Deceived 6 - Ultimate Deception by Eve Carter Read Free Book Online

tray out of the way so I could sit closer. I cupped the side of her face. “Baby, no, it’s not your fault.”
    “I managed to fall down a flight of stairs, Patrick. That’s beyond klutzy, even for me.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Or at least it was before I got so huge.”
    I leaned forward and kissed the tears on her cheeks, then rested my forehead against hers. “Listen to me, love. You’re gorgeous and I love you. What happened was an accident. A damn accident, but not something you could’ve prevented. It happens to a lot of pregnant women. The weight of the baby sticking out like that…I read about it in your book.” My last remark finally brought a smile to her face. “And I know you’re missing home, but we’re together. And we’ll be home soon.”
    “I can’t wait to go home. It’s not because Nina’s house isn’t gorgeous. I mean, look at that view out my window. You can see the water and the yacht. Did you ask the doctor about how soon we can fly?” she asked.
    Shit. I had but I hadn’t wanted to tell her.
    “What did he say?”
    I cursed the fact that she knew me so well. I couldn’t lie to her. “He said once you and the baby are discharged, we’ll be good for travel, but most airlines have a minimum age for babies who are flying. The youngest I could find was seven days.”
    Chloe’s face fell. “A week?”
    Her eyes blinked hard and her voice cracked a little. I could tell she was trying not to cry again.
    “I love Nina for letting us stay here and it’s better than a hospital but, Patrick, I don’t want our baby’s first week to be in some stranger’s house. I want us to be at home.”
    “I’ll talk to Nina, see what she can do about a private plane,” I said. I didn’t want to give her what was probably a false hope, but I hated the thought of her being upset anymore. Once Victoria was born, we’d deal with the travel issue.
    “Thank you.” Chloe yawned and I could see her fighting sleep.
    “Rest.” I stood.
    “I hate sleeping,” she mumbled, her eyes already half-lidded.
    I laughed softly. “Just think of it as storing up for all the sleep we won’t get when Victoria gets here.”
    Chloe might have said something, but I couldn’t quite make it out as she was falling asleep even as she spoke. I leaned down and arranged her so that she wouldn’t end up with a crick in her neck, and then I picked up the tray and went back to the kitchen. I always cleaned up after our meals even though Nina had told me more than once to leave the dishes for her housekeeper. It didn’t surprise me that someone with as much money as Nina would have a housekeeper, but I hadn’t seen her come but once in the entire time since Chloe and I had arrived. I’d told her I wasn’t afraid to get my hands in some dirty dishwater once in a while and it was the least I could do to repay her kindness.
    As I walked into the kitchen, there was Nina, as usual, waiting. “Sleeping Beauty out again?” Nina smiled at me as I set the tray on the counter next to the sink. She held a glass of wine in one hand. “I’m glad she feels comfortable enough here to be able to rest.”
    “Me, too.” I put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and set it to run, then turned my attention to the pan in the sink.
    “Here.” Nina was suddenly at my side, the full glass of wine offered in her outstretched hand. “You look like you could use it.”
    I shook my head as I scrubbed the pan. “Thanks, but no.”
    “Come on,” she said. “I’ll bet you haven’t had anything to help you unwind since...”
    Her voice trailed off and I knew she was referring to her party, and it was true. That was the last time I’d had anything alcoholic to drink. Not because I didn’t think it’d be nice to have something to take the edge off, but because the timing was completely wrong.
    I sighed and rinsed the pan. Nina was still standing next to me, with a pleasant smile on her face, and the wine glass hovering in the