Lucy Gordon - The Pregnancy Bond

‘I didn’t just lose my love, I lost my best friend, the person who primed me for every challenge. Suddenly I was faced with the hardest struggle of my life, and instead of advising me she was on the other side.’

‘I wish you’d told me this,’ she said softly.

‘I might have tried if I could have talked to Kelly that night. But she wasn’t there. She’d sent Carlotta in her place. And Carlotta-oh, boy!’

‘You seemed to like her,’ Kelly remembered tenderly.

‘She gave me the best night of my entire life. Talk about sex personified. I hope-’ He hesitated before saying almost shyly, ‘I hope she and I will meet again. I’d be really interested in furthering our acquaintance. But that night she scared me. I suddenly saw what I was up against, how eager you were for your new life, how little reason you had to regret the old one. I saw the men who wanted you, all of whom would probably have appreciated you better than I had.

‘And after that incredible night-the next morning I was waiting for you to say that everything was all right between us now, but all you said was that it was a perfect way to end our marriage. After that I couldn’t get out fast enough, in case you guessed how close I’d been to begging you to take me back.’

‘If only I’d known about this then,’ she mused. ‘And yet-’

‘And yet it wasn’t the right time.’ He picked up her thought quickly. ‘Not for either of us. We had a journey to make, to find each other again. I love you, and I want to marry you, and stay married to you for ever.’

She touched his face. ‘That’s what I want too.’

‘Then let’s do it now, at once.’

‘Darling, we can’t-’

‘We can if we get a special licence.’

‘But the baby’s due any day.’

‘That’s why I want to hurry. I want us to be married before the baby comes. It’s not something I can explain-it’s just an irrational feeling. Marry me, Kelly, please.’

‘All right,’ she said, loving him for his urgency. ‘Just as soon as it can be fixed up.’

‘I’ll do it now,’ he said, jumping up. ‘Let’s see if my old contacts are still good.’

His luck held. One contact knew how a special licence could be obtained fast, and got working on it.

‘But can we get a booking in the register office at the last minute?’ Kelly asked anxiously.

‘We’re not going to a register office. We’re marrying in church.’ He seized her hands. ‘I’m going to make up for last time. I can’t give you the white dress and bridesmaids, but I can give you the church and the clergyman.’

He started dialling furiously.

‘Don’t tell me one of your contacts knows a clergyman?’ Kelly asked.

‘Nope. One of my contacts is a clergyman, and he owes me a favour.’

In a shorter time than she would have believed possible she found herself set to be married in two days’ time. She was dazed, feeling the world spinning out of control about her. But one glorious fact stayed constant at its core. Jake loved her more than ever, and was racking his brains for ways to please her.

The clergyman turned out to be the Reverend Francis Dayton, who agreed to marry them as soon as the licence arrived. He was in his nineties, and long retired, but he assured them there would be no trouble about ‘borrowing’ a church.

‘I’ll just lean on one of my boys,’ he said conspiratorially.

His ‘boys’ turned out to be his two middle-aged sons, both of whom had followed their father into the church and had parishes locally.

Kelly had immediately warmed to the Reverend Dayton. Despite his age he had sparkling eyes, and seemed to regard it all as an adventure.

With the arrival of the licence everyone swung into action. Carl was giving the bride away and Marianne, his sister, got to work on Kelly’s appearance.

‘But what are you going to do about my bulk?’ Kelly said, indicating her enormous size.

‘This,’ Marianne said, producing a voluminous blue velvet opera cloak. It had slits for the arms, and when it was fastened at the front the effect was surprisingly elegant.

Kelly’s hair was a little longer now, and Marianne curled and teased it into a curving halo. Her eyes were delicately made up, but no make-up could improve on their true beauty, which was a glow of joy.

There was no veil, but Marianne fixed flowers in her hair, and there were matching flowers in the bouquets they both carried, for Marianne was also the bridesmaid.

There was a pleasant cosiness about the wedding, which was to take place in a small chapel just off the main church, where five people would be just the right number. The elderly clergyman would double as best man, while Carl and Marianne would also be witnesses.

As she began the short journey down the aisle, on Carl’s arm, Kelly had a clear view of Jake standing near the altar, his eyes fixed on her. At first she felt like a baby elephant, but as she neared Jake and saw the look on his face she forgot herself. This was the man she loved, and who loved her. They had almost lost each other but they’d come together again, because that was how they were meant to be.

There was a smile on his lips, but it was nothing to the smile in his eyes. On the night of their passion she’d seen his face glowing with an intense emotion, but it had been admiration for her slinky figure and sexual allure. Now she was heavy with their child and admiration had been replaced by adoration.

He reached out his hand to take hers and draw her forward. The Reverend Dayton coughed and began to read the service.

‘Dearly beloved…’

In no time at all, it seemed, Jake took Kelly’s hand in his while the priest asked him if he would have her for his wedded wife, forsaking all others as long as they both lived. His face was pale but determined as he said, ‘I will.’

Then the same question to Kelly, but instead of her answer there was only silence. They all stared at her, first in bewilderment, then aghast as they saw her face taut with pain.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said breathlessly. ‘Not-good-timing.’

‘You don’t mean-?’ Jake asked.

‘’Fraid so. And that’s the second one. They’re coming fast. Jake-’

‘My car’s outside,’ Carl said. ‘Quicker than an ambulance.’

Kelly gasped again and held onto Jake. ‘Our wedding-’

‘You leave that to me,’ the Reverend said. ‘Which hospital?’

Bewildered, they told him, and he raced off, gathering his skirts up and calling out, ‘Beat you to it.’

Jake and Marianne helped Kelly out of the church while Carl raced ahead to the car. By the time they reached him he had the engine running. Marianne joined him in the front while Jake sat in the rear, his arms about Kelly, his face full of apprehension.

‘I shouldn’t have insisted on this,’ he muttered. ‘It was too much for you.’

‘No, no, it was a lovely idea,’ she protested. ‘I wanted it too.’ She drew in her breath sharply as the next pain came.

‘Was that another one?’ Carl called over his shoulder.

‘Yes,’ Jake said tensely. ‘You’re the one who knows all about this. What does it mean?’

‘It means we’d better hurry.’

He slammed his foot down and the car speeded up. Even so they were easily overtaken by a motorcyclist, his head obscured by a dashing helmet, his vestments flapping in the wind.

‘Was that who I think it was?’ Marianne asked, thunderstruck.

‘Of course it was,’ Kelly said, breathing hard. ‘Oh, darling-’ her arm tightened around Jake’s neck ‘-we always said we were crazy, and it’s catching. Everyone around us gets crazy too.’

‘Kelly, I don’t believe you’re actually finding this funny!’ Jake growled.