Damn. He’d hoped they could get past last night without rehashing it, but that didn’t look likely. “Hey, if this is about that thing ...”
“What?” She sounded confused, as if she’d been deep in thought when he spoke. “A thing?”
“Never mind.” Maybe he shouldn’t assume that just because their momentary lapse in judgment was foremost on his mind, it was also on hers. “You’re quiet tonight. Is something wrong?”
Her gaze darted to his face then back to her plate. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“The baby isn’t moving.”
Rio shrugged. “So, he’s giving you a break.”
“All day. He hasn’t moved all day. Not once.”
“Is it because of what we —”
“No!” She cringed. “Sorry. I’m sure there’s no correlation.”
“Okay. Do you want to talk about it?” Please say no.
“Do we have to?”
In the light of day, their foray into a more intimate relationship seemed far away. Maybe she felt the same way. “I’m good. You?”
“Ouch.” She winced and rubbed both sides of her stomach. “Actually, I’m sort of having pains.”
Oh, hell. “You’re in labor?”
“I don’t know. It’s too soon, but maybe. It’s not like I’m an old pro with this, you know. Dr. Krieger said something about bands tightening, but this feels sharp.”
He could hear the worry in her voice and had to tamp down on his own fears. “How far apart? The book I read said —”
“I don’t know. Three minutes, maybe. It’s not like I’ve been timing them.” Kate was obviously agitated, and he wasn’t helping with his questions.
But three minutes? That was close.
“Okay. Let’s don’t panic.” While everything inside him screamed panic, panic, panic, Rio faked a smile. “We’ll call Dr. Krieger and see what she says. I’m sure it’s ...” Labor. Oh, hell, I’m not ready for this. “... perfectly normal.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Hey, thanks for being so calm. That really helps.” She gave a self-conscious laugh. “I thought you’d freak and to tell you the truth, I’ve been sitting here going a little crazy.”
If Kate was that concerned, maybe they were way past a phone call. No way he was delivering a kid. “We should go to the hospital and get you checked out. Just in case.”
“Oh, God. You think this is a bad sign too.”
“No. Just playing it safe. Neither one of us has any experience with this so having a professional assess the situation is the smart thing to do.”
“Okay. You’re right. ” She took a deep breath, nodding. “But I should take my go bag just in case I have to stay. Would you get it and my purse out of the bedroom?”
“Sure.” Rio didn’t rush until out of Kate’s line of vision, then called to alert whoever was on security detail and took the stairs two at a time. He didn’t check to see which twin had the Land Rover ready and didn’t care. He was too focused on getting Kate to a medical facility.
* * * * *
Somewhere between Kate sharing her concern with Rio and rushing to the car, the pains eased. But that didn’t account for the baby being so still. That was still a worry.
Rio kept glancing at her, his brow furrowed as they passed through the gates and onto the main street.
All that without encountering the press.
“Did you see that?” Kate pointed behind them.
“See what?” Rio asked.
“Exactly. No reporters. Do you think they’ve finally given up?”
He shrugged. “I hope so”
Kate heard a faint jingle. “Hand me my purse. I think that’s my phone.”
Rio produced it, and she dug out her cell.
Dean. Bad timing, but she couldn’t afford to alienate the only sibling still talking to her. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Just checking in. Thought you’d like to know I aced a big test last Thursday. My professor posted the grades online tonight.”
“Ooh.” She breathed through a new stab of pain. “Um, that’s ... great.”
“Wow, Kate. Your enthusiasm is underwhelming.”
She heard the hurt through his sarcasm. “I’m glad. Really. Impressed and ... proud of you. It’s just that —” Ouch! She shoved the phone into Rio’s hand and concentrated on breathing.
“Who is this?” he demanded, then relaxed his jaw. “Listen. Kate can’t talk right now. We’re headed to the hospital.”
He ignored her frantic head shaking.
“Yeah, maybe. We’re not sure yet, but it looks like this could be it.”
