Chapter 16
“Has everything been arranged?”
“It has.” Marianne assured him, a smile playing around her lips. “It’s enchanting to see how nervous you are.”
“I want everything to be perfect.” He muttered. “It’s her birthday and the last several months hadn’t been good to her.” They both lapsed into silence as they recalled the accident. The babies had just reached their two months mark and since it was the height of summer, his wife had wanted to celebrate.
She had taken them for a drive, telling the nannies that she could manage, and she did not need them. It was only a drive to the park and back, unaware that a reporter had been tailing her.
Ever since the article had come out, with their picture on the front page of Multiples Quarterly, a magazine introduced by Romano’s baby department – they had been bombarded with requests to pose for different magazines.
The picture had garnered more than its fair share of interests – it was an unposed photo that had been taken as a joke by Clive and showed them propped up on mountains of pillows, with the babies in the middle.
Monique had been delighted by the photo when she saw it and had begged for permission to use it. Little did they know that it would blow up all over the internet.
In his haste to follow her, the reporter had run the red light and cut her off at the intersection, sending her over and into a ditch. Fortunately, the injuries had been mostly to her and the babies had only been frightened.
But it had frightened her so much, she had not set foot inside a vehicle, not until last week when she went to her dad’s wedding. Suffice it to say that the reporter had been charged and was no longer working at the magazine. The editors claimed that the man had been acting on his own.
Pushing back his chair, Cayden strode over to the cabinet to pour himself a drink. Even thinking about the near calamity turned his insides into liquid.
He had been in a meeting when he received the call from the officers on scene. He had stood there, unsure what to do and Clive had stepped up and offered to drive him. The sight of the vehicle in the ditch had made him weak.
It took him several days to recover. Thoughts of what could have happened had him waking up in a cold sweat most nights. He could have lost his entire family, and it still managed to turn his blood to ice.
“She thinks that I blame her.”
“That’s nonsense.”
He smiled at his mother’s practical response.
“I do. Up to a point. She knew that I would never have approved of her taking out the babies on her own. Even if she was just going for a drive.” He took a sip of the scotch. “I was pissed. After the initial fear had slowed down, I was royally pissed. What in the hell was she thinking?”
“The blame is not hers, darling, and it’s unfair to place it there.”
He shrugged. “Tell that to my subconsciousness. I keep picturing her and my children dead. Just lying there in a pool of blood.”
He took another sip, this time a longer one. “But you are right. I have been upset with her and things have been uncomfortable between us. She knows I am angry, and she blames herself. I have to do something to make it up to her.”
“Then you should take her somewhere. You two should be alone and talk. Try to make things right.”
He smiled. “We will make it right. Blair and I have our differences, and we might fight bitterly, but one thing remains constant – our love for each other. We have a bond that will never be broken, no matter what.
She might sometimes piss me off and I might annoy her, but we know where we stand with each other.” He finished the drink. “I want everything to be perfect.”
“It will be,” his mother assured him.
*****
“He’s still upset with me.”
“I’m sure he’s not.”
She cast her brother-in-law a wry look that had him shrugging.
“It’s good to see you’re taking his side.”
Setting his nephew securely inside his cot, Clive eased the cover over him and stood there watching Chad’s eyes flicker shut. He was recovering from a tennis injury and had been recuperating at home for the past week.
He spent that week mostly in the nurseries, not caring that he was probably getting on the nannies’ nerves. Blair was back to work and had thrown herself into her numerous charities with gust. In between that, she would zip upstairs or have them bring the babies down to her office so she could spend some time with them.
“You should have seen him when he received the news that you and the babies were involved in an accident. He just stood there, not knowing what to do. I led him out of the conference room like a child. He was shaking.”
Turning away from the cot, he walked over to sit next to her on the comfortable chaise. She had Bella in her arms and had just finished feeding her from the bottle. All four babies were thriving and growing like weeds.
