“Let’s make a toast, since we missed out on one for our wedding day,” he declares, lifting his glass into the air. “To love, finding its way back to us.”
I lift my glass, tapping it against his, then I drink down the rest of the bubbly liquid and then I hold out my empty glass expectantly.
“Making up for lost time?”
“Hey, I’m enjoying not having to worry about babies for once,” I retort as he refills my glass. “It’s kind of nice in a way that the pressure is off. We can just enjoy each other and have fun.”
“I do like the sound of that…” His gaze burns through me, sending shivers racing down my back. I wrap my arms around him, caressing the back of his neck.
“We missed out on a lot of things,” I remind him.
“That’s true. Like our first dance,” he murmurs.
“And cake,” I cry. “We never got a cake.”
“I’ll order you a cake,” he promises, amused. “Right now, there are more important things to discuss than cake,” he murmurs.
“Like what?”
I hold my breath as he reaches behind me and lowers the zipper on my skirt. It slides down my hips, pooling at my feet. I groan as he reaches behind me, his fingers cupping my ass. He pushes my body against his.
“Like how hard I’m going to make you come.”
My heart racing, he leads me outside and over to the hot tub. I carefully balance my glass on the edge. Then I slowly undo the buttons on my shirt and slide it off. Hudson stares at me, his eyes hooded with desire, hungry as I step into his waiting embrace.
“God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he mutters, pushing aside my tresses to kiss my neck.
His hands move behind my back, swiftly removing my bra. I giggle and look out over the balcony, both aware and turned on that anyone could be watching us. He holds my hand as I step over the edge and lower myself into the steamy, hot water. My eyes on his, I loop my fingers through the band of my lacy white thong and roll them down over my thighs. I kick them off, giggling as they float to the side of the tub. Hudson leans forward and scoops them up.
“I could get good money for these in Japan,” he murmurs.
“Maybe you can put it into saving your business,” I tease.
He narrows his eyes and unbuckles his pants. I watch as he undresses, then steps into the tub. He sinks to his knees, beckoning for me to come to him. I do, floating closer to him until I’m sitting in his lap.
His stiff cock presses against my thigh. I rock back and forth, teasing him, until he lifts me by the waist, plunging me down onto his erection. I jump, unprepared and completely turned on by how hard he’s fucking me. I wrap my arms around his neck, and press my mouth onto his while I grind my hips against his.
“God, I missed you,” he grunts, his mouth moving roughly against mine.
It was barely a day we were apart, but I get it. I missed him too.
His thick hands tighten around my waist as he thrusts harder, my muscles contracting around him every time he enters me. Gasping, I jolt against him as my body starts to spasm. He groans, jerking his hips as his warm liquid fills me. I sway against him, gently riding against the current of the bubbles in the tub, with him still inside me. I lift my head to kiss him, unable to wipe the sappy grin off my face.
“You’ve been giddy like that the whole time,” he notes, amused.
“Sex is kind of fun when you take all the baby making out of the equation,” I confess.
“You mean it wasn’t fun before?” he asks, feigning hurt. “And here I was thinking I had all the moves.”
I laugh a little too hard at that, then I wrap my arms around his neck.
“I’m just saying I like this.”
He reaches down, running his thumb along my entrance. My knees buckle as I rock forward in the water, my hold on him tightening. He kisses me, a moan escaping from my lips as he massages my clit. His tongue circles around mine, then he whispers in my ear.
“Personally, I prefer this…”
EPILOGUE
Six weeks later
Valentina
“You’re pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” I shake my head adamantly, immediately dismissing the idea as being even remotely imaginable. “Not possible. Your results must be wrong, because there’s no way—”
“I tested twice, Valentina.” She smiles at me. “You’re definitely pregnant.”
After everything we’ve been through, I’m pregnant? I sit back in the chair in shock. No way. I can’t believe it. It’s not even possible … is it?
“How?” I ask. My cheeks redden. “I mean, I know how, but I didn’t think...” I take a deep breath and then release it slowly. “I’m sorry, this is a bit of a shock. How far along am I?”
“Going by your hormone levels, I’d say you’re around eight weeks.”
“Eight weeks?” I repeat in wonder.
I run my hand protectively over my stomach. I don’t even want to think about all the things I’ve consumed over the last eight weeks that I probably shouldn’t have. Not to mention the few nights when Hudson and I had consumed a good amount of wine. So much for not having to worry about getting pregnant.
I hesitate, not wanting to let myself believe it. I’m not sure I could handle it if this turned out to be a mistake, so it was easier not to let myself believe it at all. Doctor Meadows made it clear the chances of me falling pregnant were miniscule. I’d found myself a new doctor to see because I’d been feeling a little run down, but I can’t be pregnant…
Can I?
“How can you be certain that the blood results weren’t mixed up?” I demand.
“For it to happen twice would be very unlikely,” she assures me. “If you’re that worried about it, go get me a urine sample, and I’ll test it right now in front of you.” She hands me a specimen cup.
