by Katie Dowe
Scott looked around at the crowded room and over at his wife who was talking to her brother and felt a warm glow in his heart. At long last the place was filled with laughter. He looked around and caught the look of pleasure in Patsy’s eyes as she looked around. His eyes caught hers and she nodded before hurrying away to see to the dinner menu. His wife looked up and saw him, and placing a kiss on her brother’s cheek she got up gracefully and made her way over to him. She was wearing a stunning auburn red gown with a deep plunging neckline and the material falling down to her ankles and covering the black strappy sandals she was wearing. Her thick lustrous hair was caught at the nape of her neck by a jeweled comb and she was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever met in his life. “Hey,” she murmured. They had not slept much last night but she felt as if she had slept for two days. He had made love to her twice before they were interrupted by the sounds coming from the children’s rooms over the monitor. They had seen the nannies at work changing them but had gone ahead to spend some time with them anyway.
“Hey,” he could still taste her inside his mouth and did not want to get rid of the taste. “How do you feel?”
“Great,” she turned in his arms, not caring who was looking she brought his head down to hers and kissed him thoroughly.
“Break it up you two. You are beginning to make us look bad.” Karen said mildly. “The babies are down and their cousins are insisting on staying in their rooms and watching them sleep while they play on their iPods.” She turned to look at Scott. “You have officially been declared the best uncle they could ever have.” She grinned as she looked at her brother. “They still like you Khalif, don’t worry.”
“I have a very good memory, please tell them that.” He said mildly with a glint in is dark brown eyes. “I also cannot compete with a man who owns half the entire country.”
“You are right,” Karen said with a grin. They looked around as the bell sounded. “Lets’ go eat.”
Chapter 12
Kadine had one eye on her phone and the other on the three children running around in the large area surround the house. They were going to be one tomorrow and both Patsy and Scott had insisted on throwing a party for them. “They are not going to remember any of it!” Kadine had protested but she knew she had been outnumbered.
“There will be pictures and CDs for them to look at when they get older,” her husband had persuaded her. They had celebrated their wedding anniversary by leaving the kids and flying to Italy for three days. He had gone to the club to attend a function here and had fretted because she had told him that she was staying home. “Go and enjoy yourself, please Scott. We are going to be fine.”
“We have a new member,” he texted her. “He is actually a real live prince.” He put a smiley face next to the text that made her laugh.
“Along with a crown?” she wrote back. It was the end of October but the weather was surprisingly mild. The girls had started walking before their brother and were into the stage where they ran instead of walked. She looked up just in time to see Kandra pulling her brother’s hair. “Not cool baby girl. Leave your brother alone.” Miriam and Agatha ran forward to see to them and Kadine continued texting.
“No crowns, but he is one arrogant guy! How are the kids?”
“Kandra is beating up her brother again.”
“I am going to have to teach that boy how to fight back. Not his sister of course. Love you baby, I have to go.”
Kadine settled back against the cushions on the lounge chair and held her arms out as her son wandered over. “Mama,” he murmured as he burrowed in her arms.
“Yes honey, I am your Mama.” She brushed back his black curls lovingly and kissed his forehead. His complexion was a mix of his father’s and hers and had come out creamy which looked striking against his hair. His sisters had wheat blonde curls down to their shoulders and were the spitting images of their daddy! They had been photographed so many times that they were named the media darlings. Offers poured in everyday for them to model or act but all had been firmly turned down.
She had gone back to work but only did so part time where she liaised with Delia and Michael to get things done. She did not want to be a full time stay at home mother but she did not see herself going back out there, not while her kids were so little. They celebrated everything! In January, Scott had thrown her a big birthday party and had invited everyone including the members of the club and their wives who had become her friends. In February, he had taken her out to dinner at Kane’s exclusive restaurant and had given her a heart-shaped pendant suspended on a platinum necklace. The pendant had their pictures inside it. In March, they celebrated his birthday and she had taken him out to dinner. April had been Patsy’s birthday and they had surprised her by sending her to a spa for a week even though she had protested that she could not stay away from the children that long. In May, they had celebrated their anniversary by going back to the cabin to spend the weekend. He made her feel so special and there was nothing he would not give her. Her son stirred in her arms and she realized that she had been holding him too tight. “How about something to eat sweetie?” she asked him.
“Want pancakes!” he spoke up.
“You had pancakes this morning; how about some Mac and cheese?”
“Yay!’ he said in excitement as he jumped up and down on her lap.
