Grayson: Twins (Members From Money Book 22)

by Katie Dowe

  “I never told anyone,” Avia used the napkins to carefully wipe away the grease from her fingers. “He was a rakishly handsome older man, very charming and very persuasive. He was my voice coach and was going through a divorce. I told him specifically that I do not date married men and he told me that it was just a matter of the courts granting them the divorce. He convinced me and before long I opened my legs to him and we were going at it all the time. I neglected my lessons and started to fall in love with him. It turned into months and I asked him about the divorce and he kept evading the question until his wife came to the studio one afternoon and confronted both of us. He denied that we were together.”

  “What did you do?” Morgan whispered as she stared at her friend.

  “I left that afternoon and never looked back and the next coach I hired was a woman. It was then I decided never again. My heart will remain intact and I will remain in total control.”

  “Not everyone is like that Avia.”

  “I'm sure there are some good men out there but I'm not interested in finding out. I always tell myself that if I get married it will be for life and as far as I can see it doesn't last. People end up hating each other.”

  “For example me.” Morgan said in a subdued voice.

  “I'm afraid so darling.”

  “So if Grayson tells you that he's fallen in love with you and wants you to be his wife are you going to tell him no?”

  “He's not going to ask.”

  “What if he does?” she persisted.

  “I'll tell him no.”

  *****

  In his apartment in New York Grayson had just stepped out of the bath and was vigorously rubbing the water from his skin as he went back into his bedroom. He stopped short as he saw who was sitting on his bed. “Amelia, I wasn't expecting you.” He wrapped the towel around his trim waist and came into the room. “How did you get in?”

  “The guard from downstairs remembered me and I told him you were expecting me.” She uncoiled her long legs and came towards him. “I missed you, darling.”

  “You have to leave.”

  “Why?” she pouted.

  “Because I want to be alone.”

  “Grayson please! I want us to get back together and be a couple again, and more.”

  “I'm with someone else.”

  “You're lying. I haven't seen anything in the papers.”

  “That’s because there's a baby involved, so we're staying clear of the press.”

  She stared at him incredulously. “You got someone pregnant?”

  “Yes.”

  “You bastard!” she cried out. “You slimy bastard.”

  “Watch your language,” he told her coldly. “Now leave or I'll ask one of my guards to escort you out.”

  She looked at him for a moment and then with a sob she ran from the room. Grayson tunneled his fingers through his hair and went to the sofa. He reached for his phone to call Avia but decided against it. They weren't in that kind of relationship. At least not yet.

  Chapter 7

  “Is everything all right Henry?” Grayson asked him anxiously as he examined Avia. She was six months pregnant and had started showing a little bit. She'd started back at the club and had taken Selena into her confidence about Grayson, warning her that it shouldn't come out until they'd decided that it should. Grayson hadn't wanted her to work, especially those late hours but she'd told him that she was an adult and could take care of herself. He had secretly put a guard on her to make sure she got home safe. He had also persuaded her to meet his mother. “Why?” she'd asked him.

  “Because you're carrying her grandchild.” So they were on for dinner on Saturday.

  “The baby is healthy and the heartbeat is strong. I'm assuming you want to know the sex.” He looked up with a twinkle in his faded blue eyes.

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  Doctor Whittingham looked from one to another. “We want to know the sex because we want to know what colors to buy and how to decorate the nursery,” Avia said with a smile as she looked at the doctor.

  “It could be a surprise.” Grayson told her.

  “I hate surprises, don’t you?” Avia asked looking at the doctor. “And besides, I'm the one carrying the baby so I get to choose.”

  Henry looked at Grayson and he nodded in defeat. “It’s a boy and a girl.”

  “What?” both of them stared at him in shock. “I'm having twins? I don’t have twins in my family.”

  “I do,” Grayson said slowly as he looked at her in a daze. “My father was a twin, but his brother died when they were still babies. I'd forgotten about that. Mother is going to be thrilled.”

  “I'm thrilled, darling!” Avia raised herself up and pulled his head down before he knew what she was doing and took his lips with hers in a deep kiss that had the good doctor almost blushing. She released him, not realizing the spot she'd placed him in. “Now I'm getting two babies at one time. It’s perfect.”

  “Another thing,” Henry began.

  “You are not going to say it’s triplets are you?” Avia asked him. “Because that would be even better.”

  “No.” Henry laughed. “You're going to have to stop working at seven months.”

  “Oh crap.” She sighed heavily. “Why exactly?”

  “You had a problem before and I don’t want you to have a premature birth.”

  “I want her to stop working now,” Grayson said.

  “I'm not going to stop working now,” Avia said firmly. “I'm going to take it easy until I'm in my seventh month.”

  Henry looked at Grayson and he nodded, almost biting off a sigh.

  “Get dressed and meet me back in my office. Congratulations.”

  “How do you feel about twins? You never said.” Avia asked him as soon as they were alone and he was helping her to put on the chic blue and white dress she'd worn. He had used his private plane to take them to the doctor as soon as he'd persuaded her that it was a good plan.

