Under His Care (9 page)

“My whole life,” Easton continued, “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “I know that sounds crazy, because I refused to accept that fact, even when my mind kept repeating it over and over again. I didn’t want to believe in you, Kennedy, because then I’d have to risk everything for you. And I was afraid,” he said, swallowing, his eyes tearing up as he spoke.

“What were you so afraid of?” she asked.

“I was afraid that I wouldn’t be worthy of you,” he said. He smiled bitterly. “And maybe I was right about that part of it. Maybe I’m not worthy of you, because you’re the smartest, sexiest, most amazing person I’ve ever met in my life—and you’re fearless, and you take risks that nobody else would take.”

Kennedy had to laugh at that. “I think maybe you’re exaggerating my accomplishments, Easton. I’m like—the most afraid person in the world.”

He shook his head, and his gaze was filled with love for her. “You don’t see yourself, Kennedy, not like I see you. That’s part of why I love you, why I’m so amazed by you.”

“Then why did you let me go that night? Why did you treat me so badly when I told you I needed you to just care for me a little?”

He nodded his head, acknowledging the question, and his jaw tightened. “I screwed up. I can admit that now. And if I could take it back, I would. Believe me, I’ve had a lot of hours to reflect on the way I treated you since you started working for me. And I’m not proud of most of it. But I am proud of one thing.”

“And what’s that?” she said, curious now.

He smiled gently. “I’m so proud that you—you could’ve chosen any man to give yourself to. And yet you gave yourself to me, and I cherish that, Kennedy. I really do.”

Her heart was filling with joy, but she couldn’t trust it. And despite all of Easton’s wonderful, caring words, she knew something that he didn’t. She knew the possibility existed that she was pregnant, and that would change everything.

“Oh, Easton,” she said, her voice filled with sadness. “Thank you for being so kind, but—“

“No,” he declared. “No buts, Kennedy. No excuses, no worries, no more crap from the past is going to stop me from giving you everything you deserve.”

“Easton, it’s not that simple,” she began.

“Maybe it is really that simple,” he insisted, and suddenly he was doing the unthinkable.

Kennedy felt faint as she watched him drop down to one knee, right in the middle of her tiny, New York City apartment, and produce a small black box, which he held aloft.

Kennedy’s hand fluttered to her throat. “Oh my God,” she gasped.

“Open it,” he told her.

“I can’t.” She shook her head. “I—I can’t. Please. Please stand up. You can’t do this right now.”

His eyes clouded. “Why can’t I? Why can’t we just let ourselves be happy?”

“Oh God!” she yelled. “You don’t get it.”

“What don’t I get?”

Kennedy turned on her heel, walked to the counter and grabbed the pregnancy test kit in hand and then walked back to where Easton was now standing, the small box now covered by his clenched fist.

“This is what you don’t understand,” Kennedy told him, holding out her own box toward him.

“Are you serious?” he asked, his jaw dropping open almost comically, as he scanned the label.

“I haven’t taken the test yet,” she whispered. “But I’ve been getting nauseous—Nicole thought it might be morning sickness.”

Easton blinked a couple of times, and then put the ring box back in his pocket and stepped forward, taking Kennedy by the arms. “Do you really think that’s going to make me change my mind, change the way I feel about you?”

She started to cry, despite herself. “Of course it will. You wanted to have fun, you wanted me to please you—not give you some baby that you never asked for.”

Easton leaned his head close to hers, so that his forehead rested against Kennedy’s forehead. She couldn’t look at him, though. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and falling from her chin.

“I love you no matter what happens,” he said. “Don’t you get that? I didn’t come here to say I wanted to take you out on another date, Kennedy. I wasn’t asking you to spend a little time together—I was here to ask you if you’d do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me.”

“But you couldn’t have—you wouldn’t have done it if you’d thought I might…be…pregnant,” she said, having difficulty even saying it aloud.

“I could have and I would have,” he said. “There’s nothing that would make me happier than to bring a life into this world that is part of you and part of me. I know that sounds crazy,” he said, “but there’s not even a little bit of doubt left in me. I love you so much,” he said, and then he was kissing her again.

Kennedy wrapped her arms around him as he drew her closer still, and they kissed for a long time. She’d never felt so relieved, so incredibly loved, and warm, and cared for, and listened to.

When his miraculous kiss finally stopped, Easton looked at her with a mischievous little grin. “Should we open the box?”

“Which one?” she said, laughing nervously.

“Let’s do your box first,” he said, taking it from her hands and opening it up. “You want me to come with you?”

“I think I can handle this part,” Kennedy said, although she wasn’t really so sure. She took the open box from him and started for the bathroom. “I’ll just be a minute.”

“I want to wait for the results together,” he told her.

“Okay. Okay, relax,” she called back, but her heart was beating quickly as she went into the bathroom and read the instructions over twice.

Come on, Kennedy. You’ve understood advanced mathematics that ninety nine point nine percent of the population could never even remotely fathom—you should be able to handle a pregnancy test.

But it was nerve wracking just the same, and she didn’t want to do anything that might give an inaccurate result.

And as she peed, and then afterwards set the pregnancy test stick on the bathroom sink, Kennedy realized that she had changed from hoping that she wasn’t pregnant—to actually beginning to hope that she was pregnant.

The change set her mind spinning and her heart beating even faster still.

She exited the bathroom to find Easton waiting right outside the door, his expression calm but happy. “So,” he said, grabbing her hand tightly, “you did the first part. And now we just wait a couple of minutes, right?”

