Baby Be Mine (Spinsters & Casanovas Series Book 1) (29 page)

When the table was vacant of Winton, Anton
still stared quizzically at the people around the table, wondering
if there really were mosquitoes in New Zealand, but his thought was
interrupted when the waiter came over with their coffees.

“Sorry for the delay, sir,” the waiter said,
giving the coffee to Hunter, passing it under Clarice’s nose.

The sudden strong aroma wafted into
Clarice’s nose, making her gag all of a sudden, and before she knew
it, she raced to the women’s bathroom and spewed the entirety of
her meal.

What was wrong with her? She must really be
sick. Was she really that nervous about talking to Anton that she
couldn’t keep her food down? Maybe she was a little upset because
Anton didn’t seem to know anything about that night, even when
they’d mentioned their stay in Queenstown. Then she felt someone
rubbing her back and handing her paper towels.

“Thank you,” she managed to say after she
wiped her mouth. Then she turned to face—

“Hunter!” she shouted in fright. “What are
you doing here? This is the women’s bathroom.”

“So?” Hunter said, clueless as to why this
would cause Clarice so much distress.

“So get out,” Clarice said through gritted
teeth. Sometimes Hunter could be so dumb.

“You’re not well. I just want to make sure
you’re fine,” Hunter said, coming closer, placing his palm on her
forehead. “Your temperature is okay. So why did you vomit? Was it
the food?” he asked, concerned. His face was so close to hers that
she found she was having trouble breathing again.

“I’m fine. I don’t think it’s the food. I
hardly ate anything,” she said, turning the other way.

Please, don’t look at those lips,
she
told herself.
Just please don’t look at those lips.

“You don’t like it?” Hunter asked, nudging
her chin to face him, and they locked their eyes together. Then her
eyes had a mind of their own as they inadvertently drifted to
Hunter’s lips.

“It’s nice, but I just can’t eat it,”
Clarice said, forcing herself to look at his chest instead.

“Your stomach is playing up?” Hunter asked
innocently, tilting up her chin so he could look at those dilated
pupils again. “I’ll take you to the hospital. You might have the
flu or something.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll just go back—”

And then she hunched over the toilet again
as another strong urge came welling up to her throat, making her
vomit once more.

“Clarice, God.” Hunter started rubbing her
back again.

After the sudden urge died down, she stood
and rested against the wall, but her body was just so weak that she
slumped against Hunter instead.

Clarice, oh my God.
Hunter’s heart
pounded, crying out for the woman in his arms. He wanted to
continue to hold her like this forever, to feel this warmth
transmitting to his own body. What was wrong with him? How come she
felt so perfect in his arms? He couldn’t understand what was going
on.

“Clarice?” His voice shook a little. “You’re
clearly not well. I’m taking you to the hospital now. Let’s
go.”

“Hunter, what do you think you’re doing?”
Clarice asked hoarsely, pulling back from him, but she was just so
tired, so out of energy that she let him carry her all the way to
his car. But Anton, Fern, and Caroline intercepted them before
Hunter could complete his mission.

“What’s going on?” Anton asked, turning to
Clarice. “Are you all right? You don’t look well. I should take you
to the hospital.”

“Fern will come too,” Fern offered. “It’s
good if Junior Silverton has someone else to look after her while
he drives.”

“It’s fine. I’ve already decided to take
her,” Hunter said, tugging Clarice’s head close to his chest again.
“And didn’t you say you have another meeting after lunch?”

Shit,
Anton swore to himself. He’d
totally forgotten about that other meeting. “Then you take good
care of Clarice,” Anton demanded. “I’ll call you later.”

Anton watched his cousin leave with Clarice
and Fern in tow. After the car disappeared from his sight, he
quietly went back to his office to prepare for his meeting.

Caroline watched the entire exchange with
fists clenched by her sides.
This cannot be,
she thought.
She must get rid of this girl. No one else would get Hunter.

CHAPTER 24

“Please pick me up. I’m at Auckland
Hospital.” Clarice left a message on Max’s cell phone from the pay
phone, then went back to her seat in the waiting area. She closed
her eyes, feeling so exhausted.

