“Neither did I.” His laugh was rueful. “But my wife is very persuasive. She never had an easy time as a girl Mother, so I guess she's trying to make her own family.”

  “Darling, four?”

  “If she had wanted six I would have been helpless to say no to her,” he said quietly. “I love her and I want to make her happy. If she asks me for the moon I would somehow find a way to give it to her.”

  Barbara felt her heart constrict as she realized that no one had ever felt that way about her.

  “I'm happy for you darling.”

  “Thanks Mother. You okay?”

  “Of course, darling,” she laughed a little breathlessly. “I think that I ate too much at lunch.”

  “Did Carole seem fine to you? I know she told me that she's just queasy but my wife will say anything for me not to worry.”

  “She looked okay, darling. I suppose we're going to have to talk about my moving out and making room for you two and the children.”

  “Early days yet Mother.”

  Once she'd hung up she sat there staring at the creamy champagne-colored wall. She should be happy for them, but she wasn't.

  ******

  “What are you doing?” Carole asked her husband with a laugh.

  “I'm making a list of what our children are averse to,” he said with a smile as he typed on his iPod. “So beef is out and definitely fried chicken. Sara told me that you went flying to the bathroom when she served you the crab salad for lunch the other day.”

  “You're talking about all my favorites,” she said wryly. She was laying on one of the lounge chairs with her head propped up on some pillows. She had come home feeling tired and drained and sick to her stomach, so had decided to take it easy. It was getting too cold for the balcony so she'd stayed indoors. She had spent the time going through her wedding album and getting emotional. She had a feeling that it was partly hormones. He looked over at the albums on the table next to her. “Going down memory lane?” he asked her, his thick eyebrows rising as he came to sit at her feet.

  “Remember our wedding day?” she asked him softly, curling her toes as he put her feet on his lap and started rubbing them.

  “How could I forget? You made the most beautiful bride.”

  “That’s not true. I almost fell flat on my face when I twisted my left foot while walking on that red carpet. And I forgot some of the words of the vows I had written.”

  “Ah yes,” he said in amusement.

  “And of course your cousin couldn't find the rings.”

  “Idiot!” her husband said mildly. “But the wedding night made up for it.” His eyes darkened as they remembered their haste in getting back to the apartment. He had practically torn the exquisite silk gown from her slender body in his hurry to get to her skin. He had slid into her swiftly while wearing half his clothes and had taken her right there at the door, his fingers rough on her skin as he pounded inside her.

  “I was rough that night,” he said soberly, his eyes meeting hers.

  “And I didn't complain,” she shivered slightly as she remembered. “I kept thinking about being with you the entire time I was saying my vows and after.”

  “So did I,” he smiled a little grimly. “The power you have over me is something I'm not used to.”

  “It’s mutual.” She sat up and looked at him. “It’s going to work. We are going to work.”

  “Of course we are. I never had any doubts about that.”

  Chapter 4

  “Billionaire online trader Walter Bingham and his wife of a year and six months to have quadruplets! The ‘wives’ of the members of the Elite Club, a club that caters exclusively to millionaires and billionaires around the country has been constantly making news! Whether it is their work with abused children, cancer patients or the homeless or the fact that these are black women married to white men, there is always something newsworthy about these women! Carole Bingham is now the latest of the wives to make news as she is the first one to be carrying quadruplets! Our sources tell us that Mrs. Bingham has gone through an IVF process to make this happen. We have been trying to reach her for an exclusive update on what is happening but with no success. Another wife, Kadine Taylor who married billionaire organic farmer Scott Taylor, produced triplets some years ago. The three children have been in the news not only because of their daddy’s money but because they are called the ‘the creative triplets’! Let’s see what these four children will have in store for us! Walter and Carole we are rooting for you!”

  ******

  “You are only four months pregnant and so huge!” Leesa exclaimed as she came forward to give Carole a hug. “Let me look at you!” the tall and slender beautiful cancer survivor stepped back to examine the younger woman. Carole had put on almost forty pounds in order to carry her four babies but so far things had been going okay.

  “I'm eating for five of us. What do you expect?” Carole sat back down carefully in the sofa in the living room. It was getting very hard for her to go out and about these days so the ‘wives’ paid regular visits to the apartment. She was still wary about miscarriages so she religiously followed every instruction the doctors gave her. They came to her instead of her going to them and she was fully aware that it was her husband’s doing.

  “So how are you darling?” Leesa took a seat across from her.

  “I'm fine. Just a bit short of breath every now and then but it's expected. And not to mention going to the bathroom every few hours. I've also joined a support group for people who have multiple births. Kadine has been a world of help.”

  Leesa nodded. “She had triplets when she least expected it,” she recalled. “She's the best person to talk to. But are you okay with everything? The other girls and I have come up with a way to help.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We're called a clique for a reason darling. We have an unspoken rule that we help one another out. When I was diagnosed with cancer, the support was enormous! When one of us or one of our husbands go to the hospital for one reason or another, we give support. You are carrying four children, and I laud you by the way! I had twins and it was hard work even though I had nannies to help me. You're going to need to find a home with a yard for these children.”

