His Expectant Lover (12 page)

Andie shifted in an effort to relax on the hard, uncomfortable table while trying to hide her worry. The doctor didn’t seem concerned but Andie couldn’t fight the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her. There had been blood this morning and she was fairly sure that she wasn’t supposed to bleed while pregnant.

She heard a commotion outside the door, but she just closed her eyes, trying to curl up into a small ball, wrapping her whole body around her stomach in an effort to protect her unborn child.

When the door opened up, she jerked but almost started sobbing when she saw Antonio standing in the doorway, looking harried and worried. “Andie!” he growled out. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her gently but firmly in his arms. “Tell me what happened,” he coaxed softly. “I just got a call from Ms. Snyder that told me you were heading here to the doctor’s office.”

Now that he was here with his strong, broad shoulders, she couldn’t keep the worry in any longer. She sobbed out her fears, burying her face against his warm neck. “I don’t know!” she cried. “I went to the bathroom earlier and there was blood.”

She felt his arms tighten around her and she wanted to just crawl onto his lap. Never had she felt so scared. Not even when she knew that her finances were perilously close to being depleted and she’d have to find him, ask him for money, had she been this terrified. She was afraid she was going to lose their baby and she didn’t know what to do about it.

“It’s going to be okay, Andie,” he soothed, rubbing her hair softly.

The door opened and a woman in a white coat, obviously the doctor, walked in carrying Andie’s file. “Good morning,” she said softly. “I understand you two are a bit nervous.”

Antonio thought he might snap at her if he spoke so he simply nodded.

“Well, let’s see what’s going on,” she said. She took out a small machine and lifted the paper “dress” Andie was wearing, exposing her swollen belly and placing what looked like a fat marker on her belly.

The next sound was the most amazing he’d ever heard. “Is that…?”

The doctor smiled and nodded. “Yes. That’s your baby’s heartbeat. So we know that he is doing okay. The heartbeat sounds strong and healthy.”

Antonio squeezed Andie’s hand and kissed the top of her head. The doctor then pulled over a bigger machine that Antonio recognized as a sonogram. She squirted gel all over Andie’s abdomen. Antonio looked down at her, but she seemed to be okay with that disgusting blob on her belly so he didn’t say anything. The doctor flipped a few more switches and a picture came up on the screen.

“There he is,” the doctor said, smiling at the tiny human being that looked more alien than human. “His arms,” she said as she turned and twisted the monitor, “And his legs,” she explained, pointing to something in the picture. “Good spine and his heart is developing very well.” She moved the monitor to Andie’s side and then to the other side and even lower. “Ah,” she said when the monitor moved even lower.

“What?” Antonio asked. All he could see was a big blob.

The doctor laughed softly but the sound was very reassuring. “The placenta is covering the cervix,” she explained.

That didn’t really tell him much. “What does that mean?”

The doctor wiped down Andie’s stomach. “It isn’t an uncommon occurrence but we will definitely monitor the issue,” she said, reassuring both of them that the baby was still okay. “What happens is that the placenta is covering the opening where the baby will eventually come out. But as the pregnancy continues, the placenta usually moves higher on the uterus, out of the way and there is no problem.”

Andie and Antonio looked at each other, relief coming over their faces.

He looked at the doctor again. “What happens if it doesn’t move higher?” he asked, gripping Andie’s hand in his warmer one.

The doctor smiled warmly. “If it doesn’t move, then we go ahead and do a cessarian to deliver your son. But don’t worry about that at this point. There are so many things that can be done. Just relax. Continue to eat healthy foods,” she glanced down at Andie’s chart again. “I see you’ve gained back some of the weight, but you still need to eat as much as you can to protect both yourself and the baby. Don’t worry about weight right now. Just worry about staying healthy.”

Antonio took in all of the doctor’s comments, obviously memorizing them with a determined expression which Andie thought was adorable in a sexy, alpha male kind of way.

The doctor left the exam room and Andie waited for Antonio to leave as well.

“What?” he asked, leaning against the door, his muscular arms crossed over his chest.

“I have to get dressed,” she told him, feeling her face turn pink as he continued to watch her.

“And?” he teased.

Andie sighed. “And I need a bit of privacy.

Antonio chuckled, the deep sound simmering across her skin. Now that the panic was gone, she couldn’t believe how turned on she was by both his strength and the fact that he’d dropped everything to come here, to just be here and hold her hand even though there was nothing he could actually do to help her.

“Get dressed, Andie,” he told her firmly.

“Go out to the waiting room.”

He shook his head. “Not going to happen. I’m worried about you and I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

She trembled at his promise but shook her head, reminding herself that he was here for the baby. She pulled on her clothes, her fingers shaking so badly that she had a bit of trouble. In the end, he took over buttoning her blouse because her fingers were just too clumsy to accomplish the task.

He was practically carrying her into his penthouse that evening. “You’re going to rest,” he told her firmly and placed her in the middle of his bed despite the fact that she’d moved back into the other bedroom since his trip. He was obviously ignoring that little spurt of independence on her part.

Andie started to argue but he shook his head. “Don’t,” he urged, kissing her to get her to relax again. “Just let me…” he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. “Just relax. For me, okay?”

Andie wasn’t sure what was going on inside that man’s head but she relaxed back against the pillows, accepting his advice. “Fine, but you need to relax as well.” She’d noticed the weary lines around his eyes and worried about it.

He looked down at her, something inside his chest clenching painfully. Her dark hair was spread out over his pillows and she still looked too thin for his peace of mind. “I’ll relax after we’re married. Tell me you’ll marry me, Andie. Tell me that you still…” he started to say one thing but shook his head. “Tell me that you’ll let me take care of you.”

