"Darling?" Blair was looking at her curiously. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, forcing a smile to her lips. "I think it's time to feed the boys."
"Ooh!" Blair clapped his hands in delight. "I cannot wait to witness that."
*****
The last thing on Samuel's mind was sex. The scene they had been working on for days had finally come together, but only because he had made some changes to the script. Instead of going straight to the hospital, he had decided to come home. He needed the break. He was exhausted. The emotions over the last six weeks were wearing him down. And his daughter, his precious daughter, was still in the critical "wait and see" stage. He was having a tough time with that.
At first, he had not been on board with this whole IVF thing, but he had bonded with his children. A few friends of his had jokingly asked him how he was going to handle so many mouths to feed and he had told them that it was a good thing he had the resources.
His sons were the spitting image of him and so identical that he doubted they would be able to tell them apart. His daughter -- diving into the deep end, he swam underwater for a few minutes, until his lungs started to feel the pressure.
Perhaps it was because she was the only girl, or the fact that even in her tiny features he was able to see signs of his wife's beauty. Or it was because of how much of a fighter she was. She was hanging in there. His sons would be coming home tomorrow, but his princess was going to be staying in the NICU. It ached his heart to think about leaving her there. But if they wanted her togrow and develop and be able to breathe on her own, that was the best place for her.
Heaving himself up, he padded to the chaise lounge to pick up a towel. Fall had descended on them, and the cool air could be felt slicing through the trees. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he started to reach for the phone to call his wife but decided against it.
Reaching for another towel, he dried his hair. He wanted the silence and the alone time. He had been rushing from the studio to the various locations as well as attending the necessary board meetings with no time in between. He needed this time. He had instructed the doctors to call if there was an emergency.
Settling back on the cushions, he closed his eyes briefly. He wanted her home. He missed his wife and wanted her where she belonged -- here, at home. He knew she was stressing over whether or not he was being faithful to her, but he had no intention of indulging her insecurities. It was time she started trusting him. As if he could be with anyone else, he thought wryly. Picking up the glass of scotch, he settled back to enjoy the quiet night.
Chapter 11
"She grew two inches." Eliza stood at the cot with her husband's arm wrapped around her waist, mostly in support. His wife was fully recovered from her ordeal, but he still wanted to hold her. He had this nightmare of her slipping away from him, which made him want to keep her close.
"And she's improving." He murmured gratefully. She no longer looked like she was at death's door.
"I hate to leave her." Eliza uttered the thought that had been on her mind since her discharge drew nearer. Last night she had been unable to sleep. Her husband had spent the night and noticed her restlessness.
"We have the boys to think about, and they need to go home. It has been five weeks. I want my family home."
"Minus our daughter."
"The doctors are thinking another two weeks. And the best place for her is here."
"I don't want her to think we're abandoning her." Eliza fretted.
"She's too tiny to think anything of the sort." He pressed her closer to him. "And we'll be here every day to see her."
"I'll be here." Tipping her head up, she met his gaze. "You've sacrificed enough time already. You are running yourself ragged."
He kissed her forehead. "Funny, I don't consider the time spent with my family a sacrifice."
"Sacrifice is not the right word. But I can be here with her while you go on about your work." They had interviewed nannies and hired two of them. The women had come highly recommended and passed several background checks, and they would be living at the house. Eliza had not wanted anyone young. She had been specific about that aspect. She wanted mature women who were friendly and loved children. Incidentally, the two women were sisters. Maeve and Mary-Ann were originally from Ireland and had been living in the States for over thirty years.
"We're almost at the wrapping up stage of the movie." He ran his hand up and down her arm in a soothing gesture. "Which will give me more time to spend with you and our children. I won't be taking on any more projects right now."
She gave him a surprised glance. "Really? I hope you don't think you have to do that on our account."
His thick brows lifted. "On whose account then? I want to do this, Eliza. The time goes by so swiftly that before we know it, they will be graduating high school and going off to college. I want to be part of their formative years."
"High school." She grimaced. "I want to keep them with me as long as possible."
"We don't get to make that decision. Very soon, it won't be cool for them to associate with their parents."
"Nonsense! They're going to want to stay with us until they're well into their thirties."
He chuckled, rubbing his chin on top of her head. "We certainly would not want that." He glanced over at the triplets and felt his heart swelling. His boys were thriving. They had grown more than inches and looked anything unlike preemies, and they favored him so much that it was uncanny. He could not help but feel proud that they did. They were tiny replicas of himself. Even his parents had commented on the startling resemblance.
