Inconceivable! (44 page)

ohn reorganized the book shelves. Then, he dusted the TV screen. This was the first time I’d ever seen him do any cleaning.

“I can start up an aerobics routine, if you want, so you’ll have something to do,” I teased.

“What are you talking about? I don’t need anything to do.” He rubbed the dust off a vase with the bottom of his T-shirt. “What time are they supposed to call?” John’s hair looked exceptionally unkempt and gorgeous.

“I don’t know. Sometime this afternoon. You’re the future king. Can’t you go down there and demand they give us the results right now?”

I’d gone to Dr. Dreesen’s office that morning for a blood draw so they could run a pregnancy test.

“How are you so relaxed?” He ran his hand through his hair, his eyes wider than normal.

“It’s out of our hands. There’s nothing we can do at this point to change the outcome. Why worry?”

The truth was I’d peed on a stick every day since I’d gotten an injection of the pregnancy hormone to prepare my eggs for retrieval. The first pregnancy test produced bold, brightly colored double lines. But I couldn’t celebrate because it was due to the shot. Then, each morning, the second line got lighter. Until one day, it didn’t. It was about the same intensity as it had been the day before. I knew this because I kept all the tests and lined them up for comparison. Then, the second line started to get darker in the days that followed. John was in on my little experiment. While the continued positive tests were wildly encouraging, we remained cautious; only a blood test would confirm it was a pregnancy and not just residual hormones from the shot.

Just then, my phone rang out its melodic tone. It was Dr. Dreesen’s office.

“This is Hatty,” I said, activating the speaker.

“It’s Dr. Dreesen. Your beta number is one hundred! Hatty, you’re pregnant!”

I gasped and my vision blurred with tears. Hearing those words meant more than the double lines on the pregnancy test. John wiped at his eyes.

“Thank God! I’m so relieved. What happens next?” I was eager to do whatever was necessary to keep the pregnancy chugging right along.

“You need to come back Monday morning, and we’ll do another blood test. We’ll want to see the beta number continue to rise to confirm the pregnancy’s progressing as it should.”

We cleared one hurdle, but a track full of obstacles was ahead of us and we’d have to clear each one over the next nine months. I tamped down the worry and allowed myself to celebrate the news I’d waited so long to hear.

When we ended the call, John scooped me up in his arms and kissed me deeply. He carried me into our bedroom and shut the door.

“Mom? I’m pregnant.”

“Oh, thank the Lord! How wonderful!” Her voice broke on the last word and she sniffed.

“I’ve got to go back to the doctor’s office Monday and make sure my beta numbers go up. What if they don’t? I’m so worried. How did you stay calm when you were pregnant with me?”

“I wasn’t relaxed. I worried every minute of every day until I held you in my arms. And after you were born, the worry grew. That’s what parents do―obsess over their children. Welcome to parenthood. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

The jingle-tingle of the queen’s bell quieted the family’s noisy chatter in the dining room. She raised a glass.

“Tonight, we celebrate the wonderful news John and Hatty received this week. She has the future of our family growing in her womb. We’re thankful and relieved.”

My face flushed as heat rose to my cheeks.
Relieved? Ugh.

“On the heels of this blessed announcement, I have a bit of news to share myself,” the queen continued. I looked at John and he gave a little shrug and shook his head.

“I will be abdicating and passing the crown to Leo at the beginning of next month. And when I leave for Thailand this time, I’ll be moving there permanently.”

Only Leo and Aunt Elinore didn’t have a shocked look on their face.

“Granny, are you sure you’re ready for this? It’s a huge decision,” John said. This move put him literally one heartbeat away from being king.

“My dear, I’m completely ready and the time is right. With Juan and your baby on the way, the future of the family is secure. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

No one else spoke up. It was a retirement announcement, and no one seemed to know how to react.

Herr Schroeder entered, followed by staff carrying trays of food. The meal began and the casual banter slowly returned.

I leaned over to John and pretended to wipe my mouth with a napkin. “What about Louisa?” Leo’s mistress had become a fixture at Belvoir. I was surprised she wasn’t joining us for dinner.

John shook his head, and I dropped it. But I was curious how this turn of events would impact her.

I looked at my profile in the big bathroom mirror. I was only wearing panties so I could see the full length of my upper body. Even though I knew there was no way I’d have a bump this early, I couldn’t resist looking. I closed my eyes and imagined what it would feel like when my abdomen was full and round with new life.

So far, everything with the baby was right on track with my beta numbers increasing at the right pace. John reached around me from behind and put a hand on my lower abdomen.

“I’ve never seen you like this. There’s a glow about you.” He swept my hair aside and kissed the back of my neck.

“Okay. I’m sorry to break the mood. But now can I ask you about Louisa?”
Inquiring minds need to know what the heck’s happening!

He frowned. “He’ll either have to marry her or end it. Their relationship can’t continue the way it is.”

“And you want him to end it. What do you think he sees in her?”

“I think he sees a bit of my mother.”

“What? I can’t believe you’d think that. They look nothing alike and more importantly, Louisa can’t compete with the grace and kindness your mother seemed to have.”

“I don’t mean they’re truly alike, but I think Louisa’s youth helps him relive the way he felt when he and my mother were young. I don’t know if that’s true or if it even makes sense, but that’s the only way I can stand to think of it. Otherwise, it’s just about the sex.”

“You’re making me blush, Your Highness.”

“I’m about to make you do a lot more than that.”

He spun me around to face him. Pressing my almost-naked body into his, he kissed me before stepping back to remove his clothes.

placed my feet in stirrups and waited for the ultrasound tech to return to the room. I was naked from the waist down except for a thin sheet spread across my lap. It reminded me of my only infertility-related appointment with Dr. Cloutier.