Her heart had leapt with joy when it sounded like he was going to say those precious words. But when he simply said, “take care of you” her heart plummeted again. Closing her eyes, she nodded her head. “Fine,” she whispered. “Let’s get married.”

She knew it was wrong. She shouldn’t put him through this. He should find someone he loves, someone he could really find happiness with. And she was startled to realize that she loved him enough to let him go, but also loved him so much that she was giving in. “But nothing big or elaborate.” Her hand covered her tummy. “Just something to get the deed done, okay?”

Antonio’s lips compressed with her words but he nodded his head sharply. “Fine. I’ll get it arranged.” He walked out, berating himself for not being more romantic. And cursing because his precious Andie had lost all of her romantic sentiment as well. He’d bullied it out of her, he suddenly realized. He’d pushed and shoved her around, demanding everything she had but not giving her anything back.

But he didn’t have that love to give her. He was no longer capable of loving a woman. His mother would scoff at the notion, but he…

No, he refused to give in to that need again, that longing to give his heart to another woman. Once had been bad enough.

So why was he so worried that Andie’s passion for life was now gone? He’d never felt that way about Melissa. It suddenly occurred to him that Andie was much more important than Melissa had ever been.

He stopped as he picked up the phone, about to call his assistant to arrange a wedding. What the hell was he doing?

He dropped the phone back into its cradle and stared straight ahead. Melissa had been a college girlfriend and she’d broken up with him to run off with her British aristocrat. She’d preferred the idea of becoming a “lady” to the risk of sticking around with him and hoping that his business ideas would work out.

He hadn’t been in love with Melissa! His pride had been hurt. He’d been furious with her for not believing in him, for not being sure enough in him that he would succeed. She’d chosen the sure bet and he’d resented her all these years for that.

Damn, what had he been doing?

He’d been holding Andie away, not wanting to take what she offered simply because he didn’t trust what she felt for him. Melissa had really messed with his mind!

But now that he’d figured out what an idiot he’d been all this time, what was he going to do about it?

Pacing back and forth, his mind worked through a plan. He knew what he had to do, it was just the details of making it all happen that he had to figure out.

His primary goal was to get Andie to the altar. He lifted the phone once more, wanting to get everything in place. He’d messed up once before, but he wasn’t going to do it again. “Linda, here’s what I need you to do.” Fifteen minutes later, he walked back into the bedroom. Finding her fast asleep, snuggled up with all of her pillows, he was stunned at how much he loved this woman. He could finally admit how he felt, if only to himself. He would tell her as soon as the opportunity came up, he told himself as he stripped off his clothes, then pulled her into his arms as he got into bed behind her. She was beautiful, funny, a brilliant writer and she’d once told him that she loved him but he’d rejected that declaration.

He also understood that she was holding back from him. She’d told him once that she loved him and wasn’t going to do it again. He mentally cursed himself for what a fool he’d been. That night had been incredible and they’d created this child. Now he had found Andie and he’d been acting like a possessive idiot.

No more.

The following morning, Andie struggled to wake up. She felt something tickling her back but couldn’t figure out what it was.

When she opened her eyes, she found Antonio pressing small, nibbling kisses against her back and shoulders and she shivered, smiling as he moved around so she could see him.

“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to figure out if this was a dream or real.

“Ready to get married?” he asked softly, almost laughing out loud at the panic in her eyes. “I promise it will all be okay.”

She struggled to sit up and Antonio took both of her hands, helping her ease into a sitting position. “Thank you,” she replied, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

“So? Ready?”

Andie blinked, trying to get her bearings. “Ready for what?”

He leaned down and kissed her, relieved when she didn’t pull away. He took that as encouragement that all was not lost. Andie wasn’t the kind of woman who would give herself to a man she didn’t love. He knew that about her, knew she was kind and sweet and fun-loving and all he’d given her was grief since she’d returned.

Time to change all that. He was going to give her the world.

“Time to get married,” he told her. “Past time, I’m thinking.”

Andie started to shake her head but he put a hand to the side of her head, stopping her from denying him. “Andie, this isn’t for the baby. This is because there’s something between us that I want to make permanent.” He stood up and picked her up into his arms. “Yesterday evening was scary but I’d like to change that today. Do you think you could change into this?” he asked her, stopping in front of a lovely wedding dress with an empire waist that would flow over her swollen belly in a graceful fall.

She fingered the fabric, thinking that it was possibly the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen. “I love it, but…”

“No buts,” he told her. He’d always thought he would get married surrounded by his family but right now, he just wanted Andie all to himself and he wanted her married to him so he could show her what an ass he’d been so far. And he wanted to change all of that. “Just take a bath, relax and then put on the dress and come out to me. I have it all arranged.” He stopped and looked down at her. “Unless you’d rather have the big wedding with all of your friends and family around you.” His hand touched her hair, his fingers sliding into the dark tresses. “I just want you. I want to know that you are mine.”

Andie’s eyes started to tear up with his words. They were probably as close as she was going to get to a declaration of love. “Let’s do it,” she said with a daring, breathless feeling.

She couldn’t believe she’d actually said those words. Nor could she believe it when Antonio kissed her with such passion, such toe-curling desire, she felt like she could almost believe he loved her.

He left her then and she lifted the stunning dress off of the hangar. This was her wedding day! How crazy was that?

It was as if they were going to do something naughty and secretive! Almost clandestine! And she loved this feeling.

She slipped into the shower, using the special shower gel that made her feel pretty and smelled delicious. After blow drying her hair so it was a cloud around her shoulders, she pulled the dress on, looking at herself in the mirror and liking what she saw. She would love to have a waistline for this event, but there was still something strange and wonderful about the spontaneous day.