Tell Me Lies (7 page)

“Of course I do.”

After dinner, Paige cleaned the kitchen up while Jonas went in search for some dry firewood. 

Loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, Paige slipped into the living room.  She half expected to find Jonas there, a fire blazing in the fireplace, but he wasn’t there.  She noticed the locked door, so he wasn’t outside.

Rolling her eyes, Paige headed for the bedroom.  Standing in the doorway, she watched as Jonas fed the blaze another log.  The flames licked the sides of the log, crackling and popping as it caught on fire.

“Here you are,” she said, easing from the doorframe.

“Here I am.  You don’t mind, do you?”

Paige glanced about the bedroom, smiling at the romantic atmosphere he had managed to create in the time it took her to clean up the kitchen.  She hadn’t noticed before, but he had grabbed two champagne flutes from the kitchen and a bottle of apple cider from the fridge.  The lights were dimmed, the only light coming from the soft glow of the fire.  The bed was turned down, the sheets smoothed.  Candles glowed from the bathroom and she could hear soft music coming from the small stereo she kept on the counter.

“No.  Can’t say that I mind at all.  I see you’ve been busy.”

“You said you wanted to relax.  I thought a nice relaxing bath, maybe a massage, sitting by the fire, some soft music.  Think you can handle that?”

Paige smiled, nodding.  He seemed to know just what she needed.  And this was exactly what the doctor ordered.

~*~

The next morning Paige and Jonas drove into town, well rested and eager to meet the doctor. They had a list of questions to ask the doctor, including whether or not she could fly and how long she would be able to do so.

“Paige Harper to see Dr. Willis,” she told the receptionist once they had found the doctor’s office.

“Fill these forms out. Dr. Willis is running a little late from rounds at the hospital. But you’re her first patient so you shouldn’t have to wait long.”

Paige sat down in the waiting room and filled out the form. When she came to a question about the father, she frowned. She didn’t know a lot about Darren’s medical history. It hadn’t been something they had discussed.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just fill out what you know and we will worry about the rest of it once we talk to Darren,” Jonas said, reading her mind.

Paige nodded, finished filling in the blanks and returned the clipboard to the desk. She returned to her seat, but was called quickly to head back into the exam room area.

She barely had time to change out of her clothes and into a gown when a woman in a white lab coat entered the room. She had long red hair, green eyes and was tall and slender, with a warm friendly smile.

“I’m Dr. Willis. You must be Paige.”

“I am. Thank you for taking me on. I was thrilled when Jill said you could see me out here.”

“I help out on Tuesdays, so it was convenient. Okay, let’s take a look, shall we?” she said, flipping through the forms in the manila file she held. “We’ll do a quick exam, see how things are going then we’ll let Dad come on in and we can go over any questions you may have.”

“Are you going to do an ultrasound or listen for the baby’s heartbeat?” Paige asked.

“Well, if the date of your last period is correct and we have the right due date, it might be possible for you to hear the heartbeat. Let me get that set up and I’ll get Dad in here and we will see if we can find the little one. No guarantees, they are hard to find at this stage, but with a little luck, you’ll be able to hear your baby. I’ll be right back.”

Paige leaned back on the table, pulled the blanket up to her waist and waited. After a few minutes, Dr. Willis returned, Jonas following behind her.

“Okay,” she said, flipping on the machine and reaching for a wand like instrument that hooked up to it. “This is going to be cold,” she said, squeezing a blob of blue gel onto Paige’s exposed belly.

Jonas reached for Paige’s hand and together they watched the screen, waiting for a glimpse of the baby. Suddenly a loud whooshing sound came over the speakers.

“There’s the baby,” Dr. Willis said. “Now, it’s a little early to tell whether you’re having a boy or a girl, but everything looks good.” She used a tissue to wipe the gel from Paige’s stomach and handed another one to her, so she could wipe her tears. “You have any questions for me?”

“I didn’t know I was pregnant, so I did have some drinks, mostly wine and champagne. Have I hurt the baby?”

“We can do some tests after the baby is born to determine if he or she has fetal alcohol syndrome. Until then, I would say abstain from any alcohol.”

“She was really sick a while back. We attributed it to bad Chinese food and being hung over. Could it have been because she’s pregnant?” Jonas asked.

“Every pregnancy is different. Sometimes a smell or a food can set off a wave of nausea or vomiting. Sometimes a woman will crave a certain food. Occasionally, Dad will have all the symptoms the mother-to-be has, weight gain, cravings, morning sickness. There’s no real barometer to measure a pregnancy. Just generalizations we doctors go by. And of course, the tests we perform, the ultrasounds give us a good idea of what’s going on with baby.”

“So my not recognizing the signs that I was pregnant is more common than I first thought?” Paige asked.