  “We're already working on that,” Carole said with a laugh. “We'll be moving into the manor at the end of November. Walter wants to do it before I'm chained to the bed.”

  “Will Barbara be living there?”

  Carole shook her head. “Thank goodness, no! She's moving into an apartment and giving up the place. I feel bad for her because she's lived there most of her life.”

  “Darling, don’t feel bad. That woman doesn't deserve your sympathy,” Leesa told her. “I don’t like to gossip but I've heard from a good source that she's having sex with her pool boy.”

  “What?” Carole blinked at her.

  “One of her maids is my housekeeper's cousin and you know how the help talks,” Leesa said with a delightful laugh. “I'm all for freedom for women and all that but sleeping with a man who's barely legal is looking for trouble.”

  “Maybe she's lonely,” Carole ventured, still not able to process what she'd just heard.

  “And there are ways to combat that. Anyway, that's not important. Monique will be handling the acquisition of clothes and we've already signed up to purchase the cots and the rest of the furniture. We were wondering if you wanted vintage or modern.”

  Carole stared at the woman for a few minutes, her expression dazed. “I hadn't given it much thought.”

  “Darling, you need to,” Leesa said firmly as she took her iPod out of her huge pocketbook. They both looked up as Sara stood in the doorway.

  “I made some hot chocolate and a pecan pie.”

  “That was what I smelled when I came in,” Leesa exclaimed. “We would love some! Bring in a tray, Sara.”

  The woman beamed and left the room.

  “She likes you,” Carole said with a grin.

  “Who doesn’t?” Leesa said airily. “Now darling, let's look up furniture.”

  *****

  “That feels wonderful!” Carole murmured as her husband rubbed the cocoa butter over her extended stomach slowly, in a rhythmic movement that was having a strangely calming effect on her. “Talk to me about work, baby,” she urged as she opened her eyes and looked at him. He'd come in at six and had taken a shower before sitting down to eat with her. Sara had started staying later in case she was needed. They would be moving to the manor at the end of the week.

  “You want to talk about work?” Walter looked at her in amusement.

  “Of course. I'm stuck inside the apartment so I need to know what’s happening in the outside world. Did you read that newspaper article about us?”

  “My secretary showed it to me.”

  “My phone has been ringing off the hook and Sara must be fielding calls as well. I don’t want to talk about our babies, they're not even born yet. I want to shield them from all this excitement.”

  “I told you it would make news.” He capped the bottle and put it away before putting his hands on her belly.

  “I know,” she said with a sigh. “Okay, so indulge me by telling me what’s going on at the office. Is that cute girl still working in sales?”

  “Are you jealous of Cathy?”

  “You call her by her first name?” Her eyes flew to his.

  “I call all my employees by their first name.” This time he was openly amused. “Baby, you're not seriously jealous of her are you?”

  “Well she is young and pretty and I look like I swallowed an elephant,” she said with a slight pout. “I have a right to be jealous.”

  He bent his head to kiss her belly before pulling down her nightgown. “Even if you looked like you swallowed a dozen elephants, I would never be able to be with another woman except you,” he told her quietly. “You already know that.”

  “But it doesn't stop me from thinking that my very handsome husband is being eyed by some very attractive women,” she told him softly. “It’s not just hormones, baby.”

  “I know.” He climbed onto the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about.” He kissed the top of her head. “I got a call from Monique saying something about the right decorators for the nurseries. Know anything about that?”

  She told him about Leesa’s visit. “I really appreciate their help and I know I'm going to need it.”

  “Three boys and a girl you say?” he mused.

  “Or three girls and a boy.”

  *******

  Carole made her way slowly around the place. She'd been told that she wasn't supposed to lift a pin. Her husband had hired people to pack their things and put them where they were supposed to go. They had moved last night, the end of November. She'd sat on the sofa in the huge living room and watched as the men came and went. Barbara had moved out a few days earlier, taking the furniture from her suite of rooms and several other things with her. She wasn't staying very far from them and had been surprisingly calm about the whole thing. The place was tastefully decorated and they wouldn't need to do anything except for the nursery. Carole had already identified the room where the four children would be sleeping until they were big enough to get their own rooms. There were plenty of rooms for them as the place comprised of eight bedroom suites and two single bedrooms. It was perfect for raising their children. It was too cold to wander the large grounds but she had caught a glimpse of lush gardens, a swimming pool that was now covered up and a basketball court. There was also a perfect tree to make swings for them. Barbara had only taken one maid and the entire staff including the chef, a tall bald-headed African American with a charming smile, was left at the manor to cater to them. Sara had also come over with them and had taken charge immediately.

  It was the first of December which meant that a few days from now she would be in her fifth month.

