The Pregnancy Contract

by Yvonne Lindsay

  “If I agree to your terms, there are some of my own that I expect you to adhere to.”

  “Name them.”

  “First, I want you to undergo a full medical checkup. While you look healthy enough, given your lifestyle choices, I want a guarantee that you’re fit to bear my child.”

  “My lifestyle choices?” she choked.

  “Your antics in recent years have been cloaked from the media, unlike your behavior when you left here which was well documented in the tabloids. Who knows what you might have picked up?”

  Two bright spots of color lit her cheeks. “What I might have picked up? And you? Where have you been finding relief? Might I ask the same of you? I have no desire to catch anything from you, I’m sure you understand.”

  Again, he found himself fighting to hide his admiration at her response. Here she was, most definitely the underdog, and yet she still didn’t hold back, instead giving back as good as was dished out to her.

  “In the interests of fairness, I have no objections to providing you with a clean bill of health. I’ll make arrangements for us both in the morning.”

  Piper brushed past him and picked up her wine glass from the table and held it in the air in a bold salute. “Do we have a deal then?”

  Wade covered the distance to where he’d left his glass and picked it up, touching the rim of the crystal to hers. “We do.”

  Piper fought to control the tremor that rippled through her body. She’d done it. She’d agreed. They were going to have a baby together. She didn’t know whether to feel excited or simply terrified, although the latter fought for supremacy.

  When would he want to begin the baby-making process? she wondered. Obviously at least not until they both had the all clear from the doctor. She’d felt so insulted, so dirty, when he’d made his stipulation. She had never been promiscuous. Sure, she’d partied along with the rest of them, but she’d never indiscriminately slept with other men. After the first two times she’d allowed anyone close enough to actually go to bed with them, once she’d left New Zealand behind, she knew that no man would ever compare to what she’d shared with Wade. It was simply easier to stop looking for it in every man she met, knowing that none of them ever had that special spark that was in constant evidence between her and the man standing opposite her right now.

  As anxious as she was about their agreement, a tiny burst of excitement tinged with a healthy dose of apprehension began to unfurl from deep down inside. He’d changed in so many ways since they’d last been together. He was far more dominant now and appeared far harder than he’d been before, as if he tolerated nothing that tried to stand in his way—had he changed in other ways, too? Would he still be the caring and considerate lover she’d known, or had she irretrievably destroyed that person when she’d left him?

  Would they make love, or would the conception of their baby be a clinical thing? Sex for the sake of it, or even conception achieved by artificial means? The sure knowledge that she would find out eventually was no consolation.

  Piper realized with damning clarity that, as usual, she’d leaped into this thing without seriously thinking through all the consequences. Dread filled her belly. It was too late now. If she wanted to be taken seriously, she had to stand by her word. And, more than anything, she had to prove her worth—to herself and to Wade.

  Later on she had no idea how she’d managed to get through dinner with Wade in the formal dining room. The table, which comfortably seated twelve, was spread with crisp white linen and glittering tableware and looked innocuous enough until you noted the place settings. One at the head of the table, the other intimately to its right.

  While she had no doubt the food had been delicious, Dexie wouldn’t have had it any other way, she could no sooner remember what it was she had eaten than she could say what it was they had talked about during the meal. It had been a time to be endured, while the reality of what she’d agreed to do sank in deeper and deeper.

  Sleep was elusive that night, fractured with dreams that vividly included Wade in various states of undress. Beside her, beneath her, within her. She woke at dawn to the sound of rain beating against the windows, driven past the deep eaves of the upper balcony by a biting cold southwesterly wind. Overheated by her subconscious, she rose from her bed and pressed her face against the cool glass pane of her window, finding relief in the heat being drawn from her skin.

  She was chilled to the bone by the time she crept back between the sheets of her bed and fell into yet another disturbed sleep, waking only when Mrs. Dexter knocked firmly at the door to tell her that Wade awaited her downstairs in the library. A quick glance at her clock confirmed that she’d slept far too late—it was ten o’clock already—and doing so had left her feeling groggy and out of sorts.

  Piper grabbed her father’s robe and wrapped it around her, and shoved her feet into a pair of slippers before going downstairs. The door to the library was closed and she hesitated, her fist raised and ready to knock at the ancient wooden surface, but then her usual streak of independence asserted itself and instead she reached for the handle, twisting it sharply and shoving the door open.

  Wade sat at her father’s desk—his desk now, she supposed. He looked up as she entered, a small frown appearing momentarily between his dark brows.

  “Trouble sleeping last night?” he inquired, his voice cutting through the air with an astuteness that instantly rankled her.

  Piper bit back the acerbic response that rose on her tongue, choosing instead to smile and to seat herself in the chair opposite his desk with as much grace as she could muster.

  “I slept fine, thank you. And you?”

  The shadows under his eyes matched her own but his response was a curt yes before he bent his head to flick through a sheaf of papers on his desk. Papers he then put in a folder and handed over to her.

