by Anne, Melody
Silence stretched on for several moments before he sat next to her.
“The doctor is here. He brought a device so we can see our child.”
Rachel perked up at the thought. She should have had an ultrasound already, but she’d been too busy with denial to do it. Seeing the baby residing in her stomach, knowing he or she was healthy, would cheer her immensely in these less than encouraging circumstances.
“You had ultrasound equipment brought in?”
“Of course. We need to make sure the baby is healthy, and there isn’t a medical facility on this island,” he said matter-of-factly. Even though she’d grown up with amazing wealth, the excesses wealthy people were prone to always amused her. So much for her dreams of living like a normal person — but she’d given up on that for quite a while now.
She was thankful for her mother’s influence. Thankful she had made sure Rachel, Rafe and Lia knew money wasn’t something to take for granted. Yes, they’d had nice things, but they’d also lived humbly, at least when in Italy.
No, Rafe hadn’t lived that way since adulthood, but he’d been taught those principles, too, like his sisters. Rachel had been jealous of Rafe a time or two, envious that he could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted to do it. Now, she understood more why her mother had instilled her values in her children.
Too bad Rafe hadn’t listened more. But at least his love for Ari proved that his obscene wealth hadn’t totally destroyed his character.
“Are you ready, Rachel?” he asked softly, laying a hand on her shoulder.
If only he actually cared whether she was all right. But she knew his concern was only for the child she carried. She was glad he cared about the baby, but she didn’t think it was possible to go through with a relationship with him when she knew she was simply an incubator for his little one.
Would he simply discard her after the baby was born? Ignore her completely? It seemed very likely to her. Still, she wanted the ultrasound, and as she was stuck here for now, it looked as though she was going to see her first pictures of the baby with him at her side.
Without saying anything more, Rachel stood, pushing away his hand. She could get up on her own. His eyes sharpened just a bit, but he didn’t say anything about her rejection of him.
He should be well used to it by now.
Her bladder was full, which was apparently a good thing for the ultrasound, but not as wonderful for her as she walked beside him from her room and into the hallway. They made their way in silence through the maze of hallways until he stopped and opened a door on the far side of the castle.
“I know you are upset with me, but this day is special. Try not to let what’s been happening between us ruin that for you,” Adriane said as the two of them stepped inside a room that had been turned into a mini-clinic.
“I won’t let you affect how I feel, period,” Rachel said as she looked around.
His team of doctors had brought in a medical bed and an ultrasound imaging machine, along with other equipment that she had no clue about. Was he planning on never letting her leave this opulent hideaway?
It seemed to be set up for delivery. A chill went down her spine — she might be trapped here forever. The princess — no, dammit, the queen — in the tower.
One of the nurses led Rachel to a partitioned-off area where she changed into one of the unflattering gowns all patients wore. As she slipped the soft cotton around her, she worried that eventually she’d not even care. She thought for a moment about letting her ass hang out the back and walking out, giving Adriane a good view. She could title her memoirs “I Mooned the King”!
Then she thought better of it.
She couldn’t deny that she had feelings for Adriane. Not love, but certainly feelings. She desired him, but she was sure that was par for the course with his women. He’d been an excellent lover, and though she’d tried to forget, it was impossible not to remember his hands and mouth caressing her body — and his impressive manhood sinking within her. Showing him her ass might push him, and she didn’t think she’d be able to say no if he put forth a serious effort to seduce her.
Nope. Much better off leaving the gown nice and closed.
A tremor washed through her as she stepped from the partition and approached the table, where Adriane was waiting to help her up. She didn’t refuse him this time, not wanting to teeter over the other side of the table and let everyone in the room get a good gander at her tush.
This was all so confusing. Once again she blamed it on pregnancy hormones. That had to be the only explanation, because suddenly she had to stop herself from laughing at her own lame jokes.
“Just lie back and relax. We’ll have an image of your baby in just a few moments,” the nurse said as she lifted Rachel’s robe and applied a cold gel to her belly. Any thoughts of laughter evaporated just as fast as they’d appeared.
When the woman pressed the small wand to her stomach, Rachel was afraid she was going to embarrass herself and lose bladder control right there in front of everyone, but as the screen flashed on, Rachel forgot all about her discomfort and gazed at the monitor in fascination while she waited to see the first image of her baby.
When the doctor’s brow furrowed and he leaned down to start whispering with the ultrasound technician, turning the screen away and pointing at it, Rachel felt her pulse escalate.
Adriane turned his full attention to them and she felt like an outsider as she heard them speak urgently — in French again! Why did they keep doing that!
Rachel hadn’t wanted to be pregnant, had been devastated when she found out she was going to be a single mother and that her best-laid plans for her future had to be altered. But over the last couple of months, she’d had time to come to terms with her condition, and now she felt an unbelievable urge to protect her child, to ensure it had a healthy arrival into this world.
From the looks on the medical staff’s faces, something wasn’t right. Her throat closed up on her as she tried to ask what was wrong. She needed to speak to them, but she couldn’t get any sound out.