She felt so sick. She didn’t know her nerves
could get this bad.

“Clarice,” a soft voice whispered in her
ear. Anton, it sounded like Anton that night they were
together.

Clarice opened her eyes, then immediately
shut them again. She felt her heart hammering within her chest and
her breathing became labored. It was Hunter. He was so close to her
that she could feel his warm breath. Suddenly, a hot rush of lust
hit her like a ton of bricks, smacking her right in the face.

“You haven’t gone home yet?” she asked,
turning away to stop this yearning. She opened her eyes again and
stared at the grey linoleum.

“Are you okay? I bought you some juice. I
thought the sugar might help,” Hunter said, eyeing Clarice,
wondering why she was so intent on staring at the linoleum.

“Do you have a straw?” she asked
quietly.

“No. Why do you need a straw?” Hunter had
enough of Clarice looking at the linoleum. Did she find that grey
floor more interesting than his handsome face? He nudged her chin
around to face him.

“I don’t want to drink anything acidic that
can cause my teeth to rot. I want a straw.” Clarice closed her eyes
again.

“You, Avocado, and your oral health,” he
said. Then she felt his presence disappear again.

Thank heavens! She could now rest in peace.
She didn’t know whether she could handle looking at Hunter any
longer. The more he stayed with her, the more she was reminded of
Anton that night. It just wasn’t right. And then there was Anton.
He acted like he didn’t know her at all. Which she admitted hurt
her a little. She really must talk to him and get it straight, out
in the open.

And when would they call her up? She was so
tired. She just wanted to go to sleep.

Just then Fern returned from getting her
coffee, which made Clarice want to gag even more.

“Fern is sorry. Fern didn’t mean to make
Clarice sick again. Fern will throw this away.” Fern apologized and
threw her cup of coffee into the trash bin.

All Clarice could do was shake her head.

“I’m sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with
me,” Clarice replied weakly. “I’m sorry about your coffee too.”

“It’s nothing.” Fern smiled to reassure her
new friend. “Fern can always get another one later.” Then she
looked around the waiting room. “Where is Hunter?”

“I don’t know,” Clarice answered, closing
her eyes again. “He just disappeared.”

“Hunter seems to be quite attached to you,
is he not?” Fern asked, still smiling.

Clarice didn’t know how to answer. “I don’t
know what you’re talking about, Fern.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Fern shoved aside the
subject.

She had a niggling suspicion that Hunter
must like Clarice. Hunter had never acted like this before. He’d
never cared for any woman as much. Clarice was the first. She
really hoped Clarice might be the one to tame his wild ways. And if
it did happen, she would offer her friend her full support.

“The doctor should call your name soon,”
Fern said instead. “Fern is very glad to meet you, Clarice. Fern
believes we can be great friends from now on.”

“Mmmm.” Clarice nodded her head in
agreement. Being with Fern had a calming effect on her, just like
being with Whitney and Elise. Just then, her name was called and
she went in, smiling a bit to reassure Fern she would be fine.

After a series of tests, which included the
urine test and blood pressure, she was escorted back into the
doctor’s office. She really couldn’t wait any longer for the
diagnosis.

The flamboyant doctor that greeted her had a
grin from ear to ear.

“I just love my job when I have news like
this,” he said, practically bouncing in his chair. “My name is Dr.
Flint, by the way.”

Clarice couldn’t understand. Surely being
sick wasn’t something to be so happy about.

But strangely, he giggled. “Oh, I don’t even
know how to say this.” He waved his hands in front of his face to
cool his already red cheeks. “I’m so excited and giddy inside. This
is my first day here. I don’t even know how to respond to the
news.”

“Maybe you should just calm down before
telling me, Dr. Flint.” Clarice offered her advice, speaking in a
soothing voice just like she would with her patients when they were
anxious or excited about their dental treatment. “Just take deep,
slow breaths and then tell me.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Dr. Flint said,
calming down a bit, but then he got all flustered again and started
flapping his arms about when he thought of the news. “Oh, I can’t
help it. I want to tell you straight out, but I don’t know where to
begin,” Dr. Flint said, slumping back in his chair in defeat.

“You could start from the beginning,”
Clarice offered. “Start with my test results.”

