THE CONTRACT - PART FOUR

PREVIOUSLY

"I say . . . ", he starts slowly, as if still thinking about his decision. "I say let's go have a baby."

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Tea stares blankly out of the window of the limo, wondering silently if she did the right thing. Having a baby is a serious decision. This isn't exactly how she planned on having her children. But then again, nothing in her life lately has been going according to plan. Sure, she always dreamed of the very life that she's living. However, she always expected her dreams to come true by more conventional methods.

She'll never forget the day Todd proposed his business deal to her. She marries him to provide the facade of a normal family, and she gets 5 million dollars for her time and trouble. It seemed simple enough. From what people told her, Todd wasn't exactly the type that would sweep her off her feet. He'd had women troubles in the past, and her track record with men was nothing to boast about either. Neither of them could afford the attachments of a normal relationship. And the fake marriage seemed like a quick and easy way to make a large amount of money. So how did she end up here? Where did this detour come from?

"How are you feeling, Tea?" Todd asks her, interrupting her thoughts and preventing her mind from answering the questions.

"I'm alright. Just kind of tired. They said at the clinic that everything seems to have worked out. I should take it easy for a few days, though," she replies before closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the seat.

"Maybe we should stay here in New York for the night. I got a suite at a hotel just in case. We can pick Starr up on the way. She's still over at your grandmother's place. I went over to get her earlier, but she was having such a good time and begged to stay a little longer."

"Maybe that's for the best. I had wanted to take her shopping while we were here, but I'm not really up for it any more. That hotel sounds like a good idea." She closes her eyes again and this time drifts off to sleep.

Todd gently nudges her when they get to the hotel. Todd goes to put Starr to bed while Tea gets a shower and gets ready for bed herself. When she emerges from her room of the suite, she find the living room transformed into a small trendy restaurant, equipped with a table for two, candles and soft music.

"Todd. Did you do all of this?" She asks, amazed that he would do something like this just for her.

"Well, I owed you one. And I couldn't find a Hallmark card with the message, 'Congratulations on your artificial insemination'. I figured this was the next best thing. Besides, you didn't really seem like you were in the mood for a big night out on the town. Shall we eat?"

They sit down to dinner and enjoy a nice meal and nice conversation. The first for them. There's no talk about custody trials or contracts. They just talk about their past, their hopes, and their dreams for the future. They find out more about each other than they've ever known about anyone else in their lives before. And then he surprises her again.

"Can I have this dance, Miss Delgado?" It seemed to have come out of nowhere. Nevertheless, she joins him in a dance, which leads to another and still another. They don't seem to notice anything until Starr comes into the room.

"Daddy, I can't sleep," she says, interrupting the dance marathon between Todd and Tea. Tea looks at him and notices a change pass over his face. For the past few hours, she'd been spending time with no Todd Manning she's ever known. But Starr's presence snaps him out of it. He's back to his old self.

"I'll get her, Todd," Tea says, feeling a little disappointed that the magical moment was over. "Why don't you come sleep with me, Starr." Tea walks over to the little girl and grabs her hand, leading her back towards her bedroom. She turns around before entering the room, making eye contact with Todd. "Good night, Todd. Thanks for dinner," she says softly.

"No problem, Delgado. We had to eat, right," he says coldly, trying to cover up any semblance of real feelings that may have escaped that evening.

But they both knew better. They both felt something different that night. Something that's never happened before. There was a real connection made between the two of them. And no matter how much either of them tried to fight it, something has begun that cannot be stopped.

The next day Tea awakens to find Starr gone. In her place was a note from Todd:

Delgado - You seemed tired and I didn't want to wake you. Me and Shorty had to leave. The driver will come get you as soon as you're ready.

Short and to the point. Typical Todd. Not even a glimmer of the warm and caring man she had just danced with for hours the night before. It was obvious to Tea that he was running from her. Last night surprised them both. She was shocked at how sweet and supportive Todd could be. Apparently he surprised himself too. And the realization that he was actually connecting emotionally with another person was frightening to him. She lays back down, still holding the note in her hands.

"So, last night scared you, Todd," she says out loud. "It scared me too. Last night was more than I expected." She closes her eyes and thinks back to the previous night, blushing slightly when she realizes the very thought of Todd's arms around her quickens her pulse. She allows the memories of the night to lull her back to sleep. A night that will forever live, if only in her dreams.

TO BE CONTINUED