by Pam Richter
She saw the front door open a few inches and Scooter dashed out. The little dog bounded down the stairs and ran straight to her. Scooter jumped up and down in front of Julia until she picked him up. She couldn't avoid the pink tongue, which washed her face enthusiastically. And very thoroughly.
"Hi sweetheart, aren't you the best doggy," Julia said, smiling into button brown eyes. The dog was totally quiet and content to be held, only swiping with a doggy tongue occasionally, as Julia continued up the driveway toward Robin, who was now standing in the open doorway. She didn't see any catering trucks around.
"What a welcome," Julia exclaimed, laughing up at Robin as she went up the steps. He looked just as welcoming, with his light magnetic eyes on her. "You look absolutely fantastic, Julia. I'll give you an even better welcome than Scooter, any time you want."
Julia thought Robin looked magnificent as he put his arm around her, gave a little squeeze, and guided her inside. He fit the white mansion as though it had been built for him, which it probably had. He was wearing old soft jeans and a tee shirt, but with his wide shoulders and tall athletic build he would appear statuesque in rags.
Robin took the dog from Julia and put it down in the entrance hall. Scooter trotted off toward the kitchen.
"When a dog licks you like that," Robin explained, "it's actually aggressive behavior. Scooter was claiming you as her own personal possession."
"I'm hooked. I absolutely adore that dog."
"Scooter's very particular. She doesn't greet everyone that way. And some people get annoyed at her affectionate behavior. Seems it takes off make-up and all that stuff women wear."
Robin had been leading her through the entrance hall to the living room. "Scooter is the official welcomer. But I'm glad you're here, too."
"You don't really need to demonstrate," Julia said quickly, suddenly feeling shy, and Robin laughed. She was looking through the living room windows to the large pool area in the back yard. There were many white, wooden folding chairs stacked against one wall outside. She could see several large tables, one that was stacked with tablecloths, linen napkins and large folded umbrellas. But there were no real preparations for a party. The whole house was totally empty.
"Where is everyone?" Julia asked.
"They'll be coming along," Robin said vaguely. He took her on a tour of the downstairs of his beautiful home, finally leading her outside to the pool area. "We can go swimming later, if you like. After everyone leaves."
"But when will they arrive?" Julia asked, finally, after he had explained about how he was planning to decorate the back yard.
"You know, I have this problem now," Robin said as he took her back inside.
"I can see you aren't going to answer my question. I think you got me here early on false pretenses." She tried to sound severe but he seemed oblivious.
"See I don't know if there was a virgin birth, several births I should say, or if Scooter's just a sneaky little slut." He was leading her through the kitchen and took her into the laundry room.
"What a way to talk about Scooter," Julia protested, sitting down on the floor in front of a washing machine. Scooter was lying contentedly in a large basket in the corner of the laundry room, on a giant red pillow, with six little puppies around her.
"Do you want a puppy? I have to make sure they have proper homes."
"Yes. I want a puppy," Julia said happily, reaching out to pet the babies.
"I kind of suspect the tramp that lives across the street," Robin said, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, watching Julia with pleasure. "He's a poodle and jumped the fence a few times. I think they'll be kind of cute."
Julia had already picked up one of the squirming babies and was cuddling it under her chin. "They look like animated toys. I've never seen anything so darling."
"I thought you'd like them," Robin said. "That's your second present."
"I really can't take two," Julia said. She wanted to stay and watch the puppies for a while, but Robin was pulling her up.
"The first present is upstairs."
"Are we talking around each other again?" Julia asked.
"Do you like my home?" Robin asked abruptly.
"It's gorgeous. I love the backyard, the way you can see all the way to the ocean. I bet the sunsets are magnificent."
As they reached the stairs, Robin swooped her up into his arms and started carrying her up the stairs. "I've always wanted to do this. Like Rhett Butler in 'Gone with the Wind.'"
Julia was thinking it was terrifically romantic of him, but she was afraid he would seduce her before they would be able to talk. With his arms around her, holding her so close, she knew she didn't have a chance. Her body was already responding, making her feel weak and warm.
Robin got to the top of the stairs, still carrying Julia, and went to the study, which she had seen before. "Office," he said abruptly, passing it after pausing at the door. "Guest bedroom," he nodded as they passed and paused at another luxuriously appointed room. "Library," Robin said as they went by a large room lined with bookcases overflowing with books, and big comfortable chairs with reading lights over each one.
Robin turned around and went back down the hallway, past the stairs in the other direction. "This is where I exercise." Robin had stopped in front of a gym filled with exercise equipment, weights, and a treadmill. The walls were covered with mirrors. Then he walked a little further along the hallway.
"This room is going to be the nursery," Robin said, as they stopped in front of a bedroom room decorated in pastel shades. "What do you think?"
"You're planning to have a family? Ah...children?" Julia asked very cautiously.
"Tell me. You can be honest." He gave her a little squeeze and then pretended he would drop her, swooping her down threateningly. "I want the truth."
"You have a beautiful home, Robin. It looks like you have your whole life planned."
