by Katie Dowe
“I am pregnant,” Caitlin whispered.
“In a procedure like this, we have to weigh the odds of the eggs not fertilizing and we took that into account. Four of them caught and I can safely say that you are on the way of carrying all four embryos.”
Caitlin did not feel any pain as Matthias clung to her fingers. “We are having the quadruplets?” she breathed.
“As long as you are monitored and do exactly as I tell you.”
“Anything.”
Matthias closed his eyes. “What’s the next step?”
“In a normal pregnancy, I would tell you to come and see me once a month, but with something like this, I am going to want to see you twice or three times for the month.” He looked at Caitlin with a small smile. “I am afraid you are in for quite a long several months, but I want you to know that I will be here for you day or night. If you feel anything that is fretful, I want you to call me.”
“If you are trying to scare me, doctor, you are doing a damn god job of it,” Caitlin said shakily.
“Not my intention,” he told her sincerely. “You will be fine as long as you do what I tell you.”
*****
His hands were locked tight on the steering wheel as he stared in front of him. They were going back to the publishing house, but now Caitlin felt like going somewhere just the two of them to celebrate. “Are we going to stay there for the rest of the afternoon?”
He turned towards her with a frown and she had a feeling that he had forgotten that she was sitting next to him. After his proposal of marriage a few days ago, he had not said anything to her about it and she had not asked. She was aware that all that had been on their minds were the results of the test that had been done a few minutes ago.
He took his hands off the wheel and leaned back against the leather seat, his hands opening to rub against his dark blue dress pants. Now that the reality of what he had asked her to do was staring him in the face, he was not sure he should have asked her or anyone for that matter to do something like that for him. He would be there for her in every way, but she would be the one doing all the heavy lifting, while all he would be doing was standing around helpless. Four children meant four times the risk and could probably mean risking her life as well!
“I promise that I will have all the resources available for you to go through this,” he told her tensely. He was not looking at her but was staring straight ahead.
“I get that, after all you are a very wealthy man.” Caitlin tried to inject some teasing into her tone to ease the tension, but it was not working. She was scared too, a little bit, but after putting her career first she suddenly realized that she needed this! The man, the children – oh please God, let them be okay! The children who would make up the family, the family she wanted to be her own with this totally unpredictable man sitting next to her! She wanted it more than anything in the world and she hoped he wanted it too.
He turned to look at her, his eyes examining every inch of her beautiful face. A light dusting of snow had fallen and the green sweater she was wearing accentuated her complexion and the golden highlights in her hair loose around her shoulders. She wore the necklace he gave her but beneath her top as she did not want to draw attention to it. “I am sorry,” he muttered.
She frowned at him. “I hope you do not mean what I think you mean.”
His hands clenched. “I was so focused on what I wanted, four children to become a family and I read up on it, on the risks involved, but I never focused on that part of it.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair restlessly. “I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you-”
“Stop!” she told him in a quiet but firm voice as she turned to him and took his hand in hers. “I went into this with my eyes wide open and I want this just as much as you do. We are going to stay positive and we are going to go through this together.”
He turned his hand and clasped hers. “God!” he whispered hoarsely. “This is really happening!”
“It is, and you are supposed to be strong for me. You are not going to fall apart on me, are you?”
“I do not fall apart,” he told her loftily with a shaky smile.
“Good.” She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it softly. “Because I am going to need you to be there when I tell my dad.”
Chapter 9
They had dinner over at her dad’s place for Christmas. Caitlin had decided that she would not tell him over the phone, she had only called to tell him that she was seeing Matthias and he had expressed his delight that she was. She had not said anything to her friends yet and they had not yet revealed their relationship status to anyone at work. He had not asked her about marriage again and she wondered about that, but at least he was coming with her to her dad’s so that they could share the news together. She had no idea how he was going to take it! He had been on her to find someone and not bury herself so much in work so she was hoping that he would be happy for her!
He had done all the cooking by the time they got there.
“Dad, I thought you would have waited until I got here so that I could help!” she protested as she hung up her coat and then took Matthias’ and followed him into the kitchen where the smell of turkey and stuffing permeated the air. The dining table was already set with a bowl of salad, cranberry sauce, and potato salad. There was even a foil container of pumpkin pie in the middle of the table.
“Go on into the dining room,” he said, shooing her out of the kitchen. “I got this.”
The conversation around the dinner table was based mainly around business and her dad showed his fascination for the galleries and museums that Matthias had invested in. Both men got along very well, and Caitlin was counting on that when she told him her news. She could only eat a small slice of the turkey and was happy that her dad was so deep in conversation that he did not notice, but she could see Matthias watching her intently. So far, she had only been having a few dizzy spells and faint nausea, but it was early days yet.