“Let me.” He took the beautiful little girl in his arms and settled her on one broad shoulder, rubbing her back slowly for her to burp.
“Ah, that’s the thing sweetheart.” He murmured, “One more.” He rubbed again and she obliged him.
Blair put the bottle down and went to get Bianca. She had given the nannies the afternoon off so that she could spend some time with them. But in this household, she was never alone with the babies.
One or two of the family members always found their way up and not to mention the staff. The babies were the light and life of the household, and it was pretty obvious that everyone catered to them.
“I don’t know what I was thinking, taking them out on my own.” She made quick work of changing Bianca’s diaper, smiling as the baby grabbed her finger.
“You were thinking that you could just take them for a spin and come back home. Which should have been simple enough if that damned reporter had not taken it into his bloody head to follow you.” His expression darkened as he placed his niece inside her cot. “I wanted to wring his scrawny neck.”
Even after all this time had passed, he was still upset. When he thought of what the outcome could have been, it pissed him off. He looked over at her. “You cannot blame him for still feeling scared and upset.”
“I was the one in the accident.” She hissed as she covered her daughter with the colorful quilt that had been a gift from Millicent. Her worries about the woman her dad had married had been for nothing.
Her stepmother was proving herself to be a great comfort to her dad. And was bent on taking care of him. That had taken off a tremendous amount of pressure off of her. Now she could rest easy, knowing her father was in good hands.
“And he was the one who had to get the news that his entire family was involved in a vehicular crash.” He came to stand next to her and placed a hand over her shoulders. “it almost killed him.”
She sighed and leaned against him.
“I suppose you’re right.”
“You know I am.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now, can I leave you to fend by yourself?”
“Leaving us already?” She teased. “Who’s she this time?”
Tilting her face up, he brushed her lips on her cheek. “No one you know. Until I find a woman who comes close to having your qualities, I will continue to seek and search and settle for what I can get for now.” He rubbed her shoulders before walking over to look at the girls’ sleeping. There was a wistful expression on his handsome face.
“My brother hit the jackpot.” With a wave, he was gone.
She wandered around the lovely pink and cream nursery, straightening this and rearranging that. A stuffed elephant was askew on the shelf, and she fixed it. She had received so many gifts from people she did not even know and had donated a number of things to children’s homes and the hospital.
The scent of powder and oil assailed her and made her feel as if she were wrapped up in baby heaven. The accident had thrown her. Cayden was right. She had no business going out on her own.
The argument after the initial scare had been heated.
“What the hell were you thinking?” He had demanded.
“That I had a right to take my babies out for a spin.”
“They are mine too and you should have said something to me.”
“Are you telling me that I have to clear everything with you before doing so?”
“When the hell are you going to realize that you are not some normal person?” The angry frustration had been heavy in his voice.
“You are Blair Caruso and on top of that, you gave birth to quadruplets. Whatever you do, you will make news. Reporters are going to follow you around every damn day. You had no right taking the babies out on your own.”
“It’s times like these that I wish I was a normal person, free to do and go wherever please.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Figure it out.” She had snapped at him before storming from the room.
But the fact was, she would not change anything. She loved him, loved her babies and the irritations and lack of privacy was something she was prepared to deal with, as long as she had them.
Heaving a sigh, she went to check on the boys.
*****
He had to be innovative and inventive enough to get her out of the house. In order to do so, he enlisted her dad’s assistance. They were very cool towards each other since the accident and even though they slept in the same bed, they were miles apart.
It ends now. He wanted his wife back and blaming her for leaving the house that day was completely unfair. Besides, he wanted to do something lavish to show her how much he appreciated her.
So, the plan was to have her dad call with some urgency to get her away for the entire day. He assured her with cool dignity that he and the rest of the family were perfectly capable of taking care of the babies.
“I would like to take you out to dinner for your birthday. I suggest you get dressed from there and I will pick you up.”
“You want me to spend the entire day away from my children?”
