“Honey, I imagine you two have been at it like bunny rabbits, as all newlyweds are. If you aren’t on the Pill, it was bound to happen.”
“I actually stopped taking it when Tristan left. I was never very good at remembering anyway, so it was easy to stop. Then when he returned, I just never started again.”
“Then you could be up to four months pregnant already?” she asked in amazement.
Lowering my voice, I explained, “I haven’t missed a period. I wasn’t holding out on you. I just didn’t know. What if that means something’s wrong?”
Jordan gently ran her hand up and down my forearm to ease my worries. “Don’t think like that. There are women who go the entire nine months without missing their period. I saw one on the Discovery Channel who never even knew she was pregnant. She just thought she was putting on winter weight. Then one day she felt like she had bad stomach cramps and before she knew it, she was the mother of a perfect baby boy. She barely made it to the hospital. So don’t worry. That little boy or girl growing inside you will be just fine.”
“Thank God for your love of the Discovery Channel or I’d never know about these things,” I said with a chuckle. This was why Jordan was the best kind of friend. Even in moments when I was terrified, she knew just what to say to make me smile and forget my worries.
“Damn right. Somebody’s got to watch the medical oddities of this world. You know what this means, right? You don’t have to be consigned to Salad Hell. Now you’re eating for two.”
“Oh, that’s good because I wasn’t looking forward to that. I should call Tristan and tell him.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here and get some real food in you. I’m starving too, so it’s perfect timing.”
I took my phone out and thought about how I’d tell Tristan he was going to be a father. This wasn’t something to be done over the phone, so I stuffed it back into my bag. “I’m going to tell him at dinner tonight. That seems like a better way to break it to him.”
Jordan took my hand as we walked out of the store. “Break it to him? I’m thinking he’s going to be thrilled. I’m thrilled, and I’m only going to be an honorary aunt.”
“Honorary nothing, Jordan. You’ve been more like a sister to me than my own sister ever has, so there’ll be nothing honorary about it. From now on, you better get used to Aunt Jordan.”
Beaming her trademark gorgeous smile, she nearly bubbled over with excitement as we walked among the crowds of people sharing the sidewalk with us that Saturday afternoon. “Oooooh, Aunt Jordan. That’s got a great ring to it. You know what this means. I have to get my apartment baby-proofed. All those sharp edges have to go. And I’ll need to get those outlet cover things—you know, the clear plastic things you put right into the outlets.”
“You have time. I haven’t given birth to the little one yet.”
She turned toward me and shook her head. “Miss I Might Be Four Months Pregnant, I don’t have that long. Oh, I just thought of something. You may have missed the entire first trimester. That means you might not have to deal with morning sickness.”
“I like that,” I said with a smile. “Anytime I can avoid getting sick is good for me.” Suddenly a thought tore through my brain. I’d never stopped drinking those chocolate cake martinis! I skidded to a stop and shook my head. “Jordan, I didn’t know. I never thought for a second I might be pregnant. I just had a drink last night!”
“Honey, it’s okay. You’re not an alcoholic. Christ, you barely drink socially. I think you’ll be fine even though you had a few drinks in the past few months. Now you know, so you’ll avoid them until after when we all celebrate the arrival of the newest member of the Stone family.”
“I just didn’t know. I hope they didn’t hurt the little guy,” I said sadly.
“Don’t worry about it, Nina. I’m sure your doctor would say the same thing. It’s going to be okay. And what’s this about a little guy? Am I going to be an aunt to a boy?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t even think before I said that. Do you think that means something?”
Jordan tugged on my arm to get us walking again. “I think it means you’re hungry for a good meal, my treat. Today, we celebrate and we can talk baby names over lunch. Now let’s go before all these people beat us to a table!”
Chapter Three
Tristan
Pulling the Jag through the security gates at the bottom of the driveway, I ran my fingers over the black velvet box resting on the passenger seat beside me. Hidden inside it was a necklace I hoped Nina would love. Never very good at that kind of thing, I thankfully could count on Angelo, who seemed innately attuned to what looked good.
I turned the car off inside the garage and grabbed the box, stuffing it into my suit coat jacket. I hadn’t figured out how I wanted to surprise Nina, but since she’d called me to let me know she was making a special dinner for us, tonight would be the perfect time to give her my gift.
Throwing my keys on the hall table, I yelled, “Anyone home?” as I made my way to the kitchen. The room was empty and there was no sign any cooking had happened there all day. Confused, I walked down the hallway toward our room, wondering if something happened to cancel our date. The fear that Nina had had another accident instantly made me worried, but before I could reach the bedroom, I heard her yell for me from the dining room.
“I’m in here, Tristan! Just give me a second to get everything ready.”
Relieved that my worrying had been for nothing, I stopped a few feet away from the doorway, curious about what awaited me. After a long day at the office, I didn’t care what food she cooked or what the special occasion was. All I wanted to do was spend time with my beautiful wife and relax.
Nina peeked her head out of the dining room, and I saw that sweet grin she put on when she was up to something. “I have a big surprise for you.”
“Good. I have one for you too.”
The mischievous expression slid from her face. “A surprise for me? What are you up to, Tristan Stone?”
“Does a man have to be up to something to surprise his wife?” I asked not-so-innocently. In fact, I had a reason to surprise her. I’d received the proceeds from the sale of my share of Club X three days earlier, so today was a perfect time to give her a present to show her how much I loved her.