Love's Fate (Love Trilogy #1) (23 page)

Suddenly Katherine seemed so fragile to me. Despite her constant assertions otherwise and even her doctor assuring me of the health of both her and
the
baby, I still worried night and day.

Nights were easier. She was very tired for the first few months and often fell asleep as soon as we’d finished dinner. When she slept she looked so peaceful, almost angelic. I loved to watch her sleep.

I kept an easel by her bed and painted her while she slept. I worked on it nearly every night, but
kept it covered so she couldn’
t see it. I planned to have it finished by her birthday in May. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted to capture every detail. Sometimes when I worked I felt consumed with the fear that I wouldn’t have enough time to finish it.

Days were harder. She worked so hard at the bakery and I constantly watched her waiting for something bad to happen despite her pleas for me to stop. I couldn’t help it. The thought of anything happening to her was too much to bear, and strangely the idea of losing this child I had not even met was almost equally painful. I loved them both.

Thankfully her initial sickness passed quickly and soon her energy returned too. I was happy to see Katherine acting like herself again, and some of my fears subsided. We began staying up late together again, talking into the night. Making plans for our future, for our family. Katherine worried about what she would do with the bakery. I didn’t like for her to worry. I assured her that we would work it out somehow, although I truthfully didn’t know how.

Our friends were ecstatic over the news. Amy and Claire immediately started planning a baby shower, which quickly became the topic of Sunday afternoon conversations. I decided there was no reason for me to keep my old apartment, since we spent every night at Katherine’s place. Charlie and Dan helped me pack up my stuff one Sunday and move it downstairs while the girls discussed their plans for the party.

Katherine finally started showing around her sixth month. It was just a small swell between her hips that was easily hidden by her clothes, but I could see the subtle differences in her body. Her features became softer as her body rounded, but she was still absolutely beautiful. She was so happy it radiated from her. We were thrilled when the day came for the first ultrasound.

“I hope we can see if it’s a girl or a boy!” Katherine exclaimed excitedly as we sat in the waiting room of the doctor’s office.

“Maybe that will make picking a name easier.” I said.

We had not yet been able to settle on a name that sounded just right, for a girl or a boy.

“It’ll come to us in time.” Katherine said confidently.

Just then a nurse called her name and we got up and followed her back to a small dark room. Katherine lay on a table and the nurse rubbed a clear jelly all over her small round belly. She looked up at me excitedly as the nurse began moving her probe around searching for images of the baby.

We watched the small screen intently staring at the fuzzy black and white image. Then I saw something fluttering. The nurse stopped the probe holding it to Katherine’s belly as she pushed a few buttons on the ultrasound machine.

“This is the heart,” she told us pointing to the small fluttering image on the screen.

She clicked a few more buttons and we could hear the sound of the heartbeat. It made a strange rhythmic whooshing sound, and it was the most wonderful sound I’d ever heard. I held Katherine’s hand as the nurse captured different images of our baby and showed us on the screen. She caught one perfect image of the baby’s profile, which she printed off for us. I stared in amazement at the small picture she handed me, it actually looked like a baby.

“Can you see if it’s a girl or boy?” Katherine asked impatiently.

“I’m trying, but it’s kind of hard. The baby is breach right now and I can’t seem to get the right angle.” The nurse told us
.

“Breach? What does that mean?” I asked concerned
.

“It just means that the head is still pointing up. It should be fine, your wife is only 7 months along so the baby still has plenty of time to turn around.” She explained, and although her explanation made perfect sense I still felt a twinge of panic.

“What if the baby doesn’t turn?” I asked trying to hide the panic in my voice.

“They usually do.” The nurse assured me “But if not the baby would have to be delivered by cesarean section. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time.”

Don’t’ worry? I thought. I’d been worried from day one with nothing concrete to back it up and now that I had something actually in my head how could I not worry? I tried to hide my anxiety as I looked back down at Katherine. She was smiling at the image on the screen apparently unaware of my internal turmoil.

“So we can’t tell?” S
he asked disappointed, still consumed with her curiosity about the sex of the baby.

“Sorry honey, maybe next time.” The nurse told her putting the probe down and wiping Katherine’s stomach with a towel.

“We’ll do one more when you get closer to your due date, just to make sure the baby has turned. From the size of the baby I would say your due date is still around mid-April so we’ll schedule you for March.”

“Okay” Katherine said dejectedly.

Her lower lip pouted out. She was so beautiful when she pouted.

“Is that it?” I asked Katherine once the nurse left.

“Yeah, I don’t have to see the doctor today.” She told me pulling her shirt back down and getting off the table.

“The girls are going to be so disappointed. The baby shower is in a month and we were hoping to know if we should decorate with pink or blue.” Katherine’s lower lip pouted out even further as she said this and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Whatever will you do?” I teased and she lightly punched my shoulder.

“Did you notice what the nurse called you?” I asked as we walked back to our car.

“What?” she asked confused.

“She called you my wife.” I reminded her.

“Oh, well, with the ring and the baby and all I’m sure she just assumed.” She said.

“I wish it wasn’t just an assumption.” I told her.

“I know.” She said softly
.

“What are we waiting for?” I asked.

We hadn’t really discussed setting a date since I first proposed, everything had been happening so fast since then. Once we found out she was pregnant all our conversations were centered on the baby.

