Raising his hands, cupping her cheeks in his palms, he said, “Let’s have a baby… start a family.”
She blinked several times, gauging his expression; words failed her.
Whoa. He’s totally serious.
He circled his thumbs against the arches of her cheekbones. “You disagree?”
She shook her head. “I… I hadn’t considered children yet, but the idea of giving you a baby excites me.”
“And that, my dear wife, is why I’ve busted butt with business deals over the last year. I want to stay closer to home when you do get pregnant and hopefully for our baby’s first year.” He lifted his head and kissed the tip of her nose.
“And that, my dear husband, is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I love you.”
Their first year together had been wonderful, even if Cruz had been swamped with work, and away on business much too often for Daniella’s liking. The steamy, passionate reunions always made up for time lost.
~~~
The thrill of having a baby and making love to Cruz slowly turned into an obsession. Daniella wanted desperately to tell him they were finally pregnant, but every time she thought maybe this was the month, her period never failed to show up. There were a few times she’d been certain she was pregnant. Tender breasts, nausea, fatigue—all symptoms of pregnancy. After several trips to her family physician, she’d been told she was not pregnant and that her symptoms were likely a side effect of her strong desire to be pregnant. In other words, it was psychological.
“You’re focusing too much on the idea of pregnancy. Relax and live a little, and then maybe it will happen when you least expect it,” Dr. Beaver stated.
Months had passed, and Daniella began to feel guilty. She often wondered if something was wrong with her… or maybe she couldn’t have children. She made another appointment with Dr. Beaver. They ran a battery of tests, including a Pap, hormone levels, and several other blood tests, which all came back normal.
“Well, Daniella, I think our next step is to send you to a fertility specialist. I can give you some recommendations if you’d like?” Dr. Beaver pulled out a prescription pad and jotted something down. “Here’s where I refer my patients. I’m confident they can help you and your husband. They have one of the highest success rates and one highly renowned fertility specialist.”
Daniella took the script Dr. Beaver gave her, slipped it into her purse, and headed back to work.
Eight months seemed like an eternity when living month by month, doing one pregnancy test after another. The biggest stress was the anticipation or hope of seeing a positive line form on the test, only to find negative results every time.
“Of course it’s negative! Why would I expect anything more.” Tears tumbled down her cheeks. She tossed the test into the wastebasket, vowing this would be the last one she’d do. She kept telling herself she’d have Cruz’s baby, eventually.
“Hey,” Cruz said as he stepped into their room. “You about ready to go?”
Stepping into the walk-in closet, she thumbed through her wardrobe attempting to hide the disappointment she knew he’d see in her eyes.
“I just need to get dressed. Give me a few minutes and I’ll meet you in the car.”
Big warm hands greeted her shoulders, his thumbs pressing and circling against her neck. “Mm. Need some help?” he whispered and slipped his fingers under her bathrobe and down along her arms causing the robe to pool at her feet.
“Meg won’t appreciate us strolling in late for dinner…” Her breath caught when his hands met and clutched between her thighs.
Biting her earlobe, he mumbled, “Damn, I love your body.”
“Cruz! We don’t have time. Now let me get dressed so we won’t be late.” She cupped her hands over his.
“This…” He dragged his finger up the center of her desire and she shivered with pleasure. “This is mine tonight.” His breath was heated and seductive.
Staying home sounded like a better plan, but Daniella decided they could also use a night out, even if it was only dinner with Meg and Falcon.
~~~
Daniella helped Meg clean up the dinner mess. She rinsed the dishes as Meg loaded them into the dishwasher.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight, Daniella. Are you and Cruz okay?” Meg closed the dishwasher and turned to face her.
Daniella shifted her eyes toward the ground, and her lower lip jutted out. “We’ve been trying to get pregnant, but it’s just not happening.”
“Whoa! Why didn’t you tell me, and how long have you been trying?”
“A good eight months, maybe longer.” Daniella dried her hands and tossed the towel on the counter. “My doctor did a bunch of tests and they were all normal. He recommended some reproductive medicine clinic, but I haven’t called yet.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Who’s your doctor?”
