Exhale, page 15
What’s wrong with me?
“Hey, Gabby? Look at me.”
Gabby looked up at the sound of Taka’s voice to find him kneeling beside her. She had the most awful taste in her mouth, puking notwithstanding. The cool touch of his hand on her forehead felt so good her eyes closed.
“You’re all clammy.” His other hand went to her wrist, checking her pulse.
“I don’t feel so good. I think I should go home.”
“No.” He stood up and helped her to her feet. “Come on. Come lie down for a while, then we’ll see if you feel any better. You’re staying here. I want you where I can keep an eye on you for a bit.”
Gabby went to the vanity to rinse her mouth and face. She felt so…odd. She let Taka lead her to his room and lay down on his bed on her side, facing him. He sat beside her and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
“You know, you could have just told me that you don’t like my cooking.” Taka’s soft smile brought a grin to her own lips.
“You know that’s not true. I love your cooking. I just feel awful. That meat tasted…wrong. That’s the only way I can explain it. I do feel better now, but still not quite right.”
Taka frowned. “Roll over. I’ll check your stomach for a second.”
Gabby rolled onto her back and suppressed a shiver as his hands lifted the hem of her shirt, wishing there was another reason he was lifting it. She glanced at the door at the sound of a phone ringing, then back to him as he spoke.
“Matt took blood yesterday, didn’t he?” At her nod, he continued. “Okay, I’ll call the hospital in the morning and see if I can get a rush on the results. I don’t like this. You’re not presenting like I’d expect from anything to do with your accident. If you’re sick tomorrow, or if you get worse through the night, I’ll take you over myself. Now hold still for a moment.”
Gabby took a deep breath. They were alone. Now was the time. “I need to tell you something.”
Taka’s hand went to her stomach and she felt him begin to work his way down from a point just below her ribs. He wasn’t looking at her, his brow furrowed in concentration while he felt for anything out of the ordinary.
“What is it?”
She touched Taka’s arm, stopping his examination, hoping he would understand why she’d kept this from him.
“I got a threatening note last week. Before I left here.”
Shock replaced the concentration on his face. “What? When? Why didn’t you say something?”
Gabby couldn’t hold his gaze. “Because I didn’t want you to worry. Or get hurt.”
Taka removed his hand from her stomach and turned fully towards her. “You’d better start explaining. What did it say?”
“In truth? Not much. It was a vague threat that something would happen if I stayed at your place.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me? Or Matt?”
“First, I went to the police. Jon took me. It’s in their hands now. The note was type-written, no fingerprints. It said, ‘Nice place. Be a shame to see it burn down’.” Gabby grimaced, expecting a deluge of anger from him. She hurried on before it could eventuate. “I left so you would be safe. The police agreed it was the right thing to do. That since I’d left, he’d have no one there to direct his anger at.”
“Who?”
One word. That was all he had to say. Gabby sighed.
“Peter Marsden.”
“Let me get this straight. That…person…threatened you, and me, and you didn’t think to mention it to anyone? You moved out of a safe home, with someone staying here with you, to be on your own?”
Gabby sat up and looked at him squarely. The anger in his eyes swelled by the second.
“Yes. I did. He doesn’t know where I am. There have been no strange cars parking on the street, and I feel safe. I’m not listed. There’s no way to find me. I didn’t want to be responsible for you losing your house because some insane person has it out for me. What if you were inside and Marsden followed through? The police do a drive past both our homes several times every day, but they can’t find him. He’s probably long gone by now. They think he may have left the state when he lost trace of me.”
Taka swore heavily, his furious gaze boring into her. “I’m so angry I don’t even know what to say to you right now.”
“I’m sorry. I thought it was for the best. It all turned out fine.” Gabby glanced up as Matt rushed in.
“We need to go, Taka. That was the hospital. There was a pile up on the Interstate Express, they need us to come in.”
Taka breathed deep and nodded in his direction. “So much for my weekend off.”
Gabby swung her legs off the side of the bed. She pushed her hair back from her face.
Taka turned to her when he realized she’d moved. “Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.
Gabby stood and straightened her shirt. “Home. Where else?”
“You should stay here,” he said, frowning.
Gabby raised an eyebrow at him. “And do what, exactly? You’re going out and most likely will be gone all night. No. I’ll go home. Your parents are staying there. If anything happens I’ll page you.”
Taka turned to her and grasped her shoulders. His frown deepened. “We’re not finished here. This subject is not closed.”
Chapter Twenty-two
The plus sign stared up at her in all its vivid pink glory.
Holy Mother of God.
Gabby bit her lip and dropped her head into her hands. What was she going to do now? Three other identical tests sat discarded on the vanity. All positive.
No wonder she’d been nauseous.
Laughter bubbled up and out at the irony. How the gods must be rolling around in hysterics at the moment. One of the most important things to happen to her, ever, and she couldn’t share it with the father.
How would she tell him?
It was his birthday. Of all the days to find out she was pregnant, and she’d bet her eyeteeth he was not going to be pleased. His life was in a good place. He’d bought a house, loved his job. He was young, with his life and all its opportunities stretched ahead of him. And now he’d be tied down with a child. He’d have to be told, of course. But today? He’d had this night planned for ages, and she refused to ruin it for him.
