(See the first chapter for disclaimer, notes, spoiler, etc.)
Chapter Two: "Mantra"
Six days later
Olivia blinked and opened her eyes, yawning widely. "Well, good afternoon," she heard Gregory say. His voice was low and she turned to him, squinting. Golden sunlight filled the interior of the Jaguar, yet she was still appreciative for his blazer that was draped over her like a blanket. With a tired smile, she sat up and and stretched. "Are we almost home?" she asked through another yawn.
"Almost," he allowed, glancing over. "In a bit." He smiled and it was impossible to miss the excitement brimming in his eyes. She brushed her hair back and let his blazer fall away. She leaned over and reached out, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. She nuzzled his neck as she sighed, her lips brushing over his flesh. He chuckled, his right hand dropping from the steering wheel to squeeze her hand. "I just need to make a quick stop first."
"Oh, darling...no," she moaned, slowly shaking her head. She looked up and met his eyes, frowning. "I thought we were going straight home so we could tell the children about the baby."
He nodded and squeezed her hand again. "Quick stop. I promise."
She sighed deeply and dropped her head back to his shoulder, letting the hum of the engine lull between them. She thought the heaven of the last six days would last. They had been the best ones of her life. Far better than Spain could ever have been. Gregory doted on her, never straying from her side. But, it seemed the reality of the real world, and living this lie, was quickly invading. She squeezed his hand in return and slipped back into the passenger seat. "Are we stopping at your office?"
"No."
She glanced over, her eyebrow arched in surprise. "Then where?"
He grinned and looked over. "You'll see," he said mysteriously. She scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes, but she beamed. She couldn't help it. For the last six days, she'd been passionately convinced in the truth of this lie. She could see it in her husband, in the adoring way he looked at her. She could feel it in herself, in the way she slept easy for the first time in weeks. This child would reseal them. "Do you remember when we explained to Caitlin she'd be getting a new brother or sister?" she heard him ask.
Olivia chuckled, her finger tracing a line on the back of his hand. "Oh, yes," she said softly, remembering the way the four-year-old's eyes lit up. "How she cried when she realized Sean wasn't there that very moment and wouldn't be for several more months."
"Cried for nearly two hours," he drolly added. She felt his hand slip away before he resettled on her stomach. Her hand covered his and they sat in silence for several moments, shielding their child from the world. "Think she'll take it better this time around?" he asked.
She smiled, nodding slowly. It wouldn't be hard to pull their daughter aside and beg her for a shocked reaction. What would be more challenging would be to separate herself from Gregory long enough to speak with Caitlin. She needed a distraction for him. But what?
"-gotten better."
She turned to him, shaking her head apologetically. "Sorry, darling. What was that?"
He rubbed her stomach and repeated, "At least her sense of time has gotten better."
"Yes. But, you know...I think they'll both be stunned." Gregory nodded and she turned to him. The touch of grey at his temples gave her pause as she remembered the way he was years ago when she told him she was pregnant with Caitlin. The way he hugged her close before he dropped to his knees. The way her fingers combed through his thick dark hair as he knelt before her, gazing reverently at her stomach. The way he slowly looked up, his brown eyes shining. The subsequent years changed him physically, but he was still the same. "You were stunned," she finally whispered. "All four times."
He shook his head, his eyes firmly planted on the road before them. "Terrified with Caitlin," he corrected quietly. "Excited with...with the second baby." They were quiet, letting a solemn moment pass. She rubbed his hand, listening as he finally continued, "Grateful with Sean."
"And now?" she asked after several beats.
He looked over, a hint of a smile on his lips. "All of the above, I think." She smiled, barely noticing as he pulled into a small lot and parked the car. "But, mostly blessed."
She tilted her head, surprised. Her husband was not a religious man. "Oh?"
He nodded, his fingers spreading out on her abdomen. "Blessed with these children you've given me." He looked up slowly, their eyes meeting. He leaned in, watching her closely as he pressed his lips to hers. Her fingers fluttered against his face as he whispered, "Blessed with you."
She cupped his cheeks, blinking rapidly as he rested his forehead against hers. With a shuddering sigh, she looked up and forced herself to smile. This was right. This was for Gregory. This made him happy. This was for their family. He smiled back at her as she whispered his name. He brushed her hair behind her ears, still smiling patiently. "We're both blessed," she finally replied.
He kissed her hand before he leaned away. "I'll be right back."
She rolled down the passenger window as he got out of the car. "Where are you going?" she called out the open window.