*****
Kadine looked at the children running over the grounds making sure that the triplets were in plain sight. Scott had gone overboard and hired clowns, animals with their trainers, trampolines, bounce about and the whole works. The weather was still mild enough for them to have it outdoors and there had been tents set up as well as chairs. All the wives were there and the husbands who had not gone away on businesses. Her sisters and brother as well as their children had taken the trip this time by a limousine that had been sent by Scott. Scott had also commissioned a professional to build a large tree house at the edge of the barn and also a small park with swings, slides and a small maze.
Kandra and Kandace were dressed in matching lilac dresses with white laces at the end of the dresses. Their unruly blonde curls were brushed back with lilac ribbons at the top of the curls. Kadine had had their lobes pierced in spite of her husband’s protest that it was going to hurt them and they had in small diamond knobs in them. Sean Scott was wearing a dark blue dress pants and light blue shirt with a sweater vest over it and looked as handsome as ever with his dark curls rioting over his face. The photographer had already taken their pictures, but both Scott and she had not stopped taking pictures with their phones.
The younger children were milling around and having fun watching the clowns and the older ones were either playing basketball or jumping up and down on the trampolines.
“Trust me when I say that you have it very good,” her friend Marcia murmured as she came alongside her. Kadine turned to her friend and gave her a quick hug. She missed the times she would go over to her place and they would talk.
“I keep pinching myself.” She mused as she looked at her children who had crowded around their dad as went to get them something to eat. “I keep asking myself if this is real or is it going to come tumbling down like a pack of cards one day.”
“Positive vibes, remember?” Marcia looked around the immaculate yard and the horses prancing around as the farmhands did their part in giving the children rides. The children were beloved by even the boy who cleaned the pool. They were spoilt in more ways than one and their dad indulged them in every little thing. “I guess you are one of them now,” she murmured looking at the wives of the members of the club, each one seemed even more beautiful than the other. They were black women who were making their names in their own way and apart from their very powerful husbands. The papers called them the opposite of the Stepford wives and women who were constantly making a difference!
“You know, you will still be the friend I turn to when I need advice,” Kadine reassured her, giving her arm a squeeze. “These women are wond
erful Marcia and I am happy to be a part of something so amazing. They do so many things and contribute fully to a lot of things when it comes to children.”
“I am aware of that,” Marcia looked over at them as Leesa laughed at something one of them said. “I think it is time to cut the birthday cake now.”
*****
“Mommy, I want story,” Kandra demanded as Kadine fixed her pillows behind her head. The party had broken up at eight and the guest had departed soon after. Khalif and Karen were staying overnight but Kandy and Brianna had left for home saying they had to go somewhere in the morning.
“What is the magic word?” her father asked gently as he came into the room. He had Kandace in his arms as Sean Andrew had already succumbed to sleep. They had given the nannies the night off so that they could tend to them.
“Please,” her eyes brightened as she looked at her dad.
“Want story too, please.” Kandace said jumping up and down in his arms. They each had their own room but as they got bigger they had told their parents that they wanted to sleep in the same room, so Scott had put in another princess bed into Kandra’s room.
“Story it is.” He leaned forward and kissed his wife’s cheek. “How about climbing into the bed with your sister, sweetie?”
“Okay, Daddy,” Kandace scrambled onto the bed and Kandra moved over to give her space.
Kadine left in the middle of the story to go and check on their son pulling the sheet over him and touching his soft cheek. He was so handsome that he took her breath away sometimes. She could not believe that after being a career woman for most of her life that she had become accustomed to being a wife and mother to three wonderful children! She looked around the room and saw that the nannies had straightened up his room. The playroom was in the middle of the three bedrooms and had every toy imaginable! She picked up his stuffed dinosaur and tucked it beneath his arm.
She went over to pull the drapes a little bit more to shut out the light of the moon. He had no problem sleeping by himself unlike his sisters and she suspected that although all three were close that Sean Andrew preferred to be by himself most of the times.
She smiled slightly as she heard her husband come up behind her. “Are they out?” she asked him as she leaned back against his solid chest.
“Like a light,” he whispered bending to kiss her neck. “Are you watching our son sleep?”
“They are growing up so fast,” she said with a sigh. “I am afraid of missing anything.”
He took her hand and led her from the room, closing the door softly behind them and then led her to their suite.
“Talk to me,” he said as she started taking off the plaid blouse and white dress pants she had worn for the party. His eyes skimmed her trim figure and could not believe that she had carried three children at the same time. Her figure was exquisite and well-toned.
“What?”
“Baby, I know you,” he told her mildly as he took off his own clothes. “You have been struggling with something for the past month and I have waited on you to tell me what it is. I cannot wait any longer.”
She sat on the side of the bed and wriggled her toes. She was in her matching red silk underwear and did not see the point of putting on a nightgown; Scott was just going to remove it anyway. “I hate when you do that,” she told him wryly.
