“Are you all right?”
“I feel a little sick. Nothing is seriously wrong with me.”
“How are you dealing with the sickness and the side effects?”
She chuckled. “You make it sound like I’m on drugs or something. I’m dealing with it. The sickness is horrible, but I imagine every woman feels that way. I ache, and most of my energy feels zapped. It is like I’ve run thousands of miles, and yet I’ve only walked from one room to another.”
“Sounds awful.”
Jennifer reached down into her purse and pulled out a list. “Linda organized a list for us. It has books and stores we can visit. She was very thorough.”
“You’re really good friends, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “We’ve been friends since we were little. My parents don’t approve. Her mother was some kind of model, which they think is appalling. I don’t care. Linda is amazing, and I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”
“How did she handle the news of the baby?”
“Like a friend does. She said if you wanted nothing to do with me or the baby then she’d happily step into the role, and we’d raise the baby together.”
He laughed. Patrick saw the two women fawning over a baby. “I can see it.”
They were silent for a few moments.
“Are you happy about the baby?” she asked.
“At first I was shocked. I got over that pretty quickly. I’m happy with the baby. Are you happy?” He glanced over at her quickly. Her hand rested on her belly.
When would she start showing?
Patrick imagined her without any clothes on and ripe with his baby. The image turned him on more than he thought possible.
“I think so. I don’t feel ready for a child. Who does, though?”
He parked the car inside his garage and took her suitcases from the back of the car. She stood waiting for him. “I’ll get you a key to the house,” he said.
Unlocking the door, he nudged her inside.
“You’re very bossy when you want to be,” she said.
“All the time, babe.” She chuckled as he put her suitcases near the door. “I want to show you something.”
He took her hand leading her up the stairs. The grand tour would happen later. Patrick opened the door next to his room. “I was thinking this could be the nursery,” he said.
She stepped inside the room. At the moment the walls were a plain white, and there were some drawers and cabinets along one wall.
“What was this room?” she asked.
“This is where I made my fortune. The idea started in this room, and I signed the papers that made me a very rich man in this very room.”
“Are you sure you want it as a nursery? There are a lot of happy memories here.”
He glanced around the space. The decision to turn it into a nursery had been one of the hardest choices of his life. “I’d like my son or daughter to sleep here. It might give them good luck for the future,” he said.
“You’re going to be an amazing father.”
“I hope so.”
Patrick grabbed the bags filled with the baby stuff he’d bought the other day.
“I want you to see this.”
He began to pull out some toys and clothing.
“When did you get this?” she asked.
“After I found out about you being pregnant. What do you think?”
“They’re beautiful. I can’t believe you did this.”
He kissed her head, loving the way she sounded. In that moment he knew he could do this.
Chapter Seven
The press had a field day when the papers showed Patrick going into a baby store the following day. Jennifer sat at the counter eating her bowl of cereal as the telephone started. Patrick stood behind her. One of his hands touched her shoulder as the other rested on the counter. They stared at the paper together.
“You didn’t know you were being followed?” she asked.
“This was taken from someone’s camera. I wasn’t followed by the press. Someone sold their picture for money.” He cursed.
Her cell phone went off, which made her jump.
“You shouldn’t be worried, Patrick. We knew this was going to happen eventually.”
“I’d hoped we’d be the ones to announce it. Half the world knows something now.”
Linda’s picture flashed on her screen. “I’ve got to take this.”
“Go ahead. I’ll answer the one that has been ringing off the hook.”
“This is your home, Patrick. Not mine.” He took a step toward her, cupping her face.
“This is your home as well, Jennifer. We’re in this together.” Patrick kissed her lips deeply before disappearing out of the kitchen and down the hall.
“Hello,” she said.
“Have you seen the news? The press is having a field day with this story.” Linda spoke over the phone.
“We’ve seen the paper, and his phone is ringing. He’s a popular guy.”
“You’ve not been mentioned yet. I imagine it won’t take them long to put two and two together.”
Jennifer listened to her friend babble on about the news and what they were saying.
“How was your first night together?” she asked.
Glancing over her shoulder to see if he was listening, Jennifer walked toward the door at the back of the kitchen.
“It was amazing. He went shopping after he found out about the baby, Linda. That has got to mean something, right?”
“He’s smitten, honey. He looks it on these clips on the news. I missed you last night. Waking up in this place is not the same without you.”
“It was strange being here.”
They spoke for several more minutes, and when she hung up, Patrick walked through.
“You don’t look happy.”
“I’ve been asked to make a statement to the press. I thought we could announce our engagement to the press later this afternoon,” he said.
“Engagement? Patrick, we’re living together. That is not an engagement.”
“Dad thinks this will go better if we’re engaged rather than living together.”
She put her empty bowl in the sink and stared at him. Putting her hands on her hips she tried to think of a reasonable argument.
“This is how it’s going to go? We’re going to be controlled by them no matter what?”
He took a step forward. “We’re not being controlled.”
“No? Then why are we making a statement? Can’t we just continue on as if this never happened?” She pointed at the offending paper and then back at him.