His Twin Baby Surprise

by Patricia Forsythe

  “Oh, I don’t think so.”

  At her adamant tone he placed his hands on his hips and frowned at her. “I didn’t like the way you looked yesterday. I’m making sure you’re okay.”

  “That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard. You only want to... I don’t even know what you want to do. Be in charge? Aren’t you in charge at your charity board meetings? Don’t you feel that’s where you’re needed?” She put her purse and laptop case in her backseat and slammed the door. “You heard Gemma say I’m fine. Why won’t you believe her?”

  “I do, but even she indicated you needed a second opinion. That’s the reason for the ultrasound.”

  “No. The reason is to make sure the baby is developing normally, which I’m sure he is.”

  “Nevertheless, I’ll drive you.”

  She treated him to a sickly sweet smile. “I’ll drive myself, thank you.” She was annoyed that he’d showed up, expecting to take over.

  “Then I’ll ride along with you.” He reached for the door handle.

  She hit the lock button on her key fob. “No, you won’t. I don’t need you watching over me.”

  “Fine. I’ll follow you in my truck.”

  “I can’t stop you from using a public highway, but don’t think you’re coming into the examination room with me.”

  He only smiled and went to his own vehicle. At the end of her patience with people hovering and trying to do for her what she could do for herself, Lisa took a minute to breathe deeply and calm down. She had too much to do to let him get to her, too many details to handle.

  As she pulled onto the street, her first inclination was to step on the gas, weave in and out of traffic and try to lose him, but she knew that would be stupid and dangerous. Besides, he knew exactly where she was going.

  At the Toncaville hospital, she parked and went inside without waiting for him, but he soon caught up with her. She signed in at the desk, provided her insurance information, then sat to wait, her purse in her lap and her hands folded primly on top.

  Ben lounged in a chair across from her, treating her to a devilish grin whenever she looked his way, smug that he had managed to do exactly what she hadn’t wanted him to. A couple of people approached him, asking for an autograph or a selfie. All graciousness and affability, he happily complied.

  There was no getting away from his celebrity. He seemed to enjoy it. She understood that he always encouraged it because it benefited his charities, which he usually mentioned in the most humble and charming way, but she knew she would get very tired of the attention if it was her. Simply having people calling on her regarding her mayoral duties was tiring.

  When the technician called her in, she walked across the waiting room, quickly aware that Ben had jumped up and was striding along right behind her.

  “You’re not coming in with me,” she whispered fiercely. “I told you that. Don’t you listen?”

  “Occasionally,” he admitted. “I’ll be quiet as a mouse.” His tone was breezy, sure he was going to get what he wanted. “You won’t even know I’m there.”

  “I already know you’re here, and so does everyone else.” She stopped and gave him a defiant look, then nodded back over her shoulder where the entire waiting room of people watched as if they were enjoying an entertaining play.

  Ben grinned at her and winked at their audience as he took her arm and gently urged her forward. “And I’m sure the acting mayor of Reston wouldn’t want to make a scene in the waiting room, would she?”

  “Actually, she would like to strangle a too-big-for-his-britches former football player.”

  “Honey, that sounds really exciting, but maybe later.” He turned up the full wattage of his smile at the young technician, who blushed to the roots of her hair. “And this charming doctor won’t mind if I come in and see the ultrasound of my kid, now will you?”

  “No, of course I won’t mind, but I’m not a doctor. I’m a technician.” The girl fluttered her eyelashes. “I’m Brittany.”

  “Not a doctor? But another highly educated and hardworking member of the medical community. Excellent,” he declared, holding the door for the two women and beaming down at them.

  “That’s right,” Lisa muttered. “Break out those dimples.”

  He only treated her to a wink that made her roll her eyes.

  Inside the small examination room, Ben took a seat against the wall where he had a good view of the display screen. Lisa gave him one more resentful look in case he’d missed the past hundred or so she’d thrown his way, and lay down on the bed. Following Brittany’s instructions, she pulled her shirt up and eased her pants below her baby bump so the technician could squirt lubricant onto her skin.

  Eagerly, she turned her head so she could see the screen, but couldn’t quite distinguish what the blobs were. She could see movement, though, and was thrilled to match the tiny actions with the flutters she was feeling. This was her baby in real time.

  “What am I looking at here?” she asked.

  “Just a minute,” the technician murmured. She slowly moved the wand into several different positions, then paused. “I need to get the doctor to check something,” she said.

  “Do you mean on the machine or on my baby?” Lisa asked, her heart rate speeding up.

  Brittany didn’t answer because she was hurrying from the room and calling out, “I’ll be right back.”

  “Is something wrong?” Lisa asked after her, but the young woman was gone.

  Ben stood and came to stand beside her. Reaching down, he took her hand and this time she didn’t resist. “If she’s not back within two minutes I’ll go find her,” he promised. “Along with the doctor.”

  Lisa gave him a fearful look, but he tightened his grip on her hand.

  “What...what do you think is wrong?”

  “Probably nothing. Let’s wait and see.”

