Noemi and Rafa decided not to tell anyone about the baby until past the three-month mark. “That’ll give Leo some time to come to terms, and anyway, it’s traditional.”
Rafa grinned at his lover as they sat in his kitchen one morning a week after their return from Lake Tahoe. “Like any of this has been traditional.”
Noemi chuckled and linked her fingers in his. “Then a little bit of tradition is probably called for.” She rubbed her belly unconsciously. “I should go get it confirmed at the hospital, though. They’d keep it on the down low—they’d have to—and, don’t freak out—but I want to just check everything is okay.”
Rafa was immediately alert. “You’ve had pain?”
“A little but that’s not unusual, so don’t get panicked,” She waved him down as he began to rise from his chair. “After all, my body is changing. I’m still waiting for the morning sickness to kick in.” She leaned over and brushed her lips against his. “Sure you’ll still want me when I’m all fat and huge?”
“Even more, Fatty.”
She laughed out loud. “So cruel, but I love you.”
“I’m gonna spoil you, pretty girl. Anything you want: pickled ice cream at midnight, scrambled eggs and surströmming at three a.m.”
“What the hell is surströmming?” Noemi was giggling at the mischief on his face.
“Fermented herring. Smells like death.”
Noemi gagged, and Rafa grinned. “Still waiting for the morning sickness?”
“I hate you.”
He blew her a kiss, and she laughed as Zani came into the room. “Hey, Zani.”
“Hey, Noe, Rafa. Everyone good?”
“Of course.” Rafa looked at his brother. “So, I’m going into the office this morning. Want to come with and discuss what use we can put you to?”
Zani smiled thinly. “Whatever you say, brother. I’ll go get changed.”
He slunk from the room and Rafa frowned. “You think he’s acting strangely? I mean ever since we got back?”
Noemi shrugged. “I don’t know him well enough to know, baby. What do you think?”
Rafa sighed. “I don’t know… I guess I could talk to him today.”
“You think he really wants a job?”
Rafa shook his head, smiling ruefully. “No, but what can I do?” He kissed her. “I’m going to get Bepi up.”
“I can take him to the kindergarten if you like.”
“I bet he’d love that—” Rafa was walking towards the door, then stopped and returned to her. “And maybe while you’re doing that… you could think about moving in with me.”
Noemi’s eye widened. “Wow. Wow. I mean… wow.”
“Just think about it is all I ask. I would very much like to raise our child together, but if that’s too soon…”
Noemi chuckled. “I think we’ve thrown ‘too soon’ out of the window.”
“Is that a yes?”
Noemi grinned. “Yes, you beautiful man, I’ll move in with you. But, one condition.”
“Back rubs and dirty sex nightly?”
Noemi pretended to look affronted. “I would hope that was a given. No, my condition is I pay rent. I’m not freewheeling from you, Rafa. No way. And it’s not like I can’t afford it, I’m a surgeon for Chrissakes. So… whatever your mortgage payment is on this every month, I pay half.”
Rafa’s lips twitched. “You want to know how much my mortgage is per month?”
“Yes.”
He told her, and Noemi paled. “Well… how about I just rent a room?”
Rafa threw his head back and laughed. “Girl, listen. Money is just… stuff. Who cares? We’ll work it out! No one will think you’re a gold digger! You’re a surgeon, remember?”
“Gah. Trapped by my own words.”
“Yup.” Rafa batted her butt with his hand. “Come shower with me, and I’ll take my rent that way.”
“Perv.”
“You know it.”
Bepi was, of course, delighted to be taken to the kindergarten by ‘Nommy,’ and he chatted all the way. He hugged her tightly when she said goodbye. “Love you, Nommy.”
Noemi held her tears back, and she smiled. “Love you, too, Bepi.”
She was still thinking about him as she drove to see Leonora. If she, Noemi, could love Bepi this fiercely when she wasn’t even his mother, she could not even comprehend how Leo was dealing with the loss of Jack. The pain must be overwhelming, she thought, and the idea of Leo suffering made her press the gas pedal a little more.
Noemi let herself into her sister’s house, calling out to Leo as she did. There was no answer, and Noemi felt a little curl of fear in her stomach. “Leo?”
“I’m out in the yard.”
Relief flooded through her, and she followed the sound of her sister’s voice into the small yard. She saw Leo crouched on the grass, digging around the bottom of a small tree.
“Hey,” she looked around at Noemi, and Noemi was relieved that Leo looked a little better.
“That’s lovely,” she nodded at the tree, and Leo smiled.
“It’s a gift from Jack’s school. They’ve planted another in their field from the same sapling in his honor. Honey, are you crying?”
Noemi wiped her eyes. “Sorry, so emotional lately.”
Leo stood, smacking her hands together to get rid of the mud. “Jeez, you’re not pregnant, are you?”
