Free Untraceable by Lindsay Delagair Page B

my
cell phone was softly vibrating in my purse. I boarded the plane as
Micah talked with our pilot, giving me a moment to see who was
buzzing me. It was a text message from my attorney, Lyle Timmons.
The message was brief. It said: “442A 9.6M Y or N?”
    Although it was more acreage than I
expected and the price was actually lower than I thought it would
be, it wouldn’t hurt to counter, especially with the nose-dive real
estate had taken over the last couple years. I quickly texted back
to counter with eight million and to let the owner know it would be
an immediate sale. We were landing in Florida when my phone went
off again, this time Micah heard the buzz. I lifted it out of my
bag, careful that he didn’t see the screen. This one said: “OK u
got it! Close Friday.” I typed my quick response and returned it to
my purse. I could tell Micah was waiting for me to let him know who
was on the phone.
    “ That was Lyle. He still
wants to go after the tabloids about the baby story.” It was almost
laughable that I was getting good at telling a lie, when my husband
was learning how good it felt to tell the truth. But, I had
reasoned that this fib was necessary and he’d learn the truth
eventually.
    “ You know they’re going to
name Sadarius as the father,” he sighed.
    “ Why?”
    “ Because that way they
force your hand to show the baby in public after he’s
born.”
    I think he could see the steam rising
off me as I contemplated the fact that he was most likely going to
be right. He offered me his hand as I descended from the plane and
then kissed my temple when I reached the asphalt. “It’s okay—like
you said, the truth has a way of coming out.”
    I wanted to smile back at him for the
kind words, but I was still so angry I couldn’t have pulled my lips
upward using a crane. Fame really sucked.
     
     

CHAPTER five
     
    Mom and Kimmy were both glad that we’d
made it home because they were dying to show us a surprise. We’d
only been gone two days, but, in that time, they (with the help of
a hastily hired interior decorator) had transformed the bedroom
next to our room into a nursery. It was complete from the baby
furniture, to outfits and diapers, down to toys. I noticed that
Kimmy had placed one of her baby dolls in the crib and told us to
be quiet because she had Penelope asleep.
    I knew, in that moment, there was no
way we were moving out of Mom’s before this baby came along—they
would both be so disappointed. But, in reality, I didn’t want to be
out of the house by then. I had only pretended that with Micah so I
could distract him from the idea of buying the property.
    “ I’m having a carpenter
come in Monday and cut a door between the two rooms so you don’t
have to go out into the hallway to get to the baby’s room.” Mom’s
smile was infectious as it spread across our faces.
    I could tell Micah was getting ready
to speak up, but I squeezed his hand to keep him silent. “It’s
perfect, Mom. I love it.” I gave her and Kimmy both a hug. “Do you
think Penelope would mind if we started looking around?” I asked
Kimmy.
    “ Nah, her nap is over with
anyway,” she giggled.
    There were several outfits out on the
changing table. I picked up a tiny, blue, one-piece tee-shirt from
the table and inhaled the scent of its newness. The lump formed in
my throat as I looked to Micah. His eyes were already getting misty
as I let my tears fall. I opened his large hand and stretched the
small piece of fabric across his palm. “This makes it so much more
real,” I choked. “Our son is going to fit inside this.”
    Mom reached over and softly rubbed my
back. “Happy early birthday,” she whispered.
    “ Thanks,” I
sobbed.
    “ Come on, sweetheart,” Mom
said, pulling Kimmy toward the door. “Let’s let your sister and
Micah enjoy the room by themselves for a little while.”
    I could see Kimmy’s reluctance, but
with a quick dash to the crib to grab her doll, she followed Mom
out of