Precious Lace (Lace #4) (9 page)

  I exited the Garden and passed the La Perla store. A sad smile crossed my face. This was undoubtedly where Carter had gone to replace all the panties he'd torn off my body in moments of passion. I hoped those days weren't over for us. My heart ached at the thought of a future without him in it. I held my tummy as I walked until The Hancock came into view. My memory drifted back to the day a few months ago when I’d seen Nikki stepping out of this very building from this same corner. I shook the memory from my mind because we now had much more important things to discuss.

  I entered the building and the security guard waved me on with a smile. I rode the elevator to the 60th floor and braced myself the entire way, not wanting to lose my lunch from the quick ascent. 

  The doors opened and I turned the corner, nearly running head first into Madeleine Snow. My breathing caught in my throat before I steeled my backbone and narrowed my eyes at her. The last words we'd had that night at the gala hadn't been pleasant ones. This woman had been the cause for much of my heartache the past few months. 

  "Well, I see you got what you wanted." She cast an accusing eye to my stomach. "Such a desperate grab to catch a billionaire don't you think? Getting knocked up is so low class." She lifted her chin and swirled past me into the elevator, her heavy perfume, the same I’d found in Carter's office bathroom, left in her wake. The scent made my stomach churn. 

  I clenched my teeth in anger. Did Carter want me to see her here? Was this his way of ending it with me? What a low blow. He knew what a bone of contention she was for me. 

  I stood for a few breathless moments with my fists clenched in anger before turning back to the elevators and punching the button to leave Carter's office and The Hancock. 

  Clearly Madeleine knew about the pregnancy, and she'd only heard it from one person. Why would he tell her after everything we'd been through? He had to have known that that would cut me to the core. Did he want me to run into her? He had been the one to text asking me to stop by. My brain swirled with all of the possibilities as the elevator whirred down to the main floor. The doors opened and I exited the lobby and out the doors on Clarendon. I turned toward Beacon Street and then thought better of it. I wasn’t ready to go there. I turned in the opposite direction and headed for Chandler Street and my old apartment.  

  A while later I awoke to jingling keys and heels on the wooden floor. I remembered that I'd come to Cate's apartment and let myself in with my key. Cate hadn't been home so I'd curled into the fetal position on the couch and fell into a restless sleep. 

  I glanced at my phone on the coffee table and found that I’d been asleep for a few hours. There were also nearly a dozen missed calls from Carter. 

  "Hey honey, what's up?" Cate came to me with a concerned look on her face. 

  I rolled my eyes in response. "What isn't up?" I gave her a sad smile. 

  "So I assume you told Carter?"

  "Yes, he didn't take it well to say the least. I didn't say much beyond we were going to have a baby and he clammed up and starting tossing shots down his throat. I haven't seen him since." That wasn’t entirely true; my brain flitted back to the memory of Carter's beautiful form cutting through the water in the pool this morning. My heart ached with love for him. 

  "Then he texted earlier and asked me to stop by his office. I thought he wanted to talk, make amends or something, so I went and ran into Madeleine coming out of his office. She had a few choice words for me. He told her about the pregnancy. She said I was a gold digger who got knocked up on purpose. For all I know maybe Carter thinks the same thing," I shrugged sadly. 

  "Eva, you know he doesn't."

  "No, Cate, I don't know anything. He's blocked me out again."

  "So why are you sleeping on my couch?" She arched an eyebrow at me. 

  "I dunno. I just didn't want to go back to his place."

  "Technically it's your place now too, you know."

  "It doesn't feel like that. It feels like I’ve been inserted into his life only for his convenience."

  "I’m sorry." She rubbed my shoulder. "You can stay here as long as you want. I won't even make you sleep on the couch." She winked at me. 

  "Thanks. I miss when it was just the two of us and life was simple."

  "Yea, but you didn't know what you were missing then."

  "What was I missing?"

  "The most beautiful man on the planet who would move heaven and earth for you, for one," she said. 

  "And who drives me straight up the wall, for two." I smiled. 

  Just then a pounding hit Cate's door. 

  "I know who that is." I frowned. 

