"What's this?" I asked as I took it from him.
Magda poured him a cup of coffee.
"December 2nd, second day of advent." He nodded to it as he took a sip of his coffee, a dark, aromatic African bean Christmas blend I'd gone specifically to the roastery to get. It was a roastery exclusive, and worth the trip.
"Open it," he said, indicating the present.
I pulled the ribbon off. Inside was a box from my favorite jewelry store. I lifted the lid to reveal a gold charm bracelet with a single snowflake bead decorated with crystals. At least, I thought they were crystals. With Jus, you never knew. They could have been diamonds. I had a pretty good eye for diamonds, but a good crystal could sometimes fake me out. I sensed a theme.
"It's just crystal," he said, as if reading my mind.
"It's beautiful." I had an idea that by Christmas the bracelet would be filled with holiday-themed beads. I leaned across the table to kiss him. And bumped it, of course, rattling our glasses.
"Your ob appointment's today, isn't it?" he said.
"Sweet of you to remember."
He laughed. "I have it in my calendar. Do you want me to be there?"
I had a moment of panic. He'd been very supportive, not missing an appointment when he was in town. Even going so far as to try to schedule his trips around them when he could. But I wanted to talk to my doctor about my travel plans. I didn't want Jus around for that.
I shook my head. "No, you're busy. And this is just a quick, routine visit. No ultrasounds. Nothing special going on. There's no need for you to waste a couple of hours of prime work time for a five-minute appointment."
He looked relieved.
"I'd rather have you home early for dinner." I was pulling his chain again. I knew he wouldn't be home for dinner, let alone early. But I said it with a straight face so I could enjoy his reaction. Yes, I was an evil woman. One tick against my name on Santa's list.
His face fell. He looked contrite and apologetic. I watched Jus the politician and negotiator come out. "Kay—"
I laughed. "Don't worry. I'm teasing. I'd rather you get done what you need to. I'll text you after the appointment." I paused. "But, seriously, will you be home sometime tonight?"
"I hope so." He looked sheepish.
After Jus left for work, I wandered to our bedroom to shower for my doctor's appointment. I had a ton of work to do to get the sample sale ready and plan the parties. I needed to meet with Britt and the other merchandise buyers to see what samples they had to contribute to the sale.
Flash ran a sample sale for the employees about once a month to every six weeks throughout the year. Once a year they held a public sale. And once a year they held one specifically for the employees and supporters of the local children's hospital. The employee sales were always held in a big conference room on the ground floor of the Flash office building and looked a lot like a garage sale. Stuff strewn everywhere. Employees grabbing for the best finds.
Things were ridiculously cheap at the sales, pennies on the dollar. All the items were donated by the manufacturers who didn't want their samples back after Flash had either used them to determine which items to feature or had photographed them for the catalogue. Often it was more expensive to send the samples back than for the manufacturer to donate them.
All the proceeds from the sales went to the children's hospital as a charitable donation. Members of the children's hospital charitable organization manned the sales, acting as clerks and helping set up and tear down.
Since the big charity sample sale in September, I'd been in close contact with the merch buyers. They were under strict instructions to hold back the best deals for December sale. And lock them in a top-secret storage unit at the office. I'd nicknamed it Santa's closet.
I'd also instituted a holiday wish box where employees could drop in suggestions for items they were wishing would show up at the sale. Employees were some of Flash's best customers. They watched the website with keen eyes for bargains. The suggestions came streaming in. The merch buyers were supposed to be holding samples that matched wishes for the December sale. I had actually set up a simple inventory management system to keep track of what we had.
I wanted it to be the best sale ever, a real Christmas wish come true for hardworking people who didn't always have a lot of extra money to spend. Jus and Riggins paid their employees the most they could, but they had to stay competitive. Many employees certainly had no time during the holidays to shop, other than online.
