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“No,” he said. “Not necessarily. Unless…that’s what you want.”
She couldn’t look at him, couldn’t answer him.
“Listen, let’s do this. Let’s get married, officially, on paper, for the record. For the kids and the press and the public. But between you and me, Maya…let’s just take this one day at a time. See where it leads.” He took both her hands in his. “I can promise you this, Maya. I’d walk through fire before I’d hurt these babies. I swear it on my mother’s grave.”
A tear finally fell onto her cheek and rolled slowly down. She wanted to believe him more than she had ever wanted anything. But she was so afraid he would let her down. All the same, she knew his solution made perfect sense. “Okay, then,” she said. “Okay.”
“Yes!” someone shouted.
Maya and Caleb both turned their heads sharply. The door was opened just a crack, and Selene smiled sheepishly at them and, backing away, pulled it closed.
A second later it burst open again, but this time it was Bobby, in his extremely expensive suit, who appeared, smiling and rubbing his hands together. Maya could almost see his mind clicking away behind his eyes like some high-tech piece of equipment.
“It’s agreed, then?” he asked. “That’s great. Listen, neither of you talks to the press. Not yet. We’ll go the righteously indignant route for today. Of course, I’ll arrange a couple of leaks. Get people wondering. Then we’ll grant some lucky reporter an exclusive. Meanwhile, we need to get our story in place. So…” He paused there, probably because Caleb was frowning at him, and finally Bobby glanced at Maya. “I’m sorry. Um…congratulations, Ms. Brand. I don’t mean to come on like a steamroller here.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant to come on like, but she was thinking more bulldozer than steamroller. “I’d just as soon leave the plotting to the two of you, if that’s okay,” she said. “Maybe you could just fill me in later?”
Getting to his feet, Caleb nodded and gave her a nervous, encouraging smile. “We’ll handle everything. Just don’t worry. It’s not good for the babies.”
She nodded, and hurried—as much as a woman her size and shape could hurry—out of the room. Her sisters and her mother were waiting in the dining room, all of them on their feet, all of them grinning ear to ear, and only her mother’s eyes shadowed by a hint of worry.
“I guess you already know the big news,” she said.
Vidalia came forward then, pulled her close and hugged her tight. “My baby. Are you sure this is what you want to do, hon?”
Forcing a brave expression, she pulled away just enough to look her mother in the eye. “I think it’s…I think it’s the right thing, Mom.” And then she waited for the reassurance she needed to hear right then.
“No you don’t, girl,” her mother said. “You’re scared to death. But, honey, I think you’re doing the right thing. I do, Maya. I honestly do.”
“Oh, yes, of course you are!” Selene chimed in, coming closer. “You wait and see. It might not seem perfect right now, but…oh, it will be.”
“It better be,” Mel said, eyeing the closed family room door. “He hurts you or those babies, and I’ll personally kick him in the—”
“Melusine!”
Mel frowned at her mother, then sent Maya a wink. “But don’t worry. I think he might be an okay guy.”
“I think this is the most romantic thing in the world!” Kara said, wiping at her eyes.
“There’s nothing romantic about it, Kara. We’re doing what’s best for the babies. That’s all.”
“Landsakes,” Vidalia said, slapping her hand to her forehead. “Do you have any idea how much there is to be done? Why, there’s the dress, the church, flowers and food—and here we are standing around! Do we even have time for invitations? These babies could come at any moment!”
CHAPTERTWELVE
Her mother, her sisters and Bobby seemed to have bought every newspaper in print the next morning. It was the day before Christmas Eve. A time when she should be bustling around in excited holiday preparations. Not worrying about the press. At first Maya was almost afraid to look at the newspapers scattered across the table. The ones she’d seen the day before had been horrible. Mean-spirited, and filled with attacks on her character and personal life. Some went so far as to suggest she’d deliberately sought Caleb out and gotten pregnant with his child, all as a means to get her hands on the coveted Montgomery fortune.
Hesitantly she picked up one paper, glancing at the headline.
More Than Meets the Eye?
Her gaze skimmed to the lines someone had highlighted.
“Sources close to Montgomery suggest there is far more to this story than meets the eye, and that it is, in fact, more a tale of star-crossed lovers than a political scandal.”
Frowning, she set that paper aside and glanced at the one beneath it, which also had lines highlighted in yellow.
“The Reverend Jackson of the Big Falls Christian Church, claims that despite what the press has had to say about Miss Brand, her character is beyond reproach. In fact, all the residents of the small town seem to have positive opinions about Maya Brand. Far from the party girl some sources have depicted, residents claim she has rarely even been seen in the company of a man, much less dated one. She goes to church every Sunday and is good to her mother and sisters. Doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t swear. So what is the real story here? At the moment, Montgomery remains stoically silent on the issue, refusing any comment at all.”
