A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter
8

Renee’s and Elliott’s time in Hawaii seemed to have flown
by.  They were able to get in some sightseeing and shopping.  They made some
friends with whom they exchanged numbers and email addresses so that they could
stay in touch.  But the majority of their time together was spent in the
beautiful love nest that Elliott had obtained for them. 

Once they were back at their home in LA, they were both
exhausted.  When they walked into the living room, Renee noticed immediately
that everything was different.  The dark microfiber sofa and loveseats had been
replaced with buttery-soft, pearl-colored leather furniture that contrasted
beautifully with the dark hardwood floor.  French doors replaced the sliding
glass door that lead out to the courtyard.  A runner and accent rug, both with
exquisitely detailed scroll patterns added to the finishing touches of the open
concept living and dining area. 

Renee turned to Elliott with big, astonished eyes and said,
“When did you do all of this?”  She walked over to the French doors, her eyes
taking in every detail of her newly decorated home.

Elliott walked over to her and slid his hand around her
ribcage, just underneath her breasts.  “It’s just a little welcome home gift,”
he said as he nuzzled her neck.  “Do you like it?” 

Renee turned to him and said, “I love it, it’s beautiful,
but when did you have a chance to do all of this?”

He said “I mentioned to Liza that the place needed a bit of
a change, and well, you know with her, all you have to do is put an idea out
there and she runs with it.”   

He took her hand and led her into their bedroom.  Renee’s
eyes immediately went to the new bed that Elliott ordered.  It was a queen-size
bed with an adjustable pillow-top mattress.  The headboard and footboard were
finished in mahogany.  A lightweight taupe and brown comforter, along with an
assortment of plush pillows completed the bed. 

Renee took immediate refuge in their new bed, with Elliott
right alongside of her.  “This is the same bed we had in Hawaii,” she said.  She
leaned over and kissed his neck and said “Thank you for all of this, baby.  I
know it must’ve all taken a lot of trouble with coordinating, not to mention
cost.”

Elliott looked at her, his eyes darkened with love and
desire. He kissed her full lips and said, “Nothing is ever too much trouble for
you, baby.”  Before he allowed himself to get swept away by the feel of her
soft breasts pressing into him, and the soft moan that escaped from her when he
kissed her, he said, “And please stop worrying about finances.  We have enough
money to take us through several lifetimes.  I only want you to have everything
you need and want and to concentrate on having a healthy baby, OK?”

