“Tell you?” Cassie asked with a questioning frown.
She dropped a pointed gaze at Cassie’s stomach.
Cassie gasped. “How did you know? Did Carter tell you?”
Natasha suppressed a shriek. “I’m gonna be an aunt?”
“Yes,” Cassie said excitedly.
She hugged Cassie. “Congratulations! No, Carter didn’t tell me. I just guessed from your body language.”
Cassie laughed. “Thank you. We found out last week with a home pregnancy test. Then we got the doctor’s confirmation yesterday. I’m six weeks along.”
“I’m so excited,” she said, looking around for her brother and catching Lexie’s eye instead, who was walking towards them.
“What’s up, girls?” Lexie asked.
Cassie let out a sigh.
“What?”
“Well... Tash guessed something I had no intention of announcing today...”
Lexie frowned before her mouth formed an O. “You’re pregnant too?” she asked in wonder.
Cassie nodded.
“Oh my God! Congrats!” Lexie said, wrapping her arms around Cassie. “Did you think it was too early to tell anyone? I can keep my mouth shut.”
“No,” Cassie said with a laugh. “Carter and I can’t wait to tell everybody. But today is about your announcement, not mine.”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “So what? It will be great to celebrate with you!”
Cassie laughed. “Okay, thanks.”
“Can you imagine? Jade will be the first to give birth, then me two months later, then you a month after!”
“You have an instant mothers’ group right there,” Natasha said.
“I know. Let’s go and tell everyone,” Lexie urged.
“Can I watch you from here?” Natasha asked. “I hate to say this, but Rick’s prawns are making me gag. Whatever did he marinate them in?”
Lexie stared at her. “They’re exactly the same as the prawns he barbecued at Leura when we were there. I seem to remember you loving them then.”
“Really?” she asked with a frown. “For some reason, the smell is making my stomach turn.”
Cassie and Lexie looked at each other.
“Maybe we have Miss Preggers number four,” Cassie said teasingly.
Natasha’s heart skipped, remembering the funny cramps she’d had—and how her period hadn’t arrived yet. Her mind took her to the time she’d missed taking the pill for two days because she’d forgotten to pack them when she and Gavin had gone on a weekend away. They’d used the withdrawal method then...
“Well,” Lexie said, “from that look on her face, I’d say it’s a possibility.”
She took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly, the thought of having Gavin’s baby filling her with excitement and joy. But, holy smokes, they’d just moved in together three months ago and hadn’t even discussed being parents yet!
“You okay?” Cassie asked.
She shook her head to clear it. “Yeah.”
“So you really could be pregnant?”
“I hope so,” she said in a small voice. “But if I am, Gavin might have the shock of his life.”
“I’m sure he knows that no birth control is one hundred percent foolproof,” Cassie said.
“Hey, I think I still have an unused pregnancy test somewhere,” Lexie said. “You can have it. Take it home or... use it now.”
She bit her lip, tempted by Lexie’s offer. The encouraging looks on her friends’ faces helped push her decision. “Okay, maybe I’ll use it now.”
“Great!”
“I’ll stay out here so no one will suspect anything,” Cassie said.
She nodded, following Lexie to the house as her anticipation grew.
*****
Two pink lines.
Natasha’s eyes watered, her throat closing from the emotion that welled up inside her. She and Gavin were having a baby. Wow. It was unplanned and unexpected, but totally welcome.
Reluctantly, she threw the tester in the bin. She would have liked to show it to Gavin, but they weren’t at their own home. And she wasn’t sure if she should tell him straight away, or wait until they were back at their place. She hoped he’d be as thrilled as she was, but what if he needed some time to let the news sink in?
She came out of the bathroom and smiled shyly at Lexie, nodding her head.
“Yay!” Lexie said, enveloping her in a big hug. “Congratulations, honey. Are you gonna tell Gav immediately?”
“You know, maybe I’ll wait till we get home. I think I should tell him in private first.”
