Henry walked back through the nursery and then through Grace's new bedroom, which she gawked at as she followed him on his way. She could hardly believe that she was going to be staying there.
As they passed a set of doors near the steps on the landing, Henry turned to look at her for a moment. "I suppose I should tell you that Oliver's rooms are here, between yours and Lance's. It didn't occur to me to tell you that, but now you know. I'm on the top floor."
She nodded and smiled, not letting any emotion show through, though there was plenty roiling through her. He had vanished from the house since their kiss in the gazebo, and she was worried about seeing him again. She followed Henry down the stairs and he walked with her to the door that went to the five car garage.
He walked with her into the enormous room and sitting before her in one of the bays was a brand new Mercedes sedan. He walked to the work table at one side of the garage and picked up a set of keys and then walked to her and handed them to her.
"It's yours. It is titled in your name. If you ever leave this house, you can take it with you. There is a car seat in the back to bring the baby home in," he told her with happiness bordering on glee.
She stared at him and could not speak.
"Actually, I got matching car seats for all of the vehicles so that we don't have to switch them out. All except my old classic down there at the end. That one doesn't have seat belts, so the baby will have to be much older before I take it for a ride in that." He winked at her again.
He looked carefully at her and then his smiled faded slightly into a frown and he tipped his head. "You don't like it?" he asked in concern.
She shook her head. "No, Henry, I love it. I love all of it so much. I don't know how to thank you... to tell you how much...." She covered her face with her hands and he reached for her and hugged her, patting her back gently.
"Now dear, this is all just material convenience. The real gift is the child that you are carrying and bringing into this world and into this home. It is the greatest gift any of us will ever have, and I know that already. There is nothing to compare to it. The rest of this is all just to make it easier and more fun. That's all. Don't feel overwhelmed by the things I've given you today. I know it's a lot, but it's not the most important thing. The baby is the most important thing, right?" he asked with an encouraging smile as he let her go and looked at her again.
"You don't need to thank me again; you've said it so much, and I know you are grateful for it. The purpose of it is to help you and to help all of us, and to make the easiest transition for you and the baby to live in the house, and that's just what's going to happen. In no time at all, we are going to bring that little one home to live with all of us here, and it will be the best time of all of our lives. You'll see.
“For now, you have a way to get around, here are the keys, it's insured so don't worry about that, and there's a gas card in the glove compartment that you should always use. We have a mechanic on call who comes to the house regularly to keep the vehicles well cared for, so you won't have that worry. Just enjoy driving it and drive safe." He stepped back from her and began to walk toward the door.
She watched him go and didn't try to conceal the tears falling from her eyes. He turned and smiled at her once more, giving her a nod of understanding, and then he left and she watched the door close, and she turned to look at the gift he had given her. It was brand new. There was less than a mile on it. He'd had it delivered to the house especially for her. She could not believe all the things he had done for her in so short a time, and all because of the little one growing in her. She climbed into the back seat and sat beside the car seat that was already strapped in and waiting. She had a little more than four months to go and he had the car seat strapped in. She laughed at his excitement, enjoying it.
She hadn't imagined that anyone would be excited about the baby, but she had been amazed at the men of the house she was living in. Amazed at Henry for all he had done and his love, generosity, and sheer enthusiasm. Amazed at Lance, for his utter lack of interest in his own child, and his immediate departure. No one had heard a single word from him since she had moved into the house. Then there was Oliver. She was amazed by everything about him, and she prayed that the wonderful bond they had built had not been lost because of the kiss they had shared.
Grace left the garage and went to look at her new room and the nursery. It was still an adjustment to live in the house, getting used to the new people, new life, new surroundings, and to imagine that she would be there for a long time to come, but she was doing her best, and she loved being there. She was sure that she was going to love being there for a long time, at the least until after the baby was born, and then she would have to see how things were. There were other people involved in the decision, and that was the only thing that would answer the question of what was to come.
Chapter Five
Two days had passed since she had seen Oliver, and she was really beginning to worry when she walked into the kitchen early on the third morning and saw him sitting at the table with a mug of hot coffee in his hands. He looked up at her and she could see that he hadn't slept much. He seemed tired and worried. In fact, he looked just like she felt, and relief swept over both of them as their eyes found each other.
"There you are! I've been so worried! Where have you been?" she asked in concern as she went straight to him. She wanted to hug him, but under the circumstances, she decided that would need to wait until they had ironed out their awkwardness.
He sighed as she sat down beside him and bit his lower lip for a moment before looking up at her. "Listen," he said with a sigh, "I'm sorry I had to stay away for a little while; I had so much to work out. First, I want to tell you again that I'm so—“
She stopped him. "Please don't say that you're sorry. Can't we just... let it go? Pretend it never happened and go back to how things were before? Wouldn't that be alright?" She felt bad asking that of him, but if he wasn't going to ever kiss her again, then she didn't want to lose the wonderful friendship they had found and built up.
