In her apartment, she packed a few things quickly, hoping Mouse would alert her to any intruders, but feeling the anxiety from being stalked anyway. She threw some clothes into a bag feeling like a candy-ass, but the photograph had rattled her. Put together with the attack in Tahoe and the man in the park this morning…
Why would anyone be stalking her?
She jumped as her cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“Noemi? Drew Ballentine.”
Noemi blinked, her mind going blank for a second. “Oh. Sorry. Hi, how are you?”
“I’m good, thank you. I just wanted to check in with you after our chat the other day. Kit said you might need someone to talk to, especially after the terrible tragedy. How is your family?”
Noemi felt an irrational irritation but pushed it aside. It was nice of him to call, to care, but she didn’t know the man. “We’re coping as best we can. Listen, Drew, it’s sweet of you to call, but it’s not a great time for me to talk. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay, dear.”
Noemi nearly laughed. Dear? The guy was only a few years older than her. Dear? “Some other time?”
“I’ll hold you to that, Noemi. For now, take care.”
“You too.”
She hung up and dropped her phone on her bed, shaking her head. So, Kit had decided she needed to talk to a minister of all people? Her, an atheist, something Kit knew very well. She felt irritable, argumentative again, and had to talk herself out of calling Kit and yelling at him for his presumption. She knew he meant well, that he cared, but it was galling. Why did everybody else think they knew what was best for her all the time?
Her phone bleeped again, and she gave a small growl of irritation. Her stomach dropped when she saw the message. Another photograph of her, this time walking into the hospital. Noemi stared at it. Could it be a coincidence that Drew Ballentine had called her right before? Was he sending her a message?
Was it possible that he knew about her and Rafa, that he was angry she had begun a relationship with his stepsister’s lover?
Noemi closed her eyes, trying to quell the panic inside. No. Kit, her good friend Kit, was a good judge of character—if he suspected Drew’s motives were less than noble, he would never have encouraged it. She dialed his number.
“Hey, cutie tootie,” came his voice, and Noemi relaxed.
“Hey, KitKat. Listen, no biggie, but did you ask Drew Ballentine to talk to me? Counsel me?”
“Um,” Kit sounded guilty, and instantly she knew he had. “Yeah, I did. I was worried, sweetie, that’s all, and Drew’s a good guy. I know you’re not religious, but Drew seems like a good person to help you, is all. Sorry if that was overstepping.”
Noemi smiled down the phone, relieved. “It’s okay. I mean, it is overstepping a little, but I’ll take it from you. After everything we’ve done together, seen together, I’ll take it from you.”
“It came from a good place, I swear.”
“I know.” Noemi hesitated. “You sure Drew is on the regular?”
Kit chuckled. “Pretty sure.”
“Kit… I’m seeing Rafael Genova.”
Kit was silent. “Ah.”
“So, you can see where I’d be hesitant about confiding in Drew.”
“I do. Ah, damn, girl, I’m sorry. That’ll teach me to interfere. Hey, good news though. Does he make you happy?”
Noemi put her hand on her belly, thinking of her twins. “Unbelievably so.”
“I’m glad. Listen… do you want me to talk to Drew or…”
“No, I’ll meet him, explain the situation. He may feel like it would be a conflict of interest, but I owe him a coffee and an explanation at the very least.”
“Good on you, sweetie.”
Noemi called Drew Ballentine back and arrange to meet him the next day. “I think there’s something you ought to know, Drew.”
“I will look forward to seeing you, Noemi.”
Rafa sat back in his chair, his good mood from earlier gone. “Zani… I’m trying here. But if you’re just going to crap on every suggestion I have…”
Zani shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Well, if you weren’t quite so patronizing…”
“Grow up.” Rafa had had enough and snapped at his brother. “You think I got where I am by just trading on the fact I’m Dad’s son? No. It took hard work to convince the Board of Trustees and our partners that I knew what I was talking about. I’ve grown the business every year since I took over, and it was damn hard work.” He gazed at his brother, his eyes cold. “Even when Tomi was sick, I still worked while you were partying around Europe, shoving God knows what up your nose, and sticking your dick into everything.”
Zani got up. “Yeah well, that’s going to change now.”
“Why? You run out of money?” Rafa already knew the answer to that and knew it was cruel to ask, but Zani had gotten on his last nerve this morning. Zani wanted to start at the top of the pile, not put in the work that Rafa had. Zani wanted everything handed to him on a silver platter.
Not going to happen. Rafa sighed and threw his pen down on the desk. “Look, Zani, you know my thoughts. You’re not without talent—you could be invaluable, especially when it comes to schmoozing the clients. But that would mean travelling a lot back to Europe. You seem to not want to make an effort to do that.”
“It’s not that I—” Zani broke off. He stared out of the window. “I can’t go back, is all.”
“Why? Why not?”
Zani just shook his head, and Rafa had finally had enough. “We’re not getting anywhere,” he said, “and I have actual work to do. I’ll see you at home later, Zani.”
Rafa was glad Zani left without arguing, but he couldn’t shake the irritation he felt. Zani’s behavior was nothing short of a spoiled rich boy, and that wasn’t going to fly anymore.
