Treasured Legacies (A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

stood up, clapping his hand over his mouth, his
stomach dropping to his feet. “Nine months,” he finally said, shaking his head
in disbelief. “You only have nine months.   I don’t know what to say.”
    He paced away from her, trying to get his emotions under
control. He was going to lose Mary in nine months. How would he ever continue
on?
    He heard her chair push away from the desk and she came up
behind him, lacing her arms around his waist and placing her head on his back.
“I’m sorry, Bradley. I should have—”
    “No,” he interrupted, his voice hoarse. “Don’t blame
yourself. I don’t want our last nine months to be wasted in blame.”
    “Our last nine months?” she exclaimed tearfully. “You’re
going to leave me?”
    He slowly turned and looked down at her. “What are we
talking about?”
    “I guess you’re leaving me in nine months,” she replied,
tears rolling down her cheeks and her voice shaking.
    “I thought you were leaving me in nine months,” he said.
    Wiping tears off her face with the back of her hand, she
shook her head angrily. “How could I leave you in nine months?” she asked. “The
baby will be brand new.”
    Bradley gasped, like he had been punched in the solar
plexus. “The baby?” he asked.
    “Yes, the baby,” she replied. “I’m pregnant. What do you
think I’ve been trying to tell you?”
    Having been emotionally transported from abject misery to
utter amazement, for a moment all Bradley could do was stare at Mary, his mouth
hanging open.
    Swallowing nervously, Mary waited for a moment before
asking. “Do you really hate the idea?”
    Slowly, not saying a word, he knelt before her, wrapped his
arms around her waist and laid his head against her abdomen.   Then he turned his head and kissed her
stomach.   She enfolded his head in her
arms and held him there, tears of joy slipping down her cheeks.
    “Our baby,” he whispered. “I can’t believe it.”
    “Are you happy about it?” she asked.
    He turned his head up and looked at her.   She saw the wonder through the tears.
    “Happy?” he replied. “Happy doesn’t begin to describe what
I’m feeling. I’m overwhelmed.”
    She bent over and placed a kiss on his forehead. “I love
you,” she said.
    He stood and swept her into his arms. “I love you,” he said,
crushing her lips with his own.
    Finally, a few moments later, he lifted his head and smiled
tenderly down at her. “We’re having a baby.”
    Eyes glowing with love, she nodded. “Yeah, looks like it,”
she agreed. “I’m going to see the doctor this afternoon.”
    “Okay, I’ll be there,” he replied.
    “Will you?” she asked, overjoyed.
    He kissed her again. “Of course I will,” he answered after a
moment. “This is our baby.”
    Walking across the room to her desk, he carefully placed her
in the chair. “So, can I get you anything?” he asked. “Something
to eat?”
    She smiled up at him. “No, I’m great. I’m perfect,” she said
with a deep sigh of relief. “I’m so happy you reacted this way.   I thought the news would be just another
added stress.”
    He leaned over and kissed her again. “A baby is a blessing,
not a stress,” he said. “So, when shall we tell Clarissa?”
    Mary sat back in her chair and placed her hand protectively
on her abdomen. “Well, there is something else you should know,” she said. “The
hospital said the positive test indicated that I was pregnant, but after what
happened to me on Saturday, that could be changed.”
    Kneeling in front of her chair, Bradley placed his hand over
hers. “You mean you might not be pregnant anymore?”
    She nodded. “I thought about waiting until after my
appointment to tell you,” she admitted. “Just so…”
    “So you could save me from the disappointment,” he added.
“Mary, you do remember the whole ‘for better and for worse’ part of the
ceremony right?”
    She shrugged and looked away. “Yes, but…”
    Lifting his other hand, he