“Dr. Beaver.”
“Oh, yes. The good looking Dr. Beaver. He refers to our clinic, Daniella. Don’t be so disappointed. Make an appointment with me, or one of our doctors. You do know this is our specialty. Don’t you?” Meg reached an arm around Daniella and pulled her into a hug. “I can almost guarantee we can get you pregnant.”
Daniella pushed away from Meg’s embrace. “Really?”
“Sure can.”
“How would that work out? What would we have to do?”
Meg pointed to the couch. “Sit. I’ll give you as much information I can muster up.”
Meg sat at the computer and printed off some pamphlets. “This is the starting line.” She gathered the papers and took a seat beside Daniella. “Here, take these articles home and read through them. Most of it is on cycling and ovulation. By chance, do you know when your last period was?” Meg asked.
“About three weeks ago… but I’m not certain. My cycles have been erratic. Probably because I want to be pregnant so badly.”
“Why don’t you come in to the clinic this Monday? We can start by doing a full workup on you. A Pap, blood work to check your thyroid and hormone levels, an ultrasound to make sure you don’t have any blockages in your fallopian tubes.”
“Oh, but I had some of that done already.”
“We’ll get those records from Dr. Beaver and run additional testing,” Meg said.
”What about Cruz? Shouldn’t he do a sperm test?”
Meg stared at Daniella for a moment, but didn’t answer the question. She was obviously thinking about something, maybe more ideas, Daniella concluded.
“Meg?”
“Well, normally he would have to, but I doubt he’s the problem.” Meg stood and walked toward the kitchen.
What the heck is that supposed to mean? Daniella pushed herself up and walked into the kitchen. Meg stood in front of the window with a glass of wine in her hand. Daniella approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She could see tears gliding down the ridge of her nose. “Meg, what’s wrong?”
“I. Well. I was thinking about something that happened back when I was in high school. Sorry. I didn’t mean to up and leave at the mention of testing Cruz.”
“Something that happened—in high school—does it involve Cruz?”
“Stop.” Meg held up an open hand. “Don’t ask questions, please. Sorry. I’ll tell you… when the time is right.”
“Okay, but I still don’t understand what you said about Cruz and not having to test.”
“Let it go, Daniella. It’s usually the females that have a problem conceiving. That’s what I meant. Cruz will be checked too, if necessary.” Meg let out a heavy sigh.
Daniella had unsettled feelings. The evening had gone without a hitch until she’d mentioned she and Cruz were unsuccessfully trying to have a baby. Meg’s attitude changed after that. She hadn’t spoke to her much the rest of the evening.
“Meg, do you mind if I go lay down in the spare bedroom?”
Meg stopped typing and glanced up at Daniella. “No, go ahead,” she said and went back to whatever she was doing on the c
omputer.
The faint sounds of hands hitting a volleyball woke Daniella. She peeked out the window and chuckled at the sight of the competition between Cruz and Falcon. Man against man, diving, darting and jumping… whatever it took to keep from letting the ball fall on their side of the sandy court.
A nagging twist in her stomach had Daniella back in bed. She lay on her side, curled into a ball, rocking herself until the pain eased and she closed her eyes.
A warm finger tracing along her cheek woke Daniella with a start.
“You okay?” Cruz asked.
“Yeah, just a slight gut ache here and there, and I’m kind of tired still.” A faint smile spread across her lips.
Leaning down, Cruz softly kissed her temple and trailed a few more across her forehead. “We can go home, if you want.”
“No, no. I’m fine. Just let me rest a little longer.”
“Alright… if you say so. I’ll be downstairs playing pool with Meg and Falcon. If you’re not awake by the time we’re done, I’ll come wake you when I’m ready to go.” He gave her a brief hug and a peck on the lips.
“Okay. Tell Meg I’m sorry I’m no fun.” As if she’d been a real joy herself.
Cruz nodded as he left the room.
