13. Clara

CHAPTER 13

CLARA

W eeks later, Clara and Luis were back at a doctor's office together. It was her first scan, and she'd been wringing her hands about it all day. The relief she felt when Luis offered to go with her was more than she wanted to admit to. She'd been the one to insist this be kept professional, but for some reason, his just being there was a comfort to her. Even though they hadn't known each other long, Luis always made her feel safe and taken care of, which was something she hadn't felt since she'd left home.

The nurse had taken Clara's weight and blood pressure, and she'd asked all the usual questions. Then she told Clara to get into a hospital gown, hop onto the table, and wait for the doctor to arrive.

"Do you want me to go?" Luis asked.

Clara shook her head. "Please don't." She tried to keep it together, but she couldn't stop her hands from shaking. What if things had gone terribly wrong? They did tell her that her fertility was declining. Didn't pregnancy also become more dangerous as one got older? If something went wrong with this pregnancy, Clara feared she may never get another chance. And she was about to find out just how viable this pregnancy was.

Luis must have sensed her nervousness because he stepped in and took her hand, just as she had done when he'd admitted his fears about his family. It felt good supporting each other. And she supposed it wasn't unprofessional at all. Business partners had to look out for each other, or the business would fail. In this case, the business was this pretend little family they'd built together. Support was fine, she told herself. Of course it was.

"Are you okay?" Luis asked her when she squeezed his hand a little too tightly.

"I think so," she murmured back. "I think I'm just scared."

"It's going to be all right," he assured her, and when he said it, she felt inclined to believe it was true. "Trust me."

Preparation for the scan wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be, but it wasn't a lot of fun either. Luis seemed to know exactly when to crack a joke or say something encouraging. "I don't think I could do what you're doing," he said. "Not even for a million bucks."

Clara gasped when she felt a coolness she hadn't expected, and Luis squeezed her hand again. "A million bucks to you is like a penny to everyone else," she said, trying to hide the tremor in her voice.

"Exactly, which is why I would refuse outright."

She chuckled and felt a pinch.

"Relax," the doctor told her. "It'll be much more comfortable if you relax."

"That's easier said than done." But Clara gave it her best shot anyway. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

Then Luis's voice cut in. "So you and your sister are twins, right?"

Clara could barely nod.

"Did you ever try to fool your parents into thinking you were each other?"

He was trying to distract her, and Clara thought it was the sweetest thing. She decided to answer his question. "One time, neither one of us wanted to go to school, so we made a pact. One of us would claim to be sick and stay home while the other went to school. So we'd get every other day off, and as far as our parents knew, it was just me who had the flu for a week. The truth is I kind of think our mother knew the difference and played along so we could have a few days of fun. We were identical but very different in a lot of ways."

"She must have wanted you to have a good story to tell your future husband," Luis said. "Seems to have worked out just fine."

"All right, you two," the doctor cut in. "You're going to want to hear this."

"Hear what?" Luis asked before Clara could get the words out. Apparently, he was every bit as nervous as Clara was. Rather than worry her, though, his concern comforted her. He was such a lucky man in so many ways. If he already cared about the baby's well-being, then he would definitely keep his promise to take care of both Clara and her child. At least, that's what she told herself.

As Clara gathered her thoughts, she heard a little whooshing coming from the machine. She'd heard that sound before. "Wait. Is that?—"

"That's your baby's heartbeat," the doctor said. "It's a good, strong heartbeat."

"It is?" Clara didn't know why she felt the need to ask. She'd been expecting the worst to prepare herself for it, and for some reason that made it difficult to process good news.

Unlike her, Luis seemed to have expected the best. "I knew it!" he said. "You see? I told you it would be good. Amazing." His cheeks were flushed and his smile so big. Clara could hardly believe it. She'd thought the baby part of the bargain was just for her, but he seemed to be as excited as she was. He really was going to be a father to this child, and he was loving it. He was a good man, maybe the best man. If she ever had doubts about that, they were long gone now. As she watched him, her eyes welled with tears, which she would normally have attributed to hormones, but this time around, she wasn't so sure.

The doctor finished up the exam and said, "For what it's worth, as far as we know at this stage, you're progressing beautifully. I see no reason to worry. Now all that's left to do is let your fiancé spoil you." She turned to Luis. "And that's an official prescription, Mr. Morales."

Luis beamed at the doctor. "Oh, rest assured she will be spoiled. Plans have already been set in motion."

"That's good to hear," the doctor said, and she left them alone so Clara could get dressed.

Clara didn't get dressed right away, though. She still couldn't process everything that had happened to her in the last couple months. It seemed like a dream, like something wonderful she would unfortunately wake from. This was the sort of thing she would have daydreamed about when she was thirteen after watching some rags-to-riches, Cinderella love story. Older Clara would have taken thirteen-year-old Clara aside and explained why this sort of thing never happened to girls like her in real life, and that she should just be happy she and her family were middle-class and healthy.

