wave had to be a good sign. At least she hoped it was. She would find out soon enough, she thought, as she opened the door and greeted Bia with the warmest American greeting she could muster. She didn’t give her the customary French greeting, a kiss on each cheek. She had a feeling she needed to tread lightly.

“Hello!” Maya said. “I am so happy to see you. I wasn’t expecting you after what happened yesterday. I’m so sorry, Bia. But I’m so glad you’ve come back.”

Interesting, Maya pondered. First, I’m thinking of Ian, and now Bia shows up. Perhaps the universe is trying to tell me something.

But given this second chance and how easily Bia was frightened off yesterday, Maya was determined to take things slowly. She would build the relationship before she broke the news.

* * *

“I’m sorry I overreacted yesterday,” Bia said. “But I have to ask—and I need an honest answer—how did you know I’m pregnant?”

Maya shrugged. “Intuition, I suppose.”

“So, it was a lucky guess,” Bia replied.

“If that’s what you would prefer to call it. Shall we go into the kitchen where we can sit down and talk? I’ll make you a cup of hot chocolate. You need your calcium.”

Bia held her ground. “First, I need your word that you will not tell a soul about this. If you think the media went crazy when they thought Hugh and I were seeing each other, this will blow up in both of our faces. Especially after he lied about the nature of our...acquaintance.”

Maya’s brow creased in a look of what seemed to be genuine concern. “Of course you have my word. This is a very private matter. I want you to know that I am here for you. I promise I will not do anything to put you or your baby in emotional jeopardy.”

“I need to ask you something, and, again, you must give me an honest answer.”

Maya nodded. “Please. Anything.”

“Have you ever said anything to the press about my previous relationship with Hugh Newman?”

Maya recoiled and looked genuinely shocked by the question. A good sign, as far as Bia was concerned. Still, she had to look Maya in the eyes as she asked. Just as Maya had a sixth sense about people, Bia could intuit when people were lying. Bia’s gut was telling her that Maya was telling the truth.

Maya put her right hand over her heart. “I swear to you. I have not said one word. I did see the two of you together at the Doctor’s Ball, but I would never gossip about you. I would swear this on my mother’s and grandmother’s graves.”

“Thank you, Maya. I believe you. And I believe that you will keep your word about not talking to a soul other than me about my current situation.”

Maya held up her right hand. “I solemnly swear. Now, let’s have some hot chocolate. Yes?”

Maya’s version of hot chocolate was like nothing Bia had ever tasted before. It was nearly as thick as melted chocolate and tasted so good it curled Bia’s toes.

Le chocolat chaud, Maya called it.

Bia called it divine. She had to pace herself to keep from gulping it. To that end, she tried to employ some of the tasting principles that Maya had taught her yesterday. She sipped the drink and let the warm liquid flow over her tongue.

“Umm, is that cinnamon I taste?”

Maya nodded.

“There’s something else I can’t quite identify....” Bia closed her eyes and rolled the liquid around on her palate.

“I added a tiny dash of cayenne and a few flecks of fleur de sel.”

“Salt and pepper,” Bia noted wryly.

Maya laughed her laugh that seemed to set Bia at ease, and the world seemed a little brighter. Bia didn’t have many close girlfriends. She’d always related better to guys. She simply didn’t enjoy the drama that always seemed to go hand in hand with women. On occasion, Bia had been accused of being too direct—one of the qualities that made her a good reporter, of course. But Maya hadn’t been offended by Bia’s head-on approach. Come to think of it, Maya had been pretty direct herself yesterday.

At least they understood each other.

“Have you had a chance to think about what you’re going to do?” Maya asked.

“About?”

“The baby, of course.”

“I’m having this baby. I’m twenty-eight years old. I can handle it. I was adopted. Actually, I just found out a few months ago, just before my adoptive father passed away. I had a good childhood despite my adoptive mother dying when I was five. Her husband—my father—never remarried. So, essentially, I grew up without a mother. My father was very good to me, but I can’t help but wonder lately why my birth mother didn’t want me. I have no information about her. I’m not sure whether I should go digging or not.”

“I’m sure she would be thrilled to connect with you,” Maya said. “At least you’ll never know until you try.”