He turned around and crossed the hallway, standing in front of a closed door. "Could you open it? My hands are full."
Julia leaned forward, turned the door knob and pushed. In front of her was an enormous bedroom, tastefully decorated in muted blue, grey and soft green. On one side of the room was a large fireplace, across from the king sized bed. There was an alcove with love seats and a small table with a glittering chandelier over it. One whole wall was glass and she could see all the way to the Pacific ocean. There was a patio outside the sliding glass doors with a built-in jacuzzi. Steam was rising up from the water. Robin walked her through the bedroom into the bathroom.
"Aren't you getting tired of carrying me?"
Robin shook his head.
The bathroom also had floor to ceiling glass windows which revealed the same spectacular view. The floor was marble and there were two sinks on either side of a large mirror, which divided the room in half. "Bathroom," he said unnecessarily.
Robin walked out of the bathroom. He looked down at Julia and stood in the center of the bedroom, turning around and around slowly, shaking his head, frowning. "Don't you think there's something missing?"
"You have the most beautiful home I've ever seen." She was telling him the truth. Julia had seen larger houses, but never one so carefully thought out, and none which had been so exquisitely decorated. She wanted to study the paintings on the walls. Having majored in art in college she knew they were originals.
"Seems pretty empty to me," Robin murmured so softly that Julia almost didn't hear him. He took her over to the master bed and finally put her down on the end of it. Then he sat down beside her and picked up her left hand. "Damn, this is harder than getting in front of a jury and making a plea for someone's life. I was carrying you around so I wouldn't be noticeably nervous."
"I've never seen you nervous, Robin. Not in the slightest. You can be overbearing, and arrogant, but never nervous."
"I'm never arrogant," Robin said seriously. "Or overbearing. And you've messed up my carefully prepared speech."
"Go right ahead," Juli
a said. Her heart felt like it was leaping in her chest but she wouldn't anticipate what would happen next.
Robin got up and paced, quite agitated, in front of Julia. Then he looked like he remembered something and went to the side of the bed, kneeling down by the table at the side of the bed. "See here? I installed a refrigerator." He opened the door and pulled out a champagne bottle and two iced glasses.
Julia watched him as he popped the cork and it bounced off the ceiling. Then he poured the champagne ceremoniously and handed Julia a glass. "I never drink in the daytime. But this is a very special occasion."
"Your father's birthday."
"You keep interrupting," Robin said severely. "And then I lose my train of thought."
"I'll be quiet as a mouse," Julia said, smiling when the champagne bubbles tickled her nose as she bent her head to take a sip.
"And don't laugh," Robin warned.
"Sorry," Julia answered, biting her lip.
Robin walked a few paces away. He had his back to her, sipping the champagne, and suddenly he turned around and fixed her with his electric blue eyes. She could imagine the effect on a jury of his peers. He could just stand there and make her hair stand up on end, with one serious look.
"I want to fill this house up," Robin said, "with Scooter and her puppies. And babies of my own. A real family. I want this to be a place of happiness. I work long hours and I'm very good at what I do. But I want to be able to put all that aside and have a life away from the office. I would be a good husband and an excellent father."
He stopped and looked at her expectantly. Evidently he was waiting for some kind of response.
"Am I the jury in this case?" Julia asked.
"Yes," Robin answered tensely.
Julia looked at him seriously, as though considering. "No hung jury here. We are in accord," she vowed, lifting her glass up in a toast. "You win the case...the prize, or whatever."
Robin finally smiled at her, his whole face lighting up. "I love winning."
"I'm sure you do it often," Julia commented.
He sat down beside her on the bed again and took her right hand in his. He slowly took the ring he had given her last night off of her finger. Julia felt a pang. It really wasn't meant for her and she felt like she had been stabbed in the heart.
Robin held the ring up so the light filtered through it, making a rainbow of colors on the wall across from them. "Pretty isn't it?"
Julia nodded, not looking at him, wondering why he was doing this, torturing her this way. It felt like a lump the size of a fist was in her throat, which began to ache like it does when you want to cry and can't.
"Well, Julia," Robin said gently, "you put it on the wrong hand. I distinctly remember placing it on your left hand last night. Although the circumstances were not at all what I would have chosen." He looked at her downcast face. "And I'm not doing a very swell job of it right this minute either, am I? You look so sad."
Julia's eyes opened very wide and she finally looked at him.
"Were you crying," Robin asked.
Julia shook her head, feeling a tear steal down her cheek. She tried to wipe it away but Robin was kissing her cheek there, already. "This ring is the first present. It's a real ring, Julia. I swear. Real diamonds. I got it for you, and I'm asking you to wear it on that left hand. For the rest of your life."
He took her left hand and put the ring on her finger. Then he startled her as he stood up and pulled the tee shirt off over his head in one sudden, swift movement. "The house goes with the ring. And I took off my shirt," Robin said, turning around with his arm spread out in front of her, "to show you the rest of what goes with it."
Julia stood up and hugged him. This was what she had wanted so badly that she hadn't let herself believe it.
"Take off the rest," Julia said. "I need to inspect the property."
Robin looked down at her. "And now I suppose I'll have to perform?"
