SWEET ANTICIPATION Read Online Free PDF Page B

his plan was to sit back and let her do all the hard work, then step forward while she was still recovering and claim his child, there was no reason for him to contact her for the next three months. If that was the case, then those months would be the longest of her life.
     
    Should the blood tests prove positive and they actually went to court, she didn’t have the finances to hire a major-league attorney to defend her case. Visions of joint custody, along with all the complications of trying to explain about how Daddy got Mommy pregnant when they didn’t even like each other, kept pushing their way into her thoughts.
     
    Lauren was concerned enough about the future without this additional complication. Discomfort from her weight gain, swollen ankles, exhaustion and restless nights were taking their toll on her peace of mind.
     
    As the days stretched into weeks, the fear began to be replaced by anger. Lauren was infuriated at the way Jordan Daniels had disrupted her life, but most of all she resented his intrusion into her thoughts. Before that fateful lunch when he had dropped his bombshell, Lauren’s mind had been filled with Johnny. Through her memories of him and the plans they had made together, she had been able to share with him every experience of being pregnant with what she had thought of as their baby.
     
    But now when she thought of the child, she thought not of Johnny, but of Jordan Daniels. Of course, the role of these two men in her life was entirely different. Johnny was the epitome of all that was good and kind while Dr. Daniels was the devil himself. Her sweet anticipation became so tainted with his invisible, but constant, presence that her feelings for this man she barely knew contained such an intense dislike that they bordered on hatred.
     
    How dare he pop into her life, upset her so much with his threats and accusations, then disappear back into the shadows! One part of her wished he would step forward and update her on his plans, but another part of her was glad that he was staying away. She couldn’t help but think that the more time that lapsed before their next confrontation, the better the chances were that he would reconsider and possibly drop his claim.
     
    Dr. Reese was not much help either. When she made her monthly visit, he said that even though he saw Jordan almost every day, they didn’t discuss her or the baby. She had been very hopeful that Dr. Reese would be able to give her a clue, but apparently he was as much in the dark about Jordan’s plans as she was.
     
    Lauren went on about her everyday business. Her shop, Pretty Petals, was doing well. The location on a busy street in an exclusive section of Houston near the medical center and Rice University was excellent for both spur-of-the moment drop-in clients and wealthy repeat customers who ordered regularly or had recommended her work to their friends.
     
    Spring comes early to southern Texas, so April was not the first month with warm weather and early blooms. But it was the month during which the native wildflowers, such as the scarlet Indian paintbrushes and purplish bluebonnets, were at their beautiful best. Azaleas in many shades of pink, red and purple brightened almost every yard in this part of the city and the fragile blossoms on the redbud and fruit trees showed up brightly against the leafless branches.
     
    It was the time of year when everyone, regardless of age, sex or sensitivity, noticed flowers. After a gray wet winter, these same people not only enjoyed the colorful blooms in their flower beds, but wanted bouquets to bring indoors. Lauren and Rita put together enough daisies, tulips, hyacinths and daffodils to fill several large fields. Spring weddings were also popular and Lauren spent almost as many hours in churches, arranging the displays on the candelabras, the platforms and the reception areas as she did in her own home. It began to seem like the only time she was in her house was when she was