Oh, man. Dean would probably race to her side now, worrying unnecessarily. She hadn’t meant to involve them in this, didn’t want them to think of this baby as hers. She groaned in protest.
Rio ended the call. “The pains are closer now?”
“No. I’m upset with you. Why did you tell him? It’s bad enough that I have no say in where I live and am carried around like some invalid. But now you’re involving yourself in my personal relationships too? Why can’t you just back off?” Kate fought away angry tears and huffed away when Rio tried to place his hand over hers. “I can take care of my own life and have been for some time.”
This was too much. She’d had enough of his high-handed lord-of-the-manor attitude. Enough of his smoldering glances and sexy grins and making her want him. Enough, period! If he so much as disagreed —
“I’m sorry if I overstepped.”
Well, that was irritating when she was geared up for a fight. She gauged his sincerity and found it genuine. Phooey. “Oh, all right. I apologize for snapping at you.”
“Understandable. You’re stressed.”
“You’re assuming again.”
“I think it’s a given.”
She gritted her teeth. “That’s not the point.”
How could he stay so calm when everything in her was screaming for everything to stop for a second and let her catch her breath? “It’s not your place to decide what to tell my brother. I don’t need him seeing or treating this birth as something that affects our family in any way.”
“I get it. Won’t happen again.”
Still too upset to form a civil reply and suspecting he was humoring her, Kate remained silent until she had to talk to the emergency room staff about forms and symptoms. Though it irked her to admit it, even in secret, there was something comforting about Rio’s equanimity.
She’d seldom been able to share the load with someone else, let alone rely on them to carry their portion. Even when her dad was alive, he’d been on the road most of the time, trucking loads here and there, trying to keep food on the table. She could still remember him giving her big bear hugs that made her giggle. Then he’d set her down and say, “You’re such a good girl, Katie. I’m counting on you to keep an eye on the boys while I’m away, because your mom is feeling poorly again.”
He couldn’t quite meet her eyes on that last part. If it had bothered him that the boys weren’t his blood kin, that his wife couldn’t keep her legs together when he was away and was about as useful as a pressed penny, he’d kept it to himself. So, she’d followed his example, stood straight and kept going on the memory of those arms holding her tight.
Having Rio’s steadying presence here now, supporting her, was attractive. Way more attractive than his looks and voice and the feel of strong arms around her again. So attractive, he should come with a neon sign flashing above his head that read danger!
Apparently, Rio or the bodyguard twin had called ahead and alerted the hospital, because the wait was miniscule in the emergency room. Then again, it looked to be a slow night in the ER. In what Kate figured had to be record time, she was shown behind a curtained exam area, her vitals taken and recorded.
“You want me to wait out here?” Rio hovered just beyond the curtain, only his head poking through the opening.
She shrugged, not wanting him to know how
much she wanted him to stay. “You can stick around for the inquisition, I suppose.”
Rio stepped in just as a man wearing blue scrubs, who looked like a cross between Santa Clause and a grizzled mountain man, entered from the other side. Along with him came a whiff of antiseptic and coffee. “Kate Morrisey?”
“That’s me.”
“Then I’m in the right place. I’m Dr. Dempsey.” He glanced at Rio. “And you must be the —”
“Rio Hawthorne.”
Dempsey showed no recognition of the name and turned back to Kate. “Can you describe the pain you’ve been experiencing?”
“Sharp. Stabbing.”
“All over, like a band tightening around your stomach, or localized?”
“I’d say it’s localized. Down, um ... low.” Maybe having Rio stay wasn’t such a great idea after all. Pregnancy questions could get personal fast.
“They’ve been coming pretty close together, doc. Is she in labor?”
“That’s what we’re trying to determine here.” Dempsey was both polite and dismissive at the same time. “How long have you been experiencing these sharp stabs, Kate?”
“Off and on for several weeks, but today they were more intense, closer together, and kept coming.”
“Any bloody show or sudden gush of liquid?”