Clarice admitted she was ready to bolt out
the door at any moment if Dr. Flint were to carry on with his weird
behavior. She felt more like she was the doctor and he her
patient.

“Okay, here goes,” Dr. Flint said after
taking a few deep breaths to relax. “Congratulations, Ms. Mason,
you’re going to be—”

And then the door just had to open,
interrupting Dr. Flint’s speech, revealing Hunter looking around
the room like a little lost lamb searching for its mother. When his
eyes landed on Clarice, he smiled and came to her side.

“There you are. When I came back from
getting your straw, you were gone.”

“I was in taking tests,” Clarice said,
embarrassed. “What are you doing here anyway? You should be outside
waiting,” she whispered.

Dr. Flint was about to diagnose her
condition. She didn’t want Hunter hanging around while he explained
her condition. This information was strictly confidential.

Hunter thought Clarice was having one of her
mental moments again, so he ignored her outburst and turned to the…
very colorful doctor.

He’d never seen a doctor dressed like a
clown before. What was with the bright polka-dot bowtie and the
yellow-and-green striped shirt and bright-orange glasses? The
doctor looked more suited for a circus than a hospital.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. I was just
worried about her. Is she all right?” Hunter asked.

“Oh, you have the right to worry.” Dr. Flint
grinned again, gesturing for Hunter to sit himself down beside
Clarice before he announced her condition.

Clarice just stared at Hunter like she
wanted to murder him. “No, Hunter,” she said. “Go back out now. Dr.
Flint is about to diagnose my condition. I don’t want you
here.”

“But I want to stay,” Hunter whined.

“No, go,” Clarice repeated.

“No. I’m staying.” Hunter remained in his
spot.

“I—”

“Please, Ms. Mason.” Dr. Flint interrupted
their bickering. “Let him stay. He’s needed here as much as you
are.”

“Ah?” Clarice asked. “I don’t understand why
he needs to stay.”

“All shall be explained soon,” Dr. Flint
said, then turned to Hunter, gesturing for him to sit next to
Clarice.

Hunter was only too happy to oblige.

“All comfortable?” the doctor asked.

“Yeah,” Hunter replied coolly.

Hunter wasn’t sure why the doctor was paying
more attention to him than to Clarice, who was the patient. Maybe
he was gay, hitting on him. He cringed at his own thought.

Dr. Flint just smiled at them both like he’d
just won a million dollars. If only he and his partner were
approved for adoption, he thought.

“I congratulate you both,” Dr. Flint said
finally. “You are about to be proud parents!”

“Come again?” Hunter said.
Proud
parents?
What’s this doctor talking about?

“In simple terms, Mr. Mason, your wife is
pregnant.”

CHAPTER 25

Hunter was feeling hot and cold at the same
time. He could feel his world spinning and tilting on its axis.

It can’t be. It just can’t be.

Clarice, the Avocado, was pregnant.
Pregnant! But how… and with whom?

Hunter could feel Clarice’s hand gripping
his arm. Oh no! She must have been just as surprised as he was. He
turned to Clarice then, ready to comfort her, only to have Clarice
hug him instead. Her embrace was very intimate as she hugged him
tightly to her body, her head nestling against his shirt.

“Hunter.” Clarice pulled back with tears in
her eyes. “Did you hear that?” she asked him softly. “I’m
pregnant.” And then she smiled at him, and it made his heart jump.
And he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to embrace her again. He
didn’t know where that feeling had come from, but he realized he
wanted this woman. God help him, he wanted her. But before he could
respond, she closed her eyes and collapsed on him.

“Jesus, Clarice,” Hunter yelled, which
alerted the doctor, who came running around his desk to help assist
Clarice too.

“Deary me,” Dr. Flint said, scratching his
head. “Must be the excitement of having the little one. Don’t you
worry, Mr. Mason. I’ll look after your wife. If you could just wait
in the waiting room for now.” And before he knew what happened,
Clarice was taken out off his hands and he was ushered out of the
room, colliding with the many nurses that came scurrying in.

What the hell just happened?
Hunter
came stumbling out of the doctor’s office. Clarice was pregnant.
And she was happy. And now she had fainted.