The Tycoon's Temporary Twins

by Holly Rayner

  Sophia leaned in.

  “Yes! It turns out she’s having twins! Do you think that will hurt our chances at the polls?”

  She gasped, realizing that he was talking to one of his political advisors.

  “Oh, that’s great news! You’re right—I think twins are much more marketable. They’re unique and can really set us apart. I think this is going to be a great development. Thanks, Marc. I’ll be in touch later today, okay? Great. Bye.”

  Sophia stared out at the room, counting down from ten. When Jed walked back in, he took one look at her and stopped where he was.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “You might want to close the door fully when you consult with your campaign advisors,” she spat.

  Glancing back at the door, he turned back to face her.

  “Oh that? It’s nothing…”

  “I’m sure. And I’m sure that you playing the paternal paragon this past week has had no ulterior motive behind it, either, right? I should have known that you would simply change tactics, trying to get me to fall for you instead of pushing me away. That’s what they say, right? You catch more flies with honey than vinegar? I suppose you realized that your time to woo me was running out, but you’ve been revealed, Jed Shields. I know exactly what your motivation is, and it’s not me or the babies.”

  Jed’s shoulders tensed at her words.

  “I suppose I won’t be given a chance to defend myself?”

  “Why should you? You even admitted to me yourself that all you’ve ever done is lie and manipulate people to get them to do what you want. It may have started working on me, but I see you for what you are: a snake oil salesman. Peddling what I want so that you can reap the benefit. I can’t even stand to look at you right now!”

  “Well let me help you with that, then,” Jed replied, turning from the room and closing the door firmly behind him.

  Sophia burst into tears. She had thought, just for a moment, that there might actually be something between them. She’d thought, perhaps, the Jed that she had fallen for so quickly all those months ago was a better man than she had imagined.

  Obviously not.

  A nurse walked in with her papers, a look of concern etched into her face. Sophia signed her forms and got dressed, not answering the woman’s unspoken question. She ordered a ride on her phone and headed downstairs, reminding herself that she now had two children to look out for instead of one, and she felt more scared and alone than ever.

  When Sophia walked through the door of her apartment, her phone rang. It was Jed.

  She battled with herself for a moment, not sure of what she wanted to do. Realizing that she was no coward that backed down from a fight, she answered the call before it could go to voicemail.

  “Yes?” she said.

  “I just wanted to make sure you got home okay.”

  “Don’t pretend like you care about what happens to me, Jed. I know it’s all a lie.”

  “It is not all a lie, contrary to what you wish to believe. Perhaps if you gave me a chance to explain myself, we could get past this.”

  “You mean give you a chance to lie to me so that you can go back to playing happy family for the populace? No thanks.”

  Jed sighed. He sounded weary and tired, and for a fraction of an instant, Sophia felt a pang of empathy for him. Then she remembered his phone call, and the anger rose up once more.

  “I’ve been called on an urgent business trip upstate,” he said.

  “And?” She asked, feeling more panic at the thought of him not being close by.

  Somehow she managed to hate and long for him all at the same time. It was the most maddening duality of feelings in the world.

  “And I wanted you to know. If anything else worrying happens with the babies, I would like to be informed.”

  “So that you can cover your bases in case someone asks for the papers?”

  “So that I can be sure that you and the children are okay. This is a trip that I have to make, and there is no time to waste. I ask you to inform me of anything, though I may not be able to respond right away.”

  “That’s cryptic.”

  “Yes, well. Perhaps someday I’ll be willing to tell you things without you jumping down my throat, assuming I’m full of lies.”

  His voice was heavy with sorrow, and for the first time, Sophia wondered if she was being too hasty in her judgement. Then she remembered all the times he had let her down over the past several months, and her heart felt cold.

  “Enjoy your trip, Jed. I’ll be here, alone.”

  “Goodbye, Sophia.”

  And with that, any spark of hope she had for them faded to black.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next week was one of the longest of Sophia’s life. More times than she could count she had picked up her phone, punched in Jed’s number, and let her finger hover over the call button, wondering what decision to make.

  She always shut off the phone and walked away.

  Why should she be the one to reach out, after everything he had done? She replayed their last conversation over and over in her mind as she lay uncomfortably on her side, her two children competing for her attention with somersaults and sidekicks. She alternated between anger and fear and loneliness, feeling completely lost.

  The truth was that there was a part of her that always wanted to forgive Jed, no matter what he had done. With every obstacle they had faced, there was still a sliver inside of him that showed he wanted to be more than he was to her. She could see it. She knew she wasn’t imagining things. Why did he have to be so aggravating?

  Sophia ordered some takeout from her favorite local Indian place, preparing for another quiet night in with her unborn babies. When the doorbell rang, she pressed her palms into the couch, carefully standing as she nearly waddled to the front door. Her due date was fast approaching, and it was more apparent every single day.

  When she opened the door, her heart stopped.