~~~
Daniella made her way to the basement. She was ready to go home and hoped Cruz would be too. She took the last step and went around the corner where the guys played pool. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Meg leaning down, her arm over Cruz’s back, her breast practically falling out of her top, as they were both bent over the pool table. Cruz made his next move, oblivious of Daniella standing near the opposite end of the pool table, when he turned right into Meg’s breasts dangling in front of him. Daniella hadn’t expected he’d even look and then blush and smile admirably at what he saw.
“Daniella!” Falcon startled her and drew his arm around her waist. He continued with up and down strokes along her back.
What kind of sick game do they have going on here? She wiggled, attempting to shrug his hand away.
Cruz took his turn and pocketed his last solid ball then glanced up at Daniella. “Hey, baby. You look tired. Are you ready to go?” He stepped away from the table, away from Meg, who acted as if her little showy display was no big deal. His disapproval of Falcon comforting her was evident when he pushed between them and wrapped her into a tight embrace.
“What’s wrong? You look like you’re mad at me,” Cruz whispered against her ear.
Daniella seethed. Her mood spoiled like rotten eggs and she wanted to fight. “Your eyes practically fell out of their sockets and landed in her cleavage. You might as well have buried your face in there, as close as you were. Mad? No, I’m boiling, Cruz. And… and… I want to slap you so bad!” She hissed.
He snapped her body against his and pressed his lips against her ear. In an angry whisper, he said, “That. Was. Not. My. Fault! I turned my head, and there they were. Yeah, my eyes were shocked, but not the way you described it. Now stop overreacting and let it go.” He released her and headed toward the steps.
“Everything okay?” Meg feigned concern.
When Daniella didn’t answer, but only moved past Cruz to leave, Cruz piped up. “Daniella’s not feeling well, but she’ll be fine. Thanks for the wonderful evening and we’ll do it again—at our house next.”
Okay, so maybe I was overreacting. No. Meg was certainly exposing her breasts to my husband. But maybe he smiled out of embarrassment.
Cruz caught her halfway up the steps, halted her by reaching his arms around her waist, and pulled her back into his chest. He pressed his lips against her ear and whispered, “Let’s go home and practice making babies.”
Daniella’s tummy tingled at his words. She had overreacted. Better to excuse the incident and take Cruz up on his offer.
16 - Trickery
Meg called several times coercing Daniella and Cruz to get their butts into the clinic. Daniella concluded Meg really was a great friend, even if she was a little too flippant, and flirty, and not just with Cruz, but any hot man that crossed her path. Falcon didn’t seem to have a problem with it, so why not?
They took that final step. Cruz did his part by giving his sample to the sperm bank while Daniella had a full workup: urine, blood, hormones, and an ultrasound of her ovaries.
At a follow-up appointment, Meg informed Daniella that all of her blood tests were normal and Cruz’s sperm count came back slightly low, but with artificial insemination by use of inserting a catheter into her cervix, she was certain they’d achieve pregnancy. Daniella and Cruz agreed to the procedure, and the date was set. Cruz had an upcoming business trip so they scheduled the procedure to be done in seven weeks.
Before they left the clinic, Meg supplied Daniella with a bag full of pregnancy tests. “They’re freebees. It’ll keep you out of the pharmacy and save you a few bucks,” Meg said. It was a kind gesture and Daniella vowed to use every one of those pregnancy tests before the procedure.
“Thanks, Meg. You’ve been so wonderful, and I’m thankful to have such a great friend.”
Meg stepped forward and embraced Daniella in a hug. “Friends. No, you’re more like the sister I never had. And… well, I love you and your husband very, very much.”
Daniella tensed.
“Oh, Daniella! Relax. You take things out of context. I love Cruz like the brother I never had. And yeah, I do like flirting with him, but it’s all in fun. If I’ve been a bitch before, it was only because I felt like you were stealing my best friend, my brother, away from me. I’m so over that and I totally love you both.” Meg squeezed her tighter.
“Aw, thank you. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and the love. I needed that. And… uh, I can hardly breathe so can you… uh… lighten up?”
