Songbird Freed

by Lisa Edward

  Slipping on my favourite red Christian Louboutin shoes that Cole had bought me, and nothing else, I walked out to the bedroom.

  “That’s it, we can’t go,” I told Cole. “Nothing fits anymore.”

  Cole’s hungry eyes ran over the length of my body as he sat on the edge of the bed in his pants, fiddling with cuff links.

  “Is it wrong that I am totally turned on by your body at the moment? Your curves are incredible.” He stood and slowly came over, cupping my breasts and giving them a squeeze. “Your tits are sensational.” He pressed his lips to mine. “So sexy.”

  I laughed. “Well I’m glad you’re enjoying them. They weigh a ton.”

  “I’d like to be enjoying them right now. The things I could do to them …” Cole ran his hand sensually down my cleavage. “Can I have some fun with them when we get back from dinner?” He asked, kissing them tenderly.

  “If you can find me something to wear, then it’s a deal.”

  Cole was like a man on a mission, pulling out everything in sight until he found an A-line red dress with a scoop neck. He handed it to me, grinning broadly.

  I pulled it on, still unconvinced that it fit properly. “Okay, that will have to do.” Maybe if I did something different with my hair the dress would be less noticeable. “Does my hair look all right?” I asked, pinning up the sides with a pretty clip.

  “I don’t know, babe, I can’t take my eyes off your tits.”

  We pulled up at my parents’ house right on time, but my butt was glued to the car seat. Deep calming breaths just weren’t helping. All my instincts were telling me to turn tail and run … fast.

  Cole watched my face, a bemused smirk on his. “I think they know we’re here, babe. I saw your mum peering out the window about ten minutes ago.”

  Shaking my head, I looked at Cole pleadingly. “Let’s just go. I’ll call them and tell them I wasn’t feeling well, so we had to leave.”

  The mirth in Cole’s eyes left as he took my hand. “I’ll be right there with you. We’re in this together, remember?” He bit his bottom lip playfully. “I’m the one who got you knocked up—”

  I slapped his chest. “Very funny.”

  He laughed. “Come on, you can’t hide from them for the next five and a half months. Besides, we can use this as a dress rehearsal for telling my parents.” He grimaced comically, making me laugh.

  “You’ll be making that visit on your own. Your mother will lynch me when she finds out.”

  “No, she won’t,” he said seriously. “Her days of controlling me and what I do with my life are over. I won’t let her ruin this for us.”

  My mother answered the door, took one look at me and shook her head with disappointment. Her focus shifted and her beaming face greeted Cole as she ushered us in.

  This was going to be a very long evening, but we were here for a reason, so I had to stay focused. As soon as I passed her, she placed her hand on my wrist, stopping me from entering the sitting room.

  “Seriously, Tara.” She shook her head again as she appraised me. “I know you’re dating Victor, now, but that doesn’t mean you can let yourself go, dear.”

  My mouth opened to respond, to somehow defend myself, but there were no words.

  “How much weight have you put on? You won’t hang on to him if you become all matronly.”

  Matronly?

  “Luckily,” she hushed her voice and leaned in, “I’ve heard of this wonderful new spinach and oranges diet.” She patted my hand reassuringly. “We’ll have you back in shape in no time.”

  I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer. “I’m not going on any stupid fad diet, Mother. I’m pregnant.”

  My mother left me for dust, entering the sitting room with a flourish to congratulate Cole.

  “When’s the wedding?” she asked, holding Cole’s arm. She turned to look at me over her shoulder. “Oh, this is wonderful news.”

  “We’re not getting married now, and I definitely don’t want a big extravaganza with a bunch of people I don’t know.” Well, that burst her bubble.

  “But don’t you want to get married?” she asked Cole with pleading eyes.

  “I’d marry Tara tomorrow, but she’s right. Now is not the time.” He reached his hand out to me, drawing me in beside him. “It’s too close to my broken engagement with Prue. It would just look like either I was cheating on Prue, or Tara tricked me.” He smiled down at me. “Which is definitely not the case. In the end, Prue would come out of it looking like the victim.”