She’d keep a low profile at the party and beg off and leave early. Tomorrow would be soon enough.
Gabby had stopped at an all-night grocery store a few suburbs over on the way home last night on the pretense of buying some antacid. Lucky she had, or she’d still be wondering. She’d waited until this morning to do the tests because she simply couldn’t believe that this was what was wrong. A severe case of denial on her part.
The thought hadn’t even entered her mind until the trip home when she’d started thinking about when her period was due. She was only two days late. With all the fuss after the accident, Peter Marsden, then moving into her new house, it wasn’t something she’d actually thought about.
Until now. She’d had morning sickness very early with Matt’s pregnancy, as well. While not common, it wasn’t unusual.
What made it worse was that Yumi, Mas and the twins were staying with her. How would she hide it when she was puking as soon as she ate anything?
Taka had rung not long ago on his way home from the hospital and had wanted to stop in to see her, wanted to continue their discussion about the note, but she’d managed to put him off and make him go straight home instead, promising to talk about it tomorrow. If he’d turned up, she would probably have just burst out and told him about the pregnancy, something she didn’t want to do. Not yet. Not until she got her own head around it.
Talk about timing. She and David had tried for years to have a child, then she spends one night with Taka, and boom!
She reached into the shower to turn on the tap. She stripped off her nightgown and wandered over to stand in front of her long mirror and stared hard at her naked body, waiting for the water to warm up. Her hand splayed over her stomach in the mirror.
She traced the pale red line that divided her in two. She’d have to get it checked out to make sure everything had knit properly.
Even knowing that things weren’t ideal, she couldn’t help the smile that curved her mouth as she touched her stomach. A baby. She’d wanted this for so long it didn’t actually seem real.
If Taka wanted to be part of the child’s life, she’d welcome it. If he didn’t, well, it would devastate her, but that would be his choice. She wouldn’t force him. Matt would be shocked beyond belief. He’d always wanted a brother or sister. His wish was about to come true.
Gabby walked into the kitchen. Yumi leaned back against the bench, a glass of orange juice in hand. She waved her hand to her right.
“There’s one for you, too. Are you feeling any better this morning? You know you won’t be allowed to miss this party. You’d have to be missing limbs to get out of it.”
Gabby laughed. “Don’t worry, Matt already gave me a ‘no excuses’ talk when he called earlier.”
Yumi glanced away. “Good. Is Jonathan coming?”
Gabby nodded. “Yes. Yoshi asked him a long time ago.”
“What’s going on with you two? Anything I should know about?” Yumi asked, a strange look in her eyes.
“No. Jon’s a friend. You know that. He’s good company, but he’s just not…” Gabby shrugged, leaving her sentence hanging.
He’s not Takeshi, she’d been about to say.
Yumi nodded, then smiled at her. “Are you still wearing that dress you showed me?”
“Yes. I think so. Unless it gets too cold.”
“Even if it does, you have to wear it. Taka’s house is well heated. You’ll be fine.”
Gabby laughed at her friend. “Fine. I’ll wear the darned thing. Happy?”
“Yes.” Her self-satisfied smile said it all.
Gabby lifted the glass to her mouth, the juice’s tart aroma calming her frazzled nerves. She eyed her friend over the top.
“So, what are you guys up to today? Anything planned?”
Yumi shook her head. “Not too much. Taka asked me to get a couple of things for him. I’ll do that and do some last minute shopping, then head over there to spend some time with him before tonight.”
Gabby breathed a silent sigh of relief. She would have some privacy today so she wouldn’t have to try and hide anything from her friend. She felt rotten that she couldn’t share this with her, but Taka needed to know before she told everyone else.
Yumi looked at her. “Would you like to come with us? Matt will probably be there.”
Gabby started. “Oh, um, no. There are some things I need to do. I still have to buy him a gift. I’ll be there later, I promise.”
“What’s going on with you? You’ve been jumpy since we arrived yesterday. Taka has been so irritable that I can’t get a straight answer out of him about anything.” Yumi eyed her. “Has something happened? Did you two have an argument?”
Gabby shrugged. “It’s…complicated.”
“And?” Yumi stared at her, waiting for more information.
“And nothing. It’s not something I want to discuss right now.” Seeing Yumi’s concerned expression, she added, “Please, just leave it alone.”
Yumi took her hand in hers. “Gabby, if something’s wrong you can tell me. You’re my best friend. It doesn’t matter what it is.”
This might.
Gabby bit her lip, tears filling her eyes despite her crushing hold on them. She’d never told her friend about the night all those years ago she’d spent with Taka. Hadn’t known how to. She’d been so worried she’d lose her most cherished friendship that she’d kept it to herself. And now?
“I know. I promise I’ll tell you everything before you go next week. Just not today. I need some time, okay?”
Yumi wrapped her in a huge embrace and kissed her cheek. “That I can do. You call me if you need to, okay?”
Chapter Twenty-three
“Don’t be such a chicken.”
Gabby took a deep breath and walked up the stairs to Taka’s door. She let herself in and unbuttoned her coat to hang it in the closet by the door.
