One Night Stand (New Yorker III) (12 page)

“What
do you want to do, sweetheart?” Rich looked down at Catalella’s teary eyes. He
wanted to shout
deliver the baby, save my
little orchid’s life.
But he knew that Catalella would stop existing
immediately if they took her child from her.

“I’m
not going to kill our baby, are you?” She stared daggers at him, and he could
see her mind was already made up.

Despite
the pain in his chest, Rich laughed. Trust Catalella to turn this around on him.
She was challenging him and if he didn’t accept the challenge she would never
forgive him. “All right then, what do you propose to do?”

“I’m a
lawyer, not a doctor.”

“I am,
and I advise you to deliver this baby,” Bailey cut in.

“What
if we don’t want to deliver the baby early? Is there a chance that she could
carry the baby to term? What would we have to do?”

“Ethan!”
Rich heard Adrian protest. He knew that the old man was pleading with him to
make the right choice, but what the hell was that? Adrian didn’t want to lose
his daughter but neither did Rich. He had Catalella and his child’s lives in
his hands, both dependent on him to make the right decision.

Doctor
Bailey shrugged and he could see the woman was against his ‘right decision’.
“If you insist on going through with the next three months I would recommend
bed rest…try lying on your left side most of the time. You need plenty of
fluids, and reduce your salt intake, and you shouldn’t stress yourself…watch
your blood
pressure,
there are medications to help
with that. I would recommend a private nurse to help you monitor your
condition.”

“Fine,
I understand, but no nurse,” Catalella pleaded.

“Where
can we get an in-house nurse?” Rich ignored Catalella’s request. “I will also
need the medications and maybe an instruction manual.”

“You
can call me,” Katherine assured him with a weak smile.

“Do you
mind giving us a second?” Rich asked their family.

He
waited until they were the only two people in the room before he turned to
Catalella. He wanted to reprimand her for the fall. He didn’t ask for details
though, and didn’t say anything about it. The doctor said no stress and
fighting would definitely be a stressful event. Rich held Catalella’s hand, kissed
her forehead and her lips, and then he said, “You’re moving back in with me. As
soon as the Ava ordeal is done you are going to marry me. Don’t argue—I need to
be the one who makes the decisions, legally, or else your father will take
over. You are not going back to work. I’m sure DJ won’t mind taking your accounts.
If you object to any or all of these conditions I will call butcher Bailey back
into this
room.
”

Catalella
remained tight-lipped but the look she gave him spoke a thousand words. With
one curt nod she agreed to his conditions. Rich called Katherine and the doctor
back in. “I want to see my son,” he announced.

“Look
at the screen,” Katherine instructed.

Rich
stared at the little screen. He couldn’t tell exactly what he was seeing, but
the little thumps of his baby’s heart filled his ears and his heart.

“What
the hell!” Katherine’s exclamation burst into his happy bubble.

“This
changes everything,” Bailey put in as she leaned into the screen.

“What?”
Catalella shrieked.

“Calm
down,” Rich urged. “What is it that you see?”

“You’re
having twins. And only one of the babies' placentas is detached. Why didn’t I
see this before?” Katherine chastised herself. “I was so frazzled I didn’t
bother looking closer.”

“This
changes everything,” Bailey continued to mumble.

“What
does it change?” Rich asked, a sliver of irritation working its way into his
voice.

“We can
deliver one baby and leave the other inside. You will at least have one baby
left just in case—”

“Just
in case what?
Just in case the other one dies?”
Catalella snapped. “Rich, please, I can’t stand another minute with this woman.
I swear I am going to—”

“I
think you should leave.” Rich ushered Bailey out before Catalella could declare
her threat and act on it. “I’m sorry, Katherine, you’re stuck with us.”

“That’s
fine.” Katherine gave him a weary smile. He could tell what she was thinking.
Rich was like a brother to her and Catalella was going to be her sister in a
few weeks. She was terrified of messing up. He felt like he would be holding
her hand more than he would be holding Catalella’s. “But you have to know that
the distressed baby could cause the other one to go into premature labor.”

