Renee started to protest, but decided instead to slip her tongue into his mouth while she pulled him down on top of her so that they could take each other over the edge.
~~~~
Later that evening they called everyone to let them know that they had returned home. It was still early evening and they were both very hungry.
“I’m going to check to see what’s in the fridge. I can make us some sandwiches and vegetable chips if that’s okay with you,” Renee said to Elliott as she exited the bedroom.
“I’ll make the sandwiches and you can just rest for a bit,” Elliott said.
Renee got to the kitchen first and saw that Liza had left a note on the refrigerator. It read, “I figured you two would be hungry after all that “sightseeing.” I made some chicken and vegetables before we left last night, and some corn muffins.” She signed her note with X’s and O’s.
“Yeah, I gotta tell you babe, chicken and vegetables sound way better than sandwiches right now,” Renee laughed as she pulled the casserole dish and muffin container from the fridge. Elliott agreed.
“Yeah, it really does, and I’m sure probably a little bit more substantial for you.”
After they ate, Renee called Liza to thank her for the delicious food that she cooked and for everything that she had done. “We had such a good time in Hawaii. It’s truly paradise, but I am happy to be home.” Renee promised to call her later in the week.
They finished unpacking their luggage and afterward Elliott went into his office to review emails and Renee washed and put away the dishes. Just as she was putting the last plate into the cabinet, Elliott stood behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. He whispered in her ear, “Come to bed soon.”
Renee turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Elliott bent his head so that he could capture her lips with his. She said, “Okay. I just need to read through a couple of emails and let Genie know that I’m back.”
Elliott reminded Renee that he didn’t want her working too much and that she should take things easy. “I promise. Just a couple of quick emails then a shower.” Elliott went into his office to finish downloading some documents while Renee went into her office space down the hall and checked her messages.
After reading the last of her messages, Renee went into the bathroom and showered. After she finished showering and moisturizing her skin, she slipped into bed. She had intended to do some reading in her Kindle, but fell asleep shortly after getting into bed.
Elliott came in shortly after she fell asleep. He quickly showered and then got into bed. Not wanting to awaken her, he gently kissed her ear and spooned her. Renee felt Elliott settle into the covers. In a sleepy voice, she said, “You know, I meant what I said, too. I don’t you overworking either.” She felt his smile in the back of her neck. She rolled over on her side so that she was facing him.
He kissed her eyelids and then her lips. “OK, baby. But don’t worry about me. I’ve got a couple of big cases that I’m working on, but I can delegate parts of it to the paralegal, so that will help a lot.”
She wrapped a smooth thigh around his leg and suckled his bottom lip. “OK, but remember, just because I’m pregnant doesn’t make me incapable of doing anything. I can still run my business and take care of the house. Let’s just promise each other to not overdo it.”
He smiled at Renee’s attempt to make a compromise. He pulled her closer and said, “OK, we’ll both take it easy.” She was soon snoring softly as he held her.
Chapter 9
Everything was going very smoothly since Renee and Elliott had settled into being a married couple. Her pregnancy was going very well and she was now at five and a half months.
She went over to Kayla and Mik’s apartment. Mik had already left for his rounds at the hospital and Kayla was preparing breakfast for herself and Renee. Kayla asked, “So, what time is your appointment with Dr. Middleton?”
Renee was relishing in the flavor of the yummy egg-white omelet. After she finished chewing she said, “It’s at 1:00. Oh my goodness, baby, this breakfast is delicious. Looks like you really were paying attention to me all those years while I was cooking.”
Kayla laughed at her mother and said, “I’m not nearly as good a cook as you, mom. But I’m glad you like it. I was talking to Mik and he said since you are 5 months along, the doctor would be able to tell you if Matt and I get a little brother or sister. I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!”
Renee finished off the last few morsels of her breakfast. She laughed at Kayla’s enthusiasm and said, “Yeah, your dad and I are both very excited to see what’s going on in there. The little one has gotten to be very active lately. Renee glanced at the time on Kayla’s microwave. She stood up, showing off her definitely protruding stomach.