  Standing in her doorway, his dark hair sprinkled with melted snow, stood Jed Shields, looking terribly crestfallen. He looked so sad that she nearly wrapped her arms around him to give him comfort, but she stopped herself, unable to do anything but stare.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  Without a word, Sophia stepped aside, granting him access. He walked past her, the subtle scent of his cologne brushing against her heightened senses, making her long to touch him even as she kept her distance.

  Stupid hormones.

  Jed waited until Sophia closed the door behind her and turned to face him, his eyes heavy with a weight she didn’t understand.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  It was the pair of words she had been waiting to hear, and had imagined him saying a thousand times. Was she hallucinating?

  “What?” she breathed.

  It was hard enough breathing with two full term babies living inside her, but with Jed Shields offering a genuine apology, breath was nearly impossible to come by.

  “You look uncomfortable. Can we sit down?”

  He guided her towards the couch, still keeping a small distance between them.

  “I said I’m sorry. You heard correctly. I did a lot of soul searching this week and got some insight into a lot of things, and it made me realize that my behavior over the past eight months has been unforgivable, and yet you have persevered through my cruelty and stubbornness, and I didn’t deserve it. Not one bit of it.”

  “I…” Sophia began, stunned, but Jed held out a hand to stop her.

  “Please, if I can just get it all out?”

  She nodded, allowing him to continue.

  “Thank you. I have decided not to run for mayor anymore. I think that ambition has driven a wedge between us, and I don’t know if you could ever really trust my motives were we to go down that road.”

  “Isn’t that your dream?”

  Jed shrugged.

  “I don’t honestly know. I had something I needed to prove, but, fortunately, I d
on’t feel the need to prove that anymore.”

  “Where were you, Jed?”

  Sophia couldn’t believe his change of heart, his attitude totally repentant. Before he could answer, her belly lurched with pain, the babies suddenly very quiet.

  “Ah!” she cried, clutching her middle.

  “What is it?” Jed asked, his voice laced with worry.

  He leaned in and held a hand out as though to cradle her stomach, then he thought better of it, and allowed the hand to drop. Sophia felt a warm sensation beneath her, and she looked up at Jed with wide eyes.

  “I think my water just broke,” she whispered.

  “Let’s get you to the hospital,” he said, his thick eyebrows lowered with concern.

  He helped her up from the sofa, and together they made quick work of exiting the apartment and heading down to his car. Jed sped as fast as he could, his tires screeching as he pulled into a spot at the hospital.

  “Here we go, nice and easy,” he said, helping her from the car.

  Sophia grinned at him, though it came out looking more like a wince.

  “I’m not a horse, you know,” she said.

  Jed’s grin was lopsided.

  “I am well aware of that. Are you going to be so stubborn all the time?”

  “You should know the answer to that by now,” she said, hissing as another contraction came on.

  When they reached the maternity ward, they were admitted instantly, and Jed held tightly to Sophia’s hand as they evaluated her condition.

  “Eight centimeters. You should be ready to push soon, Sophia,” the doctor said, and she held Jed’s hand a little tighter.

  The time came to push, and as she did Jed coached her to breathe, wiping sweat from her brow as their children entered the world, each with their own perfect little cry.

  “A boy!” said one nurse.

  “And a little girl! One of each,” said another. “They’re beautiful.”

  They babies were cleaned up and weighed before being placed with their mother. Sophia cradled each tiny head with the palms of her hands as she beamed down at her children. Looking up at Jed, she saw his eager expression.

  “Would you like to hold them?” she asked.

  He nodded, and she carefully passed each child into his arms, watching his face glow as he stared down into their tiny faces.

  When he looked up at Sophia, he couldn’t stop smiling.

  “You were right, Sophia. A father’s love really is eternal. I’ve never felt anything so powerful in my life.”

  He gazed back down at his children, his eyes filled with wonder.

  “I will be here for you, forever,” he breathed.

  Tears of joy streaked down Sophia’s face at the sight of Jed embracing his children. She thought about asking him in that moment if he meant he would be there for the twins, or for all of them, but she didn’t dare. The moment was too perfect to potentially ruin with such a question.

  One of the nurses returned, slightly breaking the spell they had been under.

  “Most parents opt to have their babies spend the first night in the nursery, so they can recover. Would you like to as well?”

  Sophia and Jed stared down at their babies, and a tidal wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over Sophia. The thought of waking up several times that night after such an ordeal was not exactly appealing.

  “I think we will,” she said.

  The nurse nodded.

  “Sounds good. I can take them whenever you’re ready.”

  Jed sat in a chair next to her hospital bed so that they could say good night to the children together. Sophia held a tiny little hand with her finger, kissing each of the twins on the forehead before they were handed into the capable hands of the nurse. Sophia sat back, feeling an instant emptiness.

  “We have the rest of our lives to enjoy them, Sophie. Why don’t you get some sleep?” Jed said, his voice gentle.

  Her eyes already closing, Sophia nodded.

  “Maybe for just a minute,” she mumbled, before falling fast asleep.

