Unexpected Marriage (10 page)

After that bombshell Lauren informed them that she had only requested a second opinion, as Kaycee had not put on as much weight as she should have. She prescribed some nutrients and vitamins that would help her put on weight and made a list of things she should be eating and drinking before giving them their ultrasound photo and sending them on their way.

Kaycee was completely shocked by the turn of events and didn't know what to say. She had thought it was hard enough being pregnant with one child but now here she was stuck in a loveless marriage with twins on the way and no idea what she was going to do.

“Why are we stopping?" she asked as she became aware that Jake had pulled the car over and he turned to her his face unreadable.

“Lunch," he answered her and Kaycee didn't even attempt to put up a fight. She was a little hungry and still too shocked to complain.

Kaycee had been in the mood for something simple like soup but Jake insisted on taking her in to one of the exclusive restaurants that did everything but simple. He also changed her order from the simple salad she ordered as a starter to something she couldn't even pronounce but that was apparently full of fat.

“I can order my own lunch," she hissed and Jake sent her a dark look.

“We both want our children to be healthy, so why argue?" he asked and Kaycee settled for glaring at him instead.

“Don't think for a second that just because I'm having twins I will do everything you say," Kaycee warned him.

“I wouldn't dream of it," Jake replied as he poured her a sparkling water which she gratefully took.

Conversation lagged as Kaycee became lost in her own dark thoughts. She had just about been able to cope living with Jake when she had thought there was just one baby and that she had the option of leaving him but twins changed everything. There was absolutely no way that she would be able to handle twins on her own, even with Jake things were going to be a struggle and she refused to be one of those women who left their children to be raised by a nanny. It left her with too few choices in her life and Kaycee hated this feeling of suffocation she had.

It was a welcome break from her thoughts when their waiter returned with their meals and Kaycee found that despite all her arguments she was actually starving and the starter was delicious. It was far more satisfying than her salad would have been and she was secretly grateful that Jake had changed her order though she would never admit that to him.

“We should talk about this," Jake said after a while indicating her stomach and Kaycee glared at him.

“Why? One baby or two, what does it matter? Either way I'll be your prisoner," she told him coolly not wanting to give him even a glimpse of her inner turmoil. She had spent so long keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself that it was hard to share them with anyone let alone the one man she wasn't sure she should trust.

“You are not a prisoner Kaycee," Jake said wearily and she eyed him skeptically.

“But if I wanted to some freedom like going for a walk on my own I'm assuming that you'd have something to say about it," she said making Jake sigh.

“It's not safe for you to be walking around the city by yourself in your condition," he explained and Kaycee bristled with anger.

“So I am a prisoner. Isn't that what it means when you have no freedom of choice and someone is always following you?" she asked and Jake frowned at that.

“Is it wrong for me to want to know my wife and children are safe?" he asked in a sad tone that pulled at Kaycee's heartstrings making her feel like a complete bitch.

She should be grateful to have him there to worry about her and their unborn children but she had been hurt too many times before to trust that his feelings didn't come with strings attached. All her life she had found herself getting hurt when people ignored her feelings and turned her heart in to mincemeat. First with her father and then with every friend or boyfriend that preferred Sarah to her. That was probably why she had always played it safe and gone for men who she knew wouldn't push for more than she could handle. It was why she had never really allowed herself to fall in love with Rob even though they had been together for so long. It was also why she didn't feel she could completely trust Jake because no matter how much he claimed to care for her putting too much faith in him left her vulnerable.

“It's wrong to want to control me," she said instead as she finished her starter with a sigh of pleasure. She was almost certain that she had never tasted something so delicious in her life.

“I do not wish to control you, Kaycee. I want us to have a real marriage but we cannot have that if you keep running away from me every time things get too personal. I won't let you take my children away from me but that is no reason for us not to have a real marriage," Jake explained and Kaycee fought back tears at his words. He was right that she always ran away when things got too hard but it was something she had always done and she couldn't trust him when he couldn't even be honest with her.