In just the few short years Flash had been in business, the Santa Sample Sale had become a tradition. A sort of Santa's Secret Shop for grownups where employees could pick up last-minute gifts and surprises for their friends and family. Jus said it was great fun for the employees. Riding high from the success of the September sample sale charity event I'd run, I planned to make this holiday sale the best one yet.
It would be almost like Flash was playing Santa to its employees. What a happy thought. Christmas morning with its socks full of surprises was one of my favorite parts of the holiday. And this would be a little bit like it.
I was filled with happy thoughts as I stripped down for the shower. So much so that I wasn't paying attention to either my body or my clothes as I turned the water on and waited for our tankless water heater to get a nice head of steam going. It wasn't until I stepped into the shower that I noticed a tiny trail of pink swirling in the water at my feet.
My heart stopped for a minute. I was spotting.
Justin
First thing when I got to the office, I opened the calendar from Kay. It was from the coffee company that had a branch in our office complex. I opened the red tin for December 1st. A small package of chocolate-covered espresso beans and a coupon for a fifteen-minute relaxation message from a travelling masseuse. Just what I needed.
I held off opening today’s tin. Something to look forward to later, kind of like Christmas.
I'd just settled in to look over the morning reports when there was a knock on my door.
Paul Conner, my chief procurement officer, poked his head in. "Gotta minute?" He was frowning.
Not a good sign.
I waved him in.
He closed the door behind him. "We have a problem. I just heard from my brother-in-law on the port commission. The longshoreman rejected their contract. They voted to strike. We have a matter of hours before every port on the West Coast shuts down. It will be all over the news before noon."
"Shit." I thumped back in my chair and tried to breathe.
Paul nodded. "The longshoremen may have just stopped Christmas from coming. At least for us."
I cursed beneath my breath and shook my head. "We're not cancelling Christmas."
Without the port, how the hell were we going to get all our goods from overseas? Rumors of a possible strike had been flying all fall as the negotiations dragged on. Everyone had been hoping it wouldn't come to this. Damn.
I grabbed my phone and sent out a high-priority text to Riggins, our top execs and senior managers, and, most importantly, the head of transportation.
Then I turned my attention to Paul. "How are we set for boxes and bags? We made contingency plans, right?"
"We're set," Paul said. "We have enough packing supplies to box, bag, and mail everything we have on hand and meet all our forecasts. Packaging materials won't be what delay orders. Content is another story."
"There has to be a way through this." I jumped out of my chair. "Where's Darren? We need his transportation team. We have to get somebody to the port and get what we can from any of our shipments still waiting to be unloaded. Immediately. I'll go to the pier myself if I have to."
Kayla
I'd been frantically texting and calling Jus all the way to the doctor's office. No response. It wasn't like Jus to be out of touch. Especially if there was an emergency. Which was clear from how many times I'd texted him in a row with a desperate message to call me.
I was scared as I lay on the examining table in m
y obstetrician's office with my pregnant belly exposed and covered in ultrasound goo. My heart raced like a rabbit's. I kept hoping to see Jus charge in to the rescue. I just wanted to hold his hand and have him tell me everything was going to be okay.
Dr. Valentine had been studying the ultrasound screen with a serious expression. Her shoulders relaxed. She swung the screen around for me to see. "Everything looks great." She broke into a smile.
I let out a sigh of relief.
"Nothing to worry about. See? Your little girl is perfect. And in the perfect position. The placenta is nice and high and firmly attached. There's no sign of placenta previa or miscarriage."
I was mesmerized by the sight of my baby. She turned and looked directly at the camera. Amazing how clear the ultrasound was. She actually looked like a baby. With unique, distinct features and personality. She looked a little bit like Jus and a little like me. I resisted the urge to wave at her. Instead, I grinned, stupidly relieved.
"Have you recently had sex?" Dr. Valentine set the paddle down and wiped my stomach with a towel.
I wasn't usually shy about the question, but I found myself blushing. And feeling guilty. "Yes?" I said, as if I wasn't sure I wanted to admit to the truth.