His heart fell through the floor. She didn't even want to remember it; she wanted to ignore it right out of existence and pretend that it didn't happen. He realized then that he had misunderstood every little nuance between them. He had been the only one with stirring feelings of romance and desire, and she had just been trying to be his friend. He had gone completely over the line. The shame and embarrassment that he had felt when their kiss broke returned to him twofold. He looked down. She was being forgiving and letting it go. She was willing to forget it and continue as they had been.
Oliver looked back up at her. "You're quite a lady, Grace. Your name suits you well. Thank you. You're probably right. We should probably just... forget it," he said quietly.
She saw how dejected he felt, and she knew that there was something she could do to help cheer him up. "Hey! So, something changed around here while you were gone. I'd love to show you."
He looked at her in surprise and couldn't resist smiling at her. Somehow with just her little effort and her sweet happiness, all the worry and regret, all the remorse that had suffocated him for two days just seemed to evaporate.
"What is it that you want to show me?" he asked, grateful that she was willing to give him another chance to be friends. She held out her hand and he looked at it, smiling. The hand of friendship; redemption after his failure of temptation with her. He put his hand in it, admiring the perfect contrast of color between them, and how it was an ideal compliment. He rose up to his feet and nodded at her.
"You lead. I'll follow." He felt that the statement was applicable to more than just whatever they were going to look at. She smiled at him and led the way out of the kitchen to the garage, since it was on the first floor, and everything else was on the second floor.
When she opened the door he was stunned to see the new car parked in the first bay.
"You got a new car?" he asked in surprise.
"Your fathe
r gave me that car as a gift. He's incredibly generous. He has done tremendous things for me, and I'm so grateful," she told him in a soft voice. She still couldn't begin to wrap her mind around it.
He smiled at her and nodded. "He is a good man. He's the best man I know, and he was the best father I ever could have had. He'll be an incredible grandfather for this baby," he said finding his eyes lowered to her belly. He shook his head. "We don't know what happened to Lance. We're hoping it's a phase he will outgrow."
They both laughed and she walked over to the car, opening the back door. He crawled in and sat down, looking at the car seat. She walked around to the other door and climbed in opposite him.
"He also bought car seats for all of the cars here, except the classic. Each car has its own seat so they don't have to be changed. He's amazing. I can't believe him," she said happily as she leaned back and laid her head on the headrest and looked at the car seat.
"Four and a half more months," she told him with a quiet sigh. "I'm not scared about it anymore. I feel like it will be alright. Everything will be alright. We're going to all be so good here."
Oliver gazed at the car seat, listening to her speak. Four and a half more months and there would be a tiny human in that car seat. It would be filled with his niece or nephew. It would be holding a member of his family, one that would be living at the house every day. Everything he knew was so close to changing and as he sat there looking at the tiny empty space that awaited its precious cargo, all he could think was that it was Lance's baby that would be lying there, and not his. It was Lance's baby in her body. The thought lingered and scorched him every time it crossed the forefront of his mind.
"What else did you want to show me?" he asked. "There’s more, yes?" he asked, stepping out of the car and closing the door behind him.
"Yes, there’s more," she grinned. She led him upstairs, much to his surprise, and they turned right.
"Why are we going toward the old den?" he asked curiously.
"Old den?" she asked in confusion.
It was Oliver's turn to be confused. He wondered how she could be going that way and not know what she was going to. "Yes, my father's den is up here. It's the whole right wing of the house. It's his pride and joy; his man cave, as it were. He loves it in there. It's where he hides from the world when he needs to be alone and get some peace and -" He stopped.
They had reached the first door, and Grace had opened it up to reveal the bedroom, her new bedroom.
He stepped in slowly as if he was in a strange dream that he didn't understand. "Whoa...." he said quietly. "What happened to the den?"
Grace folded her arms across her chest and smiled with a little shake of her head. "Your dad changed it into a bedroom for me," she said softly.
Oliver whistled long and low, reaching his hand up to rake his fingers through his hair. He turned in a slow circle and took it all in. He had grown up going into the room to find his father, to talk with him and ask advice, to watch the occasional game with him, and to check on him late at night when the old man had fallen asleep in front of the fireplace.
He had believed that it would always be there, and now he was standing in a new place where an old familiar place had once been. "I'm amazed," he told her, staring at it all.
"There's more," she said with a smile.
He looked surprised. "More?"
She nodded. "More. Come on." She tipped her head toward the door at the far end of the wall. He followed her to it.
"There's a wall here. There never used to be a wall here. Why is there a wall there now?" he wondered aloud.
She opened the door and he walked into the smaller adjoining room. "A nursery..." he whispered, and a smile spread over his face. He walked over and touched the giant teddy bear on the top of the head, and then ran his fingertips over the old tricycle.
"This was his when he was a boy," he said in a low thoughtful voice.
"He told me," she said happily.