Renee started to protest, but decided instead to slip her
tongue into his mouth while she pulled him down on top of her so that they
could take each other over the edge.

~~~~

Later that evening they called everyone to let them know
that they had returned home.  It was still early evening and they were both
very hungry.

“I’m going to check to see what’s in the fridge.  I can make
us some sandwiches and vegetable chips if that’s okay with you,” Renee said to
Elliott as she exited the bedroom. 

“I’ll make the sandwiches and you can just rest for a bit,”
Elliott said.

Renee got to the kitchen first and saw that Liza had left a
note on the refrigerator.  It read, “I figured you two would be hungry after
all that “sightseeing.”  I made some chicken and vegetables before we left last
night, and some corn muffins.”  She signed her note with X’s and O’s.  

“Yeah, I gotta tell you babe, chicken and vegetables sound
way better than sandwiches right now,” Renee laughed as she pulled the
casserole dish and muffin container from the fridge.  Elliott agreed.

“Yeah, it really does, and I’m sure probably a little bit
more substantial for you.” 

After they ate, Renee called Liza to thank her for the
delicious food that she cooked and for everything that she had done.  “We had
such a good time in Hawaii.  It’s truly paradise, but I am happy to be home.”  
Renee promised to call her later in the week. 

They finished unpacking their luggage and afterward Elliott
went into his office to review emails and Renee washed and put away the
dishes.  Just as she was putting the last plate into the cabinet, Elliott stood
behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.  He whispered in her ear, “Come
to bed soon.” 

Renee turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his
neck.  Elliott bent his head so that he could capture her lips with his.  She
said, “Okay.  I just need to read through a couple of emails and let Genie know
that I’m back.” 

Elliott reminded Renee that he didn’t want her working too
much and that she should take things easy.  “I promise.  Just a couple of quick
emails then a shower.”  Elliott went into his office to finish downloading some
documents while Renee went into her office space down the hall and checked her
messages.

After reading the last of her messages, Renee went into the
bathroom and showered.  After she finished showering and moisturizing her skin,
she slipped into bed.   She had intended to do some reading in her Kindle, but
fell asleep shortly after getting into bed.

Elliott came in shortly after she fell asleep.  He quickly
showered and then got into bed.  Not wanting to awaken her, he gently kissed
her ear and spooned her.  Renee felt Elliott settle into the covers.  In a
sleepy voice, she said, “You know, I meant what I said, too.  I don’t you
overworking either.”  She felt his smile in the back of her neck.  She rolled
over on her side so that she was facing him.

He kissed her eyelids and then her lips.  “OK, baby.  But
don’t worry about me.  I’ve got a couple of big cases that I’m working on, but
I can delegate parts of it to the paralegal, so that will help a lot.” 

She wrapped a smooth thigh around his leg and suckled his
bottom lip.  “OK, but remember, just because I’m pregnant doesn’t make me
incapable of doing anything.  I can still run my business and take care of the
house.  Let’s just promise each other to not overdo it.”

He smiled at Renee’s attempt to make a compromise.  He
pulled her closer and said, “OK, we’ll both take it easy.”  She was soon
snoring softly as he held her. 

Chapter
9

Everything was going very smoothly since Renee and Elliott
had settled into being a married couple.  Her pregnancy was going very well and
she was now at five and a half months. 

She went over to Kayla and Mik’s apartment.  Mik had already
left for his rounds at the hospital and Kayla was preparing breakfast for
herself and Renee.  Kayla asked, “So, what time is your appointment with Dr. Middleton?”

Renee was relishing in the flavor of the yummy egg-white
omelet.  After she finished chewing she said, “It’s at 1:00.  Oh my goodness,
baby, this breakfast is delicious.  Looks like you really were paying attention
to me all those years while I was cooking.” 

Kayla laughed at her mother and said, “I’m not nearly as
good a cook as you, mom.  But I’m glad you like it.  I was talking to Mik and
he said since you are 5 months along, the doctor would be able to tell you if Matt
and I get a little brother or sister.  I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!”

Renee finished off the last few morsels of her breakfast. 
She laughed at Kayla’s enthusiasm and said, “Yeah, your dad and I are both very
excited to see what’s going on in there.  The little one has gotten to be very
active lately.  Renee glanced at the time on Kayla’s microwave.  She stood up,
showing off her definitely protruding stomach. 

Kayla said, “Awww, mom, you look so cute with your tummy all
growing and stuff.”  She laughed and said, “Soooo, you think you might be
willing to let me come over and raid your closet for a few pieces to wear . . .
just until you’re ready to have them back, that is?”

Renee smoothed her hand over her expanding stomach, laughed
and said, “OK, missy, you can come over any time and get whatever pieces you
want, but trust me, I will be able to fit back into my clothes in no time
flat.  Anyway, I need to get back home.  Elliott is coming to pick me up for
the appointment.”

Kayla walked Renee to her car and said, “Now, mom, please
call me as soon as you get home.  You know all this waiting around to find out
what you’re having is too much for me.” 

Renee promised Kayla that she would call her ASAP.  They
hugged and Renee got into her car and drove home.

~~~~

About five minutes after Renee arrived home, Elliott strode
into the kitchen, where Renee was finishing a glass of water.  He had met with
a couple of high-profile clients and was dressed in a dark navy suit that fit
his lean, muscular frame perfectly.  His long, confident stride, along with the
sexy smile that he gave her made her pulse quicken. 

Renee smiled as he walked over to her and said, “Hmmm, I
don’t know if I should let you out into the world looking so good.”  She gave
him a soft kiss and then walked into the living area to get her purse. 

He smiled wickedly as she walked toward him.  Her belly and
hips were nicely rounded, and her breasts were full and plump.  Even though she
wore an outfit that was not tight – soft, light blue denim jeans and a
lightweight cream-colored elbow-length tunic – he knew exactly what she looked
like beneath her attire.

“You look good enough to eat.” he said.  “Are you ready to
find out what we’re having?  I just got off the phone with Mom and she wants us
to call her as soon as we find out.  I can honestly say I think their heads
will explode if we don’t find out something today.”

As they walked out to the car, Renee said, “Tell me about
it.  I have received text messages from everyone.  Kayla was about to lose it
when I left a few minutes ago.  What about you?”  You ready for this?”