Dr. Valentine laughed. "What does that mean? You're not sure?"
"No, I'm sure enough. I've had sex. Several times in the last eight hours." Now I was blushing to my toes.
"Well, then, that's probably our culprit." She squeezed my arm reassuringly. "Bleeding during pregnancy is scary and can be a symptom of a serious problem. In some cases, though, like yours this time, it's harmless. Pregnancy hormones caused you to develop more sensitive, and expanded, blood vessels.
"Light bleeding or spotting during this time in your pregnancy, the second and third trimester, can occur because of a combination of those sensitive vessels and interference with the cervix during sex."
"Is this your way of telling me no more sex?" I hated to ask the question. I was already insecure over Jus. And, at the same time, madly desirous of him. If we couldn't have sex…
But I was being selfish. I would do anything for my baby.
Dr. Valentine, who was always reassuring and kind, and often funny, shook her head. "No! Of course not. Having sex is healthy for you and your relationship."
"I feel foolish for rushing here and panicking," I said, still staring at my baby.
Dr. Valentine shook her head. "You shouldn't. Always let me be the judge of whether the cause of your bleeding is serious or not. As they say, better safe than sorry. It's a motto I live by. Would you like another picture of the baby for the family album?"
I nodded.
She handed me another towel so I could wipe up the remaining remnants of the goo and pressed a button to print a picture of the baby for me. "Do you have any travel plans for Christmas?"
"No." I set the towel aside. "I don't think so. Not until after the first of the year. After Jus gets out of the retail hot zone. Then we may take a few days in late January for a winter vacation on the east coast."
Dr. Valentine's forehead creased. "I'm sorry, Kayla. I feel like Scrooge right now. But I'm going to put the breaks on your plans. If you want to travel, go now, before it's too late. I'm putting you on the no-fly list after Christmas."
"What!" I nearly sat straight up. Nearly, only because it wasn't easy to sit straight up, certainly not quickly, with a big baby bump slowing me down and blocking progress. "I thought you said the bleeding isn't serious."
"It's not, in and of itself. I'm more concerned with your own history. You were a preemie, right?"
"Yes," I said slowly.
"And so was your mom."
"Yes."
She nodded, looking wise and sympathetic. "There's a strong genetic component to prematurity and preterm labor. Everything looks good and healthy with your pregnancy now. You measure out right on schedule. But because both your mom, and her mom, went into preterm labor, you have a good chance of doing so, too. We just won't know until it happens. If it happens.
"I was going to talk to you about it during your visit today even before I knew about the bleeding. You have a few more weeks to get any wanderlust out of your system. Come December 26th, you're grounded." She winked at me. "And I won't have you sneaking out of town by bus, train, stagecoach, or sleigh, either."
Chapter Five
Kayla
I was so relieved the baby was okay, and upset about being grounded before my time, that I almost forgot to be upset with Jus about not getting back to me. It was hard to believe now that this pregnancy was accidental. And that I hadn't wanted it at first. Not at all. At the time, it had meant I would be connected to Jus for life. And I hadn't been sure I wanted that. Now I loved him beyond reason.
So many people had branded me a gold digger for suddenly marrying Jus on the spur of the moment in Reno. Even though, of course, an imposter had married him, not me. When I got pregnant, it sealed that "she only married him for his money" opinion in everyone's mind. They were simply jealous. It seemed like every girl in Seattle wanted an adorable billionaire like Jus. I was "that little gold digger."
The best way to hang on to a share of a rich guy's fortune for life? Even after a messy divorce? Have his kid and hit him with child support for at least eighteen years. And make sure it was generous.
At first, and maybe still, popular opinion believed our marriage would fail. Many gave us no more than a few weeks to a month. We'd proved them wrong on that point. But anyone who was betting was still spouting the odds were we wouldn't make it past five years and this baby was my insurance for the future.
They didn't know, of course, how close we'd come to calling it quits. Or how we'd originally had a divorce scheduled for our one-year anniversary.
