Serenity (Inevitable Book 5)

by Janet Nissenson

  It had been more a question of Lindsey not seeming especially bright or ambitious or the least bit eager to improve herself. Matthew knew without having to ask that if she hadn’t become pregnant so unexpectedly his new wife would have continued on happily with her party girl ways for several more years, and that the two of them would have more than likely ended their relationship sooner than later. They were most definitely opposites, with only their sexual chemistry and now their unborn child in common.

  That first year had been one of the most difficult times of Matthew’s life, especially after his daughter had been born. He’d struggled to balance the demands of his PhD program with his own research, and at the same time help out as much as possible with taking care of the baby and the household chores.

  But survive he did, and at the end of the year he’d received his doctorate, along with multiple job offers - all of them lucrative and all with the promise of rapid advancement. With the substantial signing bonus he’d been given they were able to make a down payment on a modest condo, even though Lindsey had pushed him to buy a single family house instead. Right from the beginning of their marriage, it was readily apparent to Matthew that his wife had no concept about managing money or living on a budget. He’d had to take over paying the bills himself, and making sure Lindsey understood the need to take things one step at a time.

  By the time she’d become pregnant with Casey, however, Matthew had moved on to an even better paying job and was able to afford the four-bedroom house she picked out in an upscale community. He often worked long hours, creating increasingly brilliant and more complex computer programs, and making a real name for himself in the industry. But he had always made time for his family, making sure he attended Hayley’s soccer games and dance recitals, and taught Casey how to swim and play baseball. They took several family vacations together each year, going to Hawaii or Disney World or visiting his parents back in Wisconsin. Life had been busy but good, and Matthew had known both happiness and contentment.

  Everything had started to change, however, when a group of investors had approached him with the idea of starting his own business. It had actually been a long unrealized dream of his to be the CEO of a company, where his computer programs could be developed and marketed according to his very exacting standards. Lindsey, of course, had been ecstatic at the idea, and had strongly encouraged him to take the investment group up on their offer, including their suggestion that he establish the company headquarters in San Francisco rather than the ultra-competitive Silicon Valley.

  The business had taken off immediately, and their fortunes had literally multiplied overnight. They’d moved to the exclusive suburb of Hillsborough, where everyone was a millionaire, and the schools the children attended were among the highest ranked in the entire state of California. Matthew was busier than ever, but at least living closer to San Francisco meant a shorter commute, and he was still able to fit in family time, though nowhere near enough for his liking.

  But it was when his board of directors pushed him into taking the company public that he’d ceased feeling in control of his life. He’d resisted the idea for almost a year, knowing the demands it would make on his already overtaxed schedule, but also realizing the company needed the additional capital to continue with their research and development. And when Lindsey caught wind of the idea, she had kept at him on pretty much a daily basis to go along with the board’s idea. She had recognized that such a move would catapult them from being millionaires to billionaires, and the dollar signs in her eyes had more or less blinded her to anything else at that point.

  Oh, Matthew had tried - multiple times - to remind her how many more hours he’d have to spend at the office and traveling on business, and that it would cut down even more on the limited time he had to spend with her and the kids. But Lindsey had countered back that the additional money would set the kids up for life, and that Matthew owed it to all of them to improve their lifestyle. He’d argued that they already had plenty of money, already enjoyed a very extravagant way of life. But it hadn’t been enough for her, not by a longshot, and so between the twin influences of his ambitious board of directors and his avaricious wife, Matthew had reluctantly acquiesced to their demands and taken the company public.

  It hadn’t taken very long for the changes in their lifestyle to become apparent. As expected, he was busier than ever, constantly attending staff meetings or overseeing presentations to clients or being a guest speaker at one tech conference or another. He traveled a week to ten days - and often more - out of every month, and twelve to fourteen hour workdays became the norm rather than the exception. He’d rather quickly found himself spending a couple of nights a week at the condo the board had advised him to buy soon after taking the company public. Matthew had hated spending even more time away from his family, but he had often been so tired from his workday that driving back to Hillsborough at midnight had been outright dangerous.

  And Lindsey hadn’t wasted a moment in taking full advantage of their vastly improved financial status. She’d found an even larger and more elegant home in Hillsborough, one with a ridiculous amount of square footage that included a pool, tennis courts, servants quarters, a guest house, and a six car garage. She had spent a virtual fortune redecorating and remodeling the place, even though she spent little time there herself. Lindsey managed to keep herself very busy between visits to the gym and Pilates studio, the various department stores and designer shops where she made frequent additions to her vast wardrobe, and the salon where she was either having her hair cut, her nails done, or some sort of exotic skincare treatment or massage.

  Against Matthew’s express wishes, she had also hired a full-time nanny to help out with the kids, even though Hayley and Casey were both a little too old to need one. The various nannies they’d had over the past few years - none of whom seemed to get along with Lindsey for very long - had largely been responsible for taking the kids to and from school and supervising their after-school activities. When Matthew had rather tactfully pointed out that Lindsey - who’d been a stay-at-home mom since before Hayley’s birth - could very easily perform these tasks, she’d blown up at him, declaring that she deserved some alone time each day after devoting herself to the kids for so many years.

