TWENTY-NINE

Cate hummed absently to herself as she turned the steering wheel, guiding the SUV through the open wrought-iron gates.  She automatically surveyed the driveway ahead of her, checking for icy patches.  The weather here was far less pleasant than the tropical climes she and Jon had enjoyed just two days ago.

Comfortable that the path was clear, she let the vehicle roll toward the house.  The SUV had only traversed half the distance to the garage, however, when Cate had to tap the brake.  A white van emerged from around the drive’s bend, presumably coming from the covered guest carport at the back of house.  Cate scanned the unfamiliar vehicle for an identifying logo, then noted the plate number.  Neither check revealed the van’s purpose or identity.

Cate peered curiously at the driver as the vehicle crept past her slowed SUV.  Her inspection was met with a smile and a little wave from the dark-haired woman.   After returning the gesture Cate’s gaze shifted to the rear-view mirror.  In the reflection she watched the van roll through the gates and turn onto River Road. 

“Wonder who that was?” Cate muttered thoughtfully.  She wasn’t expecting any deliveries.  Few people even knew she and Jon had returned from their holiday.

She continued to puzzle over the departed vehicle as she pulled the SUV into the garage, then gathered her parcels.  Cate’s lips curved into a smile as the contents of one brown market bag gave her an idea.

“Ah,” she murmured, nodding slightly at the colorful bunch of cut flowers that peeked from the top of her grocery sack.  Her heart warmed as she realized she may find a surprise waiting for her inside the house, a romantic gesture from her darling husband.

When she stepped through the door into the kitchen, Cate called out her greeting.  “Baby?  I’m home!” 

Her smile turned quizzical when she didn’t spy the expected bouquet of flowers on the massive kitchen island.  “Hmm,” she wondered, lifting her shopping bags to the countertop. 

Cate’s gaze swept over the big room, noting the absence of flora.  She shrugged.  Maybe Jon had carried the delivery to another room.

“Be right there!”  Jon’s distant voice floated into the kitchen.  Cate automatically glanced up at the ceiling, pinpointing his location as the second floor.  She smiled again.  She always enjoyed having flowers in the bedroom.

Cate removed the meager cellophane-wrapped bouquet from her market bag and set it aside before unloading the groceries.  She moved around the kitchen, unhurriedly putting away her purchases.  She was nearly finished when Jon finally swaggered into the kitchen, grinning broadly.

“There’s My Girl.”  He strolled over to Cate’s side, leaning to give her a brief welcome-home nuzzle.  “Where’d you go?  I thought you’d be back an hour ago.”

“Just to the market, the post office, and the pharmacy.  They were all busy, since everybody’s closing early tonight.”  Cate shrugged.  “Oh, and I stopped for a muffin and a cup of tea.  Guess that delayed me a little, too.” 

Jon nodded, peering into a small brown bag emblazoned with the pharmacy’s logo.  He grinned when he spied the expected contents.  “Got the supplies for our little New Year’s Eve celebration, I see?”  Reaching into the bag, he extracted a package of cheap blow-out noisemakers and a home pregnancy test.

Cate chuckled as Jon dropped the box back into the bag, but kept the noisemakers.  “Yes, I did.  Felt like I was on some kinda covert op, too.  I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to see somebody aiming a camera at me.”

Jon chuckled, ripping open the plastic package.  “You’re all paranoid now.”  He raised one of the plastic-and paper novelties to his lips and blew.  A comical horn sounded as the paper tube unfurled. 

Cate rolled her eyes at her husband’s goofiness, then pulled a face.  “I swear, I musta wandered every aisle in the drugstore three times, waiting for the line at the cashier to thin out so I could pay and run.  That’s how I ended up with those things.”  She nodded at the noisemaker clenched in Jon’s grin.  “I grabbed ‘em to cover the box.”

“Oh, good thinking, SpyGirl!”  Jon nodded with his sarcastic tease, pulling the little horn from his mouth and dropping it on the counter beside its mates.  “Nobody would ever suspect you’re buying anything but last-minute party supplies at the Red Bank Pharmacy!”

Cate stuck out her tongue at her smartass husband, but couldn’t hide a smile.  “Yeah, well.   I ended up taking it to the prescription counter, way in the back.  I felt like I was scoring dope or something, not buying a stupid pregnancy test.”  Her cheeks colored a bit as she giggled at the memory.  “The lady looked at me like I was crazy.”