“They are mine too and I would love to spend the day with them.”
“Okay, fine.” She had sounded disgruntled and none too pleased, but he was going to make up for it later on. Better she thought he was still upset with her, than having her finding out what he was planning, what the entire family and staff were planning.
When she finally left after cradling each baby for several minutes, they got to work. The invitations had been sent out weeks ago and they were expecting a lavish crowd. He had even invited several people from Europe and the family in Italy were already here and settled in an apartment building owned by the company.
His wife just turned thirty-one and he had been through a series of events, some of them life threatening. He was going to show her how much he appreciated her.
Stepping outside, he noted in approval, the team that had been hired to do the decorations, coming out of the pool house where they had been in hiding until she left.
The entire grounds would be altered. Strings of pepper lights were going to be hung from the trees and the flowering bushes would be hung with streamers. A dais had been set up somewhere near the pool and a live band would be playing classical music. Chairs and tables had already been put in place in front of the stage.
Pushing the double pram that transported his daughters, he made his way towards the group of decorators. Clive showed up at the rear, with his sons. The girls were cooing and drooling, their hazel eyes darting everywhere.
It was a vivid scene, with flowers blooming and the scent of summer prevalent. Conail was busy directing the team of gardeners on what to cut and where to put them. His mother was inside discussing the sumptuous menu with the caterers and their own chef.
“It looks like utter chaos,” Clive commented.
“For now!” His brother agreed. “I want everything to be just right.”
“She’s going to be completely blown away.” He observed.
“That’s the plan.” Cayden slanted him a glance, before looking down at his sons. “Think the sun is too much for them? The nannies were horrified when I suggested that I take them out for a walk.”
“The nannies are middle aged women with zero imagination.” Clive grinned. “They are actually very nice women and are devoted to the children.”
“They make me feel as if I have to ask for permission to take them out of the house.”
“I thought I was the only one.”
Cayden grinned at him. “Not a chance. Let us see what the fuss is all about. Conail seems to have his hands full.”
“Moron.” Clive announced cheerfully as he pushed his nephews in his brother’s wake.
*****
“Where is Millicent?” She was still fuming from the high-handed way her husband had dealt with her. She should refuse to go out to dinner with him. Confounding man! She thought angrily. He had picked out the dress and entire outfit and shoved it at her. And after they have been at odds for God knows how long.
And to top it all off, he had insisted on having one of the drivers’ drop her off. If Joe wasn’t someone she liked a lot, she might have taken her resentment and frustration out on him, not that she was in the habit of doing so. But she was pretty upset.
“Gone to the markets” Blake kissed her on the cheek and ease her away to study her face. “I sense a series of complaints coming on. Why don’t we sit on the porch and have some of that delicious pecan pie, Millie made just this morning?”
“I would love that.”
“Sit,” he gestured to the porch swing. “I’ll be right back.”
She sat and took in a deep breath, letting it out, along with the anger clawing at her. It was summer and on top of that, it was her birthday.
After what she had experienced over the past months, she had a lot to be thankful for and she certainly wasn’t going to allow that exasperating man she was married to spoil it. She would to dinner at some fancy restaurant, dance (maybe) – have a delicious meal and go back home to her babies. To hell with him!
So, when her dad came back out, she was all smiles and ready to put it behind her for now.
*****
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
Cayden had waited until the last minute to tell her that something had come up and if she would not mind having her dad dropped her off at the manor. She had refused to argue with him and asked her dad if he could do her the favor.
“Of course not, honey, Millie and I are going out to dinner anyway. And we would not mind seeing those grandbabies.”
“I bet they have grown an inch or two since we saw them last.” Millicent was a slightly plump woman with a sweet smile and an amiable manner. One could not help but like her and Blair did. The woman had proven to be exactly right for her dad.
“You just saw them three days ago.” Blair reminded her as she settled in the back seat of her father’s Lincoln. “Dad, I wish you would let me buy you a new car.”