“What? Is that your intuition speaking? I can’t be sure that she would be thrilled. I mean, she gave me up. For all I know, she might have a family of her own. They might not know about me. I might be that unwelcome surprise from her past popping up at the most inopportune time.”

“But you can’t be certain of that, either. For all you know, you could be missing out on a second chance at family.”

Bia shrugged. “But there’s no way to know that for certain.”

“There’s no way to know that you won’t walk out of here and get hit by a car, but the likelihood of disaster is slim. What I’m saying is, if you are open to having your birth mother in your life— Are you?”

Bia nodded.

“Good, then keep an open mind. I think it would be especially important to meet her now that you have a little one on the way. For that matter, have you talked to the father?”

Bia grimaced. “I spoke to Hugh briefly. Told him the situation. He told me it wasn’t a good time to talk and that he would call me back. But he hasn’t. I don’t really expect him to.”

Thoughtfully, Maya ran her finger around the rim of her demitasse cup. “At the risk of—how do you say it—sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong? Hugh Newman may be the father of your child, but he is not the right man for you.”

“Story of my life,” Bia murmured.

“Make no mistake, there is someone out there for you. He is already in your life. You simply must learn to see what is right in front of you.”

* * *

Thursday afternoon, Aiden was leaning against his car, which was parked in the lot of Bia’s doctor, waiting for her to arrive.

When she finally did, she got out of her car and said, “Aiden, you’re here? I told you not to come.”

Her words said one thing, but the way she said them confirmed that he’d been right to not let her face her first doctor’s appointment alone.

“I thought you might want some moral support.”

She smiled. “I’m a big girl, Aiden. I can handle this.” Then she hugged him and whispered, “Thanks for being here. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He put his arm around her as they walked from the parking lot into the lobby. To the untrained eye, they probably looked like a happy couple eager to get the lowdown on their first child. He could play that role, especially if Hugh wasn’t going to.

“Have you heard from Hugh?”

She stiffened, pulled away ever so slightly. “No. But he knows. And he knows how to reach me and where to find me.”

“Ball’s in his court, then,” Aiden said as he opened the office door and stood back so Bia could enter.

Two other women, both obviously further along in their pregnancies than Bia, waited. Both had men with them, and Aiden was instantly reassured that he’d made the right decision to come along. No doubt Bia would’ve soldiered through on her own, but she shouldn’t have to face this alone.

“I’m going to go sign in,” she said. “Go ahead and sit down and I’ll be right back...with mountains of paperwork, no doubt.”

He sat down in a chair across from one of the couples. The woman looked as if she were smuggling a basketball under her dress. Aiden looked away, trying to imagine what Bia would look like that far along. She’d be gorgeous.

“Is this your first child?” the woman asked.

“Uhh...” Obviously, she’d caught him staring. But she didn’t seem annoyed or put off. Her husband was reading the newspaper and didn’t seem to notice that Aiden had been scoping out his wife’s belly. Good thing.

Rather than dive headlong into an explanation, he simply said, “Yes. It is.” After all, he hadn’t been party to another pregnancy before. She hadn’t asked him if he was the father.

“Congratulations to you and your wife.” She beamed at him and clasped her hands over her belly. “You have some exciting months ahead of you. Years actually. Kids will change your life.”

Yep. So I’ve heard.

He nodded. Pondering the thought of Bia as his wife as she walked toward him, clipboard in hand. She stirred in him a feeling that was equal parts primal lust and Cro-Magnon protective. He’d always been attracted to her. Hell, if he were honest with himself, he’d admit that he’d always been in love with Bia Anderson.

He just hadn’t been able to admit it to himself until his roommate Duane had taken an interest in her at that party their freshman year of college. He couldn’t remember who threw the party or what the occasion was, but he would never forget what she looked like standing there kissing Duane. At that moment, something inside him shifted and snapped into place. By the time he finally woke up and realized what had been under his nose all his life, she was off-limits. So, Aiden had settled for a friendship because it was better to have her in his life under restricted terms than not at all.

Duane never had treated her right. He used to think Aiden was joking when he said things like, “Too bad you saw her first, man,” and “If you don’t treat her right, I’m going to take her away from you.” They would all laugh and then Aiden would try to get interested in some other girl. Inevitably, those relationships never worked out. Bia thought he was the world’s biggest player. And he would laugh it off and say, “None of them compare to you.”