  “This is our agreement. Take some time today to read through it. Either of the Dexters will serve as an adequate witness, unless you’d prefer to use Mr. Chadwick. I can always see if he’s available.”

  “He didn’t draft up the agreement?”

  “No, I used my own solicitor for that.”

  “You certainly didn’t waste any time, did you?”

  Wade leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Getting cold feet, Piper?”

  Cold everything, if the truth were to be told. She’d thought it would be a good idea to show him how little he affected her by coming downstairs in such a state of dishabille but she should have taken the time to assume an armor of propriety at the very least. She felt at a complete disadvantage right now compared to his immaculate tailor-fitted suit, his cheeks smoothly shaven and his hair combed back off his face. The scent of his cologne, while not overpowering, tormented her with every inward breath. Spicy, exotic, alluring.

  She straightened her shoulders and dragged in a deep breath before speaking. “No, not at all. We reached an agreement and I will honor that.” If only to prove to you I can be honorable, she thought privately. “And when can I start at Mitchell Exports?”

  She squirmed a little as Wade rose one eyebrow and cast an inquiring glance over her attire.

  “You were expecting to start today?”

  A tiny smile quirked at the corner of his mouth, as if she had presented herself in no less a state of readiness than he’d expected.

  “Of course not. Tomorrow will be soon enough.”

  Piper allowed her gaze to meet his across the highly polished walnut desk. She wouldn’t back down, not an inch. She could be honorable and still keep her pride, couldn’t she? Some how?

  A surprising glow of approval shone in Wade’s eyes, a glow that sent a spiraling warmth deep to her core. It shocked her to realize that his approval meant so much to her.

  “Do you think you can be ready to come into the office with me at eight tomorrow?” he asked, tilting his head slightly to one side, the smile now spreading into a full grin. But it seemed less judgmental than before, as if he was teasi
ng her instead of truly mocking her.

  When he put that smile into action, he really was something else, she decided. She’d bet anyone—man, woman or child—would be putty in his hands in the face of it. Shamefully, she was no more immune to his charisma than anyone else.

  “Of course.”

  “Excellent. And I assume you still remember how to drive a stick shift?”

  If wrestling a bouncing jeep over potholed, unsealed roads was any claim to success, she figured she could cope with Auckland city traffic.

  “I do,” she replied.

  “Your appointment for your physical is today, at eleven. It might pay for you to change before you go.” A teasing smile played around his lips. “Here’s the address.”

  He flicked a card across the desk toward her. She lifted it up and saw the name of a private medical clinic tastefully printed across the top of the plain white card. A doctor’s name beneath it in black script. A female doctor, she noted.

  “Thank you. Is that everything?”

  “For now.”

  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a key ring and offered it to her. Piper stood and reached for the keys, but started as his fingers closed around hers as she went to remove them from his palm.

  “My keys. Drive safely, okay?”

  “I didn’t know you cared,” she said as flippantly as she could manage even as her heart began to race at his touch.

  “You will be having my baby, of course I care.”

  The words hurt her far more than she’d expected. She knew she was a vessel for him to have that which he most wanted, but it shocked her to acknowledge that she wanted to be so very much more than that.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to jeopardize the merchandise,” she said, aiming again for lightness but knowing she fell short when he didn’t release her hand straight away.

  “I can always arrange a driver for you if you’d rather,” he said.

  “No, I’ll be fine. Seriously. And you’d best let me go if you want me to be on time.”

  She looked pointedly at their hands and snatched hers, and the keys, away the second he released her.

  “I’ll see you this evening then?” she said, heading toward the door.

  “No, I have an appointment this evening.”

  She stopped and turned back to face him. “Oh, a hot date?”

  “Something like that,” he replied.

  He still planned to go on seeing other women, even as he got her pregnant?

  “I thought you didn’t have time for relationships,” she pushed. It was like pressing on a bruise. You knew, no matter what, it was going to hurt.

  “This definitely doesn’t fall into that category.” He smiled again.

  “Oh, so it’s just sex then?”

  Oh, God. When would she learn to haul back on her runaway tongue?

  This time he laughed out loud. “Would that bother you, Piper?”

  It did bother her. Far more than she was prepared to admit to him.

  “Well, in the interest of keeping clean, maybe it should,” she challenged. “When is your appointment with the doctor?”

  “Don’t worry, there’ll be no chance of me catching anything tonight that you should be worried about.”

  She sniffed audibly. “I should think not.”

  Then, with as much decorum as she could muster, she headed through the door. She was at the foot of the staircase when she heard his voice behind her.

  “Piper, you could come with me if you want to.”

  “To spend an evening with one of your women? I don’t think so.”

  She had some pride left.

  He shrugged at her response. “No problem. I just thought I’d give you the option.”

  The option. She clutched the folder containing their agreement to her chest and fought not to laugh out loud. Options were in scarce supply for her these days.