He glanced at her through the rear-view mirror and shook his head. “Millie and I love this vehicle. It happens to be a classic.”
“It’s old!”
“Bite your tongue. It drives just fine and is not as flimsy as the vehicles they are making now.” He glanced over at his wife and grinned conspiratorially. “Buckle up my dear.”
*****
“What on earth!” Blair straightened up as they swept inside the winding driveway, and she saw the lines of expensive vehicles already parked. “No one told me there was going to be a function here. Dad, just let me off…”
“Absolutely not. We aim to see the grandbabies, before we leave.”
“This is crazy!” She fumed. Shoving the door open, she watched as her husband came forward. Ignoring the charming smile and the way he looked in his spiffy sports jacket, she aimed a withering look at him.
“I really don’t appreciate…,” the rest of the tirade was cut off when he simply hauled her into his arms and kissed her until she was sagging against him. Keeping his arm around her waist, he lifted his head, green eyes dancing and greeted the older couple.
“Thanks for bringing her.”
“You’re very welcome.” Blake’s dark eyes gleamed in amusement and anticipation. “I see you’re entertaining.”
“We are.” Turning his head, he gazed at his wife. “Want to say hi to a few friends before we get going?”
She was still shaky from the potent kiss and had to fight to keep the anger from dying a swift death.
“I suppose.”
Over her head, He winked at his father-in-law.
A frown touched her brow as he guided her along the winding path where lights could be seen shimmering in the trees. Balloons, hundreds of them floated upwards and chairs dotted the pristine lawn.
“Cayden, what…,” her heart fairly jumped inside her chest, and she staggered back when the crowd shouted – “Surprise!” in unison as soon as she rounded the corner. Before she could recover, the live band started playing ‘Happy birthday’ – with a well-known artiste taking the stage to serenade her.
Cayden was highly entertained by the dazed look on her face and drew her against him to whisper in her ear. “Happy birthday, baby.”
She turned to look at him, eyes filled with tears. “You did this?”
“We all did. The family and staff members. It took a hell of a lot to keep it from you.”
“Cayden.” Her throat was thick with tears, but she did not have time to say more as they were suddenly hemmed in by well-wishers who wanted to wish her happy birthday.
Within minutes, she was caught up in the celebration and surrounded by friends she had not seen in a long time. His Italian family drew her in for hugs and her eyes widened in shock when she noticed several royalties in the crowd.
She fumbled when Prince Francesco Ricci wrapped his arms around her and kissed her full on the mouth. “You do not look a day over twenty.” He said with a grin.
The gifts were piled on a separate table and the babies she thought were asleep were actually wide awake and dressed up for the occasion. But there was another surprise awaiting her.
She was in the middle of talking with the group of wives, when a hush fell over the crowd.
“I think your gorgeous husband is about to make a speech,” Kelly said with a wide smile.
Turning around, she looked towards the stage and saw when he was handed a microphone.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, families, friends…” He zeroed in on his Blair. “My wife hates surprises, unless she is the one doing it.” He waited for the laughter to die down. “It seemed only fitting that we celebrate this woman I am in love with. Blair Caruso epitomizes strength and beauty.
She is the strongest woman I know and to me, she is the most beautiful in the entire world. She gave me four babies and against all odds, she made it happen.” His smile was intimate and for her alone.
“We wanted to show her our appreciation, certainly I cannot find the words to express just how much she means to me. We annoy each other and are often at odds, but even when our days are filled with arguments, it is perfect, because I am with her. “His smile came again as he aimed his gaze at her. “Darling, will you come up and join me?”
It took a moment to steady herself. Suddenly Clive was on her right and Conail on her left, escorting her towards the dais.
Moving forward, Cayden took her hand and drew her to his side. “I would like us all to lift our glasses in honor of the woman of the hour – my wife, the mother of my children and my heart and soul!”
The end…