Free Caroselli's Accidental Heir by Michelle Celmer

familiar voice said, and they both turned to see Nick and a woman Lucy assumed to be his wife walking toward them from the rear of the lot, their hands linked. Lucy could swear she heard Tony curse under his breath.
    “Hi again, Lucy,” Nick said. “This my wife, Terri.”
    Terri smiled, which was a promising sign, and pumped Lucy’s hand. She was pretty in a tomboyish way. Tall and slender with mile-long legs and an honest face. And one hell of a firm grip. “It’s good to meet you, Lucy. And I mean that sincerely. Your timing Sunday was perfect. Although I’m sure that if you hadn’t intervened someone else would have.”
    Intervened? She made it sound as if it had been Lucy’s intention to break up the wedding. Did the whole family believe that? “It wasn’t like that. I didn’t even know about the wedding. It was kind of a fluke.”
    Tony shifted beside her and she could feel him getting annoyed. “Here for a checkup?” he asked Terri.
    “Ultrasound,” Terri said.
    “We’re having one tomorrow,” Lucy told her.
    “Do you want to know the sex of the baby?”
    “No, I would rather be surprised.”
    “Not me. I want to be prepared when the baby is born. No green and yellow, gender neutral stuff for this kid.”
    “Will you find out today?”
    “It’s a little early, but if we’re lucky we might be able to tell.”
    “Terri thinks it’s a girl,” Nick said. “But I know it’s a boy.”
    “Well, good luck,” Tony said, linking his arm with Lucy’s and all but dragging her in the direction of the car.
    “Nice to meet you, Lucy,” Terri called after them, and Lucy waved back. Tony was walking so fast, and had such a longer stride than her, she could scarcely keep up. Thank goodness the car wasn’t far away.
    He opened her door for her, then walked around the back and got in. But he didn’t start the engine. He just sat there, both hands gripping the wheel, his body tense.
    She had a very bad feeling about this.
    “It’s more of an availability issue?” he finally said, turning to her, and she thought, Aw, hell, here we go.
    “I should have said something—”
    “Not only did your mom make you sleep on the couch,” he said, interrupting her. “But she didn’t feed you?”
    Lucy blinked. Her mom? What did she have to do with this?
    “My mom eats out most of the time,” she told him, if eating out meant peanuts with her beer and cigarette, because that and an occasional tavern burger made up the majority of her diet. “She doesn’t keep much food around. And I was pretty low on money, so...”
    “You should have called me,” he said. He didn’t look angry exactly. It was more like...barely contained rage. Like if he didn’t let off some steam soon his head might explode. “I would have taken care of you.”
    “I know you would have. I was wrong not to call. All I can say is I’m sorry. And I understand why you’re mad at me.”
    He turned, looking at her like she’d just sprouted a second eye. “You think I’m mad at you?”
    Duh. “How could you not be? I’ve messed everything up.”
    “Lucy, the only person I’m mad at is me.”

Six
    T ony felt sick to his stomach. Sick to the depths of his soul. While he was home in Chicago, wining and dining Alice—a woman he admittedly didn’t even like—Lucy had been across the country literally starving, too poor to afford a basic balanced diet.
    Why hadn’t he gone after her? Deep down he knew that something had to be wrong, that she wouldn’t just take off without a word. Because of his own stupidity and his foolish male pride, their child might be in danger.
    If something were to happen to the baby, something bad, Tony would never forgive himself.
    “Why would you be mad at yourself?” she asked him. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
    He gripped the wheel hard. “I should have been taking care of you.”
    “But...how could you? I left. How could you even know that I needed to be taken care of?”
    He knew. He