Choices We Make: The Moretti Brothers Series (8 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Over the next couple of weeks Victoria watched what she ate, made sure she took her vitamins and continued to exercise.  Victoria had a serious baby bump, so she had to purchase clothes to accommodate her expanding body.   Dr. Cooper scheduled an ultrasound for Victoria. She had finally gotten around to telling her other best friend Monica the about her pregnancy.  Both Jacqueline and Monica accompanied Victoria to her ultrasound. They all waited in the room for Dr. Cooper.  Victoria was concerned with her weight gain and wanted to discuss that with the doctor. As she laid on the table, Monica and Jacqueline stood by her side, waiting anxiously for the doctor.

Dr. Cooper walked into the room and was a little surprised to see the other two ladies standing there. “I see you have a lot of support Victoria.  Now let's see was going on.”  Dr. Cooper took the gel and squirted a generous amount on her belly.   He took the fetal doppler and moved it slowly while looking at the screen. Dr. Cooper was quiet initially as his attention was focused directly on the screen.

“Is everything okay?” Victoria said concerned.

“Yes Victoria, give me a second.”  Victoria looked at both Monica and Jacqueline who had concerned looks on their faces.  She turned to Dr. Cooper when he began to speak “Victoria it appears that you are carrying multiple blessings. He turned the screen slightly, “can you see what I'm seeing? It appears that you are having triplets and you are about 13 weeks along. Do multiple births run your family Victoria?” Victoria's head bobbed back and forth between Jacqueline, Monica and Dr. Cooper “Are you serious Dr. Cooper, how is this possible?” Both Jacqueline and Monica looked stunned. Monica was the first to let out a loud squeal. “I can't believe you're having triplets this is amazing Victoria!” she said with a tear in her eye. “I am so happy for you Vic.” “This is truly a blessing Victoria,” Jacqueline said as she stroked Victoria’s hair.  Dr. Cooper told Victoria to dress and he would talk to her in his office.  He escorted the other two ladies to the reception area. 

Dr. Cooper talked to Victoria about what to expect when having multiple births and adjusted her prescriptions

“So is the handsome young man, Dominic Moretti the father of your babies?”

“Yes he is.” Victoria said, not wanting to give Dr. Cooper eye contact.

“Is he aware that you’re pregnant?”

“Yes and he’s extremely happy.  He's going to be even happier when he finds out that we are having triplets,” Victoria lied, she not sure why, it was not like her to be untruthful, but she didn’t want to discuss her decision not to tell Dominic about the pregnancy.

“That's great, you two will make wonderful parents.” Dr. Cooper said as he handed Victoria her prescriptions.

Victoria left the doctor's office feeling guilty about lying to Dr. Cooper but she intended to do this alone and didn’t want to hear a lecture about why she needed to let the father know.

*****

Dominic entered Kevin's gym totally stressed. The long hours he was working were taking a toll on him, and when he wasn't working his thoughts were of Victoria. He could not get her out of his mind. After a two-hour workout Kevin walked over to Dominic “What’s going on with you man, you’re working out like a maniac.”

“I'm just relieving some stress; maintaining this business is more than a notion.” Dominic said. Kevin looked at his friend and smiled “yeah but you love every minute of it and you know it.” Dominic returned the smile “you are absolutely right, I wouldn't change any of it.”  Dominic paused for a second. 

“Hey Kev, what are you doing later, do you want to grab a beer, I need to talk to you about something?”

“No problem Nick, let me finish up with this client and we can head out.”

Dominic and Kevin entered their favorite watering hole, sat at a booth and ordered beers.

“So what's going on Nick, what's on your mind?”

Dominic took a sip of his beer and looked at his best friend “I don't know man; I can't get her out of my mind, it’s been three months and I find myself still thinking about her.” Kevin looked at his best friend and knew he was talking about Victoria.

“What's going on man, talk to me?”

“It’s been three months since I've seen or talked to her but I can’t get my thoughts to lessen, she’s in my thoughts daily.” Dominic took another sip of his beer.  “Ahh, I need to figure out how to stop thinking about her.”

“Nick, you need to put this behind you and move forward. Have you even gotten laid since then?”

Dominic looked at his best friend and had second thoughts about discussing the situation with him “No, I haven’t.”

“I thought you and Anna started dating again?” 

“Yeah, but we have not slept together, I’m trying to take it slow with her.  She will not do me like she did the last time.”

