Flames of Attraction: Quade's BabiesTall, Dark...Westmoreland!

by Brenda Jackson

  “Yes.”

  “Then come over here and let me relieve your worry for just a little while.”

  When they entered her bedroom, he took her hand in his and when he sat down in the rocking chair, he pulled her down into his lap. “I enjoy holding my babies and now I want to hold the mother of my babies.”

  Cheyenne rested her head on his chest, liking the feel of being in his arms, being held this way, inhaling his mesmerizing male scent. She could get used to his attentiveness, his protection and how he catered to her every need. His tender attention had nothing to do with sex. He was merely giving her what he thought she needed: a peaceful moment in his arms.

  “I want to change the babies’ names from Steele to Westmoreland as soon as it can be done.”

  Cheyenne lifted her head and glanced up at him. She knew it bothered him that his son and daughters didn’t have his last name. At least she could grant him that one request. “All right. I’ll contact my attorney later today.”

  She could tell by his expression that he was surprised and appreciative. “Thanks,” he said, with deep emotion in his voice.

  “You haven’t said anything about a paternity test,” she said, placing her head on his chest once again.

  He looked down at her. “I don’t need one. I know the babies are mine.” That statement made Cheyenne feel good inside. Yes, they were his.

  “Now what about yours?” he asked.

  She arched a brow. “My what?”

  “Name. I want to change your name, as well, Cheyenne.”

  She sighed, seeing they were back to that again. “I don’t need to change my name.”

  “I think that you do” was his comeback. “I want to marry you.”

  But not for the right reasons, she thought. “I’m not ready to get married,” she said, hoping she sounded convincing.

  “Then I guess it’s up to me to persuade you to think differently.”

  He leaned down and captured her lips with his and then she decided she didn’t want to think at all.

  * * *

  Cheyenne eased deeper between the covers when suddenly she was jarred from sleep by the sound of the doorbell. When it rang again, she opened her eyes and remembered. She and Quade had awoken when the babies had stirred for their five o’clock feeding. Just as he’d done the night before, Quade had assisted by holding the other two babies as she fed one. After making sure they were dry and comfortable, she and Quade had returned to her room where he had held her in his arms for an hour or so. After that, they had made love several times before finally drifting off to sleep. That was the reason she was naked. He had awakened a few moments ago, dressed and left to buy them breakfast from a deli not far away.

  Wondering if he had returned, she slid out of bed and slipped into her short terry-cloth robe and made her way to the front of the house. The last thing she wanted was for the doorbell to wake the babies.

  She crossed the room to the door and peeped out. It was her sisters. After their conversation yesterday, why had they returned when they knew she wanted to handle the babies alone? She then figured it out. One of her cousins had probably told her sisters about Quade.

  Inhaling a breath of annoyance, she opened the door and plastered a smile on her face. “Vanessa. Taylor. What brings the two of you visiting so early?” she asked, pretending she didn’t have a clue.

  She took a step back when they walked in. At least Vanessa walked in—Taylor wobbled in. She wasn’t due for another month or so but her belly had gotten so big it wouldn’t surprise Cheyenne if she didn’t deliver before Christmas. But then, Cheyenne thought, as far as she was concerned nobody’s belly had been as big as hers. She hadn’t gained a lot of weight, just a lot of size.

  “Donovan called this morning,” Taylor told her, taking a seat on the sofa. “He told us about the card game last night. Chey, you know we don’t like to pry, but we’re worried.”

  “About what?”

  “We heard the babies’ daddy showed up yesterday after we left,” Taylor said.

  Cheyenne lifted an arched brow. “And?”

  “And it looks to me like he works fast,” Vanessa said, eyeing Cheyenne up and down. “I hate to tell you this, but you have passion marks all over you. Even on your legs. What is that all about?”

  Cheyenne thought the entire thing too comical to get mad. “If you have to ask, Van, then...”

  “This isn’t funny, Cheyenne,” Vanessa said frowning. “This guy shows up one day and already he’s back in your bed. Do you deny it?”