He started the engine and said, “I’ve been ready for this.”

~~~~

Elliott settled into the chair while the sonography
technician squeezed gel onto Renee’s stomach.   “How have you been feeling? 
Have you noticed any changes or had any concerns since your last visit with Dr.
Middleton?”

Renee replied “Not too many changes.  I feel fine, but I do
get really tired.  My clothes are getting tighter by the day, though,” she
chuckled.” 

The sonographer replied, “Well, you’re at the 5 month mark
now, so it sounds like you’re progressing along just fine.”  She placed probe
onto Renee’s stomach and looked at the monitor as she pressed various keys on
the keyboard.  She asked, “Have you felt any kicks or movements?”

Renee said, “I started really noticing a lot of movement
within the last couple of weeks.  They were light and fluttery in the
beginning, but seem to be getting stronger daily.  Are you able to see what
we’re having?”

The sonographer was silent for a bit as she looked at the
monitor and pressed keyed information into the computer.  She shifted the probe
onto different areas of Renee’s stomach. 

Elliott asked the sonographer if she could see what they
were having.  Both he and Renee watched the screen and the sonographer intently
as they waited for her to tell them the sex of their baby.

The sonographer removed the probe from Renee’s stomach and
said, “I’m going to have Dr. Middleton to come into the room.”  She exited the
room before either of them could speak.

Renee’s pulse started to race and she could feel a lump
start to form in her throat and tears stinging her eyes.  “Elliott, I’m
scared.  Why didn’t she tell us?  Something’s going on.”

Elliott was holding and stroking Renee’s hand.  “Don’t
worry, honey, everything is going to be fine.  The doctor will . . . “

Before Elliott finished speaking, Dr. Middleton came into
the room and immediately sat down at the machine, picking up where the
sonographer left off.

By this time, Renee had tears forming in her eyes because
she just knew that he was about to tell them something they didn’t want to
hear.  In a small, sobbing voice she said, “Please just tell us.”

Dr. Middleton, noting both of their concern, immediately
turned to Renee and Elliott and reassured them that everything was fine and
that they had absolutely no need for concern.

Turning the screen to them he pointed to the image on the
screen.  He said, “Here, you can see the baby’s head, arms and legs, and here
you can see the heartbeat.”  He adjusted the resolution on the monitor so that
they could both make out the image clearly.  They saw the baby shift slightly
and they breathed a sigh of relief.

Renee said, “I was so scared Dr., but why didn’t your
sonographer just tell us and show us when we asked her?”

Dr. Middleton continued.  The sonographer wanted me to
confirm something.  He moved the probe slightly.  “As you can see on this image,
you have a replica of what I previously showed you.  Here is the baby’s head,
arms, legs, and right here is the heartbeat.  Looks like you two have mastered
the art of making twins.”

Renee was stunned and Elliott was beaming.  Elliott said,
“Seriously, you’re telling us that we’re having twins . . . again?  What are
the odds of that happening? 

Dr. Middleton chuckled and continued looking at the
monitor.  “It’s pretty common.  Given your history of already having twins,
it’s not surprising at all.  From what I see, both are developing very nicely. 
Would you like to know the sex of your babies?”

After fully absorbing what Dr. Middleton said, Renee managed
to clear her head enough to finally speak.  “So, everything is fine with them,
Dr. Middleton?  You don’t see anything that we need to be worried about?  I
mean, at my age, there’s the risks that we talked about, right?”  Even though
she was ecstatic about the babies, she was very anxious about the possibility
that there could be genetic problems. 

Dr. Middleton gave Renee a towel to remove the gel from her
stomach.  He said, “Your baby boy and girl look perfectly healthy,” he said
with a smile.  “If you’d like, we can schedule you for genetic testing to check
for abnormalities.  Physically, your babies are fine.”

After Renee finished removing the gel, she pulled the robe
around herself and tied it with the attached belt.  “Did you say a boy and a
girl?”  She looked over at Elliott and said, “We’re having a boy and girl,
again.  How is that even possible?”

Feeling elated, yet still wanting to appear cool and in
control, said, “Well, I guess anything can happen when it comes to having
babies, right Doctor?  I mean, there are no hard and fast rules that apply.”

Dr. Middleton looked over his glasses at Elliott and
replied, “You got that right.  One of my number one rules is that with having
babies is to be ready for any and everything.”  He finished examining Renee and
asked her again if she wanted to have genetic testing. 

After a brief discussion with Elliott, they both decided to
have the testing done the following week.  “Even though I know everything is
fine, it would just put all negative thoughts aside.  I just want to really be
able to enjoy this time without any worries.”

Dr. Middleton agreed with their decision and the testing was
set up for the following week.