“But that’s the problem man, you need to get back on the horse, as soon as you sleep with Anna, your thoughts of Victoria will start to fade.” Dominic thought about what Kevin said; maybe he just needed to get laid to forget about Victoria, but it was worth a try. Dominic and Kevin sat there for a few hours drinking beer and catching up on family, friends and work.  They also talked about his workout regimen. Kevin suggested that Dominic see his doctor about a pain he was having in the shoulder when he lift weights.

The next day Dominic called Victoria’s physician, Dr. Cooper’s office.  He felt comfortable when he was there last and decided to use him.  The doctor’s office was able to squeeze him in that Thursday.  A few days later, Dominic entered the doctor's office and was ushered into an exam room.  Dr. Cooper entered the room and examined Dominic.

“Mr. Moretti you…”

“Please Doc call me Dominic”

Dr. Cooper smiled “Okay, Dominic you can meet me in my office and we can discuss options for your shoulder.” Dominic got dressed and entered the doctor office. Dr. Cooper talked to Dominic about his shoulder and discussed his options and next course of treatment.  Dominic was about to leave when Dr. Cooper offered his congratulations.

“Congratulations, for what Dr. Cooper?”

“On the pregnancy of course, Victoria was just here last week, you must be excited.” He said as he looked up from writing his notes.

Dominic sat there unable to move, he felt like he had been punched in his chest and knocked the air out of his lungs. It took him a few seconds to recover.

“You were aware of the pregnancy, weren’t you?”  Dr. Cooper asked, but could tell by his reaction that he was unaware of the pregnancy.   “Victoria told me you knew and you two were excited,” he said trying to defuse the situation.

“Victoria’s pregnant?” his whispered, trying to comprehend what was just said. 

“Victoria told me you knew, I’m sorry if this the first time you are hearing about this, she said she told you.” 

“When...when did she find out?  You told me this was not possible, that she was sterile?”  Dominic was clearly angry. 

“I think you need to discuss this with Victoria, I can’t give you any more information about her.” 

“Ohh, I plan to fully discuss this with her.”  Dominic was seething.  Dr. Cooper was uncomfortable with their conversation.  “If there's nothing else Dominic, I will see you at your next appointment.” Dr. Cooper said as he stood and handed Dominic his prescriptions.

Dominic needed to get out of that office; he needed to breathe.
What the fuck is going on? Was it true, was she pregnant and did she plan on telling me? 
He was ready to explode.  He needed to talk to her, but he first needed to able to just breathe and calm down. 
Marco,
Dominic instantly thought of his brother, as he headed to his office.  Marco was always able to calm him down before he had a chance to say or do something he would regret. 

Dominic reached Marco’s building and pressed the button to the twentieth floor of his brother’s law firm.  His mind was fuzzy; he was still having trouble processing the information. 

“Hi Lisa is my brother in?” Dominic asked Marco’s secretary.  She looked up and smiled brightly.

“Hi Dominic, how are you?”  She said seductively. 

“I’m fine, is Marco in?” he said almost dismissive. 

Her expression turned solemn, “Yes, you can go in.” 

Dominic looked at her demeanor and realized that his words may have been a little curt.  “You look beautiful today Lisa.”  The smile returned as she blushed and turned her head. 

“Hey Marco you have a minute?  I need to talk to you.” Marco looked up from reading to see his brother entering his office.  Marco Moretti, at six foot two inches tall, was slightly shorter than his older brother, but had the same gray eyes and muscular build.  Marco also wore his hair shorter and tapered; he was the picture of the corporate world.  Marco rose, walked around his desk and gave his brother a hug. 

“Hey big bro, to what do I owe this pleasure.”  Marco sat back in his seat as Dominic looked out the window.  “Whatever it is, it must be big, because usually it’s me calling you, trying to pull you away from your office.” Marco smiled but got concerned when his brother didn’t respond.  “Okay Nick, I’m concerned, what is it?”  

Dominic could hear his brother’s voice, but he was having difficulty speaking.  Of all his siblings, Dominic was closest to Marco; they were only a year and a half apart and were inseparable as kids.  How was he going to explain that he slept with a woman he barely knew and now that woman is pregnant?  

Dominic began to speak realizing that no matter which way it was explained it was going to be bad.  He walked over and sat on the sofa facing his brother.

“I have a problem and I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with it.  I went out with this woman a few times and I just found out she’s pregnant.”  He said staring at his brother.  Marco waited for the punch line of the joke, when he realized that his brother was serious.

