‘Mr Henderson! Are you and Miss Bryant lovers?’
‘We’re almost there.’ His fingers tightened around hers.
The darkness started at her peripheral vision like dancing spots that grew and joined together. It was as though a dark curtain was being pulled over her vision. Sarah blinked her eyelids wide apart. ‘I can’t see!’
Nick swore.
It was the last thing she was aware of before she completely blacked out.
A man was talking quietly. Sarah didn’t recognise his voice however she did recognise the soft whirr of Ryan’s electric wheelchair.
She opened her eyes and saw she was in her bedroom, lying in her bed. Then her heart flipped as she saw Nick.
‘Sweetheart!’ He was at the bedside in two long strides, his weight depressing the mattress as he sat down on the edge and took her hand in his. ‘How are you?’
‘I passed out?’
‘You passed out at the airport, came to briefly then passed out again.’
Frowning, she vaguely remembered looking at Nick as he settled her against him in the back of a limousine. Had she also seen Helen and Rose casting worried looks her way as Nick had carried her through to her bedroom?
‘You’re home safely now.’ That was Ryan.
She tried to sit up to see her brother but Nick’s free hand went to her shoulder. ‘Lie still. You’ve been under a lot of strain.’ He moved his head back to indicate over his shoulder. ‘This is a close friend of mine, Dr Tom Ferguson. He’s been checking you over and would like to take some blood tests.’
‘I have a headache. The room’s tilting a bit as though I’m on a boat.’
‘Hi, Sarah.’ The doctor came forward and Nick stood to get out of his way. ‘Just a few blood samples for some tests.’ He put his bag on the end of the bed and took a needle and syringe out of a packet before asking Nick to hold a couple of empty laboratory vials. ‘I believe you were sick in the Philippines and that you’ve only landed in from Tanzania this morning.’
‘Mm-hmm.’ She couldn’t even nod because it made her too dizzy.
The doctor rolled up her pyjama sleeve and she wondered vaguely who’d changed her and put her to bed.
A cuff was placed over her arm and pulled tight on her bicep. ‘Now pump your hand a couple of times for me. That’s it. You’ll feel a small prick.’
Needles had never bothered Sarah and frankly she was so damned tired and dizzy, all she wanted to do was go back to sleep.
‘Nick tells me you’ve been extraordinarily tired.’
‘Yes.’ The word emerged as a croak and she closed her eyes again.
‘I’ll check your iron levels and run some other tests.’
‘Okay.’
She was aware of the doctor asking Nick to pass him another vial before he pronounced, ‘All done. I’ll let you rest now and I’ll get these to the laboratory straight away.’
‘Thanks.’ The word emerged on a whisper and she couldn’t open her eyes.
‘I’ll see you out, Tom.’
Sarah heard Nick leaving the room with Tom, then sensed someone else enter the room. ‘You okay, Sarah?’ Helen asked.
‘Is there anything we can get you?’ That was Rose.
‘A drink of water?’ Ryan suggested.
If there was some sort of remote control button to open her eyes, Sarah would’ve used it. ‘Fine. Just wanna sleep.’
‘We’re all here if you need us,’ Helen told her.
‘We totally believe in your innocence,’ Ryan affirmed.
The bedside clock told Sarah it was ten pm when she woke up again. Apart from the soft pool of light from the bedside table on the other side of the bed, the room was in darkness. When she moved, she still felt a little dizzy, but her arm stretched out in the process of hauling her body upright and she connected with a solid, warm, muscular thigh.
‘Nick.’ Knowing he was there brought instant comfort.
‘Hey, sleepyhead. You’re finally awake.’
‘Barely.’
He leaned over and brushed a kiss over her lips. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Still a bit dizzy and nauseous.’
‘You don’t feel like eating then?’
‘Definitely not.’ The thought of food made her stomach churn.
‘You at least need to have some water.’
Her mouth was dry. ‘Sorry to be a nuisance.’ She levered herself up against the pillows as he snapped on a bedside light. It was then she noticed the huge arrangement of flowers. ‘They’re beautiful!’