Gregory glanced over his shoulder. "Darcy's," he replied. "I called in an order for shortbread before we left Carmel." She nodded, her face lit up with a wide smile.
"Home," she sighed, taking Gregory's hand as she climbed out of the Jaguar. She leaned against him, clutching the pink bakery box to her chest, as her husband's arm went around her shoulders. "I hope Caity and Sean aren't out." They hadn't called ahead to let them know they were coming home. Part of her wondered if Gregory hoped to find something amiss.
"Wouldn't it be awful if they were?" he murmured as he slipped past her to unlock the front door. "We'd have the entire place to ourselves." He glanced over his shoulder, flashing a naughty grin. "Whatever would we do?"
She shook her head and followed him into the foyer. Despite his innuendo, she knew he couldn't wait to sit their children down and announce the pregnancy. Instead, she blinked, not quite believing the site before her. Tiffany stood on the coffee table, using a wine bottle as a microphone as she sang to her captive one-man audience. The teenage girl's body swayed suggestively, her curves jutting beneath the navy silk. From the power with which her husband slammed the front door shut, she could tell he believed it all too well. The teenagers spun around, Tiffany's nervous laughter rising to a hiccup. She frowned, recognizing the diamonds and nightgown the young girl wore. Sean stood, his face pale as he croaked, "You're home?"
"Gregory," she began as he brushed past her.
"What the hell is going on here?" he bellowed and she flinched. Suddenly, and without warning, she found a distraction for her husband.
"We were- I mean, Tiff was-"
She followed her husband into the living room, feeling the furious anger radiating off him. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Caitlin and Cole appear in the patio doorway. As Sean continued to stutter, Gregory turned to Tiffany. It only took one close look at the girl's glassy eyes and flushed complexion to instantly realize she was drunk. "Get out of those clothes," he growled and she knew he recognized the nightgown. It wasn't that long ago he stripped her of it one lazy Sunday morning. "Now."
As the teenage girl scurried from the room, Sean said, "Dad, we- I didn't-" As he inched towards the coffee table, the movement only drew attention to the discarded wine bottle instead of hiding it. Like an extinguished flame, Olivia saw their happy homecoming wither in the wind. She sighed and dropped the bakery box on the arm chair.
Gregory reached for the bottle and she heard the way he inhaled. "You...opened the '57 Latour?" she heard him ask, as if he couldn't believe what he held in his hands.
"I didn't," he murmured and Olivia saw the way her husband's head went back. "But, by the time I saw what happened, it was too late."
Her husband swore beneath his breath, clutching the empty bottle by its neck. She touched his arm, hoping to stave off the inevitable explosion. She pressed against his back and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear, "Darling, please." He glanced over, their eyes meeting for a long moment. She knew he could read the silent plea in her look.
With a sigh, he set the empty bottle on the table with a loud thunk. "I'll bring in our luggage," he said, turning swiftly on his heel.
"Sean will help you," she replied, ignoring the pained expression their son threw her. She knocked her head back in the direction of the front door and folded her arms over her chest. As he passed her, she asked softly, "My clothes, Sean? Really?" His only response was a deep sigh. She looked over her shoulder, watching him leave the house. She exhaled, her cheeks puffing out, as she turned towards the patio. Caitlin stepped in, frowning, as Cole hovered behind her. She felt his eyes on her as she neared them and she squared her shoulders.
This was for Gregory.
This was for their family.
"Mom," Caitlin began, a worried look clouding her expression, "is-"
"I'll calm your father down," she assured her, reaching out for for a hug. She met Cole's gaze briefly over Caitlin's shoulder, not surprised by his wry grin. She flinched and turned away, kissing her daughter's cheek. She couldn't worry about him now. There wasn't enough time. Gregory would be back any moment. As her lips brushed her daughter's ear, she whispered, "Act surprised, Caity. Please. Please act surprised."
"What?" she asked, pulling away. "Mom, what are you-"
But, she turned away, just in time to see Sean come back in with both suitcases. Gregory followed behind him and firmly closed the front door. She smiled at him and nodded, meeting him by the base of the stairs. He took her hand as he sighed. "Just think," she whispered to him, feeling the children staring, "it'll be years before the baby is an unruly teenager."
He smirked and reached out, his arms enfolding her for a long moment. "Plenty of time to lock up the good liquor," he murmured as he kissed the side of her head. With a tired smile, he gently turned her so they faced their children and Cole together. "Well," he grandly began, settling his hands on her shoulders, "that wasn't quite the homecoming I envisioned." Sean lowered his head. Caitlin looked confused. Cole wore his disinterest like a badge of honor. "Caitlin, Sean, your mother and I have something to tell you."
