AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The next morning once more she had woken abruptly, hearing the sound of Alexis moving carefully around the room, in his attempt not to wake her. Pulling herself from the bed she had stood in the middle of the room, as he had frowned.
“Go back to bed Cara” he had said, his voice once more polite and impersonal.
Tessa had shaken her head.
“We need to talk Alexis” she had said her tone sure, as he had looked over at her. Despite himself, he had felt the tug of need for her once more as she had stood her wonderful body so visible against the sun through the sheer fabric of her night gown.
“We can talk later” he had managed huskily, looking away before he had given in to the sensations flooding through him. The urge at that moment to move forward and push the ruffled hair from her face, that beautiful soft face with the most perfect lips he had ever seen.
Tessa had stood firm, her hands now balled at her side.
“No Alexis …….It’s important…..we need to talk now”
He had frowned, remembering the last time she had wanted to talk, how she had pushed him against a wall, forcing his hand, the memory filling him with anger once more.
“I said later Tess” he had repeated, the irritation in his voice clear, as he had turned from her once more ready to leave.
Anger had filled Tessa and looking around she had picked up a nearby pillow throwing it at him, barely missing him crying back angrily.
“No dammit ………..NOW” her body shaking with the emotions flooding her, frightening herself with the intensity of her reactions.
“What the hell is up with you?” he had cried back, turning once more to face her, his expression one of complete shock.
“I do not want to talk to you Tessa………..and I certainly do not appreciate your emotional dramatics” he had bit out, his eyes looking at her with both shock and barely concealed contempt as he had once more turned back to the door.
Feeling the tears of frustration fill her, she had cried back.
“Well I’m allowed to be emotional…………..it’s what us pregnant women do” the shock at what she had said silencing her.
Alexis had stopped instantly in his tracks, completely stunned, before slowly turning to face her.
“What did you say?” he had asked, his voice now so low, his eyes filled with a strange light
All the fight had left Tessa. The anger had disappeared as fast as it had risen within her, as she had felt her legs start to buckle beneath her as she had moved to sit heavily on the bed. Looking down at her hands held together on her lap she had suddenly felt so incredibly sad.
“I’m pregnant” she had repeated, this time her voice almost inaudible.
Before her, Alexis’s face had lit up with complete happiness as he had moved forward kneeling down before her, pulling her into his arms.
“Oh my God Tessa” he had whispered, his voice heavy with emotions, as she had allowed him to hold her a small tear winding down her cheek.
“I’m so sorry……..that was not how I wanted to tell you” she had mumbled her voice full of such sadness, as he had pulled back from her, looking into her face, seeing the pain in her eyes.
With a soft groan he had gently licked the tear on her cheek, causing the all too familiar sensations to tare through her once more.
“No…..Cara, I’m the one who should be sorry” he had said softly, his voice once more as gentle as it had been all those weeks ago.
“When you held me to ransom for your grandfather………..I was so………….” he seemed to be struggling with the right words as she had lifted her hands to his face to look sorrowfully into his eyes.
“I’m so sorry…………I never wanted to” she had whispered.
“I wish more than anything I could tell you why I had to Alexis, I really do, but I can’t………..I just can’t. If I did………..he would hurt somebody I care about” her hands once more dropping from him, her head lowering, adding miserably,
“And I don’t blame you one bit for hating me” she had added, as he had lifted her chin with his fingers.
“I never hated you Tessa……..I just kept waiting for the next demand to come from him ….. I kept waiting for him to use you again. Wondering when he would go so far that even I couldn’t fix the implications, and then having you actually leave me”
Tessa had shivered at the thought, looking back up at him, the hint of a small smile on her face.
“Well he can’t do that anymore” she had said, her hands almost subconsciously moving to gently stroke her stomach.
Alexis had smiled. His eyes alive with happiness, as he had moved his hand to cover hers, his eyes misting over as he had looked back into her warm brown ones.
“I’m so happy Tess; you have no idea how happy I feel right now”
Tessa had given a small laugh, her wonderful mouth breaking out into that glorious smile, her whole face shining with happiness too.
“I think I do” she had smiled, “We are going to be parents Alexis………we are going to have a baby”, seeing as he had pulled her head to him to kiss her, the kiss so warm and wonderful.
The next few weeks were some of the happiest in Tessa’s life. Alexis would come home each night, usually carrying flowers for her, pulling her into his arms as she would meet him at the door, both smiling happily at each other, as he would often gently stroke her still flat stomach.
“How is our little bump in waiting” he would joke to her, as she would scrunch up her nose smiling.
“Still not letting mummy hold down any breakfast” as he would make a small noise of sympathy.
They had already chosen which room would be the nursery, and Tessa and Mrs Lowe would spend hours pouring over the many catalogues showing the latest designs, which would have them both laughing or wrinkling their noses. Being a little old fashioned in her outlook, Tessa was not prepared to start work on the nursery until later on in the pregnancy, but she had enjoyed being swept up in the baby fever which filled the home.
As they had thought, John Jones had indeed tried to contact Tessa again, this time with instructions for her to tell Alexis that he needed to pay for more of the expenses of extracting the minerals from the ground. Tessa had taken great pleasure in telling him of her pregnancy, and informing him that she would not be making any such request to her husband based on the terms of the agreement that both he and Alexis had signed, hearing his fear as she had added that if he did not back off then she would leave and take her baby voiding his right to the minerals at all. Alexis had smiled, when he had heard, seeing the light of happiness in her eyes at being able to defy her grandfather, seeing how she had been determined not to put him in a further awkward position. So had begun a period in which her grandfather had steered clear of her, realising that his free ride had ended.
Two weeks after breaking the news to Alexis about her pregnancy, Tessa had moved down the stairs, smiling happily to herself as she had lifted the mail Mrs Lowe had left on the small table in the hall. As she had flicked through the envelopes, she had lifted one addressed to her, frowning slightly seeing the return address on the back. Opening it she had given a small wry smile seeing the invitation to her grandfather’s 70th birthday. With a small laugh she had realised that unlike the day she had first met Alexis, her eyes growing soft at the memory, in which her presence was not welcome, marriage to him had made her more palatable to the older man, made her acceptable in his eyes. Leaving the house, she had quickly read the details before stuffing it back into the envelop and into her bag, her mind thinking that there was very little to celebrate about the 70 years John Jones had spent on the earth, wondering if she really had to attend, but knowing that she would.
She had driven the short distance to the hairdressers enjoying having herself pampered, but feeling as her stomach had hurt slightly, smiling having read that this was normal as her body would grow, her hand gently subconsciously stroking her belly. After, she had travelled to the mall; she had wandered around the stores, spending a lot of time browsing around the many baby stores. Feeling the discomfort in her stomach continuing she had found a cafe, ordering some water, smiling ruefully as she had told herself that she needed to take things slower. As the young girl had brought the bottled water to her, the first stabbing pain had slammed into Tessa. Falling forward her hands had clung to the edge of the table as the pain had taken the wind right from her, feeling as the young girl had rushed forward hearing her words of concern.
Looking up her face had shown fear as she had managed to whisper.
“My baby” her face chalk white.
The young girl had quickly run to the counter, grabbing a phone as she had cried out for help from an older waitress, who had rushed over to Tessa. However, the pain had subsided and Tessa had looked at her catching her breath and looking sheepishly at the concerned woman before her.