Oliver laughed a little. "He is so excited for this baby. It's going to be so good for him." He looked up at her. "It will be good for all of us."
She nodded and walked to the last door, opening it up and showing him the nanny's room.
"He's thought of everything, hasn't he?" he asked as he leaned his back against the door frame and looked at her. He looked so good standing there, relaxed and happy, lean, strong, masculine... it was all she could do to focus on being platonic with him just then.
"He said he's going to let me choose all of the furniture and decorations for the baby's room. So, I have to get that done soon." She looked slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of it.
He saw an opportunity to strengthen their friendship. "Would you like some help with it?" he asked her with a smile.
She looked hugely relieved. "Yes!" she grinned and gasped, "I would love help with it, thank you so much!"
"Hey, that's my little niece or nephew you are packing around in there. It's the least I can do." He laughed and felt better about how things were going between them.
She reached her hand up and tucked a stray strand of long black hair behind her shell shaped ear. "So the doctor is coming the day after tomorrow to examine me and he said that he can let me know the gender of the baby when he gets here. Would you like to be here for that appointment? You can hear the baby's heartbeat," she said shyly as she rubbed her fingers over the hard bump in her belly.
Oliver felt a grin spread over his entire face. "I would love nothing better. Thank you for offering me such a once in a lifetime chance."
The thought of being there to find out the gender of the baby, and to hear its heartbeat, was tremendous for him. He walked with her to the main bedroom door and he gazed at the massive bedroom, shaking his head in wonder at the changes taking place in the home, and in all of their lives.
"I'm glad to have you here," she told him as she closed the door behind them and they walked downstairs together. He nodded and slid his hands down into his pockets, determined not to touch her, not to look at her with a lingering gaze, and not to make her uncomfortable. He was going to do everything in his power to deserve the wonderful friendship she wanted to share with him.
Chapter Six
Things between Grace and Oliver seemed to be close to back to normal, although there was a hint of awkwardness in the air around them; they were overtly careful with one another. They spoke with a little more forethought, they made sure there was a distance between them – not so much that it was obvious, but it was wider than it had been. They looked away from each other more often, and when they shared a gaze, it was brief.
They were both being as careful as they could be, and they both hated it. It felt unnatural to Grace. She had loved the warm easy going way between them. She had loved that they could touch and talk and be near one another, that they shared lingering glances and special smiles. It felt strange to shy away from those things. It felt wrong to walk on eggshells around one another. It felt as if something important was missing, and it made her sad and lonely to think that all the things she liked most about herself with him were gone. It felt like they had broken something special and sweet and wonderful, and by the time the doctor showed up two days later, Grace had decided that she wanted it back.
The doctor arrived late in the afternoon. He came after he had closed his practice for the day, making the house call on his own way home. Grace had wanted to invite Henry, but he was gone on business and would not be back for a couple of days.
Dr. Hanson was shown into the foyer and Grace met him there, walking to greet him with a handshake. "Well, you certainly look healthy and well! Pregnancy suits you Ms. Jordan!" he said with a friendly nod.
He had seen her twice before at the house, and both times he had been congenial and friendly, and she liked him. She felt comfortable with him and was confident that he would be able to help her through her pregnancy and delivery with no problem.
"Shall we get started?" he asked, heading toward where her old room had
been. She waved at him and nodded toward the stairs.
"I've changed bedrooms," she told him lightly. He followed her up to her room and instructed her to lay on her bed and bare her baby belly. Just as she was pulling her blouse up over her belly, there was a knock at the door and Oliver poked his head in.
"Am I too late?" he asked worriedly. He'd been on a business call that had taken longer than he had wished.
The doctor shook his head. "No, you're right on time. Come in please!"
Oliver entered the room and went to sit on the opposite side of the bed beside Grace. She smiled up at him and reached for his hand.
"I'm so glad you're here." she told him, her dark eyes excited and shining.
He took her hand, running his fingers over it and smiled back. "So am I."
The doctor set up his machines and got to work examining her. It was only a few minutes later that they were hearing the baby's heartbeat slush through amniotic fluid into the speaker.
Oliver and Grace looked at each other in amazement and excitement at the sound: both of them wondering at the miracle of life that was growing within her. Dr. Hanson got the imaging machine turned on and began moving the wand over the hard mound in her belly. In the next moment, the image of the baby flickered on the monitor and both Grace and Oliver stared with wet eyes and wide smiles at the baby curled up before them. Dr. Hanson sounded pleased as he made notes and used his mouse to click different areas on the image displayed.
"It looks like you two are going to have a son!" he told them, not realizing that it was not Oliver's child.
Oliver felt like something had pierced his heart and his breath caught. He shifted his gaze from the monitor to Dr. Hanson. "Oh, it's—“
Grace reached for his hand and squeezed it, giving him a smile. "It's wonderful news, Dr. Hanson, thank you," she told him, and Oliver turned to look at her in surprise.
The Baby Shower Page 60