Royce The Hunter Series Chapter 10 is ready to read

Chapter 10

Kasey got up at just after eleven that night after tossing and turning for two hours. It wasn’t like she wasn’t exhausted because she was, but her mind simply wouldn’t shut down. After fixing herself a glass of tea she pulled out her laptop and began looking things up and making herself lists. The first thing she searched for was a doctor.

There were over a dozen doctors in the immediate area, more if she wanted to travel a bit. While she was doing a rundown, she supposed it would be called, she started writing down questions she’d ask whomever she decided to go with.

She knew that Royce would help her if she asked—she was reasonably sure he’d insist, but this was her body and, for now, her baby. Giving the baby up for adoption was not completely out of the question, but it was low on the things to consider list. She wrote “adoption” on the top of another sheet with pros and cons after it.

The doctors she picked out from the list on the website she put on another sheet. There were three of them. She decided to call that doctor from the emergency room and ask his opinion. Also, she knew a couple of women from work who’d given birth recently and she was going to ask them as well.

By four in the morning, she had filled out three pages of questions and two more of things she needed more information on. Before she went back to bed she started another sheet with two more columns. The pros and cons of having the baby.

She wasn’t going to abort, there wasn’t even any question of her doing it, but there were other things to consider. Her living arrangements for one.

She knew she could live with her uncle and aunt. But did she want that? There was a lot to think about, like why she wouldn’t, or what benefits she would gain, if any, if she did move in with them. Suzy would be the biggest issue.

She was used to being the center of attention. And the baby would be first and foremost in everyone’s mind. Then there were the times that Suzy had temper tantrums, bordering on violent at times. Would she harm the baby, or even Kasey for that matter?

Kasey knew her current job would be okay with the baby hours. She could pretty much work whenever she needed to. But she was a realist enough to know she wasn’t going to have enough money for the extras when the baby got older. Not that she knew what those would be, but she was sure they were expensive.

Kasey looked around her little one-bedroom home. Not enough room here either. Maybe at first, but later as the baby needed more equipment, she’d be hard pressed to put anything extra in the room, including a crib.

And what did she even know about babies? Nothing really. She had no brothers or sisters, not a single cousin, and had never even babysat for anyone’s kids. She knew the basics, but nothing else.

Depressed, she went to her room. She’d decided that if she got a start on her work now, if she needed a nap later on today, she could be ahead of the game. After taking a good sponge bath, she got dressed in some comfy clothes and went back to the table correcting term papers and making corrections on quizzes she’d been asked to grade. It was almost seven when someone knocked on the door. She frowned when she saw Mrs. Hunter there.

“Hello, dear. I came to tell you how thrilled I am about the baby. I can’t tell you how happy I was when Royce told me last night.”

“I see. Well, thanks.” Kasey didn’t know what she should do now. Inviting her in seemed over the top to her, but apparently Mrs. Hunter thought differently.

“I was wondering if I could come in and speak to you about some things?” Kasey hesitated. “I won’t be long, and I promise I’m not here to try and talk you into anything like marrying Royce. I want to, but I won’t.”

“All right,” Kasey agreed, and opened the door wider and stepped back. She turned to gather her notes up, but a few of them dropped to the floor.

Bending was nearly impossible as sore as she was, so she was grateful when Mrs. Hunter helped her until she froze in place. She was staring at one of the lists she’d made. From her stricken expression, Kasey assumed it wasn’t something she liked.

“I’m just making myself notes. I do better when I have things all lined up in neat little rows. I get more accomplished that way too.”

Mrs. Hunter looked up from the paper into Kasey’s eyes. “Are you giving the baby up for adoption? Or is this simply a threat you plan to use to get more money out of him?”

Kasey took a step back. Mrs. Hunter couldn’t have hurt her more if she’d just slapped her. Putting all the notes, including the ones she jerked from the older woman’s hand, on the counter Kasey went to the door. She was afraid to speak, so she simply held the door open. When Mrs. Hunter didn’t move Kasey brushed at her tears and looked at her. “Get out.”

“Kasey, I need to—” Mrs. Hunter started.

“I said to get the fuck out of my house.”

When she finally moved toward the door Kasey braced herself for another blow—verbal or physical. She expected both if she was honest with herself, and actually looked forward to tangling with her.

“I didn’t mean to say that. But you wrote it down. Women have done less to get money from a rich man and I made—”

“And you know me so well that you can believe something so vile, so horrible of me?” Kasey wiped again at the tears. “I’m very sorry that I’m not one of the elite women your sons are used to hanging around with. But I was born on the wrong side of the tracks, as well at the sheets, for that matter. I’m not Ivy League educated, but I worked hard for my education. I work hard, pay my taxes the same as the almighty Hunters. I’m even pretty sure I put my pants on the same as you too. If you want to treat me as less than you, fine. But know this right now, I will give this child up in a heartbeat if my choice is you people with your snotty airs rather than some guy who works forty hours a week and treats others with respect.”

