Night's Touch (Children of The Night 2)

“You can’t go out during the day,” she retorted, “and they close at five, so you can’t make me go.”

“Then I’ll just have to suffer the consequences, won’t I?”

The thought of Vince going outdoors when the sun was up was enough to insure that she would keep her appointment.

The next day, at five after four, Cara pulled into the parking lot at her doctor’s office. She was sitting in the car, gathering her courage, when she happened to look in the rearview mirror. A cold chill ran down her spine when she saw a car pass slowly behind her, a car driven by a woman that looked vaguely familiar. It took Cara a moment to place her and when she did, she jumped out of the car and ran into the doctor’s office. The driver had been one of the gray-clad women she had seen before.

“Miss, are you all right?”

Cara looked up to find the receptionist staring at her. “What?”

“Are you all right? You look like you’re going to faint.”

“No, I’m fine.” She took the papers the receptionist handed her, willed her hand to stop shaking as she filled out the necessary forms. In spite of her promise to Vince, she was sorely tempted to leave without seeing the doctor, and only the thought of the pain he would endure if he carried out his threat to bring her here himself kept her from running out of the building—that and the fear that someone might be waiting for her in the parking lot.

Fifteen minuets later, she was wearing a paper gown and seated on an examining table. A nurse recorded her weight and took her blood pressure, and then the doctor came in. He looked at her chart, listened to her symptoms, and concluded that she was pregnant.

Cara shook her head. “I can’t be.”

“You’re a married woman,” the doctor said, referring to her chart. “Is your husband impotent?”

“No,” Cara said quickly, and felt her cheeks burn at her enthusiastic reply.

“Then I assume you have relations with your husband?”

“Yes, but…”

He asked her a few more questions, like the date of her last period and other intimate details, and then he examined her.

Forty minutes later, Cara left the office, wondering how she was going to tell Vince he was going to be a father and wondering how she would ever convince him that the baby was his.

Chapter 41

Cara drove home in a daze, everything else forgotten but her unexpected news. What was she going to tell Vince?, How could she possibly be pregnant when her husband was a vampire?

She was relieved to find he wasn’t home when she got there. In the last few days, he had started going to the garage before the sun came up so he wouldn’t be trapped in the house during the day. Sitting on the sofa, she placed her hands on her stomach. She couldn’t think about fixing dinner, she couldn’t think about anything but the new life growing within her. She was pregnant. With child. Gestating. She wanted to call her parents. She wanted to call Sarah Beth. She wanted to tell the world, but first she had to tell Vince.

Sitting on the sofa, she hugged herself, unable to stop smiling. She was going to have a baby, a little boy with Vince’s black hair and dark eyes.

Her smile faded when she heard Vince’s key in the lock.

“Hey, wife,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I expected you to call me when you got home from the doctor. What did he say?”

“I’m perfectly healthy,” she said slowly. “For a woman who’s pregnant.”

Vince stared at her, his eyes narrowing. “Pregnant? That’s impossible. There must be some mistake.”

“That’s what I said, so they ran the tests twice.”

A muscle throbbed in his cheek. “So, who’s the father?”

Even though Cara had expected just such a reaction, the words hit her like a blow. How could he believe she had been unfaithful to him? How could he not, when everyone knew vampires couldn’t create life?

Still, she couldn’t help being hurt by his immediate assumption that she had betrayed him. She blinked rapidly. She didn’t want him to see her cry or know how badly his words had hurt.

“Dammit, Cara, answer me!”

“You, you big jerk, you’re the father!”

“That’s impossible and we both know it.”

“Well, it’s true whether you believe it or not,” she said, and, bursting into tears, she ran out of the room.

Vince swore softly. He couldn’t be the father. It was impossible. And yet, in spite of his implied accusation, he knew that she hadn’t been intimate with any other man. But…how could it be true? The doctor had to be mistaken.

He swore again, cursing himself for making her cry. Taking a deep breath, he went to their bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Cara?”

“Go away.”

He turned the handle, scowling when he realized she had locked the door. Well, she had a lot to learn about living with a vampire, he thought ruefully. The door opened at the touch of his hand.

Cara looked up, her eyes red and swollen. “That’s not fair,” she sniffed.

Crossing the floor, he sat on the edge of the bed and drew her into his arms. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but…” He shook his head.

“I know, I didn’t believe him either, not at first.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “But somehow, on the way home, I knew it was true.” She sniffed again. “And I knew you wouldn’t believe me.” She looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears. “You don’t really think that I…”

He placed his hand over her mouth. “No, I don’t think that.” He kissed her lightly. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me for being a jerk?”

“I guess so. Being a man, you probably can’t help it.”

“Hey.”

She smiled at him through her tears. “How do you think it happened?”

Vince grunted softly. “The usual way, I imagine.”

“You know what I mean. I thought vampires couldn’t make babies.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. Have you told your folks?”

“No, I wanted to tell you first.” She smiled shyly. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Darlin’, nothing could make me happier than having a baby with you.” But even as he said the words, he couldn’t help wondering what kind of baby it would be.

“A baby.” Cara said with a sigh. “Our baby.” She looked up at him. “It’s like a dream come true.”