“I’m
guessing the bed rest will help our chances?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You
are going to have to do better than uh-huh, Kat,” Catalella warned.

“You
won’t boss me around, little lady.” Rich was relieved when Katherine fought
back. With the two strong women in his corner they all might survive this
pregnancy.

Chapter Eleven

Rich
walked around the apartment as silently as he could. His eyes focused on
searching for his briefcase as his ears listened for Catalella’s steady
breathing. They’d had a fight before she went to sleep…no, not a fight, a
silent dispute. They tried not to get their emotions too riled up. Catalella
didn’t need the stress, their referee by day and nurse by night reminded them
each time someone’s voice went an octave higher.

He
dropped down on the sofa and thought about sleeping there. Rich had to
sacrifice his room for the lethargic nurse with a constant scowl on her face.
He had picked her thinking that Catalella wouldn’t dare argue with her. But
what he didn’t think through was that her presence would affect him too. He
didn’t want to sleep next to Catalella angry. He was angry at her for not being
careful with his baby when she was arguing with AJ. With his babies—he
corrected his thoughts—and she was angry at him for not telling her about the
accident, not to mention Ava, the cancer that was still in their lives.

Rich
was also angry with God. Angry that He could give Catalella her one wish, let
her feel the movement of their children inside her only to put them through
this. Katherine had warned him not to go on the internet and look up
Catalella’s condition. But he was stubborn and he had this need to be prepared
for anything. But he wasn’t prepared for what he saw or read. His breath
hitched in his chest as a feral growl of anger threatened to escape through his
lips. He wished he had let Adrian force the delivery, he wished he was stronger
for all four of
them,
he wished he wasn’t scared and
he wished he could be more bold.

A tear
slid down his cheek as sobs racked his body. Rich looked up but there was no
one there expecting him to be strong, no one who would see him weak and find
him lacking. He was alone and, just for this moment, he had to let out his fear,
his anger and the pain that was crushing his heart. He curled up in a fetal
position on the couch, held a pillow to his chest and wept. When the cries
seemed to get louder than he was willing to let them, he turned his face into
the pillow and bit into it in an effort to mute his sorrow.

* * *
*

Catalella
wanted a glass of water and turned toward Rich’s side of the bed but found it
empty. She didn’t know how long he’d been gone but already she missed him. She
buried her face into his pillow and took in the musky scent of his aftershave.
The scent of him shot from her nostrils to her libido. She wished his hard,
muscular body was lying next to her, his soft hands touching her, but she knew
he never would, not while she was still pregnant. Not because he didn’t want
to, but his desperation to see his babies to term wouldn’t let anything happen
he thought would hurt them.

She lay
on her left side as she was instructed, the glass on her night stand empty. She
decided to wait for Rich to return instead of getting up and fetching the water
for
herself—
she didn’t want to fight with him, not for
a second time that night. But when the seconds ticked by and her throat felt
like the dry sands of the Sahara she decided to risk the dog’s bark.

Catalella
got as far as the hallway when she heard the muffled sounds. Her first instinct
was to go back to the room and retrieve Rich’s baseball bat. But she looked
down at her round belly and almost laughed at how absurd that would look. She
took a bold step into the living room and there she saw the picture of a broken
man. Rich was crying into the pillow, trying desperately not to be heard. He
was hiding in the darkness, unwilling to let anyone see how scared he was. But
Catalella wasn’t someone and she wasn’t just anyone either. She hated herself
for breaking him. There were a lot of ifs she wanted to run through…if she
hadn’t gone back to De Alma, if they hadn’t had sex, if she hadn’t told him and
if she hadn’t been reckless. But, of all those ifs, she only regretted the last
one.

