Her Return To King's Bed Part 9

She'd realized from the moment she met him that as a King, he didn't accept inactivity easily. He was a man who took charge. Who stepped in to do what needed doing. It was part of his nature. His heritage. And now he was in the position of being able to do nothing.

Helplessness was not something he was even remotely familiar with.

"You might as well sit down," she finally said. "This could take a long time."

"It has already been hours." Frowning, he glanced at her, then fired a hard look at a pa.s.sing nurse. "How much longer? And how can we know if no one will tell us anything?"

Teresa took a chance and threaded her arm through his. When he didn't shrug her off, she called it a win and smiled to herself. "Let's take a walk."

"What?" He looked down at her. "Where? I don't want to go far-what if...?"

"We won't be far," Teresa said, touched that he cared for his family this much. It was these few moments, when he was unguarded, that allowed her a glimpse of the man she'd met so long ago. This man was the Rico she remembered. The stranger was the man who had jumped out of bed as if it were on fire.

"Didn't you tell Sean that nowhere on this island was far from anything?"

"Good point." He blew out a breath and sc.r.a.ped one hand through his hair. "All right, then. I could use some fresh air."

"And I think the nurses could use a break, too." Teresa patted his arm as they walked past the nurses' station. She paused there only long enough to say, "We're going outside for a few minutes. If Sean comes out looking for us, tell him we'll be right back."

"I will." Her gaze fixed on Rico, she said, "You take your time."

Teresa laughed, but Rico's expression didn't change in the slightest. He still wore a frown that would send most people scrambling for a place to hide. Shaking her head, Teresa led him to the elevator, then punched the b.u.t.ton for the main floor. The two-story building wasn't large, but it spread out over quite an area. It was the only medical facility for the islanders. Without it, people who needed serious medical help would have had to board a boat for St. Thomas.

She'd learned a lot in the last few days. Rico's employees were eager to talk about him and the island paradise where they lived. They had told her all about what the Kings had done for Tesoro since moving here. For example, they had donated enough money to see to it that the small hospital now boasted top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art equipment. They'd hired more doctors and nurses and made it possible for most emergencies to be handled on island.

They'd rebuilt the dock and improved the harbor, making it easier for charter ships, as well as local fishermen, to pull into port. In town they'd arranged for more of the islanders to sell their wares to the tourists who now flocked to Tesoro. The Kings had done good things on the island and everyone here seemed to appreciate it. But Teresa knew that if she commented on any of this to Rico, he would shrug off her admiration and call it simply good business. He was a complicated man and maybe that was one reason she was so drawn to him. Because at the heart of it, very few men were complicated.

At the ground floor, Rico practically lunged off the elevator and Teresa had to hurry to keep up with him. Outside the night was quiet, the wind was soft and the sound of the ocean rumbled in the distance. It felt good to get out of the claustrophobic waiting room. It felt even better to have Rico beside her.

Teresa took a long, deep breath and blew it out again. "Nice to get out of the hospital for a while."

"Yes." Rico looked back over his shoulder at the brightly lit entrance. "But not for too long. I want to be nearby when-"

"We will be." Teresa took his hand and was pleased when he didn't pull away. Small victories. She led him across the side yard, their steps m.u.f.fled by the thick gra.s.s. "But waiting for hours can be hard. You have to get out now and then."

He snorted, but the tension in him eased a bit as the trade winds continued to rush past them, carrying the scents of flowers and the sea with them. "And how do you know so much about women in childbirth?"

Teresa smiled and squeezed his hand. Whatever else was between them, for the moment they were on the same side, allies against the unknown.

"I grew up all over the world," she said finally, tipping her head back to look up at the night sky, dazzled with stars. "Our home was in Italy, but we were rarely there."

"I wondered why I have more of an accent than you do."

She shrugged as if it didn't matter, when the truth was all of her life she had longed for a place to call home. Even her own apartment in Naples wasn't home. Just another temporary refuge.

"Hard to adopt a particular accent when you're never in one place long enough to pick up the rhythms of the local speech."

"Hmm..."

His noncommittal answer told her that he was thinking about the Coretti family and their tradition of thievery keeping them on the move. But she wasn't going to talk about her family now and ruin this momentary truce.

"Anyway, we were living in New York and my mother's sister was having a baby. I was about sixteen, I guess."