  Now that ticked her off. She stiffened her spine and said, “No, I don’t deny it, nor do I consider it any of either of your business.”

  “You’re our baby sister,” Taylor said softly. “We care about you and don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “And I can appreciate your concern. But I told you yesterday that what Quade and I shared ten months ago was no more than a one-night affair. The only reason he’s here is that he found out about the babies.”

  “Okay, if the babies are the only reason he’s here, then why did you two sleep together?” Vanessa asked, moving to take a seat on the sofa next to Taylor.

  Cheyenne couldn’t help but smile. Evidently she needed to paint a picture, a very explicit picture, for her sisters. “It seems nothing has changed,” she said. “Quade and I can’t keep our hands off each other. It’s this thing, this spontaneous combustion that happens the moment we are within a few feet of each other.” Now, that much she thought was true. “When we get like that, all we want to do is have a sex-a-thon. Anywhere. And at any time.”

  Her sisters stared at her, not knowing if she was really serious. “Do you really want us to believe that?” Vanessa asked, glaring at her.

  “Why not?” Cheyenne said, moving to sit in a chair opposite them. “The two of you have had more extensive love lives than I have. Is it possible for such a thing to exist? At least the part about the spontaneous combustion?”

  Her sisters continued to stare at her, not sure if she really wanted an answer. She couldn’t understand why the two of them were hesitating in giving her one. Vanessa had shared a torrid affair with Cameron right before they married, although it had taken Cameron years to get her to finally admit she was interested in him. And Taylor was now as pregnant as pregnant could be because she and Dominic had gone on a procreation vacation together. Now they were as happily married as Vanessa and Cameron.

  “Yes, there’s a lot to be said about spontaneous combustion,” Taylor finally said, smiling. “But I’m sure Vanessa would agree with me that being in love with the person is important, too.”

  Cheyenne nodded. “That’s good to know, because I do love him.”

  Shocked expressions appeared on both of her sisters’ faces. “But the two of you have only been together twice during a ten-month period. And both times, need I remind you, centered on sex. Are you sure you’re not confusing lust with love?” Taylor asked.

  No one had to remind her of anything, Cheyenne thought. She and Quade had a great sex life. It was a start, wasn’t it? But deep down she knew her sisters were right. Quade wanted to marry her for all the wrong reasons. He wanted to give his babies a name—his name. He wanted to give her his name, as well, but only because she was his babies’ mother. Love had nothing to do with it. At least not for him. But for her, regardless of how many times they had been together and the reason for them, she truly knew she loved him. Maybe for her it had been love at first sight and she had only realized that fact when she had seen him again yesterday. She refused to believe that two people needed to have a long, drawn out relationship before they could fall in love. She was living proof that they didn’t. It wasn’t the quantity of time but the quality of time, and she and Quade had definitely spent good quality time together.

  Besides that, there was something about Quade that was totally different from any of the men she had ever dated. Maybe it was his maturity—he was twelve years older than she was. There was a goodness a
bout him that she felt whenever she was around him that had nothing to do with lust. How many men would go searching for a woman to find out if she had their baby just because they’d seen her pregnant on the cover of a magazine? He not only had come searching for her, he had come willing and ready to do what he considered as the right thing by her and their children.

  She was about to open her mouth and say something when the front door opened. Quade walked in and his gaze went from her to her sisters before he closed the door. The smile that lit his face almost took her breath away and made her love him much more. Without waiting for introductions, he placed the grocery bag he was carrying on a table and he went directly over to her sisters and offered his hand. “Vanessa and Taylor, I presume?”

  At their nods, his smile widened, and then he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet the two of you. I’m Quade Westmoreland.”

  * * *

  At least her sisters now understood how the sight of Quade had practically knocked her off her feet the first time she’d seen him. She could tell they had been just as overwhelmed by him as she had. There was no way they would not agree that Quade Westmoreland was a very good-looking man. Quade was handsome beyond measure and debonair to a fault. He practically oozed sexuality from every pore.

