“No arguing with me, Winter. You shouldn’t still be sick. I am worried about you.”
“I think it was something I ate today. I feel fine now,” I said, turning to look at him.
Cayden’s face was serious. “Winter, tomorrow is Friday. You have been sick a week. I know it has been a week, because I haven’t made love to you since last Thursday night.”
I giggled.
“You keep track of when we make love?”
“I remember every time I have ever touched you,” he said, smiling.
It hit me. Keeping track, dates, and…when was the last time I had a period? I ran through the days in my mind. I had a period in January, and I came to New York in February. It’s March twenty-sixth. I’m missing February. I didn’t have my period in February, and I should be starting my period now. Did I miss my birth control? I only took birth control pills to keep my periods regular, having had problems with irregular periods for most of my life, but I don’t remember missing a day.
“What’s wrong?” Cayden asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing, I am fine.” I touched his face. “Don’t worry so much.”
He laughed. “Isn’t that what I am usually telling you? Don’t worry so much.” He was still laughing so I knew his questions were over. “Come on, I need to get you back into bed,” he said. Cayden took my hand in his. “We have an early flight. You look tired, and I know you had a scare today.”
“Scare?”
“Jayden told me about the man today.”
“I wouldn’t call it a scare. He never got close enough to me for me to even see his face. Jayden had him in hand quickly. I guess he was some sort of a fan, but it wasn’t a scare, babe.”
“Okay, baby,” Cayden said as if he were placating me, “let’s get you into bed.”
“All right,” I said, not wanting to argue. I was in a hurry to get up to our room and get into the bathroom. I needed to look at my pill containers.
When we were back in our room, I slipped into the bathroom, shut the door, and pulled my pillbox out of the vanity drawer. I flipped it open and quickly scanned it. I’d missed one day somewhere. The count was off. I rummaged through the drawer until I found the other pillbox, which I hadn’t thrown away. There inside the box was one solitary pill, staring back at me. I look at it and counted in my mind. I missed the day I first came here to the estate, February fifteenth. The day that was so horrible at the club, thinking Cayden was embarrassed to be seen with me. The day I knew and believed he was gone. The night I fell apart. The night he came to me, and we made love.
“Not possible,” I said.
I glanced at my dazed face in the mirror.
How did I not catch my mistake with the pills?
I heard a tapping at the door that made me jump in response. “Winter, love, are you okay?” he sounded worried. I looked back at myself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and straightened my T-shirt over my shorts.
“Yep, I’ll be right out, babe.”
I popped the lone pill out of the container, held it in my hand then threw it down the drain. I didn’t leave any evidence of my stupidity. I threw the empty pill container into the trashcan. I placed the other container back into the vanity drawer. I thought about the night Cayden first made love to me. I played it over in my mind. I remember telling him it was okay when he paused saying he did not have protection. I would have thought the breach of not taking my pill would have entered into my mind, but then again my body and my mind was in overdrive from the pleasure that rocked me.
As I brushed my teeth and tongue quite vigorously, all I could think about was the possibilities. What am I going to do if I am pregnant? This news. Pregnancy. Definitely a bombshell. How can I hide it? I could not allow the press to think I was pregnant with Chandler’s baby, no way. That was one lie I would not be willing to tell. If I told the truth, if the press knew it was Cayden’s baby it could be disastrous for him. This kind of thing had the potential to disrupt his career, and possibly start the crazy fanatic fans to do something horrible in response. Someone did send a death threat to Cheryl Lynn last year when they thought Cheryl Lynn dated him.
What will Cayden think? While we have talked about a lot of things we have never discussed the idea of children. In truth, the thought of having children never entered my mind. I guess I’d given up on any idea of having children long ago. When Austin died, I died so any hope of children died along with us.