  Even with more money than they could possibly spend in ten lifetimes, however, Lindsey still wasn’t happy or satisfied. As predicted, it hadn’t taken her very long at all to start complaining when Matthew wasn’t around very much, exactly what he’d cautioned her about all the times she’d pushed him to take the company public. He carved out as much time as he possibly could for his family, even when it meant getting by on three or four hours sleep a night, and rarely having a leisurely hour or so to himself. He took Lindsey and the kids on luxurious vacations several times a year, though they were more often than not working vacations for him. His stress level was higher than it had ever been, he was usually always exhausted, and his eating habits were bordering on unhealthy. He sorely regretted not just taking the company public, but even starting his own business in the first place. He longed to return to a simpler way of life, to sell the business and invest the money, and then just take an occasional consulting job when the whim suited him to do so.

  But he knew that such a move would have a whole string of repercussions, ones he wasn’t ready to deal with at this point in his life, so he kept his wishes to himself and soldiered on as best he could with all of the responsibilities and demands and stresses in his life.

  As busy as he was, however, Matthew wasn’t so immersed in the daily grind that he didn’t notice how much his wife flirted openly with other men. It didn’t seem to matter much where they were - at a restaurant, a party, the gym, on vacation. Lindsey always seemed to find a good-looking guy - and nearly always one who was considerably younger than she was - to flirt with. The first few times it happened he’d confronted her, telling her that he was well aware the flirtations were a way of getting his attention. And Lind
sey had initially apologized, assuring him that it was just a bit of harmless fun, and that she hadn’t meant to upset him or hurt his feelings. But as the flirtations continued and became increasingly more blatant, Matthew had realized that it didn’t really matter all that much to him - largely because his marriage no longer mattered very much to him.

  Quietly, he’d contacted a very discreet private investigator who specialized in such cases to keep occasional tabs on Lindsey. And when he’d first been presented with the cold, hard facts that she was in fact having a series of affairs, his natural instinct had been to confront her about it. But he had resisted, not at all sure how such a confrontation would affect their marriage - and therefore their kids - and he sure as hell didn’t have the emotional energy at the time to deal with that kind of fallout.

  So he’d kept the knowledge to himself that his wife was fucking one hot, young stud after another, even stopped looking over the reports that the investigator continued to compile after awhile. He also stopped sleeping with Lindsey, the idea of having sex with her more than a little stomach-turning after realizing how many other men she’d been with. The fact that she had never once questioned him about their total lack of a sex life had been a clear signal to him that she no longer loved him, if she ever really had. She liked the money and the extravagant lifestyle it afforded her, liked the prestige and modicum of fame she enjoyed being Mrs. Matthew Bennett, but he didn’t think she actually liked him.

  And it was when he finally admitted the latter fact to himself that he’d decided it was time to end things between them. Catching her in the act with that randy bastard Jesse had simply been a handy excuse for filing for the divorce he should have sought out a long time ago.

  Chapter Four

  Early August

  “Thank you all for sharing your practice with me on this beautiful summer morning. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and that I see you again soon. Namaste.”

  The fifty or so students gathered in the studio all bowed their heads respectfully, hands folded at their hearts in a prayer-like gesture, and replied as one voice, “Namaste.”

  Sasha Fonseca smiled at the crowd of happy, flushed, and visibly sweaty faces of the students she’d just guided - and occasionally prodded - through a very vigorous ninety minute yoga class. Her Sunday morning class had gained itself a reputation as being one of the most hardcore, kick-ass classes in the entire city of San Francisco, and the room was always filled to capacity with practitioners who wanted a challenge, and a teacher who would inspire them to attain the next level in their yoga practice.

  She made her way over to the petite, tawny-haired woman in the front row, squatting down easily in front of a three-months pregnant Julia Atwood. Sasha placed a hand on her longtime student’s - and friend’s - arm.

  “You doing okay there?” she asked in concern. “You need to make sure you’re staying hydrated more than ever, Julia. And I see your water bottle is only half-empty.”

  Somewhat guiltily, a rosy-cheeked Julia gulped down the rest of the water in a few swallows. “Sorry,” she offered with a sunny smile. “I get so caught up in the poses and the flow that I forget to drink as much as I should. But I’ll do better in the future. I promise.”

  Sasha gave her friend a look of mock severity. “You’d better,” she cautioned with a twinkle in her green-gold eyes. “Otherwise, no more heated classes for you. You’ll be restricted to the pre-natal or restorative classes only.”

  Julia scowled as she finished rolling up her mat. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?” she begged. “I mean, given that I’m carrying twins I’m going to get huge sooner than later, so I won’t have a choice at some point. But not yet, please? Yoga is one of the very few things that seems to help with my morning sickness. Which, by the way, is also noon and night sickness.”

  “Ginger tea,” reminded Sasha. “Or raspberry leaf. And I know you’re a coffee person, but that’s not going to help with your nausea.”

  Julia made a rather horrible face but then gave a resigned shrug. “You’re right. I’ll give up my cappuccinos and café au laits for the time being and switch to tea. As long as you don’t ban me from your class.”