  Instead of going to a deli like she’d thought, he had gone grocery shopping with the intention of surprising her with a home-cooked breakfast. He ended up fixing a feast and inviting Vanessa and Taylor to join them.

  It didn’t take long to see how captivated her sisters were with him. Not only was he a wonderful cook, he was a great conversationalist. Vanessa and Taylor hung on to his every word. Then it was their turn to ask him questions and they started off by asking him about his family.

  They were astonished to discover all the famous people in his family. There was motorcycle great Thorn Westmoreland and author Stone Westmoreland, aka Rock Mason. He also told them about his cousin Delaney, who was married to a Middle Eastern sheikh. They had remembered reading about Delaney’s storybook romance and wedding in People a few years ago. Then there were his cousins who owned a multimillion-dollar horse-breeding business.

  When Taylor—whose business was growing a person’s wealth and who was always on the lookout for potential clients—had inquired as to who was managing the Westmorelands’ wealth, Quade responded that his brother Spencer was the financial whiz in the family.

  Then they had asked him about his occupation. He told them he had gone on early retirement from a position in government to join his cousins in opening several security firms around the country, as well as a number of other business ventures.

  It didn’t take long to accept that Quade was not someone after the Steele fortune. He and his family were already wealthy. And it was also easy to see that he cared for his babies and would be a wonderful father to them.

  Moments later, Cheyenne excused herself when she heard the sound of soft noises on the baby monitor. “Excuse me, everyone. Troy is awake,” she said, pushing her chair back from the table, standing and making her way to the nursery. Quade smiled at her, and she could feel his gaze following her until she was no longer within his sight.

  Cheyenne sensed something was wrong the moment she walked into the room. Troy was crying as usual and Athena had begun whimpering, as well, but when she glanced over at Venus, Cheyenne went on alert and quickly lifted her daughter into her arms.

  Barely able to let out the scream that was lodged in her throat, she raced from the room with the baby in her arms. She then began screaming for Quade. He and her sisters intercepted her at the end of the hall. “Cheyenne, what’s wrong?” he asked, panic covering his face.

  “It’s Venus!” she said in a frantic voice, not even trying to remain calm. “Call 9-1-1. She’s having trouble breathing.”

  Chapter 9

  Cheyenne sat in the hospital’s waiting room and closed her eyes against the rush of emotions ripping through her. Everything had happened so fast. Quade had taken Venus from her arms and had begun resuscitation procedures while Vanessa had called 9-1-1. The rescue service had arrived within minutes and now she and Quade were here, waiting for the doctor to tell them what was wrong with Venus. Vanessa and Taylor had been left behind to care for Troy and Athena.

  “Our baby girl is going to be okay, Cheyenne,” Quade said, taking her hand in his.

  She glanced over at him and found comfort in his solid presence beside her. She loved this man, who less than an hour ago had taken their child from her arms and breathed life into her lungs. She had been in a state of panic and didn’t want to think what might have happened if Quade had not been there. She tightened her hand around his and leaned over to place her head on his shoulder, finding even more comfort in doing so.

  “I want to believe that, Quade. But she is so little and she looked so helpless.”

  “But she’s a fighter, baby,” he said, wrapping his free arm around her shoulder. “She can’t help but be a fighter, because she has Westmoreland and Steele blood flowing through her veins.”

  “Yes, she’s a fighter.” She had needed to hear that. She needed to have hope.

  “Cheyenne?”

  At the sound of the feminine voice, Cheyenne glanced up to see the wives of her cousins entering the waiting room. Kylie, Jocelyn and Lena were not only her cousins-in-law, she considered them close friends, as well. And since marrying into the Steele family, they had made their husbands very happy. Quade released her to stand. Cheyenne stood, also, and gave the women hugs. Then she introduced the women to Quade.

  “We came as soon as we heard. The guys are on their way, as well,” Kylie was saying. “Have you spoken to the doctor yet?”

