I will forever remember Australia. I believed that my heaven had come early. During the days, Hawk and I drove all over exploring. I knew we weren’t prepared to go to the more remote, dangerous portions of the inner continent, so I contented myself by visiting the zoos and some of the natural parks. We hiked steep trails and I marveled as each turn revealed something new to me, unknown creatures and flora. I had to exercise some caution, however, as there was poisonous life here that was unfamiliar to me.
We swam in the ocean although there were sharks so we didn’t go out far. I knew they could attack even in the shallows, but we hired some guides who took us snorkeling. At night, we dined on the beach or in a club. Sometimes when we were exhausted from our daytime adventures, we simply soaked in one of the huge whirlpool tubs, rubbing bubbles over each other, then slowly wiping them clear. This always led to lovemaking, and we didn’t discriminate with location. Hawk crept up behind me often, lifting me into his arms and placing me in yet another unique position.
We made love on the balcony beneath the moon, on the back lawn and on the edge of the swimming pool. We spent a particularly interesting evening in the home gymnasium. Hawk had made a game of counting how many positions he could achieve when we were draped over one type of equipment or another. A couple of nights we adjourned to the home theatre and made love on the white leather seats while a sexily salacious movie played in the background. We called it “making love in the round.”
When we boarded the jet to go home, we were replete after our six weeks of bliss. As we neared the U.S. we both began to stiffen, dreading the homecoming. It was likely to be warm and effusive from my dad, but cold and hurtful from Worth and probably Auggie. I don’t know whether she planned to tell Worth, but somehow, eventually, he would find out. The hurt would come then, and the only thing that remained to be seen was whether revenge would be involved.
We arrived home, exhausted but so terribly in love with one another. We barely did anything but make love and sleep. I’d even lost my appetite, and Hawk noticed this one day. “You’re growing awfully thin, my girl,” he said, pinching the fabric away from my body.
“I’m just not hungry. In fact, my stomach has been bothering me. I was sick yesterday morning.”
We looked at one another, and realization dawned. I raced to a drugstore for a home test kit and sure enough — we were pregnant! I immediately made a doctor’s appointment, and he confirmed it. “Did you miss your period?” Hawk asked, still attempting to understand how I’d gotten pregnant. I’d started the pill a few months ago.
“I’ve always been very irregular. I’m embarrassed to say that since we’ve been making love so much, I thought maybe I was, well… you know… kind of ‘worn out?’”
He grinned. “You silly goose. Well, this changes things completely.”
“How do you mean?”
“I’ve been giving this thought since we came back from Australia. This house is under tight security due to my business, but it’s not the sort of place for a baby to be raised. Why don’t we make this an office and build a new home on the rise? The property Mom gave us?”
“I think that’s a marvelous idea!” The idea of living in Hawk’s military compound had never thrilled me and to have a house that we created together seemed like a dream come true. “Do you think we could be in before the baby comes?”
“We can try. I’ll get Mom’s architect on it. I remember she always works best when she’s well paid. I’ll see to it.”
In the meantime, our life settled into a rhythm. I visited with Dad often, and he was completely elated at the news. I knew he was lonely, and the idea of having a grandchild around for him to bounce on his knee was something that would bring him a great deal of delight. I ached to tell Auggie and Worth; it would be their first grandchild after all. I knew it wasn’t my job to share the news, however. I left it to Hawk, and he seemed in no great hurry.
Hawk introduced me to Beverly Dexter, the architect. Just as he had promised, money talked, and she grew quite excited at the idea of building a home on the high point of the county. She had multiple views to work with and acres and acres of untouched ground. She drew up some preliminary plans for a very modern, almost futuristic design and we heartily approved them. We had loved the clean, open lines of buildings we’d seen in Australia. The design incorporated not only windows in every direction, but inside there were plans for an arboretum, huge tanks for saltwater fish built into the walls and naturally, stables and outbuildings for a variety of animals. Hawk agreed to let me begin raising a few exotic animals which would require some diversity of terrain and housing. I threw myself into research for what I’d need and gave all that information to Beverly. We agreed that the house would come first, and after the baby was born, we could work on the outbuildings. She was sworn to secrecy and professional enough to recognize where her company’s interest lay.
I stopped to see Auggie from time to time, but I avoided Worth. There was something brooding deep inside him. I suspected it had much to do with Hawk. The two of them still hadn’t reconciled. If anything, Hawk held him more and more responsible for his feeling of alienation. It had magnified after the incident on our wedding night when he realized how close he’d come to throwing everything we had away. The memory terrified him. I believe he almost felt as though Worth would hex us.
One night it came to a head. Hawk and I stopped by to bring Auggie some pictures from our trip to Australia. We had all decided not to mention anything to Worth. We were in their family room, the photos splayed out across the coffee table. I was quite animated, telling her about the manor house where we’d stayed and showing her some of the gardens and zoos we had visited. We showed her a picture of us scuba diving and were laughing about my reaction to seeing a shadow I thought was a shark. That’s when Worth walked in.
Auggie’s laughter fell silent, and Hawk’s face turned dark. Worth stepped into the room, and he came over to the coffee table to see what we were laughing at.
“That looks like Australia,” he commented.
Hawk took it on the chin. “It is.”
“I didn’t know you were in Australia. Did you, Auggie?”
Her chin lifted. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.”
We all turned as Mark walked in. He stopped just inside the doorway, looking confused. Hi, what’s going on?” he asked in a tone that was artificially light.