“But this is…different,” she said quietly. “Bigger. The fact that you believe me about this makes up for the rest. Besides, it’s been a weird couple of months.”
“True.” The last couple of months with Julie had seemed like one long roller-coaster ride. Every time he thought they were through the confusion and mess, something new had cropped up. He’d mistrusted her, and wanted her. Suspected her, and desired her.
Now, he realized, the suspicion was gone, leaving only the passion and something else…something warm and deep and…He frowned to himself and shut down that particular train of thought.
“Travis,” she said, narrowing her eyes on him. “Are you okay?”
He laughed shortly. He was far from okay. But he wasn’t going to admit that to her.
“I honestly don’t know.” Walking slowly toward her, he said, “This isn’t about me, anyway. Are you all right?” he asked quietly, giving himself points for holding back the rush of protectiveness that was nearly strangling him.
“I’m fine. A little queasy. A little shocked.” She rubbed the flat of her hand across her abdomen and Travis wondered if she was even aware of her actions. “But I’m fine—especially since you’re taking this so unexpectedly well.”
Didn’t make him feel any better that she’d clearly expected him to both doubt her and be upset by this news. Although, now that he thought about it, why wasn’t he upset by the news of a surprise pregnancy? Yet another thought to avoid.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“I was planning to.”
“Good.” He nodded, his mind already skipping ahead. “I’ll want to be there for it.”
“Of course.”
He inhaled sharply and took in the scent of lemons and vanilla. “I don’t want you to worry about anything,” he said. “I just want you to take care of yourself. That’s the only important thing now.”
She smiled as she looked up to meet his gaze. Something inside Travis turned over and tightened. His heart?
He whipped past that thought at breakneck speed. Instead, he started thinking aloud, making plans, working things out in his mind.
“We’ll have to set up a nursery, but I don’t want you doing any of the work.” Nodding to himself, he added, “We’ll hire a designer. Architect if you’d rather build a room off of ours instead of using one of the guest rooms. Maybe that would be better. The baby would be closer to us in those first few months. We’d both probably sleep easier that way.” It was all coming together for him.
Images drifted into his mind. He and Julie standing alongside their child’s crib, looking down at a sleeping infant. Boy? Girl? That thread of panic wormed its way back through him and Travis started speaking again in an effort to squash it. “We could talk to the muralist who did the walls in Gina and Adam’s nursery. She did a whole magical kingdom kind of thing in there and it looks pretty great—”
“Travis…”
“And I don’t want you doing the cooking for the tastings anymore,” he blurted. Taking her arm, he steered her toward one of the chairs at the small, round breakfast table at the far end of the kitchen. “You shouldn’t be on your feet so much.”
“Travis, I don’t want to sit down,” she said.
He hardly heard her as he gently shoved her down onto a chair. “When our cook gets back from her vacation, you can go over the menus with her. I’m sure Margaret can handle what you’ve been doing for the winery—”
“Travis!”
“What?”
She stood up to face him and he only just managed to refrain from pushing her back down onto the chair. “What’re you doing?” she asked.
Baffled, he said, “Making plans.”
“I can see that.” She shook her head. “The question is, why?”
“Why? Because we’re going to have a baby. We need to start thinking about these things.”
“No, we don’t.”
Something cold and hard settled in his chest, making him feel as if a boulder had been rolled onto his rib cage. “What’re you saying? You don’t want the baby?”
She jerked back and stared at him as if he’d suggested she pop her head off her shoulders and set it onto the counter. “Of course I want the baby. How could you even think—”
“Then what’s this about?”
“Travis, we don’t have a real marriage. Remember?” Her voice was soft, but her words slapped at him. “This was a temporary business deal. We’re only going to be together for a year.”
That had been the deal.
But things had changed.
As if she heard him, she said, “The baby doesn’t change that. We’re not your usual expectant couple. I know we didn’t plan on this,” she said, her eyes shining up at him. “But I want you to know that even after our year together is up, you’ll always have access to your child. I would never keep it from you.”
Travis scowled as her words sunk in and rattled around his mind. Did she really think he’d let her go now? Didn’t she know that their “bargain” had just changed? There was no “temporary” to this marriage anymore.
Access? To his child? Visits on weekends? Oh, no. That wasn’t going to happen.
He dropped both hands onto her shoulders and held on tightly. Looking deeply into her eyes, he said, “You’re wrong, Julie. Our marriage just became permanent. Think ‘until death us do part.’ We won’t be splitting up in a year.”
“But—”
“Do you really think I’d let you go now? You’re having my baby, Julie.”
“It will still be your baby after we’re divorced.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Travis, I can’t stay married simply because of our child. It wouldn’t be right. Or good. For any of us.”
“Divorce would be better?” His voice was steel. As was his resolve. There would be no divorce. Julie wouldn’t be leaving him and taking his child. They could work this out together. Find a way to be happy. The three of them.
“Travis…”
“We’re having a baby and we’re staying married,” he said, pulling her into his arms, ignoring the fact that she moved stiffly. “Get used to it.”
“He won’t listen.” Julie sat at the kitchen table of the King ranch and watched as a hugely pregnant Gina King moved slowly across the room.