Lined With Silver (28 page)

* * *

Sondra pulled under the covering of the
airport drop off. Knowing he was going to be gone for endless
months was making it hard to stay in her attorney mode. Would he
even want to come back? He had what he wanted from this arranged
marriage. He hadn’t promised to stay involved through a second set
of babies. She couldn’t even work in the office, so keeping her
clients from knowing she was pregnant wouldn’t be hard. She didn’t
need the arranged marriage any longer, either. But she desperately
wanted to make this relationship an eternal one. Would he even
think about her in the coming months?

While these thoughts were distracting her,
Zack had stepped out of the car and retrieved his bags from the
back seat. Realizing he was about to leave, she couldn’t stop
herself. She threw open the door of the idling car and ran around
to launch herself at him. So much for self-control.

He responded with his delightful dimpled
smile and bent down to meet her eager kiss. She closed her eyes and
reveled in the feel of his lips against hers. She groaned as his
lips moved to lightly nibble on her ear. One of her feet lifted off
the ground as he moved back to her welcoming lips. She reached up
to touch his cheek. “Don’t forget me.” She whispered.

He chuckled as he settled her back on her
feet. “No chance of that. Remember, I’ll be in touch. Stay safe.”
He swooped down for one more kiss and then turned and headed into
the terminal.

Her iron will was butter where he was
concerned. She couldn’t help but smile as she climbed back into the
car. Having an iron will wasn’t much fun. And if his body had
reacted the same way hers had, he would definitely be coming back
for more.

* * *

As he had promised, Zack called regularly. As
in daily.

Jake felt confident enough in her abilities
that he had given her a few more cases. “Just to keep you busy.”
He’d said. He knew her well enough to know this forced isolation
was very difficult. He must’ve also known she missed Zack.

As the months passed and the investigation
stayed at a stand-still, Sondra grew restless.

She had opted not to buy a new house. She
wanted her next home to be one where she and Zack would be raising
a family together. No way was she going to make that kind of choice
without him. Besides, living in his condo almost felt like having
him there. There were no more incidents with the “Shattered
Stalker” as she’d come to think of him or her, and she’d followed
Zack’s advice in driving a rental to court.

* * *

“You did an outstanding job on finding all
those assets.” Jake complimented her as he met her after the
Stanford case had been decided.

“Yes. It took a lot of digging. Mr. Stanford
was determined to keep his funds out of the hands of his wife.”

“Noelle was fortunate to find us.” Jake
smiled.

“All I know is that it took a lot of work.
Months. I’m happy to have that done, and happy that Noelle has what
she deserved. Half of everything.”

“Not many attorneys would have put in all
that extra effort.” He observed as they walked to the parking
lot.

“It’s like waving a red flag when I find out
a man has been lying to his wife about his assets. I was horrified
to find out she didn’t even know how much he made. Her name wasn’t
even on his bank account. How can a man do that?”

Jake chuckled. “You should know by now that a
lot of men do it.”

“I don’t care how many do it. It’s still
wrong. And I’ll fight to the last penny if I find out that’s what a
man has done. How degrading for Noelle.”

Jake grinned. “She’s not feeling degraded
right now, I’ll bet. To the tune of $500 mil.”

“And she thought they were poor.” Sondra
huffed. “I hope she enjoys every penny.”

“My guess is she’ll enjoy every minute she’s
not with her ex.”

“That’s for sure.” Sondra waved as she
climbed into her white rental car.

She was going to spend the evening with Nikki
and Brad. Brad had started back to work part time. He was almost
back to his pre-cancer weight and remission was a word everyone was
willing to say. What a joy for Nikki and Brad. And what a joy they
would find in their children.

Sondra took a deep breath. She was still
determined to carry out the promise she had made to her sister.
Whether or not they could adopt, the four frozen embryos were still
there waiting for their chance at life. She wasn’t going to walk
away from that. One more try. She had promised.

