Finding You (28 page)

“However will you punish me for being so defiant,” she asked wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Oh baby, your sweet little ass will work just fine.”

Nova yelped. 

“What’s wrong sweetheart, those little words you said to me not sounding so good now, hmm?”

“No sir,” she answered.

“I am going to have to teach you to think before you speak babe.  Otherwise I’m going to have that little ass of yours a lot.”

Owning your own jet makes knowing were your honeymoon is going to be very difficult especially when Ian ordered the flight crew not to udder a word of our destination.  Several hours into our flight we prepared to descend into our unknown destination.  Ian pulled down all the shades in the plane and covered my eyes with a blindfold. 

“Ian, do you know how stupid I am going to look walking out of this plane with a blind fold over my eyes?”

“I have a car waiting on us just below the steps.  I told you I wanted our honeymoon to be a surprise and I need to get you there before I can give you my wedding gift.”

“You’re serious?” I asked obviously not very happy.

“Don’t wrinkle that brow babe.  Sulking will earn you another punishment.”

The thought of my sore ass was enough to keep my mouth shut.

Once off the plane we took only a few steps and Ian helped me into a car.

We didn’t drive very far before we came to a stop. 

“Alright Nova, this is going to be a little loud but don’t take off that blindfold.”

As soon as the door to the car opened she heard the sound of an engine starting up.  “Oh my God, is that a helicopter,” she asked while Ian helped her out of car.

“Just a short ride babe.”

She huffed as Ian placed a hand over her head getting her to duck as they walked towards the helicopter. 

Once inside he fastened her seatbelt and put headphones over her ears.  “Can you hear me Nova,” he asked.

Astounded that the headphones had a microphone she could hear him perfectly without the roar of the blades spinning above their heads.

“Ian I have never been in a helicopter.  Please let me look?”

“No,” he said taking her hand into his.  “You can get the view on our way home.”

She wanted to kick the seat in front of her. 

Ian feeling her anger squeezed her hand.  “That’s not pouting I see is it Mrs. Strong?”

Nova pursed her lips.  “No sir,” she replied sarcastically.

She wanted to see so badly where they were going but as Ian promised they would only be in the air for a few minutes and being true to his word the helicopter sat down on the ground only a few minutes later.

Ian helped her out still refusing to remove the blind fold.  Once he got her far enough away the helicopter lifted off and she listened as the loud roar quickly moved away from them.

“Alright Ian, take this thing off.”

“As you wish.”

It took Nova a minute to focus, especially with the bright sun that beat down on them.  When the glare of the sun stopped blinding her she knew exactly where they were.  “Oh Ian.  You brought us back to the island?”

Ian smiled at her surprise.  “I have thought of a million places to take you but this place just seemed right.  I wanted our honeymoon to be spent in the place that brought us together.”

“Oh Ian, if you had asked me where I wanted to go this is the only place I would have chosen.”

Ian pulled her in for a long kiss.  “I’m glad you think as much of this place as I do. Besides I have a life time to take you around the world.”

Nova wrapped her arms around him.  “I love you Ian for knowing me so well.”

“Good, now follow me.”

Nova looked around as they headed down the trail to the house.  She didn’t realize there was a helicopter pad when they had stayed here before but to be honest she did very little exploring on the island.

Once inside the house pink and red rose petals covered the floor all the way to the bedroom which was filled with what seemed to be a hundred lit candles. 

“How did you do all this Ian?  This is amazing?”

“You like,” he asked playfully?

“No, I love it.”  In retrospect she and Ian had never been much on the romance side but this was breath taking.

He pulled her through the French doors out onto the private balcony outside the bedroom.  She starred at the beautiful water that she had missed more than she had realized.  This place was special to her in so many ways.

“Now, time for your wedding gift.”

“Isn’t this the gift,” she asked motioning to the house and bedroom.

Ian smiled pulling a box out of his pocket.

He spared nothing when it came to her.  “Ian, you have given me so much already.  You didn’t have to buy my jewelry.”

He smiled placing the box in her hand.

When Nova lifted the lid having no idea what Ian had bought her, her expression changed to perplexed the minute she saw the key resting in the box.  “I don’t understand,” she asked lifting the key out.

“Welcome home Nova.”