“Well, you are a little crazy.  But mission accomplished.”  Jon laughed softly.  He stepped over to Cate and circled her waist with an arm, pulling her to him. 

After another more thorough kiss, Jon slid his hand to playfully pat his wife on her derriere.  “And I don’t think you have to worry about the rags stalking us here.  Hell, they probably don’t even know we’re out here.  Betcha they’re staking out the apartment.”

“Fine by me.”  Cate’s reply held a note of bitterness.  “They can stay in the City.”  She turned to more fully face her husband, arching a brow.  “So, what was that white van doing here?”

She saw the telltale signs of deception in Jon’s involuntary response:  his pupils dilated, his nostrils flared, and he pulled in a short, silent breath of surprise.  But when he spoke, his tone was nonchalant.

“What white van?”

Cate smirked.  “The one that was leaving when I was driving in.”

Jon shrugged.  “Dunno.  Maybe somebody at the studio.”

“It came around the house.  I presume from the carport.”  Cate stared at Jon, knowing he could tell from her expression that she wasn't buying his act.

“Oh, that.” The corner of Jon’s mouth twisted upward.  “Just a messenger, dropping off a package for me.  I didn’t know what he was driving.”

“Really?  He?” Again Cate’s brow arched.  “The driver was a woman.”

Jon fidgeted.  “She, I meant.”  He dropped his chin, giving Cate his best sexy smile.

Cate snorted at his attempt at distraction.  “What was in the package?”

“Dunno.  Something from Ken’s office.  I’ll look at it later.”

“Uh huh.”  Cate smirked expectantly at Jon, confident he would crumble any moment under her sly interrogation.  “That ‘package’ didn’t happen to come in a big vase, did it?” 

“No, Nancy Drew, it didn’t.”  Jon grinned in silent relief that Cate obviously hadn’t recognized the delivery van.  He wasn’t quite ready to reveal his evening surprise for his wife. 

“You sure?”  Cate gave Jon a long stare. 

“Cate, I swear.  I didn’t buy you flowers.”  Jon held up his hands in mock surrender, then pointed at the little bouquet resting on the island.  “Besides, you already got some.”

Cate’s smile faded a bit, replaced by a puzzled look.  “So, the delivery van…?”

“Baby, I told you.  It was a package for me.”  It wasn’t exactly a lie; the firm had delivered a package of sorts.   Jon just hoped Cate wouldn’t ask to see the fictitious parcel.

“Well… okay.”  Cate gave Jon another skeptical once-over, then picked up the simple bouquet.  She turned and retrieved a vase from a cupboard and moved over to the sink.

Jon watched her with an amused smile.  “Well, shit.  Now I guess I have to send you flowers, huh?”

“No.  Of course not.”  Cate half-filled the vase with water and set it on the counter.  The cellophane crackled as she unwrapped and separated the stems.  She dropped the bouquet into the vase, arranging the blooms loosely before moving the vase back to the island.

Cate gave Jon a playful sneer. “What fun would it be now?  It wouldn’t be a surprise at all.”

Jon chuckled softly.  “Sorry, Baby.  I’m all outta surprises, apparently.”

Cate smiled.  “It’s okay.  I kinda jumped to conclusions, anyway.”

“Seriously, Cate… if you want flowers…”

“Jon, I don’t want flowers!  I just thought…”

“Alright, Dammit.  I’m calling the florist.”  Jon reached for his waist, then patted at his pockets when he realized his iPhone wasn’t in its usual place since he was wearing sweatpants instead of jeans.

“Jon!” Cate laughed as she spoke, his name coming out as a soft warble.  She reached out to tug at his forearm, pausing his search.  “Baby… no flowers.  Really.”

“Well… okay.” Jon relented.  “Not today, anyway.  But I might sneak-attack you tomorrow… maybe with a big bouquet of pink roses?”  His tone gentled.  “In celebration?”  He nodded again toward the pharmacy bag, making his meaning clear.

Cate’s smile sweetened as she stepped close.  “Well… if we have something besides the New Year to celebrate tomorrow, I guess I won’t argue.”

