Mogul by Ginger Voight Read Free Book Online Page B

that
perspective.”
    Vanni nodded, that part had appealed to him.
It took seeing the DVD to convince him. He and Andy watched them
together, in awe of the diverse landscape of possible contestants
for the show. The most “normal” was a contestant from Texas who had
earned beauty titles as a Rodeo Queen. Jolene Anderson was as
talented as she was beautiful, but, like Graham, Vanni was blown
away by Jordi’s audition. She was a standout in more ways than
one.
    These singers needed a break, and he needed a
job.
    What could be better than paying the universe
back for all the breaks he’d been given?
    For the first time in a while, he finally
felt like things were turning around. He would have taken Andy out
to celebrate but instead he cooked a light meal they shared in
front of the fireplace. They made love in the glow of the fire and,
though he didn’t say it out loud, he fantasized about the day he’d
make her his bride.
    With a ten million dollar payday he could
afford a nicer wedding than some quickie elopement in Vegas.
    And Andy deserved the best he could
offer.
    He didn’t voice these plans as he held her
close. After all they had been through, words were insufficient
now. He was going to spend the rest of his life proving to her that
he was the man she already believed him to be. Instead he caressed
her hair and talked to their little Bean, about how Daddy would be
the host of a new hit show that helped people reach their dreams,
and how he’d always help her reach hers. Andy was so contented by
his state of mind she didn’t even bother to tease him that they
could be having a boy. Instead she listened to him sing a lullaby
as she cuddled into his strong embrace. They fell asleep in each
other’s arms, nestled in a soft blanket on the floor of their
living room.
     
     

CHAPTER SIX
    Brooklyn, New York
    February 13, 2011
     
     
    Andy jerked awake suddenly from a nasty dream
that left her emotionally raw. These had become an unwelcome but
constant companion during her second trimester of pregnancy, and
were horrible, recurring dreams where Vanni would walk away from
her and the baby. Without apology he’d carelessly discard all the
promises he had made to take care of them both. Instead he’d laugh
as he turned his back on her, wrapping his arm instead around
another woman whose body had not begun to take on a matronly
shape.
    After nineteen weeks, the firm mass in Andy’s
belly was finally starting to make its presence known with a
definite little pooch. She hadn’t bought any maternity clothes yet,
thanks to the extra weight she carried her condition was still
under wraps. But almost five months along, she knew they needed to
figure out how they were going to handle things publicly sooner
rather than later.
    She caught her breath as she reoriented
herself to her current surroundings, which were far different from
their cozy little love nest on the sunny beach on an opposite
coast. It took a minute to remember they had arrived at Vanni’s
Brooklyn brownstone the night before, flying in from Nashville
where they had finally broken the happy news to her
grandmother.
    Lydia Foster had been beside herself with
joy. She knew that Vanni was the man for Andy even before they had
figured it out for themselves, but she hadn’t expected them to give
her a great-grandchild so quickly. She cooked enough food for an
army, swearing that Andy looked too thin to have a healthy baby.
With one glance over Andy’s figure she declared in no uncertain
terms they were going to have a girl. She and Vanni had spent the
rest of the evening picking out names for her great-granddaughter,
much to Andy’s amusement.
    The happy couple had even stayed in Lydia’s
house that night, in the same bedroom no less. But Andy’s
God-fearing grandmother let Vanni know if he didn’t make an honest
woman of the mother of his child, there was a huntin’ rifle with
his name written all over it. After Andy had gone up to the room,
exhausted