"And you waited as we are now?"

"We waited. For hours." She sighed and shifted her gaze from the skies to him. "It seemed to take forever."

"And did your father fill his time by stealing from the patients and doctors?"

She stopped dead and turned to face him. Her gaze met his and she was sorry to see the stony glint in his eyes again. "Can you never let it go, Rico? Not even for a while?"

"Why should I?" he demanded.

"Because I'm not my father." Her voice was quiet but strong. Her gaze never left his as she added, "I've never stolen anything in my life. I'm not a thief."

A muscle twitched in his jaw as if he were fighting an internal battle over what to say and what to hold back. Then he blurted, "So just a liar, then?"

The verbal slap hit home and she winced. It seemed that their momentary truce had ended and her sorrow was quickly swallowed by impatience. He was determined to see her only as treacherous and Teresa had no idea how to change his mind.

"And you've never lied? Are you that perfect, Rico?"

"Not perfect," he countered. "But I don't lie to the people who matter to me."

"Ah," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a sharp nod. "So you're a picky liar. Only a select few. I'm guessing women?"

"Mostly," he admitted and didn't look bothered by the admission at all.

"And that's okay?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." She shook her head and asked, "What about me? Did you tell me pretty lies when we met?"

His jaw clenched and it looked as though he were grinding his teeth into powder. "You're the one who lied to me, remember?"

"So you were honest with me, but not with other women." She laughed shortly. "Well, h.e.l.l, Rico. You're wasting your time being a hotelier when you should be a saint."

Furious now, she let her temper reign because that was so much easier than dealing with the disappointment and regret threatening to choke her. Teresa spun around and took two steps away from him before he caught her with one strong hand and whipped her back around to face him.

"I never claimed to be a saint," he muttered, his accent suddenly flaring into life and coloring his words with a seductive tang he probably didn't intend at the moment. "But I never lied to you."

"What about the phony divorce papers?"

He frowned, gritted his teeth and kept quiet, silently admitting he had no answer for that.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up into his eyes and searched for the man she loved behind that wall of ice he'd built between them. "I didn't want to lie to you, Rico. I didn't want to leave you, either. But there was nothing else I could do. Can't you understand lying to protect someone?"

"I can't understand a family who demands that kind of loyalty."

"Really?" She tipped her head to one side and met him, glare for glare. "Because the King family isn't loyal?"

"We don't cheat for each other," he snapped. "We don't lie to protect each other."

"But you would if you had to."

His mouth flattened into a grim slash and his eyes narrowed. She could see that he was thinking about it, considering...and not really enjoying the answer he was coming up with.

She took a long breath. "Rico, I'm not asking you to forget what happened five years ago. But maybe you could try to see it from my side."

"Your side? All I know of your side is one thing." He released his hold on her, shoved his hands into his pockets and stared over her head at the surrounding trees. "You chose them over me."

"They're my family."

His gaze shot to hers. "And I'm your husband."

"Do you really think it was easy for me?"

"All I know is that you did it," he ground out. "Easy or difficult, you made your choice and we were both forced to live with it."

Pain squeezed her heart and radiated out to every square inch of her body. There was nothing she could say to that. No excuse. No plea for understanding. Rico would never see what she had done as anything less than betrayal.

Their gazes locked, unspoken tension practically humming between them in the soft island air. The ocean was a murmur of sound and somewhere in the distance an animal's screech sounded out.

There was so much to say and so little all at the same time. Teresa had hoped that they might find a way to reach each other again, but for every step forward she took, Rico moved that much farther away. He was slipping away from her even as she stood beside him. Missing the feel of his touch, Teresa scrubbed her palms up and down her arms in a futile attempt to ease the chill of the cold that was deep inside her.

"Teresa," he asked quietly a moment later, "what happened?"

"What?" She shook her head and looked at him in confusion.

"With your aunt," he said, reminding her of the story she had been telling. "What happened?"

It took her a second, but a smile curved her mouth as she looked at him. Nothing had been solved. They were still on opposite sides of the same battle. But his question told Teresa that Rico, too, missed their all-too-brief truce. So she willingly played along and dipped back into her memories.

"After what seemed like forever, she had a baby boy. I saw him when he was just a few minutes old." Her smile brightened. "Luca was so tiny. And he looked just furious at the indignity of being born."