“Do what?” he asked her innocently as he came to join her on the bed.
“Read me up like you are doing now,” she poked him in the ribs as he pulled her to him.
“You are my heart so it comes with the territory. Tell me what’s wrong and let me fix it.”
“Are you going to fix everything for me?”
“Stop prevaricating and get to what’s bothering you.”
She moved her shoulders a little bit. “Is it bad that I don’t feel like continuing with the travel agency? I mean I would still keep it open and allow both Michael and Delia to run it, but now that I am a mother and a wife I feel like doing something closer to home.”
He could not stop the smile from coming on his face! He had waited so long for her to decide that and had been determined not to say it to her and now his waiting had not been in vain. She had been working from home most of the time except when she had to fly over and attend to some details herself.
“What do you want to do?”
“I was thinking about that space behind the cabin. It is a lovely area and the view is spectacular. A theme park would be lovely there.” She looked at him hopefully. She had seen how her husband operated his business and had come to realize that he was a very astute businessman and nothing gets by him.
“You want us to build a theme park?” he looked at her quizzically. She probably was aware of the fact that there was nothing he would not do for her!
She got up and leaned over him, her dark hair spilling over her shoulder. “Water Park and the whole works. I could oversee the building of it and it would be good for Apple Valley. There are quite a number of children here and they have to go for miles for entertainment like this. I could make up a business proposal and you could take a look at it. We could even put a section where healthy meals and drinks are sold.”
One hand reached up to play with the fringe of her hair as he thought about what she said. “I think it is a great idea. I could get some investors to chip in as well.”
“You like the idea?” she looked at him in amazement.
“I do.” He nodded and grinned up at her. “I think you are quite a businesswoman.”
“That’s very high praise coming from you.” She bent and kissed him slowly heating up his flesh.
“How soon,” she whispered as she lifted her head.
“You cannot do that and then expect me to concentrate,” he pulled her head back down and took her lips with his hungrily.
With a sigh, she succumbed and talks of theme parks were quickly abandoned!
*****
They got the building permit from the town council in November but the weather made it impossible for the foundation to be dug. The first two weeks in November it rained everyday bringing the temperatures down. The triplets complained about not going out to play in their tree house or on the rides their father had had built for them. Scott was out in the fields because there had been reports of flooding. He had had an office made for her as she was busy getting the various investors on board and working with the contractor to get the blueprint down. She wanted it to be designed in a way that parents can have somewhere to enjoy themselves and not only the children.
“Look who I found trying to sneak outdoors,” Patsy had Kandra on her hip, the little girl was soaking wet, her dark blue eyes subdued.
“Kandra Taylor!” Kadine got up from around her desk and came towards her soaking wet daughter. “How on earth did she get out?”
“Someone left the door opened. The nannies had been looking all over for her.
Kadine started to reach for her but Patsy stopped her. “I will get her changed and get some soup down her little throat. Go back to what you were doing.”
“As if I could do so now. Where are the others?”
“In the playroom watching a movie. It’s okay Kadine, I will deal with it.”
“We will talk later young lady,” she said trying to be stern as she looked at her dripping daughter. “Do you want to catch a cold?”
“No, Mommy,” she said in a subdued voice.
“Okay, Mommy will be in shortly and maybe we can play a game.”
“Yay!” she said, her eyes brightening.
*****
For the first time since they had been married, Scott came home at midnight and without calling. She had gone ahead and played with the children for most of the afternoon and had had dinner with them in their playroom. She had told the nannies that she would give them their baths and read them the stories. Kandace and Kandra had complained about their dad not being there to read to them.
Kadine had tried calling him several times but his phone had gone str
aight to voice mail and she had tried waiting up for him but had fallen asleep.
It was the noise of someone in the bathroom that woke her up. She turned and looked at the clock and realized that it was after twelve midnight. She climbed off the bed and padded to the bathroom to see him sitting on one of the padded chairs with his hands over his eyes and his shoulders hunched. She hurried over to him in alarm and dropped to her knees before him. “Scott?”
He waited a few minutes before removing his hands and looking down at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he forced himself to smile as he looked down at her. “Go back to bed. I will be there in a minute.”
“Don’t you dare do that to me,” she blazed at him causing him to blink at her. “I am your wife through good or bad and if there is anything bad, I want to know.”
He took her hands in his and clasped them tightly. He had taken off his muddy boots in the shed but was still wearing his denims and shirt caked with mud. “We lost one of the farmhands.” His expression was anguished. “Baker. He was trying to save some of the cattle that had washed away by the flood water. I told him earlier to let them go because it was not worth losing a life over and he ignored me. He has a family dammit.” Scott bent his head to her hands and kept it there for a moment.
