Cara drove home in a daze, everything else forgotten but her unexpected news. What was she going to tell Vince?, How could she possibly be pregnant when her husband was a vampire?
She was relieved to find he wasn't home when she got there. In the last few days, he had started going to the garage before the sun came up so he wouldn't be trapped in the house during the day. Sitting on the sofa, she placed her hands on her stomach. She couldn't think about fixing dinner, she couldn't think about anything but the new life growing within her. She was pregnant. With child. Gestating. She wanted to call her parents. She wanted to call Sarah Beth. She wanted to tell the world, but first she had to tell Vince.
Sitting on the sofa, she hugged herself, unable to stop smiling. She was going to have a baby, a little boy with Vince's black hair and dark eyes.
Her smile faded when she heard Vince's key in the lock.
"Hey, wife," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "I expected you to call me when you got home from the doctor. What did he say?"
"I'm perfectly healthy," she said slowly. "For a woman who's pregnant."
Vince stared at her, his eyes narrowing. "Pregnant? That's impossible. There must be some mistake."
"That's what I said, so they ran the tests twice."
A muscle throbbed in his cheek. "So, who's the father?"
Even though Cara had expected just such a reaction, the words hit her like a blow. How could he believe she had been unfaithful to him? How could he not, when everyone knew vampires couldn't create life?
Still, she couldn't help being hurt by his immediate assumption that she had betrayed him. She blinked rapidly. She didn't want him to see her cry or know how badly his words had hurt.
"Dammit, Cara, answer me!"
"You, you big jerk, you're the father!"
"That's impossible and we both know it."
"Well, it's true whether you believe it or not," she said, and, bursting into tears, she ran out of the room.
Vince swore softly. He couldn't be the father. It was impossible. And yet, in spite of his implied accusation, he knew that she hadn't been intimate with any other man. But... how could it be true? The doctor had to be mistaken.
He swore again, cursing himself for making her cry. Taking a deep breath, he went to their bedroom and knocked on the door.
"Cara?"
"Go away."
He turned the handle, scowling when he realized she had locked the door. Well, she had a lot to learn about living with a vampire, he thought ruefully. The door opened at the touch of his hand.
Cara looked up, her eyes red and swollen. "That's not fair," she sniffed.
Crossing the floor, he sat on the edge of the bed and drew her into his arms. "I'm sorry, darlin', but..."
He shook his head.
"I know, I didn't believe him either, not at first." She placed her hand on her stomach. "But somehow, on the way home, I knew it was true." She sniffed again. "And I knew you wouldn't believe me." She looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears. "You don't really think that I..."
He placed his hand over her mouth. "No, I don't think that." He kissed her lightly. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for being a jerk?"
"I guess so. Being a man, you probably can't help it."
"Hey."
She smiled at him through her tears. "How do you think it happened?"
Vince grunted softly. "The usual way, I imagine."
"You know what I mean. I thought vampires couldn't make babies."
"Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Have you told your folks?"
"No, I wanted to tell you first." She smiled shyly. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Darlin', nothing could make me happier than having a baby with you." But even as he said the words, he couldn't help wondering what kind of baby it would be.
"A baby." Cara said with a sigh. "Our baby." She looked up at him. "It's like a dream come true."
"It's more like a miracle." Using his fingertips, he wiped the tears from her eyes. "Come on, let's go tell your folks the good news."
Roshan and Brenna looked as stunned as Vince felt when Cara told them the news later that night. Once their initial shock wore off, they bombarded Vince and Cara with congratulations and questions. Vince accepted the hugs and handshakes; as for answers, he didn't have any.
Later, sitting in the living room, Roshan proposed a toast, and then, after having giving it some thought, he said, "I've never heard of a vampire who could reproduce, but Cara's pregnant, so it must be possible. I think it's a combination of two things: Mara's ancient blood and the fact that Vince has been a vampire for such a short time. I would imagine that, as he grows older in the life, his power to reproduce will gradually disappear."
Vince nodded. It was as good an explanation as any, but only led to more questions.
Cara voiced one first. "What about the baby? Will it be half vampire? Is such a thing even possible?"
Roshan shook his head. "I'm afraid we'll just have to wait and see."
Cara nodded, but Vince saw the worry in her eyes.
"This is such wonderful news!" Brenna exclaimed. "Cara, I'm so happy for you. And for me," she admitted with a smile. "I never thought we'd have grandchildren. Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"
"It doesn't matter," Cara replied, "as long as it's healthy."
"Of course, that's the important thing," Brenna agreed.
Cara stared out the window as Vince drove them home. Her initial joy at the thought of having a baby had paled as thoughts of having a child that was half vampire filled her mind. Would she have a baby who couldn't go outside during the day or that needed blood to survive? Would she give birth to some kind of inhuman monster?
"We should start looking for a new house," Vince suggested as he pulled into the driveway. "One with a big backyard."
Cara nodded, only half listening to what he was saying. Would the doctors discover there was something abnormal about her baby before it was born?
"Cara?" He turned off the ignition and killed the lights. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She turned to face him, tears shining in her eyes. "What have we done?"
"What do you mean?"
She placed her hands over her womb. "I'm afraid."
"I know, darlin'." If he had known she would become pregnant, he never would have made love to her.
The worst part of it was, there was no precedent; he had no idea if the baby would be normal or if she would be able to carry it to full term. Damn! He took a deep breath. "Do you want to abort it?"
She looked at him, her eyes wide. "No!" She shook her head. "How could I kill our baby? How can you even suggest such a thing?" She stared at him. "Is that what you want?"
He shook his head. "I just want you to be happy."
"I am happy," she murmured, "I'm just afraid for our child, afraid it won't be normal..."
Getting out of the car, he went around to open the door for Cara. Lifting her into his arms, he kicked the door shut with his heel and carried her up the walkway and into the house.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
He locked the door behind them. "Taking you to bed."
"Oh."
In their bedroom, he stood her on her feet, his eyes gazing deeply into hers as he summoned his power.
"From now on, you won't be afraid," he said, his voice low. "You won't be sick in the morning and you won't worry about the baby, do you understand?"
She nodded, her gaze trapped by his.
"Good." He kissed the tip of her nose and then slowly undressed her, his hands gliding over her skin, lingering on her stomach as he tried to imagine his child growing inside. He still couldn't believe it.
He carried her to the bed and laid her on it, then stripped off his own clothes and sat on the mattress beside her.
"Turn over," he said, and when she was lying comfortably on her stomach, he massaged her back and shoulders, easing away the last of her tension, until her even breathing told him she was asleep.
He sat there for a long time, trying to sort out his feelings about being a father. Under any other circumstances, he would have been ecstatic. Before he became a vampire, he had dreamed of having a large family. That dream had died when Mara brought him across. Now, there was a very real possibility that his dream would turn out to be a nightmare. Whatever the product of their union, he was strong enough to handle it, but what about Cara? If the baby was abnormal or deformed, how would she feel about it? About him? Would she blame him? Would she hate him for not telling her what he was or for not using protection when they made love? Could he blame her if she did?
He swore softly. He hadn't prayed since Mara turned him, but he prayed now, prayed that his child would be born normal and healthy, not only for the baby's sake but for Cara's.
"If someone has to be punished for what I've done," he murmured, "then let it be me."
Blowing out a sigh, he stretched out beside Cara and drew her into his arms.
His last thought before sleep claimed him was that it was going to be a long seven months.