But her dreams about Zack were getting more
urgent. She would wake up covered in sweat, terrified that he’d
died and they’d never been sealed. Their daily talks had solidified
her desire for their eternal companionship. They were best friends,
and she wanted nothing more than to kneel at the altar with
him.

With her promise to Nikki, she couldn’t bring
herself to tell him exactly how she felt. Despite the warmth of his
voice over the phone, she wasn’t certain he shared her feelings.
The kiss at the airport had been entirely her own idea.

She’d gone back to having her weekly skype
visits with her parents, careful to keep Zack out of the
conversation. She’d hadn’t mentioned the Shattered Stalker, either.
Those were two topics she didn’t want to burden her parents with.
They needed to keep their focus on their mission.

* * *

“Brad is welcome to come in and look at the
babies. He can leave during the implantation.”

“Are you sure?” Nikki pressed.

Sondra nodded. “I’ll be perfectly modest
while we’re looking at the babies. There’s no reason he can’t be
here for that.” She suddenly wished Zack could be there for the
start like he’d been there at the end for the other set of twins.
Thoughts of that dark night almost brought tears, but this was a
joyful moment she didn’t want to ruin.

Zack’s time in Germany had been extended, and
he wasn’t expected to be back until November. She had promised him
she’d move in with Nikki and Brad if she felt at all tired.

She’d already made arrangements. The last
pregnancy had been draining just a few days after the implantation.
She wasn’t going to risk the babies by trying to handle this alone.
Working from home meant it really didn’t matter where she was
living. Jake wasn’t making an effort to push her back to the
office, but they were both aware that no headway had been made in
finding who the Shattered Stalker was.

Brad and Nikki watched the vibrant, moving
cells. She reached out and almost touched the screen. She smiled at
Brad. “Our babies.”

He hugged her, kissed her on the head, then
turned to hug Sondra. “Thanks. We can never repay you.”

“This is for me, too. I love them
already.”

He stepped out of the room. A few minutes
later, Sondra was once again pregnant with twins.

As she was dressing, Nikki asked, “Are we
still keeping this from Mom and Dad?”

Sondra nodded. “I really don’t want them to
stress about it. It’s enough for us. They can just enjoy the
rewards when they return in December.”

“I don’t know about this.” Nikki protested.
“I think Mom should know.”

Sondra was firm. “I really don’t want her
knowing. I’m the one going through this. And,” She swallowed back
threatening tears, “we don’t know that I won’t lose them again.
Please, just keep her out of it.”

“If you say so.” Nikki sounded doubtful, but
she stepped to help zip up Sondra’s dress. Her voice took on a
happier tone. “It’s your birthday. Thirty years old. Funny that the
perfect day landed on April 26. And you’re giving me the best gift
I can imagine. Let’s go celebrate. Where to?”

* * *

The first two months were the worst for
morning sickness and exhaustion. By the third month, Sondra already
looked six months pregnant. Just as she’d imagined the day Nikki
had first suggested the idea, she waddled through the day. When she
called to announce her condition, Jake didn’t say one word about
the fact that Zack was gone and she somehow ended up pregnant. He
probably assumed Zack had come home a few times during his Germany
trip.

She showed up in court in one of the
maternity suits she had purchased when she’d gone shopping with
Zack during the first pregnancy. After the case was heard, Jake
pulled her aside. “I think it would be best if you kept working
from home during the next few months, don’t you?”

Sondra’s brows drew together in a puzzled
frown. “What do you mean? I work from home right now.”

Jake blew out a frustrated breath. “Of course
you do. I mean, one of the other attorneys can handle your cases in
court. It must be tiring standing in court arguing in your
condition.”

Sondra stared at him in shock a moment. Her
first inclination was to charge him with discrimination, but she
remembered how willing he had been to let her work from home. If
things didn’t work out with her and Zack like she wanted, she
couldn’t risk her job.

Shouting discrimination wouldn’t keep her
job, and another law firm wouldn’t be willing to hire her if they
knew she was a lawsuit risk. Attorneys were too cautious about
working with someone who might sue them. She’d be shooting herself
in the foot economically if she took a stand. Instead, she said,
“You’re right. I do get tired. When do you think I can start
arguing in court again?”