I stare at it for a moment, then I stand. What have I got to lose?
I return a few minutes later with my sample and wait anxiously as she dips the test stick into it. I’m totally expecting a big fat negative, but almost immediately, the second line comes up. It’s almost as dark as the control line and just as thick.
Holy shit.
“I’m pregnant,” I utter, finally beginning to believe it.
“You know, usually it’s the other way around,” the doctor clucks. “I get women who refuse to believe they’re pregnant until they see a blood result.”
“I’m just…” I don’t even know how to put my feelings into words.
“Congratulations, Valentina. You’re going to have a baby.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, unable to wipe the smile off my face. The shock is starting to subside and give way to joy, but it’s also raising a whole lot of questions. I can’t figure out how this happened or how they got it so wrong.
“Was the scan I had done previously wrong?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “I was looking over it this morning when your results came in.” She looks at me. “Valentina, the scan wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t yours.”
“What do you mean it wasn’t mine?” I ask her with a frown. “How is that even possible?”
“On your new patient form, you indicated that you had your appendix removed when you were ten. Correct?”
I nod. It was my only stay in the hospital. I remember it well because my father sent the nanny to look after me because his business trip was more important.
“Well, unless it grew back, I can guarantee the scan you were given is not yours.”
“You’re saying they mixed up my scan with someone else’s?” It sounds like something you’d hear about on the news or on a really bad daytime movie. Then again, my entire life has been a bit that way lately.
“Yes.”
They almost ruined my life.
I’m so angry, but then I remember why I’m here, and I force myself to calm down. I can deal with that later. Right now, this baby is the most important thing.
She scribbles her signature on
some forms and hands them to me.
“Here are some forms for another blood test and an ultrasound that I’ve booked you in for today. I want to confirm how far along you are. Your HCG levels are quite high which is what made me think around eight weeks. You might even be lucky enough to hear a heartbeat, but don’t worry if you don’t.”
I have a baby inside me.
A little tiny person with its very own heartbeat. I thank the doctor and rise to my feet, but then I hesitate, glancing down at the positive test that’s still sitting on the examination table.
“Would you, uh, mind if I take that with me?” I casually ask.
She beams at me. “Go right ahead.”
***
“So?” Hudson raises his eyebrows expectantly. “What was so important that you dragged me away from lunch with my mother?”
I smile as Hudson wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck.
“I can think of a lot of things more important than that,” I giggle. I’m joking, of course. I love his mom. I lean up and kiss him, both nervous and excited over the idea of telling him I’m pregnant. My hands shake as I hold out the box. “I got you something.”
“What’s this?” he asks, taking it.
“Open it and find out,” I suggest.
He laughs as he rips into it to reveal another box. Inside that one is another box and then another. He smirks at me and holds up the final box.
“Did you get me a watch because I’m always running late?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
“No, but now I know what to get you for your birthday.” I’m almost bursting with excitement. The wait is killing me. “Open it already.”
He laughs and lifts the lid and peers inside. His eyebrows crease, then he looks up at me, confused.
“Is this…”
He stops when I nod.
“Are you kidding me?” he gasps.
I shake my head. “That was my reaction too, but no. I’m serious. We’re having a baby.”
He wraps his arms around me and laughs.
“Holy fuck. How did that happen? Wait,”—he puts his hand up to silence me—“you know what it was? My superhero sperm.”
“What?” I burst out laughing.
“Yep.” He nods knowingly. “It’s the only explanation.”
“You are an idiot.” I wrap my arms around him, giddy with happiness.
“And just think, our kid is going to take after this,” he boasts.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say honestly. A ripple of excitement rushes through me. I still have moments where I can’t believe it. “Holy shit, I'm really pregnant.”
He reaches up and caresses my chin so he can kiss me on the mouth.
“And here I was thinking you were super moody for no reason.”
“You want moody?” I poke my tongue out at him. You’ve got eight more months of this.”
He smiles at me. “Trust me. I can’t wait.”
“Right answer,” I say as I steal another kiss. “So, are you taking me to my ultrasound, or do I need to drive myself?”
He places his hand protectively over my stomach.
“You really need to ask?”
***
“This might be cold,” the radiology tech warns as she smears gel on my stomach.
I gasp and breathe in so much air that my lungs burn. Cold is an understatement. It’s freezing. Hudson reaches for my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze, and then he shifts his attention to the ultrasound machine as the screen comes to life. The tech slides the probe over my stomach, and I smile at my little baby bump. I glance at the tech, then I turn to the screen too, trying to make sense of what we’re seeing, but it’s all blending into itself. I look at the tech for confirmation that everything is okay, but she’s frowning. I glance at Hudson then back at her.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
My heart thumps so loud that I can barely hear my voice. How could I have been so stupid as to let myself get my hopes up. I shouldn’t have even told Hudson, not until I knew everything was okay.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. Everything is fine,” she assures me. “I just wasn’t expecting two babies.”
“Two?” I whisper.
She blinks and looks at me, then Hudson.