It took her a moment to notice that Luis was shaking her by the shoulders. "Are you okay? Clara? Do I need to call the doctor back in here?" She looked up, and he visibly relaxed at the eye contact. "Come here." He pulled her into his arms and she rested her forehead against his chest. "Everything's going to be wonderful. You'll see. I promise I'll do everything in my power to ensure your pregnancy is as smooth as possible. And if you don't believe me, just know that Morales men take care of their own. It's a family tradition." He took her by the chin and made her look up into his chocolate eyes. "Believe me, Clara." And she did. Then his face lit up, and he added, "Can you believe we're going to be parents? I don't think I've ever been so happy. I'll have a family of my own, and it's all thanks to you."

As he spoke, he came closer and closer. She could feel his breath on her skin, and her heart beat faster because of it. More than anything, she wanted to kiss him, and that was a problem. But the even bigger problem seemed to be that he wanted to kiss her, too. This wasn't the result of a fun night out at a bar either. This was the result of finding out they would be having a baby together, a family. That was what drove their desire for each other, and that was anything but a business arrangement. Real feelings were worming their way into her heart, and she had to put a stop to it. But his lips were just so inviting, and she couldn't stop thinking about the one night of heat they'd shared. It was the reason this pregnancy was even real, and she was beyond tempted to repeat it.

She quickly pulled away from him and laughed off the awkward moment. "Well, I guess we're both hormonal because of the pregnancy, right?"

He ran a hand through his hair and looked far more dejected than she thought he should. "Right. Let's go home."

The drive back was too quiet, but Clara didn't know how to break the silence. Everything she thought to say seemed either cruel or flippant somehow. Maybe he was as upset as she was that the relationship was inching its way over the lines they'd drawn. She decided to put a stop to it however she could, but then they got back to the penthouse.

As soon as she walked in the door she could smell it — her mother's rhubarb pie paired with something savory that made Clara's mouth immediately water. The dining table was already set up for two, candles burning in the center of it. It was the most ridiculous, cliché, romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.

"I wasn't sure whether we'd be getting good news or bad," Luis explained, gesturing toward the table. "So I had dinner brought in and talked your mother into baking another pie, just in case you needed some comfort food."

All Clara's plans to put a stop to the sentimentality went right out the window. She spun around and threw her arms around his neck. "How are you this perfect?" she said. And to her surprise, his arms found their way around her, too. He held her so tight — she never wanted him to let her go. But eventually he did. "Come and see what else I've done."

"There's more?" She stumbled after him up the stairs.

"This part was only for if the news was good." He led her to his office turned bedroom, which confused her because she'd certainly seen it before. Yes, it was impressive, but she wasn't about to be impressed by it twice . Then he opened the door, and the room was completely empty. Clara just blinked at it, not quite sure what he was getting at.

"I thought we could use this room as a nursery," Luis said. "It's the only cozy room in the penthouse. What do you think? I haven't decorated it yet because I thought you'd want to pick the colors and all."

She wanted to whirl around and hug him so tight, but her mind was spinning at what all this could mean. She'd expected that after they were wed and she had the baby, he'd set her up in a nice apartment downtown. He'd make sure his baby was provided for and maybe he'd participate in the kid's life. But this seemed to suggest he wanted her to live with him even after they were wed. Even after they had the baby.

"You know babies don't usually sleep through the night," she said, half hoping he wouldn't hear but feeling obligated to warn him. "It's kind of a cliché that new parents are miserable, get no sleep, and have no personal lives anymore. Even if you have help, the baby's still going to cry every night. You'll have bags under your eyes and be a walking zombie for the first month at least."

He took both her hands and smiled down at her. "That sounds just fine to me."

She gulped and pulled away. "You really do plan to raise this child with me? For real?"

He bent closer to her and murmured. "Of course I do, Clara. I love—" He cut himself off and appeared to course correct. "I'd love to have you both here with me. That way I can keep an eye on you."

But Clara hadn't missed his near-confession, and no amount of self-talk could convince her she'd misunderstood what he was about to say. Why did he want her here, really? Was it to keep some semblance of control, or could it be because he truly loved her? Maybe he was still emotional about the scan. She had to admit she'd been having questionable feelings herself, which she attributed to hormones and the high of receiving such good news.

Starting a real relationship because of a baby was never a good idea, was it? What would happen when the kid got older, and parenting them required more compromises? Would she wind up being the one who always compromised her values? Did a billionaire even know how to compromise? She supposed his giving up his office was a sign of something good, though she wasn't sure what. At the very least, he seemed willing to make sacrifices for his own child. Then again, it was possible he really did just want to keep an eye on her. If that was the case, did he not trust her to be a good mother?

So many thoughts were spinning in her head, it took her a second to notice he was addressing her. "Clara, are you okay? Tell me if you're not feeling well. I'll take you right back to the doctor, no questions asked."

She tried to tell herself he was only concerned for the child she carried, but the look in his eyes screamed otherwise. And the idea that he may actually love her scared the living daylights out of her because she was beginning to suspect she might actually love him back.