Kayla said, “Awww, mom, you look so cute with your tummy all growing and stuff.” She laughed and said, “Soooo, you think you might be willing to let me come over and raid your closet for a few pieces to wear . . . just until you’re ready to have them back, that is?”
Renee smoothed her hand over her expanding stomach, laughed and said, “OK, missy, you can come over any time and get whatever pieces you want, but trust me, I will be able to fit back into my clothes in no time flat. Anyway, I need to get back home. Elliott is coming to pick me up for the appointment.”
Kayla walked Renee to her car and said, “Now, mom, please call me as soon as you get home. You know all this waiting around to find out what you’re having is too much for me.”
Renee promised Kayla that she would call her ASAP. They hugged and Renee got into her car and drove home.
~~~~
About five minutes after Renee arrived home, Elliott strode into the kitchen, where Renee was finishing a glass of water. He had met with a couple of high-profile clients and was dressed in a dark navy suit that fit his lean, muscular frame perfectly. His long, confident stride, along with the sexy smile that he gave her made her pulse quicken.
Renee smiled as he walked over to her and said, “Hmmm, I don’t know if I should let you out into the world looking so good.” She gave him a soft kiss and then walked into the living area to get her purse.
He smiled wickedly as she walked toward him. Her belly and hips were nicely rounded, and her breasts were full and plump. Even though she wore an outfit that was not tight – soft, light blue denim jeans and a lightweight cream-colored elbow-length tunic – he knew exactly what she looked like beneath her attire.
“You look good enough to eat.” he said. “Are you ready to find out what we’re having? I just got off the phone with Mom and she wants us to call her as soon as we find out. I can honestly say I think their heads will explode if we don’t find out something today.”
As they walked out to the car, Renee said, “Tell me about it. I have received text messages from everyone. Kayla was about to lose it when I left a few minutes ago. What about you?” You ready for this?”
He started the engine and said, “I’ve been ready for this.”
~~~~
Elliott settled into the chair while the sonography technician squeezed gel onto Renee’s stomach. “How have you been feeling? Have you noticed any changes or had any concerns since your last visit with Dr. Middleton?”
Renee replied “Not too many changes. I feel fine, but I do get really tired. My clothes are getting tighter by the day, though,” she chuckled.”
The sonographer replied, “Well, you’re at the 5 month mark now, so it sounds like you’re progressing along just fine.” She placed probe onto Renee’s stomach and looked at the monitor as she pressed various keys on the keyboard. She asked, “Have you felt any kicks or movements?”
Renee said, “I started really noticing a lot of movement within the last couple of weeks. They were light and fluttery in the beginning, but seem to be getting stronger daily. Are you able to see what we’re having?”
The sonographer was silent for a bit as she looked at the monitor and pressed keyed information into
the computer. She shifted the probe onto different areas of Renee’s stomach.
Elliott asked the sonographer if she could see what they were having. Both he and Renee watched the screen and the sonographer intently as they waited for her to tell them the sex of their baby.
The sonographer removed the probe from Renee’s stomach and said, “I’m going to have Dr. Middleton to come into the room.” She exited the room before either of them could speak.
Renee’s pulse started to race and she could feel a lump start to form in her throat and tears stinging her eyes. “Elliott, I’m scared. Why didn’t she tell us? Something’s going on.”
Elliott was holding and stroking Renee’s hand. “Don’t worry, honey, everything is going to be fine. The doctor will . . . “
Before Elliott finished speaking, Dr. Middleton came into the room and immediately sat down at the machine, picking up where the sonographer left off.
By this time, Renee had tears forming in her eyes because she just knew that he was about to tell them something they didn’t want to hear. In a small, sobbing voice she said, “Please just tell us.”