“You didn’t know you’re expecting twins?”
“We’d barely managed to get our head around one.” He marvels.
“Twins?” I’m so happy that I can’t even think straight.
I lie there, trying my best to be patient while she finishes the ultrasound, then I get dressed. Hudson is waiting for me outside the changing room. He smiles and puts his arms around me, tilting my lips up to his.
“Twins, huh?” He grins at me.
“Twins,” I agree. “Let’s see how many more times we can say it before it sinks in.”
Just this morning, I was thinking how well things were working out for us. Things were finally beginning to fall into place. Hudson’s business is starting to pick up again, and we’d began to accept that we’d need to explore other avenues if we wanted to have a family.
Life was good.
And it just got a hell of a lot better.
***
Seven months later
Hudson
“Come on. Tell me already,” Holly whines. “Boys? Girls? Both?”
I laugh and shake my head at her. “No. Now get out of the kitchen,” I order.
She glares at me as I usher her away from the kitchen, then she looks over her shoulder longingly at the two perfectly white frosted cakes that sit on the counter. Inside they reveal the gender of the twins, something Holly has been trying to figure out for months.
“If you want to make yourself useful, we need soda.”
I toss her my keys. She grumbles in protest, and then she disappears out the door.
V is just over eight months pregnant. It’s probably late to be having a baby shower, but she wanted to be sure that everything was okay before we held any celebrations. The whole time she’s been walking on eggshells, like she’s waiting for things to go wrong. I keep telling her to relax and enjoy it, but truth be told, I’m just as paranoid as she is.
Twins. Holy fuck. I’m going to be a Dad times two. It’s incredible.
I'm so excited that I can hardly contain myself. The fear is there too, like how we’re going to cope with looking after two babies, but I know we’ll be fine.
At least we don’t need to worry about money now.
After the mix up at the clinic, we went back there for answers. One of the nurses panicked and confessed that she’d been paid by Amanda to switch the scan results. She was fired, and her case was heard before the disciplinary board, where she was stripped of her nursing license. It didn’t make up for what V and I went through, but it was something. Hearing that Amanda had been sentenced to community service felt pretty good too.
When V told her grandmother what happened, she was livid. She confronted Amanda, who confessed everything and took herself out of the running for the inheritance. That left V and I the winners.
But it wasn’t about the money. Nearly losing V made me realize that all the money in the world won’t buy happiness. That has to come from within. The way I felt when I nearly lost V is something I never want to experience again. Knowing that Amanda did that intentionally so she could win makes me angry as fuck. I convinced V to forgive Amanda and move on, because holding onto the anger wasn’t healthy for her pregnancy.
“What are you doing, hiding in here?”
I look up and smile at V as she wanders into the kitchen, a teasing smile on her face.
“No, I’m just protecting the cakes from my sister.” I chuckle. “Speaking of, are you sure you didn’t peek at the letter when you took it to the baker?”
She gasps. “Are you accusing me of what I think you are?”
“Well, you weren’t too keen on not finding out,” I remind her.
“Only because I want to know w
hether I should be buying pink or blue.” She pauses. “Or both.” She rubs her belly affectionately. “The way I’m feeling, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was another one hiding in there.”
I wrap my arms around her and kiss her on the forehead. She smiles up at me, but then her smile falters. She winces, gripping hold of my arm.
“Everything okay?” I frown at her. She is looking more tired than usual today.
“Yes. Well, I think so. I’ve just been having twinges,” she replies, brushing off my concern.
“Twinges?” I repeat. “You’re not going into labor, are you?” I laugh uneasily. As much as I can’t wait to meet these little guys, it’s too early. She’s only eight months along.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” she murmurs, patting me on the back. She walks over to the counter and leans against it, her body tensing in pain.
“Nothing?” I mutter. “I don’t think so. We’re going to the hospital.”
“But the cake,” she protests.
I reach over and grab the knife and drag it through each cake. Pink and blue cake peek out through the white frosting. I turn back to V, who stares back at me with wide eyes.
“There. One of each. Now let’s go.”
“But the party,” she argues.
“There’s no point having a party if you three end up in critical care because something is wrong.” I’m almost shouting at her now. I don’t want to scare her, but I need to do something.
She frowns at me. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Loaded up with her emergency bag, I help her to the car. On the way to the hospital, in between contractions, she texts Holly to put her in charge of calling off the party. The six minute drive to the hospital feels like it’s taking hours. I keep glancing over at her and seeing that look of pain etched on her face, and all I can think about is what if I lose them all. It’s irrational, I know, but I can’t help it.
“Here we are,” I mutter, pulling into the parking lot.
I get out and race around to her door. A nurse aid appears with a wheelchair after watching me struggling to support her. She slides down into the seat and gives him a grateful smile.
After I push her inside, I’m relieved when we’re led into a room right away. I stand back and wait for the nurses to check her over, and then I take her hand, determined to be the best support I can. I’m not known for my ability to handle blood and gore, but I’m hoping the birth of my twins will be the exception.
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