Baby Drama

by Sandi Lynn

  “Thanks, Thaddeus.” I smiled.

  A two-hour body massage, some reflexology, facial, manicure, pedicure and an invigorating essential oil steam treatment made up my day. I felt renewed, relaxed and for the first time in two weeks, my mind was clear.

  “Well?” Thaddeus smiled as he opened the car door for me.

  “Best day ever, Thaddeus.” I grinned.

  When I stepped off the elevator, all was quiet. Too quiet in fact. Setting my purse down, I walked into the kitchen and it was a disaster. Bottles and dishes were everywhere. Walking to the bedroom, I smiled when I saw Lucas asleep with Scarlett sleeping on his chest. I softly kissed his forehead and his eyes opened.

  “Wake her up and die,” he whispered.

  Chapter 34

  Two Months Later

  Lucas

  It was hard to believe Scarlett was already three months old. She was growing and changing so quickly. The first month was the hardest. Hell, it was still hard. I wouldn’t lie. My daughter was a very alert child who didn’t seem to need much sleep. But Jenna developed a routine and made sure we both stuck to it. Things were a little easier now that Scarlett was sleeping at least five hours during the night. We never thought the day would come, but it did, and we took what we could get.

  While Jenna was asleep with her head on my chest, I reached over and pulled the ring out I had hidden in the nightstand. After I slipped it on her finger, she stirred. My heart was racing a mile a minute and I was nervous as hell. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the large diamond ring on her finger. She looked up at me and the shocked expression on her face made me smile.

  “Will you marry me, babe?”

  “Oh my God.” A wide grin crossed her lips as she sat up and stared into my eyes. “Yes! Oh my God, Lucas. I would love to marry you.”

  Wrapping my arms around her, I rolled her on her back and hovered over her.

  “You have made me the happiest man in the world, and I love you so much.” I kissed her. “I was going to wait and do it the proper way down on one knee. But then I figured once I got down on my knee, you’d know what I was doing, and I wanted you to be totally surprised.”

  “You did it perfectly, and I can’t wait to marry you and call you my husband.”

  Suddenly, we heard Scarlett’s cries through the monitor.

  “Let’s go tell our daughter the good news.” I grinned as I kissed Jenna’s lips.

  While Jenna was feeding the baby, I took a shower and got ready for work.

  “By the way, I have to go to Maine for some business for a few days and I want you and Scarlett to come with me,” I said as I put on my tie.

  “That sounds fun. We’d love to go with you. When are we leaving?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “Oh. Thanks for the notice, Thorne.”

  I turned to her and gave her a smile.

  “Sorry, babe. It was kind of a last-minute thing.”

  “No worries. I’ll just add packing to the list of things I have to do today. Can you take her for me? I need to pee.”

  “Of course. Come here, princess. Let Daddy hold you before he leaves for the day.”

  She smiled at me and began to coo as I held her. “You are the most beautiful baby in the entire world and I already know I’m going to have problems when the boys start coming around.” I held her up and she vomited all over my designer suit.

  “Hey, babe?” I shouted. “Can you add taking my suit to the cleaners to your list? Scarlett just threw up all over me.

  “Were you moving her too much? You know she just ate.”

  “Uh, maybe.”

  “Then you can take your suit in yourself. You know better than that, babe. We’ve talked about this before.” She smirked as she walked out of the bathroom.

  Jenna

  We landed in Portland, Maine, and climbed into the SUV Lucas had rented.

  “Which hotel are we staying at?” I asked.

  “We’re not. I got us an Airbnb instead.”

  “Ah. Good idea.” I smiled as I reached over and stroked his cheek. “How far is this Airbnb?”

  “We’ll be there in about forty-five minutes.” He smiled as he glanced over at me.

  The drive to the Airbnb was beautiful as I took in the winding roads and snowcapped trees. Lucas made a right hand turn on a dirt road that led to a secluded home. Beautiful tall trees, trails and a lake made up the surrounding area.

  “Wow. This looks great.” I smiled as I climbed out of the car and stared at the house.

  Lucas grabbed the car seat while I grabbed a couple of our bags.

  “Babe, leave those. I’ll come back for them.”

  “I got it.” I smiled as we walked up to the door.

  Stepping inside, a peaceful feeling washed over me.

  “This is so nice. How did you find this place?”

  “Come with me. I want to show you something,” he said as he set the car seat down.

  He took my hand and led me to the back of the house and opened the sliding door.

  “Look at that view, babe.”

  “It’s gorgeous,” I said as I stepped on to the deck. “Wow. It’s so peaceful here.”

  “I know. This is where I stayed when I came here for a couple weeks.”

  “Here? This exact house?”

  “Yep, and I never once stopped thinking about it.”

  I looked over at him as he stared out into the lake.

  “I bought the house, Jenna. I bought it for our family.” He hooked his arm around me and pulled me into him. “And I’m praying you love it just as much as I do.”

  “This is our house?”

