Catia (Starkis Family #6) (18 page)

I’d known he would question why I’d refrained from wine at dinner and coffee afterward. I hated lying to him, but it was better than the inevitable explosion when I told him I was pregnant and had been keeping it to myself. I would tell him, just not with his girls sitting in the next room.

“I have a bit of a headache,” I said, brushing my hand over my temple. “Wine and coffee usually make it worse.”

“Can I get you something for it?” he asked, looking concerned.

“Just this.” I stepped into his arms and tipped my head back for a kiss.

He smiled against my lips before threading his hands through my hair. “Thanks for doing this, Cat. I know when they get to know you, they’ll love you as much as I do.”

I wasn’t convinced, but I appreciated the sentiment, especially since I knew how much he wanted it to be true. “It’s my pleasure.”

“Have you talked to your sister today?” he asked.

I slipped out of his arms when the bread maker beeped, indicating the end of the cycle. “Yeah, I talked to her this morning. Dustin brought her and the baby home yesterday. They’re getting settled in nicely. Lovenia’s been eating really well, which alleviated a lot of stress for Kara. I know she was really worried about that.”

He smiled as he leaned against the counter, watching me. “I love that name—Lovenia.”

“Yeah,” I said, tipping the warm bread onto the cutting board. “I just hope they don’t call her Lovie.” I wrinkled my nose. “My grandmother had a parakeet named Lovie, and that damn thing squawked all the time.”

He laughed as he moved in behind me, settling his hands around my waist. It wouldn’t be long before my baby bump started to show. Eight more weeks, at most. I wondered how Chase would react to my changing body. Would he be as attracted to me? Knowing him, the sight of me pregnant with his baby would drive him crazy. At least I hoped it would.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he whispered, kissing my neck.

“I was just thinking…” I couldn’t tell him the truth, but maybe I could introduce the subject in a way that wouldn’t raise any red flags. “If I had a daughter, what I would name her.”

“Well? What would you name her?”

“I’ve always liked the name Cora.”

“That’s pretty. And for a boy?”

I couldn’t believe we were talking about baby names while I was carrying his and he didn’t even know it. It seemed surreal. “Alexander, maybe. It’s tradition in Greek families for the son to name his first-born son after his father, so Darius won’t have much of a choice if he wants to keep Dad happy.”

“You think he and Chelsea want kids?”

“I think so,” I said, remembering I’d forgotten to pour the girls’ drinks. Reaching into an overhead cupboard, I snagged two small glasses.

Chase, seeming to read my mind, grabbed a can of soda from the fridge. He took both glasses and set them on the table before he split the contents of the can between the glasses. “I’ll take these into them. Unless you’d rather they drink them out here?”

“No, in there is fine.” I needed a little more time before I faced the firing squad. When Chase returned, I said, “I’m heading up to the Hamptons this weekend. We all are, just to spend a little more time with the baby and do what we can to help Kara and Dustin. You want to come?”

“I’d like to, but the girls have dance lessons this weekend.”

“Oh,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

“I could ask my parents, but—” His cell phone rang and he held it up, revealing his father’s name. “Speak of the devil. Excuse me. I should take this.”

“No problem.” I took the stuffed shells out of the oven.

My heart raced when I heard Chase’s tone change from casual to concerned. He asked probing questions that led me to believe something terrible had happened.

He cursed softly when he hung up. “My mom broke her leg.”

“Oh no! When? How did it happen?” I already adored Doreen and hated to think of her in pain.

“Apparently she was on a ladder, trying to get a box down from a high shelf when my dad wasn’t home, and she slipped and fell. They’re setting it now, but he’s going to need a little help getting her home.” He glanced into the family room where the girls sat transfixed in front of the TV. “I hate taking them to the hospital, but I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Sure, you do,” I said impulsively. “You can leave them here with me. We’ll have dinner together, and if you’re not home, I can take them over to your place and get them ready for bed. I’ll stay with them until you get home.”

Appearing stunned, he shook his head slowly. “Babe, as generous as that offer is, I can’t ask you to do that. You’re all just getting to know each other.”

“What better way than to jump into the deep end, right?”

