What did the doctor say about the sonogram? Women usually got it at eighteen to twenty-two weeks?
She thought it was cute that he was worried about her and the baby. Then she remembered why he was so concerned. Having a baby meant he could hold onto his position as CEO, and that was what Chase cared about most, not the life growing inside of her.
And that brought up a few questions of her own. She needed to know his plans for after their child was born. Was he still giving up his parental rights? She needed to know he didn’t plan to interfere in her raising of the baby.
“What do you think about me moving to New York after the baby is born?” At his confused look, she explained, “My best friend, Bianca, lives there, and she has offered me a great job with the magazine she owns. I didn’t like the idea of raising my child in a huge city at first, but Bianca is there. She’s like family.”
“I don’t...”
She rushed on with, “When you proposed we have a baby, you told me I could live wherever I want and raise him or her without interference from you. Those were the words you used.”
Was it her imagination or did he look hurt?
“I don’t have to move if you don’t want,” she said, backing down.
He shook his head. “No, no, we had a deal. I promised to give you a baby and let you raise him or her however you see fit. I won’t get in your way.”
He definitely sounded hurt and that didn’t make sense at all. Chase didn’t want children. He’d made that perfectly clear. Knowing him, it was just the regular sex he was going to miss, but he could find other willing women. In fact, the willing women seemed to always find him.
“Let’s just play it by ear,” she said with what she hoped was a cheerful smile. “The baby won’t be born for six and a half months yet, and a lot can happen between now and then.”
“You are right about that.”
She started to answer his question about doctor appointments and the sonogram. Her stomach lurched. She slapped a hand over her mouth and raced to the bathroom, no longer concerned about her state of undress. She barely made it to the toilet before puking up her midnight snack.
His warm hands gathered her hair and held it back for her. The tender gesture nearly made her weep. No one had done such a thoughtful thing for her since Phillip. Of course, he would have held her hair if she got sick while they were married. In their case, it was him that got sick, him that puked all the time, and him that needed help.
It was nice to have someone take care of her for a change.
“Okay now?” Chase asked.
She blinked tears back. No, she wasn’t okay. She was having a baby with a man that didn’t love her instead of with the man she’d vowed to spend her life with. “Y-yes.”
Chase pulled her to her feet, washed her face, and led her back to bed. He was so sweet that she forgot she was naked until she crawled under the sheet. Her cheeks blazed with heat.
“Can I get you something for the morning sickness?” he asked.
“Tea and... a cookie usually settles my stomach.”
“I will bring you a cuppa and some biscuits.” He grinned and added a wink. “See? I’m learning.”
And then he was gone, whistling on his way to the kitchen.
She had no idea how she was going to survive losing him. It had devastated her when Phillip died, but losing Chase would gut her.
Chapter Fourteen
On Wednesday morning the following week, they gathered in the boardroom for their board meeting, everyone except for Reginald Jacob. He hadn’t been around much lately, and Katie was sure he was about to retire. She ate a biscuit and had her tea before the meeting started so that she could settle her stomach. It only partially worked. She tried to focus while they went over last week’s minutes, talked about new business, and went over important numbers. Nothing registered. Beneath the table, she dug her fingernails into her palms and willed herself not to get sick in front of everybody.
Poppy droned on and on about a merger she was pushing for and Chase was against. The pros and cons sailed over Katie’s head. All she cared about was getting to a bathroom before it was too late.
They called for a vote. With Katie on Chase’s side and everyone else with Poppy, they had a tie. As CEO, Chase was the tiebreaker. The merger would not go through. Losing sent Poppy on an angry rant that Katie blocked out until her name was mentioned.
“... marriage to Katie is a fake! I told you so. He just wanted to have the extra stock so he can win every single time, and now none of us will ever get to do anything again without his permission. How is that fair? This isn’t supposed to be a dictatorship.”
Chase chose that moment to drop a bomb. “Katie is pregnant.”
Several gasps hit the air, including one from Katie. They had agreed not to tell anyone about the baby until she was further along. She was upset with him at first. Then she noticed no one at the table looked happy about the news. What kind of family didn’t celebrate a baby?