Slowly,
careful not to startle him, she went to him. Catalella sat on the coffee table,
at sea as to what to do next. She didn’t want him to stop crying for her sake…she
knew how much better someone could feel after a good cry. When his sobs died down
she reached to touch him and, with a start, he looked up.

“I’m…I’m
sorry…I-I was just…” he said between hiccups of sobs.

“I
know,” she said to him comfortingly. Catalella removed his pillow as she sat
down on the sofa and laid his head on her lap.

Rich
tried to sit up but Catalella wouldn’t let him. “I need to be strong for all
three of you.”

Catalella
held back the tears threatening to pour out. “And who is going to be strong for
you?”

“That
doesn’t matter. I don’t matter right now,” he sobbed.

“Shhh.”
Catalella soothed as she gently
pushed his head back on her lap. “You matter. You mean more than I could ever
describe. Today let me be strong for you, for a little while?”

Rich
didn’t answer but Catalella knew he had given in when his body began to shake
and she could feel his tears seep through her nightdress. She rubbed his back,
not in an attempt to soothe him, but so that he would know she was here for
him.

Catalella
continued rubbing his back even when he fell asleep. She wished she had gotten
her glass of milk before she sat down.

* * *
*

“Don’t
carry me. I’m too heavy,” Catalella protested as she slipped in and out of
sleep.

Rich
laughed as he looked down at her pouting face. He wanted to kiss her frowning
lips into a smile. “We’re almost there.
I promise, you aren’t
that heavy.”

Rich
laid her down on the bed, putting her on his usual side. He wanted to watch as
she slept. Holding her wasn’t enough anymore. He wedged a pillow behind her,
making sure she would always remain laying on her left side. He chuckled when a
protesting moan escaped her lips. He loved how her nose scrunched up when she
pouted and how her lips turned down, sticking out her stubborn jaw and her
bottom lip.

“I want
our daughter to look like that when she pouts.” He climbed over her and lay
down next to her.

“You
think we’re going to have a girl?”
Catalella asked, her eyes
still closed.

Rich
kissed the back of her hand and cuddled it to his cheek. “We’re going to have a
little girl, and we’ll call her Camellia, a beautiful flower like her mother.
And a little boy called Ethan.”

“Camellia
and Ethan,” Catalella
whispered,
the awe thick in her
voice.

Rich
caught the tear rolling down her cheek then repeated, “Camellia and Ethan.”

“They’re
going to be fine. They will stay in here until I’m ready to let them out.” He
watched as Catalella rubbed her belly. “We’re going to be happy. We won’t sleep
much in the first couple of months, but we’ll be happy.”

“I
know.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and just then her eyes fluttered
open. He looked into their swirling depths and the look of love in her eyes
stole his breath away. “I will be happy because I have you and our babies.”

“I
still can’t believe there are two in there.” She giggled.

“Actually
that explains a lot.”

“What
do you mean?” The smile had dropped from her lips and her pout was back. “Are
you saying I’m fat?”

“You
are my pregnant, fat girl.” He kissed her gently at first, then deeply when she
responded to him. Rich pulled back before his desire got away with him. “I know
I didn’t ask you to marry me—”

“You
forcefully suggested it,” Catalella cut him off.

“All right,
then.” He chuckled. “But I want to ask you now.”

Rich
moved from the bed and stood to start walking to his room. But as soon as he
got to her door he cursed. “Shit! I forgot my room was occupied.”

“Why?
What do you want from there?” she asked as she turned to face him.

Rich
thought about telling her. But he had already made a mess of his first
proposal. He made his decision—he was going to venture into the lion’s den and
get
his treasure. “Stay here, and if I don’t return tell my
babies I love them.”

Catalella
burst out laughing, but suddenly she gasped and her hand fell to her belly.
Rich was at her side in a second, his hand over hers. “Is something wrong with
the babies?”

“No,”
she said, tears welling in her eyes. “This is the first time I felt them move
since I was in the hospital.”