“Sure. I wonder how far along you are. You and Cassie might have your babies close together.”
She grinned. “Yes, the two cousins are going to be the same age. Our parents would be thrilled.”
They rejoined the others in the backyard and she tried to look nonchalant. Could she keep a poker face with news as big as she had?
“So?” Cassie whispered, handing her a glass of tropical fruit smoothie.
“Yes.”
“Oh my God,” Cassie said with a wide grin, grabbing her arm and squeezing it. “You might only be a week or two behind me.”
“I know. Wouldn’t it be—” She paused, gulping, as the smell of those danged prawns wafted through her nose.
“Let’s go back over there,” Cassie said, indicating to the deck chairs around the swimming pool.
Natasha followed, sipping her smoothie and hoping it would take away her queasy feeling from the unpleasant odour. “Has your sense of smell changed?” she asked Cassie.
“A little. But it’s not bothering me at all.”
“I hope I don’t suffer from severe morning sickness. Anyway, when are you going to announce your good news?”
“Later on, maybe, before the day ends. When are you gonna tell Gavin?”
“When we get home. I better tell him in private first.”
“Well, here he comes,” Cassie said in a low voice.
She turned her head and smiled at Gavin, who was carrying two plates. Her smile disappeared when her nose told her what Gavin was bringing her.
“Hey, babe,” Gavin said. “Got you some food.”
She shook her head, holding her breath and giving Cassie a panicked look.
Cassie sprung up from her seat. “I got that,” she said, taking both plates from Gavin and walking away from them.
Gavin stared at Cassie with a surprised look, then turned to her. He frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked, hurrying to her side.
She breathed and took a sip of her smoothie, grateful for her sister-in-law’s fast reaction. Gosh, she hoped it was only barbecued prawns that made her want to heave.
“Honey? Aren’t you feeling well?” Gavin asked with concern.
She couldn’t help her happy, secretive smile.
“What?”
“I’m fine. I’ll tell you later.”
“Why not now?”
“Because we’re at a party. Anyway, I am quite hungry.”
“Cassie just ran away with our food. Maybe she’s craving all those prawns,” Gavin said with a chuckle. “I’ll get us some more.”
“No! I don’t want the prawns. Just the other stuff.”
Gavin’s forehead creased. “Are you sure? There’s plenty of them.”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay. Chicken, then? Calamari? What about oysters?”
“No oysters.”
“Okay.”
“Honey,” she called out after him.
Gavin looked back.
“Could you not get yourself any prawns either?”
“Why not? I like ’em.”
“Because... I... they make me want to puke.”
Gavin frowned, walking back and sitting next to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Um...” She stared at his handsome face, her heart dancing in her chest. No, she couldn’t hold the news back from him until they got home. She was too excited. And she needed to know right now how he felt a
bout it.
“What’s that look about?” Gavin asked, his lips tugging to the side as he took her hand and kissed it.
She touched his face. “We’re having a baby too.”
Gavin gawked at her for the longest moment, his eyes round and his jaw slack. Then his face broke into a happy smile. “We are having a baby too?”
She nodded.
“You better not be joking.”
She shook her head, grinning as widely as him.
“When did you know?”
“A few minutes ago. Lexie had a spare pregnancy test. It’s the smell of those prawns that alerted me.”
“Oh, babe,” Gavin said, pulling her to him and kissing her tenderly, lovingly, sweetly.
“You don’t mind?” she murmured against his lips.
He looked into her eyes. “Mind? Not at all. It’s a total surprise, but... I’m excited.”
She exhaled her relief.
“It must have been that weekend,” Gavin mused. “I obviously didn’t pull out early enough one of those times. I wonder which round it was?”
“Maybe the one where you complained about wanting to come inside me but couldn’t,” she said with a giggle.
“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “See? I might as well not have pulled out.”
She lifted her lips to his for another kiss.