“What! How do you know it’s yours, who is she?”  Marco said in disbelief.

“I know it’s my baby.” 

“How do you know it’s yours Nick, you said yourself you only went out a few times.  Some women will do anything to trap a man of your stature.” 

“It’s not like that Marc, she’s not like that.”  Dominic defended.

“Well then tell me what’s it like, when did she tell you?”  Marco was furious; some whore was trying to trap his brother.

“She didn’t tell me, her doctor did.”  Dominic realized that he gave more information that he wanted to. 

“What a minute, why would her doctor discuss her condition with you?  By law he is not allowed to talk to you without her permission and why would you be talking to the doctor of a woman you slept with a couple of times?  What aren’t you telling me Dominic?” 

“It’s complicated, I just found out and I have not spoken with her yet.” 

“What do you need me to do?”  Marco could see the pain in his brother’s face and did not want to press him for more information now, but soon he would find out all there was to know about this woman and god help her, if she was trying to trap his brother. 

“Nothing for now, I just needed to talk to someone and calm down before I speak with her.” 

“Wait, she doesn’t know that you know about the pregnancy?” 

“No, it appears she has known about it for a little while now and has neglected to tell the father?”  Dominic said sarcastically. 

“Who is she Nick?” 

“You don’t know her, her name is Victoria Hart.  I have to go, we’ll talk later.”  Dominic said as he started walking towards the door.

“Call me if you need me and try to keep a cool head, I don’t want to be your one call from jail.” Marco said trying to make his brother smile but again it didn’t work.  When Dominic left Marco wrote her name down, he wanted to check out the woman that was supposedly pregnant by his brother. 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Dominic walked into the Melton Center high rise in Center City Philadelphia; he took the elevator to the thirtieth floor, in search of the woman carrying his child.   His impatience grew with every passing floor.  Victoria was in her office not feeling great, she was trying to keep a smile on her face as she listened to Mark Dylan, her obnoxious client, as he tried to impress her by boasting about his extensive car collection and all the properties he owned; she knew if it were not for his father and brothers, he would have nothing because he was definitely not the brightest of the Dylan clan.  She only entertained the notion of weekly meetings because they were a new client, and she wanted them to feel comfortable with the new adjustment.  Unable to stomach too many more meetings with him, she would soon pass him on to one of her associates, if he insisted on continuing these weekly, waste of time meetings. 

Victoria was just about to tell Mr. Dylan that she had another meeting when she heard a disturbance outside her office door, she stood and Dominic walked in. 

“Sorry to interrupt Ms. Hart.” he said sarcastically. “But we need to discuss an urgent matter.”  Victoria immediately noticed the scowl on Dominic’s face.

Victoria’s assistant came up behind him.  “Ms. Hart I already called security, he just walked in when I told him he could not wait in the lobby for you because you were tied up in meetings all day.”  Her assistant was very nervous; the slightest hint of drama frightened her and she surmised that the poor girl probably needed a Valium now. 

“It’s alright Liz, Mr. Dylan was just leaving and I forgot I have an appointment with Mr. Moretti.”  She could see the young girl was practically in tears.  “Please give Mr. Dylan the copies of the reports I requested for him and call security and tell them everything is….”  

Before she could finish her statement two burly security guards were behind Dominic ready for action. 
Can this day get any worse?
She thought. Dominic turned to face the two guards who were ready to do some damage. 

“Mike, Russ, everything is fine, there was a mix-up in my schedule, your services won’t be needed.”  She turned to Mark Dylan who was still sitting, not making an attempt to leave.  She walked over to the chair and extended her hand to him. “Thank you again for coming in.”  He stood to shake her hand.  “Please review the reports and call me if you have any questions.” 

“Okay but I will see you next week,” Mark said holding her hand, longer that she would have liked, as he gave Dominic a death stare.  She withdrew her hand and motioned him out the door. 

“Mr. Moretti, please have a seat, I will be with you in a minute.”  She walked Mr. Dylan to the door.  “We are meeting next week?” Mark Dylan said irritated that they were interrupted. 

“Yes, I have you on my schedule, have a good evening Mr. Dylan.”

“Mark, please call me Mark,” he said as he continued to glare at Dominic. 

“Good bye Mark!” Dominic said sternly as he stared angrily, clearly irritated with her creepy client.  Mark flinched at the harsh tone in Dominic’s voice as he quickly walked out of the office.

