They made love freely and often. Often, because he’d been trying to blot the raging images of Athena naked and splayed across his desk. By the end of that torturous weekend, his mind had somewhat settled. Erica had been the reason for that. Now, he had to tell her that; during one of the most meaningful times in his life, he’d set things in motion that would break her heart.
He had taken a chance on Claymore’s office being relatively quiet around the lunch hour that afternoon. Erica usually took her breaks alone and, following his health scare, Claymore had started taking his Thursdays and Fridays off.
“Erica?” Liam called upon entering. Not finding her out front, he made a quick check in the captain’s office. When he returned, she was out front standing next to her desk. Hands shoved deep in the pockets of her simple gray shirt collar dress, her expression seemed drawn.
Liam sighed as though finding her there had eased an ache in his chest he hadn’t realized existed. “I missed you,” he said.
“I’m pregnant,” she replied.
Liam staggered. His expression alone, demanded the news be repeated.
“I’m pregnant and that’s all.” Her expression sharpened. “Did you hear me, Liam? That’s all. I want nothing from you. Nothing.”
“You’re having my child.”
“Which can mean nothing.”
“It means everything.”
“Like what?” Her head inclined in challenge. “What Liam? Can we have a life together?”
“Athena’s pregnant.”
The silence following his words was like an uncomfortable weight.
“It wasn’t planned,” Liam added.
She smiled. “Your marriage sounds a lot like an affair.”
“Erica-”
“I mean what I say, Liam. I don’t want anything from you. I’ve been doing this on my own for years.”
“Not with my child, you haven’t.” His expression was thunderous.
“Why did you come here today?”
“I won’t let you raise it without me, Erica.”
“So you’re going to leave your wife and sons for me?”
“I can’t let you raise it alone.”
“Why did you come here today, Liam?”
“To tell you about Athena.”
“You’ve done that. Go home.”
“I won’t let you do this on your own.”
“And how will that work?” There was no blame in her voice. “Go home, Liam.”
“I won’t let you raise it without me,” he saw fit to reiterate yet again.
“So your plan is? What Liam?” She leaned over the desk, resting her hands against the ship’s manifests covering it. “Do you think we’ll go to church on Sundays, take the baby to the park? What?”
“Why the devil not?!”
“Because it will be black!” Erica clapped a hand to her chest. “Our child will be black, Liam, remember? Half black, but I think you’ve been in this country long enough to know a drop of Negro blood makes you less than nothing here.” She let the tip of her index finger rest on the desk. “This is the life our child will know.”
“Never.”
“Why?” Her lovely features bore a scowl. “Because he’ll be a Tesano? No one will care about his last name, Liam. Only his skin tone. This...existence you expect us to have, it just can’t be.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know I won’t tolerate my child dealing with anything more than it’ll have to. From anyone.”
“Neither will I.” His voice shook with fierce determination.
“I believe you, Liam, but can you say the same is true for the rest of your family? Or that they will ever see this child as family?”
“Erica...” Liam took a brief turn around the small office. “You’re talking about things that won’t matter for years.”
“And that’s closer than you think.”
Something changed in the dark, coffee brown pools of Liam’s eyes. “You weren’t going to tell me, were you? If I hadn’t come here, you wouldn’t have told me, would you?”