  "Do you want me to get it?" she offered. 

  "No, I need to talk to him. Thanks for offering to face the beast though." I smiled at her before getting up to answer the door. 

  "What the fuck, Eva?"

  "Hello to you too" I rolled my eyes. 

  "Don’t be smart. Why didn’t you meet me? I was worried when you didn't show up. You can't keep doing that. Do you know what was running through my head?"

  "I’m sorry," I deadpanned. 

  "Why didn't you show up?" He clenched his jaw in anger. A small piece of me wanted to run my hand along the sharp right angle, tuck my nose into his neck and inhale his sweet fresh scent. 

  "I did. I ran into Madeleine at the elevator." I pressed my lips together to maintain a sense of control. 

  "Oh."

  "Yeah, oh. I don't want to do this now, Carter. I'm so tired. I just need time and I think you do too. I'm staying here tonight." I tried to close the door but he stopped it with a firm hand. 

  "You're not shutting me out." His eyes blazed with fury. 

  "I’m not. I'm just shutting the door. I'm giving us both the break we need. I'll be in touch."

  "Eva," he sighed and his eyes pleaded with mine, for what I wasn't sure. 

  "Look, Carter. Clearly you needed a break last night and you took it. I'm taking one now."

  "But we were still in the same house, Eva. I didn't leave." His voice wavered on the last word. 

  "I’m not leaving. I'm having a sleepover with Cate. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

  "Eva, I hate this," he whispered. 

  "Me too, Carter." I held his gaze. "Tomorrow." I slowly closed the door on his sad steely blue eyes.  

  "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you to the doctor appointment?" Cate watched me from the kitchen island as I searched for my phone and purse. 

  It had been two days since Carter and I had spoken at Cate's front door. We texted back and forth briefly the previous day and he'd asked me to come home. I'd told him not yet. He had taken it surprisingly well, for Carter. 

  My first appointment wasn't scheduled for another week, but they'd called at the last minute and offered me a cancellation in less than an hour so I was scrambling to get ready and make it on time. 

  "Are you sure you don't want to call Carter?" Cate frowned. 

  "No, its okay. It's just confirmation of the pregnancy anyway, it's too early for anything good. I'm sure he's busy at work anyway." I slipped my shoes on. 

  "Okay, see you later, lady." She smiled as I bustled out the door. 

  A short while later I was waiting in the lobby of the doctor's office twisting my fingers nervously. Maybe I should have called Carter, or at least brought Cate with me. What if there was bad news today? So many things could go wrong early on, and with my history my mind was now racing a million miles an hour with all of the terrible things that could happen. I had been under so much stress the past few weeks, surely that wasn't a good thing. 

  "Evangeline Austin?" the nurse called from the open door. I smiled and made my way to her. After weighing me and taking my vitals she left me with my rampant running thoughts as I waited to see the doctor. God, I didn't want to be here and I did not want to be alone. My heart knocked around in my chest and my palms were sweaty. 

  After what seemed like an eternity, the door creaked open and soft steps entered the room. I heaved a sigh and cast my eyes up to meet the only man I'd wanted in the room with me from the beginning. 

  "Carter." Tears sprang to my eyes and I stood and wrapped my arms around his neck. 

  "Hey, baby," he whispered in my ear and rubbed my back. 

  "How did you know?" 

  "Cate called me." He pulled away and gave me a soft lopsided grin. "Are you okay?" He guided me back to the table and sat me down. 

  "Yes. I'm just nervous. I'm so afraid with my history…" The tears poured over and ran down my cheeks in a torrent. "I’m afraid something bad could have happened."

  "No, baby. No, everything is going to be okay. This baby is a miracle. Everything will be perfect." He held me and rubbed my back. 

  "I’m so glad your here," I whispered into his chest 

  "Me too, Eva. I love you so much. I know when you told me I didn't react well, I was just so surprised…" he trailed off. 

  "It's okay now. Can we talk more later?" My tears subsided and I wiped the trails of wet off my face. 

  "Of course, anything you want." Carter passed me a tissue just as the door opened again and the doctor came in. 