What am I going to do? Cayden is too young to be a father, tied down to such an obligation. A baby may be one responsibility he would never want. After all, it was Cayden who paused after making me writhe in pleasure from his mouth, not wanting to make love to me without protection. This fact says a lot. Maybe Cayden would be really upset with me if I were pregnant. Our relationship is hard enough now; how could it handle this? And while Cayden and I did discuss at a later date there was no need for him to use protection, wouldn’t he wonder how pregnancy could be possible? Would he think I was lying? I stared at myself in the mirror. I am too old to be a mother.
Maybe I was getting ahead of myself. Besides, it was only one missed pill. I’d been sick with the flu, and I have had problems with irregular periods before. Don’t get overly excited, Winter. Calm down. I took another deep breath before I exited the bathroom to see Cayden sitting on the end of the bed. He looked at me from beneath his dark long lashes. God, he was beyond handsome.
When we arrived back at Cayden’s Hollywood home, it was mid-morning, March twenty-seventh, the day of Cayden’s movie premiere. Cayden had to make a quick trip to the studio for a meeting but he kept his word. I had not been settled in for more than an hour when a doctor arrived to see me.
Chandler called out through the bedroom door, “Winter, the doctor is here.”
Crap!
“What doctor?” I replied.
Chandler chuckled. “I know Cayden told you to see a doctor. He is worried, because you have never fully gotten over the flu you had last week. You are not going to get out of this so open the door, snowflake.”
Crap, Crap, Crap! I went to the door and hesitantly opened it.
“Hi,” I said, looking at Chandler then gazed toward a tall man with hair the color of toffee. “Come on in.” I moved out of the way, allowing Chandler and the doctor entrance.
“Winter, this is Doctor Hansen, Cayden’s personal physician.” Chandler glanced at me briefly. He returned his attention back toward the doctor. “Doc, this is Winter Wells. Well, Winter Perri actually, she is engaged to my brother.” I felt my eyes widen in disbelief. Chandler obviously saw the shock on my face. “Don’t worry, Winter. There is no need for secrets here. Doctor Hansen knows all about you. He has probably heard as much about you as I have from my brother over the years.”
“Hello, it is nice to meet you,” I said, extending out my hand to shake his proffered hand.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said in a low base voice. He gave a little harrumph. “Boy howdy, Cayden wasn’t kidding. Your eyes are the color of emeralds.” I felt shock flash over my face again. “I’m sorry, Ms. Wells. Chandler is correct. I have heard a lot about you so I feel I know you already.”
Chandler smiled at me before he looked back at the doctor. “Well, I don’t believe I am needed here any longer. I will see you downstairs, doc.” He exited the room.
“Um…I-I,” I stuttered and bit my bottom lip. “I don’t think this visit was necessary. I am fine. Cayden worries a lot.”
“Yes he does but I understand you had the flu and are still feeling under the weather. I promise the exam won’t be as bad as you may think.” The doctor stared at me from over-top his black rimmed glasses and smiled. He had a nice smile, kind. “Now tell me, you had a fever?”
“Yes. Last Friday I was sick to my stomach, fever, sore throat for a little while but the fever left by Sunday. My throat is better, and my stomach is much better.”
“Cayden told me you were still nauseated and vomiting.”
> “I did get sick last night, but I think it was something I ate earlier in the day.”
The doctor took out some hand sanitizer and rubbed it through his hands. He smiled as he reached out. He felt each side of my neck, took my pulse, looked inside my mouth, checked my eyes, and peeked inside my ears.
“There is no sign of an inflamed throat and your ears look good. Your pulse is fine.” He broke out his stethoscope and started listening to my chest, my back, and began with more personal questions. “So when was the first day of your last period?”
I swallowed hard. He looked at me over the top of his glasses again. “Well….” I seemed to panic. “I have always had problems with irregular periods so I take birth control pills to help regulate them.”
“Uh-huh,” he mumbled, looking at me.
“So I may have missed my period in February but I still take the pills so….”
“May I call you Winter?” he requested.
“Yes,” I replied.
“While taking the birth control you have maintained regular menstrual cycles?”