  The room was large with a floor to ceiling window facing the east side of the gardens and made it perfect for the children. The color would be decided depending on what they learned from the ultrasound. Right now it was a creamy white with a hint of apple which gave the room a clean look to it. She was thinking that two of the cots could go to one corner near the window and the other two on the other side.

  She jumped slightly as she heard a sound in the doorway. “Yes, Sara?”

  “The doctor's here.”

  “Thank you.”

  ********

  Both Carole and Walter watched the grainy monitor as the ultrasound technician ran the instrument over her belly slowly. They had listened to the babies’ heartbeats and heard the strong beating of each small heart and had felt a sense of relief.

  “Ready to find out the sex?” she turned to them with a smile. Doctor Miller and Doctor Whittingham were standing inside the room as well. In a few more weeks, if it was necessary, she would be flown to Doctor Whittingham’s medical center to wait out the rest of the term.

  “We are,” Carole’s hand tightened on her husband’s.

  The technician nodded and moved the instrument over her belly slowly. “Come on, show yourself,” she murmured.

  “What’s happening?” Carole asked.

  “He or she is hiding. Ah, here we go! Definitely a penis.”

  “Are you sure?” Walter asked leaning forward with a frown.

  “Definitely a little dude. And another one.”

  “Two boys?” Carole whispered.

  She ran the instrument again. “And two girls.”

  “We are having two sets of twins?” Carole felt her heart pounding inside her chest as she stared at the monitor.

  “It appears so,” the technician said with a beaming smile. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” Carole whispered. She looked up at her husband with tears in her eyes. “Now we can start decorating.”

  He laughed softly as he bent to kiss her.

  *****

  “I'm nervous,” Carole said with a shaky laugh as she looked around the beautifully decorated room that her babies would be occupying. The doctor had been frank with them and told them that a time was set for her to come in. She was in her seventh month and could barely move from one place to the other. Her feet were swollen and her shortness of breath had gotten worse. Savannah had come over for a visit along with her beautiful daughter who was now five months old.

  “He explained everything to you?” she enquired as she touched the fluffy pink animal on one of the mobiles.

  “They both did. Chances are I'm going to get a C-section and the scary part is my babies will probably be in the hospital for up to three months.”

  “If they're doing okay, it will be less.” Savannah assured her. “As long as their lungs are properly developed and there are no further complications then they'll be released.”

  “I want them to be okay, Savannah. Walter hasn't said anything to me but I know he's worried and so am I.” She picked up a tiny one-piece garment and admired the lace on the collar. Romanos had sent over their entire line of baby clothes for both sexes and she'd spent her time putting them away in drawers. “I find myself wondering if I made a mistake in making this happen. He never wanted us to go through with it and only did it because of me.”

  “You have to think positive and believe that everything is going to be fine, honey,” Savannah put her daughter in her car seat and came over to Carole. “Kadine did it and they turned out more than okay. You're going to do great.”

  “We can't even have sex properly,” she said with a rueful laugh. “And on top of that every time Walter gets home late I think he's out there cheating on me.”

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “I do,” Carole shook her head. “It’s hard! I have no idea what I was thinking. Four babies?” She twisted her hands together. “I didn't think this thing through.”

  “It’s too late for regrets now,” Savannah told her firmly. “We're all here for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You're welcome.”

  *****

  “Can you promise me something?” Carole asked her husband quietly as they got ready for bed that night.

  “What’s that?” he helped her onto the bed and pulled up the pillows for her to be more comfortable. It had become a task to get through the nights.

  “Promise me that if anything should go wrong—”

  “Stop!” he barked, causing her to stare at him. “Don’t you do that.”

  “I'm just saying that if anything went wrong and I'm not around that you will take care of our children the best possible way—”

  “Did you hear me?” his tone was soft and menacing as he stood there looking down at her. “You promised me that nothing would go wrong. You were the one who wanted this Carole and you are lying there saying to me that if anything goes wrong I should go on as usual? Are you in your right mind?”

  She bit her lip and looked away from him for a moment. “I'm scared,” she whispered.

  “You think I'm not?” he asked her grimly. “The nearer you get to delivering these children the more worried I get. I'm not losing you!” He stepped back and turned to leave.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need some air.”

  Carole blinked back the tears and placed both hands over her belly, a smile tilting her lips as she felt the her babies move. She had been playing classical music to them as she relaxed and trying to put her mind at ease. Both Doctors had told her to do her best not to stress and she'd been trying. Surprisingly her mother had been calling her quite often and encouraging her. She was planning to fly out to be there when the babies were due. She and Barbara had entered into a tentative relationship and she'd even come by the manor to see her and to supervise the decorating of the rooms. Even though the babies would be sharing a room for the first six months of their lives, the rooms had already been decorated.

  She looked up as her husband came back in the room.

  “I'm sorry,” he said softly as he came over to her. “I shouldn't be causing you unnecessary stress.” He sat on the side of the bed and took her hands in his. “I don’t want to hear talk about you not making it. Is that clear?”

 

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