“How can we have a real marriage when you won't even tell me where you were for a month?" Kaycee demanded and he gave a dejected sigh.

“I can't tell you Kaycee. I promised I would not," Jake told her and she frowned at that.

“Just tell me one thing. Did your disappearance have anything to do with Sarah?" she asked watching him carefully not wanting to miss his reaction. He looked surprised by her question, shocked even.

“It had something to do with her," he admitted and Kaycee stared at him in horror. So, it was all true? She was tempted to walk out but something stopped her, maybe it was the fact that she was carrying his twins or maybe it was because she saw something in him that she wanted to believe. Either way she found that she didn't want to believe the worst in him all of a sudden and made up her mind to confront her stepsister instead.

The rest of the meal passed without incident and Kaycee even allowed herself to be talked in to having a dessert. The meal was delicious and after the awkwardness of their earlier conversation they had both settled for lighthearted discussions that touched on neither his disappearance nor hers. After the meal Kaycee insisted that he drop her off so she could visit her sister and was stunned when he agreed, only to drop her off at her apartment instead.

“Why are we at my apartment?" she asked confused and Jake frowned at her.

“You wanted to visit Sarah," he replied and Kaycee's mouth dropped open. She had said Sarah could stay a few days to get over Rob but she hadn't expected her to still be there now.

“I'll get a taxi back," Kaycee assured Jake who looked disgusted at the thought.

“Call me and I'll pick you up," he said and Kaycee laughed softly.

“I'm sure I can manage to get a taxi without getting hurt," she informed him as she went to get out the car but Jake stopped her with a small touch to his arm.

“I mean it Kaycee, call me and I'll come pick you up," he said with a warning look and Kaycee sighed as she agreed. She thought he was being a little overprotective and he even waited until she had gone in to the apartment before he left.

Kaycee was in complete shock when she opened the door and found her apartment in complete disarray. Her normally ordered apartment was a mess with women's clothes thrown all over the place, most of them hers and take-out boxes abandoned on the floor.

“What the hell?"

“Kaycee." Sarah squealed as she appeared in the lounge wearing one of Kaycee's short dresses and killer heels.

“What the hell happened here?" Kaycee demanded staring round at the mess in horror.

“What? Oh, just a party," Sarah said indicating the empty bottles littered around and Kaycee found anger stirring. It was bad enough that her sister had stolen her ex but now not only might she be sleeping with her husband but she had also moved in to her apartment and was using all her clothes.

“Are you kidding me? What the hell are you still doing here?" Kaycee asked and Sarah hesitated as she turned her puppy dog look on her.

“You said I could stay here," Sarah said and Kaycee stared at her incredulously.

“I said you could stay here until things had died down. I didn't mean you could move in here and leave the place in a mess. And why are you wearing my clothes?" Kaycee asked.

“Well, I didn't realize there was a time limit and I didn't think you would mind me borrowing some clothes being that I'm your sister and all," Sarah said tearfully making Kaycee feel like a cow.

“I didn't come here to argue," she said trying to get the conversation back on track and Sarah lifted her head with two perfect tears trailing down her cheeks as she observed her.

“I was worried about you when you just vanished. Jake and I had no idea where you had gone or why," Sarah said and Kaycee almost laughed out loud at that.

“You and Jake? Did you see a lot of him?" she asked and Sarah gave a short laugh.

“Well of course. He's family now, why wouldn't I have seen a lot of him?" Sarah asked making Kaycee frown.

“You remember that month when Jake left? Did you see him? Because he mentioned he'd seen you," Kaycee said and Sarah looked surprised.

“He told you about that?" she asked and Kaycee frowned.

“Of course he told me, he's my husband," she replied and Sarah looked confused.

“What exactly did he tell you?" she asked carefully and Kaycee's suspicions rose.