Jon returned her expression, dropping his head to rub his nose playfully against hers.  “An extra-Happy New Year,” he agreed.  He pressed a smooch against her cheek, then tipped his head toward the remaining groceries on the counter.  “Want me to put those away?”

Cate shook her head.  “Nah, I’ve got it.”  She stepped back from Jon and turned to gather the small parcels.

“What all did you get?”

Cate gave him a little smile over her shoulder as she moved to the big refrigerator.  “Just a few things to nosh on tonight.  Some cheese, some berries.  And I thought I’d make my crab-stuffed mushrooms for you.  The ones with the gruyere and bacon?”

“Mmmmm…” Jon groaned happily.  “Sounds great.”

“How about we just put on an old movie or something, curl up on the sofa, and eat, drink, and be lazy?”  Cate giggled softly at the cozy vision.  “And a little before midnight we can put on our silly hats and glasses, make it a real party.”

“Sounds nice.  But I have a couple ideas of some stuff we can do, too.”

Cate turned back to face Jon, her smile fading a little.  “Did you… Did you change your mind?  Do you want to go out instead?”  She silently hoped that wasn’t the case.  But Jon had reminded her earlier that The Jukes were playing their customary New Year’s Eve show at the Basie…

“No!  No… I’m all for us staying in tonight,” Jon clarified hastily.  “I was just thinking maybe we’d do something a little more… personal.  Than watching a movie, I mean.”

Cate snorted softly.  “Baby, we have all night to celebrate that way.  We can do other stuff too, you know.”

Jon chortled at her automatic assumption.  “That’s not what I meant.  But yeah, I think we oughta ring in the New Year naked.” He grinned lecherously.  “But before that… I have some ideas.”

“Like what?”

Jon gave Cate a cryptic smirk.  “You’ll see.”  He took a step back from the island, turning toward the door.  “And now, I’m gonna go jump in the shower.  You wanna get dressed up for tonight, or keep it casual?”

“God, casual.  Of course.”  Cate gave Jon a quizzical look.  “Why, do you wanna dress up?”

“Nope.  I’m good with jeans if you are.”

“How about just jeans?”  Cate mimicked Jon’s lecherous grin of a moment before.

“Sure, Baby.  Whatever turns you on.”  Jon countered with his sexy growl as he flashed Cate a wink.  “Just make it worth my while.”  With that suggestive comment he turned and sauntered for the door.

Cate giggled as she watched him go, then sighed softly with relief.  She really didn’t feel like partying tonight.  Tonight she just needed to be with her husband, with no one else around.

She stared at the empty doorway for a long moment, considering what the New Year may bring.  Then she picked up the little pharmacy bag and followed Jon’s path.

*****

“Cate, are you keeping your eyes covered?”  Jon’s suspicious query rang out through the high-ceilinged living room, from some not-so-distant source.

“Yes!”  Cate answered for the third time in the last five minutes.  She growled with mild exasperation as she fidgeted on the plush sofa, keeping her seat as she had promised.   She was tempted to reach up and tug away the scarf that covered her eyes; it was obvious Jon wasn’t in the room.  Whatever surprise he was preparing for her wasn’t in here either.

She sighed, realizing maybe Jon’s surprise was some sort of grand reveal that he would perform in front of her current spot.  That would explain the blindfold.  Maybe he needed to bring something into the room.  With the thought Cate dropped her hands again to her lap, resisting the urge to uncover her eyes.

“Baby… what are you doing?”  Cate called out her question as she heard a distant door close.  “Come on!  The food’s gonna get cold!”

“Stay there!  I’m coming down!”

Cate chuckled softly as Jon’s reply confirmed his location.  A minute later she sensed his presence in the room, not having heard his sock-footed approach.

“Jon?”

“I’m here, Baby.” 

Cate smiled as she felt him behind her, leaning over the back of the sofa.  His hands tugged gently at the loose knot at the base of her skull.  The scarf over her eyes slackened, then slid away.  Cate blinked as she raised her blue eyes to focus on what was in front of her…

Nothing.

“Wha… Jon?”  Cate’s brow furrowed with confusion as she scanned the room, looking for something that wasn’t there earlier.  The furnishings were exactly as they had been.

Jon chuckled at her response, waiting for her to look back at him.  It happened almost immediately.

