Parents in Training

by Barbara McMahon

  Dominic longed to pull her into his arms.

  To bury his face in the softness of her hair and hold her until his world settled itself. But she was the reason his world was cockeyed. Every time he thought about a baby it made him feel scared. He hated what that said about him, but he couldn’t stop the feelings of claustrophobia that rose whenever he envisioned being tied down again. Having a future ransomed to an infant when he’d worked so hard to get where he was. He didn’t want to grow to resent Annalise or a helpless baby. But if he couldn’t find it in himself to become more excited about the new arrival, things would only get worse.

  He had not changed. Maybe that was the key. Her pregnancy had altered the playing field. He had to decide to accept the situation. Or cut and run…

  Barbara McMahon was born and raised in the South, but settled in California after spending a year flying around the world for an international airline. After settling down to raise a family and work for a computer firm, she began writing when her children started school. Now, feeling fortunate in being able to realise a long-held dream of quitting her ‘day job’ and writing full time, she and her husband have moved to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, where she finds her desire to write is stronger than ever. With the beauty of the mountains visible from her windows, and the pace of life slower than the hectic San Francisco Bay Area where they previously resided, she finds more time than ever to think up stories and characters and share them with others through writing. Barbara loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at PO Box 977, Pioneer, CA 95666-0977, USA. Readers can also contact Barbara at her website: www.barbaramcmahon.com

  These twin sisters have shared everything in their lives—but they didn’t plan on becoming pregnant at the same time, until they find themselves…

  UNEXPECTEDLY EXPECTING!

  Last month we met Lianne. She hasn’t found Mr Right, but she’s longing to have a baby before it’s too late!

  Her sister, Annalise, has the perfect life—a sexy husband, a fabulous home and a great career—but when she made her wedding vows she also made a pact with her husband: theirs is always going to be a family of two!

  PARENTS IN TRAINING

  BY

  BARBARA McMAHON

  www.millsandboon.co.uk

  Jessie McMahon, spread your wings and fly! Love from Mom-Mom

  CHAPTER ONE

  ANNALISE stared at the plastic stick, stunned to see the positive indicator. It took a moment or two to register. The plus meant she was pregnant. Impossible.

  She carefully wrapped the kit in the brown paper bag she’d brought it home in and stuffed into the small bathroom trash container. Then she pulled it out. Too obvious. She carried it to the kitchen and stuffed it into that trash. Picking up the container, she went to the hallway incinerator chute and emptied the telltale evidence.

  Fifteen minutes later, she stood in McClellan’s Drugstore buying another brand of pregnancy-test kit. Without a second thought she bought two. No sense taking chances on a faulty reading.

  When both of those kits confirmed what she secretly wouldn’t admit she’d known, she went to flop down on the edge of the bed. This couldn’t be the worst thing that had happened to her since marrying Dominic, but it seemed like it. His sentiments played in her mind. They’d had a discussion about having children just recently, when her twin sister announced she was pregnant.

  Lianne had been trying. Annalise had not.

  She so did not need this.

  Dominic was going to hit the roof. Things had been a bit testy between them for the last few weeks. Thinking back, she wondered if it coincided with her confiding in him Lianne’s quest to have a baby before it was too late. He had said unequivocally that he was satisfied with their marriage. They’d discussed having children years ago and decided not to. He had not changed his view.

  Annalise wasn’t sure how she felt, but she knew when he learned she was pregnant he was going to explode.

  Annalise felt a bit overwhelmed herself. She’d never pictured herself a mother. She had better readjust her thinking. How far along was she? There was no way she could pinpoint the date of conception, but she tried to remember her last period. Maybe two months ago? Could she expect the baby to arrive in seven months? Ohmygod— how was she going to tell Dominic?

  She had to tell him soon. Try to minimize the fall-out. Convince him this would be a good thing. Only how she would accomplish that was a mystery right now—she herself wasn’t so sure she wanted a child.

  So when to tell Dominic? Tonight they were hosting a cocktail party for twenty-four. Should she get hold of him before? Or wait? Should she lead up to it or just blurt it out? She hoped the right words came. Rising, she went to the phone in the living room and called his cell number. It rolled to the message center. Damn. He must be in a high-level meeting to have turned his phone off. The seconds ticked by. She replaced the receiver without leaving him a message. Maybe he’d get home early and she’d tell him then.

  Or maybe wait until everyone had left, so there’d be no tension at the party. That was what she’d do. Taking a deep breath, Annalise tried to quell the flutters in her stomach. He had to be reasonable about this. After all, it took two to make a baby. It wasn’t as if she’d deliberately tried to become pregnant. She was not following in Lianne’s footsteps. But something told her Dominic was not going to be reasonable.

  They’d had several heated discussions about having a family in the last few weeks. Every time, Dominic had been stubbornly adamant—against the idea. She hadn’t pushed. She knew what living in a large family was like. And she’d agreed years ago when he’d brought up marriage, that a childless one suited her just fine. Fresh from the chaos of a large family, the idea of only the two of them doing what they wanted had sounded to her like perfection.