Dr. Middleton, noting both of their concern, immediately turned to Renee and Elliott and reassured them that everything was fine and that they had absolutely no need for concern.
Turning the screen to them he pointed to the image on the screen. He said, “Here, you can see the baby’s head, arms and legs, and here you can see the heartbeat.” He adjusted the resolution on the monitor so that they could both make out the image clearly. They saw the baby shift slightly and they breathed a sigh of relief.
Renee said, “I was so scared Dr., but why didn’t your sonographer just tell us and show us when we asked her?”
Dr. Middleton continued. The sonographer wanted me to confirm something. He moved the probe slightly. “As you can see on this image, you have a replica of what I previously showed you. Here is the baby’s head, arms, legs, and right here is the heartbeat. Looks like you two have mastered the art of making twins.”
Renee was stunned and Elliott was beaming. Elliott said, “Seriously, you’re telling us that we’re having twins . . . again? What are the odds of that happening?
Dr. Middleton chuckled and continued looking at the monitor. “It’s pretty common. Given your history of already having twins, it’s not surprising at all. From what I see, both are developing very nicely. Would you like to know the sex of your babies?”
After fully absorbing what Dr. Middleton said, Renee managed to clear her head enough to finally speak. “So, everything is fine with them, Dr. Middleton? You don’t see anything that we need to be worried about? I mean, at my age, there’s the risks that we talked about, right?” Even though she was ecstatic about the babies, she was very anxious about the possibility that there could be genetic problems.
Dr. Middleton gave Renee a towel to remove the gel from her stomach. He said, “Your baby boy and girl look perfectly healthy,” he said with a smile. “If you’d like, we can schedule you for genetic testing to check for abnormalities. Physically, your babies are fine.”
After Renee finished removing the gel, she pulled the robe around herself and tied it with the attached belt. “Did you say a boy and a girl?” She looked over at Elliott and said, “We’re having a boy and girl, again. How is that even possible?”
Feeling elated, yet still wanting to appear cool and in control, said, “Well, I guess anything can happen when it comes to having babies, right Doctor? I mean, there are no hard and fast rules that apply.”
Dr. Middleton looked over his glasses at Elliott and replied, “You got that right. One of my number one rules is that with having babies is to be ready for any and everything.” He finished examining Renee and asked her again if she wanted to have genetic testing.
After a brief discussion with Elliott, they both decided to have the testing done the following week. “Even though I know everything is fine, it would just put all negative thoughts aside. I just want to really be able to enjoy this time without any worries.”
Dr. Middleton agreed with their decision and the testing was set up for the following week.
~~~~
The following weeks went by quickly with Renee keeping herself busy spreadsheets as well as scoping out potential locations for space for a salon in the Beverly Hills area. Elliott had been splitting his time between working at the office when absolutely necessary, but was spending most of his time working from his home office. Even though it made everyone somewhat irritated with them, they decided to hold off on telling them they were having twins until after all the testing had been completed.
When they received the call from Dr. Middleton that the genetic testing results showed that everything was perfect with the babies, Renee felt that she could finally concentrate on other areas of their lives without her mind drifting to negative thoughts.
“Let’s celebrate,” Renee said. “How about we have lunch at Spago, and later this evening we can invite everyone over and give them the news.”
“Mom called already and invited us over for dinner this evening,” Elliott replied. “She said if we don’t tell them what’s going on, she is going to lose it. She said we can come over anytime, but she fully expects us there with a full report.”
Renee laughed and said, “Yes, we can do that. When I talked to her yesterday, I swear, she ready to absolutely come through the phone line and strangle me. I’ll call the kids and tell them to meet us over there, and I’ll see if Kim and Robert would like to ride over with us.”
After Renee had contacted Kayla and Matt, and invited Kim and Robert for dinner at Elliott’s parents, she called Liza with the news about the twins. “I can’t wait to see you,” Liza said. “I knew everything would be fine. I’m just so glad that now you can really relax, enjoy getting fat, and having healthy babies for everybody to spoil.”