What? 
“Are you serious, you really bought the house for us?”

“Well that and the island.”

“Oh my God Ian.  I can’t believe you would do this.”

“This is our place Nova, there was no way I would let someone else own it.”

“So you just bought it,” she asked still completely amazed.

“I bought it when you told me you would marry me.”

“This is the most amazing thing I could have ever imagined.”

“I hope you don’t mind but I had all the existing furniture removed and bought new.  I tried to keep the furniture in the living room and bedroom as close to what was here but everything else has been changed.”

“Do you have an office here,” she asked nuzzling her lips against his neck?

“I do babe, complete with a desk matching mine in Boston.”

He felt her kiss stop.  He had her.

“Take me to the office Ian.”

“God how could I not love a women who likes me to fuck her on my desk.”

“It’s not the desk so much as it is the powerful man sitting behind it,” she said just before biting his neck.

“Fuck Nova, I am going to have you every way possible on that desk.”

The next morning Nova let Ian show her everything on the island.  He had added a few things. 

“The helicopter pad is new isn’t it,” she asked.

“Yes it is.  I was worried you would figure out where we were going if we took a boat again.”

She stared up at him.  “You had a helicopter pad put in just so I wouldn’t know where you were taking me?”

“Is it too much?” he asked.

“No, not for you Ian.”

She planted a soft kiss on his lips.  This amazing man was hers and there was nothing in life that could ever make her any happier.

CHAPTER 31

After seven days of nothing but sun and sex, she and Ian both returned to Boston with smiles and for Nova a very sun tanned back side.

The next month just seemed to fly by.  She stayed busy finally settling the last of the details of the Lions Gate buy out and Ian was busy with his acquisition in China.  She really had no idea why he had partnered with her in Lions Gate because surprisingly he left all decisions up to her.  He was however a great sound board and once she felt she had a handle on the business itself she prepared herself for better marketing to promote Lions Gate and turn it into the success she knew it could be.

Ian had worked late almost every night that week.  The new acquisition had him busy from daylight to practically early morning.  She had missed him but she was thankful he was almost finished and would be returning to normal hours soon.  He was excited about his new business venture which only made her even more excited for him.

At midnight she was standing in the kitchen eating an ice cream sandwich.  She realized that almost every night this week she had woke up hungry and had indulged in tasty treats while standing in her pajamas.  Despite Ian’s absence, sleeping had come very easy for her this week.  In fact, she almost wished she had a sofa in her office to catch a few naps as she found she was wearing down during the day. 

Walking back to her bathroom to brush her teeth she glanced at her backside in the mirror.  She was going to have to tell Roberta to stop buying sweets or it was quickly going to start growing.  She laid down in bed thinking about how much had gone on since the honeymoon.  Considering the long hours she had put in had finally caught up with her but her midnight appetite wasn’t so easily explained.  She was eating during the day.  As a matter of fact she was eating three full meals and an afternoon snack.

She shot up in the bed.  There was no way.  There was no way she could be… Wait, she was on birth control, had been for years.  She hadn’t missed a period, but thinking back her last two had been very short and spotty.  Still, it didn’t add up.  She took her pill every day without fail.  There had to be another cause to explain her fatigue and increased appetite.  She laid there thinking as long as she could and without any further hesitation she picked up Ian’s iPad and started searching pregnancy symptoms.

An hour later, craving a taco, she finally succumbed that this could all be very real.  She had no idea how Ian would handle this.  Laying down the iPad she felt her stomach knot up, there was no reason to wonder how he would take it, she knew.  Remembering the look on his face in the barn at his mom’s, she thought she might panic.

Her guts began to wrench.  She and Ian had never, not once, ever discussed a family.  Hell, she had never considered a family.  The agony became worse when she realized there was the possibility that she was facing motherhood.  She had nothing to offer.  She had no clue how to be a mother.  It wasn’t like her mother had ever been any good and she certainly wasn’t a role model.  Tears ran down her cheeks.  Everything was going to change and only one month into their marriage.  What if Ian didn’t want children?  What if Ian didn’t want this?  Many tears later, Nova finally fell back asleep.

“Babe,” Ian said nudging her.  “It’s 7 Nova.  You need to get up baby.”