  “No,” Cheyenne said, shaking her head. “We’ve been here for almost an hour but no one has come out and told us anything. That has me worried.”

  No sooner had Cheyenne said the words than the man who Cheyenne recognized as one of the babies’ pediatricians entered the room. She quickly raced over to him. “Dr. Miller, how is Venus?” Quade was right by her side. “This is Quade Westmoreland, my babies’ father.”

  The man shook Quade’s hand and then gave them both a reassuring smile. “We have an idea of what’s wrong with Venus, but I’ve ordered more tests to make sure. Hyaline Membrane Disease or HMD or RDS, as it’s often referred, is one common problem of babies that are born premature. Usually it’s detected within the first few hours of birth, but, as in your daughter’s case, sometimes later.”

  “What causes it?” Quade wanted to know.

  “Usually from an insufficient level of surfactant in the lungs. Babies begin producing surfactant while they’re still in the womb and usually before they are born they have developed an adequate amount. Evidently Venus did not.”

  “So what’s being done to help her?” Cheyenne asked in a frantic voice.

  “Venus’s age is in her favor. I’m hoping her condition isn’t a severe one, and there won’t be any lasting effects once we begin treatment. However, in the worst case we could be looking at damage to other organs, possibly even her heart.”

  Cheyenne swayed against Quade and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “When can we see our daughter?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Not for a while yet. She’s still having difficulty breathing. I’ve placed her on a ventilator.”

  Cheyenne gasped and the arm around her tightened as Quade continued to hold her close to him. “Thank you, Doctor,” Quade said softly. “Please let us know as soon as we can see her.”

  * * *

  After the doctor walked away Quade took Cheyenne’s hand in his. “Excuse us a moment,” he said to Kylie, Jocelyn and Lena, and gently pulled Cheyenne with him out of the waiting room. They walked down the hall until he suddenly turned and entered an empty room and closed the door behind him.

  Still holding Cheyenne’s hand, he placed her in front of him and met her gaze. The eyes staring back at him appeared grief stricken, in shock, afraid. “Get it out, Cheyenne, get it
out now.”

  At first she just stared at him and then as if she suddenly realized what he was asking her to do, she dropped her head on his chest and began sobbing. And he held her while she cried. He closed his eyes while the weight of what the doctor had said sunk in.

  He never knew, had never understood, the full extent of fatherhood until now. Fatherhood had nothing to do with a name change or wanting to create a family atmosphere for his children. It had everything to do with being there for them when they needed him, giving them what was required for them to grow and live. And, he thought further, being there for their mother, the woman who had brought them into the world, the woman who had taken his seed into her body, and kept it safe until his babies had been born.

  It was about Cheyenne, the woman that he knew he loved. Some people would actually think it was crazy considering their history, but as far as he was concerned, it made perfect sense. A part of him had known it would take a special woman to capture his heart and it wouldn’t take months or years for her to do so. His parents had met and fallen in love rather quickly, so had his uncle and aunt. Then there were his brothers and cousins, some of whom had claimed they had fallen in love with their wives the moment they had set eyes on them. Now he was a living witness that such a thing was possible. Cheyenne had been a part of his life, a part of him from the moment they had made love. He had probably fallen in love with her the exact moment they had met on the beach.

  Now all he wanted to do was keep her and his babies safe. He had to believe that Venus would get better and return home to them and everything with her would be all right.

  He took his finger and lifted up Cheyenne’s chin to look into her tear-stained eyes. Her tears were for his baby—their baby. “We have to believe she’s going to be okay, sweetheart. If we both believe it, then it will happen. We bring it into existence. Do you believe me, Cheyenne?”

  Cheyenne nodded. For some reason she believed him. More than anything she wanted to believe him. At the moment he was her rock, she needed his strength. And one day, she would have his love and if not, he would have hers whether he wanted it or not. Needing to be connected to him in an intimate way, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck and then stood on tiptoes and brought his mouth down to hers.