“What should he have told me?" Kaycee asked and Sarah gave a small laugh.

“Absolutely nothing," she replied making her temper rise further.

“I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest Sarah," Kaycee said and her sister gave an awkward smile.

“Okay..."

“Are you sleeping with my husband?" she demanded and Sarah's smile faded.

“I can't believe you would accuse me of something like that," Sarah hissed and Kaycee gave a harsh laugh.

“Why? You've done it before," she pointed out and Sarah looked hurt again as she regarded her.

“You need to talk to Jake," Sarah said before she turned and stormed from the building leaving Kaycee with more questions than she had answers to. She stayed where she was for a moment staring around the messy room before turning and leaving deciding that she'd had enough shocks for one day.

Seeing a taxi across the road Kaycee began to cross when all of a sudden out of nowhere a car flew at her and Kaycee barely had time to throw herself out of harms way as it sped past missing her by barely an inch and leaving her lying in the middle of the road stunned and frightened.

The worst part of it was that although she couldn't be certain, for a split second she had thought she saw Sarah driving!

The street was deserted when the car came hurtling towards her but all of a sudden as if from nowhere a man appeared at her side making Kaycee jump in surprise.

“Do not move, you could be injured," the man said as he pulled out his phone and made two quick phone calls in a low voice and she frowned up at him in confusion as her mind became foggy making it hard to think clearly.

“I'm fine," she said after a moment as she tried to assess any injuries she may have sustained but could find nothing but a few scrapes although she would be have bruises tomorrow.

“Do not move," he repeated as she tried to get to her feet and Kaycee gave him what she hoped was a grateful smile.

“I promise I'm fine," she repeated but he still seemed unconvinced.

“I can't let you move until Jake sees for himself that you are alright," the man said and Kaycee froze in the act of getting up as she stared at him in horror. He had called Jake? How did he even know Jake? And how had he suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

“Who are you?" she demanded suddenly nervous and he smiled down at her as though trying to put her at ease though it did nothing to calm her frayed nerves.

“Max Powell, Bodyguard," he introduced and Kaycee felt anger boil inside at the realization that Jake had been having her watched.

It was barely ten minutes later when Jake arrived and by then an ambulance had also turned up and a crowd had gathered to see what was going on. Kaycee felt extremely self-conscious as she found herself the focus of attention and she reluctantly allowed herself to be examined though she felt completely fine but Jake refused to take her word for it and insisted that she be taken to hospital in case anything had happened to the twins, something which the paramedics apparently agreed with.

“I'm fine," Kaycee hissed once again to Jake when they were finally alone, after he had insisted on accompanying her to the hospital and had somehow gotten her a private room.

“You were almost run over, that is not fine," he replied watching her pale features carefully as though he expected her to break at any moment.

“There was no need to have me followed," she snapped finally letting loose what had been bothering her since she had found out but Jake merely sighed.

“Max is a professional who was only there to keep you safe," he explained and she narrowed her eyes at him furiously.

“There was absolutely no need," Kaycee growled at him and Jake shook his head in exasperation.

“Clearly there was every need," he told her indicating her current predicament and Kaycee glared at him.

“I am absolutely fine," she informed him but Jake wasn't buying it.

“Why didn't you call me to come and pick you up?" he asked sounding hurt and Kaycee sighed.

“Because I am quite capable of looking after myself, I don't need someone watching my every move," she insisted and Jake looked disbelieving though considering that she had been almost run over just trying to get a taxi she could understand his disbelief.

Before he could reply though the door swung open and a doctor appeared making Kaycee wonder how on earth Jake had managed to get her to the front of the queue as in her experience hospitals took great pleasure in making you wait about for hours at a time.

“Is everything okay?" Jake asked and the doctor gave them both a big beaming smile as he explained that everything looked fine but that they wanted to keep her in overnight just to be sure that the shock hadn't hurt the babies.