“Yes.”
“And you missed your cycle in February?”
“Yes but….” I bit my bottom lip. “Doctor, whatever I tell you must stay in this room. I know you are close to Cayden but I have to be able to trust what I say stays between us.”
“I assure you anything you say is confidential.”
“Okay, well, I missed only one birth control pill but I have always taken them. I only missed one pill.”
“It is rare but once can be enough,” the doctor replied. “There is only one way to know for sure.” He rummaged through his case then pulled out a testing kit. “I knew this would come in handy someday.”
My hands shook. “Doctor, if I am pregnant I have no idea what to do. I can’t be pregnant. I never planned to have children. I’m too old. Things between Cayden and I are complicated, only a handful of people even know we are together.”
“What is done is done, my dear. If you are pregnant, we need to know in order to move ahead.”
Taking the test in hand, I went into the bathroom. I pulled out the foiled wrapped stick from the box, peeled off the outer wrapper, and held the little white wand with a shaky hand while I urinated onto the end. Watching my nervous hand I placed the stick on the countertop by the sink. I paced around, chewed on the inside of my cheek, and absentmindedly rubbed my thigh. Stuck inside the four walls of Cayden’s bathroom waiting for the results as my pulse raced. At one point, I almost peeked at the stick to see if the pink line was making an appearance, but I chickened out.
“Winter, may I come in?” the doctor asked through the bathroom door.
“Sure,” I replied.
The doctor walked over, picked up the stick while I sat down on the edge of the tub with my head in my hands. I closed my eyes, because I knew what I was going to hear.
“Winter, looks like you and Cayden are going to be parents.” I broke down into an immediate sobbing. “Now dear, you need to calm down. I am going to give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins, and I can suggest an excellent OBGYN. You will need to be seen right away. If you are still taking the birth control pills stop immediately.”
“H-How…?” I broke down unable to finish.
“Would you rather have information on a doctor to terminate the pregnancy?”
“No,” I squeaked, horrified. That was out of the question. I was carrying Cayden’s child, I had to hold onto it. “Termination is not an option.” I tried hard to contain myself. “You won’t say anything about this to Cayden or Chandler, will you?”
“No, but Cayden loves you, and he is the father so I would hope you tell him soon,” the doctor said before he gathered up the evidence of the test. I watched as he tucked it all back into the box then placed it into his case.
“I need some time to wrap my own mind around this,” I confessed. “But I will tell him.”
“I understand, Winter, but having a child is one of the most blessed events in a lifetime. Enjoy this time. Try not to worry and just think how lucky this baby is going to be. To have two parents who love each other is becoming a rarity in this world.”
“Thank you,” I said. The tears streaming.
Doctor Hansen handed me two pieces of paper. “Now, take this prescription and get it filled. Here is the name of the doctor I would recommend and try to get some rest, avoid stressful situations, eat a balanced diet, and try to look at the bright side of this.”
I wiped my face, tucked the prescriptions into my pant pocket and walked the doctor to the door of my room. Chandler was standing in the hallway. He looked like he was worried about me, too.
“How is she, doc?” Chandler asked.
“Chandler, you know I cannot discuss my patients, confidentially and all, but I can say Winter is fine.”
Chandler smiled, allowing the familiar crinkles to break out around his eyes. “That is good to hear. Cayden will be happy. He has been worried.”
The doctor smiled and glanced at Chandler over the top of his glasses. “Yes, well tell Cayden I said hello. If you need anything else, you know how to reach me.”
I walked out of the room a couple of steps to watch Chandler walk Doctor Hansen down the hall. Chandler pulled his cell phone out of the top pocket of his shirt. I knew he was calling Cayden….
“Hey, bro, she is fine so you can stop calling me every five minutes. The doctor is leaving now so stop worrying.”