“You said you’re hungry. I’m gonna go and get you some food. No prawns.”
“Okay.”
“Are we gonna tell the others today?”
She snickered. “Why don’t you ask Carter to come here first?”
“I’ll be back,” he said excitedly, giving her another smooch before leaving her.
She watched as Gavin got a plate and loaded it with food, then pulled Carter away from his conversation with Jarryd and Lucas. Cassie joined them as they walked back to her.
“Hey, sis,” Carter said, his eyes dancing. “Has my lovely wife told you something?”
“I guessed it,” she answered, getting up and squeezing Carter tight. “Congratulations, darling.”
“Thank you. But how did you know?”
“She kept on touching her tummy.”
Cassie chuckled. “I didn’t even know I was doing it.”
“Hang on a second,” Gavin said, looking at them in confusion. “Are you pregnant too, Cassie?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, congrats, you two,” he said with a laugh, giving Cassie, then Carter, a big bear hug.
“Wait,” Carter said to Gavin. “I thought this was why you dragged me here—to congratulate us. But you didn’t know.”
Natasha smiled as Gavin drew her in his arms and kissed her hair.
“You’re not the only one with the good news, bro,” Gavin said.
“What?” Carter asked, stunned.
“I guessed it too,” Cassie said. “Tash was getting sick from the smell of Rick’s prawns.”
“Oh my God,” Carter said, pulling Natasha away from Gavin to place his own arms around her. “I’m so happy for you, guys.”
“Thank you. Mum and Dad will be so thrilled.”
“Tell me about it. We’re seeing them tomorrow night with Cassie’s folks. Gav, why don’t you invite your parents and we can tell them our news at the same time?” he asked as he hugged, shook and patted his best friend.
“Great idea.”
“Hey, all that hugging must mean something,” Rick called out. “Care to let us in on the secret?”
They laughed, and Natasha and Cassie nodded to each other.
“We all have to go there to hear the news,” Lexie said, gesturing for everyone to go to the poolside. “But no one bring any prawns over there, please. Don’t ask, just leave your plates if you have prawns on them. And honey,” she said to Rick, “you stay here for the meantime.”
“Why?”
“Please?” Lexie said, tiptoeing to kiss her husband. “You’ll know soon enough.”
“Okay,” Rick said, pouting a bit.
Natasha chuckled, feeling sorry for Rick and grateful for Lexie.
“So what’s up?” Marilyn asked.
Natasha turned to Cassie. “How are we gonna do this?”
“Say it at the same time?” Cassie asked.
“Okay,” she said. “What do we say?”
“We’re pregnant,” Gavin and Carter said at the same time.
Shocked gasps came from their friends. Soon, they were surrounding them, giving their congratulations.
“This is so exciting,” Jade said.
“I know,” Erin said. “Ari’s team is gonna have a challenging time making my bridesmaid dresses with you girls being in different stages of your pregnancy.”
“It’ll be only you and me at your bridal party with flat tummies, Erin,” Marilyn said. “Unless you plan on getting knocked up too before the day.”
“No,” Erin said with a laugh. “I’m happy to wait until after the wedding to try for a baby.”
“I’m glad we’re all here today,” Marilyn said. “I can make an announcement of my own.”
Everyone stopped talking as they all stared at Marilyn.
“I just want to say that... Gavin is the new winner of our Captured by Love game!”
Everybody cheered, clapping their hands.
Natasha smiled, blushing a tad. She didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that the bachelor had to have proposed first to win. Marilyn could change the rules as she saw fit, anyway.
*****
“Who are you betting on for the next round, Marilyn?” Natasha asked as she reclined on a deck chair.
“I don’t know,” Marilyn said with a sigh. “We only have Tristan, Simon and Derek left, and I don’t really like the odds of any of those guys getting into any relationship in the foreseeable future.”
“What about Jarryd?” she said, watching her friend’s reaction closely. “He’s definitely single.”