  Brittany returned quickly, a doctor with her. He was an older man whose white hair and smiling demeanor inspired confidence.

  “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. I’m Dr. Harber, and I just want to check something here.”

  Neither Lisa nor Ben corrected him on their names, but watched as he expertly moved the wand slowly across her belly.

  After a minute he said, “You’re probably wondering what we’re seeing here. It takes a little bit of practice to distinguish it exactly.” He pointed to the screen. “Right here, we have a head. And over here is another head.”

  Lisa’s voice squeaked as she squeezed Ben’s hand and asked, “I’m having a two-headed baby?”

  Dr. Harber chuckled. “No, of course not. There are also four arms, four legs and two bodies. You’re having twins. Tentatively, from what I’m seeing on the screen, I’m going to say a boy and a girl.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “TWINS?” LISA SAID for at least the tenth time. “The surprises simply never end with this pregnancy.”

  “So it seems,” Ben answered in a faint voice.

  His face was as pale and shocked as she knew hers was. After Dr. Harber had delivered the news, assured them that everything seemed normal and hurried on to his next patient, Ben and Lisa had sat in stunned silence for long minutes after the ultrasound.

  When they’d managed to make their brains instruct their limbs to move, Ben had insisted on buying her some lunch. Now they sat at Fins. The photograph was on the table between them. Every couple of minutes one or the other of them would pick it up, examine it and then put it down again.

  Lisa indicated her cell phone, which she’d just placed on the table. “Gemma said she thought she’d heard two heartbeats, but wasn’t positive. That’s why she pushed up the date of the ultrasound.” She gave the phone an annoyed look. “I don’t know why she didn’t tell me as soon as she suspected it.”

  “Because you would
have been awake all night, fretting.”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  “This changes things,” Ben said. Seeming to remember his food, he buttered a piece of bread and took a bite. He chewed slowly, while his eyes took on a faraway look. “I’ll have to double the amount of child support.”

  Lisa stared at him. That was a fairly mundane issue to be thinking about right now. The very fact that she was expecting twins was a much bigger issue. In fact, it was world-shaking.

  “I could picture myself taking care of one baby,” she said. The shock of the doctor’s news had made her forget her irritation with Ben. It seemed that she had no control over what was coming out of her mouth. “I had it all planned. I would set up a crib in my office, let him sleep while I took care of business. But two babies? There’s not enough room in my office for two.”

  “I’m guessing that was before you became acting mayor, as well, right?”

  “Well, yes. And before the lake resort went through. I got the call this morning. The investors are ready to go ahead with it.”

  “Congratulations. It will be a huge bonus to the local economy, but you realize you can’t be involved in it, don’t you?”

  She held up her hand. “If you’re thinking of the conflict of interest if I broker the deal, that’s already been covered. I’ve contacted someone else to handle it.”

  “No. For cryin’ out loud, Lisa. I’m thinking it’s too much for you to take on. It’s a project that, if started next week, will take a year or more to complete. I’ve been involved in a million projects like this for charities. There are always delays, unexpected occurrences, cost overruns. Are you planning to go check out the resort with one baby strapped to your front and one to your back? There’s a limit, you know, to how much you can do.”

  “Are we back to ‘frying up the bacon’?”

  “I’m serious, Lisa.”

  “So am I. Ben, I don’t know how I’m going to handle this yet, but I know that it will be my decision.” She picked up her purse. “Now, I’ll pay our bill and you can take me back to my car.” She stopped and stared at him. “And weren’t you the one who made it clear he doesn’t want to be involved with this baby, with these babies, other than fulfilling a financial obligation? Why are you worried about how much I’m doing?”

  Lisa flagged down their waitress, asked for their bill and gave Ben a look that dared him to oppose her.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m only trying to prepare you for what else will happen. Once my parents learn it’s twins, two grandchildren like they’ve always wanted, they will be a constant presence in your life. In the nicest, most loving way, they will attempt to provide you with everything you need now, or at any time in the future, or the afterlife. But they’ll always be around, and probably some of my aunts and uncles and cousins, as well.”

  Lisa’s face blanched. “I...I would welcome your family, but I can’t have a house—a property—full of stuff, of belongings I have no space or use for.” She gave him a pleading look. “I grew up in a house like that. You don’t know what it’s like. There’s no place to walk or to breathe. I can’t raise my kids like that.”

  Her voice was so fierce, so adamant, that he blinked, drew back and immediately took on a soothing tone. “Of course not. I’ll talk them into reining it in, only buying what you ask for—if you ask for anything. It will be top-of-the-line, though, the best quality. Because that’s what my mom believes in buying.”

  “I understand, as long as it’s not too much.” Lisa tried to push away a mental image of a baby’s room decked out like the showroom at a Hollywood decorator’s studio.

  Lisa looked around. The restaurant was emptying of the lunch crowd. She and Ben were almost the only ones left because their discussion had gone on and on.

  Lisa couldn’t seem to understand what he was saying: that there was a limit to how little he could convince them to buy or how much. She was confused and overwhelmed. She tried to sort it out, but finally put her hand to her forehead and said, “Couldn’t they simply start a college fund or something for the children?”