Adriane looked up and must have noticed her distress because he bent down to her. “Are you all right?”
Finally her voice came back to her. “What’s wrong with my baby?”
Adriane grabbed her hand and squeezed with a look both of wonder and of shock on his face. He turned back to the monitor while he tried to figure out how to say the words.
In Rachel’s panic, she gripped his hand tightly and leaned on him for comfort, though he had been the one to cause so much of her stress lately. It didn’t matter at this moment. Right now, all that mattered was that their baby be OK. Just for now, they needed to present a united front.
“Sorry about worrying you, Ms. Palazzo. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure,” the doctor said, speaking in English again as he turned and looked at her with a reassuring smile.
That didn’t drive away her worries.
“It seems you are carrying twins.”
Adriane’s face broke out into a huge grin, and he looked down at her with such pride and…love in his expression that it took her breath away. Rachel had to remind herself it was love for the babies she carried, not for her.
Still, she was floored.
Twins.
Not one baby but two rested within her womb.
What was she going to do now?
Chapter Eighteen
Rifle shots sounded in the quiet cemetery. Seven rifles, fired in three volleys.
It was supposed to be for honor.
It was supposed to signify respect.
Yes, it did that, but saluting one who had fallen while serving his country didn’t take away the pain of losing him.
River Delzado was gone forever. He would never serve with his team again.
Shane hung his head. An endless silence surrounded him before taps began playing. Then, the only sound that could be heard above the bugle was the quiet sobs of River’s wife and young daughter.
> Time didn’t matter. Though he had stood amongst his team, listening to the minister speak of what a good and honorable man River had been, Shane heard none of it — heard nothing but the pounding of his own heart.
He’d lost men before, men who’d been his friends. But River was different. He was a true friend, and he was now gone. There would be no more nights on the field together, nights of playing cards, laughing over something River’s daughter had done, of River pestering him to settle down.
His brother-in-arms would never be there again.
They all knew that the risks were high when they were on a mission. They all knew they or their comrades could die. They were trained for this. But none of that helped. No amount of training could really prepare them for the worst.
Shane didn’t know whether he could continue to do this.
It was just one more loss in a million other losses. The difference now was that Shane had people he truly cared about at home.
Lia.
He’d hurt her so much in the last few years. And he’d never wanted to hurt her, which was why he’d felt justified in keeping this part of his life separate from her.
But still, he’d managed to lose her trust, to make her heart ache. The two of them — they were something he’d never intended to happen. But now it seemed that he couldn’t live without her.
She might seem tough to the world, as if she had it all together, but Shane knew the insecurities she dealt with. Yes, she’d grown up in a loving family, but somehow Lia had been the one to get forgotten about most.
She’d been the middle child. Her younger sister got a lot of attention because she was the baby; her older brother got a lot of attention just because of who he was. Then there was Lia. She had been painfully shy for years.
He’d never known that — never knew she had been afraid to talk to people, afraid to make friends, not until many years later when she’d confided in him. It had been difficult for her to make changes, but when she’d decided to break free of her shell, she’d done so with a vengeance.
Despite the solemnity of this occasion, the thought almost made Shane smile.
Almost — but not quite.
Shane’s eyes moved back toward River’s casket as he and his men placed their hands on the flag covering it, and all other thoughts disappeared.
His friend was about to be laid to eternal rest. Yes, it could happen to any one of them at any time. But why River?
His widow was handed the traditionally folded flag, and to the slow, measured music from the bugler, his wooden casket was lowered into the ground. Day is done, gone the sun.
For the first time since he was a small child, Shane felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. Surprised, he blinked away the emotion, then stood at full attention to honor his friend and colleague.
People began clearing out from the cemetery, their moods as gloomy as the overcast sky. Many sobbed quietly as they held on to one another.
Shane stood tall, watching as the staff began disassembling the protective tents they’d put up in case the sky decided to pour down its own sorrow.
His men stood wordless by his side and behind him, none of them leaving until he began to walk away. They were close, and they’d been lucky, until now, not to lose one of the team.
“Grayson!”
Shane turned to see his commander approaching. The man was only about fifteen years older than Shane, but he’d seen a lot in his years in the military, more than Shane ever cared to see. There was a hardness to the man’s voice and tone that bespoke authority and grim experience.
The men followed him, always with no questions asked.
“Yes, sir?” Irritated at the quietness of his own voice, Shane stood even taller and squared his shoulders more fully. It wasn’t OK for him to show weakness in front of his commander — even weakness caused by the loss of a teammate.
“Your team did well. The girl has been safely returned to her family, and the diplomat is extremely pleased. I know you’re all having a difficult time with this loss. I am truly sorry. River was a good man.”
“Thank you, sir. We’ll feel better if we can just get back to work,” Shane said, desperate to go into battle, to shoot something or someone. He needed to vent his rage, his frustration and the feeling of free-falling that had been running through him for too long now.