  We took a seat on the settees, Cole and I on one, my parents on the other.

  “We need to wait for everything to blow over, by which time I’ll be huge, and I’m not getting married when I’m eight months’ pregnant.” I patted my bump, feeling the slight swell under my hand.

  Dad had been really quiet, just taking everything in. I looked over at him, hopeful that he wasn’t too disappointed in me.

  “But the intention is to marry one day?” Dad asked Cole.

  Cole squeezed my knee. “That’s been the intention since day one.”

  Dad smiled at me. “That’s good enough for me.”

  The one benefit of being pregnant was I could use it as an excuse for just about anything. When I didn’t want to eat the dried-out roast that my mother served, the pregnancy was giving me indigestion. When I’d had enough and wanted to go home, the pregnancy was making me tired. The truth was, though, the pregnancy really was making me tired, and by the time we arrived home I’d dozed off in the car.

  Cole shook me gently after turning off the ignition. “We’re home, babe.” He patted my stomach. “And baby.”

  I awkwardly climbed out of the low, sports seats. “I’m not going to be able to get in and out of your car soon,” I joked, stretching out the kinks.

  “Hmm, good point.” Cole twisted his mouth in contemplation.

  “It’s fine,” I told him. “We can use my car.”

  “I know. But this car won’t be any good when Sprout arrives. We can’t even get a car seat in the back.”

  He loved his car, and I really didn’t want him to trade it in for us, but I could tell from his demeanour that he’d already decided.

  This was the first of many changes we would have to make to our lives.

  As we made our way to the bedroom at the end of the hallway, I slowed outside the room that Cole had decorated as a nursery for Noah. Switching on the light, I looked around at the baby furniture and the mural on the wall.

  Cole closed in behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Did you want to redecorate, or do you like the carousel?”

  Reaching around behind me, I tucked my hand in the front pocket of his pants. “I love the carousel. Maybe we should wait to find out if it’s a girl or boy, and then decide.”

  “Sprout will be a boy. I’ve already told you we only have boys.” He kissed my hair. “But I’d love a little girl, a little princess who looks just like you.”

  At least I could still fit behind the piano, for the time being. I’d shopped during the day for a new black dress to wear at Songbirds when I played, saddened that the gorgeous Versace dress Cole had bought me was now too tight.

  As I finished my set and headed to the table where Cole and Nicole were seated, a young couple congratulated me. It was the first time anyone had stopped me to talk about the baby, and it took me a moment to register what they were congratulating me for. By the time I reached Cole, he was beaming at me, having worked out by my actions that we were talking about my pregnancy.

  “How did you know what we were talking about?” I asked, curiously.

  “Because every time you mention the baby your hand goes to your stomach, protectively. It’s adorable.”

  It was still half an hour until closing, but I was beat, so I made my apologies for not staying to tidy up. Cole wanted to come with me but I told him to stay and help Marcus and Nicole, knowing that he’d be home not that long after me.

  Walking across the parking l
ot to the car, a chill ran through me, and I picked up the pace. For some reason I’d been really jumpy lately, and I chastised myself for being paranoid and full of doom and gloom for no reason. As I reached the car and opened the door, I caught a waft of cigarette smoke and froze to the spot for a split second, before jumping into the car and locking the doors quickly. I knew it could be anyone outside smoking, as it wasn’t allowed inside the bar. Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone.

  “Don’t be stupid, Tara,” I told myself, “Patrick’s not here.” But I couldn’t help that eerie feeling that someone was watching me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  My first instinct was to go inside and get Cole, but getting out of the car was not an option, so instead I phoned him.

  “Hey, beautiful girl, miss me already?” He laughed.

  “Can you come outside please?” I asked nervously, “I’m still in the car park.”

  A few seconds later, Cole came out and jogged over to the car.

  “What’s up, babe? Car won’t start?”

  I wound down the window. “Can you smell smoke?”