“Yeah,” she said, licking her lips. “This is so weird.”

He looked at her. “Maybe it’s not so weird. I mean, this happens every day. It’s how we all got here in the first place.”

“True.” Kennedy looked into his eyes, allowing herself to finally admit that he did care as much as he said.

Easton caressed her cheek softly. “God, you’re beautiful.”

She smiled. “Please tell me this is real and you’re not going to change back.”

“This is real and I’m not going to change back, Kennedy. I’m here to stay if you’ll have me.” And then he got down on one knee and produced the ring box yet again, holding it up for her.

Kennedy tentatively opened it. The diamond ring gleaming up at her was exquisite, gorgeous, and she loved it instantly. “It’s perfect,” she said, smiling, her eyes shining with happy tears.

“Just like you,” Easton said. “Will you marry me, Kennedy?”

She nodded, barely able to contain her emotion. “Of course I will.” And then Easton took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger, and it fit perfectly somehow.

He got up and hugged and kissed her again. “No matter what happens right now,” he said, “I do want to have a baby with you.”

“I do too,” she said, shocked that they were actually saying these things to each other.

They both started laughing, and as they held each other, their laughter built, like an inside joke only the two of them understood, and maybe not even they could full appreciate everything that made it so funny, yet so touching and wonderful all at once.

All Kennedy knew was that she’d finally come home—finally found her true family—and that there was nothing else more to ask for in life.

When enough time had passed, Easton gave her a look. “Should we go in now?” he said.

Kennedy took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”

They held hands tightly and then opened the bathroom door. It swung slowly open, and they both stared down at the sink.

***

Three weeks later, it was a gorgeous and surprisingly warm day, and Easton had taken her for a walk in Central Park.

It was one of those New York days that seemed magical, like the world had become the backdrop for Kennedy’s own personal Hollywood romance, and they’d dropped her and Easton into the set and let them free to wander.

A light breeze blew her hair as they walked together, stopping to pet a cute and friendly dog.

“Hey, look,” Easton said, pointing up ahead. There was a slight man of Asian descent drawing a caricature of a little boy.

“That’s a great drawing,” she said, surprised at how much it looked like the boy who was sitting on a stool, posing as the artist sketched him. His parents stood by, talking and laughing as the artist worked and the boy fidgeted.

Eventually, the artist completed his work and gave the parents the drawing. They exchanged the drawing for some cash and then went on their way.

“We should have him do one of us,” Easton said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

“No way,” Kennedy said, trying to resist.

“I want it,” Easton told her.

Finally, he broke away, allowing Kennedy to catch up to him as he negotiated price with the small Asian man who would be doing the sketch.

“Both of you?” the artist asked in a heavy accent.

Easton glanced at Kennedy and she shook her head no. Easton just shrugged. “I guess it’s just me for today,” he said, and then sat down on the small stool and waited for the artist to start drawing him.

Kennedy shook her head again and laughed, then took a seat on a bench beside the path, where many tourists were walking, heads turned to watch as this handsome man got his caricature done in Central Park.

It was a strange scene, and Easton, in his expensive clothes, perfectly coiffed hair and gorgeous looks, was at odds with the tiny man who was sketching him.

But in another way, Kennedy found the whole thing perfect. She put a hand reflexively to her stomach and smiled, thinking about the fact that she was carrying Easton’s child.

Their child.

Ever since the day they’d found out, Easton had been different—lighter, happier, easier to laugh and much slower to anger.

It was as if something inside him had blossomed, a part of him that was caring and soft to go along with other part of him that was hard, aggressive and protective.

As the artist drew the exaggerated picture, Easton posed as if he was thinking deeply, one hand perched under his chin, eyes cast upward, mimicking the statue that Rodin had crafted long ago.

Kennedy couldn’t stop giggling as she snapped a picture of him on her phone.

Ten minutes later and the sketch was complete, along with the date and signature of the artist. It had come out nicely, and somehow the little Asian man had found a way to capture Easton’s expression, and the reality of his kindness and sweetness in his eyes. Even though Easton had been goofing around, somehow that artist had caught a glimpse of Easton’s true nature—his sweet, caring and fun side that had been in evidence ever since he’d proposed to her a month ago.

They took the drawing with them, caught a cab back to their townhouse (she’d moved in with Easton immediately after his proposal), and Easton prepared them a light salad for lunch.

Kennedy was somewhat distracted while she was eating, texting back and forth with Nicole and her parents and even Red.

“Can’t we have a meal without the texting for once?” Easton asked, a slight edge of frustration in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” Kennedy said. She put her phone down. “It’s just this wedding stuff—“

“I told you we should do a small thing, just me and you and a handful of other people. Go away to an island and do it like Red and Nicole did theirs.”

“I don’t want to copy them,” Kennedy said.

“Whatever,” Easton said, waving his hand. “I just think a little less texting would be nice. As it is, I never see you at work anymore…“

“That’s because I don’t work for you,” she reminded him. “I work for Red.”

“I know, you’re big and important now,” Easton said. “I saw the new corporate strategy, remember?”

“You helped me design it,” she laughed. “Are you seriously upset right now?”

He put his fork down and made a face. “Not really.” He grinned. “But I do think you’re spending way too much time on all of this wedding stuff. It’s all going to work out.”

“Not if someone doesn’t manage things. We’re getting married in a month, Easton. That’s a short timeline, and if I don’t keep an eye on the details, we’re going to crash and burn.”

“That’s just your hormones talking,” he said, grinning.

“That’s so not true,” she said, rolling her eyes.