Rico smiled with her and for one long moment, it was almost as if they were...united. And it was so good Teresa didn't want that moment to end, though she knew it would. For whatever reason, Rico had decided to put their argument aside and go back to their earlier, almost friendly position. She was more than willing.

"Then I will try to be patient as we wait for the newest King to make his arrival."

"They know it's a boy?"

"They do," he said, nodding. "Just last month I helped Sean paint the baby's room."

"Melinda showed me the nursery. You guys did a nice job. I love the blue and chocolate-brown." She stopped and laughed a little. "Wow. I just realized it was only a few hours ago that we were at Melinda's house and it feels like days."

He nodded, looked past her at the hospital entrance and said, "The waiting takes a toll."

"It does." She followed his gaze and said, "We should really get back."

"Yes. We should." He looked as reluctant to end this alone time as she felt and Teresa told herself not to make more of it than there was. Still, a tiny nugget of hope settled into a corner of her heart and wouldn't be budged.

He took her hand in his and the warmth of his skin washed through her. She held that feeling to her and told herself to remember. To etch that sensation into her heart and mind so that one day soon, when he was far out of reach, she'd be able to take out this memory and relive the feel of her hand in his.

When he led her back to the hospital, they were silent, even their footsteps m.u.f.fled on the gra.s.s.

By dawn, their wait was over.

Sean strutted down the long hallway to the waiting room and greeted them both with a wide grin stretched across his face.

"Melinda's great and so is our son." He slapped his hands together and scrubbed his palms before shoving both hands through his hair. "It was-Melinda was-amazing."

Rico bolted out of his chair, crossed the room and gave his cousin a brief, hard hug before stepping back and slapping Sean on the shoulder. "Congratulations! You're a father!"

"Terrifying, man," Sean told him with a shudder. "I won't lie."

Teresa winced a little at that word, half expecting a knowing glare from Rico. She was surprised, and pleased, when it didn't come. She walked to Sean and gave him a hug. "Do we get to see him?"

"Absolutely." Sean grinned at both of them again. "I came to get you so you can admire and stare with awe at the newest King."

Rico took Teresa's hand again as they followed Sean along the corridor and she had the feeling he hadn't even noticed doing it. The move had just come naturally. As if he'd needed to be linked with her for the occasion. That nugget of hope grew just a bit in spite of the fact that she tried hard to prevent it.

The hospital was small, so it didn't take long to get to the nursery. There were only three newborns nestled into clear ba.s.sinets. And only one of those three was a boy. While Sean stared at his son with the bemused expression of someone who had survived a battle when he hadn't expected to, Teresa just looked at the baby. He was perfect. Tiny and pink-cheeked and so beautiful she felt a knot of envy lodge in her throat.

"He's a good-looking baby, Sean," Rico said softly and his hand tightened imperceptibly on Teresa's.

"Yeah." Sean rocked on his heels and finally tore his gaze from his son. "He really is. You want to go see Melinda?"

They did and once in the private hospital room, Teresa and Rico stood on either side of the new mother's bed.

"He's beautiful," Teresa said.

"I know!" Melinda smiled and sighed, then unnecessarily smoothed the blanket and sheet covering her. "I can't believe he's finally here."

"What's his name?" Teresa asked, looking from one new parent to the other.

"Stryker," Sean announced with a secretive smile for his wife.

"It was my father's name," Melinda added, beaming at Sean. "My grandfather was really pleased when we told him what we were going to name the baby. And it means a lot to me, too."

"It's a big name for such a little guy," Sean mused.

"I think he will grow into it," Rico told him, with another slap on the shoulder. "Stryker King. It sounds strong."

"Yeah." Sean had a silly grin on his face. "It does."

Teresa watched Rico and his family and wished that she really belonged in that circle of familiarity. But she was a temporary blip on the King family radar. She wouldn't be here to watch Stryker grow up. She wouldn't be here to build on the friendship she and Melinda had begun. In less than a month, she would be gone and the island would go on without her. As would Rico.

She took a breath and held it. To distract herself, she glanced around. The private room was a pale yellow and a single bedside light glowed, throwing soft shadows across Melinda's features. She looked tired, but more happy than Teresa could have imagined.