twins. I didn’t have a chance in hell to accomplish that.
“Here goes nothing,” I said to Kayla, who had already retreated to her favorite spot near the couch.
From the foyer, I heard Ryder’s voice filtering down the hall. Dropping my bag on the foyer table, with each step I dragged in a deep, fortifying breath. At his door, I leaned against the jamb for a beat, staring at him doing his thing.
“Let’s dangle the carrot… I’m sure I can get him at least ten percent more than the last offer.” He went silent, flipping through page after page of the contract before him. Whoever he spoke to seemed to consume his attention, until I softly knocked on the doorframe and his head lifted with a smile.
Mouthing a hi before I could leave him to his task, he motioned me closer while saying, “Wes… I’ll call you right back.”
Once I reached his chair, he twisted enough to pull me down on his lap. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re never an interruption.” He kissed me softly. “So? Boys, girls, one of each? What are they having?”
“We don’t know.” The smile fell.
“What happened? I thought today was the day.”
“It was. The doctor was able to see them clearly. It’s just that the guys decided to have a gender reveal.”
“A what?”
I laughed at his ignorance. “A gender reveal. It’s usually a party when they either have a cake baked with the inside tinted blue or pink… some people hit a piñata to reveal the proper color. It’s meant to tell friends and family what they’re having in a party setting.”
“That sounds ridiculous,” he said around a grin. “When is this gender reveal?”
“Saturday.” The grin predictably spread. He knew we had plans for his birthday celebration, although he didn’t know what was on the agenda. I now would effectively kill his mirth with my next statement. “Yeah, we can’t go… but we also can’t go away.”
Sure enough, his smile faltered. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing major. My blood pressure is a touch high, and Dr. White would like me to take it easy until my next appointment.”
“Okay. We can do your thing next month and go back to Sanibel for my birthday. Massages and relaxing on the beach should do the trick.” He kissed the side of my neck, moving his way up to my ear. “Having sex in that tub you love so much would help too.”
“That sounds wonderful.” The tone of my voice mismatched my positive words, tipping him off there was more. Straightening his head until we came nose to nose, he searched my expression. “Don’t panic… it’s nothing. Dr. White just feels it’s a good idea to be on bedrest until my next appointment.”
The hand resting on my hip tightened. “Bedrest? Bedrest does not sound like nothing major, Riana.” I hated the trepidation written all over his face.
“It’s very common when carrying twins. I promise it’s just a precaution, and I’ll be fine.”
His thighs flexed beneath me, indicating that he needed to stand. No sooner had I lifted off his lap than he began pacing the room. “Ryder, please relax.”
“Relax? I’m supposed to believe it’s a coincidence that two weeks after we find out my career is on the verge of imploding your blood pressure spikes?”
“Yes, it is a coincidence. It’s nothing to worry about.”
He threw me a deadpanned expression. “Please do not tell me it’s nothing to worry about. You’re a strong, independent woman… and that’s just one of the many reasons why I love you. But you’re not invincible, baby.”
“I promise you that I’ll be fine.”
“Bullshit!” I flinched from the outburst and hated myself for it. Remorse had him reaching for me in a hurried hug. “I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“You have enough to deal with without adding me to the mix. For the next four weeks, I’m confined to either the bed or the couch. Everything will fall on you—Kayla, meals, shopping—and I hate that it’s because of me. So while you’re racked with fear that something will go wrong, I’m racked with guilt for putting you through this.”
He remained silent and then gripped my face between his hands. “You have nothing to feel guilty about. We’ll find a dog walker, have the cleaning staff come twice a week, hire a goddamn cook. I don’t care about any of that. All I care about is you. So, beginning now, you relax and stop worrying about me and anything else you’ve worried about. Just like you said, it’ll be fine.