‘I hope they’ll cheer you up.’
‘Having you here does that.’
He reached over to a glass of water on the bedside table on his side of the bed and handed it to her. ‘Here. Take little sips.’
‘Thanks.’
Nick wore a troubled frown as he shifted so he sat facing her. ‘Sarah, I’m the one who needs to apologise. I should never have let you walk off that aircraft without me.’
‘I didn’t want to drag you into it any more than I already had.’
‘I was in a fog of hurt and confusion. It was only when I saw you walking away from me that I knew what was important. I was worried to think that you’d face the press pack by yourself.’
‘But you came to my rescue.’
‘Do you forgive me for being an arse in taking so long to get over my disappointment that you hadn’t confided in me?’
‘I do. I’m sorry too.’
‘No more secrets.’
She nodded and set the glass back down. ‘Definitely. No more secrets.’
Nick reached out to cup her face in his hands as he leant forward. Their lips met in a slow, sweet kiss of mutual forgiveness. A kiss that held promise for the future. When Sarah would’ve liked to have deepened it, Nick pulled away.
‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’
‘I think I’m just overtired. You know I haven’t been getting much sleep—’
‘Are you putting the blame on me again?’ he teased as he took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her wrist.
‘I think it’s just strain and fatigue.’
Nick’s phone vibrated on the bedside table. ‘This is Tom calling now.’ He put the phone to his ear. ‘Hi, Tom. Yes, she’s awake, I’ll put her on.’ He handed the phone over to her.
‘Hi, it’s Sarah here.’
‘Hi. Are you feeling any better, Sarah?’
‘Still tired but otherwise okay. I am wondering what tests you ran and when you’ll have the results.’
He rattled off a few standard tests but her heartbeat stuttered when he mentioned a pregnancy test.
‘The last test wasn’t necessary. I’m on the pill.’
‘It doesn’t hurt to be sure,’ the doctor said. ‘The pill isn’t a one hundred percent certainty.’
Sarah’s eyes widened as her gaze darted to Nick. He was sitting very still and looked at her intently. ‘Er … When are you expecting the results?’
‘Most of the results will be back by tomorrow. I’ll call you when they come in.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Meanwhile, if you need anything else, let me know.’
‘Thanks again.’
‘Goodbye.’
Sarah handed the phone back to Nick.
‘He did a pregnancy test?’
Nick sounded as stunned as she felt and she hastened to reassure him. ‘Your friend’s simply being thorough. You know I’m on the pill.’ She tried to stay outwardly calm even as she analysed her strange mix of emotions. Contradictory feelings bombarded her. For a moment a wondrous hope bloomed in her chest. Unsure whether she’d ever even have a lover, she hadn’t allowed herself to dwell too much on having children. But faced with the question now, it struck her that she did want children. She wanted Nick’s children.
Visions of the chaotic family time at Port Douglas with his friends’ families flitted through her mind and yearning swelled in her chest. How wonderful it would be if she and Nick could have children that ad
ded to that happy chaos.
Except that Katie told you he doesn’t want any more children.
Burgeoning excitement turned to despair.
Nick already had a child.
What if Katie was right?
Sarah loved Nick, but what if he didn’t want any more children? Did she have to re-think motherhood if she wanted a future with him?
‘You had food poisoning in the Philippines.’ His gaze held hers, boring into her as though he was trying to see the inner workings of her mind. ‘I hadn’t thought of it but wouldn’t that affect your protection?’
Sarah’s eyes widened.
Why hadn’t she thought of that?
Hell. Hell. Hell.
Could that explain her fatigue?
She stared at Nick trying to guess at how he felt about the possibility and wondering how she should respond. If she dismissed the possibility again she’d miss the perfect opportunity to find out how he felt about having another child.
Damn it. She didn’t want this to be over almost as soon as it had begun but there was no point in skirting around it. ‘You’re right. It didn’t occur to me that I may not have been protected.’