“Speaking of which,” Renee said, “when will you, Joe, and the kids be able to come back? When you guys get here next time, we can all just hang out without any major plans to make, and you can really take in the sights. Maybe we can even take a trip up to San Francisco. You’ll love it there.”
After they talked more about possible dates for Liza and her family to visit, Renee called her dad and Sharon to let them know that everything is fine and to extend to them standing invitations to come and visit anytime they wished.
~~~~
As Renee and Elliott were finishing their lunch at Spago, Jonathan Hall was entering the restaurant. He was meeting with a very high-profile client. Before he was shown to his table, he saw Renee sitting with a man. She looked very beautiful in an effortless way that seemed to somehow be lost on many of the women that were typically seen in LA. She looked soft and glowing. She was sitting with a man who, for all appearances to Jonathan, appeared to be more than a casual acquaintance. Just as Jonathan reached their table, Elliott had finished paying for their lunch and the couple stood up to exit the restaurant.
“Hello, Renee,” Jonathan said, his long strides carrying him to Elliott and Renee’s table before they could leave. When he arrived at their table, he could see that Renee’s glow came from her pregnancy. He was hoping that he appeared outwardly casual and friendly, because on the inside he felt an unwelcomed sense of jealousy upon seeing Renee with Elliott. Beautifully pregnant and married.
It took Renee a moment to remember Jonathan, but she quickly recovered and said, “Hi, Jonathan.” In order to keep any uncomfortable silence from happening, Renee quickly said, “This is my husband, Elliott James.” Elliott and Jonathan shook hands and cordially greeted each other.
Renee continued, “Jonathan was in Vegas during the same week as Liza and I. I’m sorry, but I don’t know your last name, Jonathan. How has work been? I think you told me you’re an architect?”
Jonathan chuckled and said, “The last name is Hall, and business is going very well. And you’re close. I’m actually in commercial real estate. I really want to apologize again for running into y
ou in front of the gift shop.”
There was something about Jonathan that made Elliott really not like him. The fact that he was obviously attracted to Renee was highly annoying to him, but there was more. Something in the man’s demeanor was off-putting. Elliott said, “Well, as long as Renee and the twins are fine, that’s all that matters.”
After a few more minutes of pleasantries, Renee and Elliott left Jonathan at the restaurant and started on their way back home. As Elliott was pulling the car away from the restaurant he said, “So, I don’t recall you mentioning that you made any friends on your trip to Vegas. Or that anyone almost knocked you down while you were there”
Elliott’s tone and body language conveyed his irritation. Picking up on Elliott’s tenseness, Renee replied, “I really forgot all about him. I think I saw him twice while we were there. My train of thought was all about getting back here, so I was not focused on some random person.”
Elliott’s demeanor and tone of voice changed as he glanced over at Renee. He knew that she didn’t intentionally forget to mention Jonathan, but he still couldn’t help being irritated. A seasoned attorney, Elliott was well-versed in reading people, even when they thought they were being subtle. There was something about Jonathan’s attitude, the way he looked at Renee, his challenging glare, and the fact that he specifically told Renee that he would see her again soon, that let Elliott know that Jonathan was no good.
“Dammit,” Jonathan thought to himself as he exited the restaurant after his business lunch. Not only was the woman he hadn’t been able to get off his mind really married and not fake married, she was also pregnant with twins. When he got home later that evening, his thoughts turned to Renee and how sexy and beautiful she looked in Vegas and earlier today at the restaurant. He thought about the things that he could do to her and the things she could do to him. All of those things that could have led to him being the reason for her presently luscious and ripe body. He also knew that Elliott had picked up on his attraction to Renee. Her marital status did not matter to him. He wanted her for himself, plain and simple. He slipped into bed, grasped his throbbing shaft and stroked it. “Ahhh, Renee,” he groaned, as ecstasy overtook him and sent him over the edge.
A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) Page 10