  “Our house, babe. I thought we could spend a lot of time here in the summer and fall months. This lake house will become part of the Thorne legacy for generations to come.”

  “I love it, Lucas. I truly love it.”

  “Come inside. There’s something else I want to show you.”

  He pulled out what looked like drawings and unrolled it across the kitchen table.

  “What’s this?”

  “The plans for the house I had drawn up. It’s only a two-bedroom, one bath, which isn’t big enough for us. We are definitely going to need more room. Especially when our family starts growing.” He smiled as he gave me a wink. “I bought the land next door and I want to expand the house. We’ll make the kitchen bigger and add a few more bathrooms and bedrooms. What do you think?”

  “I love it.” I reached up and kissed his cheek.

  “Are you sure? I want you to really look at these drawings and tell me what you want or don’t want. Because you’re going to be involved every step of the way.”

  “We’re not here on business, are we?” I smiled.

  “No. I used that as an excuse to get you here and surprise you.”

  “You are just full of surprises lately. Was the house up for sale?”

  “No.” He chuckled. “I made the owners an offer they absolutely couldn’t turn down. In fact, they didn’t even hesitate when I made the offer in cash.”

  “I can’t believe you did this for us. I love you so much, and we’re going to be so happy here.”

  “I love you too, babe, and all I want is to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “You’ve got me for life, Lucas.” I grinned as our lips met. “How long is the house going to take?”

  “The contractor said three months tops because this is the only project they’ll be working on. I made sure of that. And the timing will be perfect because the warmer weather will be settling in and we can be here in the summer.”

  Chapter 35

  Three Months Later

  Jenna

  “Okay. Let’s do this.” I turned and looked at Lucas as I grabbed his hand.

  We walked over to Scarlett who was sitting up on her playmat. She started sitting up on her own over a month ago and started crawling less than two weeks ago. I started piecing her milestones together and I became
very nervous. When I called my mother and told her everything Scarlett was doing, she said I did the same things at her age.

  We both sat down across from her and Lucas placed the wooden block set in front of her. We spread out the different shapes around her and let her go at it. She picked up the round block first and brought it up to her mouth. Then she tried to place it in the square hole. Her coordination skills were a little advanced for her age.

  “Look at her Lucas, she’s analyzing.”

  “Come on, Jenna. No she isn’t.”

  “No. Look at her. She’s staring at the round hole.”

  Suddenly, she moved the block over to the round hole and dropped it in. Lucas and I looked at each other.

  “What a smart girl.” Lucas smiled as he handed her the square block. “Show Mommy and Daddy where this one goes.”

  Without hesitating, she put it in the square hole.

  “I told you she was analyzing!” I hit his arm. “Oh my God, she takes after me.” Tears started to fill my eyes.

  “Are those tears of happiness?”

  “I don’t know. I’m scared for her.”

  “There’s no reason to be. We pretty much knew that between my brain and yours she was going to be somewhat intelligent.”

  “This goes beyond somewhat intelligent, Lucas.”

  “And we’ll deal with it step by step and day by day. Who knows, she may grow up and do something that could change the world.” He hooked his arm around me and pulled me into him.

  Six Months Later

  “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Thorne.”

  Everyone started clapping and cheering as we entered the ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria. We had the most perfect ceremony and now we’d have the perfect reception. The room was filled with over three hundred guests, including my parents and Lucas’s father. Instead of going on a fancy honeymoon, we spent a week alone at the lake house. It was the first time we’d been away from Scarlett for more than a day.

  “Do you think Scarlett is doing okay?” I asked Lucas as we laid in bed.

  “She’s doing just fine.” He kissed me. “She’s with your parents.”

  “Again, do you think she’s doing okay?”

  He let out a chuckle as his grip around me tightened.

  “I’m sure she’s giving your parents a run for their money. Do you have any idea how happy you make me?” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “As happy as you make me?”

  “More.” He rolled me on my back and hovered over me. “I love you so much, Mrs. Thorne.”

  “And I love you so much, Mr. Thorne.”

  Six Weeks Later

  Lucas

  Raising a highly intelligent child was rewarding as well as exhausting. Scarlett demanded a lot of our attention and needed to be mentally stimulated at all times. At a year old, she was already saying more words than the average child.

  I was sitting behind my desk when my office door opened, and Jenna walked in holding Scarlett.

  “What a nice surprise.” I grinned as I got up, kissed Jenna and took my daughter from her arms.

  “Hi, princess.” I tickled her.

  “Daddy.” She smiled.

  “What are you doing here, babe?”

  “I need you to watch her. The babysitter called and has the flu, my mom has an appointment of her own, and I have my doctor’s appointment.”

  “I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”

  “And? Do you want me to cancel my doctor’s appointment and not get a refill on my birth control pills?”

  “You know what, I’ll just bring her to my meeting.”

  “Good idea.” She smiled. “I love you. Just bring her home with you,” she said as she hooked the diaper bag over my shoulder, gave me and Scarlett a kiss and walked out.

