CHAPTER 15: An uncomfortable certainty

CHAPTER 15: An uncomfortable certainty

Sarah froze with tension, and trepidation of what was going to happen. Cara immediately grabbed Sarah’s hand, ready to race out immediately when the car stopped.

The sudden tense silence was broken by the ringing of Edward's phone. He pulled out the phone, and his brow drew in a frown when he saw that it was Veronica calling him.

Cara took that moment of distraction, and dragged a momentarily frozen Sarah with her out of the car, and into the gates, which the gateman had already swung open.

Sarah took very deep breaths as soon as the door shut behind them in the safety of the foyer.

Cara watched her, amusement flickering in her gaze. "That was close."

Sarah slumped against the door. "Too close."

She barely had time to calm her nerves before she heard the twins' excited footsteps running toward her.

“Mommy!”

"Mommy!"

Robyn and Liam ran toward them, their little feet pattering against the polished floor. Thoughts of Edward and all the anxiety he had evoked in her immediately flew out the window.

Sarah barely had time to open her arms before they launched themselves at her, hugging her tightly.

She laughed, wrapping them up in a warm embrace. "Oh, my babies, I missed you!"

Robyn, her dark curls bouncing, clung to her legs. "You were gone forever, mommy."

Liam, usually the one that liked to act and believed that he was the grown up, and the tougher one usually, nodded in agreement with his sister.

"We have never not had you tuck us into bed, mommy. I don’t like it."

Sarah sighed, and smoothed his dark tousled hair. "I promise it will never happen again, my love?"

Before Liam could reply, Robyn suddenly gasped, spotting Cara standing behind them.

"Auntie Cara!"

She squealed in excitement, letting go of Sarah and throwing herself at Cara instead. Liam followed suit, hugging her tightly.

Cara laughed, crouching to their level as she pulled them into a hug. "My favorite little humans! I missed you guys so much. You guys missed me, huh?"

Robyn pouted. "A lot! We've been asking mommy when you are going to visit.” She hugged Cara tight, throwing her little arms tightly around her neck.

Cara giggled, glancing at Sarah. "I'm so sorry I was not able to visit for a long time, my darlings,” she replied, tenderly tugging at Liam's cute chubby cheeks, making him smile.

Liam tilted his head. "Are you staying?"

Cara ruffled his hair. "Not for too long bambino, but I’ll be around a lot more from now on." Baby.

Robyn immediately drew back a little to stare at her aunt's face, adorable large eyes wide with excitement. She clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay! Can we have a tea party tomorrow?"

Cara pretended to think. "Hmm… only if there are cookies involved."

Liam nodded. "Mrs Langford will make the best cookies."

Sarah’s brows arched in amusement. Her son was already comfortable with the new housekeeper. “You like her already?”

Liam shrugged his little shoulder. “She's okay. She's cool.”

Sarah and Cara burst into laughter at the toddler's antics.

Sarah watched them with a soft smile, warmth filling her chest. It was moments like these that made her feel truly at peace.

After more excited chatter, Sarah gently nudged the twins. "Alright, you two. Go play in your playroom, I need to talk with Aunty Cara."

Robyn groaned. "But we just started catching up!"

Cara chuckled. "Don’t worry bambina, I’m still here for now." Baby.

Liam grabbed his sister’s hand. "Come on, Robyn. I think the grown ups want to talk. Let's go, aunt Cara is still here."

That seemed to convince her. With one last hug to Sarah and Cara, the twins scampered off to their playroom, their excited whispers trailing behind them.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Cara stretched and flopped onto the living room couch. "I swear, I love those kids to pieces, but they have more energy than I ever did at their age."

Sarah beamed proudly, as she sat beside her. "Trust me, I know."

She turned to Cara, eyes suddenly filled with curiosity, as she suddenly recalled something. "So… you mentioned that you had exciting news to share last night. What is it about?”

Cara’s eyes immediately sparked with excitement, and her hands quickly went to her stomach. "Well… I was waiting for the right moment to tell you."

Sarah’s brows furrowed. "Tell me what?" She tilted her head slightly in confusion, as her eyes trailed down to Cara’s hands on her abdomen. Her eyes suddenly widened in realisation.

“Don't tell me…?”

Cara nodded with a smile. "I’m pregnant."

Sarah’s eyes widened. "What?! Cara, that’s amazing!"

Before Cara could react, Sarah threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. She was very ecstatic for her friend. She knew how much Cara loved children, especially her own kids.

"Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

Cara laughed, squeezing her back. "I wanted to tell you in person. It was meant to be a surprise."

Sarah pulled away, beaming. "How far along are you?"

"Three months," Cara said, resting a hand on her stomach. "Still early, but the morning sickness is kicking my ass."

Sarah chuckled. "Oh, I remember that. It was brutal."

Cara smirked. "You mean when you were pregnant with the twins?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

Cara nudged her. "I really hope it's not twins in there. I love Liam and Robyn, but they are a handful. I want just one first to get used to it first,before multiples.”

Sarah laughed at her friend's antics.

Cara laughed along with her. “Any tips?"

Sarah leaned back, pretending to think. "Hmm… eat healthy meals, drink lots of ginger tea, and get as much rest as you can."

Cara groaned, and leaned back on the couch. "Rest? Impossible. I have a hotel launch to handle. The launch is for next weekend." She suddenly sat straighter. “Damn I forget that one too. You're definitely attending the launch party of the hotel next weekend. I tried to do something different with this one. Open it to exclusive VIP customers before launching. And I must say the feedback is crazy.”

Sarah nodded slowly. “Of course I'll be there, but then, you’re going to have a tough time."

Cara sighed dramatically. "Great. Just what I needed."

Sarah laughed, then took Cara’s hand fondly. "But seriously, I’m so happy for you, darling. You’re going to be an amazing mom. And I'm excited to be an aunty."

Cara smiled, a flicker of emotion crossing her face. "That means a lot coming from you."

“Is the dad to be excited?”

Cara groaned. "He's even more excited than I am. He's over the moon.”

Sarah laughed softly. “This must be a dream come true for Luca.”

Cara nodded, rubbing her stomach. “Yes. He's always dreamed of being a father.”

For a moment, the room fell into a comfortable silence. Each briefly absorbed in their thoughts.

Sarah's thought went to the twins’ father–Edward, and she wondered if he would have been as excited as Sarah’s husband if he got to know that she was pregnant.

Would he have accepted Robyn and Liam?

Cara, thinking the exact same thing as Sarah, hesitated before asking, "Sarah… do you think that Edward would have accepted the children, if he got to know that you were pregnant?"

Sarah’s smile faltered. She stiffened, her fingers curling slightly against her lap. Cara had echoed the thoughts she just had in her mind.

Cara watched her carefully, her expression unreadable. "You know the children will ask about their father one day—maybe even soon. "

Sarah swallowed, forcing herself to stay composed. "I know."

She knew that it was something that was bound to happen, but she had never given much thought to it. They children had Benicio, who was just like a father to them, but she knew that that would not stand forever.

Cara’s voice came again, this time, gentler. "And? What will you tell them?"

Sarah’s chest tightened. She didn’t have an answer.