“No. Nothing like that. A feeling of pressure earlier, but that’s eased. The baby hasn’t moved all day.”
“When was your last exam?” He placed his stethoscope in his ears and touched the round disk against her belly.
“Last week, but I saw Dr. Krieger for an ultrasound yesterday.”
“Routine?” He repositioned the stethoscope several times.
“Requested by the parents. I’m a surrogate.”
Recognition dawned across his features. “Ah, that’s why your name sounded familiar.” He patted her hand. “Well, the baby’s heartbeat is strong. He or she has been enjoying a long nap. The pain you’re experiencing is probably the normal process of your body preparing for the birth. The pelvic bones spreading apart can cause discomfort of this sort. The uterine muscles contract in preparation. But let’s take a closer look, shall we? I’ll have the nurse bring you a gown to change into and we’ll check to see if you’re dilated, make sure everything is as it should be.”
In rubber-soled shoes that resembled gardening clogs, he left as quietly as he’d arrived.
“I should ...” Rio gestured toward the curtain opening.
“Yeah. I’ll have the doctor send for you after, if you’d like.”
After the exam and Dr. Dempsey’s assurance that she was not in labor, Kate felt foolish in the extreme. She redressed quickly and joined Rio in the waiting room. “False alarm. No baby tonight.”
Rio’s shoulder’s fell and his cheeks puffed out a relieved breath, surprising her. “Thank goodness.”
“Why you big faker! Here I was thinking you were such a rock, and all the while you were as nervous about this as me.”
A sheepish grin creased his face, making him look years younger. “Maybe more. I am so not ready to take charge of this baby yet. But you were worried and upset, so I didn’t think you needed to see me the same way.”
“That’s really ... sweet.”
He made a sound of disgust. “Is not.”
Kate laughed at the indignant look on his face. “Is too.”
“Not. It’s ... logical. Practical.”
“And sweet.” She stepped closer and looped her arms around his neck, happy for once that she had an excuse to do so. “Sweep me off my feet. Doc says in all this excitement, I’ve been on them too much today.”
“That’ll be a first.” Rio mumbled under his breath and lifted her with ease.
“First what?”
“First time I’ve swept a woman off her feet.” His eyes were close now, his gaze boring into hers, but in a way that made her want to dance with joy.
“I find that hard to believe, Mr. Hawthorne. Either you’re being way too modest, or the women you’ve encountered have been blind, deaf and dumb.” Halfway through her little speech, Kate could have sworn she heard a click or two. A quick glance around proved there was no one but the young, blonde receptionist who’d checked them in, her head bent over a book.
She’d been targeted by the press long enough that she was becoming paranoid. Thank goodness they’d lost interest.
Kate was mentally celebrating a clean getaway when Dean burst through the door and rushed to her side.
“Is the baby coming?’
Her explanation had barely begun when Zach entered, his dark brows drawn tight over concerned blue eyes. Seeing her surprised expression, his became annoyed. He stopped behind Dean, shoulders hunched and stuffed his hands in his pants pockets.
“Zach.” Kate couldn’t suppress her surprise. “You came.”
He shrugged. “Dean needed a ride.”
“Right. Well, thanks for driving him over, but I’m fine. No baby tonight.”
“Kate?’ Rio’s voice held a note of cautious concern.
“Rio, these are my brothers.” She made introductions all around, reassuring Rio with a smile.
“Nice to meet you both. I’d shake, but as you can see, my hands are full. Let’s take this back to the house, shall we? Zach, we’re in the black Land Rover.”
“We’re in an older model Accord with a spoiler and tinted windows.”
“Nice.” Rio nodded. “Stay close and you can enter the gates behind us.”
Kate was surprised to see Zach acknowledge Rio’s instructions with a nod. She hadn’t wanted her brothers involved with this baby’s birth in any way, but now that the scare was over, what harm was there in having them over for a while? The chance to see Zach and try to mend the rift between them was too rare to pass up.