Victoria cleared her throat, trying not to smile as she told Liz to hold all her calls.  She steadied her nerves before returning to the office.
He knows about the pregnancy, but how, only two people know that I’m pregnant and only Jackie knew he was the father.
She was racking her brain for answers.   She walked back in and sat behind her desk facing him.  She could see the anger in his face. 

“How are you Nick?” 

Dominic looked at her trying to contain his anger.  “How am I?  How am I?  Well let’s see…” he stood and walked over to the window before continuing in a low menacing voice “I’ve been better, working nights and weekends.  My business is really keeping me busy. Oh, and I injured my shoulder working out, it’s been giving me a little trouble.”  She could tell he was being sarcastic but didn’t interrupt him.  “So I decided to give Dr. Cooper a try, since, as you know, I’ve been trying to find a personal physician.”  He turned to face her as he stared directly into her eyes.  “He seemed nice enough when he met with us, you remember that don’t you Victoria, when he assured me that you were unable to have children.” Dominic was fuming and she could tell she was in for a battle. 

“Please sit Nick and let me explain.” 

“Explain what? That you’re pregnant when I was assured that it was an impossibility; or explain how you have known for weeks now and neglected to tell me.”   He paused and took a deep breath.  It was at that moment that he smelled that familiar fragrance that he had missed over the past several weeks.  He could see the tears she was trying to hide from him as she swiped them with her finger.  His emotions softened, but he needed to know what happened. He sat back in the seat.  “So please tell me Victoria, how the fuck did this happen?”  She looked at him with a raised brow as she wiped the remaining tears. He caught the expression and responded.  “You know exactly what the hell I mean Victoria, don’t be coy.” 

Victoria looked at him, and then began to speak softly.  “The test that determined that I was sterile was run years ago and Dr. Cooper had no reason to question the findings of my previous physician, so we never ran any additional test.  I am so sorry Dominic I never meant for this to happen or I would have never asked you to sleep with me without protection.”  Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears; one of the things Dominic hated was to see a woman cry.   “Come here,” he said in a low commanding voice and she complied.  He placed one hand on her hip as he used the thumb of his other hand to wipe away a tear that escaped, before using that hand to gently cradle the side of her face as he tried to console her. 

“We need to figure out how we are going to handle this.”  He stood so close that the she could smell his cologne.  She gave him a solemn look.  “Abortion is not an option for me Nick.”

“Well that is one thing that we definitely agree on; I could never ask you to kill my baby Victoria.”

“Nick, I’m really frightened.” 

“Why are you fright….” Dominic was interrupted by Jacqueline who swung open the door and rushed in. “Liz said that an angry….” She saw the two standing intimately close.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”  Victoria backed away from Dominic as she cleared her throat.

“It’s okay Jackie, this is Dominic Moretti, Nick this is Jacqueline Bouvier my business partner.” 

“Ahh, so you’re…” Victoria gave Jacqueline a look and turned her attention to Liz who had rushed in behind Jacqueline.  

“That will be all Liz, why don’t you take the rest of the day off.”  Although Liz was timid, she was also the office gossip.  Once they were sure that Liz wasn’t listening Jacqueline turned her attention to Dominic.  “So you’re the virile man who got our favorite CEO knocked up!”

“Please Jackie this is not the time.” 

“So how many other people were given the news before the father?” Dominic said more irritated now than he was when he entered the office.  Victoria touched his hand and he felt a sense of calm. 

“Nick we need to talk…” she looked over at Jacqueline “alone.” 

“Okay, okay I can take a hint, even when it’s not so subtle.  Call me later dear.”  She turned to walk out the door then hesitated.  “Remember, I will be out of town this weekend unless you need me to cancel my trip.” Jacqueline said in a serious tone.

“Don’t be silly, go and have a great time.  Who are you going with and where are you going?” 

She looked at Dominic before responding.  “I’m going to St Croix an.” she paused before continuing, “It’s not important who I’m going with.”  She turned her attention to Dominic.  “It was nice meeting you and congratulations,” she said before exiting. 

“I don’t want to talk here, there are too many distractions and I really need to discuss everything with you.  Can you take me home, so we can discuss this without interruptions?”  Victoria asked.

“Lets go,” he said as he watched her gather her belongings.

