“Oh, I didn’t mean to say that,” Leonie lies, opening her eyes wide and covering her mouth with her hand.
“Tell me, dear,” Florence says.
“Well, a few nights ago, I saw something, but I kept it a secret because I didn’t want to upset you,” Leonie says. “But I guess you should know just how awful Leilani is. You see, a few nights ago Leilani got all dressed up and left the house. She told me she was going to meet Waylen for a date, but she didn’t come back at all. In the morning, she came back—in Mr. Clifford’s car.”
Florence shakes her head angrily and says, “I can’t believe that.”
“There’s more,” Leonie says. “I heard some bodyguards gossiping, and they said something awful. They said they could see the car rocking back and forth—it was parked right outside the mansion gates. Can you imagine the nerve? It’s so disgusting.”
The wrinkles on Florence’s forehead deepen. Leonie can tell the older woman doesn’t understand what a rocking car means, but she doesn’t want to look too eager to say. She waits patiently until Florence shakes her head.
“I’m sorry, dear, but I don’t quite understand you,” Florence says. “Why was the car rocking? Why would people gossip about that?”
Leonie bites her lips and pretends to look embarrassed. She steps closer to Florence and leans over to whisper in the older woman’s ear. “The guards say it means they were uh, making love,” Leonie says.
Florence’s face pales, and she shouts, “Oh shame on them! Shame on them!”
“It’s so sad,” Leonie says. “She’s made him a cuckold, and he doesn’t even know about it. It’s not right for someone to treat him so cruelly.”
“But what can we do to stop her?” Florence asks. “We have no evidence against her. And Waylen is completely under her spell. He won’t listen to us unless we can prove it.”
Leonie smiles and says, “I think I have an idea.”
Leilani stretches out on the narrow cot. She’s upset, but eventually, her exhaustion gets the better of her. She sinks into a deep sleep. When she wakes again, she sees that Waylen is lying stiffly on the edge of the cot. He’s awake and staring at her with serious, thoughtful eyes. He slips his hand under her clothes and gently strokes the skin on her stomach.
She turns to him and smiles sleepily, but then she goes stiff. The sun is pouring into the room, and it looks like it might be noon. I was supposed to be at work hours ago, Leilani thinks sadly. It’s only my second day, and I’ve already screwed up. Sophie is going to be so upset.
“The alarm clock rang, but I turned it off,” Waylen says. “But don’t worry. I already asked Robert to call D.O. and tell them you need to take a leave.”
“How long is it leave?” Leilani asks.
“As long as you like,” Waylen says with a lazy yawn. “If you’d like, I could buy D.O. for you.”
“There’s no need for that,” Leilani says, horrified by the idea. “I have no idea how to run a jewelry company, and I’d never dream of doing that to Sophie.”
Though Leilani is disappointed she’s had to take a leave of absence before she’s even started, she’s grateful for the extra time with Waylen. She reaches out and touches his forehead to check for a fever. His skin is slightly warm but not feverish. He looks better than before too.
Robert knocks at the door and enters the room, pushing a cart loaded with every breakfast food imaginable. He looks embarrassed to see Leilani in bed with Waylen, but he smiles professionally and wheels the cart to the side of the cot.
“The doctors all agree that you’re out of danger, Mr. Bamford,” Robert says. “You can leave the hospital in two days.”
Leilani smiles, but then she feels sadness settle in her chest. She’s happy that Waylen is better, but it means she’ll have to leave him soon. She can feel Waylen looking at her, and she tries to keep her expression calm.
“I want to go shopping with you as soon as I leave,” Waylen says. “I want to help you buy things for the baby, and I want you to buy me some gifts too.”
Leilani nods her agreement and grabs a croissant from the cart. The rest of the day passes quietly. Leilani convinces Waylen to move to the larger bed, and they spend the afternoon cuddling and napping. Waylen seems to have calmed down, and he’s patient with the doctors and the nurses.
Two days pass calmly and quickly. When the doctor comes to tell Waylen he can leave, Leilani smiles at the man’s obvious relief. She’s sure that the hospital staff will feel much better knowing that Waylen isn’t around anymore.
At the Bamford mansion, Dr. Walters devotes all his time to helping Waylen heal, and Leilani does everything she can to make Waylen as comfortable as possible. She brings him food, reads him the news, sleeps with him at night, and helps clean and bandage his wounds. One afternoon he looks up from his iPad and smiles at her.
“Dr. Walters said I could take the bandages off today,” he says. “Do you want to go shopping?”
They drive to the mall and head to a wing that seems designed for nervous new parents. There are clothing, furniture, and toy stores, and every store shows pictures of happy babies held by loving parents. Leilani picks a store paneled with light-colored bamboo and drags Waylen inside. She walks around, looking at the baby clothes, trying to imagine how her baby will look in the little outfits.
“The romper you’re holding is for a two-month-old baby,” a friendly sales girl explains. “The baby’s skin is very delicate, so this organic cotton is perfect—it’ll be comfortable and safe.”
“Wrap it up,” Waylen says. He grabs another romper with long sleeves and says, “Wrap this one up, too.”
“Waylen, I haven’t decided yet,” Leilani complains.
“Our baby should have the best of everything, don’t you think?” Waylen asks.
Leilani nods and lets Waylen buy dozens of rompers, little knitted booties, hats, and soft, fleece blankets. She looks at the toys and shakes a small wooden rattle in Waylen’s face. He grabs it from her and kisses her on the nose. They go from store to store—Leilani wants to take her time to decide, but Waylen is impatient and insists on buying everything Leilani looks at: strollers, clothing, toys, cribs, even a swing set.
In a larger store, Leilani pauses and looks at a small but perfectly tailored suit. She waits for Waylen to agree that it’s well-made, but he raises his eyebrows at her instead. He looks worried, she thinks.
“Umm, Leilani, that suit is for a six-year-old,” Waylen says. “I know you enjoy shopping, but maybe you’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“Don’t you think it looks good?” Leilani asks.
“Well, by the time the kid is six, this style will probably be a bit outdated,” Waylen says.
“A suit is a suit,” Leilani replies with a shrug. “Besides, children’s fashion can’t change that much, can it?”
“We don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl,” Waylen says.
“That’s why I’m trying to buy clothes for both,” she says.
I know it looks weird, she thinks. But I’ll probably die giving birth to the baby. I’ll never get a chance to go shopping for the kid as he or she gets older. I’ll never get to buy gifts and toys and choose cute outfits for holidays and graduations.
If I buy things to last the kid for the rest of his or her childhood, maybe he or she will understand just how much I love them.
After a while, Waylen grows impatient, and he asks, “What about my gift?”
“Don’t be such a child,” Leilani scolds. “When I’m done shopping for the baby, I’ll buy things for you.”
“I can’t believe I drank so far below the baby,” Waylen complains.
“Are you kidding me?” Leilani asks.
She can’t believe how childish and jealous he’s being. She sighs and leads him to a menswear store and walks to a counter in the back. The counter is covered in black velvet, and dozens of gold and silver cufflinks and pins gleam in the light. Leilani bites her lip as she looks at the variety. Finally, her long fingers swoop down, and she picks up a golden pin.
“A pin?” Waylen asks.
“It’s simple, but it suits you,” Leilani says.
The pin is shaped like a sword: it’s small, simple, and elegant. Leilani stands on her toes and pins it to the dark fabric of Waylen’s jacket. She steps back and looks seriously at him, nodding her approval.
“Okay, I like it,” Waylen says, looking down at his chest.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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