Marilyn shrugged, shooting Jarryd an unfriendly—or hurt—gaze.
“Care to tell me what happened?” she asked softly.
Marilyn sighed. “I don’t really know. Four months ago he was so keen to go out with me. After I learned that you weren’t interested in him—which was the only reason why I was trying to avoid him—we went out for about three weeks.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“You know how it is. We wanted some privacy in the beginning.”
She nodded.
“I thought things were going well. We were getting along fine, having great sex, then when I started opening up more about my life, he just decided it wasn’t working.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she murmured, frowning in Jarryd’s direction.
“I do have an idea why he started to avoid me, but maybe I’m just thinking it so I’ll feel better about the whole thing.”
“What’s your guess?”
“Well, everything was great between us until I started telling him about my family. He seemed very interested at first. But when I confirmed to him that my parents are the Grants who own the company Grant Ace Holdings, that was when he said it wouldn’t work.”
“Did you ask him why?”
“Yes. He just fobbed me off, saying he didn’t think there was a spark between us. I don’t believe that. Sparks were flying left, right and centre when we got together—at least from my perspective. What I think is that he’s intimidated by the fact that I come from a very wealthy family. But you know me, Tash. I don’t give a toss about a guy’s net worth as long as he’s a decent person. And I’ve never given him reason to think I was looking for more from him when he only took me to movies and we didn’t go Gold Class, or when we ate at restaurants that were on the cheap side. I don’t care that he doesn’t own a Porsche or a Ferrari or any other luxury car. And so what if the apartment he owns is small? I didn’t mind any of those things. In fact, I had the best time with him because he wasn’t trying to impress me with money.”
“Maybe you should keep getting him to talk to you
about it?”
“It’s been two months and he acts as if whatever attraction he used to feel for me is completely gone. And maybe that’s the truth, and I’m just fooling myself so I won’t get too hurt by his rejection.”
She reached out for Marilyn’s hand and pressed it. “Then he’s obviously not the one. If he were, he wouldn’t have let you go.”
Marilyn smiled sadly and lapsed into silence.
She felt for her friend. Marilyn was a great person who deserved to find happiness. But even with her beauty, generosity and wealth, lasting love eluded her. Natasha could only hope things turned around for Marilyn soon in the love department.
Her attention was caught by Gavin walking towards her. “Is everything okay?” she asked, searching his face.
He grinned. “Yes.”
She smiled back, letting go of her worry. Gavin had been inside the house, talking to one of his detectives on the phone for a good half an hour.
He held his hand out for her. “Come.”
“Where?”
“Just over there.” He indicated a lovely area near a flowering frangipani tree.
She frowned but went with him. When they reached the spot, she heard a whistle. It was Carter, motioning for everyone to be quiet—and pointed towards them.
Then Gavin went down on one knee.
Tears immediately sprung to her eyes.
“My beautiful Tash, there was a period of time when I thought I was doomed to be lonely for the rest of my life, because if I couldn’t have you, then I’d rather not have anyone. But here we are—together, and about to have a baby. Nothing in the world could make me happier, except for you to be my wife and grow old with me. I love you so much, sweetheart. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she said with a sniff, beaming at him, as their friends applauded and cheered.
Gavin kissed her hand before he dipped into his pocket and produced the most beautiful ring.
Her eyes widened. “Where did you get that from?”
“I bought it, baby,” he said with a laugh as he slipped it on her finger.
“When?”
He grinned as he stood up and kissed her lips. “I ordered it three weeks ago and got it last week.”
“Oh,” she said with a happy smile. So he’d planned to propose before they’d found out she was pregnant!
“I wasn’t really inside the house talking on the phone,” Gavin said. “I went home to pick this up. After your news today, I thought it was a great time to do it. Plus, we get to celebrate with everyone.”
The Unforgettable Ex (Captured by Love Book 5) (Volume 5) Page 18