Be Mine at Christmas(41)
Author: Brenda Novak

She swallowed hard. “We’ll be alone.”

“Great. I’ll see you tonight.”

He was gone without a goodbye.

“It’s your turn,” someone said, nudging her from behind. She was holding up the line.

Gathering her sacks, she paid for the game system and headed down the center of the mall and out to her car. Her leg was aching too much to do any more walking—and she’d lost interest in shopping. She had to take that pregnancy test. It wasn’t fair to keep Maxim in suspense if he needed to know, and she could use the intervening hours to cope, whatever the results.

If she wasn’t pregnant, she’d put the plane crash behind her. And if she was, there’d be no forgetting the crash because it would change her entire future.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ADELAIDE STARED at the unopened pregnancy test she’d just put on her bathroom counter. She’d actually bought three more on her way home. They were sitting in the sack at her feet, held in reserve to ensure an accurate reading. Over the past week, she might’ve gone through the motions of getting ready for Christmas, but the possibility of a baby had been constantly at the back of her mind. Although she’d dreamed of becoming a mother, she’d put that hope out of her life when she’d learned Mark was infertile. She’d asked him, over and over again, if they could eventually adopt, but he’d been opposed to it. He’d said there was too much risk involved, that they had a good life and he didn’t want to spoil it.

She’d talked him into it in the end, but she’d gotten the feeling he’d only relented to placate her, to ease some of the tension that’d crept into their marriage. And by then it was too late. A month later she was attending his funeral.

Oddly, she didn’t feel the gut-wrenching loss that normally accompanied any thought of her late husband. Did that mean she was learning to live without him? Or was it the hope of having a child that buoyed her spirits?

If she was pregnant, it would be more than a little ironic that it had happened with Maxim….

“Get this over with,” she said aloud.

The face that looked back at her from the mirror was flushed with excitement, even fear. But it wasn’t until she reached for the box that she knew for sure which way she wanted the test to go.

“Please, God, let me be pregnant,” she murmured. At forty-one, she didn’t think she’d have many more chances.

MAXIM HATED THE THOUGHT of what he had to do, but he didn’t see any alternative. He had no doubt that Harvey was going public. There wasn’t any way to stop him. He wouldn’t have as much to gain but, for Harvey, the notoriety of destroying Fairfax’s reputation and ruining Adelaide’s chances to win the primary would be enough. He’d see it as an opportunity to build his own reputation as unrelenting and successful at all costs. Maxim had to tell Adelaide before she found out from the media.

But…how?

He had no idea. She’d blame him, and she had every right to. If he hadn’t passed that anonymous tip on to his campaign manager, Harvey would be as much in the dark as the rest of the world.

He’d thought about the situation all day, but he still didn’t feel prepared as he drove to her house, which was located in Carmichael, along the American River.

Adelaide owned a big rambler with a sizeable yard and a gorgeous view. Although it was in a neighborhood of other expensive homes, the mature landscaping gave the property a sense of seclusion. He knew because he’d been there before. When Mark was alive, he and Adelaide had hosted a political fundraiser.

Now that he stood on the doorstep next to a huge poinsettia, staring at a Christmas wreath, Maxim found it difficult to make himself knock. But he knew he had no choice.

She answered wearing a snug-fitting pair of jeans, fur-lined boots and a classic beige sweater. Her blue eyes seemed even bigger with her hair pulled back.

Seeing her again reminded him how attractive she was, but he’d only forgotten it in the anxiety of the past few hours. Before that, before talking to Harvey this morning, he’d pictured her almost every time he closed his eyes. It’d been all he could do not to call her.

“Hey.” He gave her a smile he didn’t feel.

“Hi.” Opening the door wider, she let him in.

The inside of Adelaide’s house hadn’t changed. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Maxim wished he’d picked a different place to meet. He could remember speaking to Mark in this very room, could see their wedding picture hanging on the wall.

He hated how much Adelaide idolized her late husband. He knew it would make the next few minutes all the more painful.

He hated it for other reasons, too….

“Can I get you a drink?” she asked.

“No, thanks.” He couldn’t pretend this was a social visit. Always a believer in doing the hard things first, he planned to jump right in, but she spoke before he could begin.

“Is this about the blonde you sometimes bring to political events?” she asked.

The blonde? He thought back, trying to figure out who she meant. Then he remembered. She must be talking about Liz, a woman he’d met at the gym. They’d dated occasionally, before Liz had gotten engaged to her personal trainer. But it had never been serious. She wasn’t nearly as intelligent, capable or attractive as Adelaide. He’d known that from the beginning, had always been more attracted to the woman across the room than the one on his arm. “No.”

She seemed to relax a little, which surprised him. She’d been worried about Liz?

“Oh. Well…” She motioned to the nearby sofa. “At least sit down.”

Because she’d very likely be throwing him out in the next few seconds, he decided to remain standing. He wished he could touch her, maybe take her in his arms as he broke the news. But that would only make what he was about to say worse.

“That’s okay,” he said. “Listen, I’m sorry to bother you so close to Christmas. You probably have a million things to do, but…”

For some reason, he couldn’t get the words past his lips. He didn’t want her to hear that her husband had cheated on her with another woman, let alone a man. No, a boy.

His mind raced, trying to find some other way to break the news, but she interrupted him by touching his arm.

“Does this have anything to do with the fact that…that we didn’t use any birth control when…well, you know.”

He froze. What was she talking about? He’d assumed she would’ve done a pregnancy test by now and that he would’ve heard if their time together had resulted in a pregnancy. There’d been no communication between them in over a week. “I thought—I mean, you’re not, are you?”