I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t nervous at the prospect of being left alone with them, but I refused to be intimidated any longer. We all just had to figure out a way to get along. Not only for the sake of the man we loved, but for the sake of the baby I was carrying.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked, looking skeptical as he drew me into his arms.

“Of course I am,” I said, patting his chest. “You just go. Take care of your mom. She needs you now. And give her my love.”

He smiled before kissing me. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

I took the house key he offered. “Hmm, not today.”

“I love you so much.” He punctuated it with a kiss. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

“Not just for taking care of the girls, but for coming back to me, Cat.” He traced his thumb over my lower lip. “You’ve reminded me how good it feels to be happy… and in love.”

***

We sat around the table, eating in uncomfortable silence. Since they’d responded to all of my questions with one-word answers, I’d all but given up.

“Hey,” I said, “have you seen pictures of Kara’s baby yet?” Since Chase hadn’t taken any at the hospital, I doubted they had.

“No,” they said, glancing at each other.

“Would you like to?”

“Sure,” Elsie said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I wasn’t surprised they were excited about seeing baby pictures. Chase had told me they couldn’t wait to meet the newest member of Kara and Dustin’s family.

“Let me get my phone,” I said, jumping up from the table. I hurried back to find them whispering and giggling, which was better than sullen silence any day. I scrolled through the images. “Here we go. This is Lovenia.”

“Oh,” Elsie said, gaping at the image. “She’s so cute!”

“Look how tiny she is,” Emily chimed in.

I smiled, relieved we were finally making some headway. “Your daddy tells me you girls were just about the same size as Lovenia when you were born.”

“Really?” Emily asked, her mouth forming an O.

“Yup.” I handed them the phone so they could scroll through the rest of the baby images in the folder I’d assigned to my beautiful niece. While they were thoroughly enthralled with the pictures, I asked, “Who wants an ice cream sundae?”

“Me,” they said, grinning.

That was the first real smile I’d ever earned from either of them, and I felt as if I’d just won a valuable trophy. “Coming right up.” As I reached into the freezer to get the ice cream, I asked, “Do we have any peanut allergies?”

“Nope,” Elsie said, smiling at a picture of Lovenia with a bear as big as she was.

“Does that mean the works?” I asked, winking.

“The works?” Elsie looked confused. “What’s that?”

I huffed, pretending to be baffled. “You mean you’ve never had a sundae with the works?”

They both shook their heads, blond curls bouncing as they stared at me, wide-eyed.

“In that case,” I said, reaching for a banana from the bowl of fruit I kept in the middle of the island, “we’ll have to make this a banana split, complete with chopped nuts, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a cherry on top. How does that sound?”

“Yummy,” Emily said, grinning to reveal two missing teeth.

“Girls after my own heart,” I teased. “I have a serious sweet tooth too. What’s your favorite dessert?”

They wrinkled their noses, and the action made me smile. My sister and I had often mimicked each other in much the same way when we were kids.

“Daddy doesn’t buy sweets.” Elsie sighed as she pointed at her mouth. “He says it’s not good for our teeth.”

Then he definitely wouldn’t have approved of my sugary concoction. “Oh, I see,” I said, scooping out ice cream. “Then maybe this should be our little secret, huh? We wouldn’t want your daddy getting mad at us, would we?”

The girls looked serious again as Emily asked, “Are you gonna marry Daddy?”

I coughed when air got trapped in my throat. I’d never expected to have to field that question tonight, and I had no idea how to respond. After setting the dessert on the table, I said, “I like your daddy a lot, but we’re not going to rush into anything.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Elsie said, “Our mommy and daddy aren’t getting back together.”

I sat across from them, tentatively digging into my own sundae. “And you were hoping they would?”

“That’s why we were mean to you,” Elsie confessed, looking at her ice cream instead of meeting my gaze. “We wanted to be a family ‘gain.”

“I see.” It made perfect sense to me. They were little girls who wanted their family back. As far as they were concerned, I was the only obstacle.

“We talked ta Dr. Wyndham,” Emily explained. “And Mommy and Daddy said we’re gonna live like this from now on.”