Silence.
Thickening silence as they continued to look at each other, each seemingly trying to read each other’s reactions.
Nick was braver than she was. ‘The injuries you sustained in the explosion … Are you able to have children?’
She nodded. ‘My bowel had to be repaired but I was told there was no gynaecological damage.’
‘How will you feel if the result’s positive?’
‘I—’ She’d be thrilled. Ecstatic. But did she have a right to feel like that when this baby wasn’t planned? Had he been hoping she wouldn’t be able to have children? ‘Katie said you didn’t want any more children.’
‘That’s not true.’ Sarah dared to breathe again. ‘For a long time after Mandy’s death I told my friends I’d never marry again. Maybe she heard me say that.’
‘She heard your mum talking about it with Jocelyn. Apparently they believed you wouldn’t want any more kids because it’d been so hard on you to raise Katie single-handedly.’
Nick groaned. ‘Katie thinks that?’ He cursed. ‘It was tough at times but it was hardly single-handed with all the support I got from my family and Mandy’s.’ He shook his head with some impatience. ‘Sarah, I thought I’d never remarry because I felt guilty.’ He ran his palms down over his face. ‘I also told myself I’d never love anyone the way I’d first loved Mandy. But I was confused because even though we’d shared that love, our marriage had become strained to the point that I was helpless to know what to do. In all likelihood, we would’ve ended up divorced.’ His mouth was bracketed in lines of anguish. ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever admitted to anyone that I believed my marriage was past saving.’
Sarah reached out to him and touched his cheek. ‘If she’d agreed to counselling your marriage may have improved. She might’ve been in a better place mentally and emotionally.’
‘You’re right, which only makes me feel guiltier. I knew her sense of reality was skewed but I didn’t insist early enough that she went to counselling. I could’ve saved her had I really faced our problems.’ His hands moved in a frustrated gesture. ‘I didn’t want to be married again in case I failed another woman I loved.’
‘Nick—’
‘I love children, Sarah. I see Max and Luca with their young children and I want to experience all that again while I’m still young enough to have the energy for it.’
‘Really?’ Her chest expanded with hope.
‘Truly. But that doesn’t answer my question. I want to know how you’d feel if you’re carrying our child.’
Our child.
Tears hit her again. ‘Nick, I’m in love with you. I’d like nothing more than to have a child with you.’
‘I love you too.’
Happiness, wonder and relief made a potent cocktail that fizzed through her.
Nick moved forward. His hands reached out to cradle her face and he lowered his lips to hers in a toe-curlingly gentle kiss that spread heat right through her body. The way his lips covered and moved against hers was totally possessive but at the same time almost worshipful.
Once again he pulled away from her way too soon.
‘Hey! Don’t stop!’ she protested. ‘If I’m going to be dizzy and feel the earth spinning around me I’d rather your kisses were the cause of it.’
Nick grinned but then grew serious. ‘This isn’t the way I’d planned it. I wanted it to be romantic.’ He pulled away from her for a moment and got up from the bed to pull something out of his trouser pocket. Then he dropped to his knees by the side of the bed, reached out and took her hands in one of his. ‘Sarah Smith-Bryant, will you marry me?’
‘Are you serious?’
‘I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.’
‘But we don’t even know yet whether I’m pregnant.’
‘This has nothing to do with whether or not you’re pregnant.’ He raised his free hand to show her the jewellery box he held. ‘I didn’t even suspect you could be pregnant when I bought this.’
‘You bought an engagement ring for me?’
‘Maybe.’ His eyes lit with humour and his lips twitched. ‘You only get to look inside the box if you accept my proposal.’
Angst and indecision coursed through her. His proposal was the sweetest torture because she wanted to marry him yet her love for him and for Katie held her back. ‘I want to say yes.’
‘Then say it.’
‘But, Nick, unless your investigators find proof, people are going to think you’re marrying a would-be thief.’
‘Sarah, I’m the one asking you to marry me and I know you’re not a thief.’