She waited until they had adjourned into the living room before she gave their news. “Dad, Matthias and I have something to tell you,” she began as he settled into his favorite chair with a glass of bourbon that he had also offered to Matthias.
He beamed as he looked at her, already anticipating the news.
Caitlin took a deep breath and plunged in.” I am pregnant.”
He stared at her for a moment, his eyes going to Matthias and then back to his daughter. “I see.”
“With quadruplets,” she continued, waiting for his reaction.
“What?” He blinked at her.
Matthias opened his mouth to say something, but Caitlin shook her head and then turning her head she told her father what she had done and how she had gone about doing it.
“Do you know the risks involved?” he asked her furiously, his accusing eyes going to Matthias. “You asked her to do this? Knowing the risks involved? Four children? What the hell were you thinking of, man?”
Matthias stiffened at the man’s tone but could not blame him for being furious. “I will be there for her-”
“Can you help her to minimize the risks?”
Matthias felt the guilt searing through him, the same guilt that he had been feeling ever since they had gotten the news. The same guilt that had been eating at him ever since they had left the doctor’s office. “No, sir.”
“She is my only child and the only family I have left-”
“Dad, stop!” Caitlin told him, seeing the agonized look on Matthias’ face and realizing exactly what he was thinking. “I am an adult and I made the decision to do this. We are going to be fine.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Dad-”
“Could you leave us alone for a few minutes?” Matthias asked Caitlin.
“I am not sure-”
“Please.”
With a warning look at her dad, she got up and left the room. Both men sat there silently for a moment. There was a fire in the small hear
th, giving the large living room a cozy lived-in ambience. A bookshelf was built in on the wall across from the hearth with several first editions visible from across the room. The man seated in the soft plush leather chair looked daunting and not in the least intimidated by the handsome billionaire seated across from him.
“I am not going to apologize,” Calvin Sharpe said coolly, his dark brown eyes studying Matthias.
“I don’t expect you to.” Matthias put his half-empty glass on the table next to him. “I explained to Caitlin why I need to do this, and she agreed. I know the risks involved and it scares me, but I am going to be there for her every step of the way.” He took a deep breath. “I have also asked her to marry me-”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Matthias ignored the rude interruption and continued. “I care about your daughter and I want a family which includes her and the children she will be carrying.”
“You do know that she is the only family I have, I take it?” Calvin asked him grimly. His fury was beginning to disintegrate, but he was still nettled.
“And in several months, you will be having additions to your family.”
The older man stared at him for a moment and took a sip of his bourbon. “Make sure she takes care of herself,” he said gruffly.
“I will make absolutely sure about that,” Matthias promised.
They both looked up as Caitlin came back inside the room. “Everything okay?” She looked from one to the other.
“We worked it out,” her father told her with a smile.
“Good.” She looked at Matthias and then her dad. “I really want this, Dad, and as I said before, I went in with my eyes wide open.”
Her father looked at them. “Congratulations. I understand that there is also going to be a wedding?”
Caitlin glanced at Matthias swiftly and he gave her a slight smile.
“As soon as we can agree on a date.”
“Don’t wait too long. The older the pregnancy gets, the less you will be able to move around.”
*****
He was silent on the way back to his apartment. He had asked her to stay the night and she had agreed because she wanted to be with him. They also needed to talk about their plans. Very soon she would be showing, and she was going to have to make an announcement at work.
He activated the electronic fire in the large living room and sat across from her, his dark eyes intense as he stared at her. “I have to go away by the end of the year, and I would like you to come with me.”
“Where?”
He settled back against the cushions before he responded. “I have acquired another gallery in New York and will have to be there a few days, maybe a week before the opening. The publishing house will be closed for the rest of the year until the New Year. I was thinking that we could go to the theatre and a couple of the art galleries. I want to show you my office and introduce you to some people.”
“Are you sure I am able to travel?”
He moved his shoulders restlessly. “I am going to have to clear it with Dr. Fritz, but I would really like you to come with me.” He got up and came over to where she was sitting and crouched down before her. “I have this fear that if I leave you alone something is going to happen, and I would never be able to forgive myself.”
“I could stay with my Dad.” She reached up a hand and brushed back his hair. He looked so serious and intense that she wanted to change that. She had fallen in love with him and as much as they shared something very intimate and she knew that he cared for her, he had never told her that he loved her, and she wondered if he knew how! “You don’t have to worry about me, Matthias.”
He reached up and took her hand in his. “I do,” he told her grimly. “I feel guilty about getting you into this-”
“Please don’t say it,” she begged. “Don’t spoil the moment by telling me that. I want this as much as you do, and I have already told you that.”
He nodded and got to his feet. “How about we turn in for the night?”
“Good idea.” She allowed him to pull her to her feet and lead her upstairs to his suite. He did not mention the wedding plans or a date, but they still had time to discuss that.