“I guess for me to fit into a wedding dress again.” She joked
.

“You look beautiful.” I assured her.

“Yeah, but I’d rather not look pregnant in my wedding pictures.” She told me “What’s the rush anyway?” she asked
.

“I guess there isn’t one.” I told her wishing I could push away the inexplicable fear that I might lose her at any minute.

“So the nurse said mid-April. I figure that means I could work through the end of March.” Katherine said changing the subject. “I think we should hire some extra help now, so I can train someone to master the basic recipes. We won’t take any cake orders for April or May. You’ll only have to keep the shop open on weekdays to keep our regular business flow.”

Leave it to Katherine to be worried about the bakery.

“Sounds like a good plan.” I told her.

I couldn’t argue with the need to keep the bakery going. I sold a few paintings here and there, but it was the income from the bakery that supported us.

We ended up hiring a girl named Jessica who was just completing her last semester at the Art Institute’s culinary program. She came highly recommended by one of Katherine’s favorite instructors. She had aspirations to become a pastry chef and was thrilled by the opportunity to work at the bakery.

For the next month Katherine worked with Jessica teaching her all of the basic recipes for the most popular items at the bakery that Katherine hoped to be able to continue offering during her absence. Jessica learned quickly and I was grateful when Katherine began allowing her to take over most of the work at the bakery. Her expanding belly was growing quickly now and I tried to keep her off her feet as much as possible.

Even still she was exhausted by the end of every day. She began sleeping more again which allowed me to go back to work on her portrait. I studied her face as she slept trying to capture every nuance. The more time I spent painting her the more I appreciated her magnificence.

I wasn’t sure if I could accurately reproduce her beauty on my canvas: the way the light reflected off her luminescent skin, the way her long dark lashes brushed against her slightly flushed cheeks, the way her chestnut hair contrasted with her fair complexion. I worked frantically through the nights obsessed with making her painting as perfect as she was.

Finally the day came for the baby shower. If Katherine could have had her way she would have postponed the baby shower another week to wait for that last ultrasound. She was so eager to find out if it was a girl or boy. But Claire and Amy convinced her to go forward with the date as planned since all the invitations had already been sent out. It was the end of March and Claire’s students were out for spring break so she spent nearly the entire week at our house decorating and preparing for the party.

Our apartment was filled with balloons, streamers, confetti and baby-themed décor. The girls were buzzing around all morning preparing food, adjusting decorations and chattering about the upcoming party. They didn’t even hear the doorbell when it rang. I answered the door and stared apprehensively at the well-dressed man on the other side.

“Michael Carter?”
T
he man in the suit asked professionally.

My stomach dropped. This was an all too familiar scene.

“Yes.” I replied reluctantly.

He handed me an envelope and turned to walk away without another word. I could hear the girls laughing in the kitchen and quietly closed the door. I knew this was another summons from my father and I didn’t want to damper Katherine’s day.

I quickly stole away to our bedroom to open the letter. I was surprised to see that a lawyer in San Diego had sent it and he was requesting that I contact him immediately. I folded the letter and put it in my pocket as I walked toward the kitchen.

“I need to run some errands.” I told Katherine as I entered the kitchen.

She looked up surprised.

“The party’s in an hour.” She said her forehead creasing with concern.

“Don’t worry it won’t take long.” I assured her kissing her forehead to smooth the small furrow.

She smiled back up at me and kissed me softly.

“Promise?” she whispered.

“Promise.” I replied. “You won’t even know I’m gone.” 

I kissed her one more time and then hurried out of the apartment
to call the lawyer from the phone in the lobby downstairs.

I gave my name to the secretary that answered and she quickly connected me with a stern sounding man who requested that I come by his office immediately to discuss an urgent matter. He refused to give me any more information over the phone aside from his address.

It didn’t take me long to find his office. Once inside the middle-aged secretary quickly jumped up as if she had been waiting for me to walk through the door and immediately escorted me to the back room.

“Thank you Gertrude.” A
n elderly man said abruptly as we walked into the small office. The secretary quietly turned and left.

“Michael Carter I presume?” The man said politely holding out his withered hand.

“What is this about? I can’t stay long.” I informed him as I shook his hand.

“Of course.” He nodded as he sat down and gestured for me to do the same.

“Your father is William Carter.” The man stated and I nodded my confirmation.

“He passed away last night. Heart attack.” The man said bluntly.

At first I didn’t react. I simply stared at the man’s wrinkled face.

“I am the executer of his estate.” He continued without emotion.

I continued to stare, still unsure of how I was supposed to react. I wasn’t sure how I felt. Numb?

“Your father was a man of great wealth.” The lawyer needlessly informed me. “And he left everything to you.”

His last words sunk in slowly.

“He what?” I stuttered.

“Your father owned majority stock in several major companies in the San Diego area.” He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “The other stock holders have petitioned to buy out his shares for a very reasonable price. Unless you wish to take over his investments.” He paused for my response.

“No.”
I heard myself say.

I was reeling from everything I was being told, I could barely form a coherent thought.

“Very well.” The lawyer replied shuffling some papers. “The income from the sale of the companies in addition to his various real estate holdings and savings will come to a total of…” the lawyer continued shuffling through his stack of papers as he calculated the total.

“18.6 million.” He finished and looked back up at me.