Vortex (SAI Book 1) (27 page)

Rubbing her head, she felt exhausted. “I can’t debate with you, because I’m tired.”

“We have all the time in the world to figure this out. We made a human being, and we’re going to do what’s best for the person we made.”

“I will always put the baby above everything else.”

“I know, Viv. But we’re a family now, and we have to figure out what that looks like.”

Tears started to leak out of her eyes, and she didn’t even have the strength or desire to make them stop. Her mind was on overload, and she didn’t want to discuss it anymore. “I’m going upstairs and taking a bath. Then I’m going to crawl into bed and go to sleep.”

“You go on up. I’ll make some dinner and bring it up.”

“I’m not hungry, Joel. You don’t have to.”

“What did you eat today, Vivi?”

“I had some yogurt and a banana split.”

Shaking his head, he stood up. “That will not do. Our child needs to be fed, and you need to keep up your strength. You have to eat properly.”

Standing, Vivi let her hands slide to her hips. “I am a doctor, so I’m well aware of the proper nutrition required to grow a human body inside of mine. If you plan on living past next week, I suggest that you never repeat the statement you just made.” Turning, she stomped toward the staircase.

“I’ll make tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. You go on up and relax, honey.”

This was what she was afraid of, Joel McDade, boss of the bosses, telling her what to do. Well, there was no way that was ever going to happen, and she would let him know at the first opportunity. Right after he brought her supper on a tray. That would be the perfect moment.

***

They sat in the upstairs den and watched TV. Joel had been true to his word and made them soup, sandwiches, and a fruit salad. Glancing over, she noticed that he was especially relaxed. Also happy. The smile had never left his face. It was as though he’d accomplished something and was proud of himself for doing so. He hadn’t brought up the baby once. Shrugging, she wondered how long it would last.

“Are you finished, honey? Or would you like more fruit salad?”

“I’m full. Thank you for making a delicious dinner. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. I’ll cook from here on out. You just relax and rest. You have a big enough job in front of you.” Lifting the tray off her lap, he picked up the other one and walked out of the room. “I’ll do the dishes.”

“Leave them, and I’ll get them in the morning.”

He frowned at her and shook his head. “I’ll take care of them tonight.”

Apparently, leaving dirty dishes in the kitchen wasn’t acceptable. Must be a navy thing. He was the neatest person that she ever met, and that was saying something, because she considered herself to be neat as well. Relaxing further into the couch, she pulled the blanket up and returned her attention to the show. It was about all she could handle right now.

When Joel returned, he handed her a glass of water and sat down next to her. When she was done with the glass, he took it and set it on the table next to him. Lifting her up, he rested her against his chest. “What are we watching?”

“
Blindspot
. It’s my new favorite show. It’s about a woman who gets left in Times Square with a note. The FBI comes in, and she gets involved with the group in New York.”

“FBI guys are weenies.”

Raising herself, she stared at him in surprise. “Every man in the FBI is a weenie?”

“No, the hostage rescue guys are a solid group, but I’m not too sure about the rest of them.”

“That is un-American to say that the FBI guys are weenies. You would piss a lot of people off if they heard that.”

“Which is why I will never say it outside of this room.” Tightening his hold, he kissed her head. “Is this going to be one of our shows?”

“I didn’t know that we were going to have
shows
together.”

“Isn’t that what couples do? The married guys on my team have shows with their wives. Jack and Ana have about ten shows, and even Ronnie and Chase have a couple. I figured we would have at least six.”

“Six. Do you pick three and I pick three?”

“You’re the one who is pregnant, so I figure that you’ll pick most of them. Maybe you’ll let me pick one or two.”

“This is a whole world that I’m completely unaware of.”

“It’s a good thing that you have me, then, because I can explain things to you.”

“Well, if this is going to be our show, then we have to start from the beginning. Because I can’t be explaining things to you during every episode.”

“Okay, great.”

Laughing, she laid her hand against his chest. “This morning, I was free and single. Tonight, I’m pregnant and picking shows out. Lordy, what is going to happen next?”