  "Hello, Evangeline." The doctor shook my hand with a smile. "And you're the father?" She looked at Carter expectantly. My breath caught in my throat and I prayed he wouldn't have an adverse reaction to the word. 

  "I am. Carter Morgan." He smiled at her. I heaved a sigh of relief.

  "Dr. Burke. Nice to meet you both." 

  She asked routine questions and determined that I was approximately four weeks along. We'd conceived around our wedding day after all. She said we could expect the baby to arrive late next July. My heart did flip-flops at the thought that before next summer was over we'd have a little baby in our arms. 

  Carter held my hand tightly through the entire appointment and all my worry and concern slipped away. He was there when I needed him. It may have taken him a few days to get here, but he was here and that's what mattered. This is where I needed him most. 

  Carter asked the doctor a slew of questions. Apparently he thought I should be on bed rest for the next eight months. Dr. Burke reassured him with an indulgent smile that I could go about my normal life. I told her that I had had more than a few glasses of wine in the last month before finding out that we were expecting. She assured me that that too was okay, there was most likely no harm done. She also explained that it probably was the migraine medication I had been taking that interacted with the birth control, although she explained that she'd birthed more than a few babies that had defied the birth control odds.   

  She exited the room and left a little bliss-filled bubble in her wake. 

  "Ready, baby?" Carter helped me off the table. I stood on my tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his lips. 

  "I'm so ready," I smiled. 

  "Good. Me too." He held my hand as we walked out of the office and into the chilly November air. "Will you come home with me? To Beacon Street?" he asked after he'd settled me into the back seat of the Bentley. 

  I regarded him thoughtfully. His eyes were soft and pleading. He still held my hand in his own and he stroked my palm back and forth with his thumb. The small touch caused butterflies to leap into my stomach. 

  "Yes," I nodded. 

  "Good. I've missed you." He pulled me to him and kissed me on the lips before instructing Parker to take us home. 

  "You're not going back to work?" I pulled away from him. 

  "Not now I’m not. I want to bring you home." He pulled me back and we kissed again.  

  Later that night, after we'd ordered pizza and watched Seinfeld reruns on TV, Carter turned toward me on the couch and held both of my hands in his. 

  "Can we talk now?"

  I frowned at him playfully. "And ruin a perfect night?"

  "It won't ruin it. I just want to explain a few things." He waited for me to agree. 

  "Okay." 

  "First, you ran into Madeleine at my office the other day because I called her in."

  My breathing hitched in my throat. Maybe I wasn't prepared for this conversation after all. 

  "I bought out her share of the company. I have no reason to see her anymore. And I won't. She wasn't happy about it, she dropped by unexpectedly, I didn't realize when I texted you that she would be there. I'm sorry you saw her." His eyes watched me intently.

  "I guess that was why she wasn't happy when I ran into her," I said aloud. 

  "She wasn’t happy. Angry in fact," he mumbled. "Did she say something to you?"

  "Yes, but it doesn't matter."

  "It matters to me," he prompted. 

  "She said that I’d trapped you by getting pregnant. That I was a gold digger." I cast my eyes down and rubbed my tummy with one hand. His hand that was still holding mine tightened marginally at my words 

  "I’m sorry she said that to you. I didn't mean to tell her, she was angry and ranting about why I was buying her out. She thought it had something to do with you. It just slipped out. I'm sorry, Eva." He tilted my chin up to look at me. 

  "It's okay," I said softly. 

  "It's not okay." He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear with a sad smile. 

  "Did you..." I paused for a moment. "Did you give Madeleine an engagement ring with your birthstone?" I whispered, afraid of the answer. 

His eyes flashed with sadness before he answered. "No. She picked out her own engagement ring."

"Oh." I exhaled the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. 

"She's my past, Eva. You're my future—both of you." His hand settled over mine on my tummy. Tears pooled in my eyes. Damn the pregnancy hormones. I was barely a fine line away from breaking down into uncontrollable sobs. 

  "I also need to apologize for how I reacted the night you told me. I was so shocked, but it's not an excuse. I know now how it must have made you feel, and I could tell that you were so happy. I'll regret my reaction and not being there for you for the rest of my life."