“There’s nothing here.”

“Who said there would be something here?”

“Nobody, but… Why did you blindfold me?  If you weren’t bringing something in here or taking me somewhere?”

“Because.”  Jon smirked.  “I like blindfolding you.  It’s sexy.”

“You mean… I didn’t have to be blindfolded?  You just wanted me to be?”

“Yup.”  Jon couldn’t hide a triumphant grin.

“You shit.”  Cate turned on her hip and swiped at Jon’s torso.  He jumped back, not quite evading her gentle smack.

“Aww, c’mon, Baby.  Admit it.  You like it too.”

Cate snorted softly, unable to stop her smirk.  “Well… sometimes.  But only when it’s worth it.”

“Okay.  I’ll make it up to you.”  Jon held out a hand, beckoning his wife to rise from her perch on the enormous plush divan.  “Come with me.”

Unable to resist Jon’s invitation, Cate stood before placing her hand delicately in Jon’s.  She giggled softly as she allowed him to lead her around the couch, then point her toward the front foyer.  She hesitated when Jon urged her toward the grand staircase.

“Baby, wait.  Let me go pop the mushrooms back in the oven to stay warm.”

“Already covered.”  Jon shook his head slightly with his rebuttal.  “And they’re delicious, by the way.”

“You already had some?”  Cate raised a brow at Jon’s compliment.  “Thanks for waiting for me!”

Jon snickered.  “Gotta keep my strength up, considering what you’re gonna be doing to me for the next few hours.”

“What?”

“Cate!  Shut up and follow me, and I’ll show you!”  Jon’s faux-exasperated command was delivered in a gentle half-laugh.  Her heart warming with his sweet smile, Cate obliged.  She giggled softly as she followed Jon to the stairs and climbed them at his side.

Automatically Cate turned to her left at the landing, presuming they were headed for the Master Suite.  A gentle tug on her hand stopped her.

“This way.” Jon tipped his head down the hall that traversed the upper floor of the mansion’s East wing.

Cate gave Jon a look of mild surprise.  “Uh… okay.”  She wasn’t sure why he wanted to take her in the direction of the second-floor office and additional bedrooms.

Jon just turned and pulled Cate along behind him.  He didn’t have to tow her far; just past the office to the second door on the left.  He stopped outside the heavy paneled door and turned to face his wife, giving her a smug grin.  His eyes twinkled bright azure as Jon reached into his pocket and pulled out an ornate iron skeleton key, tied with a soft pink satin bow.

Cate chuckled, taking the pretty bauble from Jon’s hand.  “What’s this?”

“A key.” 

“I see that, but…to the guest room?”  Cate’s brow furrowed with mild confusion.

Jon grinned.  “No, it’s not the key to this door, but… well, it’s kinda… symbolic, I guess.  Or that’s what Rachel said, anyway.”  He shrugged sheepishly. 

“Rachel?”  Cate tipped her head at the mention of the woman’s name.  “Who’s Rachel?”

“The woman you saw leaving earlier.  In the white van.”  Jon shrugged again, in apology.  “She was supposed to get out of here before you came back, but it took a little longer than we thought it would.”

“We?” Cate’s smile faltered at Jon’s use of the plural pronoun.  “What… what was she doing here, Jon?”  She felt a little flutter of nervousness in her stomach at her husband’s gentle yet potentially sinister admission.

“Open the door.  See for yourself.”

Cate swallowed hard, trying to ignore the little wave of dread at what she might find.  She reached for the knob.  It turned easily, with a muffled click.  The big door swung silently open at her gentle push.

“Oh!”  Cate’s eyes widened as she gasped her surprise.  “Oh, Jon!”

“Go on,” Jon prodded, smiling at her reaction.  He raised his hand to the small of her back, giving her a gentle nudge toward the threshold.

Cate automatically followed his guidance, drifting through the doorway and into the large, airy bedchamber.  Her lips remained parted as she looked wonderingly around the usually simple-but-luxurious guest bedroom.

The room was appointed in the same French style as the rest of the house, in shades of off-white, cream, and beige.  Against one wall stood a massive, hand-carved walnut bed, covered with a satin duvet and an assortment of detailed pillows.  On the opposite wall a wide, cream-painted antique wardrobe stood sentinel, dwarfed in the large room despite its size. 