She placed Taka’s gift on the hallstand. The scarlet halter-neck dress Yumi had insisted she wear was freezing. It had virtually no back, and the sides tapered down to sit on the curve of her butt. Its sleek line shimmered over her thighs to end just below her knees.
The front neckline plunged to accentuate her breasts, and she’d left her hair down to try and keep her back warm. She’d even managed to coax her hair into full curls rather than waves since the air was so moist in Seattle. All in all, she figured she looked rather nice.
If she had to face Taka, especially when he was annoyed with her, she’d do it looking her best, dammit.
Gabby took a deep breath and turned to follow the noise into the lounge room to look for the birthday boy. Hopefully, he’d be too preoccupied to notice how nervous she was. Hiding things from him didn’t sit well with her.
The noise swelled as she walked through the doorway. She swept her gaze over the room and spotted him immediately. His back faced her, and he was laughing with a few people she didn’t recognize, including a very Goth-looking Japanese man in leather. She looked harder, the familial resemblance too strong to miss, despite the lip ring and bright stripy colors in his shaggy, messed up hair. Taka turned to say something to a woman standing beside him, and her breath caught in her throat.
Damn, he’s gorgeous.
His black dress shirt was open at the neck, and his jeans molded to his firm butt as if they’d been made just for him. His raven hair brushed over his collar and fell forward across his eye. The whole package looked as if he had just stepped out of a Calvin Klein spread. He was the best looking thing she’d ever laid eyes on.
Gabby chewed at her lip. She couldn’t put it off any longer. She was already late. Gathering her courage, she walked across the room to stop just behind him. She reached up and tapped him on the shoulder. Taka turned. He looked down at her, and the smile fell from his face as his eyes went wide.
“Wow.”
Gabby glanced down at herself. “Is that good, or not?”
Taka nodded. “Oh, yeah. It’s good all right.” He looked her up and down. “You look amazing.”
She looked up and grinned, the nerves calming a little with his praise. “You look pretty good yourself. Happy birthday, Yoshi.” She stepped in to hug him and press her lips to his cheek.
Taka turned his face at the last second. Her lips met his instead of his cheek. Her breath caught in her throat at the heat that exploded through her with that one simple act. Luckily, he didn’t notice and pulled back while she desperately tried to collect her thoughts.
“Thanks. You finally got here. I was beginning to think you’d stood me up.” He introduced her to the half dozen people standing with him, including Goth-boy, who turned out to be his cousin, Shin, on holiday from Tokyo, then took hold of her hand and led her toward the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll get you a drink.”
Taka picked up the bottle of red wine off the bench and poured her a glass. He turned and handed it to her. Gabby took it with a strained smile.
Taka noticed her reluctance. He picked up the bottle and glanced at the label. “This is the right one, isn’t it?”
Gabby nodded. “Yes, it is. Thank you. It’s just, I, uh…” She trailed off, not sure how to tell him that she didn’t want her favorite wine. “I still don’t feel great. Better to stay away from alcohol, right?”
Taka turned to her, concerned. “Are you okay? I thought you were feeling better. Do you need me to take a look at you?”
Gabby gasped. “No. No, I’ll be fine. I’m still just a little queasy at times. Must have been some kind of stomach flu.”
Oh, heck. The last thing she needed was for him to feel her stomach. Thank heaven he hadn’t got that far down last night. She looked away from him, unable to hold his gaze. Her eyes clashed with Yumi’s, who stared at her thoughtfully. Gabby sent her a too-bright smile, hoping to dispel any concerns she had.
Taka picked up a bottle of orange juice. He splashed some into a wine glass and held it out to her with a flourish. “I assume orange juice is acceptable?”
Gabby nodded. His manner had a way of making her feel better, even given the circumstances. She took the glass and sipped. If she drank it slowly, it might stay down. Gabby glanced back out into the lounge room through the wide doorway. No Monique.
That’s odd. Why wasn’t she here? Surely he’d invited her. It wasn’t likely she’d say no.
“So, is anyone else coming, or is this it?” she asked.
Taka turned to face her. “No, this is it. You were the last one we were waiting for. Everyone’s been here awhile already. You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were avoiding me,” he teased, a smile curving the edges of his mouth.
Gabby’s breath caught in her throat. All thoughts of Monique evaporated.
Oh, crap.
That was exactly what she’d been doing. She’d been deliberately late. She was having a hard enough time keeping this from him, and she hadn’t wanted to prolong the lie.
“Don’t be silly. Why would I do that? Especially for your party,” she hedged.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you’re getting sick of me being around all the time. I am at your place rather often. Is that it? Have I worn out my welcome?”
His teasing tone had been replaced with a more serious note. Gabby locked eyes with him and realized he was serious. She touched the warm, smooth skin of his arm.
“Hell, no! Why would you think that? You’re family. I love having you around.”
Taka pulled back. The strangest look flashed over his face. “Family, huh? Like another son?”
Gabby was flabbergasted. Had she missed something here? “No, of course not. I’ve never thought of you as a son. That’d be…wrong.” She was getting really confused at the turn their conversation had taken. “Where is this coming from? I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