  Still, a small smiled played around her mouth.

  They were going to have a baby.

  How amazing—she and her twin were pregnant at the same time.

  Now she just had to make her husband see what a wonderful thing this would be.

  The one time Annalise really wanted to speak to her husband, he was late. The party had already begun when he dashed in, making excuses, greeting their guests with the confidence of a well-respected man. She knew the instant he entered. Whenever he was near it was as if she had a special sixth sense that instantly recognized his presence.

  She went to greet him, happy to see he wasn’t going to be so late as to be awkward. Greeting their first guests without him had been bad enough.

  “Hello, darling,” she said, with a wide smile.

  “Sweetheart,” he said, giving her a quick kiss and turning almost simultaneously to greet Ben Waters.

  Once Dominic had put down his briefcase, he began to walk through the large living room, greeting guests, apologizing for being late, stopping with one group or another to chat for a while.

  Annalise knew she couldn’t tell him her important news until the last guest had left, so she resigned herself to a long evening of anticipation and dread. Normally she loved to entertain. They had a wide, eclectic group of friends. She watched Dominic as he shook hands with Congressman Peters. The congressman’s wife was very shy. Annalise had invited her sister Bridget to the party to meet Judy Peters. They both were avid gardeners, and Annalise knew they’d hit it off.

  “Lovely to see you again, my dear,” Sheila Simpson said, coming up to Annalise. “So nice to have an event to attend where I know everyone and like them. Honestly, some of the receptions and parties we have to attend are too dull and boring for words.” She laughed and chatted. Her husband was with the world bank, and Annalise knew Sheila loved parties of all types. She couldn’t imagine her friend finding anything boring
.

  “Here’s Karen. I was just saying how lovely this party is,” Sheila said, when the wife of one of the British attachés joined them. “You look radiant.”

  Annalise smiled at Karen, who was very obviously pregnant. Annalise relished her secret—soon she’d be showing the world she carried a baby. She hugged her friend. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fabulous, now that the morning sickness has passed. I thought I’d have to move into the bath for a few months. Yuck. But now everything is terrific.”

  Sheila laughed and complimented her on her dress.

  “I feel huge, and I’m still three months away. Imagine how large I’ll be by the end. Oh, the baby just kicked,” Karen said, with a startled smile.

  “Really?” Annalise stared at her friend’s protruding stomach. “Can I feel?”

  “Of course—that’s one of the best parts. Here.” Karen took her hand and placed it to the side of her stomach. A moment later, Annalise felt a definite kick.

  “Ah! Amazing.” Involuntarily, she looked for Dominic. Would he soon be placing his hands on her stomach to feel their baby move?

  Dominic glanced across the room and met Annalise’s eyes. She smiled at him, then turned back to Karen Reynolds. A pregnant Karen. Annalise had her palm against the pregnant woman’s belly. There was a soft smile on her face. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. The topic of a baby had risen more in the last two months than in the previous five years of their marriage. His mouth went dry. He did not wish to discuss having a family again. He’d made his view known over and over. When they had first discussed marriage, as seniors at university, both had agreed—no children.

  The topic had not risen again until Annalise’s twin became pregnant. Now it seemed every time he turned around he was seeing pregnant women, hearing about someone else having another child. He couldn’t do that. Not again.

  Deliberately turning, so he didn’t have to see Annalise, he caught the thread of a conversation between two guests and tried to concentrate.

  Annalise worked in real estate, specializing in homes in the northwest section of Washington, catering to embassy personnel and members of Congress. It was a rewarding job that enabled her to take a week off here and there whenever Dominic got a choice overseas assignment. It also enabled her to meet a wide variety of people. Many of whom became friends.

  Dominic worked for a computer firm which specialized in troubleshooting high-end computer mainframes. His most recent trip, to England, had been to work on one with the Bank of England. The challenges were dramatic, but he thrived on solving complex problems. He was often given the most difficult ones, and usually turned things around within a few days of arriving on site. Which then gave he and Annalise time to sightsee and shop.

  With his contacts through the “computer-repair business,” as he called it, and her contacts from houses sold or listed, they had a wide variety of friends and acquaintances. Annalise loved giving parties with an assortment of guests. It made the evenings so interesting and fun. She could move from an argument between opposites about the world bank situation, to discussions about tourism in Florida, to hearing how an artist had fared at the latest showing of her work, all while circling her own living room. Tonight was no exception.

  Some time later, Dominic poured himself another glass of wine. Glancing up, he heard Annalise’s laugh. For a moment, he just gazed at her. She was lovely. He’d been attracted to her from the first moment they met. It wasn’t only her looks that had appealed, but her manner, as well. She was confident and assured in any situation he’d seen her in. Friendly and genuinely interested in people, she loved to entertain and kept up with a wide circle of friends. She was so unlike his mother had been. Involuntarily a memory rose. His mother had looked far older than her years, and had worked nonstop as a clerk in a convenience store to keep their home, constantly arguing with his father about new furniture. He couldn’t remember his parents ever entertaining friends. Annalise made it look so easy. His mother would have been horrified, and probably terrified at the assortment of people present. He frowned at the thought. He didn’t need the past intruding.