I put myself in their position, and my heart broke for them. “I bet that made you sad, huh?”

“Yeah,” Elsie said, her bottom lip quivering. “We liked our old house. Our dog was buried under a tree in da backyard.”

“How did your dog die?” I asked gently.

“He got hit by a car,” Emily said, glancing at her sister when a tear trickled down Elsie’s cheek. “Right afor we moved.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip, wondering what I could say to ease their pain. “Maybe your daddy would let you have another dog someday.” I didn’t want to speak for Chase, but I couldn’t imagine he’d deny his daughters something they obviously wanted so much.

“He said it wouldn’t be fair to a dog,” Elsie said, looking miserable as she ran her spoon through her melting ice cream. “Since we’re not home much.”

I understood Chase’s position, but there were alternatives: doggy daycare, dog walkers. “Maybe if you had someone to help with the dog, your daddy would consider it?”

“Would you help?” Elsie asked, sitting up taller. “I bet if you asked Daddy, he’d let us have a puppy.”

Emily folded her hands beneath her chin, the same trick they’d used on their father earlier. “Please, please, Cat, will you talk him into getting us a puppy?”

Oh, man. I’d really stuck my foot in my mouth this time. “Um, girls, I know you want a dog, but this really is your dad’s decision. If he doesn’t think you’re ready for that kind of commitment…” My words died when I saw their excitement displaced by misery again. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll talk to him for you.”

“Thank you, thank you,” they said, rushing around the table to give me a hug.

Wow, if I’d known it would be that easy to win them over, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time worrying. I only hoped Chase would agree to getting a puppy so I wouldn’t revert to being public enemy number one again.

Chase

I stopped in my tracks when I saw Cat curled up on the couch in my family room under a soft throw. The electric fireplace was on, and the TV was turned down low. I’d never felt more at home in this house than I did watching her sleep. She belonged there, with us, and I prayed after her first night alone with my girls, she would see it as a possibility.

“Hey,” she whispered when she woke, stretching her arms over her head. “When did you get in?”

“Just a few minutes ago.” I sat on the edge of the ottoman facing her, and I brushed the hair off her face. “Sorry it took me so long, sweetheart. The emergency room was slammed tonight. Doctors running in all directions.”

“It’s okay,” she said, reaching for my hand. “How’s your mom?”

I smiled. “She’ll be fine. She’s tough. How did it go with the girls tonight?” I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t tell me it had been the worst night of her life.

“Actually, it went pretty well.” She released my hand and sat up. “I helped them get ready for bed, and they talked me into three stories:
Franklin
,
Berenstain Bears
, and
Arthur
.”

I chuckled as I imagined them pleading for just one more. “I’m not surprised. Those also happen to be their favorite programs. They can’t get enough. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. It was fun. I almost forgot how much I used to love reading books like that when I was a kid.”

“Really?” Imagining a little Catia, who was so full of energy, settling down long enough to read a book was hard.

“Really.” She gripped my leg. “I figure the practice will be good for me.” Her eyes drifted from mine to the fire. “Uh, you know, since I’ll be babysitting my niece soon. Kara tells me you should start reading to them right away, even when they’re infants.”

“Yeah, we used to read to the girls long before they could talk. I think that’s why they like books so much now.”

“So listen,” she said, looking guilty, “you might be mad at me when you hear what I did tonight.”

I grinned. “What did you do? Ply them with sugar? Bribe them to get them to brush their teeth? Promise to buy them a princess castle if they ate all their veggies? No, wait, you gave them another can of Coke, didn’t you?”

“I kind of told them I’d talk to you about getting them a puppy.” She covered her face with her hands as though she was deeply ashamed. “I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. They told me about what happened to their other dog, and well, they just looked so sad. And they’re so cute…” She pointed at me. “Which is partially your fault, by the way. So you can’t blame this on me entirely.”

I laughed at her reasoning. “The fact that they want a puppy isn’t news to me, Cat. But I’m a little surprised you let yourself get dragged into this.” I thought it was nice that my girls now saw her as their ally though. “And don’t worry, I’ve been giving the dog thing some thought. I’m thinking maybe after the craziness of the holidays—”