Chapter Eleven
Premiere
Melissa arrived at the Hollywood Hills home, towing hair and makeup professionals along with her. In her hand, she held our designer dresses sheathed in black garment bags that she quickly hung in Cayden’s room-sized closet before twirling around with something flat in her other hand. Melissa marched to the door, determined. She plastered a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the outside of Cayden’s bedroom door then toted a suitcase inside before locking the door behind her. I could not help but laugh watching her flit around.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Melissa giggled, the sound floated up like bubbles popping as the air hit them. She spun on her heel, blonde hair bouncing. “This is a big evening. We need to look our best. It takes time to get ready for these things, Winter, so trust me.”
“Do not disturb.” I giggled.
Melissa’s bright eyes sparkled. “Of course, the last thing we need are disturbances by the men around here.”
I took a long shower then proceeded with the extensive buffing and polishing of what seemed like my entire body. There were differing lotions I needed to apply. One for the eyes, a different cream for the face and neck, a further lotion for the body, and a light shimmering powder dusted over my neck, chest, legs, arms, and back was applied. The glitter of the powder glided through the air. I wondered if we were causing a bio-hazard.
Next, I sat while one of Melissa’s gurus fussed with my hair. An hour and a half later, my hair was done in an intricately loose braid with small emerald clips dispersed throughout the twists within it. It reminded me of something reminiscent of Maid Marian from Robin Hood.
With a huge smile plastered across her face, Melissa pulled out two black boxes from her bags. My box contained emerald earrings with a matching emerald bracelet from Cartier. Her box had a diamond necklace plus matching teardrop earrings from Tiffany’s.
“Wow!” I said.
“Perks,” she trilled. “The designers like for us to wear their stuff. Good publicity for them.”
My make-up was done to perfection, followed by the application of the dress, along with the hazard of tall spiked “do me” heels. What a strange business, the business of trying to be beautiful. I rather enjoyed my faded jeans, but I must confess I felt like I was on one of those reality shows that turn plain people into supermodels. I chuckled at the absurdity of it all nonetheless I had to admit, I didn’t look too bad once I saw the end results in the mirror.
We stood side by side, gazing at our elegant
reflections within the mirror. “We are perfect,” Melissa announced.
“You look beautiful, Melissa,” I commented, and she did.
Melissa’s blonde hair flowed in slight waves. It was pinned up, allowing access to her bare shoulders. Her heart-shaped face glowed and her big blue eyes sparkled. Her black dress hugged her body like a glove, showing off her curves perfectly. She reminded me of a classic beauty, a starlet from the silent picture shows.
“You look beautiful, too, Winter.” She smiled brightly. “Shall we go?” Melissa asked.
“Sure,” I said.
I took her arm, and we headed out the door of our secured no-men-shall-disturb-sanctuary and made our way down the hall then descended the staircase. Chandler and Cayden were standing at the bottom waiting for us, both dressed in perfect black tuxedos. While Chandler did look handsome, Cayden was beyond flawless. In all, he was completely breathtaking. Cayden stared up at me with such an expression upon his face I felt my stomach drop through the bottom of my feet. Chandler smiled at me then gazed at Melissa. I had a sense of real satisfaction, because he was staring at her. Melissa had to notice Chandler was looking, and this wasn’t a mere glance one would give to a sister. It was appreciation of the woman.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Cayden smiled. “Wow!”
“You both look very beautiful,” Chandler commented.
“Thank you,” Melissa replied.
I stood there, gawking at Cayden, unable to speak myself and completely lost within the color of his eyes, midnight blue.
“You are flawlessly perfect,” I finally said to Cayden after finding my voice.
Cayden reached out and took a hold of my hand.
“No. I have never seen true perfection until I seen you. You are flawless, beyond beautiful. I love you, Winter.”
“I love you, too, Cayden.”
Chandler cleared his throat. “Ahem.” He adjusted his stance so that he was facing Melissa. “Sorry, Melissa. I have to see this kind of stuff all the time.” He chuckled. “Be glad you don’t have to live with this. They tend to get a little bit mushy with each other.”
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