The CEO’s New Baby

Chapter 2

Kayla could feel the warm touch of the sunrays on her face; they brushed against her closed eyelids in a cascade of light. On any other day, she would welcome the feeling, she loved the brightness of mornings and the scent of coffee. But this time around, everything was rejected by her body.

Her head spun, the hammering sensation against her skull intensified if she dared remove the duvet from her eyes. Her stomach churned only at the mere thought of sipping the smallest drop of coffee. She had no idea where it was all coming from, but she blamed it on the tiredness she had been feeling for the last couple of days. She turned to lie on her back, hoping to ease the nausea resting in the pit of her stomach, but the move did nothing but aggravate the sensation.

Groaning, she looked beside her, hoping to find Ryan there. She had missed smelling his cologne in the morning and to feel his arms around her as soon as she opened her eyes. Unfortunately, the sheets were cold, a sign that he had been long gone. Slowly, she tried to open her eyes, fighting past the heaviness resting above them. The movement seemed to do her more harm than good. As soon as her eyes came in contact with the brightness surrounding her, her entire stomach seemed to flip.

The way to the bathroom was a blur to Kayla, all she could remember was suddenly standing over the toilet throwing up everything she had eaten the day before. It had been so long since she had last felt nauseous, she had almost forgotten the feeling. Almost.

By the time she was done, she had sat on the ground, leaning against the bathtub, her head slightly backwards. She was looking mindlessly at the cupboards beside the door, her mind a blank sheet of paper.

She stayed there for a few minutes, thinking of nothing in particular, that was until she finally noticed the pink box on the top shelf. There wasn’t anything unusual to it, she had seen it a thousand times, every month, but still, that did not mean its presence did not hit her like a cold bucket of ice.

How could she be this dumb? How come she did not notice it before? It had been so obvious, the signs had been all there, yet she had ignored them with such passion. She no longer felt the pain and churning feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was suddenly numb, overwhelmed by a feeling of excitement she hadn’t felt in a while.

Her mind was swirling in a thousand directions, already planning, already wondering. She had done this before, but it had been planned. It had been so different. The emotions she then felt were those of excitement and love, but this time around, it was different. Those emotions were mixed with surprise, with dread and shock.

Her hand involuntary moved to rest over her belly, her thumb gently stroking the bare skin beneath her slightly raised shirt. Her skin was warm, the effect of the duvet still lingering above it. She smiled as she thought about the possibility of being pregnant. She had thought about it many times after Emily’s birth. But she and Ryan never actually planned it. They silently decided to leave a potential new pregnancy to fate.

Suddenly, there was a knock to the bathroom door. Apparently, she had closed it on her way in. She knew who it was without asking. Taking in a deep breath, she tried to collect herself before parting her lips to answer.

“I’ll be out in a minute!” She thanked the heavens that her voice did not tremble; in fact, she had managed to mask her emotions rather well.

“Okay! Breakfast is ready, thought you would like to know!” Kayla exhaled in relief, her ears following the sound of his footsteps until they disappeared. Slowly, she then stood up, her hand holding onto the sink. The cool marble pressed against her palm as she came to meet her reflection. She looked a bit tired, but it might have been because she just threw up.

Taking in a deep breath, she splashed some water onto her face, her warm skin welcoming the chill feeling. It awakened her, washing away any other feeling the morning sickness brought to surface. She was now only excited, simply thinking about nothing else but the possibility of a pregnancy.

That morning, she did not bother to change into anything too fancy, she felt a bit too tired for that. So, instead, she opted for some jeans and a white shirt that showed a thin outline of the grey bra she wore underneath.

She brushed her brown hair away from her face, wrapping it in a messy bun. She should have done something fancier for the day, given that her husband had just returned from abroad, but she knew Ryan was not the kind of man to judge. He loved her for who she was, not what she wore around.

Downstairs, Ryan was struggling with a pancake pan. His mother and Tanya were away for the weekend. Apparently, his mother talked Tanya into going with her to a resort for a few days. Not that Ryan was campaigning. He loved living with the two women, but he much appreciated spending some time with his wife and daughter.

He looked at Emily from beneath his lashes, catching a glimpse of her as she smiled down at the little coloring book in hand. She seemed to be enjoying the different images in there. The crayons were scattered all over the counter, taking up most of the place. But he did not mind, he enjoyed seeing her so focused.

In fact, Emily reminded him so much of Kayla. They had the same facial expressions sometimes. For instance, whenever both girls thought, they wrinkled their noses and poked their tongues outside.

“What’s so funny, little lady?”

“The cat in here looks like you.” She chuckled, pointing at the image with her little finger.

“Can I see?” It was Kayla who spoke this time around. She had just entered through the kitchen double doors, her hand resting inside the two pockets of her cardigan. She looked beautiful, with her natural beauty glowing even in the early hours of the day.

Ryan could see her a thousand times, but he never actually got used to the idea that he actually won the woman’s heart.

“Okay, she is kind of right.” Ryan narrowed his eyes and tried to look at the two girls with a threatening glare, although he knew he was failing miserably. His lips twitched at the corners as a smile fought its way to the surface. “Look!”

It was a picture of an angry cat. It was a tall and lean cat, standing on two feet with a pair of glasses on its head. It was angry, with its brows knitted above the uncolored eyes. They were right though, the cat surely looked like him.

“You girls lost all your rights to these pancakes!” he finally said, his body turning around dramatically as his hands reached for the two plates he had placed by the honey jar.

The next thing Ryan knew was that there were two pairs of hands on his waist. The fingers moved across the surface of his thin gray shirt. He was ticklish, and both girls knew it. The laughs rolled off of his lips involuntarily as he fought hard to keep his balance. His head was dizzy as his body twitched to get away from the ticklish gestures of his wife and daughter.

He couldn’t focus on much, but he could surely hear the giggles above him, growing louder as he collapsed on the kitchen floor. The fits of laughs mixed with the sounds coming through the opened window.

“Okay, okay! You guys win!” he finally managed to shout. He was panting, barely able to breathe anymore. He hadn’t laughed that much in ages.

By the time he recovered, Kayla and Emily were already sitting on the stools digging into the breakfast he had cooked. Initially, he wasn’t as hungry as he thought he would be, but the way the girls enjoyed them made him crave some of his own.

Sighing, he grabbed a plate and sat beside Kayla, planting a kiss on her cheek before sitting down. Kayla smiled but said nothing, too indulged in the mix of flavors in her mouth. He knew his wife was one to enjoy food, but he had to admit, the look on her face was surely more than the usual. She must have been hungry, that was the only explanation he found.

“So, I was thinking. How about you and I go for a ride today?” he asked, looking at Emily from beneath his lashes.

“What about me?” Kayla asked, her brow raising as she looked at the two.