Olivia shivered, feeling an ominous chill breeze through the living room. She wondered if she was the only one who felt it. Sean looked up. Understanding began to flicker on Caitlin's face. Cole became slightly curious. With Gregory's chest against her back, she both heard and felt him say, "Your mother is pregnant." She clasped her hands, watching their reactions. To her credit, Caitlin did an admirable job feigning a mixed expression of shock and incredulousness. Sean's jaw dropped as a blank look swept over his face. As for Cole, his astonishment quickly gave way to a stone-faced expression before he turned away. "We're having another baby," he continued, filling the heavy silence.
"A baby?" Caitlin exclaimed, grinning from ear-to-ear. Olivia felt her husband squeeze her shoulders and she leaned back against him. It was done. It was done and there was no going back. She smiled as Caitlin rushed over, her laughter ringing in her ears as her arms went around her. "Oh, Mom!"
She caught her daughter's hug, but it was Sean and Cole who left her wondering. Sean, who wiped his mouth and slowly sank down onto the sofa. Cole, who kept his back to all of them, his hands firmly in his pockets.
Olivia walked out of the bathroom, gently massaging her damp hair with a towel. The bedroom was quiet, save for the sound of Gregory's page turning. He was already in bed and engrossed in a thick deposition. She tossed the towel aside and combed through the loose tangles with her fingers. He still hadn't looked up, so she sat on the edge of the bed and replayed the evening. The way Sean's eyes kept darting away from hers every time she caught his gaze. The way he barely spoke to anyone at dinner. It was more than the tongue-lashing Gregory gave him before they sat down to eat. It was more than Tiffany's eviction. It was her. Something happened between herself and her son. She just hadn't figured out what it was yet.
She frowned and sat back against her pillows. A moment later, she felt Gregory's hand cover her own. "I'll be done in one page," he murmured with a detached undertone. She nodded, not that he noticed. With a sigh, she lifted his left arm and slipped into the hollow of his shoulder. She closed her heavy eyes and listened to the dull thump of her husband's heartbeat. Sean. He had that girl in her nightgown. She shuddered, wondering about the significance of that, when she heard the deposition land on the floor. "Cold?" he asked, rubbing her arm.
She glanced up as he drew the covers over them. "Oh. A little."
He hugged her closer as they lay together, the silence surrounding them. He breathed deep and easy, seemingly without a care in the world. She draped her arm across his chest and pressed herself as far into him as the bounds of their flesh and bones would allow. He chuckled softly and stroked her arm. "Sean will come around," he said and she quickly leaned up.
"Do you think so?" she asked. He nodded and twirled a lock of her hair around his index finger. She rested against his chest, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. "He seems..." She frowned, struggling for the word that would describe their son's attitude.
"Liv," he began, "he's just embarrassed." She narrowed her eyes in thought, wondering if he was right. "We walked in and interrupted...God-only-knows-what with him and the panhandler. Then, we told him you're pregnant. What teenage kid wants the visual of what his parents did to be able to say that?"
She laughed in spite of herself as his hand settled in the small of her back. He only smiled in response, his eyes glazed over and hinting of sleep. "Oh, darling," she sighed, catching her breath as he rubbed her back. But, the memory of their son's downcast expression stayed with her as she lay back down next to him. Embarrassment might explain part of it, but not all. Something else was bothering Sean...and she played a role in it.
"St. John cleared out quick enough," he pointed out after several moments. She slowly opened her eyes, gazing vacantly. "His leaving almost makes up for losing the '57 Latour."
Cole vanished shortly after Gregory's big announcement. She felt his eyes burning into her before he left, but she refused to rise to the bait. But, like a thunder cloud lingering just offshore, she knew she would need to walk into the storm. She wasn't quite finished with Cole St. John. Yet. But, for right now, it was her husband who demanded her attention.
She rested her hand over his heart, patting his chest lightly. "Poor Gregory," she sighed, awash with exaggerated sympathy. His hand dropped to her rear, the coral silk rippling beneath his palm. She squirmed and turned her eyes up to him. He smiled tiredly, though she could detect a subtle hint of amusement in it. "How can I help you through your grief?"
He reached up as his warm hand rested over hers. She smiled faintly, feeling the gentle squeeze he gave her.
This was for Gregory.
This was for their family.
As she nestled back against him, she wondered if she would be reminding herself of that for the rest of her life.