She opened her eyes seeing Ian already showered and dressed for work.  “What time did you get home?” she asked wiping the sleep from her eyes.

“2:00. I was afraid I woke you when I got in bed.  You tossed and turned a lot.”

Realization hit Nova like she had been punched.  “Oh, I guess bad dreams maybe.”

“Do you want me to wait on you?  We can drive in together.”

She sat up and pulled him in for the biggest hug she had ever given him.  The smell of him, the feel of his body against hers, Ian was her everything.  She felt the tears well up in her eyes.  How was he going to take this?

“Nova, is my native restless,” he asked planting a kiss on her forehead?

“I’ve just missed you this week,” she said wiping the remnant of a tear hanging to the bottom of her eye lash.

“Get dressed.  I will go in late today so we can ride together.  I’ve left you alone too long already this week.”

It wasn’t that the idea of it didn’t sound good but she had a stop to make first.  She needed a pregnancy test.  “Don’t be silly.  I am fine.  I just needed to hug my husband this morning.  Get your ass to work and get your stuff finished so you can start getting home at a descent hour.”

Nova stopped at the first pharmacy she found.  She bought four different tests, unsure which one was the best.  She stuffed them in her purse and threw the receipt away coming in the lobby of the building.  She drank two bottles of water on her way in knowing she couldn’t wait any longer and she wasn’t going to let having to wait to pee delay it.  She needed answers. 

After asking her secretary to hold her calls, she walked to her office and shut the door.  She went straight to her private bathroom, pulled out all the boxes and started reading the directions.  Picking the one that said early detection, she removed it from the wrapper. 

After five minutes of pacing her small bathroom she picked it up. 
Oh hell!

Another bottle of water later and three more pregnancy tests later, the verdict was unanimous.  She was pregnant.

Nova sat silently at her desk.  She had given Janice the all clear on her calls but she didn’t open her door.  At 11 she realized she had done nothing since she got to work but sit at her desk.  She had answered a few calls after giving her secretary the all clear but that was it. 

After getting her head on straight, she had a few follow up calls to make and then after that she sat silently again.  This was a big shock.  She still wasn’t sure how it happened but nonetheless it had. 

Lowering her hands to her belly she felt the warmth of her flesh under her blouse.  The idea of this baby was suddenly no longer as frightening.  This baby was part of her and Ian.  It would be the most incredible thing she could imagine.  She just prayed Ian felt the same way.

At 12 noon she had a game plan.  She still had no idea how Ian would handle this so she prepared herself for worst case scenario.  She could raise this baby on her own if that was what it came to.  She envisioned a son with Ian’s handsome features and his brilliant mind but she could also see a little girl with her green eyes.  Would she be able to wrap Ian around her finger? 

At 12:30 she finally faced the realization that this wasn’t something she could hide from Ian. 
No secrets,
she reminded herself.  She told Janice, her secretary she was going up to Ian’s office and to forward all her calls to her voice mail.

The ride two floors up to I.S.C was horrific.  She felt like she was walking into a black hole.  She honestly had no idea how this was going to turn out.  Maybe work wasn’t the best place to do this she thought just as she started to turn and go back downstairs.

No luck, Ian’s secretary saw her in the hall. 

“Hey Nova, you still have that I’ve just got married glow about you dear.  Here to see Ian I suppose?”

Nova smiled.  “Yeah, is he busy?”

“No.  I think John is in with him but you can go on in.  I’m just running to the ladies room.”

“Okay, thanks,” she said continuing on to Ian’s office.

Just outside the door she stopped.  If he was having a bad day she would wait until tonight.  That was her plan.  Go in and check the temperature of the water.  If it was safe, she would tell him.  If not, she would wait.

“You’re a lucky man,” she heard John say to Ian.

“That I am,” he replied.

“You know Amy is bugging me insistently about starting a family.  What about you and Nova, any plans for a family?”

She heard Ian make a strange noise.  “I like things just the way they are,” she heard him say.

Her knees weakened.  That was the last thing she heard before she headed back down the hall.

Ian’s secretary caught her arm as Nova tried to straighten out her wobbly legs.  “Nova, are you alright?”

“Sorry, knew heels,” she said.

“You scared me.  Did you find Ian?”