Noemi was relived Leo didn’t seem to need an answer. “How are you?”
“Same as I was when you asked me yesterday, boo.” Leonora’s smile was too bright, and Noemi could tell her sister’s temper was on the edge.
“Fair enough,” she said lightly, not wanting a row. “Just wondered if you’d like to come and walk Mouse with me. We’re going out to Alki Beach Park.”
“No, thanks. I’m meeting some friends in the city later.”
“Oh, okay.” Noemi was a little stung by Leo’s brusque dismissal. “Leo…? Is ever—”
“Noe, I swear, if you ask me if everything is okay one more time…”
“Fine, fine. I get the message.” Noemi said it softly, but she could feel the tears coming again. She turned away. “Well, call me when you want to get together.”
“I will. Later.”
Noemi nodded, not looking at her sister. “Later.”
She drove out to Alki Beach and let Mouse out to run, envying the dog’s boundless joy as she ran free. Oh, to have such an uncomplicated life, she thought fondly. The day was sunny, but a cold breeze blew up from Elliott Bay, and she shivered, pulling her thin denim jacket around her. She walked for an hour, playing with Mouse on the grassy lawns. There were a few people around also walking their dogs, but after an hour, she noticed she was alone apart from a solitary man, walking a few meters behind her.
She didn’t pay any attention to him until Mouse skittered up to her and growled, staring behind her, her hackles up. Noemi stopped and turned, glancing behind her. The man had stopped when she had.
Fuck. Annoyed rather than scared, Noemi clipped Mouse’s leash back on and walked towards the man. She kept eye contact with him until she had passed him, a silent warning—I will fight back, asshole, and so will my dog. Mouse jerked slightly at her leash, snarling towards the man, but he did not flinch, just smirked.
Noemi stopped suddenly and took out her phone. Openly, deliberately, she took a photo of the man. “Just so you know, that’s gone to the Cloud,” she said to him. “So, anything happens to me or my dog between now and my car… they’ll know your face.”
“Hey, I’m just walking here.” His grin was mocking and surly. He made a lewd gesture towards his crotch, and Noemi gave him the finger.
“Right… men like you make me sick. You think we don’t feel you standing too close or watching us like predators? Creep. Go back to your momma’s basement, you fucking loser.”
“Man, you’re one stuck-up bitch.” His grin had vanished. Mouse growled. The man glared at Noemi and stalked off. Noemi smiled grimly. Asshole. She looked down at Mouse.
“We showed him, Mousie.” Mouse licked her hand, and Noemi bent to kiss her dog’s furry head. “Glad you’re here though.”
She walked back to the car, and despite her bravado, locked herself and Mouse in as she drove to the hospital. She opened the backdoor of the car and put Mouse in the lockable dog cage, making sure she had enough water and fussing over her. “I won’t be too long, bubba.”
She snuck up to Gynecology and found her friend Joan, the head nurse. She told her news and asked her if she would scan her. “Just to be sure. I took a fall the other day, and I just want to check.”
Joan grinned at her, obviously delighted for her. “Of course. I warn you though, if it’s only a month or so, then all we’ll see is the gestational sac, so don’t ask me what sex he or she is.”
Noemi grinned. “I won’t. Can we do a pregnancy test too? I mean I took a bunch, but it never seems official until it’s done by the hospital.”
Joan rolled her eyes. “You nerd. Fine, come with me. I assume you’re not telling anyone yet?”
“Not yet.”
A few minutes later, Joan smiled at her. “Well, you’re definitely preggo. Let’s see what we can see on this sucker.”
She squirted cold gel on Noemi’s belly and started the scan. “Well, sweetie, you’re about six weeks, a little more than you thought.”
Noemi was surprised but nodded. “Not impossible.”
Joan grinned at her. “Planned?”
“Not exactly but wanted.”
Joan was grinning mischievously. “Really? Both of them?”
Noemi’s eyes widened. “What?”
Joan moved the screen around. “Congrats Momma… you’re having twins.”
Noemi burst into tears, half-laughing, half-crying. “Oh, my God… twins? Really?”
“Really. One. Two.” She pointed out the tiny embryos. “Good news?”
Noemi nodded, unable to speak. Joan hugged her then cleaned her up. “I’ll give you a moment.”
“Thanks, Joanie.”
When she was alone, Noemi took out her phone and called Rafa. She got his voicemail but didn’t want to tell him on a message. “Sweetie, I know you’re working, but I’m coming over. I have some news. Some very good news.”
She went back down to the parking lot, unlocked Mouse’s cage, and got the dog out to walk her around. Mouse was delighted to see her as if she hadn’t seen her for days rather than forty-five minutes. Noemi walked her around until the dog peed, then loaded her back up and drove into the city. She knew Rafa wouldn’t mind if Mouse came into his office with her, and so she got out, clicked on the leash and started to walk to the elevator.
