Trust Me II (72 page)

“Did you see his attempted attack on me?” she asked with a frown.

“No, that was part of the room’s private cameras. All I saw was the shadows from the hall and you leaving. I had no idea what happened inside the room until the final production.”

“I’m sorry I interfered with Donato,” she said a few minutes later. “I know you’re angry, but you will thank me eventually. He’s grieving for more than the loss of his child. You’ve been a good friend to him and he needs you to stay that way.”

“I know, but it’s very difficult to think about staying in contact with him. His children…”

“Are his problem now. You can’t give up on him because of what the past has brought forward. He loves you as a brother and I think deep down, you feel the same about him.”

“You think you know so much about me, Mrs. Ashford?”

“I know a lot more than you would like to admit,” she smiled, sensing the end of the argument.

“Not as much as I do about you.”

“Really? Then since you know so much about me, do yo
u know what I would like to do now?” she asked him. He turned with a frown, sensing something silly and unpredictable about to come out of her mouth.

“Tell me,” he answered.

“I want to go back to the flat and have lunch, followed by my favorite dessert.”

“Which is?” he
asked; he didn’t think she ever mentioned having a favorite dessert before. Sandra looked at him and grinned; a mischievous twinkle shining in her eye.

“Why your favorite of course,” she answered. “
Peinture de carrosserie
.” Creighton couldn’t resist the laughter that seemed to embrace every corner of his existence. The interior of the car was suddenly much lighter as his foot lowered on the gas pedal, speeding them closer to their destination. He grinned, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

“One order of chocolate sauce, whipped cream
- and you - coming up.”

Sandra sat in the rocking chair on the front porch, a gift from her husband on their return to Yorkshire after the horror that took her from his embrace. She looked proudly at the book she held in her hands, her own creation and
the first installment of a series of children’s books involving a very special brown shepherd dog named Max and his adventures with Scotland Yard.

The sounds of laughter echoed around her and she looked up to see Derek’s family approaching, followed close behind by the brown dog and Creighton’s parents. Sabrina had moved to Paris in an attempt to put the past behind her and had found a rather attractive photographer to start dating, though Sandra knew her heart was still very much attached to Giovanni. Donato had remained in Italy to run that end of the business and after a while, Sandra had managed to get
him and Creighton together for a polo charity event. The two men talked for a long period of time before things settled down between them and began to slowly return to a normal level of friendship.

Aryana had given birth to their baby boy named Dantae Donato and was currently pregnant with twin girls. Daniel had managed to curb her spending habits to a strong degree, but only after putting her on a strict allowance. Once Dantae was born,
she realized how difficult it was to shop for hours on end with an infant and found another fascination in cooking, starting her own very successful catering business.

Giovanni was last known to have gone traveling the world, unable to get over Sabrina;
last anyone knew he had married a woman in Australia very briefly and had a child with her. He was now a single father raising an eighteen month old daughter on his own. Sandra still held out hope that someday they would forgive each other and get back together, but she now felt that was a fading dream. Sabrina had called a few days ago to tell them she was getting married to her photographer, though she didn’t seem as happy as she should have been. Still, Sandra believed in hope and true love and prayed that there would be a happy ending for her sister-in-law.

Andrew had taken to traveling to New York every weekend until he finally had enough of the commute and convinced Cathy to move to London where they now shared Creighton’s five thousand square foot flat in Chelsea. Mary and James moved to
England and were happily enjoying the serenity of Yorkshire and the close contact with Sandra, Creighton and their three year old son, Brandon.

With baby
number two on the way, and contractions to alert her to an eventful night, Sandra found her time with her beloved Creighton limited; but they always seemed to find a few hours to enjoy a new toy or some time with their leather table. Sex had become more of a means of escape for them, a way of leaving behind their normal routine of family, boring meetings and farm life to enjoy each other’s bodies to their limits.

Sandra had learned how to run the company though she refused to allow her husband to know how much she understood, but rather chose to allow him to think she couldn’t grasp onto the concept of high finance. It made the lessons very intriguing as he would use her toys and body to explain the levels of the corporate ladder
to her.

Creighton stepped out onto the porch next to his wife, helping her out of the chair as their
son came running up the porch, relaying his trip to the London Zoo to his parents. They smiled and listened as only a parent could do, smiling and nodding as he told them about the lions and bears and his particular favorite, the spotted monkeys.

Brandon was
an exact replica of his father; dark hair that was always in need of trimming and dark blue eyes that sparkled when he was excited. He was very intelligent, having learned his alphabet, shapes and numbers by the time he was two and was currently learning to read. Having Creighton home all day, made for an easier transition from workaholic to father as he would sit for hours reading to Brandon or explaining the world of finance to him. They had purchased a small desk that sat next to Creighton’s, where their son would spend his time pretending to be his father’s assistant.

Rachel had given birth to a son four weeks before Brandon was born
and she and Michelle were currently discussing the need to enlarge their family. After having to give birth by caesarian section, Michelle was terrified of being pregnant herself. It was going to take a lot of encouragement and support from her partner before she finally agreed to it.

Irena was currently on her last semester of college and had already told Sandra that she and Peter were planning on getting married
, though the family wasn’t aware of this yet. She was a registered nurse working in the labor and delivery department at the hospital, but her real desire was to join Peter in medical school the following spring after traveling to Africa for a honeymoon. She was planning on being an obstetrician while he studied family medicine. Together, she teased, they would have a large practice just from the family alone.