  Maybe he should have expected it to with all the talk about pregnancy. He was not cut out to be a father. He knew it, and if the subject arose again, Annalise would have to accept the fact. Even Phyllis—

  He turned away from the thought. He was married to a lovely, successful woman. Their future together was bright. He’d fought his way out of the life he’d once lived and was never going back.

  The evening was winding down when Dominic finally got time to catch up with Annalise. She seemed quieter than usual. When she thought no one was watching, her smile faded. They’d returned from London four days ago—maybe she was still suffering jet lag.

  The trip had been a success, both from a business point of view and as a few days’ down time. He shared Annalise’s love for London. Though he was partial to Rome, as well. Part of the excitement of his job was never knowing where the next assignment would be. He relished the travel, and the opportunity to pit his wits and brain against the problems that arose with various software and computer usage. Most of the time it was silly mistakes. Occasionally industrial espionage or sabotage lay behind the difficulties.

  The best part, however, was seeing the world and getting paid for it. Quite a change from his rather bleak childhood in a small Pennsylvania mill town.

  He moved toward his wife and smiled. She was beautiful. Her glossy brown hair was pulled back from her face. Her complexion was like peaches and cream. No wonder writers waxed poetic about such skin. It made him yearn to reach out across the room and rub his fingertip across it, feeling its silky softness.

  Suddenly he was glad the first of the guests were leaving. He moved to Annalise’s side to bid them good-night.

  “Enjoyed seeing you again,” he said as he shook Ted’s hand, kissed Karen on the cheek. It figured the pregnant couple would be the first to leave. He remembered how tired Phyllis had been for months. He could feel himself tense at the memory.

  “Come see us before the baby is born. It’ll be hectic after that,” Ted said.

  “We’d love to,” Annalise said. She gave Karen a hug, and then Ted. “Keep safe.”

  Soon the exodus began. Within a half-hour, the last guest had left.

  “Wonderful party,” he said casually, throwing his arm around her shoulder as they turned to survey the catering staff beginning the clean-up.

  “I like this caterer. I think I’ll try them again when we give a dinner party. They have an interesting menu selection. Maybe next time I’ll mix European with Asian.” She looked at him. “Are you listening to me?”

  “Of course.”

  Her voice was soft and feminine. He liked listening to her—especially late at night, when they were in bed with the lights out. He could close his eyes and listen to her for hours. Not that they talked all that much in bed after dark. He smiled. They’d be in bed soon.

  “Bridget made an instant rapport with the new congressman’s wife.”

  Dominic nodded. He remembered her telling him she’d invited them after she’d sold them a home. And the Campbells had brought a house guest—a sheikh—who had graced them with his presence and had turned out to be wildly funny. Who would have thought? Everyone had stayed far longer than predicted—a sure sign all had enjoyed the evening as much as he and Annalise had.

  She relaxed against him. “I’m so tired. It was fun, though, wasn’t it? Did you get to hear Sheikh Ramaise’s commentary on American cowboys?”

  “I did. He’s an excellent storyteller.”

  “I stand in amazement at his command of English. I could never learn Arabic.”

  “You don’t need to. But he needs English to represent his country to ours.”

  “Umm.” She walked to the sofa and sank down.

  “Tired?”

  “A bit.”

  But she looked keyed up, on edge.

  Members of the catering s
taff moved efficiently through the apartment, clearing away the debris from the event. Soon the living room was back to its normal state. Dominic heard them working in the kitchen. As soon as they left, he was going to take his wife to bed.

  Dominic shed his jacket and tie, then loosened his shirt collar. “Did you hear Jack Simpson talking about the problems with that country in South America?”

  She shook her head, waiting.

  Dominic poured them each a brandy, handed her a glass and sat beside her on the sofa while he gave a brief recap. He noticed she put her glass on the coffee table and didn’t pick it up.

  “We’re leaving now,” the representative from the catering firm said, coming to the kitchen doorway. “All cleaned up.”

  With a quick glance at Annalise, Dominic rose. “I’ll check them out and pay them,” he said.

  She nodded, closing her eyes.

  “Good group tonight. Everyone seemed to mesh,” Dominic said when he returned.

  She opened her eyes and smiled. “We’ll have to do it again soon.”

  “Next weekend, if we’re home, do you want to catch the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center?” he asked, taking his tie and jacket from the chair.

  Annalise nodded. Stifling a yawn, she said, “That sounds good. I have to call Lianne tomorrow,” she said.

  Dominic didn’t reply. He crossed the room to switch off one lamp. The one thing he’d never completely understood about Annalise was her close tie with her sister Lianne. It was a twin thing, he was sure. They communicated almost daily, had done all their lives—even when they’d lived in different cities and gone to different universities.

  He liked Lianne, but he wondered what the two of them had to talk about all the time.

  “How’s she doing?” he asked. He didn’t want to know, but his wife would expect him to ask.