  He sniffed the air and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so, why?”

  I needed to tell him. Whether he thought I was completely crazy was yet to be seen, but I had to tell him nonetheless.

  I sighed. “Okay, this might sound like I’m losing my mind, but I thought I saw Patrick the other day on the beach, watching me. And now I smell smoke which is what happened right before he attacked me … in this car park.” I looked at him, wide-eyed. “Am I going nuts?”

  He leaned on the open window, poking his head into the car. “Why didn’t you tell me, Tara? Fuck, babe, you could be in danger. You know the police don’t have a fucking clue where he is.” He ran his hand through his hair. “We’ve been in the papers lately. It might have set him off all over again.”

  Cole jumped in the car. The entire drive home he chewed on his lip, deep in thought.

  “I’ll call the police tomorrow, tell them he’s been hanging around, okay?”

  I nodded, knowing that it was the right thing to do. It was better to be overly cautious, especially now with little Sprout to consider.

  IT FELT like the weeks were flying by and before I had time to blink, it was time for my eighteen-week ultrasound scan.

  We felt like old hands at this, as we sat calmly in the waiting room, flicking through six-month-old gossip magazines.

  “You know, we still need to tell my parents,” Cole commented, not taking his eyes from the magazine. “I thought we’d just wait until we see them in a couple of weeks.”

  “Say what?” I spun around in my chair. “Why are we seeing them in a couple of weeks?”

  He didn’t even try to hide the bemused look on his face. “For the Christmas in July, the charity ball … remember?”

  My eyes narrowed at him.

  “We went last year, we’ll be going again this year.” He shrugged. “I’m their son, so I have to make an appearance, and you’re my … well, you’re the love of my life, so you have to come with me.”

  The scan was the last thing on my mind as the technician squeezed the gel on to my stomach. As he asked how everything had been going, my replies were one-word answers, as I tried to figure out a way to get out of going to the ball.

  “You’re coming with me, even if I have to carry you, kicking and screaming.”

  I looked at Cole out the corner of my eye, giving him my best grumpy face.

  He chuckled. “Please come with me. It will be the first time I’ve seen any of them since the whole Prue fiasco. I need your support.”

  “Argh, fine.”

  I had to go. Cole had supported me with everything that had happened in my life from the day I’d met him. Whether he agreed with my decisions or not, he had been there when I had needed him, and I knew this was going to be a difficult evening for him, to have to face not only his parents and Prue, but everyone who had been at the engagement party when he hadn’t turned up. They would no doubt have drawn their own conclusions, the gossip mill running ragged with speculation.

  “Of course I’ll be there to support you. Whatever you need.”

  The technician excused himself for a few moments, then returned with one of the doctors who worked there.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked, suddenly panicked as to why we needed a doctor for a routine scan.

  We were told there was nothing to worry about, but they would send the results straight to my obstetrician, and we should go there to talk to her that afternoon.

  “Bit cryptic,” Cole accused. “What’s the problem, and don’t tell us nothing, otherwise we wouldn’t need to go to see the doctor.”

  The doctor looked at Cole’s glare. I knew if he didn’t get the response he wanted, he would be standing in a moment, towering over the doctor until he got answers.

  “Ms O’Connell has a thin cervix. It’s quite common but just needs to be monitored, and there are some precautions that your doctor will explain to you.”

  I squeezed Cole’s hand, before he grilled the poor guy on what type of precautions.

  “Thank you,” I intervened. “We’ll see Dr Vincent after we leave here.”

  Dr Vincent called us in as soon as we arrived, letting us jump the queue of waiting patients, which was never a good sign.

  She put on her best bedside manner, smiling sweetly. “Now, there’s nothing to be worried about at this stage. What the scan has uncovered is called a thin cervix, which means we need to monitor it.”

  “Is there any risk to the baby?” Cole asked, asking the question that was on the tip of my tongue.

  “At this stage, no. If it worsens we can put a stitch in it and you will need to rest, but for now I would recommend no strenuous exercise, and just taking it easy.”