“I’m not sure. Let’s see how you feel. You’re
doing great work for the firm right where you’re at. You don’t need
to be attending court to be an asset.” The unspoken message from
Jake was
don’t make waves and I’ll take care of you,
and
they both knew it.

By the time November rolled around, Sondra
was feeling like a beached whale. She could hardly move. But when
Zack called to announce his flight, she knew she wouldn’t miss
meeting him at the airport.

Not wanting to ride the shuttle, she pulled
into the cell phone waiting area while she waited for him to call
after he landed. The lighted board listed the flights. Her heart
sped as he explained which number he was waiting under in the
passenger pick up lane.

Her smile could’ve lit up the night sky when
she saw the face she’d desperately missed. Climbing out of the car,
she slowly waddled to him and waited for his look of astonishment
at her size. Instead of registering any surprise, she was pleased
to see only a warm welcome.

“You are just as beautiful as I remembered.”
He stepped over and dipped his head for a thorough exploration of
her mouth. Astonished at his reaction, she responded in kind. After
they pulled apart, she asked, “Were you expecting me to be this
big?”

“Jade had twins, remember? I was pretty much
planning on it.” He grinned. “And I love how you look.”

She blinked. Despite the fact that she missed
him, she was dreading his reaction. This wasn’t something she’d
expected.

“Any news on your stalker?” He asked as he
loaded his luggage in the back seat.

Sondra shook her head. “I’m hoping he or she
has lost interest.”

His face was serious. “Given how much thought
was put into the other attacks, I wouldn’t count on it. Have you
sold your townhouse yet?”

“I haven’t even been back since…” She
couldn’t go on.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t. I’ll take care of
things.”

“Thanks. I’m just trying to be careful.” She
maneuvered into the passenger seat and Zack closed the door. When
he settled into the driver side, she continued, “The twins are
doing great.”

“I’m glad to hear that. How is Brad?” He
looked over his shoulder and pulled into traffic.

“They’re expecting a full recovery.”

“I’m glad Nikki won’t be a single mother.” He
glanced at Sondra and then back at the lighted freeway. “Parenting
is hard enough with two.”

“It is.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes.
“Would it be alright to stay in my condo for the night? I can
deliver you back to Nikki’s tomorrow. There are a lot of deer
running into the highway. I’d rather you not risk driving back
until tomorrow. They don’t tend to run out during the day.”

“That’s fine. I’ll just need to let her
know.” She called Nikki before they headed into the canyon.

While she stared out the window, watching the
glare of oncoming lights, she wondered how she was going to keep
herself from throwing herself at him. Then she stifled a giggle
after imagining her huge self trying to do anything romantic. Not
happening. “Will you be going back to Germany any time soon?” She
didn’t turn to look at him, afraid of what she might see.

She could hear the smile in his voice. “No.
The office is running smoothly. I hired someone who is handling the
day-to-day operations, and one of the engineers has relocated with
his entire family. His wife has relatives in Germany, so it all
worked out.”

She couldn’t hide the relief in her tone.
“I’m glad.” Then she remembered where his home office was. “When
are you flying back to San Jose?”

“I won’t be going back until the New Year.
I’ll be working from my condo until the babies are born.”

“Can you do that?” She turned to look at him
in astonishment.

He shrugged, a movement she could just make
out in the darkened car. “If they need me for anything, I’m just a
phone call away, and most of my work is on the computer, anyway.
I’m done with the office setup.”

“I’ll bet that’s a relief.”

“I’m just glad to be home.” He said that with
such enthusiasm, she hoped it meant he was glad to be with her.

They stopped at a restaurant in Park City.
Sondra ordered an appetizer since she’d already eaten with Nikki
and Brad earlier.

She was at the point in the pregnancy that
she was no longer exhausted. Instead, she had a hard time sleeping.
The babies crowded her lungs.

* * *