Unexpected Babies. Anna Adams

I had a test today.”

      “What kind of a test? Is the baby all right?” Fear nearly dropped him to his knees. Even if he couldn’t provide for this child as he had for Dan, he’d love the new baby. He’d be the best father his resources allowed.

      “I’ve scared you again. I’m sorry.” Cate hurried around the bed and reached for his hand.

      Her fingers felt vulnerable in his, but he couldn’t let go. “I should be taking care of you,” he said.

      “I should have found a better way to say this. Dr. Davis did an exam today and discovered we’re having twins.”

      “Twins?”

      She nodded. Seconds passed. He didn’t know how to respond to twins. The cost, the timing. She’d never understand his panic. Distance came into her eyes. By not answering, he was losing her, the woman he’d loved since he’d learned to love, and the woman he no longer knew.

      He threw a longing look at her chair. “Do you mind if I sit?”

      She grinned, and he sat without her consent. Was she laughing at him? She didn’t respect him for sitting?

      “Not that I mind,” he said. “The twins. I don’t mind the twins.”

      “You don’t have to prove how tough you are. If I hadn’t been lying down when Dr. Davis told me, I might have fallen.”

      “Twins.”

      “Will you tell me how you really feel?”

      “Startled.” He tried hard to think how she’d want him to answer. How he should answer as a decent human being who wanted his wife back, who loved the child they’d already created, and who knew he could love two more when the shock wore off. “How are you?” he asked her.

      She actually seemed to find his lack of assurance comforting. She relaxed her tense stance.

      “Glad to see you.” She squeezed his hand once and then let go to scoot onto the edge of her bed and straighten her leg. “I couldn’t tell anyone else before I told you.”

      He should be the first to know. He tugged at the hem of her robe. “Do you feel anything for me?”

      Her expression was solemn, but full of regret. “I feel responsible.”

      He let her go. “I don’t know what I think about responsible.”

      She folded her hands. “Let’s just be honest and see what kind of relationship we can salvage.”

      “I want a marriage.” He still didn’t mention the business. Eventually, she’d understand. Between the twins and her memory loss, he couldn’t add to the pressure on her.

      He’d been afraid she’d leave if he admitted his lie about the company had caused all their problems. Now, he kept the embezzlement to himself because he wanted to protect his wife and their unborn children. This time, he was right to try to protect her.

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CATE HARDLY SLEPT the night before she was scheduled to go home. The next day’s possibilities ran furiously around her mind. With Caroline’s help she’d already begun to collect clues about her life. Now, to piece her past and present into one cohesive puzzle.

      Lights from the nighttime traffic danced on her walls as crazily as her thoughts until she began to pick out repeating patterns that calmed her. An occasional jet roared overhead, rousing her when she was getting sleepy. She finally dozed off just before dawn.

      A crack of thunder brought her straight up in bed. Its rumble slowly faded, and an early-summer downpour sheeted rain across her window.

      She woke each morning, thinking the same question. Would she remember?

      Not today. She sensed everything she needed to know, hanging just beyond her reach. No amount of determination brought her answers.

      Impatiently, she slid out of bed, but the moment she was vertical, nausea gripped her. She clung to the table, waiting for her stomach to settle. Dr. Davis had suggested saltine crackers, but they only seemed to make her queasier.

      Pushing herself to use her weakened legs, she traveled from bureau to bed to pack the small, violently floral overnight bag Aunt Imogen had brought her.

      By the time she snapped the catch on her bag, the rain had begun to ease off. Cate perched on the side of her bed to wait for Alan or Dr. Barton. After a few long seconds, she crossed the room to open her door. Then she hobbled back toward her chair. Footsteps in the hall made her look over her shoulder.

      Alan stopped in the doorway. His brooding expression suggested strength. His sheer size backed up the claim. He looked from her to her bag. “I came early to help you.”

      At the slight reproach in his tone, she wished she’d waited. She’d already learned he showed his feelings through service. “The rain woke me early.” She pointed toward the hall he dwarfed with his height. “Is Dr. Barton out there?”

      Shaking his head, he turned to peer down the hall to his right. His white oxford shirt lovingly caressed the strong, straining muscles of his upper back. Bracing his hand against the door frame, he twisted to look the other way. The worn shirt stretched almost out of the narrow waist of his jeans. Another shake of his head, and rich, dark strands of his hair rubbed his tanned neck. Did he know how good he looked?

      “I was hoping Barton might have signed your release papers already.”

      “No.” She tried to sound normal, but hollow, electric bursts of attraction came as a relief. If she planned to stay married, wanting her husband had to be a plus. “Do we have to wait?”

      “You’re all set?”

      She nudged the bag. “I’ve packed everything except for the magazines and books you all brought me. The book cart lady suggested giving them to the other patients.”

      “Good idea.” Stepping back from the door frame, he looked a touch uneasy. “Why don’t you sit and rest your leg? I’ll look for Dr. Barton.” Alan paused. “Dan’s waiting for us in the parking lot.”

      “Dan?” That put a crimp in her plan. She wasn’t sure how she’d react to a home she didn’t remember, and she didn’t want to risk disappointing her son. They’d formed a tentative bond that day he’d explained about Aunt Imogen’s tape.

      “He thought we should take you home as a family.” Alan paused, his gaze pensive. “If he needs family time because he’s been worried about you, I say we all go home together.”

      She eyed him carefully. They were both Dan’s parents, but Alan knew him better. She thought back to the day Caroline had told her she didn’t share personal troubles. Her instincts hadn’t changed, but she had to take a chance for Dan. “What if he expects me to be comfortable at home? I won’t know the house. I don’t have a clue about his life or what kind of mother I’ve been.”

      Alan tapped the door frame, his gaze bemused. “You don’t have to give Dan much. He just wants you home.” His deep voice drew a shiver down her spine. Left unspoken in his husky reassurance was a hint he wanted her there, too. “Maybe you should try not to think of Dan as a child. He’s trying hard to become an adult.”

      Dr. Barton appeared behind him, carrying the clipboard that held her chart. Alan moved out of his way, but the doctor stopped, clearly discerning stress in the air.

      “Am I interrupting?”

      Cate shook her head, still digesting everything Alan had said. “Can I go?”

      “Don’t rush me. How do you feel? Any morning sickness? How’s the leg?”

      “My leg’s fine, but I feel sick as a dog.”

      “Sometimes morning sickness lasts and lasts in a pregnancy.” He flipped up a page on her chart.