Meg released her and they both chuckled.
~~~
Recalling her earlier conversation with Meg, Daniella decided she needed take advantage of a certain someone. She shed her clothing and slipped into a blue satin babydoll with a deep V cut down the front. The black silk ribbons tied in the center kept her breasts from spilling out. She felt sexy and naughty when she slid comfortably in bed without any panties. She leaned against the headboard and dove into the romance novel she started earlier. She was getting all hot and tingly reading a deliciously dirty part of the novel when the swishing sound of the bathroom door opened and interrupted her fantasy. She peeked over the book to catch a glimpse of Cruz wearing nothing but a towel wrapped low around his hips. She dragged her eyes over the fine definition of his lower abdomen, along his chest, shoulders, neck, jaw, his slightly parted lips and then clicked on his hooded eyes.
His towel slowly parted as he shimmied toward the bed. It disappeared when he slid in next to her. The book slipped out of her hand when his warm hands greeted the flesh of her belly. He slowly untied the bow, lifted the blue silk over her head and tossed it to the floor.
“Damn, Daniella,” he said at the same time he cupped the naked flesh between her thighs. He rolled her on her side. He pressed the warmth of his body tight against her backside, hooked his arm under her thigh and entered her from behind.
“You’re so we—Damn this feels good,” he whispered in her ear.
“D-Don’t stop… you… Mm.” She hooked her hands behind his neck.
He drove his thrust deeper and deeper. His movements turned aggressive when she tightened, panted and… “Oh… gawd… don’t ssttop.” She gasped. “Oh, don’t stop… keep… oh, right there, right—huh, huh—” He pulled her head back and kissed her deep and hard, keeping her from crying out as he slammed into her over and over, until their bodies shuddered in a state of bliss.
~~~
Organizing the drawer in her nightstand, Daniella picked up the scandalous novel she had been reading four weeks ago. “Four weeks!” She shook her head in disbelief. She dropped the novel into the drawer and closed it. There was no way she’d be able to read it and resist the urge to strip Cruz bare and
have her way with him. Not such a good idea at the moment, not when he was crabby… the same as he’d always been the day before he had to leave for a business trip. She cringed knowing he would leave in the morning and she’d be alone for three weeks.
The distress over being without Cruz for an extended period took its toll. By the time evening rolled around, long after they’d eaten dinner, Daniella developed a stomach ache. It clenched and churned and beads of sweat laced her forehead.
It was building, the liquid and then the urge— “I’m gonna… oh!” Daniella shot out of her chair and rushed toward the bathroom. “Gaaaa… Uhhhhh…” She threw up.
“Jesus, Daniella. Are you alright?” Cruz turned on the faucet and wetted some hand towels. Brushing her hair off to the side, he placed a cool cloth over the nape of her neck and dabbed her forehead with another.
“I’m okay. Just stressed to the point of… well, puking.” She grabbed a handful of toilet paper and blew her nose and then flushed the toilet before the sight of her upchuck would cause her to puke again.
Cruz scooped her up and carried her into their bedroom. After setting her down, she brushed her teeth, stripped, put on a t-shirt and slipped into bed next to Cruz.
He massaged her shoulders and encouraged her to relax.
“Mm,” she moaned. “Who’s going to make me feel better when you leave? And why does it have to be for three weeks?”
He nibbled along her neck and mumbled, “Hm. I’ll call every night, love. There’s a lot involved in zoning and constructing a new business mall. My father can’t be there, which leaves it in my hands.”
“I’ll never get used to this. You being away… But I do like the massages you give me. Mm… you’re making me… sleepy.”
“Come here,” he said and rolled her onto her side. The heat of his body against her back and the way he lightly dragged his fingers up and down her side lulled her to sleep.
~~~
Morning came and went, and so did Cruz. The house was too quiet, and the week dragged on and on! She wondered what her problem was anyway. It wasn’t as if Cruz had never been out of town on business before. Well, maybe not for three weeks, but still! This was pathetic.
Of Love and Deception Page 17