~~~~

The following weeks went by quickly with Renee keeping
herself busy spreadsheets as well as scoping out potential locations for space
for a salon in the Beverly Hills area.  Elliott had been splitting his time
between working at the office when absolutely necessary, but was spending most
of his time working from his home office.  Even though it made everyone
somewhat irritated with them, they decided to hold off on telling them they
were having twins until after all the testing had been completed.

When they received the call from Dr. Middleton that the
genetic testing results showed that everything was perfect with the babies,
Renee felt that she could finally concentrate on other areas of their lives
without her mind drifting to negative thoughts. 

“Let’s celebrate,” Renee said.  “How about we have lunch at
Spago, and later this evening we can invite everyone over and give them the
news.”

“Mom called already and invited us over for dinner this
evening,” Elliott replied.  “She said if we don’t tell them what’s going on,
she is going to lose it.  She said we can come over anytime, but she fully
expects us there with a full report.”

Renee laughed and said, “Yes, we can do that.  When I talked
to her yesterday, I swear, she ready to absolutely come through the phone line
and strangle me.  I’ll call the kids and tell them to meet us over there, and
I’ll see if Kim and Robert would like to ride over with us.”

After Renee had contacted Kayla and Matt, and invited Kim
and Robert for dinner at Elliott’s parents, she called Liza with the news about
the twins.  “I can’t wait to see you,” Liza said.  “I knew everything would be
fine.  I’m just so glad that now you can really relax, enjoy getting fat, and
having healthy babies for everybody to spoil.”

“Speaking of which,” Renee said, “when will you, Joe, and
the kids be able to come back?  When you guys get here next time, we can all
just hang out without any major plans to make, and you can really take in the
sights.  Maybe we can even take a trip up to San Francisco.  You’ll love it
there.”

After they talked more about possible dates for Liza and her
family to visit, Renee called her dad and Sharon to let them know that
everything is fine and to extend to them standing invitations to come and visit
anytime they wished. 

~~~~

As Renee and Elliott were finishing their lunch at Spago,
Jonathan Hall was entering the restaurant.  He was meeting with a very
high-profile client.  Before he was shown to his table, he saw Renee sitting
with a man.  She looked very beautiful in an effortless way that seemed to
somehow be lost on many of the women that were typically seen in LA.  She
looked soft and glowing.  She was sitting with a man who, for all appearances
to Jonathan, appeared to be more than a casual acquaintance.   Just as Jonathan
reached their table, Elliott had finished paying for their lunch and the couple
stood up to exit the restaurant.

“Hello, Renee,” Jonathan said, his long strides carrying him
to Elliott and Renee’s table before they could leave.  When he arrived at their
table, he could see that Renee’s glow came from her pregnancy.  He was hoping
that he appeared outwardly casual and friendly, because on the inside he felt
an unwelcomed sense of jealousy upon seeing Renee with Elliott.   Beautifully
pregnant and married.

It took Renee a moment to remember Jonathan, but she quickly
recovered and said, “Hi, Jonathan.”   In order to keep any uncomfortable
silence from happening, Renee quickly said, “This is my husband, Elliott
James.”  Elliott and Jonathan shook hands and cordially greeted each other.

Renee continued, “Jonathan was in Vegas during the same week
as Liza and I.   I’m sorry, but I don’t know your last name, Jonathan.  How has
work been?  I think you told me you’re an architect?”

Jonathan chuckled and said, “The last name is Hall, and business
is going very well.  And you’re close.  I’m actually in commercial real
estate.  I really want to apologize again for running into you in front of the
gift shop.” 

There was something about Jonathan that made Elliott really
not like him.  The fact that he was obviously attracted to Renee was highly
annoying to him, but there was more.  Something in the man’s demeanor was
off-putting.  Elliott said, “Well, as long as Renee and the twins are fine,
that’s all that matters.” 

After a few more minutes of pleasantries, Renee and Elliott
left Jonathan at the restaurant and started on their way back home.   As
Elliott was pulling the car away from the restaurant he said, “So, I don’t
recall you mentioning that you made any friends on your trip to Vegas.  Or that
anyone almost knocked you down while you were there” 

Elliott’s tone and body language conveyed his irritation. 
Picking up on Elliott’s tenseness, Renee replied, “I really forgot all about
him.   I think I saw him twice while we were there.  My train of thought was
all about getting back here, so I was not focused on some random person.”