“It’s…it’s…” She broke down again, alternating between sobbing and crying out loud, and he couldn’t make head or tail of what she was trying to say through the tears. “It’s a baby.”
Now she really wasn’t making any sense. “It’s a baby? What’s a baby? What are you talking about, Arie?”
“I…I’m getting a baby. Please.” She was sobbing again. “Please forgive me. No, I know you can’t forgive me. It’s too much.”
“Holy shit.” Rome breathed the words as he stared, unseeing, out the huge bay windows of his hotel suite. Arie was pregnant.
It was weird because they’d used protection every time. Weird but not impossible. They were going to have a baby.
“You silly goose,” he said, laughing into the phone. “What are you crying about? Did you think I’d be angry? You’re getting a head start on our family. I love it.” He was still laughing even as the sobs continued, unabated. If anything, they were getting louder.
“Arie, stop that.” It was time to put his foot down. She was getting emotional and that could not be good for the baby. “Listen to me,” he said. “Take a slow, deep breath and calm down. No more crying, okay?”
“O…okay,” she said on a hiccup. “I’ll…I’ll try.”
“Good. Just keep taking deep breaths and when you’re calm you can tell me all about it.” Arie couldn’t see him but Rome was grinning ear-to-ear. He was going to be a father.
Of course, he’d expected this, just not quite so soon. He wanted Arie to bear him children, lots of them if she would agree. Well, maybe not lots, but three or even four. He wanted her to have a big family around her to make up for all those years she’d felt so alone after she’d left foster care. Being from a huge and close-knit family, he still couldn’t imagine what it was like to have no-one in the world but yourself.
But Arie was talking again, her words cutting into his daydream. “Yes, honey? What did you say?” He turned his full attention back to his wife-to-be.
“But the baby,” she said, her voice hoarse from her tears. “The baby…it’s not yours. It’s-”
“What the f…” He stopped himself just in time. “What did you just say?”
“I’m sorry, Rome, I didn’t mean to do this to you. I didn’t know it would come through…” And then she started sobbing again.
Rome felt like he’d just been rammed in the gut by someone wearing a cast iron helmet. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Arie was pregnant…by another man.
His heart plunging to the pit of his stomach, he did the only thing he could do right then. He decided to end the call. He needed time to think. “Arie, I have to go,” he said, the shock, hurt and pain making his voice sound harsh. “I’ll talk to you when I get back to New Orleans.”
And with that he hung up the phone knowing that, after tonight, nothing between them would ever be the same again.
***
“Oh Lord, what am I going to say? How am I going to explain?” Arie was mumbling to herself as she sat on the edge of the sofa, twisting her hands in her lap.
It was already twenty minutes since Rome called from the airport, saying he was on his way. He would be here any minute now and she didn't know how she was going to face him.
She didn’t have to worry about that much longer because before she knew it, and long before she was even ready, she heard the roar of the Maserati's engine and the sound of tires coming to a screeching halt on her driveway. Arie hopped up off the couch but she didn’t go running to the door as she normally would. This time she drew in a slow, steadying breath then put one foot in front of the other, forcing herself to move forward to answer the now chiming doorbell.
“Well, here goes nothing,” she breathed, preparing herself for the worst. She knew this would end badly but wasn’t that the story of her life? Why should this situation be any different? She placed her hand on the doorknob then, steeling herself for the blast from the furnace of Rome Milano’s anger, she opened the door.
What she saw made her heart slip off its seat and slide down to her toes. Rome was there, tall and dark in the doorway, looking down at her. But it wasn’t the Rome she knew and loved. No, as she lifted her gaze to look up at this man, what she saw was a face so grim it made her shiver. And the eyes, those weren’t Rome’s eyes. They were gone, those deep brown ones like molten dark chocolate, and in their place were eyes as hard as flint.
Quickly, Arie dropped her gaze. She couldn’t bear his frigid glare. She’d expected anger, red-hot rage, but not this. Heaven knew she would have preferred a raging fire to this ice-cold ire.
Not looking up, she stepped back and opened the door wide and, as he’d done so many times before, Rome Milano walked into Bayou House. This time, though, everything was different. This time he’d come to say goodbye.
But first, she had some explaining to do.
“Arie,” he said, his voice cool as he stared down at her.
“Hello, Rome.” She tried to make her voice just as cool but, to her dismay, it came out soft and tremulous. She cleared her throat. “Uhm, have a seat. I’ll be right with you.”
For a moment he just stared at her then he shook his head. “I don’t want to sit. We need to talk.”
“I know,” she said, and she was clutching her hands again, and it was all she could do to keep from wringing them. “But we can’t talk standing here in the hallway. Let’s talk in the sitting room.”
Rome was still frowning but he shrugged and then he stalked off, leaving her staring at his broad, rigid back.
With a sigh of resignation Arie set off after him but when she got there he didn’t even give her a chance to have a seat before he started. “Why didn’t you tell me, Arie?”
“I…didn’t mean to hurt-”
“Who the hell is he? Who is this man you love so much that you would throw this all away?” Rome shook his head, his glare changing into a look of profound pain. “When you said you loved me you were lying the whole time. How could you do this to me?”
“But I love you, Rome. I love you so much.” Arie made to step forward, to put a hand on his arm, but the look he gave her made her pull up short.
“Don’t even try that.” The scorn came, swift and stinging, in his voice. "You love me but you went and slept with another man? What kind of fool do you take me for?”