Now
more than ever he knew he needed to get the ring. He gave her a hurried kiss on
her forehead then ran out of the room. Not caring about disturbing the nurse’s
slumber, he dug through his safe, tossing confidential papers and bundles of
cash on the ground, digging for the small velvet box.

“What’s
going on?” he heard the sleepy nurse ask.

“Nothing,
just go back to sleep.” He shoved everything back, locked his safe and ran back
to Catalella’s room.

* * *
*

Catalella
watched in a panic as Rich paced around the bed and tried to steady his breathing.
She knew what he was going to ask and part of her dreaded it. But Rich was
still married and who knew how long it would be before Ava gave in, or before a
judge ruled in the divorce. She sat up, her clammy hands clutching her pillow.
Should she say no before he even asked? Let him down easy and fast, or should
she say yes and take the time of his divorce process to find a way out? But
then what said that, during that time, she wouldn’t fall completely in love
with him and want to be Mrs. McCrery?

The
thumping in her heart and butterflies in her belly told her something else.
They didn’t clear her doubts about marriage but they helped her stay focused on
this moment and what it meant to Rich. Everything in her body, her heart at the
forefront, told her she loved him, but her head was ingrained with memories of
Michael Mathews. But Ethan McCrery wasn’t Michael Mathews. First of all he was
part Irish, part
French,
he was much taller, better
built and kinder than Michael Mathews could ever be.

So what
was stopping her from saying yes when he asked her to marry him?
Fear.
Pure fear.

She
watched as he got down on one knee, his trembling hand holding her own. She saw
his usually calm face twist in uncertainty and
fear.
Catalella smiled, thinking it would set him at ease.

“I know
how you feel about marriage. I know that what that bastard did to you makes you
not trust men. But I need you to trust me. We are going to have a family and
I…
and I love you.”

The
shock must have registered on her face because Rich added hurriedly. “I know I
have been
mean
, sometimes indifferent. And I don’t
want you to think us not having sex means that I don’t find you attractive—”

“Rich,
what'd you want to ask me?” Catalella smiled, urging him on.

“I want
you to marry me. I mean…will you marry me?” He paused and when she didn’t
respond immediately he added in a rush. “DJ has been working on getting rid of
Ava. Please give me a chance. I love you and—”

“I
think I love you too. And I will marry you—eventually,” she added in an almost
whisper. “I would prefer a long engagement. I want to get to know you better.
And just in case…maybe you won’t want to be with me if…” She couldn’t bring
herself to utter the words.

“Nothing
bad is going to happen. We’re going to be happy, you’ll see. And we can have
more kids, and if we can’t conceive naturally we’ll get medical help.”

“A
long engagement, Rich.”
She put in her ultimatum.

“Long
engagement, but don’t wait for something bad to happen, or for a reason to
leave me again.” Catalella gasped when he opened the velvet box. The cushion-cut
diamond ring with a diamond studded band felt a bit too big for her finger. “I
promise to love, take care of you and our babies forever. I will never do
anything to make you mistrust me.”

“I just
need you to be honest with me.”

“I will,
forever.”

“Forever
is a long time, Mr. McCrery. Are you sure you want to tie yourself to me for
that long?” she teased as he sat on the bed next to her, holding her to his
chest.

“Maybe
a day short of forever.”

* * * *

Catalella
sat on the floor of her closet and looked at the clothes littered around her.
She had dug through every piece of clothing she owned and nothing fit anymore.
Huffing
a discouraged sigh, she tossed the pair of trousers
she had in her hands over her head.

“I
can’t believe it!” she exclaimed.

“Believe
what?”

Catalella
turned back to see a worried DJ looking back at her. He stood at the door,
afraid to walk into the active war zone. She watched as he scanned the room and
she saw her predicament register in his eyes. A smile crept onto Catalella’s
lips as she watched her childhood friend raise his hands above his head in mock
surrender then pace slowly backward.