  “It’s okay. I want an early night before starting work tomorrow, anyway.”

  “Your choice,” Wade said as he turned and went back into the library.

  For a moment Piper was tempted to follow him back in there. To tell him that she’d changed her mind. She knew it would eat her up all evening, knowing he was with another woman. Wondering whether he was kissing her, whether his hands would push aside her clothing to bare her skin to his touch. Whether her hands were touching him.

  She shook her head fiercely. She had to stop torturing herself this way. But even as she ascended the stairs she knew there’d be one amendment to their agreement that he may not be too happy about, and that was going to be an exclusivity clause.

  Six

  Piper swiftly discovered that driving Wade’s Porsche 911 Carrera GTS was a world away from the rackety old jeep she’d driven last month. Her hands settled on the three-spoke steering wheel, the covering of which felt like suede beneath her touch, and she took a deep breath before letting the engine roar to throbbing life.

  Man, this car was like a hard-on with wheels. No wonder men loved things like this so much, she smiled to herself as she slowly cruised down the crushed shell driveway and out through the iron gates of the property. It seemed almost criminal not to detour to the nearest motorway and let the car show its paces, but she wasn’t that flippant devil-may-care individual anymore.

  The car handled like a dream and by the time she pulled into the designated patient parking at the health center she almost wished she had escaped into the countryside. Nerves assailed her. What if the checkup disclosed something that would jeopardize her agreement with Wade? She sucked in a deep breath and let it go slowly. She just had to get out of the car and visit the doctor and see for herself.

  The clinic’s rooms were spacious and elegantly furnished. A far cry from what she’d become used to during her volunteer work abroad. She doubted a fly or a speck of dust would so much as dare to enter here. After giving her name to the receptionist, she sat in one of the comfortable waiting chairs and listlessly flicked through a magazine. She hadn’t been there long before she heard her name called.

  A woman, a little older than herself, stood waiting for her with a smile. As Piper approached, the woman thrust out her hand.

  “Hi, I’m May Ritter. Wade asked if I could see you today.”

  So he was on first-name terms with the doctor? Piper gave her a surreptitious once-over as she shook hands and smiled in response. The woman was definitely attractive, with well-tamed, deep red hair, and a clear complexion any supermodel would die for. Bright green eyes sparkled behind frameless lenses.

  “Come on through,” May said.

  She led the way down a short corridor and into a treatment room and gestured that Piper take a seat beside the desk that was pushed up against the wall.

  “Now, tell me a bit about yourself,” the doctor said, settling comfortably in the chair behind the desk and angling the computer screen toward her.

  “What do you need to know?” Piper hedged. Where should she begin? The reality that she was here for a pre-pregnancy health check was all too real.

  “Let’s start with your full name, age and stuff like that, then we’ll go into your medical history.”

  Piper felt a cold chill run down her back. Her medical history? That would mean disclosing her previous miscarriage. There was no way on this earth that she ever wanted Wade to find out about that. It wouldn’t take much for him to put two and two together and realize that she’d been carrying his baby. And that she’d lost it.

  “This information remains confidential, doesn’t it?” she asked, her voice a little pitchy.

  “Definitely. Wade wanted me to make sure you’re in good shape to start a family, but any details you tell me will stay entirely between us. Wade’s a friend, but that doesn’t trump doctor-patient confidentiality.”

  “You know Wade personally?”

  Could this get any worse?

  “Oh, yes. He and my husband have been friends for about five years now. They have this ridiculous compe
titive thing going between them over weekly squash games. You’d think they’d have known each other a lifetime they’re so close. Wade’s the godfather of our three-year-old daughter. In fact, he’s even babysitting for us tonight. Hopefully, part of my thank-you to him will be giving you a clean bill of health.”

  Ah, thought Piper, so that was his reason for not being home tonight. No wonder he’d looked so amused at her reaction. A flush of anger and embarrassment heated her cheeks. Why couldn’t he simply have told her the truth rather than let her think he was seeing another woman? She dragged her attention back to the matters at hand.

  Piper nodded. “All he needs to know is that I don’t have any communicable diseases and that I’m healthy, right?”

  “Sure, once we’ve run all our tests, etc., that’s all he needs to know.”

  “Well, obviously I need to tell you this won’t be my first pregnancy. Eight years ago I lost a baby at fourteen weeks.” Piper swallowed against the lump that formed in her throat.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Were there complications with the pregnancy?”

  Piper shook her head. “Just one of those things, they said.”

  May got up from her seat and sat in the chair next to Piper, taking one of Piper’s hands in hers. “I’m sorry, Piper. It’s never easy losing a baby, especially when there is no apparent reason. Did you have support at the time?”

  “I was on my own. Aside from the medical staff, no one else knew.”

  May’s fingers closed more tightly around Piper’s in silent support. “That can’t have been easy.”