  “What about sex?” Cole asked, another question that was on my mind.

  Dr Vincent smiled. “Just take it easy, in everything you do.”

  As soon as we arrived home, Cole ushered me up to bed.

  “You need to rest,” he told me, pulling the quilt back so I could climb in.

  “I’m not an invalid, Cole. I just need to maybe stop going for runs and have a bit more down time. That’s all.”

  “Humour me,” he said sullenly, still holding the corner of the quilt. “We can’t lose this baby.”

  Cole got his way for the rest of the day. He waited on me hand and foot, bringing our dinner up to the bedroom on trays where we sat up like an old married couple watching television.

  “This is okay, isn’t it?” he said, flicking through the channels.

  “Yes, babe, it’s okay for one night, but I can’t do this for the next five months.” I sighed. “I know you’re worried—so am I—but I have a business to run, the show to do, just … stuff. I can’t sit here on my butt.”

  “I’ll do everything for you,” he countered.

  I smirked. “So you’re going to take my place in the show. I’m sure you’ll look a treat in the black and red corset.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I can fill in for you playing piano, and we can get someone to sing for the show at Reds. Sprout is more important than work, Tara.”

  He was right, of course. Sprout was more important than everything else we had going on. “Okay, how about you take over the piano gigs at Songbirds and I just sit on a stool and sing the songs at Reds? Deal?”

  “Deal.” He smiled, looking very pleased with himself. “Except for next Friday.”

  “Why not next Friday?”

  “Because it’s your birthday, and I’m taking you away for a relaxing weekend.”

  Cole wouldn’t tell me where we were going for the weekend. I tried to get an idea by asking what I needed to pack, to which the response was ‘not very much’. For Cole, that usually meant he was planning on being naked most of the time.

  Rummaging through my extensive French lingerie collection made me feel utterly defeated. Nothing fit any more, and if I did mana
ge to squeeze into it, it looked ridiculous. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, I took a really good look at my changing physique. I was only halfway through the pregnancy with a minimal baby bump, but I was already unable to recognise my once lean and toned body.

  Cole had been gone all morning, and I was just about to call him to cancel the dirty weekend I knew he had planned, when he came barrelling in.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, scooping me into his huge arms. “We’d better hit the road if we want to be there at a reasonable time.”

  “Be where, exactly?” I enquired casually.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, good try, babe. You’ll see.”

  Noticing my stuffed-to-the-brim overnight bag, he frowned. “What’s all that?”

  “That would be my clothes. You wouldn’t tell me what I needed, so I’m taking something of everything.” I looked around. “You’d better pack.”

  He reached up onto the top shelf of the wardrobe and pulled down a tiny little backpack. “Okay, I’m ready, let’s go.”

  The elevator dinged as we arrived at the parking garage in the basement of the building. I started walking over to Cole’s parking bay, but Cole’s car wasn’t there. Instead, there was a brand new, black Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. It was the sleekest SUV I’d ever seen.

  “So this is what you’ve been up to all morning,” I exclaimed as I walked around the car, taking it all in.

  “Yep, they called yesterday to say it would be ready to pick up. Perfect timing, really. We can take it for a good drive, see how it handles.” He popped the back and placed the bags in next to some grocery bags. “If we like it, we can get one for you too.” He chuckled. “We can have matching cars.”

  We climbed in. It was high and still a bit awkward as I wasn’t used to it, but so much easier to climb up into than down into Cole’s little sports car.

  “Ready?” he asked, grinning at me.

  “Let’s go.”

  An hour and a half later, after the smoothest car ride I’d ever been on, we arrived at Hepburn Springs. As we drove up to the Bathhouse and Spa, I looked around at the tranquil surroundings, it was the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate for a weekend. Cole jogged into the office while I got out to stretch my legs and look around. It was a shame I wouldn’t be able to go in the communal mineral spas, but I knew there were facials and massages and just about every indulgence on offer here.