Zach’s gaze raked over Rio as he carried Kate, but if he had questions, he didn’t voice them.
* * * * *
They made it back to the car and through the gates of Hawthorne House free of incident or paparazzi interference. Kate heaved a sigh of relief as they stopped beside the house.
“You okay with this?” Rio asked, while hefting her into a carrying position. “I was so focused on making a clean getaway from the hospital, I didn’t think to ask.”
“It probably doesn’t make sense to you after my earlier position, but I’m glad you invited them over. I’ve been trying to reach out to Zach for awhile, but this is the first time he’s shown any interest.”
“It’s your business, so I won’t pry, but that was genuine concern on both their faces. Obviously, you mean a lot to them.”
Kate shrugged. “They think of me as more of a mother figure than a sister. Sometimes it was exhausting ...”
She shook her head. No need digging into the past now.
Rio’s gaze was sharp, assessing, but he didn’t comment. He carried her inside, one of her twin bodyguards preceding them into the house, opening doors. While they were good at their job, she wouldn’t miss the feeling of caution and impending doom their presence brought.
“Is the security really necessary?” Zach asked, frowning as Rio lowered Kate to the sofa.
“It is. The press is conspicuously absent today, but it’s usually more like a celebrity sighting,” Rio answered as he straightened.
“Yeah, Zach. You shoulda seen them at Kate’s place the other day. It was intense, like they were expecting some rock star to appear.”
Kate suddenly had a vision of Zach leaving before she had a chance to talk to him. “Dean, Rio, would you give Zach and me a few minutes, please?”
“How about a cup of coffee?” Rio asked Dean.
“Yeah, sure.” Dean ignored Zach’s glare and followed Rio out.
Zach perched on the seat of a stuffed armchair, looking like he wanted to bolt. She couldn’t blame him. “Zach —”
“Don’t worry. I’m not here to infringe on your precious freedom, okay? Dean was worried. He needed a ride. End of story.”
&
nbsp; “Thank you for coming, whatever the reason.” She wasn’t buying his cut-and-dried story, but tread lightly so he would stay. “I’m glad you’re here so I can set the record straight.”
“No need. Really.” He held up both hands as if warding her off, though she hadn’t moved toward him. “I got the message loud and clear the first time.”
“I overstated because I was scared, Zach. I’m sorry that I hurt you. Sorry I made it sound like you were a burden I couldn’t wait to get rid of. Afterward, I realized that, in an effort to make my feelings known, I hurt you. Badly.”
“Whatever.”
“No. Not whatever. You’re my brother and a grown man. And I love you. I talked to you like an adolescent who’d done something wrong. None of what happened to us, the situation we were in, was your fault. Or Dean’s, for that matter.”
“You had a lot on your plate. I get that.”
“How could you not? I practically screamed it at you. But I didn’t tell you what a big help you were. I should’ve acknowledged that then. You were, Zach. Those last few years, we all pulled together to make it. I wanted you to know that I know you sacrificed too and appreciated your efforts to pull your weight. It’s one of the reasons I knew you’d make it on your own. If only I hadn’t been so angry —”
“And why was that, Kate? What was so wrong with me wanting us to stay together? It made sense financially, to share the house, didn’t it? Were you that desperate to leave us behind?
“No. Of course I wasn’t, but we all needed some independence. Staying in that situation wasn’t healthy for any of us.”
“And you couldn’t let the separation happen naturally for Dean and me. Gradually, through college life.”
“I’ll apologize for the delivery. I’ll apologize for hurting you. That’s on me. But I will not apologize for not wanting to wait another four years for my life to start. What about me, Zach? Can’t you see my side of this too? Good grief! I was only seventeen when I took charge of you guys.”
“God. You sound just like Mom. Me, me, me.”
Kate sucked in a breath, dread clutching at her lungs. He really did despise her.
“That was low, Zach.” Dean stood in the doorway, a scowl focused on his older brother. “Kate doesn’t need this or deserve it. If you’re going to be an ass, let’s just go.”
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