  “I'm thrilled,” he said distractedly.

  “You don’t sound thrilled,” she pointed out.

  “I am.”

  But when they were heading back from the private hanger where his plane was kept and he was driving her back to her apartment that he told her what was on his mind. “I think we should get married,” he said casually.

  She turned to stare at him and then out the window at the passing scenery. “Why? Because I'm having two children instead of one?”

  “Because I want to be there for them.”

  “You're going to be there for them and I have no intention of marrying you because I'm carrying your child.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not?” She turned around to face him. “Have you seen the divorce rate? I have no intention of putting our children through a very messy divorce and custody battle. With your billions you certainly have the upper edge.”

  “It doesn't have to end in divorce,” he told her tightly, hating that she was so unaffected by all this. It had gotten to the point where he couldn't bear to be away from her from long periods of time.

  “Why? Because we're so in love with each other?” she asked sarcastically. “News flash darling, even people who claim to be head over heels in love with each other are fighting messy battles in court and the children are caught in the middle.”

  “I have friends who've been married for years and are still together.”

  “I get it. You mean the members of the club you are also a member of and those wives of theirs who seem to control the world. It's early days yet.”

  “How did you get to be so cynical?”

  They'd stopped at her apartment parking lot and he put the car in park. It was Saturday afternoon and the place was flooded with cars. It was also summer so there were children running around with parents behind them.

  “I have eyes Grayson and I'm smart enough to know that marriages don’t last.”

  “I want my children living with me,” he felt
as if he was losing a very huge battle and was grasping at straws.

  “Really?” She gave him a scornful look as she made to get out of the car.

  He gripped her arm before she could leave. “I mean it, Avia.”

  “So sue me,” she told him coldly and pulling away she got out and slammed the door shut. Grayson thought about going after her but realized that it wasn't the right time.

  *****

  Morgan had called Avia and heard the upset in her voice and had come straight over.

  “Want to tell me what has you so upset?” She said as she flopped down next to Avia on the sofa.

  Avia looked at her broodingly. She'd been seething ever since she'd left Grayson in the parking lot and it hadn't gotten any better. “Grayson asked me to marry him.”

  “The bastard! I hope you tell him exactly where to shove his despicable offer.”

  “Very funny,” Avia said dryly as she automatically rubbed her belly. The twins were raising a ruckus inside her womb. She wondered fleetingly what it would be like to have Grayson with her at night for them to experience the joy of their children together. “I'm having twins. A boy and a girl.”

  Morgan stared at her friend in shock. “Darling that’s wonderful. Isn't it?”

  “I almost kissed the doctor on the lips and give him a little tongue when he told us. That reminds me. I'm going to have to decorate the nursery,” she fretted a little bit. “Or I'm going to have to move. I only have two bedrooms and they're each going to need separate rooms with different color schemes.”

  “Or you could go and live with Grayson Whitfield,” Morgan said casually.

  Avia looked at her friend sharply. “You're not helping.”

  “I'm your best friend and I've learned a lot from you over the years. You always tell me the truth no matter how much it hurts so it's my time now. He's a freaking billionaire. I know you have money saved up but that’s nothing compared to what he can offer these children. He has a right to them as much as you do Avia.”

  “I'm not marrying him.” She said stubbornly.

  “Okay so how about living with him then. For the children’s sakes?”

  “How is that any different than marrying him? I love this arrangement we have where we both have our space. He comes over and we're with each and have this wonderful meeting of bodies and then he's gone. I'm not trading that for living with a man who's probably going to leave in a few years.”

  “How do you know that?” Morgan insisted. “How do you know that this won't be the one that'll work?”

  “For a woman who's been kicked around by men and left to wither you sure are a supporter,” Avia said as she got to her feet and headed to the kitchen. Suddenly she had the urge for butter pecan ice cream and she remembered buying a carton two days ago. She pulled the box out of the freezer and took out two spoons. “Want some?”

  Morgan shook her head no. “That was mean.”

  “I'm mean,” Avia came and sat back down next to her. “I'm sorry darling but I'm not in the best mood right now. I don’t believe in marriages, Morgan. And I think getting married for children’s sakes is the worst thing that one could ever do. I'm not doing it.”

  *****

  Grayson brooded into his drink. He'd gone to his apartment to think and to make plans. So she wanted to play hard ball? Well she had no idea what the hell she'd gotten herself into. He was a powerful man with money at his disposal and he could fight her and win. He could damn well take the kids from her and hire the best nannies there were. He tossed down the liquor with a grimace and realized that he would never do that, not to her or to them. He wanted her to be his wife and the mother of his children. She'd become so important to him that he'd started making plans for less traveling and for putting down roots. The house where his mother lived was huge with lush grounds and various fruit trees. The gardens were a landscaper’s dream and the pool was large enough to hold a hundred people or more. She'd been saying she wanted to move into an apartment because the place was too big for her. He closed his eyes as he thought about getting Louis to decorate the nurseries. Light blue for their son and peach and lilac for their daughter. He visualized them; his daughter with thick black curls and dark brown eyes and his son with hazel eyes like his. He could imagine his daughter getting her mother's melodious voice and singing in her room. He wanted a future with them but she had gotten what she needed and she wanted nothing else. The sex was just an added benefit.