A trio of tall, elegantly-draped windows dominated the room’s longest wall, revealing a stunning view of the river.   Little stars of light shone in the now-dark panes, reflections of the cut crystal beads and softly-glowing candle-bulbs of the room’s sparkling chandelier light fixture.

But now the normally elegant room glowed with another warmth.  Long, loosely-gathered swaths of delicate salmon-colored crepe cascaded alongside the windows, tucked over the elaborate window treatments.  Overhead, swags of sheer pale pink fabric swooped gently from their gathered attachment at the chandelier’s base, radiating outward from the ceiling’s center like filmy rays of soft light.

The giant bed, normally appointed with a few decorative pillows, was covered in cushions and plush shapes in a palette of soft pinks.  A pale rose cashmere blanket lay folded in a wide stripe across the foot of the ivory duvet, inviting a romantic cuddle under its fluffy softness.  At the bedside gauzy pink beaded-edged scarves covered the shades of the antique lamps that rested on low tables, warming their glow.

Positioned around the room on ornate weathered-gold easels were large boards featuring a collection of drawings, photographs, fabric swatches, and paint chips.  As Cate’s wondering gaze swept across the room she noted at least eight of the sample boards, all with different variations of the same soft theme.

For all the warm beauty of the made-over room, one stark feature arrested Cate’s attention, making her gape with awe.  Positioned in front of the middle window was an elegant oval dark-wood crib, adorned in a cascade of creamy hand-turned Irish lace and ivory satin.  The little bed looked as if it had been crafted specifically for this room, so perfectly it complemented the existing furnishings.

“Oh, Jon… How… What did you do?”  Cate murmured wonderingly as she tentatively stepped toward the crib.  Her hand raised as she drifted forward, then her palm settled on the sleek rail.  She drew in a soft breath as her fingers caressed the smooth slat.  It was as if the dark wood radiated warmth, bolstering her hopeful soul.

Jon watched her for a long moment, his heart squeezing at his wife’s tender smile.  “It wasn’t me,” he finally chuckled softly.  “Well, not really, anyway.  It was Rachel.  She put all this together.  It’s not exactly like she hoped, but this was short-notice and time was tight.”

“Rachel?”

“Rachel Baxter.  She owns Distinguished Design, over on Church Street.”  Jon smiled as he saw the silent A-HA!  in Cate’s gentle smirk. 

“But all this… How…?”  Cate turned to give her husband a long, searching look.  “Jon, there’s no way she had all this just laying around at her studio.  I mean… look at all this!”  She waved a hand around the room, indicating the showroom décor.  “The boards, the drapes, the accessories… This crib...”

Jon shrugged, responding to her observation with a self-satisfied grin.  “Yeah, well… I put her on retainer a couple months ago.  She’s the best, and she’s busy, and I knew we’d want her when it was time.  I didn’t want for you to have to wait when you were ready to do the baby’s room, so I sat down with her gave her some ideas to start playing with.  This is that she came up with for the preliminaries.”  Jon nodded toward the beautifully-appointed crib.  “Not a bad start, huh?”

“Not bad?  Jon, it’s beautiful.”  Cate’s breathless reply made him smile again. 

“Actually, that was my idea.”  Jon nodded at the crib, then strolled slowly over to his wife.  He slipped an arm around her waist and rested his other hand beside hers on the smooth wooden rail.    “I saw it when we were in Dublin last year.  I couldn’t remember what shop I saw it in, so I described it to Rachel and gave her a guess about what part of town it was in, and she tracked it down.”

“You… you got this?  From Ireland?”  Cate stared at her husband in affectionate wonder.  “Even… before…?” She didn’t have to finish her thought.

Jon nodded proudly.  “Uh huh.  I knew we’d need it eventually.”

“Oh… Oh, Jon…”  Cate swallowed hard against the lump rising in her throat.  She smiled gratefully as her long lashes fluttered against the happy moisture in her sapphire eyes.

“Now, none of that,” Jon chided gently, pulling Cate closer and covering her hand with his.  He chuckled softly and turned his head to press a kiss against her temple.  “We’re supposed to be celebrating tonight, remember?”

