Love's Sake

Brianna Morgan smiled as she accepted her latest novel, The Jackal's Den Mother, from an older woman. She autographed the title page, thanked her, and the next person moved forward. The important numbers were growing: book sales, website hits, fans. After seven published novels, she finally felt her writing career would free her from the full time job that actually paid her bills.

A man's profile caught her attention. He stood in the back of the store with his nose in a book. The hair dye needed touching up. Too much gray showed in the roots. He let it grow past his ears since the last time she saw him. The jeans were pressed and the silk shirt was untucked in the back. Either he went there to see her or he missed the flyers with her picture on the front door. But one was eye level on the 'in' door, so he must want to say something. Maybe it was better he sought her out instead of the other way around.

Books flowed through her hands as she continued to glance at him. When her stomach gave a low growl, she waved over her assistant Francine and leaned close. "Go to that man. His name is Claudio. Tell him I need to speak with him and show him to a table in the back. Announce my lunch break soon after."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She smiled at the young girl with blond ringlets in front of her. "Hi, what's your name?"

"Sara."

"Well, Sara, did you enjoy it?" She signed the title page with a flourish.

"Um, I don't know yet. I just bought it here, but I love all of your other books."

"Thank you for enjoying my work," she said, handing it back.

"Thank you for writing it." She clutched the book to her chest and moved away with a huge grin.

More people passed through the line. Brianna wondered what took so long to arrange lunch and time with Claudio as she leaned over the table for a picture. She forced herself to focus on the people who came to see her.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Francine said while Brianna signed another one. "I'm afraid we have to let Miss Morgan take a short break, but she will return in about twenty minutes to resume autographs. We have tickets to hold your place in line if you wish to browse the shelves or visit the café. An announcement will be made so you won't be overlooked. Thank you for being patient."

Giving the crowd an apologetic smile, she waved and headed behind the partition. A few reserved tables were hiding there for her and the staff to escape the chaos. No one else was in the area. The privacy it gave her allowed her to relax some. "Where is he?"

"He's grabbing a coffee. Sorry, but it took a while to get the salad." She grimaced and bit her lip. "I arranged that first."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine." Brianna sat where Francine placed the plastic container. The lid popped off with a bit of effort. Her eyes stayed on what her hands did though she wanted to search for him. Not like the partition let her see much.

"Hey," Claudio said, placing his coffee on the table. He took the chair across from her. "How've you been?"

She looked up and swallowed. "Pretty good," she said, dabbing her mouth with a paper napkin.

"Nice perks you're getting here."

"The floor design made it easy." Her hands shook. She took a deep breath and laid the fork on a napkin. "I'm glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you."

He wagged his eyebrows then flashed his gorgeous smile. "So I heard. You have an assistant now."

"Yeah. My agent's worried I might exhaust myself, so she contacted the local college and we found an English major not taking any summer classes," she said, leaning down. She removed a letter from her purse. "I suggest you do your best to control your emotions in case someone is watching us." She handed it to him and watched his face closely as he read. "Not like we're super famous, but better safe we keep any drama between us."

The amusement faded as his eyes moved down. "What does this mean?"

"Exactly what it says." She put her hand on his arm. "I'm not looking for anything, Claudio. As the only man I did anything with during this time and since, I thought you should know I'm having it and you are welcome to be a part of the child's life. But you have to make the decision on your own. I'm also not planning to tell anyone who the father is. The last thing either of us needs is a scandal."

"You're making me choose."

She frowned as she leaned back. "Well, I'm letting you choose if the rest of the world knows and if you want a relationship with your child. The rest is on me. You can walk away from the situation right now. I swear I'll never trouble you with this again. Your name will stay out of it. I've been dodging the question enough already and it's not hard to continue."

"Guess that explains your assistant, the privacy, and the lunch break in the middle of your signing."

"Ma'am?"

Turning, she saw Francine with an older woman in a wheelchair. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but she can't make it up the stage because there's no ramp. We wondered if you could sign her book now?"

"Certainly." She turned to Claudio and saw his chair empty. The coffee remained, but the letter from her doctor was gone. Hiding her disappointment, she turned back to them with her pen ready. "Who am I making it out to?"

"Gertie."

"Here you are, Gertie. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will. Thank you so much for letting me interrupt your lunch."

"Oh, it's no problem," she said. After the woman made it to the other side of the partition, she stood.