"I judge on performance, too," Julia warned, laughing up at him.
"Not only the jury," Robin groused, "but now the judge."
"Please hurry," Julia said, frantically unbuttoning the pearl buttons on the front of her dress.
Robin finished more quickly and helped her take off her bra and panties. Then they were lying on top of the enormous bed holding each other. "Did I tell you I wanted to make you the happiest woman in the whole world?" Robin asked, after they had to stop kissing to get their breath back.
Julia shook her head.
"I forgot most of my speech," he said, smoothing the hair off of her forehead. "Seems like I waited forever for this. You make me forget everything, Julia."
"You were perfectly eloquent," Julia said. The sun was shining brightly on the bed and she fleetingly wondered if he would notice the changes in the proportions of her body. Then she forgot everything as his hands and mouth worked their magic, awakening her again to the joys she had discovered with him before.
The lovemaking went on for several hours, but it seemed like minutes had passed. They were finally lying on their backs, holding hands, totally relaxed. Julia thought she might have fallen asleep for a couple of minutes, but she wasn't sure.
"When is the party really going to start?" Julia asked lazily.
"Tonight. Good thing too. I'm wiped out," Robin said sleepily, kissing her on the cheek. "We should take a nap."
Julia turned and looked at him. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep, but she didn't believe that he could fall off that quickly. "You know, I've been terribly selfish."
"How can you say that? You're the best lover..." Robin protested, opening his eyes and turning his head to look at her. "I've never felt so satisfied and happy. And physically exhausted. How can you even think such a thing?"
"I mean you gave me another present," Julia answered, "I was so happy about it, I was planning to keep it all for myself."
"The ring, the house and me go together. That's the first present. Scooter's baby was the second," Robin said. "And in return, you're the wonderful present I get for myself."
"This present I'm talking about is very special," Julia said, smiling. "Something you don't know about."
"My love goes with everything. I didn't mention that because I thought it was a foregone conclusion. Is that it?" Robin asked.
"This special present was made by the feeling we have for each other. See, when we were separated for a while, I didn't think you cared about me. I was totally miserable, but I wanted this present so very badly and was so thrilled about it, I wasn't even going to tell you. I was going to keep it all for myself."
"Is this a riddle?" Robin asked.
"Yes. It's really your first present to me. And it's the first present I'm giving you. I want lots of them, so someday you'll probably be pleading with me to not to give you any more."
Julia took Robin's hand and placed it on her abdomen, below her belly button. "Right here," she said softly.
Robin jumped up so fast he startled her. "The first time?" He was crouching on his knees, both arms planted on either side of her shoulders, his face inches from hers. "You can't possibly mean what I'm thinking. It's already happened?"
"Evidently we're very compatible, physically," Julia said, laughing at his astonishment. "You said, just today, that it was magic. And it was."
Robin collapsed dramatically on the bed beside her. Then he gathered her Julia in his arms and rolled her on top of him, suddenly galvanized and full of energy by the news she had given him.
Robin stopped abruptly and pulled up on her shoulders, holding her a few inches away from him. "You haven't eaten anything today, have you?"
Julia shook her head. Robin rolled her over on her back, scooted down and placed his head on her stomach, as though he was listening. Then he kissed the skin there. "I love you very much already," he said very distinctly to her stomach. Then he looked at her. "I've heard they can hear when they're still inside, although it's probably a little early for that. But I want the baby to know my voice bef
ore it's born."
Robin sat up. "Damn, you were almost shot today. A tree branch knocked you unconscious. And instead of feeding you, I give you alcohol on an empty stomach."
Robin leaped off the bed and pulled her up into his arms. "I have to get you something nourishing fast, you poor thing. On top of everything else, I've given you some pretty strenuous exercise the past couple of hours. There must be some food in the kitchen."
"You don't know?" Julia asked, a little alarmed, noticing for the first time how her empty stomach was rumbling. "This pregnancy makes me ravenously hungry. That was the first sign. When I started getting suspicions that something was different inside me."
"Really? We'll feed you immediately," Robin said.
Then he changed his mind and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling Julia into his lap. "I want to understand something perfectly first. Even before we go find something to eat that will be good for the little present inside. From what you said, you were going to keep the baby? You planned this even though you thought we were estranged, and it wouldn't have a father?"
Julia was looking at his wonderful chest in front of her eyes. "I've always wanted children. But I wanted this particular baby more than anything in the world. I was thrilled to be pregnant. Because it was yours. I knew how smart and beautiful it would be, because it was a part of you."
Robin was shaking his head. "That's the nicest thing I've ever heard, Julia. Except for last night. When you said the woman I chose would be the luckiest person on earth."
"I'm no paragon."
"I never wanted a paragon. That would be boring as hell. I want you."
He got up off the bed and took her hand. "This is going to be so much fun. You and a baby! I can hardly believe it.
CHAPTER 30
Julia was standing in front of an almost empty refrigerator in a white terry robe Robin had given her. She was a little appalled. Robin evidently thought it was normal to have an army of frozen dinners in the freezer compartment.