  Sasha laughed, and gave her friend a quick hug. “As long as you work harder at staying hydrated during class,” she replied firmly. “It’s tough enough on the average person to sweat through ninety minutes of strenuous yoga in ninety-five degree heat. But for a pregnant woman - especially one who’s pregnant with twins - the risks are that much higher. So be warned, Julia. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on you and make sure you’re drinking a ton of water. And if you look the least bit overheated or winded, I’ll make you take a rest or even leave class. You need to take very good care of yourself and these two little ones inside of you.”

  She gave Julia’s gently rounded tummy a gentle pat. “Now, go home, have a warm bath, a nice cup of ginger tea, and something nourishing to eat. Not one of those disgusting breakfast pastries you’re so fond of. Boil a couple of eggs or make some oatmeal.”

  Julia sighed in surrender. “Fine. First my coffee goes, now my chocolate croissants. These girls better appreciate the sacrifices their mommy is already making for them.”

  Sasha eyed Julia’s barely visible baby bump quizzically. “Don’t be so sure you’re having girls,” she cautioned. “It’s a little too soon for me to tell for sure, but I’m sensing a very masculine aura around these babies right now.”

  Julia’s green eyes widened in horror. “Oh, God, don’t say that, please! I really, really want the twins to be girls. Or at least one of them. You’ve been wrong before about your hunches, haven’t you?”

  Sasha tapped a finger against her lips as she studied Julia a little more intently. “Hardly ever,” she replied calmly. “I actually have an excellent track record when it comes to predicting the gender of a baby. Though I usually don’t try to sense that sort of thing until the pregnancy is further along. I’ll re-assess in another couple of months.”

  “Well, until then, I’m going to wear nothing but pink every single day,” declared Julia. “That way I can trick my aura into thinking I’m going to have girls.”

  Sasha laughed in delight. “It doesn’t work that way, Julia, and you know it.”

  “What doesn’t work what way?” chimed in Tessa Gregson as she sidled up beside the two women.

  The tall, beautiful blonde was a newlywed of less than two months - both Sasha and Julia had been bridesmaids at her fairytale wedding - and the glow on her face probably had less to do with the rigorous yoga class she’d just finished than it did the lusty sex she’d undoubtedly engaged in with her hunky husband earlier this morning. Sasha tried not to feel envious, given that it had been a seriously long time since she’d had sex at all - much less really good sex.

  Julia stuck out her bottom lip in a pronounced pout. “Sasha is pretty sure she’s sensing a masculine aura around the twins,” she told her friend. “And I told her I don’t believe her, not even a little. At least one of them has to be a girl. I mean, boys are no fun at all to dress, are they?”

  Sasha and Tessa exchanged a knowing look. Julia was a veritable fashionista, always dressed to kill, and with a wardrobe that any model or actress would envy. She was also the epitome of femininity, and about the only time she didn’t wear a dress or skirt was here in yoga class. And even then she managed to look feminine and fashionable, her exercise clothing perfectly color-coordinated and stylish.

  Tessa jabbed Julia in the ribs good-naturedly, mindful of her baby bump, and gave her a naughty wink. “But they’re awfully fun to un-dress,” she snickered. “In fact, I’ve got a male waiting for me outside who happens to look amazing without his clothes on. So, sorry to rush out like this, but Ian is taking me out to brunch. And after that - well, that’s the part where the undressing is going to happen.”

  Julia rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Tessa? Didn’t you guys already go at it this morning before class? You�
�re going to wear the man out, honey.”

  Tessa’s blue eyes widened, and she blushed furiously. “How did you know that?” she whispered urgently.

  Sasha smiled indulgently. “You, ah, have a certain look in your eyes at times, Tessa. It’s always been rather obvious to me what - or who - put that particular look there.”

  “Yeah,” chimed in Julia. “We know the real reason you’re always one of the last ones to arrive here on Sunday mornings. So stop blaming nonexistent traffic, and just fess up to the fact that you and your hot hubby like starting your day off with a bang. Literally, in this case.”

  Tessa’s cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of pink as she hastily stuffed her yoga mat into its carrying bag. “Oh, God,” she muttered, half to herself. “Guess I’d better start setting my alarm a few minutes earlier on Sundays.”

  Sasha winked at her knowingly. “Hey, don’t knock it. I mean, you’re definitely still a newlywed so we’d be shocked if you weren’t having lots and lots of great sex. And I’m trying my best not to feel jealous about that right now. I’m, ah, in the middle of what you might call a dry spell right about now.”

  “Anything we can do to help you out with that?” offered Julia mischievously. “Nathan’s friend Jonathan asks about you all the time, ever since he met you at our pool party over Memorial Day weekend.”

  Sasha didn’t bother to hide her distaste. “You mean the guy who arrived with a redhead but left with a brunette and tried to hit on every other female there in between? Thank you for thinking of me, Julia, but I don’t date players.”

  Tessa sighed. “Well, forget my idea, then. I was going to suggest setting you up with Jordan Reeves, my OB/GYN. He’s incredibly sweet and really good looking, but he does tend to, um, get around a lot.”