The Heir Affair. Cat Schield

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СКАЧАТЬ why was she working herself into such a frantic mess? Practicing patience, Melody smoothed her sweaty palms down the legs of her skinny jeans. Thank goodness the denim had some stretch to it. Thanks to the severity of her morning sickness these last few weeks, she’d lost weight, but today her baby bump seemed more pronounced than the week before.

      This change—more than the pregnancy test, her constant nausea and fatigue—had made her all too aware that she had a baby inside her. Sweat broke out. Most days she was happy about her impending motherhood. The timing could be better. She was on the verge of dropping her first album and the stress wasn’t good for her or the baby. But now that she’d broken the news to Kyle, more than just her and her baby’s future weighed on her mind.

      “Hey, Melody, what are you doing up here?”

      She turned at the sound of her name and smiled at the man who was detouring toward her. Craig Jameson was one of the top sound engineers working at the label. He’d been involved in eighty percent of Melody’s recording sessions and been instrumental in helping her produce most of her songs. He had a knack for knowing exactly what each song needed.

      They’d spent hours together in the studio, talking about music and the industry. He had great stories about various artists that had come to Ugly Trout to record. Many had involved some pretty outrageous behavior—drunken jam sessions, a party with strippers and several fistfights.

      “I’m waiting for Kyle to pick me up.” Although her relationship with Kyle was pretty well-known around the studio thanks to their public personas, Craig knew more details due to all the time he and Melody had spent together.

      “It’s a little late for lunch.”

      “Actually, we are heading to...” She’d held off mentioning her pregnancy around the studio until she told Kyle, but now that he knew there was no reason to keep the secret any longer. “The doctor.”

      “You okay?” Craig’s concern touched Melody.

      “Fine. Actually more than fine.” She forced bright happiness into her tone. “I’m pregnant.”

      “That’s great news. Then things between you and Kyle are better?”

      During a particularly low point, she’d confided in Craig. At the time she hadn’t considered that Craig was a work colleague. A few days earlier, he’d told her that he’d just broken off with his girlfriend of a year. She hadn’t hesitated to offer him a sympathetic shoulder. Maybe it had crossed a line, but Craig was a decent guy who’d needed a friend.

      “We’re working on it.” She smiled, but there wasn’t a lot of joy in it.

      “He’d be a fool to let you go.”

      “That’s sweet of you to say.” Tears surged to her eyes but Melody blinked them away. It seemed as if everything set her off these days. Hormones. They were driving her crazy. She’d never been moody, but since becoming pregnant, her emotions were all over the place. “There’s Kyle now. I should be back in an hour or so. Would you have some time later to sit down with me? Nate wants me to get my album done and I could use some help narrowing down the songs.”

      “I’d be honored to help.”

      “Let me know what time you’re free.” She headed toward the front door and paused with her hand on it. When she looked over her shoulder, Craig was still watching her. “And thanks.”

      “For what?”

      “Everything.” Feeling a little as if she’d said too much, Melody pushed the door and blinked in the bright sunlight.

      Kyle had parked his car and was heading toward her along the front walk. His long legs ate up the distance between them, demonstrating his upbeat mood. Today he wore a pair of khaki slacks and navy V-neck sweater over a white button-down shirt. His thick brown hair had an artfully disheveled look she loved. With a long, square face, firm chin and well-shaped lips, Kyle had the sort of good looks favored by fashion designers looking for sexy, rugged models.

      When Melody saw his unguarded smile, a weight lifted off her shoulders. For a second she was catapulted back in time to when they’d first been living together in LA. It had been a heady, exciting, romantic three months. Kyle had been super supportive of her career and interested in learning her process for writing music.

      His fascination had drawn Melody out of her shell. When it came to songwriting, she’d learned to be exceptionally protective. Back when she was still in school, her father had belittled her talent and broken down her confidence. He’d wanted her to pursue classical violin and made her attend Juilliard. When she’d quit halfway through her third year, choosing instead to pursue the contemporary popular music she loved, Siggy had pretty much disowned her.

      “You ready?” he asked as he neared.

      It seemed the most natural thing in the world for him to wrap his arms around her and drop a kiss on her cheek. Although she longed for a proper kiss, the affection in the gesture sent warmth rushing through her.

      “I’m ready,” she countered. “Are you?”

      Kyle’s smile was ever so slightly crooked as he opened the passenger door and ushered her inside. “I am.”

      “I’m glad.” She studied him as he walked around the car and slid behind the wheel once more. “I’m a little nervous about the ultrasound.”

      “Why?” Kyle got the car started and pulled out of the parking lot before glancing her way. “I thought this was just routine.”

      “It is. But they look for certain things. I can’t help but wonder what they might find.”

      “What are they going to look for?” Kyle’s brow creased.

      Melody instantly regretted sharing her concerns. The last thing she wanted to do was freak out Kyle. He’d only just learned about the baby and probably hadn’t yet come to terms with becoming a father and now she was heaping new concerns onto the pile.

      “They’ll check the heartbeat and determine my due date.”

      “None of that sounds too bad.”

      “Nooo.” She drew the word out. “And then they’ll look to make sure everything looks normal. Two arms. Two legs. That the organs are developing okay.” There were just so many things that could be wrong. And so many things that could be right. When had she become such a pessimist?

      “Is there any reason to think anything will be missing?”

      His faint note of teasing as he asked the question lightened Melody’s mood. She was being anxious for no good reason.

      “Of course not. I guess it’s just going to be more real after today.”

      And Kyle would be beside her as they both saw their baby for the first time. It roused all the things she so badly wanted but was afraid she might never get. For the last several weeks, since she’d learned she was pregnant, she’d been so focused on what was wrong with their relationship that she hadn’t thought about all the things that had once been right.

      She’d braced herself to be a single mom, not even giving Kyle the benefit of the doubt. Because of the way her father had often treated her, СКАЧАТЬ