“I’m just…”  Cate tipped her head against Jon’s shoulder as she smiled down at their hands on the dark wood rail.  “Oh, Baby.  You just continue to amaze me.”

“Good.  I was starting to worry I was losing my touch,” Jon teased gently.  He grinned at her soft giggle in response.  “So, what do you think of the rest of it?  You like it?”

Cate raised her head and half-turned to look over her shoulder.  Her gaze swept over the sweetly decorated room before returning to her husband’s handsome face.

“It’s gorgeous, Jon.  But…”  She shrugged sheepishly.  “Isn’t it a little… pink?”

Jon chuckled, nodding sagely.  “Ah.  You mean what if we have a boy?”

“Um.. no.  I mean... I’m not crazy about pink.”

Cate’s simple confession made Jon snort a gentle laugh.  He shook his head slowly, then pulled Cate into a full embrace.  He hadn't given in a second thought while helping Rachel set up the room, but Jon knew his wife was not partial to the feminine hue.  Cate never wore pink, except for the occasional small pink ribbon breast cancer awareness symbol.  He didn’t think she even owned anything pink.

“Okay, then.  We can change the color, to anything you want.  Blue, green, purple, black… I don’t care.  As long as you like it.”  He pulled back and gave Cate a warm smile.  “I told Rachel to leave some sample books.  Thought it might be a fun way for us to spend the evening, listening to the radio and picking out wallpaper.”

Cate chortled at his suggestion.  “Not exactly a traditional New Year’s Eve Party.”

“Well, I put a bottle of sparkling cider in the cooler, and we have hors d’ouvres, and Sirius is airing the Jukes show…”  Jon dropped a playful kiss onto the end of Cate’s nose.  “And I can’t think of any way I’d rather bring in the New Year than looking ahead to our future.  As a family.”

Cate’s eyes moistened again as she gazed up at her husband, his loving smile filling her heart with hope.  “And tomorrow…”

“We make it official.”  Jon grinned.  “But tonight, we dream.”

She nodded slowly, her smile mirroring his.  “Yeah.  Okay.”

“Alright.  I’m gonna go to the kitchen and fix us a tray.”  Jon dropped a quick kiss onto Cate’s forehead before releasing her from his embrace.  “You get the radio tuned up and drag those sample books out.”  He nodded toward the door.

Cate’s gaze followed his nod, spying a knee-high pile of heavy square catalogs stacked against the wall next to the bedroom door.  She giggled quietly.  “You’re serious about this, huh?  You’re really gonna sort through wallpaper samples with me?”

“Bet your sweet ass I am, Baby.  I’ll look at duckies and bunnies all night long.”

“Well, I think you’re safe from duckies and bunnies.” 

“Even better.”  Jon tilted his head, giving his wife a little smirk.  “Now get moving.  I’m starving, and we only have a couple hours until midnight.  I wanna be into our second bottle of fake bubbly and have you half-undressed by then.”

Her musical laughter in response to his half-tease made Jon’s heart smile.  He leaned forward for another sweet kiss, then turned and swaggered toward the door.  Jon paused for one more wink back at his wife before disappearing into the hallway, his mission underway.

With a happy sigh Cate stood still, slowly surveying the beautiful room once again.  She still could hardly believe Jon’s thoughtful foresight.  Her hand reached again to rest on the smooth curved rail of the beautiful oval crib.

For months she had been so focused on the physical task of getting pregnant that she had ignored or avoided the joyful ancillary projects, such as looking at baby clothes or thinking about nursery colors.  It was as if she couldn’t allow herself to believe that their fertility journey would bring them to a happy ending.  But all this time Jon had quietly planned ahead, faithful that she would find her way to share his confidence in their future.

With a gentle sigh and a contented smile Cate stepped back from the crib.  Following Jon’s instructions, she moved to the wall panel near the door and pushed a few buttons, tuning the whole-house sound system to Sirius radio. 

She lowered the volume to a pleasing background drone, then wandered over to the pile of sample books.  Having no idea where to start, she simply pulled the first heavy catalog from the stack and carried it over to the bed. 

The big book bounced against the mattress where she dropped it.  Cate climbed onto the enormous bed and settled herself comfortably on the thick duvet. 

With a contented smile she flipped open the book’s glossy cover.