I texted Jus to ignore my earlier, frantic texts and calls, and headed home. Outside may have been dark with gray clouds, and gloomy, but inside Magda had the house lit and cheery. The Christmas trees were lit and the sound of voices on TV in the background. Our little dog, Data, barked happily and ran to greet me. I scooped her up. "Hey, girl."
Magda was in the kitchen. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. She gave me a hesitant look. "Mrs. Kayla? The baby?"
She'd seen my earlier panic and comforted me while I waited to get in to see my doctor.
"We're both fine." I smiled reassuringly. "Nothing serious. I just panicked."
"No. You were cautious. There's a difference."
I smiled, glad to have Magda around. "Something smells delicious."
"Your lunch. I'm making you a nice winter soup and homemade bread. You need to stay strong and healthy for the baby."
She was "watching" TV while she cooked. She was one of those people who liked the sound of voices constantly around her. She wasn't so much paying attention and watching as having the comforting sound in the background.
My head was whirring with wedding thoughts, but I was touched by her thoughtfulness and concern. "Yum. Can't wait. I have some work to do." Actually, I had a wedding to plan. I took my coat off and hung it in the closet. "I'll be in my office until lunch."
I took off my shoes and slipped into some comfy Christmas slipper socks I'd bought the day after Thanksgiving. They were, frankly, ridiculous, but adorable. And kind of sexy in a Christmasy, funky way. They were red and black Mrs. Claus socks, with white printed lace at the toes and a black belt wrapped around the ankle like an anklet. My silly side coming out.
Jus had a matching Mr. Claus pair he refused to wear. You would think someone with zero fashion sense like my husband would have been game for funny slipper socks. But no. Killjoy.
Anyway, these were the softest, most comfortable things I'd ever worn. I loved them and my classy, winter white knee-high slipper boots above all else. And alternated between them. But now that it was the holiday season, the Mrs. Claus socks were on extra duty.
I had a lot of thinking and planning to do. I wanted to be married before the baby was born. Just the two of us pledging our lov
e and making things legal. A Christmas season wedding. In the snow in New York. Suddenly, it took on a romantic aura.
After the baby arrived, everything would be that much more complicated. And the wedding would have to wait until I'd gotten back into some semblance of shape and would be confident leaving the baby with someone. Getting married was, of course, complicated by having to keep it absolutely secret. I really didn't want a public recommitment ceremony for this. I'd rather do that someplace romantic. If we did it all.
No, I decided as I settled into my office and closed the door. I wouldn't let being grounded after Christmas thwart my plans. Jus had been in such a good mood after his Cyber Monday success. With the business running so smoothly, and safely in the black for the year, it suddenly seemed possible I could talk him into an overnight stay in New York to get married. It would be an early Christmas present. So why not?
The thought of a snowy December wedding was suddenly romantic. A real elopement. Yes, terribly romantic. Dex would be done with finals and home from college for Christmas break by the seventeenth. He was the one unromantic aspect of my plans. I loved my cousin, the little geek, but he was a prankster and I didn't want him doing anything to derail the lovely vision I had for my wedding.
A white maternity wedding dress with lace and crystals. A bouquet of white roses and poinsettias. I didn't even need to consult Pinterest for what I had in mind.
I glanced at the calendar on my desk. I would have to work fast. The seventeenth was a Wednesday. We could fly out on the eighteenth. Get our license that afternoon. Get married on the nineteenth…
Or would we have to wait until the twentieth? Damn that twenty-four-hour waiting period. Jus might be convinced to slip away for a few days, but the fewer, the better chance I had of making my case.
Harry! I snapped my fingers. I would get Harry to get a New York judge to waive the waiting period. I mean, after all, what was the point? We were already "married." For all the State of New York knew we were just two crazy, young, eccentric rich kids who were romantic enough to want to renew their vows at six months.
The Billionaire’s Christmas Vows: A Jet City Billionaire Christmas Romance Page 4