  His phone rang just then and he grabbed it thinking it was her but it was his mother.

  “Darling I hope I didn't disturb you but I want to tell Pete what to prepare for Avia. Is she still nauseated by certain foods?”

  He closed his eyes wearily as he realized that he had no idea. “I'm not sure. There's something I need to tell you.”

  “What darling?”

  “We're having twins. A boy and a girl.”

  His mother let out a squeal of delight. “Oh my goodness! That’s wonderful! Your father would have been so thrilled considering his twin died when they were little. You should ask her to marry you.”

  Grayson felt the pain of that statement and didn't answer right away. “She doesn't want to get married.”

  “How do you know? You should try—”

  “She said no.” he said tightly. “She said no mother, so I would appreciate you not mentioning it again. Just prepare anything. I'm sure she's over her nausea by now,” he said before hanging up the phone. He poured himself another drink and took it with him to the bedroom.

  *****

  “Twins?”

  “Yes Mom, as in two babies.” Avia told her teasingly.

  “Honey you are overwhelming me now. I don’t recall twins in either side of the family.”

  “You're forgetting the father in all this. Grayson’s father was a twin.”

  “When are we going to get to meet the estimable billionaire?”

  “When you come here. I'm not able to travel now Mom. I'm officially on maternity leave.”

  “I can't get away right now honey but I promise that I will be there for the birth. Have you picked out names yet?”

  “Not yet. I was thinking that it should be a team effort between Grayson and I.”

  “So when is the wedding?”

  “There won’t be a wedding.”

  “You just let the man knock you up and that’s it? You're having two babies honey and one baby is quite a handful, let alone two. You're going to need help.”

  “First of all I allowed myself to get pregnant and I certainly do not need a man to help me with my kids. I'm planning on hiring someone.”

  “Honey the kids need their father.”

  “And they'll have their father. I'm not going to end up like most of the world, battling it out in divorce court and letting a judge decide who gets the children on the weekends.”

  “Honey you are way too young to be so cynical.”

  “I'm being realistic Mom. There will not be a wedding.”

  “Oh honey, that's so sad. I'm praying that you change your mind.”

  “I won’t.”

  *****

  “Are we still not talking? We're supposed to be having dinner with your mother tomorrow.” Avia hadn't heard from Grayson since that argument in the parking lot several days ago. She'd seen that he'd been photographed with a group of celebrities in his high end club in Manhattan so was assuming that he was in New York.

  “We are. How are you?” he asked her coolly.

  Avia rolled her eyes wryly. “I'm fine. Where are you?”

  “In New York. I'm flying in later.”

  “Will I see you?”

  “Why?”

  “To do your taxes. Grayson come on. I know we're not on the same page about this arrangement but you're my babies’ daddy and I want to see you. They're kicking the hell out of me and I want you to experience some of that.”

  “I'll be there,” he told her briefly and hung up the phone without saying goodbye.

 
She hung up the phone slowly. She'd called him because she'd missed him terribly. Last night she'd been unable to sleep because of a raw feeling inside her stomach and no matter how she positioned herself she'd been so uncomfortable. She'd wished he'd been there with her and she'd yearned for his presence next to her. She paced the length of the living room restlessly. She wasn't used to inactivity and was tempted to go back to the club, but she knew she had to take it easy. She'd gotten big practically overnight and her feet had started to swell. She needed him. She ached for him in the worst possible way. She gasped as she felt a sharp pull in her lower abdomen. “Guys I'm going to need you to play nice in there.” She said softly as she sat on the sofa and leaned back with her hands on her belly. She started singing, her sultry, melodious voice ringing out in the apartment as she sang one of Luther Vandross’ songs. She felt the stillness inside her uterus as the babies settled down and listened. She sang two songs and then went to get herself something to eat, a smile on her lips.

  *****

  “We're having a very difficult time getting hold of Diana Rowe,” his management team at the Manhattan club told him. “Her agent said she's booked solid for the rest of the year. We think she's the perfect headliner for the August show which part of the proceeds will be going to charity.”

  “Did you get in touch with Mark Seville?”

  “The songwriter,” Laila nodded in understanding. “Could you do it?”

  Grayson nodded and reached for his phone. “Hey, I see you've been at it again. Burning up the charts with the latest soundtrack.”

  “Just something I'm very good at man. What’s up?”

  Grayson explained the situation to him.

  “I'll talk to Diana and get back to you in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks.”

  He dismissed the meeting as soon as he heard back from Mark with a positive on Diana headlining the show. He was sitting in the conference room staring at nothing in particular when there was a discreet knock on the door before it was pushed open. “I'm not sure how you're going to take this but a reporter called me about something weird,” Claude said carefully as he came into the room with his laptop open in front of him.