She nibbled at her lower lip. ‘But, what about Katie? Will she be happy if we marry? Will the bad press coverage I’m receiving affect her? Girls at that age can be awful to each other.’
‘We’ll protect Katie and we’ll prove your innocence.’
Her head tilted. ‘Are you sure you’re not asking me because you think I might be pregnant?’
‘I was going to ask you at the beach in Tanzania. I had a romantic setting all picked out. I even phoned Ryan the night before and asked for his blessing.’
‘You did? What did he say?’
‘He was thrilled.’
‘Who else knows?’
‘Helen.’
‘Not Jocelyn or Katie or your friends or parents? I can’t think your sister’s going to be thrill—’
‘It doesn’t matter what Jocelyn thinks and besides, I know she’ll come around.’
‘But—’
‘Katie will be thrilled and so will my parents,’ he supplied confidently.
‘What about—?’
‘My friends and their wives all love you. Jenna told me if I didn’t snap you up I was an idiot.’
‘But do they know yet about the Kolevski—’
‘I had calls from both Max and Luca while you were asleep. Neither of them believe you had anything to do with the attempted theft of that brooch and they’re one hundred percent behind proving your innocence, as are Jenna and Olivia.’ His hand rested on her thigh. ‘Obviously we missed the appointment this afternoon with my solicitor, but as soon as you’re well enough, we’ll see him.’
Sarah’s teeth worried at her lower lip as she thought back to Tanzania. ‘You had the ring, but you must’ve changed your mind about marrying me. We went back to the hotel instead of going to the beach.’
He hesitated before reaching for her hand. ‘I’ve never thought of myself as overly romantic but you bring that out in me, sweetheart.’ Was that a little tinge of red in his cheeks? ‘I wanted the proposal to be perfect—perfect setting, perfect timing. It was hardly perfect timing after what I found out from Jocelyn. She raised some questions for me and because I wasn’t certain about your feelings and what you wanted out of our relationship, I c
ouldn’t go through with it then. I also thought maybe I should wait to give us more time to get to know each other. I need you to know that you can tell me anything.’ He reached up and trailed his fingertips down her cheek. ‘Despite being hurt, the second I saw you walking away from me, I knew I didn’t want to face a future without you.’
‘Nick …’ Words failed her. How on earth did she start to put into words just how much he meant to her?
‘Sarah, please. Will you put me, and my knee, out of my misery and accept my damned proposal?’
‘Yes!’
‘Thank God for that!’ He growled as he got up from the floor and she moved across the bed a little to make room for him. ‘So much for the proposal I had planned for the beach in Tanzania. That has to go down in history as one of the least romantic and most painful marriage proposals ever.’
‘I promise I’ll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you!’
He went to hand the ring box to her but as she reached out her hand changed direction and clapped over her mouth. Her other hand flew to cover her stomach and the water that she’d sipped on started to make its way up again.
Nick moved off the bed fast, reefed all the beautiful flowers he’d given her out of the vase and thrust it under her head, just before she was physically ill.
Finally when her stomach had stopped its purge, Sarah looked up at Nick thoroughly wretched. ‘Okay. Now it can definitely be classified as the least romantic proposal and acceptance in history.’
Chapter 20
‘You’re getting married?’ Katie’s voice was full of excitement the following afternoon as she launched herself into Nick’s embrace. ‘That’s the best news!’ She raced over to where Sarah was resting in bed and gave her a huge hug as well before inspecting her engagement ring. ‘Oh, Dad! What a beautiful ring!’
‘Glad you approve.’ Thankfully Sarah had loved it too.
Nick had known Katie would be happy about their announcement and thanked God he’d fallen in love with a woman his daughter loved too.
‘When are you getting married? Do I get to be bridesmaid?’
‘We haven’t set a date yet, Katie, but yes, I’d love you to be my bridesmaid.’
‘Oh fab! I can’t wait to tell all the girls at school.’
Seduced by the Billionaire Page 24