“Paige, you would be surprised at how many women have no clue throughout their pregnancy. Don’t worry. You’re doing fine.”

“Jonas is going out of the country, is it safe for me to fly with him?”

“I don’t see why not. You should be able to travel for several months. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave you to get dressed and we’ll get you set up with your next appointment.”

Paige waited until Dr. Willis left before she slipped from the exam table. She was relieved that things were looking good with the baby. Hearing the heartbeat really put things into perspective.

“You’ve decided to tell Darren, haven’t you?” Jonas asked, handing her jacket to her.

“Hearing the heartbeat made up my mind. He deserves to know. He’s going to be furious with me for lying to him.”

“We’ll tell him together. After the New Year, once everything calms down. We will find him and tell him together.”

~*~

The days slipped one into another, the idyllic moments branded upon their memories.  Long walks through the woods, Jonas taking pictures of his surroundings and Paige.  Shared meals in the warmth of the kitchen.  Romantic interludes in front of the fireplace, making love.  Before either of them realized it, New Year’s Eve was upon them. 

Paige woke early New Year’s Eve morning, excited about the party.  She flung back the covers, and giggled when Jonas groaned at the cold air on his flesh.  As she stepped into the bathroom, her reflection in the mirror startled her.  She had always heard that pregnant women glowed, but she had never believed it.  Until now. 

Her reflection showed a woman, her skin radiant, and a bright smile on her face.  Turning sideways, she noticed a slight bulge to her tummy.  One that hadn’t been there in recent weeks.  Sliding her hands across her stomach, Paige laughed with joy.

“You look beautiful,” Jonas whispered from the doorway.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Paige said, turning to look at him.  “I’m going to be a mother.  Something I have always wanted.”

“We are going to be parents,” Jonas said, wrapping his arms around her waist.  His left hand rested on the gentle swell while his right slid up to cup her full breast.  “I love you, Paige,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck.

“We should get ready to head into Darcy’s,” Paige said, slipping her hand over his at her waist.  “Jonas….”

“Hmm…yeah…” he whispered, kissing down her neck. “If we take a shower together, we will finish quicker.”

Paige laughed.  “Yeah, right.  I know better.  We won’t get out of here on time if you continue to stand here.  We take a shower together it will be at least another hour before we leave.”

“Just an hour?  I’m insulted,” he teased.

Paige giggled, turned in his embrace and leaned up to kiss him.  When she pulled back, she smiled.  “I wasn’t trying to insult your manhood or your stamina, darling.  It’s just that if we take a shower together, we won’t make it out of the bathroom for at least an hour.  That’s not counting the time it would take to get dressed and drive into the city.”

“Would that be so bad?” Jonas asked, releasing her.

“Absolutely not…any other time, but I called yesterday and told Darcy we would be there by ten.  And it’s after seven now,” Paige said, heading to the shower.  She was only teasing him, knowing that he knew that.  It heightened the experience a little, having him seduce her.  Not that it was a true seduction, but still it was a turn on.

She felt his hands on her hips as she turned on the shower.  Stepping into the water, she felt him follow her.  “I thought we agreed not to shower together?” she asked, leaning back in his arms.

“We did?”

~*~

Hot water cascaded over intertwined bodies. 
Steam rose, fogging up the glass surround of the shower stall.  Raspy breathing echoed against the tile wall.  Moans filled the bathroom.  Handprints covered the glass, only to be steamed over once they were moved.

The water stopped and the shower door opened.  Jonas slipped out and reached for a towel, handing it in to Paige.

“You okay?” he asked as she gingerly wrapped it around her.

Paige smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling.  “I think I should ask you that.  Seems I was a little rough on you,” she said, trailing
a finger across the red scratch on his collarbone.

“I think I will live,” he said, curling his fingers around hers.  “We should get ready.”

“Hmm….I think Darcy will understand if we are late,” she said, pushing him into the bedroom.

~*~

Chapter
Seven

~*~

Darcy glanced out the window at the falling snow.  She was a little concerned that Paige hadn’t arrived yet.  It was a little after eleven in the morning and she had already had a meeting with the caterer, had the decorator in to finish for the party and met with the DJ.

“Ms. Milian?”

Darcy turned and found the caterer’s assistant standing behind her.  “What is it, Louise?”

“We have revised the menu as you asked.  Shall we get started?”

Darcy took the menu from her and glanced over it.  Pleased for the first time that morning, she handed it back and nodded.  “Thank you, Louise.  This is perfect.”

Darcy turned her attention back to the snow falling outside her penthouse window, effectively dismissing the woman.  She was really getting worried about Paige now.  The snow was coming down faster than before and the weather reports had called for several inches before the day was over.

A knock at the door pulled her from the window.  Crossing to the door, she prayed that it was Paige.  Darcy pulled the door open and grinned.