“I told you I was fine," she told them both but once again she was ignored as they discussed the possible risks that could still occur through the night. Just because she felt fine didn't mean that something couldn't go wrong later on.

Apparently they were all in agreement which meant that unless Kaycee wanted to cause an argument that she had no hope of winning then she would just have to accept that tonight she would be resting in the hospital. She was too tired to argue so acceptance it was though it was grudgingly given.

“What are you doing?" she asked wearily as Jake reclined in his chair never once taking his eyes from her.

“Getting comfortable," he replied and Kaycee rolled her eyes. She had expected him to be gone by now with more important things to be doing but he did not seem in a rush to leave and it surprised Kaycee.

“I meant why are you still here? I thought you'd have gone by now," she confessed and Jake frowned at her.

“You are my wife, Kaycee. Why would I leave you?" he asked and she sighed at the realization that they still had so much more to learn about one another.

“Why would you leave me for a month?" she responded unwilling to let it go and it was his turn to sigh as he ran a hand roughly through his hair.

“I told you, I can't tell you. You have to speak to your father," he told her and Kaycee turned her wide green eyes on him at the revelation that her father apparently knew about this absence.

“My father knows?" she asked wanting confirmation and Jake nodded slowly.

“It was your father's idea. My father's too I suppose," he told her and he had a sudden worry on her face that surprised her. Why would he be worried?

“I don't understand," she told him and he smiled sadly at her.

“Just rest tonight. Tomorrow is soon enough for secrets to be revealed," he replied and Kaycee finally let him persuade her to drop the subject though she planned to find out exactly what was going on tomorrow.

She awoke bright and early though it was several hours before the doctors agreed she could be discharged. As she had predicted the only things that showed she had been hurt were a few scrapes and bruises though she was instructed to take things easy.

Jake seemed to realize her urgency for the truth as he drove to her father's instead of to their house that somehow seemed like home to her even though it had only been a few days.  The only thing that seemed to be keeping her from falling deeply in love with her husband was his secrets and lies. Until she knew the truth she could never trust him and he finally seemed to realize that.

Her father seemed surprised to see them even though it was almost lunch by the time they arrived and he ushered them in to his office ignoring the furious glare that his wife gave them as they passed her in the hallway.

Kaycee had the fleeting thought that Sarah could be here somewhere but it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. She had more important things to worry about than where her stepsister was hiding though she had questions for her too.

It was a tense moment as the door closed behind them and her father faced them both, his expression guarded as though he wasn't quite sure what to expect from this visit. He refused to look directly at her though and Kaycee wondered just when he had turned against her. It was clear that he no longer cared for her as much as he did his new family.

“What is the purpose of this visit?" her father asked when the silence dragged on and he aimed his question specifically at Jake who glanced at her before answering.

“I want my wife to know the truth. All of it." Jake informed him and she could have sworn that her father paled considerably.

“All of it?" he asked and Jake nodded.

“Is someone going to tell me?" Kaycee demanded when silence continued and she decided that she'd had enough.

“The phone call I had that day was from my mother," Jake explained and Kaycee frowned at that. Why would he keep that from her?

“Why was that a secret?" she asked and Jake ran a rough hand through his hair in a nervous gesture.

“Because my mother was informing me that my father had suffered a heart attack," Jake explained and Kaycee gasped clutching her heart in shock as she sank in to the nearest chair. His father had been ill and she hadn't even “I don't understand, why wouldn't you tell me?" she demanded and Jake sighed.

“At first I didn't want to worry you until I knew more but then your father got involved and I couldn't tell you," he explained making Kaycee send an accusing glare her father's way.

“I still don't understand. How exactly is my father involved in all this?" she asked and Jake looked expectantly at her father who remained silent.

“Your father found out about my father's sudden heart attack and he approached me with an offer," Jake said when her father did not and Kaycee frowned. She did not like where this was headed.

“What offer?" she asked her father who still refused to speak.