"Who was that man?" Francine asked. "He bolted out of here when he saw us."

Brianna looked at her assistant as she collected her thoughts. "Just an old friend I haven't seen in years," she said. She cleared her throat and grabbed her purse. "I need to run to the bathroom real quick. I promise I'll be back in time."

"But you hardly touched your food."

"I'm full. I promise to eat a large dinner." She made an apologetic expression before hurrying away. The silence of the bathroom soothed her. She touched up her makeup while preparing to return to the public's eye. In the hallway, a rough sob caught her attention. She followed another one to the men's room. "Hello?" She pushed the door open and saw Claudio against the wall with his head in his hands. "Oh, no."

He looked up at her with a blotchy, wet face. The letter was crushed in his hand.

"Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry this happened."

She knelt next to him and grabbed his hands. "Look at me. I told you I wasn't on birth control and when the condom broke, we knew the chances. It's no one's fault, okay. Protection failed."

"Not that. Be with me. Date me. We can make this work. We can give our child a family. I swear." He released the paper and gripped her hands.

With a small smile, she sat back on her heels. "No."

"Why not?" He rested the back of his head against the wall.

"I grew up with parents who stayed together for me, so I'd have a family. That part of my childhood was hell. I suffered through heated arguments and cold silence. I will not allow that to happen to another child. Especially mine." She freed her hands and smiled. "You can visit as much as you want. You can turn one of the guest bedrooms into your own so when you're in town you'll be comfortable."

He shook his head. "It's not good enough."

She put a finger over his lips. "If you want to be with me because I'm me, okay. But not for the child. For us." Her phone beeped. "I have to head back. I'm in town for the week and I saw your play's running here for two. Let this sink in and think about what you really want. I won't accept your decision before then." She pulled out her notepad. "Here's my hotel information and my cell number in case you've lost it. I've dropped a bomb on you, so if you need more than two weeks, just call me."

He nodded, crushing the paper in his hand.

"See you." She kissed his temple and took the doctor's letter with her.

***

Brianna let out a deep breath as she watched Claudio glide across the stage. Even though his age started showing, he remained beautiful. When he texted her with a free ticket to his one man show, she spent hours antagonizing over whether she should go or not. She was then led to a seat in the front row center stage.

As the costume changes became more eccentric and the soliloquies grew more entertaining, she laughed with the crowd. All the things she loved about him were there. The show was spectacular, but would end. Then what would they be? Strangers forever, but with a beautiful secret that produced a new life? Or a busy couple with demanding schedules, struggling with opportunities to cheat, apart for months at a time while he traveled with a play or filmed a movie, and then trying to find a way to keep the joy alive while petty concerns drove them apart? She took a deep breath then refocused on the show.

For his last act, he came out dressed as himself. He carried a stool and placed it center stage. "I apologize, but I need to discuss a serious topic with you, my friends and family," he said as he perched himself on it. "I met a woman four months ago. Beautiful. Perfect. A whirlwind romance ensued for three short days. Near the end, she pointed out we live on different continents and my job takes me all over the world. The age gap was discussed. So many claim it's just a number, but when they see a couple is obviously separated by decades, they have a lot of other things to say. None of it's very nice."

The crowed booed and someone shouted, "They suck!"

He laughed though the sadness remained. "Relationships are hard enough. She offered a choice and I took the easy way out." He looked at the floor for a long moment before lifting his eyes again. "A single day hasn't passed without her on my mind. Earlier this week, she told me she's pregnant. There's no doubt it's mine."

The crowd gasped and groaned.

"She gave me another choice. I could ignore everything and she'd never reveal my identity. No child support. No responsibilities." He paused, scanning the crowd with his eyes. "I'm not that kind of man."

The crowd cheered and he waited for them to grow silent.

"I offered her a relationship, but she told me to let the news sink in first. Here's the problem, ladies and gentlemen. I haven't forgotten our time together. Every day since we met, she's been in my mind and my heart." He turned his attention to Brianna, swallowing hard. "I didn't need a week. I don't want two or three." He walked down the side stairs and knelt in front of her. "I regret choosing to not working on us, but I didn't know what to say back then. I was scared. Not anymore. Be with me. For us."

Brianna felt the tears on her cheeks, but left them there as she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Fear, passion, desire, and relief engulfed her. "Okay," she said shakily.

"Yeah?" He lowered the microphone and pulled her into a tight embrace as the crowd's cheers echoed throughout the theater.