  When Sophia awoke, the room was still darkened, though there was enough light to see. She tilted her head to the side, and found Jed asleep, his head on her bedside, his hand wrapped around hers. She watched him for a while, admiring his handsome face, basking in the glow of having her family together on the babies’ birthday. As though sensing her consciousness, Jed stirred, lifting his head from the bed. The side of his face was marked with sleep, and Sophia felt an urge to run her fingers along that skin.

  “Where were you?” she whispered, continuing their conversation from earlier.

  Jed sighed, stretching as he leaned back in his chair.

  “I went to visit my father,” he said.

  “You mean the cold, distant man that lives upstate and never talks to you?” Sophia said.

  Jed’s lip twitched.

  “That very one, yes.”

  “Why?” Sophia asked.

  Jed’s eyes were like moss in the muted light, but even as they were stunning, they were filled with exhaustion. Sophia figured they would have to get used to that sensation at some point.

  “After everything we had been though, it occurred to me that he might be the reason. I told you that my mother died when I was very young, and that I believe my father had some animosity towards me for it. I wanted to have the conversation I had been waiting to have my entire life. So I went.”

  “Was he there?”

  Jed nodded.

  “He was. I think he was actually pretty shocked that I went to go visit him. It was the first time I’ve ever done so voluntarily. The truth is, I haven’t spoken to him in years. When we conduct business, we do it through our assistants, so there was never any need, nor desire, at least on my end.”

  “Did he want to speak with you, all this time?”

  “I don’t honestly know. I sat him down the first night, and I told him about the twins. I think he was a little shocked. To his knowledge I had never wanted children, and that was true, of course. When I let him know he would be a grandfather, something in him kind of just…opened up.”

  Sophia listened with rapt attention. While Jed had opened up to her a bit the night they’d watched Jaden and Emma, this was the most he’d ever been willing to talk about his personal life. He continued with his story.

  “It started off a little rocky. I showed up at his door angry for washing his hands of me, for sending me off to boarding school to be bullied and basically forced to raise myself. I called him a failure for denying his parental responsibilities, for making parenthood seem like a burden, rather than a gift. Seeing my own children on the ultrasound made me realize the terrible impact he had on me, and how different I wanted to be.”

  “Wow,” Sophia said, smoothing the blankets on her lap.

  Jed chuckled.

  “Yeah, it started out pretty rough.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it finished that way, though,” she observed.

  Jed shook his head, his eyes foggy as he relived the exchange.

  “It didn’t. You can imagine my surprise when he took accountability for all of it. He told me that when my mother died, he fell into a deep depression, and that he felt as though he needed to protect me from his own poor attitude, so he sent me away.”

  “Do you believe him?” Sophia asked.

  Jed nodded.

  “I do. He finished the conversation by asking if he could be in his grandchildren’s lives,” he said, his eyes misting over. “He said he wants to be to them what he could never be to me.”

  Sophia squeezed Jed’s hand, only then just realizing that she was holding it again.

  “You forgave him,” she said, and he nodded.

  “I did. I told him that he would be a welcome member of our family. I would love for them to know their grandfather, and perhaps even learn more about who he is myself.”

  “I think that sounds wonderful,” Sophia said, smiling.

  Jed wiped at his eyes, not all
owing the unshed tears to escape.

  Taking a deep breath, Sophia finally opened the topic she had been most afraid to broach.

  “Now, when you say ‘family…’” she began, not sure how to express what she was really asking.

  Jed smiled as he scooted a little closer to her, cradling her hand with his.

  “You’re asking if I mean you, too?”

  “I mean, it’s crossed my mind,” she said in a false attempt at nonchalance.

  Jed caressed the back of her hand as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

  “Sophie, I couldn’t imagine doing any of this without you. You stood by me through my worst behavior, and you saw the good in me even when I couldn’t. I don’t know when it happened, but somehow between that night at the bar and now, I managed to fall completely and totally in love with you.”

  Sophia blushed, her cheeks hot at his declaration.

  She certainly hadn’t expected him to say that!

  “You are?” she asked.

  “I am,” he replied, leaning in as he kissed her.

  It was a cherishing kiss, filled with promise for a bright future for them and their children. When he pulled back, she held onto his face, smiling into his eyes.

  “I love you too, you stubborn old mule.”

  Jed grinned.

  “Name calling, already?”

  “You bet. You’ve got a lot to make up for after what you’ve just put me through this past year.”

  Jed squeezed her hand again, cradling her face as he kissed her again, and her defenses melted entirely away.

  “Why don’t I start by getting you a nice breakfast in bed?”

  Sophia laughed.

  “You spoil me,” she said. “But what I’d really like is a morning together with our children. We have to name them, after all.”

  “You bet. I’ll be back in a jiffy,” he said, standing to exit.

  He took a few steps towards the door before turning back around and kissing Sophia again. He kissed her until she began to giggle.

  “Would you stop getting distracted and go get our babies?” she said, smiling.