Public Secrets

behind.”
“I couldn’t.” He meant it sincerely, completely. “I’m going to give you the best, Bev. You and the baby. I swear it. I’ve got to get dressed.” He kissed both her hands, then shook back his tousled hair. “Pete’s really high about us being in the first issue of this new mag that’ll come but in November.” He tossed her a tie-dyed T-shirt. “Come on.”
“I thought I’d stay in here.”
“Bev …” They’d been through all this before. “You’re my wife. People want to know about you, about us.” He bit back annoyance when she simply sat, running the shirt through her hands. “If we give them a little, they won’t hound us for so much.” When he said it, he believed it. “It’s especially important because of Emma. I want everyone to see that we’ve made ourselves into a family.”
“A family should be a private thing.”
“Maybe. But the stories about Emma are already out there.” He’d seen them, dozens of them, labeling Emma as a love child. There could be worse things, he mused, since Emma hadn’t been made out of anything remotely resembling love. It was his other child, he thought as he laid a gentle hand on Bev’s stomach again, who had been made of love. “I need you with me on this.”
Hating it, she climbed out of bed and began to dress.
Twenty minutes later, she answered a knock on the door.
“Johnno.”

He gave Bev a quick grin. “I knew you couldn’t stay away from me.” Swooping her into an exaggerated dip, he kissed her. As she laughed, he looked over her head to where Brian was coming through the doorway. “Ah well, he’s found us out. We’d better come clean.”
“Where’d you get that ridiculous hat?” was all Brian said.
After setting Bev back on her feet, Johnno straightened the floppy white fedora. “Like it? It’s a happening.”
“Makes you look like a pimp,” Brian commented before he walked to the bar.
“There. I knew I’d made the right choice. Nearly cost me my life, but I managed to break out of here and do some shopping on Fifth Avenue. I’ll have one of those, luv.” He nodded to the whiskey Brian was pouring.
“You went out?” Brian stood with the bottle in one hand and a glass in the other.
“Sunglasses, a flowered tunic …” He wrinkled his nose. “And love beads. Worked nicely as far as disguises go, until I tried to get back in. Lost the love beads.” He helped himself to the glass Brian held. With a pleased sigh, he flopped on the couch. “This is the place for me, Brian, my lad. I am New York.”
“Pete will have your head if he finds you went out on your own.”
“Bugger Pete,” Johnno said cheerfully. “Though he’s not precisely my style.” Grinning, he downed the whiskey. “So, where’s the little brat?”
“She’s sleeping.” Bev picked up a cigarette.
Brian answered the next knock. Stevie strolled in, and after an absent nod to Bev headed straight to the bar. P.M. followed, and looking a little pale, dropped into a chair.
“Word from Pete is we’ll do the interview here,” he said. “He’ll be bringing the reporter along. Where’d you get the hat?” he asked Johnno.
“It’s a long, sad story, son.” Glancing over, he spotted Emma standing at the crack in her bedroom door. “Don’t look now, but we’ve company. Hello there, prune face.”
She giggled a little, but didn’t come in. At the moment, her eyes were all for Brian.
He crossed over and, picking her up, patted her bottom. “Emma. How does it feel to be an international traveler?”

She thought she’d dreamed it, that one moment where he’d tucked her in bed and kissed her cheek. But it wasn’t a dream, because he was there, smiling at her, his voice making all the nastiness in her stomach disappear.
“I’m hungry,” she said and offered him a huge grin.
“I’m not surprised.” He kissed the dimple at the corner of her mouth. “How about some chocolate cake?”
“Soup,” Bev put in.
“Cake and soup,” he amended. “And some nice tea.”
He set her down to go to the phone and ring room service.
“Come over here, Emma. I have something for you.” Johnno patted the cushion beside him. She hesitated. Her mother had often said just that. And the something had been a smack. But Johnno was smiling a true smile. When she settled beside him, he took a small, clear plastic egg from his pocket. Inside was a toy ring with a gaudy red stone.
Emma gave a little gasp as he put it in her hand. Speechless, she turned