And she thought he was joking.

He’d come here, taken the Catering to Dallas gig, to be near her. Things had been going well between them. The best way to describe them was platonic with chemistry. They were solid, and he wanted to take things slowly, let the relationship develop naturally. And then Hugh Newman came to town, proving it had been a dumb idea to take things slowly. It had been a grave miscalculation to not move at the speed of Hugh.

As Bia sat down in the chair next to him, the nurse called back the woman who had been talking to him—Sandra something...he hadn’t caught her last name.

“Good luck, you two,” she said as she and her husband walked toward the waiting nurse. “This truly is the beginning of the happiest time of your lives.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Nice talking to you.”

“Making friends, already?” Bia murmured. “You are such a flirt.”

“I wasn’t flirting,” he said. “I was just being cordial. They think we’re married.”

Bia rolled her eyes at him. “Obviously they don’t know who they’re dealing with. You, with your commitment allergy. I’m surprised that you didn’t run screaming for the door after she said that.”

“That hurts, B. Like a stab right through the heart. You know I’m committed to you. You’re the only woman in the world for me.”

She made a tsking sound and gave his arm a little shove and muttered, “Spare me.” Then she refocused on her paperwork, but she was smiling as she wrote. He noticed that she had left the spot on the form that asked for the name of the child’s father blank. He thought about asking her what, if anything, she was going to tell the doctor, but he decided to wait until after the appointment.

“Obviously, we make a good couple,” he said. “We fooled them.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to the grand illusion. When a man and a woman come to an OB-GYN office together, they’re usually involved. We just happen to be part of the slim minority who aren’t.”

“We should stop pretending and get married, Bia.”

She didn’t look up from her paperwork, but she laughed. “Says he who is allergic to monogamy. Don’t joke about marriage, Aiden. Some things are sacred.”

“Who says I’m joking?”

This time she pierced him with an exasperated look. “Settle down and quit distracting me. I have to finish filling out this paperwork before they call me back.” She started writing again. “Besides, you don’t have a ring. You can’t propose to a woman without a ring.”

He pretended to pat down his pockets, looking for a ring. “Touché. You got me there.”

She did have him. Heart and soul. He’d never realized just how deep his feelings for her ran until recently. If only he could tell her without the comedy routine. Easier said than done.

A few minutes later, the nurse called Bia back.

Aiden followed her to the door. “I haven’t finished my paperwork,” she said.

“That’s not a problem,” the nurse said. “Maybe your husband could finish filling it out for you while we’re getting you ready to see the doctor?”

“He’s not my husband,” Bia said.

The nurse smiled, and she looked from Bia to Aiden. “Well, okay. Do you want him to come back with you?”

She asked the question as if he would be entering a restricted-access area.

“Oh...” Bia glanced at Aiden and then back to the nurse. “I guess he can wait out here. Would you mind, Aiden?”

“Probably a good idea.” The nurse smiled at him and took a step closer. “The first visit is always the longest. The doctor will want to go over the genetic history of your family and that of the baby’s father. It will take a while, but if you’d like to wait, let’s get you something to drink—would you like coffee? A soda?”

He felt Bia pull away from him emotionally. She had a strange look on her face, and he wasn’t sure why. Probably just nerves. This was suddenly becoming very real, and she wanted to go back there alone.

“Aiden, I’m fine. Why don’t you go back to work? There’s no sense in you waiting.”

“I don’t mind. You might need me.”

She softened, but the wall was still in place. That same wall that kept him a safe, platonic distance away. “It was so sweet of you to come. But really, I’m fine. Please go.”

* * *

The nurse left Bia standing there while she fetched coffee for Aiden.

How utterly unprofessional. If the woman hadn’t been wielding needles—once she’d made sure Aiden was comfortable—Bia might have schooled her on the meaning of a proper time and a place for everything. When a woman was walking through the door for her first obstetric appointment, it definitely wasn’t the time or the place for the nurse to flirt with the man who had accompanied the pregnant woman. Just because he wasn’t her husband didn’t mean he was fair game.

Celebration's Baby

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