  “They already have.”

  “Oh,” Lisa responded in a helpless tone then looked up. “Is your mom still making wedding plans?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’m sure she’s keeping her options open in case anything changes.”

  “Nothing’s going to change. We’re still set on our plans—individual plans, right? It doesn’t make any difference that I’m having twins.” She spoke firmly although her stomach quivered with uncertainty.

  Two babies? she thought frantically. How was she going to do this? No matter how much she read, she would still be ignorant of what to do. Didn’t a person need a good example to follow? A mother who had been there, laid a clear path to follow on what to do and not to do as a mom?

  Ben must have seen the flash of panic in her eyes because he asked, “What’s wrong? Do you feel okay?”

  She gave a shaky smile. “I’m...I’m fine. Getting used to this news, is all.”

  He didn’t look as if he quite believed her. “All of this is more than you can handle now, apart from your real-estate business, running the town, being involved in the lake resort development, trying to keep peace between Bunky and Roland, the fact that there are two babies instead of one...is all too much for you. As far as I’m concerned, that’s your only worry and everything else can go hang for a while.”

  “Well, how nice of you to tell me what my worries are.” She shook her head. “No. Nothing can go hang for a while. There’s too much to do, too many decisions that must be made right now.”

  “Which you can delegate. Wasn’t that why Brenda asked you, begged you to take the mayor’s job, because you can delegate and Harley can’t and that’s what caused his stress? No one wants that kind of stress for you, Lisa. And, frankly, I’d think you wouldn’t want it, either.”

  Distress welled up in her. “I don’t, but I also think I have enough to deal with right now, Ben. A quotation from Jacqueline Kennedy keeps running through my head.”

  “Jacqueline Kennedy?”

  “She said something about nothing else mattering very much if you bungle raising your children.”

  “You’re not going to bungle raising your kids.”

  She knew Ben was trying to be reassuring, but her head was swimming with worries and doubts. “I need to think about it... What it will mean to have two babies, not one. I need space and time.” Her shoulders slumped. “And my two best friends. The one thing I don’t need is pressure from you.”

  Regret filled his tone as he said, “I’m sorry, I should have realized I’m making it harder, trying to make order and organization when you’re not ready and—”

  “And when you’ve repeatedly said it’s not your business, that your involvement will be limited.”

  * * *

  BEN STARED AT her for a long minute. She was right. But his determination to fulfill his financial obligation without interfering with the child—now the children—was eroding by the day. He was also putting pressure on her that she didn’t deserve. If he wasn’t careful, everything he’d worked for over the years, all the sports programs and educational opportunities that were so important to him, would slip away, lose focus. When that happened they would die out. He’d seen it happen time and time again and he refused to let it happen to the charities where he’d pledged his involvement.

  “All of this can be resolved later,” Lisa said, standing and picking up her purse. “I’ve got to get back to work and you’ve got to...” She paused as if trying to recall. She waved her hand. “Go play golf.”

  “I do need to make that board meeting. I’ll see if we can set up an online discussion. Golf can go hang.”

  She gave him a skeptical look, then reexamined the accuracy of their lunch tab.

 
She was obviously accustomed to paying her own way, taking care of details, being tightly wound. She had already made plans to take the baby to work with her, let him sleep while she worked. He didn’t know that much about babies—okay, he didn’t know anything, but he doubted they were that cooperative. She had already expressed her doubts about keeping two babies in her office while she worked, and Ben had to agree with her. As competent as she was, this was getting too complicated for even her to handle.

  As for him, every time he thought he had his plans set in place, something changed. When he had called Phoenix last night to tell them he couldn’t make the board meeting, then canceled out of the golf tournament, he had second-guessed himself most of the night. He’d feared looking like a fool when he showed up, insisting on taking Lisa to the ultrasound appointment, but the memory of her pale face had haunted him, urging him to stick around.

  It was hard for someone as independent as she was to let him look after her. He didn’t question the rightness of it, but the more he did for her and with her, the more committed he would become. He still couldn’t see a way to be involved, to be the kind of father a child deserved. Wouldn’t it be better to have an absent father who provided financially than one who bounced in and out of his child’s life?

  But now they knew there were two of them. It would be twice the financial obligation—although that didn’t worry him. He would simply work harder, do more product endorsements than he’d done before, sell the property he’d bought in Oklahoma City years ago and invest wisely.

  But how was Lisa going to handle this? She was convinced she could do anything and, from what he’d seen, she pretty much could. Being a single mom to twins, though, was all-new territory, even for someone like Lisa, who was willing to tackle anything. She had drive, determination and grit, but would they be enough to get her through what she would be facing?

  * * *

  AFTER LUNCH, NEITHER of them talked much on the short drive back to the hospital. When they got there, Lisa thanked him and hurried to her car, anxious to get back to work. Although he could see her casting him annoyed looks in her rearview mirror, he ignored them and followed her to Reston, then turned off and headed for home.