He made love to her that night with a gentleness that had her clinging to him and falling asleep in his arms.
But Matthias was not sleeping. He held the naked woman in his arms and stared up at the ceiling, his expression troubled. This was his first real relationship because he had never been able to get close to anyone in his entire life. He still had not told her the full story of his life because he had never been able to open up to anyone before. He had existed in a cold and utilitarian home where his parents had slept in separate beds. They had never touched each other and had never told him that they loved him. They had never said the words to him, but he supposed from the way they took care of him and made sure he had everything, he supposed in their own way that they loved him. Neither of them had ever read him a bedtime story and as soon as he could read, he had spent his time reading books under the covers even though he was supposed to be sleeping. His father had never sat him down and talked to him, only telling him that he should make sure he was capable of taking over the business one day and adding to it. At school, he hardly had friends because he stayed to himself and read some more. He would come home and work in the supermarket until it was time to go upstairs and do his homework. His entire childhood had been one of isolation and he had vowed that when he had children it would be different, but he was not sure about that. He had this warm, giving woman in his arms, in his life, and he could not talk to her much about anything personal. He brooded as his gaze shifted and he looked down at her with a slight smile. She was curled up in his arms, her hair partially covering her face. He lifted the thick strands off her face and brushed it back, his touch lingering. There would be no separate beds for them when they got married, and even when the children came, he would find time to spend with her, he was going to make sure of that! Now it was more than his success at business and the fact that he had more money than he could possibly use in this lifetime. Now it was time for a family and for him to put that family first! He was going to have to find a way to show Caitlin that he more than cared for her. He would take her out on dates and ease into the relationship. And he was never going to leave her alone for long periods of time. He had consulted with his realtor a few days ago and told her to look a house in that very neighborhood for him. He was planning on sticking around there because he knew that she would be comfortable there and he wanted a place where his children would be able to grow up in relative peace and safety. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes, a smile on his lips as he drifted off to sleep.
*****
But she could not travel, and he had to leave her. She had started experiencing severe nausea over the next few days, unable to keep anything down, and Dr. Fritz ordered bedrest until she was ready to go back to work.
He paced the length of the room for several minutes while she lay there watching his progress. She was more than content to catch up on some reading and get some rest, but he was troubled, and she did not want to say the wrong thing. Matthias Zeng was someone with very intense emotions and she was starting to see that. “I could stay,” he muttered as if to himself as he dug his fingers through his hair. “I could have someone represent me at the opening and stay with you.”
“That’s not going to happen.” She put aside her device and met his eyes. “I will be fine. I promise that I will stay the entire time in bed. My dad will be here, and he will relish the thought of waiting on me hand and foot.”
He frowned at that and she knew he was remembering her dad’s reaction to the news of her carrying quadruplets.
“It is my responsibility.” He pulled out his phone and made a call. “Maxine, how are you?” He listened for a moment, walking over to sit on the side of the bed. Caitlin already knew that Maxine was his assistant and a very efficient one at that. She had been in Ma
tthias’ office at the publishing house when he had called the woman several times and told her what to do. He had told her that the woman practically ran his life and he could not do it without her.
“What about the shipment of artwork that was due in yesterday?”
He listened again and tapped his fingers on the bed. “I have a situation here. What if we pushed back the opening to two more weeks? Can it be done?”
He looked over as Caitlin waved her hands to get his attention. “Yes?”
“You are not pushing back the opening. As far as I read just the other day, it is one of the biggest events in the art world and the press is already salivating over it. The artists are looking forward to it and you are not going to disappoint them because of some nonexistent problem.”
“Caitlin is right, Matthias,” his assistant told him. “We cannot push back the opening and you are going to have to be there.”
He said goodbye and hung up from her. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I am a big girl and you are going to have to trust that I can take care of myself,” she told him impatiently.
“I don’t want your dad to think that I am shirking my responsibilities.”
She got up and came next to him. He was so serious, she thought with a pang. His sense of responsibility was at the highest level and coupled with his sense of guilt that he had supposedly dragged her into her getting pregnant the way she had was weighing on him and nothing she could say to him was making it better. She used her fingers to ease the frown away from his forehead. “I will be okay. You can call me every minute to check on me and if you don’t trust me you can call my dad. I will be fine, Matthias, and it is time you realize that I am pretty damned able to take care of myself.”
“I know.” He leaned into her and brushed his lips against hers, fanning the flames. It had been four days since he had made love to her. He had been there when she brought up her meal several times while they were having dinner and his plan to take her to the movies and out for dinner had been shelved because she had not been feeling well! Her hormones were all over the place and they had been warned about that. He put his forehead against hers and breathed in deeply before lifting his head to look at her. “I will get back as soon as I am able, and I want you to try and eat something. Please.”