trying to make things easy for her. She’d never abandon George.
“I’m staying.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
* * *
“NOT HIS MISTRESS, my ass. Look at you all curled up with the old man. If he left it all to you, I swear I’ll kill you myself.”
Marti came awake with a start and gulped a few deep breaths to stave off the nausea. Walter stood at the end of the bed, glaring daggers.
What a terrible night. George lingered in a state of pain. Wakeful at times, though not lucid. Other times he slept peacefully. By the time the sun’s dim rays broke the night, he was wracked with gasping breaths and periods of complete quiet where she thought he’d finally passed. In the end, the doctor gave him a final dose of morphine and George slipped away while she held him.
She checked the clock. The doctor had gone to call Walter and his sister not twenty minutes ago. She must have dozed off after telling George her final goodbye.
“Walter, your father passed away a few minutes ago. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
She got up from the bed and grabbed the sheet the doctor used to cover George and pulled it over his head. She put her hand to his hair and closed her eyes. Tears poured down her cheeks.
“I’ll miss you, George.”
“Isn’t this just sweet. They’ll be here shortly to take his body to the funeral home. We’ll have the service this evening.”
“Tonight. He just passed away minutes ago. You want to have the service tonight?”
“His orders. The man loved to give orders. His funeral and the reading of the will are to take place immediately. We can’t have the reading of the will until after the service. I expect you will pack your things and move out of the house tonight. Unless you’d like to stay on and provide your services to me. I have to say, the old man had great taste in women. You are one fine piece of ass.”
She left the room without a word and her head held high. She couldn’t be in the same room with him any longer.
She went into her room and straight to the bathroom opened another one of the pregnancy test boxes and peed on the stick. The test read positive again and she laughed and cried. Proof positive, life went on. Irrational, she knew, to take another test when she knew the answer. She just wanted an affirmation. Where there was death, so too was there life. George was gone, but his grandchild lay tucked safely under her heart.
She went to the service that evening and listened to Walter’s eulogy. Cold and unfeeling, it lacked anything truly intimate and personal. Though the rest of the ceremony George planned was lovely. She feared George would have hated the whole thing. It was just a way for his children to save face in front of the people who attended. Walter was busy talking business with most of the guests. She’d left before the end.
Cameron, Shelly, and Emma had all attended. She didn’t know if he finally got her message, or if he’d heard from someone else. He hadn’t spoken to her, but sat quietly devastated next to Shelly. She managed to say hello to Emma and give the little girl a hug before she left.
No one would be coming to the house after the service, except for family and those indicated in the will. The lawyer was already in the library going over the papers before everyone arrived. She walked past the double doors without acknowledging the lawyer and went upstairs to lie down. She’d eaten to keep up her strength for the baby, but the pregnancy was draining her energy and she’d been up all night. She felt terrible inside and out.
The noise downstairs woke her. It sounded like quite a crowd had gathered. She splashed cool water on her face and left her room. The family, along with Cameron, Shelly, and Emma had arrived for the reading of the will. She didn’t want to intrude, or see anyone. She continued down the hall to the east wing and went into George’s room.
The room had been transformed to her exact specifications. She hated to think of Cameron in the newly decorated room with Shelly on their wedding night, but George insisted she work with the interior decorator he’d hired to breathe new life into the outdated room. The scent of fresh paint lingered in the air, but the cream walls brightened the room. The