Jarvis waited six months before deciding he’d given Skyler long enough time to come to her senses. He drove to Dixon’s Cosmetics, planning their wedding in his head as he made his way to her office.
When he gave his name to Cindy, she became worried, as she knew he was the last person Skyler would want to see, especially now that her pregnancy was showing.
“Well?” he asked when the woman just stared at him. “Are you going to call her and let her know I’m here?”
“I’m sorry.” Cindy picked up the phone and dialed Skyler’s extension.
“Hello, Cindy,” Skyler answered.
“Jarvis is here to see you,” she said, keeping it professional.
“What does he want?” she exclaimed, scared of why he was here.
“I don’t know.” Cindy kept her eyes down as she spoke.
“I can’t see him as then he’ll know about the baby.” she whispered in a panic voice. “Cindy, I don’t know what to do.”
“I could call Holden.”
“No, I think that might make matters worse. I must find a way to hide my belly, so he won’t know about the baby. Give me ten minutes before you let him in.”
“You’re sure this is what you want to do?” she asked, as she was concerned about her friend.
“It would be best to talk to him here, so he won’t have a reason to come to my home.”
“Okay, I’ll let him know.” Cindy said. After she hung up the phone, she looked at Jarvis. “If you will have a seat, she will be able to see you in a few minutes.”
Jarvis wished he could hear Skyler’s side of the conversation, as by the receptionist response, he didn’t think Skyler was happy to know he was here.
Meanwhile on the other side of the door, Skyler was scrambling to find a way to hide her belly. She thought about just staying behind her door and not letting him in, but then gave up on that idea. She returned to her desk, lowered the chair’s height, and moved it in as close to the desk as she could. If she could keep her waist hidden, she just might get away without him learning about the baby.
As she waited for him to walk through the door, she wondered if she would feel some sort of attraction to him, but instead, when he opened the door and she saw him for the first times in months, she was relieved that he wasn’t in her life any longer.
“Jarvis, what are you doing here?” she asked as soon as he closed the door to her office.
He expected her to greet him by giving him a hug, but instead, she remained sitting behind her desk, with her hands on her desk, which he didn’t take as a good sign. “My mother says that you can plan our wedding. She’s also agrees not to move in with us, but just come over occasionally for a visit.”
She struggled not to make a rude comment at his statement. “Well that’s nice of her,” she replied softly. Somehow, she didn’t believe him. “You be sure to thank her for me,” she said with a forced smile.
Her pleasant reply gave him hope that they could patch up their relationship, as he really need to get his hands on her money. “I will. So, when do you want to get married?” He smiled at her, as he counted the things he could buy once he had his hands on her money.
“I’m sorry. I can’t marry you, because you’re too late.”
He frowned at her answer. “Too late? What is that supposed to mean?” he asked hatefully.
She wasn’t about to tell him the truth, as she was embarrassed by the fact, she had married a total stranger just two days after breaking up with him. “If you had truly loved me, you wouldn’t have ever let me end the engagement in the first place.”
“You rather have a man that didn’t give a damn about his mother?” he yelled.
“I wasn’t asking you to never see your mother again or stick her in a hole and forget about her. I was simply asking to plan my own wedding and have her live in her own home instead of with us, the same as millions of other couples do. It was nice to see you, but you need to leave now, as I have work to do. Please tell your mother I said hello to her.”
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Her words came as a shock to him, as he’d been sure that when he told her his news, she would run back to him. Fury filled his eyes as her dismissal meant the loss of a great deal of money in his pocket. “One of these days you’re going to be sorry for this.”
“No, I won’t, as I have a new man in my life,” she said determinedly, instantly regretting from making the comment.
“That didn’t take you long. Is there marriage in your future?” he asked in an offensive tone.
She wasn’t about to tell him that she was already married, so she didn’t respond to his question. “You and I broke up over six months ago, so what I do or don’t do isn’t any of your business.”
Jarvis turned and without saying another word to her, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him, as his temper couldn’t prevent it.
* * *
Herb had just walked up to Cindy’s desk, as Jarvis stepped into Skyler’s office and closed the door. Herb turned to Cindy. “Who’s that?”
“That’s Jarvis,” she said, wishing she were in the room with her friend.
“I wished I could have slugged the slimy creep for treating Skyler the way he did.”
Cindy reached up and placed her hand on his. “It all worked out for the best, so let the anger go.”