“Oh, he was busy and I forgot I have a conference call in five minutes.  I’ll get with him this afternoon.”

Nova bit her lip anxiously wanting to get as far away as she could.

“Fine dear.  Come back up.  I can order lunch for you two.”

“Oh, I’ll just eat in my office.  I honestly doubt my call will be over in time but thanks for offering.”

She went straight to her office.  Nova sat down trying to figure out what she was going to do but she felt like she couldn’t breathe.  She picked up all the boxes and pregnancy tests and threw them back in her purse and headed for the door.

“Janice, forward any necessary calls to my cell phone.  I’m going to work the rest of the day from home.”

“Sure,” she said.  “Are you alright?”

“Just feeling a little under the weather.  Nothing serious but I think some chicken noodle soup and some extra Vitamin C will have me feeling better in no time.”

“Alright, call me if I need to do anything for you.”

Nova nodded and walked out.

The drive home was a frazzled mess.  To be honest she barely even remembered driving the car.  That probably wasn’t very safe she considered closing the door on the garage.  Thankfully she had given Roberta the night off.  She had some family event she wanted to go to and the idea of an empty house couldn’t have been more welcoming. 

Nova got back on the iPad searching for birth control effectiveness.  This still just didn’t seem possible.  She finally found the answer.  She had taken antibiotics when she was sick. Pulling out her empty birth control packages that she managed to never throw out from her bedside table she found one pack that still had two pills in it.  She remembered they were from the month when she was sick.  When she started her period at the end of that month she just thought she had started early.  It never occurred to her that she had taken them the two days she had been sick. 

She counted back her periods remembering the morning she and Ian had made love after she was sick.  According to the website she was reading she would have been ovulating a few days after that.  She also remembered that weekend they had stayed in bed the majority of the time. If that was the case, she should be about twelve weeks. 

How would Ian handle the news? First the look in the barn and today hearing him tell John he liked it being just the two of them told her how he would handle the news.

She was terrified she would lose him but she was carrying a baby now.  This baby was a piece of Ian and a piece of her.  The raw emotion brought tears to her eyes.  She had no idea what motherhood was until that moment when every maternal instinct she had no idea she had kicked in.  She would love this baby with everything in her and hopefully Ian would too.  If not, she would have to figure out how to do this on her own.

Her phone rang.  Picking it up suspecting it was work related she was thrilled to see it was Mom calling.  God she needed her.

“Hey mom.”

“Nova, I haven’t talked to you all week.  How are you doing love?”

Her calming and loving voice always had a way of settling her and now, more than ever, she needed her, even if she couldn’t tell her why.  “Mom, do you have any plans?”

“No dear, why?”

“Well Ian is so busy and my work has calmed down.  I thought if it wasn’t an imposition I could come and visit you for a few days.”

“Oh Nova, I think that is a wonderful idea.  Have you talked to Ian about it?”

Nova paused.  “He is so busy right now.  He won’t even have time to miss me.”

“Great, I would love some girl time.  Do you want to come tonight?”

God she loved that lady.  “Yes, tonight would be great.”

“Fine, call me with your arrangements and I will have a car waiting for you.”

Nova hung up and started packing her suitcase.  This was what she needed.  She needed some time to clear her head.  A few days with Mom would help her and then she would face Ian when she got back.

Ian walked out of his office about 3 o’clock.  He was exhausted and needed to walk around, regroup and then he would be ready for the long haul tonight.  He had hoped by tomorrow everything would be signed and sealed and he could surprise Nova by coming home early.

“Mr. Strong, did Nova get a chance to talk with you?”

Ian eyed his secretary.  “What are you talking about?”

“She came to see you at lunch.  She said you were busy and that she would come back up this afternoon.  I have been up and down from my desk all afternoon it seems.  I wasn’t sure if she ever came back.”

Ian had no idea what she was talking about, Nova had certainly not been to see him today.  “No, she hasn’t,” he replied. 

Ian headed for the elevators and went down to her floor.  “Hi Janice,” he said walking towards Nova’s closed office door.

“Oh, Hi Mr. Strong.  She isn’t in, Sir.”

Ian turned around to her. 

“She wasn’t feeling well.  She went home a few hours ago.”