Sandra hugged her in-laws as
everyone made their way into the house and eventually gathered around the table for supper. Creighton still insisted on being the main chef of the family and had managed to make a delicious shepherd’s pie in between teleconference meetings, while Sandra gathered the vegetables for the salad. The dining room was alive with laughter and cheerful chatter as Andrew, Cathy and Sabrina managed to make it over as well was Mary and James. The old house never seemed to be missing in activity or some sort of event, whether a birthday, anniversary or celebration of a new member. Kristin and Derek had just had their sixth child when Sandra and Creighton announced the news of their second, so baby clothes, strollers, car seats and bassinets were constantly being traded off between the families.

Cathy and Andrew were thinking of starting a family, though marriage was not a subject either was willing to discuss. They didn’t seem to have a reason for a piece of paper to tell them they had to stay together; it was a matter of choice for them. The truth was, Cathy was afraid of a permanent commitment. She loved Andrew, but fear of her past failed relationships haunted her whenever the subject of matrimony came up.

Supper began with the lively chatter of Brandon and Justin talking about the zoo, bringing everyone else into the conversation. Sandra sat her fork aside as she leaned closer to Creighton, whispering in his ear that her water had just broken.

He stood up and nearly knocked the chair over behind him as he
began shouting out orders. He helped Sandra up from the chair and walked slowly beside her toward the front door. Irena was at her side in a flash while Cathy and Sabrina tried to harness in the children and take them into the living room. Andrew went to pull his police car with the hidden lights and siren over from his parents’ house when Sandra suddenly grabbed hold of the back of a chair, panting frantically.

“We won’t make it,” she told her husband as she
felt the wave of another contraction. Creighton waited until she was able to breathe before gathering her in his arms and carrying her to their bedroom under the guidance and insistence of his little sister. He laid her down as gently as he could after Kristen and Mary covered the bed with an old thick blanket, just in time for her to start panting again. He had been beside her for the birth of Brandon, but he had been in the hospital where they had emergency personnel available in case of any problems. Now, all he could hope for was that his little sister really did know what she was doing.

“Kristen, call her doctor and tell him what’s happening and then call for the paramedics,” Irena said calmly. “
Tell Derek to bring me up the emergency kit I keep in the back of my car.”

“Why do you need the paramedics?” Creighton asked with a deep frown, his heart in his throat.” What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, it’s just a good idea to have backup in case we need them, just calm down.” Irena smiled, fighting the urge to laugh. “I have done this before.”

“How many times?” he asked with a frown.

“Creighton come up here and help me,” Sandra insisted, trying to pull him away from his little sister so she could concentrate on bringing their baby into this world.

“Are you alright?” he asked her gently, kissing her forehead and holding her hand.

“I’m right as rain,” she snarled as another contraction took hold of her and she began to growl.

“Are you ready to push this little one out into the world?” Irena asked, slipping on the sterile gloves she carried the emergency kit. Sandra
’s growl increased as she nodded her head, panting wildly while her sister-in-law positioned herself on the bed between her legs. She checked her dilation and smiled, ignoring her brother’s intent gaze.

“
What’s with the initials?” Irena asked with an amused grin.

“None of your business,” her brother growled, his cheeks tinting slightly.

“It was an engagement present for your brother,” Sandra answered after collapsing back on the pillows, panting softly.

“And the handcuffs?”

“Shut the hell up Irena and concentrate on your job.” Irena laughed as she prepared herself for delivery, ignoring the narrowed eyes of the man who stared at her, warning her to keep quiet.

“Next contraction
I want you to push for all you’re worth,” the young girl told Sandra with a smile that shouted volumes; she had just caught sight of a secret and she was very eager to know the whole story behind it.

Mary arrived
with a glass of ice chips in one hand, a moist rag in the other. She handed both to Creighton and fought the urge to laugh at the pale expression on his face; a mixture of ultimate awe and death defying fear. Sandra sucked on the ice for a few seconds, hearing the sounds of a siren as it neared the house, then drew a deep breath and sat up with Creighton’s help.

“Things are going too fast,” he said with a frown
as she finished the contraction. “Brandon took fourteen hours to deliver.”

“I’ve been in labor most of the afternoon,” Sandra panted as she rested against the pillow again.

“Why the bloody hell didn’t you tell me?” he snapped and Sandra actually laughed, her stomach jerking with the effort.

“Because I wanted to eat before we went to the hospital,” she said honestly. “Fourteen hours of not eating is a real pain in the…” Sandra sat up suddenly and drew a deep breath, pushing for all she was worth.

“Okay Sandra, you’ve got it now push hard,” Irena told her and waited as the top of the small dark head poked though the opening of her vagina. Sandra collapsed against the pillow again, panting as Mary wiped her brow.

“Ass,” Sandra
gasped.

“What?” Creighton frowned.

“I said not eating for fourteen hours was a pain in the ass.” Mary and Irena laughed as Creighton rolled his eyes. As much pain as she was in, as much fear as he was feeling and she found it necessary to make jokes.

“Deep breath,” Irena said as the searing pain took hold of
Sandra’s abdomen and she sat up again, pushing as hard as she could.

Three strong contractions later and a tiny, screaming baby lay on her mother’s stomach
. Sandra smiled, tears streaming down her face as she caressed her new infant, shushing her and holding her against her, skin to skin.