  “Wait! You’re not coming back to pick her up?”

  “I have some errands to run. I love you!” She shouted as she walked down the hallway.

  I looked at Scarlett who had successfully managed to untie my tie.

  “Looks like you’re spending the rest of the day with daddy.” I kissed her head.

  “Daddy.” She smiled. “Juice.”

  I left the office a couple hours early because I wasn’t getting any work done. Scarlett wanted nothing to do with any of my staff and she only wanted me. When I arrived home, I noticed Jenna wasn’t back yet.

  “Play with your blocks, princess,” I said as I set Scarlett on the floor.

  Pulling my phone from my pocket, I called Jenna.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, babe. I’m home with Scarlett. Are you on your way?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be home soon.”

  “Great. I miss you and I love you.”

  “I miss and love you too. See you soon.”

  “Book. Book,” Scarlett said as she tugged on my pant leg while holding a book in her other hand.

  Picking her up, I took her over to the couch and read to her. About thirty minutes later, I heard the elevator ding.

  “Mommy’s home, princess.”

  Walking over to the elevator, Jenna stepped out, gave me a kiss and took Scarlett.

  “There’s my genius girl. I missed you.” She hugged her tight. “How did it go at the office?” She smirked.

  “Why do you think I came home a couple hours early? She wanted nothing to do with any of the staff and she wouldn’t let me put her down.”

  “So you cancelled your meeting?”

  “Oh no. I took her in the conference room with me after I left her with Laurel, and she had a meltdown.”

  “Were you not being nice to Miss Laurel?” She tickled her.

  “So how was she in the meeting?”

  “She was actually pretty good. I held her while I gave a power point presentation and she seemed fascinated with all the coding I had on there.”

  “My mom and dad will be here soon. They’re going to take Scarlett for the night.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought it would be nice for us to spend the evening alone.”

  “I love the way think, Mrs. Thorne.” I kissed her lips. “I’m happy you worked things out with them. They sure have been a big help since they moved to New York a few months ago.”

  “I know and I’m grateful for that.” She handed Scarlett back over to me. “I’m going to go pack her bag. Can you put her in her highchair and feed her?”

  “Of course I can. Come on, princess. Let’s get some food in your belly.” I tickled her.

  Jenna

  “How did you doctor’s appointment go?” Lucas asked as he wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed the side of my neck. “Did you get a refill on your pills?”

  “Actually, that’s what we need to talk about.” I turned around in his arms.

  “Talk about what?”

  “I couldn’t get a refill on my pills.”

  “Why not?” His eye narrowed at me.

  “Because I’m pregnant, Lucas.”

  “You’re what?”

  “I’m pregnant. You know it’s something that happens when two people have sex and one person screws up her pills, again.”

  “Ugh, Jenna. How could you let that happen again?”

  “I know. But it’s your fault.”

  “My fault? How is it my fault that you screwed up your pills again?”

  “It just is, and when I think of the reason, I’ll let you know.”

  He let out a chuckle and pulled me into him.

  “We’re having another baby.”

  “Are you happy about it?” I asked him as I broke our embrace.

  “I’m very happy. How do you feel about it?”

  “I walked around Central Park for over two hours asking myself that. I mean, I’m happy that we created another child, but can we handle another one so soon with Scarlett? She’s quite the handful.”

  “We can handle anything. What’s one more kid to add to the mix? We have two hands. One for each of them. Plus, I think
Scarlett will be happy to have a little brother or sister to play with. And with them being so close in age, they’ll be best friends. Maybe this one will be a genius too, and they can have little Einstein conversations together.” He grinned.

  “Maybe.”

  “Come here.” He pulled me into him again. “I love you and I love our growing family.”

  “I love you too. I’m going to get fat again and you’re still going to have that sexy body and I’ll hate you.”

  “Babe, your body is always sexy regardless if you’re pregnant or not.” He swooped me up in his arms. “Now, I’m going to take you to the bedroom and show you just how sexy you are.” His lips pressed against mine.

  Chapter 36

  Jenna

  I stared at myself in the full-length mirror and couldn’t believe my belly was already expanding for I was only eight weeks pregnant. My morning sickness was worse this time around and lasted longer into the day.

  “Damn. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Lucas said as he walked into the room. “Are you admiring that sexy body of yours?”

  “No. I’m looking at how I’m already starting to show and I’m only eight weeks.”

  “Don’t women usually show earlier with the second pregnancy? I thought I read that somewhere.”

  I turned and looked at him.

  “And where would you read that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe in that baby book of yours.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” I sighed.

  “Anyway, you can ask Dr. Lewis about it at your appointment today.” He walked over and kissed me.

  “Thank you for coming with me.”

  “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I already missed the first half of your first pregnancy and I won’t ever do that again. Remember, you are my first priority, Mrs. Thorne.” He went to kiss me, and I put my hand over my mouth and ran to the bathroom.