“We’re going to get married.”

Sitting up abruptly, she shook her head and repeated, “No way,” again and again.

Rubbing her back, he smiled at her. “Not this week. Calm down.”

Lying back down, she took a deep breath and muttered, “Not ever.”

Quietly, he responded firmly, “We’ll see about that.”

And this was what she had to look forward to…a contest of wills. “Yes, we will,” she replied.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Joel sat at the dining room table with files spread out around him. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that it was already seven. He’d been at it since five and had accomplished a great deal. The analysis of the shipping company was complete, and he was ready to forward his recommendation.

Standing, he stretched and glanced out the front window. The street remained quiet at this early hour, and the only thing that seemed to be moving out there were the birds and squirrels. He strode into the kitchen and refilled his coffee cup and wondered if Vivi was ready to get up. Probably not. She should sleep as much as she can. Growing a human being inside of your body was a lot of work, and he had to make sure that she rested as much as she could.

How in the hell had they gotten so lucky?

Shaking his head, he realized how crazy that thought was. It hadn’t been but twenty-one days since he’d arrived. And he never would’ve guessed that he would have fallen for and impregnated the good doctor.

Truth be told, he was proud of himself for accomplishing it in such a short amount of time. Though that had never been the goal. At least consciously. Maybe somewhere in his subconscious, this was what he’d wanted all along. That would certainly explain his behavior over the last two weeks.

When he walked into the clinic and saw Vivi coming toward him, he was pretty much a goner. It probably happened a lot earlier than that, but that was the first time the thought hadn’t pissed him off. Why it took a trip to New Orleans for him to realize it was a mystery. Perhaps it was because she needed him and he had something to offer. Leaning against the counter, he remembered the feeling he had on the day that Ronnie had come in asking for help with Vivi. There had been a certain amount of emptiness that was no longer there. Rubbing his chest, he realized that he felt optimistic and happy, which were not emotions that were real familiar to him.

Being on the Teams had always been serious business, and he enjoyed the hell out of himself and would go back tomorrow if they’d have him. But it never gave him the feeling that he was experiencing now. This was the beginning of his family, the
family
he was going to have with Vivi. The idea of sharing his life with someone and building something together was exciting as hell.

The only thing that he needed to do was get Vivi as excited as he was about the two of them. For some reason, she didn’t seem all that open to the idea. Was it because it was all so new, or was it something else? The only way to solve the problem was to show her that he was the best candidate. That didn’t seem all that difficult. After all, he made it through the most challenging military program in the world. The way you became a SEAL was by never quitting. The way you survived fifteen years on the Teams was by never quitting.

So that was what he would do with Vivi. He heard her footsteps on the stairs, and he walked over to meet her. Watching her come down the stairs made his heart turn over. It was a hell of a realization that the thing that he had ignored for years was in full working order. It seemed all it needed was Vivi in order to start working properly. “Good morning, honey.”

“Mmmm,” she mumbled, as she padded past him.

“I was going to bring you breakfast in bed. Why don’t you go back up and relax?” A grunt was all he received in response. Okay, it seemed that she wasn’t ready to talk. He watched her fill a glass with orange juice and gulp it down. Then she went to the cupboard and pulled out some crackers.

Slumping into a chair, she opened the package and started eating them. He sat down across from her and studied her face. On closer inspection, she didn’t look too great. Maybe the morning sickness had started. “Can I get you anything?”

“Can you go out to the garage and see if there is any 7-Up? I threw up twice, and I don’t feel great.”

“Of course, honey.” He kissed her head and hustled out the back door into the garage. Opening the fridge, he saw one lone can of 7-Up. A trip to the market was going to be one of the first things he did after he made sure she was okay. He returned quickly to the house, grabbed a glass, and filled it. “Last one.” Handing it to her, he smiled and watched her take a few sips.

“Thanks, Joel.” She took a few more sips and ate several crackers. “I thought I had some time before all this started. When my blood work came back yesterday, my HCG hormones were quite high. That can sometimes be an indication of twins. Whatever the reason, it’s too damn early to be experiencing this. It shouldn’t start for another month or so.” 

