Page 39 of Secret Baby
Driving home, Vicki stayed the speed limit the entire time. Slowly the farmland transformed into suburban communities. Then the tall buildings of Miami populated the skyline. Vicki's heart felt full—she was going home entirely different than how she'd left. With Clara in the car seat, as she quietly listened to music, Vicki felt her eyes tear. Clara bopped her head. Vicki wiped her face, and then remembered to keep both hands on the wheel to stay in control. This was her responsibility for the rest of her life now. Vicki swallowed and kept her gaze on the road.
Her GPS told her to turn left onto the highway. Vicki's mind buzzed with thoughts. Then she sighed and told her navigation system to direct her to Alice's house. The car quickly recalculated. Then she called John.
She used the mirror to stare at her daughter, who tilted her head to the music on her headset. She turned it off. "What?"
Vicki winked at her. "I'm on the phone with your uncle, sweetheart. We're going to stop there first."
Clara shrugged and returned to her music.
John chuckled as he answered. "Hello."
Vicki tensed her shoulders, like she'd been caught copying Alice's homework as a teenager. Then she shrugged off the response. "Hey, it's me."
"How is life at Colt's?"
She'd ask for advice on Belle and how she should handle it in person, not on the phone, where Clara might hear. "I need to talk. Can Clara and I stop over?"
John's answered was quick. "Sure."
"Is Alice there?"
"She can't go anywhere else in her condition."
"Hey." Alice's voice echoed in the distance. "You did this to me."
"I have to go," John said. "See you soon, sis."
Vicki assumed Alice had something to say to John over his comment. Her best friend and her brother had that magic between them. Vicki resettled into her seat for the next hour. As they entered the outskirts of the highway that led to Coconut Grove, a posh area where her brother lived, she sniffed the air. The clean smell of oranges was missing. Her stomach cringed and she wanted to hug herself, though she kept both hands on the wheel. "If I do end up living with Colt, I'm not that far a drive from my family."
Clara took off her headset and said, "Stay with us, forever."
Energy coursed through Vicki. It was as if Clara knew that she was her mother. She'd never find joy in her life if she watched Colt with Belle. There had to be a solution. "It's your father's house, not mine."
"Vicki, don't leave me with Belle." Clara gazed into the mirror and stared into Vicki's eyes. Vicki swallowed. Clara added, "Dad and Belle were fighting. She doesn't like our home, not like you."
"Their arguing last night might not mean anything. You don't know if she likes your home or not, Clara." Vicki returned her stare toward the road, and refused to say anything about Belle right now. The most important thing was that she'd promised Colt they'd tell their daughter together, soon. "Never worry about me in your life. I'll always be here for you, and I'm not going anywhere."
Colt too—not that she'd add that.
"Belle has to go." Clara then put her headset on her ears and stared out the window again.
Her daughter sounded like an adult sometimes, and she was five. Heaven help them all when she was a teenager.
The road continued, though a little traffic began. Her mouth began to water as she saw the sign for the exit that would bring her to that wonderful coffee. Her stomach grumbled as she imagined the wonderful liquid. They were more than halfway home. She turned off the highway. Two minutes later, she was at her favorite coffee shop in the world. She'd pick up coffees for everyone and a hot chocolate for her baby girl. Clara helped her with the doors, and the order. Soon, they found places for everything in her car, and she told her car to "Call Peter."
Clara called out as she straightened her earbuds, "Uncle Peter?"
"Yes, my brother." Vicki gazed in the mirror. Her daughter sounded upset at the mention of a name, and then relaxed.
Clara closed her eyes. "I want a brother or a sister."
Vicki had no answer for that wish, so she shrugged. "Who knows? One day you might get one, but big brothers are a pain."
Clara fixed herself in her car seat, and turned her music on. As she bobbed her head, Vicki returned to stare fully at the road. Two rings later, her brother answered with a yawn, "Hello?"
"It's me." Vicki's voice went higher, and she smiled. From one syllable, she knew he'd had a late night. Some things never changed. "Did you find out what Dad did and who he hired?"
Peter's scratchy voice answered, "I was at a fundraiser last night, but yeah. I collected everything from Mr. Smith, dad's personal lawyer, who cut you out of his will."
