“Tom, you can’t tell Ruby about this, not until I’ve spoken with Richard, okay?” The last thing she needed was for the Larsens to find out before she’d told the father.
“My lips are sealed. But you know I’m gonna get a mini Fatal Limits t-shirt made for your kid.”
She laughed. “This baby is going to be the coolest on the block with you for a godfather.”
“Seriously? I’m gonna be a dad?”
His enthusiasm made her breath stop. Those were the right words, but from the wrong mouth. “A god dad,” she corrected, but her words didn’t seem to dent his ardor at all. “You get to spoil the kid rotten and take him or her out for its first drink.”
“Can I do it soon?”
“Only if it’s for a bottle of milk.” Hanna let him take her hand as they left the room. “In the meantime, I’ll accept foot rubs and home-cooked meals.”
“It’s a deal.” He winked, and she let herself feel a tiny spark of hope. If Tom was this excited, perhaps Richard, too, would be over the moon.
HANNA DIDN’T GO back to the office after the appointment. She wanted to center herself, consider the implications, and prepare herself to make the telephone call. She planned to do it in the evening, when it would be lunchtime in New York, and she stood a chance of catching Richard undisturbed.
She paced her flat, unable to concentrate on anything, or sit still long enough to let the fear take hold. In the kitchen, she cleaned the hob even though it was already sparkling, then she moved to her bedroom and rearranged her t-shirts into color-order.
Anything to avoid the need to think.
Five o’clock came and went. She was prevaricating, telling herself that ringing him on the dot of five was a little too keen, and he’d probably still be in a meeting. By the time the hand on her kitchen clock was showing ten past, she swallowed hard, and wished she’d asked Tom to stay with her. This was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do.
At quarter past five she felt a tiny flutter in her stomach. Even the baby was getting tired of her procrastination, and Hanna rubbed her skin, unsure whether she was trying to reassure herself, or her unborn child. She owed it to him or her to tell their daddy. And she owed it to Richard to tell him the truth.
She unlocked her phone and opened up her contacts. Pressing her finger on Richard’s name, she pushed it down on the green phone symbol and watched the call connect before putting her cell to her ear.
One ring, two, and then three. Each moment stretched beyond time, and the nausea in her stomach rose up until her throat tightened.
“Hello?” A female voice. Not what she was expecting.
She took a deep breath. “May I speak with Richard, please?”
“Who’s calling?”
“Hanna Vincent.”
There was a long pause. She was about to repeat herself when the voice on the other end of the phone replied. “Hanna, this is Richard’s mother, I’m not sure if you remember me.”
“Yes, I remember you, Mrs. Maxwell.” How could she forget?
“He’s not available right now. He’s with his fiancée.”
“I really need to speak with him, it’s quite important.” Hanna surprised herself with her vehemence.
“I don’t think anything is as important as Meredith’s health,” Caroline replied tersely. “She’s been told she will be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. The girl is crippled, Hanna. Whatever you want to say, please don’t bother, you can only cause them hurt.” She paused momentarily; as if to allow her words to sink in, before adding, “Don’t call him again.”
Hanna froze. For a moment she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t hear her own heartbeat. Reality fell like a ton of bricks, her previous certainty deserting her. It couldn’t be true, could it? When she last saw Richard, he was hopeful that Meredith would be able to walk again. How he must have suffered, knowing that she was unable to walk, and he would need to stay by her side.
She wanted to see the news in black and white, so she opened her laptop and typed Meredith’s name into the search box. The details of the accident flashed onto her screen. There was no news beyond the initial report back in February. Hanna felt her heart break as she remembered the vibrant, vivacious blonde, and tried to imagine her confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
How could she ever tell Richard she was having his baby when he was needed so much? If she told him now, would he desert his fiancée and come to help her? Could she ever look him in the eye and respect him if he did? Was she able to put him in that position, where he had to choose between his fiancée’s health and being with his child?
She knew she couldn’t.
He would grow to hate her—and maybe their baby—for making him choose. He was a good man, almost too kind, and she knew his instincts would be telling him to stay with Meredith. All she had to do was remember how he had given up his dreams to take over Maxwell Enterprises after Leon died.
She hung up without saying a word, putting her hand over her heart, and feeling it clatter against her palm. Her whole body shook as she pressed more buttons on her phone and lifted it again, immediately calming upon hearing Tom’s voice.