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A wave of weakness came over her then, and Julia realised she hadn’t eaten since a soggy breakfast on the plane—hours ago. She cursed herself. She had to be more careful. But in fact, whether fatigue or hunger, whatever it was created a welcome cushion of numbness around her.
She looked at Kaden again and willed herself to be strong, straightening her spine. “No, I’ve come for another reason. The truth is that I have some news, and it affects both of us.” She continued in a rush, before she could lose her nerve. “I’m pregnant, Kaden. With your baby … Well, actually, the thing is, it’s not just one baby. If it was I might not have come all this way. But you see, I’m almost four months pregnant with twins … and the thought of two babies was a bit much to deal with on my own … and I know I could have rung, but I tried a few times … but that’s when you must have been away in the desert and I didn’t want to leave a message …”
Kaden lifted a hand. He’d gone very still and pale beneath his tan. “Pregnant? Twins?”
Julia nodded, hating herself for babbling like that. She’d wanted to be ultra-calm and collected, but now she was in front of Kaden she felt as if she was nineteen again. She wanted to run into his chest and have him hold her—but that scenario was about as likely as a sudden snow shower inside the palace.
“You look like you’ve lost weight—not as if you’re pregnant.” He sounded almost accusing.
Julia stifled a slightly hysterical laugh when she thought of the sizeable bump under her loose top. She was already wearing stretch-waisted jeans.
His hand dropped. His eyes narrowed. He looked even wilder now. “And you say these babies are mine?”
At that insulting insinuation Julia actually swayed on her feet. Kaden came around his desk so fast it made her feel even dizzier. She put out a hand, as if that could stop him.
“Do you really think I came all this way for the good of my health? Just to pass off some other man’s babies as yours?” Her voice rang with bitterness. “Believe me, I’ve been actuely aware of the awful irony of this situation for months of sleepless nights now. One baby I could have coped with. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to tell you. But two babies …”
Kaden’s eyes raked her from head to toe. His lip practically curled. “I used protection.”
Julia’s chin went up. “There is a failure rate, and clearly it failed.”
The enormity of what Julia was saying, and to whom hit her then like a ton weight. Two babies. Who would be unwanted and unloved by their father. It was so much the opposite of what she’d once dreamt of with this man that the pain lanced her like a sharp knife right through the heart.
Everything was becoming indistinct and awfully blurry. That numbness was spreading. But in the face of his overwhelmingly hostile response Julia had to assert her independence. She had a horror of him assuming she’d come for a hand-out.
Faintly, Julia tried to force oxygen to her brain and to be articulate. “These are your babies, Kaden, whether you like it or not. And now that I’ve told you I’ll leave.
I don’t expect anything from you. I just wanted you to know that they exist … or will exist in about five months, all being well.”
She turned on her heel, but it seemed to take an awful long time—as if everything had gone into slow motion. And then, instead of getting closer to the door, she seemed to be moving further and further away. With a cry of dismay as black edges appeared on her peripheral vision, Julia felt herself falling down and down. Only faintly did she hear a stricken “Julia!” and feel something warm and strong cushion her back before the blackness sucked her down completely.
“Why is she taking so long to come round?” Kaden asked the wizened palace doctor impatiently. He didn’t like the metallic taste of fear in his mouth. “Shouldn’t we go straight to the hospital? I told you she’s pregnant.”
The doctor was unflappable and kept his fingers on Julia’s wrist, checking her pulse. Kaden had laid her down on the couch in his office before bellowing for his secretary to call Dr Assan. She’d been so limp and lifeless, her cheeks paler than he’d ever seen, dark bruises under her eyes.
And he’d kept her waiting all that time—after a long journey. She was pregnant. His conscience stung him hard.
Dr Assan looked at Kaden pacing near to him. “We’re just waiting for the paramedics to come and then she will be taken to the hospital for a full examination. But as far as I can tell she is fine—probably just tired and dehydrated. You said she flew from England today?”
“Yes—yes, I did,” Kaden agreed irritably. He was used to things happening quickly, and even though it was only a couple of minutes since she’d collapsed time seemed to have slowed down to the pace of a snail.
With a granite-like weight in his chest, he cursed himself for lashing out just now and insinuating that he might not be the father. Of course he believed her when she said the babies were his. She’d looked shell-shocked, not avaricious. He knew with a bone-deep certainty that she wasn’t mercenary enough to make a false claim of paternity.
In five months’ time he would have a ready-made family.
The thought was overwhelming.
Just then a knock came to the door, and in the flurry of activity Kaden concentrated on what they were doing to Julia. When they produced a stretcher to carry her out to the ambulance Kaden reacted to a surge of something primal, and waded in and picked her up into his arms himself, ignoring the paramedics.
Dr Assan motioned for them to follow Kaden as he strode out with Julia in his arms. Kaden was oblivious to the sea of people hurrying after him. He was only aware of the swell of Julia’s pregnant belly against his chest, and something powerful rose up within him. His gut clenched tight. In his arms Julia stirred, but he didn’t even break his stride as he looked down to see those pools of grey on him. Dazed and confused.
For a moment he forgot everything and reacted only to those eyes, and to the sensation of relief rushing through him. “Don’t worry, you’re safe, and I’m going to take care of you.”
Julia was warm and secure in a dark place. But someone kept prodding her and shining a light in her eyes. Instinctively she moved away from the light, but it kept following her until eventually she opened her eyes, and then it blinded her. She squeezed her eyes shut again, but heard a kindly voice saying, “Julia, you need to wake up now. You’ve given us all quite a fright.”
In her hazy consciousness she heard an echo of Kaden’s voice. Don’t worry … I’m going to take care of you …
Without really knowing where she was or what was happening, she spoke from a place of urgent instinctive need, “Kaden … where is Kaden?”
