ex hadn’t wanted children? But that couldn’t be right. She’d said she was pregnant that day in Kane’s office and that she was keeping the baby. Of course, lots of women who didn’t think they wanted children changed their minds once they actually got pregnant. But if that was the case…
‘Hold it there,’ she said. ‘Why, exactly, did you divorce Natalie?’
‘Mainly because she refused to have children. But I think I also realised I didn’t really love her.’
‘Oh!’ Jessie exclaimed with a gasp. ‘I thought it was you who didn’t want children!’
‘Me? I love children. How on earth did you get that ridiculous idea? I thought I explained the reasons behind my divorce quite clearly.’
‘You told me you disagreed with your wife over the matter of having children and I just assumed it had to be you who didn’t want kids.’ Jessie felt truly chastened. But secretly elated. ‘I’m so sorry, Kane. My old prejudice against men again.’
He nodded, unable to feel unhappy, now that he knew Jessie wanted more children. ‘An understandable mistake.’
‘So you really do want children?’
‘A whole tribe of them, if possible. The more the merrier.’
Jessie beamed. ‘Me, too.’
‘What about your career?’
‘My career would never come before my kids. But hopefully I could juggle both.’
Kane’s delight was as great as his despair had been. ‘In that case, come here, woman, and make it up to me for thinking such dreadful things.’
She ran into his arms. This time, he actually got to kiss her for five seconds before they were interrupted.
‘Mummy…’
They pulled apart to find Emily standing in the bedroom doorway, rubbing her eyes.
‘Hello, sweetie,’ her mother said. ‘You feeling better now?’
‘I’m thirsty. And my eyes are sore.’
Jessie gave a small sigh. ‘I’ll get you a drink of water. Kane, where are those eye drops?’
‘Over here on the coffee-table. I’ll get them.’
Their eyes clashed momentarily, Kane seeing that Jessie was watching him for signs of impatience.
Instead, he smiled, then hurried over to sweep Emily up into his arms. ‘Did you have a good sleep, princess?’
She tipped her head on one side. ‘Were you kissing Mummy just then?’
Jessie stopped breathing.
‘I sure was,’ Kane said. ‘It was very nice, too. Do you mind my kissing Mummy?’
‘No. Will you kiss me, too?’
He laughed and planted a peck on her forehead. ‘There. Now let me get those eye drops into you.’
‘Do you have to?’ she wailed.
‘Yes. I have to,’ Kane returned firmly.
Jessie heaved a great sigh of happiness. Even more wonderful than everything which had happened today was having someone else put Emily’s eye drops in.
WORK the following Friday came to a halt by lunch-time, at which point the males on the staff pitched in to transform the main office floor into party land. Several of the central cubicles were dismantled to provide a more than adequate dance floor. Desks were cleared and decorations and disco lights went up.
Peter—who apparently loved playing DJ each year—set about filling his area with his latest hi-fi gear, whistling Jingle Bells as he worked. Kane and Karen took charge of stocking up the temporary bar, whilst Margaret roped Jessie and Michele into helping her with the food, which they spread out, buffet-style, on several desks pushed together. A local catering company had supplied a wide selection of cold meats, seafood and salads, with some delicious cream-topped cakes for the sweet tooths, plus loads of snacks.
Jessie thought that there was way too much to eat and drink for their small staff, but when she remarked on this to Michele, she was informed that their office party was so popular that loads of other people in the building came, along with clients, past and present.
‘And everyone’s other halves usually drop in as well,’ Michele added. ‘Tyler’s sure to be late, workaholic that he is, but he’ll make an appearance at some stage, even if only to see me safely home.’
Tyler, Jessie knew by now, was Michele’s husband.
‘And speaking of other halves,’ Michele said after a glance over at Kane, ‘yours is looking very bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tonight. What have you been doing to him, girl?’
Absolutely nothing of what Michele was implying. There’d been no actual lovemaking, despite their spending every evening this week together. Kane didn’t seem to mind stopping at a goodnight kiss. He’d even promised he wouldn’t press her for more in any shape or form here at the party tonight.
‘He does look yummy in black, doesn’t he?’ Jessie said with that swirl in her stomach that always occurred whenever she looked at the man she loved. It had been difficult controlling her own desires these past few days, but it had been more important to her to know that Kane’s love was not just sexually based than to indulge in some passing pleasure.
‘You haven’t told anyone else here about our being engaged, have you?’ she added swiftly. She didn’t mind Michele knowing. They were fast becoming firm friends and she just couldn’t keep her good news totally secret.
Still, it was good that Kane hadn’t bought her a ring yet. That way he couldn’t be annoyed with her for not wearing it at work. Jessie was still worried over what the other people at Wild Ideas might think.
‘No. I haven’t told anyone else,’ Michele said with a sigh. ‘But if you keep looking at each other the way you do, people will begin to suspect something is going on.’
Kane turned his head at that moment, and their eyes connected. His smile carried so much obvious love that Jessie could see what Michele meant.
‘OK, everyone!’ Kane announced to the room. ‘Everything’s ready for the party. Time for the girls to go and put their glad rags on. The guys too, if you’ve brought something more colourful to change into.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘At three o’clock, the doors will be thrown open and it’ll be all systems go. Though speaking of systems, please make sure that your computers are safely turned off, passwords hidden and all important files discreetly locked away. I don’t want Harry coming home and finding that all your wonderfully wild ideas have been stolen, or sabotaged. OK?’
‘OK, boss!’ they all chorused, Jessie included.
How