Herb smiled. “Yes, Holden is the best thing to ever happen to Skyler.”
When Skyler’s door was thrown open a short time later, Cindy and Herb looked that way. Seeing the rage on Jarvis’ face, the two felt better knowing that whatever Skyler had said to him, had greatly upset him.
Cindy started to get up and go into her office, but Herb stopped her. “Give her some time, as this had to be an emotion meeting for her.”
She gave him a hurt look. “That’s why I want to talk to her.”
“Call Holden and let him take care of this.”
Cindy didn’t like his suggestion, as Skyler had been her friend since they were kids. “Do I have too?”
“Yes, you can talk to her afterwards.”
Cindy nodded, then picked up the phone and dialed Holden’s extension.
“Hello Cindy. What do you need?”
“Jarvis just left Skyler’s office; I think she may need you.”
“I’ll be right there,” he said in a rush.
Holden hung up and practically ran to Skyler’s office, luckily, it was only three doors down from his. When he reached her door, he rushed inside, and his eyes went to Skyler’s desk. Seeing her sitting there crying, he closed the door behind him and hurried towards her.
When she heard the door closed, she looked up with panic in her eyes, as she was afraid Jarvis had returned. Seeing it was Holden standing there, Skyler stood and rushed towards him, meeting him in the middle of the room. His arms quickly embraced her, and she immediately felt better now that she was in his arms.
“Did he give you a hard time about the baby?” he asked as he held her.
“As far as I know, he didn’t notice that I was pregnant.”
Her statement floored him so much that he took a step back and looked at her. “How could he not notice?”
“I never stood up.” She told him about their conversation, and that when she told him she had someone new in her life, he’d gotten mad and had stormed out.
“Since it’s almost quitting time, let’s go home so you can relax.”
“Give me a few minutes as I know Cindy must be biting her nails at not knowing all that went on in here.”
“I’ll go turn off my computer and meet you in the lobby.”
Skyler followed Holden out of her office so she could talk to Cindy, and when Holden joined them, they said goodnight, and left.
* * *
Two months later, Holden decided to take his wife out to dinner at 54th Bar & Grill, which was just down the street from the office. They left the restaurant, hand in hand oblivious of their surroundings, as they were discussing what baby names they wanted.
Hearing a loud gasp of shock, Skyler looked up to see Jarvis and his mother heading towards them. Her hand quickly fell to the enlarged belly, but at eight months pregnant, there wasn’t any way she could hide her pregnancy.
The instant Jarvis noticed her belly; he naturally assumed he’s the father and hurried towards her. “When I came to see you at your office that day, why didn’t you tell me you were expecting my child?”
“Because I’m having my husband’s child,” she stated as calmly as she could.
He looked over at Holden, then back at her. “How long have you two been married?” he demanded.
“What difference does that make?” she asked, though she knew why he had asked.
“Just tell me,” he demanded angrily.
She had to tell him the truth, as she knew him well enough to know that he would be checking into marriage certificates as soon as he got home. “Holden and I got married two days after you and I broke up.”
Jarvis was quite shocked by her answer. “What makes you so sure that he’s the father and not me?”
“I was on birth control pills until we were married, and since we wanted a baby right away, I stopped taking them and here we are.” Actually, she didn’t stop taking the pills until after she found out that she was pregnant.
Jarvis eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you. I demand a DNA testing immediately.”
She gave him a smirk. “Sorry, but you’re going to have wait until she’s born, as I’m not doing anything to risk my daughter’s life just because you think you’re her father.”
“Once I find out that you lied, and are in fact having my child, I’m going to sue you for custody.”
Skyler didn’t doubt for a moment that he would do just as he threatened, but she couldn’t let him think she was worried, so she laughed. “That’s such a ridiculous statement. Even if this child was yours, why would you think the courts will give you the child?”
“Because you were keeping the baby a secret.”
She patted her belly. “I don’t see how that’s possible.”
Jarvis’ face turned red. “I meant from me and you know it.”
“I haven’t notified any of the other men I’ve dated in the past, so why would you be any different?”
Her statement simply made him madder. “You will be hearing from my lawyer,” he said loudly. He took hold of his mother’s arm and they headed for the restaurant.
As soon as Jarvis was out of sight, she let the tears fall. “What are we going to do?”
“Even if he is the father, it is very unlikely that he will be able to get custody of the child.”
She looked hopeful at him. “You really think so?”
“Yes, I do. Let’s go home so you can get some rest.”