“Kasey, I—”

“I want you to get out of my house and never come here again. None of you. Just…I just want you to leave me the fuck alone.”

Kasey closed the door gently after Mrs. Hunter walked out. After turning the lock Kasey went to her room and stretched out on the bed. Angry and hurt tears burned her eyes. Even as she rolled to her side she knew that she shouldn’t have said those things.

Royce would be pissed at her. Again. Kasey closed her eyes and tried to relax, but after laying there for two minutes she got up, hobbled to the bathroom, and threw up. After that she simply lay down and fell into an exhausted sleep.

~~~

Royce didn’t know what to think. His mom had come into his office an hour ago sobbing. All he’d understood was Kasey, sheets, and something about blue collar workers raising and loving their families. It had taken him until a few minutes ago to understand what had happened.

“I hurt her so badly, Royce. The look…I shouldn’t have said those things to her. I had no right to say anything to her. I should have just let you handle it as you said you would.”

He didn’t want to be pissed. He didn’t want to be pissed at either of them, but as far as he was concerned both of them had handled this very badly.

“Mom, I’m sure that once Kasey thinks about it she’ll realize that you meant her no harm.” And if she didn’t, he’d make sure she did understand. “By now she’s probably thinking she overreacted and is sorry for the entire thing.” Again, something he was going to make sure she saw.

But the adoption thing bothered him. Why would she immediately assume he wouldn’t want to raise the child if she didn’t want to? Of course he’d told her he didn’t want to get married, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hire someone to help him with his kid. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t afford it. Much better than she could, as a matter of fact. He’d been working on a budget for her when his mom had come in. Bobbie came in after a short knock.

“Oh, my, what’s happened?” And that set his mom off again. Sometimes, Royce was glad he didn’t live around a bunch of women. This was a prime example why he was going to remain single.

But Bobbie seemed to catch on a lot faster than he had. A woman thing, he figured. But Bobbie, for all her help in the office, was quick to point out what she thought about both him and his mother’s faults. And there were plenty.

“Shame on you, Annamarie. That poor girl.”

“Now see here—” Royce snapped at Bobbie.

“No, you see here. That girl just lost her mother, her best friend and the only person who’s ever really loved her all in one shot. Then she finds out she’s having a baby by a near stranger. You can’t tell me that when you go to tear apart a business that you don’t write down every single option, weigh all the options, and discard the ones you know won’t work?”

“Yes. But this isn’t a building, it a kid. And it’s—”

“If you tell me that it’s your kid, I will walk out that door and never return. It’s not ‘your’ anything. It’s the both of yours.” Bobbie stiffened as anger seemed to pour from her. “No wonder the poor girl is thinking adoption is better. Just listen to the lot of you. You sitting there in that big chair of yours as if you haven’t a care in the world telling everyone that you’ve no plans to marry the woman who is going to have your child. And you.” She turned to his mom. “What did you expect her to do? Offer you tea and crumpets and be thrilled she’s going to be a part of the exalted Hunter family? If she’s

smart she’ll run as far and as fast as she can from all of you. She lost her mother, got pregnant, and you come and congratulate her.” Bobbie slammed out of his office. Royce was speechless. But before he could regain his tongue and fire her, his mother spoke up.

“She’s right. All of it. Even the tea and crumpets remark.”

“Mom, I doubt you expected Kasey to make you a cup of hot tea and whip out some cookies for you. Or anything else.”

“Yes, I did. Not literally, mind you. But I did expect her to be thrilled that she was having a Hunter. I also expected…well, to be honest, I expected her to be impressed. But she wasn’t. She made no excuses. Hell, son, she wasn’t even too happy about me being there at all much less in her house.” She stood up. “But I’m going to do everything in my power to make it up to her. Starting with leaving her alone until she’s ready to ask me for help.”

“You’ll see the baby, Mom. I won’t let her keep it from you. And if she tries to put it up for adoption, I’ll—”

“You’ll what, Royce? Brow beat her? Steal the baby away from her as she’s giving birth? Do you honestly think that’s what you want? A child torn apart because you hate his mother so much?”

“I don’t hate her. I just don’t… You want me to marry her, don’t you? Give the baby a father who doesn’t want him?” Royce felt a sharp pain in his heart when he said that. He unconsciously rubbed the bruised area.

“No, I don’t. You’re so right in not marrying Kasey. It would be a major mistake even for you to make the offer to her.” His mom opened the door to his office to leave.

“Mom, where are you going now?”

“To try and figure out how to repair the damage that I inflicted on an innocent woman and her child. Try to make at least some form of friendship between us so that neither she nor my grandchild will hate me.”