New FF: Heer's Secret prt22 pg96 Jun9 - Page 4

The pounding of her heart stopped to a stand still, the fear running hot through her body had died down with an icy chill that spread across her body, panic churning in her stomach.

"He came by a short while ago." It seemed that her mother was now relaxed, because her Hindi was gone, and the English was back.

"What?!" Heer finally chocked out once she found her voice again. "Here? In person?" her panic and dread was increasing ten fold every passing second.

"Don't worry; Aarav was already out of here long before that with your father," her mother tried to re assure her.

"But what about the pictures?" Heer's mind traveled to her parent's family lounge that was basically a time line of their one and only grandchild, from day one to just a few weeks ago at the state fair. Then another thought gripped her mind, "Oh God, the toys...what about he toys?" as she dashed into the lounge.

"I had already done the clean up as soon as your father and Aarav had left. There was nothing that would give him a sign that there was a child in this house. Besides, he didn't come in; I didn't let him past the hallway."

"Thank God," she said as she let her body sink into the chair next to the telephone in the lounge. Heer covered her face with her hands and let out a breath that she had held back.

He was back. After over four and a half heart breakingly lonely years, he was back...he was in California.

After gathering her thoughts and her wits she spoke again, "What did he want?"

Her mother looked at her is disbelief for a few seconds. "You...he wanted to see you," her mother replied calmly. Her mothers hand fished in her pocket for something, pulled something out, and handed it to Heer. "He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."

With trembling hands she took the piece of paper from her mother. As soon as it was in her hands, Heer knew that it was a business card of sorts. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned the card over...Prem Jhuneja CEO of Jhuneja Industries...typed across the pristine white card in big bold, gold letters.

Obviously things hadn't changed much in these past few years, Heer thought cynically. He was a man used to getting his way all the time, and he was unashamedly ruthless in going about getting whatever he wanted. "I can't see him," she jumped to her feet in frustration and agitation and began pacing in the hall. "I can't see him...I won't."

"Darling..." her mothers tone was gentle but authority was unmistakable. "...you should have told him about Aarav. He has the right to know he has fathered a child."

"No...No he has no right!" Heer shot back fiercely to her mother. "He made it clear from the get-go, no commitments, no marriage -- no kids. That was the deal."

"Regardless, he still should have been told."

Heer took in a deep breath, trying to control her anger from her mother. "You still don't get it do you Mom? Even after all these years you still think he is victim, don't you?" she gave her mother a bitter glance. "Well, for your information, had I told him that I was pregnant with his child, he would have steamrolled me into terminating it. I know he would have insisted on it."

"That choice would have been yours I'm sure." Her mother's expression still filled with motherly concern. "He couldn't have forced you into anything."

"Forced – no; convinced - yes. I was only twenty years old!" Heer yells, almost on the verge of tears. "I was living overseas with a man nearly nine years older then me, for whom I would have done anything...anything. If he asked me to jump off the top level of the Eiffel tower, I probably would have done it." Heer let out a ragged breath as tears came to her eyes, "I loved him that much."

Teji couldn't help but pull her daughter into her arms and comfort her. One of her hands lovingly stroked her hair, just the way she had done for almost all of Heer's twenty-four years.

"Oh mom..." Heer chocked on a sob as she turned to face her mother. "What am I going to do?"

Teji pushed her daughter back and looked her in the eyes, "You will go and see him, because, if nothing else, you owe him that much. He mentioned that his father had recently passed away. I take it that is why he is back in California, to take care of his fathers' affairs."

As Heer followed her mother into the kitchen, her brows came together in confusion. When she had been with Prem he had told her that both his parents were dead. That was beginning and end of the only conversation they had about his family. He had mentioned his childhood a few times here and there, reluctantly no less. What she couldn't figure out now as why he had lied to her?

"Did he say where he was going to be staying?" she asked as she sat down on one of the breakfast stool by the kitchen counter.

Teji busied herself with the kettle and tea bags as she replied "Some hotel, the number is on the back of the business card. However, I got the impression that he may be moving to Santa Barbara."

"That close?" she asked her mother in utter shock. Heer's family lived in a small city called Carpentaria a few miles from the main city of Santa Barbara. In fact, her younger sisters Ashlesha and Meher were still students at UCSB; Ashlesha in her final year for her BSN, and Meher getting her bachelors in drama, Meher was sure she was going to make it big. It was only a 20 or 25 minute drive.

"I'm afraid so, but you never know, he may have changed." He mother offered.

"I highly doubt that. People like Prem Jhuneja don't change...ever; not in their nature anyway." She added under her breath.

"You and your father are two of a kind...stubborn!" Teji yelled. "I know you needed to be extra strong since you are a single mother but there are limits. I swear you would cut off your nose just to spite your face." Heer couldn't help grinning as her mother rambled on. "You know very well that you should have been married and settled by now. I don't know why poor Preet puts up with you, really...I don't."

Heer rolled her eyes as her mother blasted off into another one of her rants about how Preet and Heer should already be married and thinking about adding to the family; and how Heer really needed to push the wedding forward. Her mother, her father and her two sisters just adored Preet Singh; he was like the son/brother they never had. What hit Heer was how much Aarav adored Preet. That was one of the main reasons to why Heer had accepted his proposal. Her fianc, Preet Singh, adored Aarav equally, if not more, than Aarav adored him.