Rafa sighed and rubbed his eyes, feeling a little overwhelmed by life. About to be a father of twins by his dead lover’s doctor? Did he really have the right to judge Zani on his willful behavior? No. Totally different situation, he told himself. He loved Noemi and was overjoyed about the babies. Bepi, too, would love siblings.
There was one thing he still had to do, however, and he picked up the telephone now. “Mom? Hey, Mom, how are you? Good. Listen… I have something to tell you and Dad and it’s pretty, well…big. Life changing. I don’t suppose you and Dad are free for dinner later this week, are you? Good, I’ll book a restaurant—and Mom? I’m bringing someone with me. I’ll tell you more later…”
Noemi had also decided to go visit her parents and talk to them. She needed to tell someone about the pregnancy, and when she got to her parents’ house and found her mother alone, she was relieved. Marian, always the gracious host, fussed around her adoptive daughter as Noemi sat, plucking up the courage to tell her the news.
“Mom?”
Marian Castor smiled at her daughter. “Yes, sweetie?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Marian sat down with a thump, shocked. For a second, she couldn’t speak, and Noemi waited, her heart thumping. Finally, Marian took her hand. “You can’t tell Leo. Not yet.”
“I know.” Even though Noemi had been expecting that answer, she was still filled with dismay. “Mom… it’s twins.”
Despite her shock, Marian beamed. “Oh, how wonderful, Noe. I’m assuming Rafael…?”
Noemi nodded. “Good,” Marian said approvingly, “he’s a good man.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, Marian stroking her daughter’s hand. Noe looked at her mother. “Do you think she’ll ever be ready to hear about the twins?”
Marian sighed. “Sweetheart… how do you get over something like that? Jack? He was her everything.” She squeezed Noemi’s hand. “I’ve never told you this, but the year before we adopted you, I had a miscarriage. A late one, almost full term. It was a girl, and I had to give birth to her. We held her for hours before they took her away. She was so perfect; we could hardly believe she wasn’t just sleeping.”
“Oh, Momma, I’m so sorry.” Noemi’s eyes filled with tears. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“We didn’t tell either of you. Leo was too young to understand. I don’t even think she remembers I was pregnant, to be honest. We didn’t explain things to children the way they do now. We just told Leo she was getting a baby sister. And she did. God, Noe, the moment they told us you were ours…”
Noemi burst into tears, and her mother wrapped her arms around her. “Momma, I’m so lucky to have you as parents. So, so lucky. I wish I could do something to help ease the pain for all of you. I can’t bear it…. Poor Jack. Poor Leo.”
Marian’s eyes were wet, too, as she released Noemi. “I know. Listen… she’ll obviously have to be told when you start to show. Until then, how about we keep it our secret?”
Noemi was napping when Rafa got home, and she stirred as he pulled off his tie, kicked off his shoes and lay down beside her, tucking his arm around her waist.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, pretty girl. Go back to sleep.”
Noemi shook her head. “No, my head is groggy. Wake me up, Rafa.”
He smiled and kissed her. “My pleasure.” He moved to cover her body with his, parting the robe she was wearing and kissing her throat, moving down to her breasts as she stroked his curls.
When his lips reached her belly, he suddenly blew a raspberry on her skin, and Noemi burst out laughing, the sudden release of tension welcome. Rafa grinned up at her. “Hey, you think they can hear me if I talk to them?”
“I don’t think they have ears yet, baby.” Noemi chuckled then sighed happily as his tongue traced a circle around her navel. His fingers hooked into her panties and drew them down her legs, and he hooked her knees over his shoulders.
He nipped gently at her clit with his teeth before lashing his tongue around it, teasing it until it was rock-hard and ultra-sensitive, and Noemi was writhing beneath his touch, giving herself over completely.
Rafa’s tongue dipped deep into her sodden wet cunt, and Noemi cried out. His thumb began to stroke her clit as his tongue slid along her slit and down inside her, and she felt a wave of unstoppable pleasure as she came, shivering and breathless.
She couldn’t wait any longer and demanded that he strip, freeing his demanding cock from his underwear and guiding him inside her. She lived for these moments, their bodies entwined, so close, so intimate. Rafa smiled down at her as they made love, his green eyes shining, so full of love, that she forgot anything else existed and just concentrated on him, her love.
Afterwards, they showered together and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. Bepi, already in bed when Rafa got home, began to cry—a childish nightmare—and they sat with him, reading to him until he fell asleep again. Rafa kissed his son’s forehead and smiled up at Noemi. “See,” he whispered, “you’re already a Momma.”
They were walking back to their bedroom when they heard the commotion at the front door. Rafa sighed. “It’s Zani. Go to bed, sweetheart. Let me deal with this.”
Noemi waited for him in the bedroom, and when he returned, she saw his face was grim. “He’s drunk and possibly high. Who the fuck knows? I put him in a cab and sent him to a hotel. No way is he staying here in that condition, not with you and Bepi in the house.”
Noemi held out her arms, and he went into them. “I swear to God,” he said, his voice muffled as he buried his face in her hair, “if I never saw him again…”
“Don’t say that,” she said gently. “Look, he’s obviously an addict. How about I talk to him, try to get him into rehab?”
“No.” Rafa looked up at her, his eyes cold. “Let him take responsibility for once. He needs to hit rock bottom before he can see it for himself.”
But what Rafa didn’t know was that when Zani hit rock bottom… he would take them with him.