The skin on the back of her neck prickled, and she turned, scanning the parking lot. The feeling of being watched was back—but she knew that was ridiculous. The guy in the park, the intruders at Lake Tahoe… why on earth would any of them be here? Mouse didn’t seem to be upset at all.
Man, pregnancy hormones are making me crazy, she told herself as she walked to the elevator.
As she rode up, Mouse sitting patiently next to her, Noemi put a hand on her belly. Twins. She could barely believe it. She was still smiling when she said hello to Rafa’s assistant Mary.
“You can go in; they’re just chatting.”
Noemi thanked her but still knocked. Rafa stood and came to meet her. “Hey, beautiful.”
Zani looked relieved at the interruption—he got up and kissed her cheek. “Savior,” he muttered and disappeared out of the room. Noemi chuckled as Rafa closed the door, giving them some privacy. He mussed Mouse’s fur and grinned at Noemi.
“This is a lovely surprise.”
Noemi beamed at him. “I hope I’m about to give you another. I went to the hospital and had a scan. I’m definitely pregnant; all is doing well… and by all, I mean…” She grinned as she built it up. “… both of them are doing fine.”
“Twins?” Rafa’s eyes widened, and he laughed. “We’re having twins?”
“Ssh,” Noemi said, nodding to the closed office door as his voice got louder, but then she shrieked with laughter as Rafa picked her up and swung her around.
He set her down on her feet and took her face in his hands. “You have made me so happy, Noemi Castor. So very happy.”
“As have you, my darling.” She tangled her fingers in his dark curls. “I love you.”
Rafa kissed her, then splayed his hand over her belly. “Two of them,” he said, his tone incredulous.
“I’m about six weeks,” she said. “Can you believe it?”
He kissed her again, his lips pressed hard against hers. “I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
Rafa asked her to sit with him for a time, and they talked excitedly about their children. Then Noemi grinned. “Zani looked drained. You been driving him hard?”
Rafa rolled his eyes. “If you asked him that, he would definitely say yes. To anyone not spoiled? He got off easy.”
Noemi laughed. “Poor little rich boy.”
“Indeed.” Rafa sighed. “Thing is… he’s not untalented. He could really make an impact. He’s much more sociable than me. His natural charm? He could charm snakes from trees.”
“You’re pretty charming yourself, Mr. Genova.”
Rafa grinned and kissed her. “You’re the only person I want to charm.”
“Done and done.” She laid her head on his shoulder, feeling tired. It had been a weird morning. “Listen, I’ll leave you in peace.”
Rafa kissed her temple. “You don’t have to go.”
“I should.” She smiled at him. “After all, I’ve got to go pack some stuff, bring it over, you know. Can you spare a drawer?”
Rafa laughed. “Every drawer. You just take all the space you need. Listen, you need anything, just charge it to my credit card.”
“Nuh-uh.” She wagged her finger at him, and he chuckled.
“Fine. But look, I want it to be our home, so you want to change anything? Go right ahead, rip out walls, paint it neon pink, anything.”
“I’m tempted to paint it neon pink just because now,” Noemi giggled. “You madman. Look, we can nest all we want later.” She kissed him and got up. For a second, she was tempted to tell him about the creep in the park, but then why upset him? Her news had put him in such a good mood, and it wasn’t like she’d ever see the guy again—with any luck.
“Hey, listen, I overheard Mary talking about this great baby store in the city once.”
“Honeybees, I know. Leo went there when Jack was born.” Noemi swallowed over a sudden lump, and Rafa noticed. He put his arms around her.
“I’m sorry, honey.”
She shook her head. “No need. I saw Leo this morning. She seems to be… coping. Maybe a little too well. I’m glad I have this time off work because I think, whether she likes it or not, I should keep an eye on her.” She chewed her lips “The twins…”
Rafa nodded at her hesitation. “We don’t have to tell anyone yet, baby. We’ll work it out.”
Noemi took Mouse into the city and found the baby clothing store. She was about to tie Mouse up outside when the owner waved her in. “There’s no one here; bring her in.”
The owner was clearly a dog lover. She fussed over Mouse while Noemi looked around and chatted to her. Noemi bought a few things and thanked her.
She walked slowly back to the parking garage, and she was already sitting in the car before she saw the photograph stuck to her windshield. A Polaroid? She didn’t even think they made those anymore. She got out and plucked it from under the wiper blade.
A shiver went through her. The photograph was of her, chatting to the woman in the baby store. Less than a half hour ago. “Jesus Christ…” she whispered. She got back into the car and banged the locks down, looking around. She couldn’t see anyone else in the garage, and she started the car and drove out as quickly as possible.
But now she knew. It wasn’t her hormones making her paranoid.
Someone was watching her.