“That’s a negative, Grayson. Your team is on leave as of right now. No one is cleared for duty until the doc gives his OK.”
Shane’s gaze narrowed just the slightest, and his commander narrowed his own in turn, making Shane back down immediately. Never once had he shown disrespect to a superior.
“Sir, I don’t think that’s necessary. We know the risks we take in the field. We know it could be any one of us at any time. This call-in was supposed to last a month,” Shane said, keeping his tone neutral. He was skirting the line here.
“Well, the call has been suspended, Grayson — for all of you. You’re to see the doc next week. Follow me over here. I want to speak to you privately for a moment,” he said, and Shane walked away from his men. He stood at attention and waited. “Grayson, I’ve thought of you as more than a soldier for a lot of years now. I respect you. Like you. I don’t say that to a lot of men. May I be frank with you?”
Shane couldn’t imagine what the man wanted to say. “Of course, sir.”
“You’ve been finished with this life for a long time, Shane,” he said, using his first name for the first time that Shane could ever recall. “You do know that if you decide to retire, you do so with honor. You have a life outside of the military, which is something a lot of us can’t say. Maybe it’s time you embrace that, get out of this before it destroys you the way it does so many.”
The commander didn’t give him time to respond before turning and walking away, leaving Shane standing there unsure of what had just happened. His commander was right: he was finished with military life — he just didn’t know how to make the final break.
Slowly, Shane walked back over to his men, who had waited for him, and he looked each of them in the eyes before he gave an attempt at a smile.
“You all heard the commander; you’re dismissed,” Shane said. Each man clapped him on the shoulder before taking his leave. They didn’t ask what the commander had spoken to him about. They knew he didn’t want to talk and they respected him for it. They most likely felt the same way.
Rage and sorrow tore at his heart as Shane cast a long last glance at the open grave. The casket had been lowered, River laid to rest.
He’d been so young, had so much life ahead of him.
Now, he had a widow and a child left behind with only memories.
Lifting a loose clump of dirt in his hand, Shane watched as it sifted through his fingers before he tossed it on top of the casket, looking so final as it sat six feet below the surface of the earth.
“Goodbye, River.”
Shane clenched his jaw and turned away. It was time to go home — time to decide the rest of his life. He couldn’t do that without speaking to Lia.
She was his life.
All the rest of it was meaningless if she weren’t with him.
It was time to claim his bride.
Chapter Nineteen
“It’s been a week. I know we were all for allowing Rachel time to figure this relationship out with Adriane, but I’m starting to worry. If she truly wants to be there, wants to work things out with this guy, then why hasn’t she called anyone?”
Ari and Rosabella watched Lia walk slowly about the room while voicing her alarm. All three of them were uneasy with their role in this matter. Each one of them had spoken to Rafe, had talked him into giving Adriane a week to win Rachel’s heart.
“I agree, darling. I think it’s time we go and see her,” Rosabella said, a worried frown settling between her eyebrows.
“I just hope she doesn’t hate us for talking Rafe out of flying in and bringing her back,” Ari said. “What if things have been really bad for her
?”
The women fell silent as they thought for a moment about Rachel and her circumstances.
“So what do we do now?” Lia seemed so lost, so downtrodden, which was the opposite of how the normally confident woman always appeared.
“We go over there. If her entire family descends on the palace and she’s being held against her will, then he either hands her over or we begin a war.”
Both Lia and Ari looked at Rosabella with their mouths agape. She was such a small woman, always quiet and respectful. They’d never imagined something like the word war would come from her mouth.
“I’m with you, Mom,” Lia said, a small grin making an appearance on her face.
“Where did this fire come from?” Ari asked, unable to help herself.
“I usually have no reason to get riled up, Ari darling. But, when I can’t speak to my child, I will willingly go into battle. I wasn’t always just a mother. Did you know I once served in a volunteer organization that traveled the world doing service work and teaching young women self-defense? We went to many countries and the places I saw opened my eyes to the tragedies people encounter. It was why I was so insistent with your father that you children be taught humility. Just because we were always blessed with money didn’t mean that’s how the rest of the world is. Too many wealthy children have no idea of how many kids go to sleep at night with a hungry belly.”
“I didn’t know that, Mom,” Lia said as she looked through new eyes at the woman who’d raised her. For her mother to leave the comfort of her home for an extended period of time to help others was impressive. Lia felt selfish as she sat with her mom and waited for her to continue.
“Yes. My family was well off and I thought I would go with this group and save lives while also seeing the world. I was humbled pretty quickly. It wasn’t all glory, all sitting ensconced in a nice, safe hotel room. We stayed in the impoverished areas with these families, lived in the conditions they lived in, learned why and how they were there. Sometimes, it was as simple as they’d been born into it, and sometimes it was because life had just been hard, but no one chooses to sleep in the streets. They do it because they have nowhere else to go. I will never judge the world again in the way I did when I was a young teen.”