“He suggested that I marry his daughter in return for our business's combining with me at the head," Jake told her and her frown deepened. Marry his daughter? But he was already married to her, which must mean that....

“He wanted you to marry Sarah?" she asked in horror and Jake slowly nodded.

“He tried to bribe me in to marrying her by suggesting that my father would prefer to see his only son married before his death. I obviously refused but I had to explain why I couldn't marry her," Jake said with a pleading gaze and Kaycee finally realized what he was feeling so guilty about.

“You told them that we were already married,"

“I know I promised to keep it a secret but they wouldn't accept no for an answer. That's why I had to tell them. I'm sorry," Jake said pleading for forgiveness and Kaycee smiled for all this time she had been thinking he was cheating on her and instead he had only been thinking of her.

“That's why Sarah left her wedding. It had nothing to do with cold feet. She knew that Rob had no hope of owning Daddy's hotels because I was the first one to marry and not her," Kaycee exclaimed and Jake inclined his head for he too had come to this realization.

“But why would Sarah let me think that she had someone else? Why would she hint that you two were together for that month?" she asked.

“I recently discovered that your family seem to have quite an obsession with combining our hotels. It appears that Susan convinced her daughter that I was her ultimate prize and she should do anything to have me. It seems that since then Sarah has tried everything she can to convince you to leave me. I assume she is the reason you left," he said and Kaycee nodded unable to believe that her family could be so devious.

“How could Sarah do this to me?" she asked and her father looked shifty.

“There's something else. I also found out that Sarah was the one who tried to run you over," Jake revealed and Kaycee stared at him in horror.

“Did you know about all this?" she demanded of her father who had the gall to look guilty when he had apparently been trying to ruin her entire life piece by piece.

“You don't understand Kaycee. Susan is my wife," he said by explanation and Kaycee glared at him.

“Jake is my husband but do you think for a second that he would ever let anyone bully our daughter the way you let Susan bully me? All my life I've felt like a disappointment and all the time you were just trying to make her happy? Do you think that makes you a good husband? I think it just makes you a fool!" Kaycee informed him and her father blanched at her anger.

“I'm sorry sweetheart. But believe me when you have children you'll understand," he said and she stared at him incredulously. Understand? She would never understand how someone could treat their child that way.

“You know what? I'm already pregnant dad, with twins. Your first grandchildren. And believe me when I say that they will never know you. I will never mention any of you to them," Kaycee told him and her father stared at her stunned.

“But they are my grandchildren," he tried but Kaycee was having none of it. For too long she had kept quiet and let herself be treated like a second-class citizen but no more. From now on she was taking back her life.

“And I was your daughter but that didn't stop you from throwing me away. Well, you've just thrown away the best thing you ever had. And the worst part is that I won't even miss you." Kaycee said calmly before she turned and stormed from the room leaving her father to gape after her for he had never seen his daughter like this before.

“You little bitch." Susan said as she blocked Kaycee's exit.

“Excuse me?" she asked her stepmother who glared at her like she thought she was above Kaycee but that had never been true and she would not be allowed to go on thinking like that.

“You heard me. Who do you think you are? You think you can have my daughter arrested for something she didn't do and act like a spoilt little bitch?" Susan demanded and Kaycee responded by laughing in her face.

“Who do I think I am? I think I am a hardworking wife and soon to be mother who had a lucky escape. And I think you will find that your daughter is the bitch here," Kaycee informed her making Susan's face screw up making her look more hideous than usual.

“Any children you have will be nothing more than little whores. Just like their mother!" Susan screeched and that was her undoing for Kaycee had finally grown a backbone. With one swing of her fist she punch Susan as hard as she could and her stepmother went down with a bang, staring up at the girl she had bullied for so long with fear in her eyes.

“Don't you ever speak about my children like that again!” Kaycee snapped and then she left the house with Jake close behind her and he was prouder than he ever could have said.