“Twins?” Joel croaked. “How did we manage that?”

“It’s not likely.” Patting his hand, she smiled. “I’m almost sure that there is only one in there.”

“When can we find out?”

“Right around ten weeks. But, like I said…I think one is all I get.”

“
We
get. One is all
we
get.” He grinned at her and noticed her tight smile. She could pretend all she wanted that she was alone in this. But that was the furthest thing from the truth, and the sooner she realized it, the better. “Are you ready for anything else to eat, or do you want to wait awhile?”

Standing, she grabbed the soda and crackers. “I’m going to wait and see how I feel.” She turned around and moved toward the stairs. “I’m going to get in the shower.”

Standing at the foot of the stairs, he watched her walk up them slowly. Mentally, he was making a list of things to accomplish. One of the first things he was going to do was download a bunch of books. He needed to educate himself quickly so that he knew how to take care of Vivi. He returned to the dining room table, whistling.

Yes, indeed, twins. He’d always been a great swimmer, so it made sense that his
swimmers
had made a valiant effort and managed to land two at home base. Leave it to a SEAL to make the most of every opportunity.

***

Joel sat on the couch and read a book for expectant fathers. The possibility for complications were endless. It was a miracle that any child was ever born without incident. This made going into combat seem like a cakewalk. He was so engrossed in the book that he didn’t hear Vivi enter. She stood before him, frowning.

“Please don’t take everything they say as gospel. Most pregnancies are uncomplicated.”

Standing, he took her hand. “There is nothing uncomplicated about this process. I don’t know how you can stand there and act so cavalier.”

“Chicken and waffles.”

“What?”

“If you want me to be happy, then I would like chicken and waffles. Let’s go over to Emeril’s. They have a yummy watermelon slaw that they serve it with.”

He watched her walk into the kitchen and grab her purse. Apparently, the discussion was over and they were going to eat. Scratching his head, he wondered how he was going to navigate the next nine months. Evidently it centered on keeping Vivi happy. And feeding her. Okay, as long as he had a plan. He ambled into the kitchen and herded her toward the back door.

Once they were in the car and pulling out of the driveway, she spoke. “Joel, you can’t freak out over every little thing. Neither of us will survive if you do. Women give birth all over the world with little access to medical care and hospitals. It’s only in the western world that we make it complicated. We’re going to watch a movie tonight called
Babies
. It’s a documentary that follows five families from around the world. It will give you a great perspective about childbirth and the first year of life from very different situations.”

“All right.”

He glanced over and saw her smile. “For the record, I don’t freak out. I assess the situation, gather information, make a plan, and then act. I’ve never
freaked
out in my life, and I don’t plan on starting now.”

“Good to know.” 

The way she patted his hand told him that she was just placating him. “Can you give me directions?”

“I would love to.”

They arrived at the restaurant quickly, and Vivi started to climb out. “Wait, honey. I’ll come and get you.”

“So, this is how it’s going to be…constant hovering?” When he opened the door, he gazed at her questioningly.

“What did you say, honey?”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

He placed his arm around her and then held her other hand as they walked toward the front door. “Problem?”

“Yes, you’re acting weird. You’re holding me like I’m an egg that is about to break. Stop it!” Slipping out of his hold, she stomped toward the front of the restaurant.

When he caught up with her, he grasped her hand and frowned. “I wasn’t.”

“Were too.” Her shoulders started to shake as she began to laugh. “We are some kind of pair.”

“That we are.” At least she found him funny. That had to put a point up in his favor…right?

***

“So…”

Vivi studied Joel across the table and knew that one small word he uttered held a lot of meaning. “Did you enjoy your meal?” Wiping her mouth carefully, she smiled sweetly at him, and hoped to distract him. “I think fried chicken and waffles is one of the best things ever invented. Don’t you agree?” Before she let him respond, she went on. “We should have the banana cream pie for dessert.” Waving the waiter over, she placed an order for them. “It’s out of this world.”