*****

They arrived at Victoria’s condo, which was on the twenty-fifth floor of the forty floor high rise.  “Make yourself comfortable Nick, and help yourself to the bar.  I need to change; I will be back in a few minutes.”  Dominic definitely needed a drink.  He walked over to the bar and it was fully stocked. 
How often does she entertain?
  He thought as he poured a double shot of whiskey, and gulped it down before pouring another, deciding to take it easy with the second drink.  He sat on the sofa and noticed the warm colors in her living room that matched all the paintings and artwork displayed.  Her home was warm and inviting. 

Dominic’s thoughts turned to their current situation.  He couldn’t believe this was happening to him.  Victoria walked into the living room wearing a tank top and tights. 

“Do you want something to eat, I have lasagna left over from yesterday?” she yelled to him as she walked into the kitchen. 

“No I’m not hungry,” he responded. 

She placed the food in the oven before joining Dominic in the living room.  She studied him as he sat with his legs apart, resting his elbows on each knee as he cradled the drink he was nursing, with both hands. 

“Dominic I don’t know what else to say but that I’m sorry this happened.  I am still trying to process all of this, so I can imagine how you feel.” 

He looked up from his glass and looked into her eyes.  His grey eyes seemed to pierce her soul. “No Victoria, you don’t know how I feel.  The decision of when I want to become a father and whom I choose to bear my children has been taken away from me.”  She looked away as his hurtful words resonated in her brain.   “This could not have happened at a worse time, I’m trying to stabilize my business.  I’ve been working eleven hour days sometimes seven days a week; I don’t have time to fit a baby in that schedule, I barely have time for the woman I’m dating.” Dominic instantly regretted mentioning that he was dating, because while he had just reconnected with Anna, he didn’t know where that relationship was going. 

Victoria looked at Dominic; hearing that he was dating someone sent a searing pain through her chest.  She inhaled deeply “Nick, I know that you’re angry…” 

“Victoria I don’t think anger is the correct adjective that adequately describes how I am feeling right now, maybe infuriated, enraged…” He paused, “what the fuck was I thinking, I knew it was a bad idea and I let you and your doctor convinced me that this could never happen.” Dominic stood and walked towards the window, he needed to move, he was feeling caged in.  Victoria steadied her nerves because she didn’t know how he would react once she told him about the triplets. 

“Nick I’m not asking you for anything, in fact, I was seriously thinking about not telling you.” 

“And why is that Victoria, you don’t think I deserve to know that I’m going to be a father?  What the hell did you think I would do?  You are unfucking believable. That's my baby!  My responsibility, period!” 

He could tell his words hurt and she was visibly upset, he wanted to hold her, to console her, but his body would not do it.  It was like his mind was in direct conflict with his heart.  The mind won out because he stood motionless. 

“I need you to sit and calm down because there is more I have to tell you.” 

“Victoria I don’t think there is anything you can tell me that would top me finding out that you’re pregnant.  I’m not even sure how I explain this to my family.  By the way, I slept with this woman I barely knew and now she’s pregnant.”  She could hear the sarcasm in his voice.   Victoria could feel her anger building within.  She acknowledged that this was not a good situation, but these babies were a blessing.  She was given a precious gift that she never thought she would be able to have.  She swiped the tears harshly away from her face.

“Are you done bitching?” she asked raising her voice.  He looked at her momentarily stunned by her tone. “Because this is going to affect me as much, if not more, than you.  If you choose, you can walk away from this situation, I, on the other hand, will watch as my body expands, deal with the metabolic changes, and go through the pain of childbirth.  So forgive me if I don’t fall at your feet, asking for forgiveness because however, it happened it’s a blessing Nick.” her voice was shaky but her resolve was strong.  Victoria heard the buzzer for the oven going off.  She stood and started to walk towards the kitchen.  “Now if you would like to stay and hear everything, you are more than welcome to join me for dinner, I have more than enough.” 

“I’m not hungry; I just need to know where we go from here?” 

“There is something you need to know about the pregnancy.”  Dominic looked at her puzzled and a little nervous, he couldn’t imagine what other bombshell she was about to drop.  They walked towards the dining room, Dominic stood taking in his surroundings as Victoria continued to the kitchen to retrieve her food.  She came back into the dining room and placed a placemat, silverware, napkin and a glass of water on the table before going back into the kitchen, this time returning with her food.  She sat and directed her attention to Dominic.  “Please sit with me, I haven’t eaten since lunch and I’m starving.”  He sat at the table beside her and continued to sip his drink.  Victoria sat at the table with her food and bowed her head to say grace.  Dominic lowered his head trying to gauge how long the prayer would take when she raised her head she began to eat.