Dutch Crocus (Flowers Can Be Fatal) Read online

  “It was one step.” Sam shook her head at him. “But I’ll be careful.”

  “Good. I’ll see you in clinic on Monday, but if you’re too sick, call, and I’ll do a home visit instead.”

  Adam saw Jackson out and then went back into the lounge. The TV pictures were worse than what the radio said. Darkness wasn’t helping the rescue efforts any.

  “Glad you were here, Aunt Lydia,” Sam whispered.

  “Me too. Although they seem to have had enough warning to get people away from the coast.”

  Adam glanced at her. “Since when did you heed an evacuation warning?” He knew full well she’d ignored the one several years ago. “I know it’s a little early to be thinking this, but I haven’t sold my flat yet. If you want it, it’s yours. I was going to mention it this weekend anyway, but now it just seems right.”

  Sam looked at him then at Aunt Lydia. “That’s a brilliant idea. You’d be here in town then. Close enough to help out and see the twins grow. Not that we want you to leave…”

  “Thank you. I’ll think about it.” Aunt Lydia looked back at the TV. “Have to see what’s left.”

  Adam met her gaze. “I’ll drive you down as soon as they say it’s safe.”

  “What about work?”

  “Family is more important. I’ll speak to work, sort it out.”

  August

  Sam sat in the waiting room in the hospital clinic. “I thought he’d have been here,” she said. “I did tell him.”

  Aunt Lydia patted her hand. “I know, but he was in court and these things can drag on and on.”

  “So much for this ‘family is more important’ thing he had going a couple of weeks ago.” She sighed again, resting her hand on her stomach. “I want him here.”

  “I know. And perhaps he will be. There’s time yet.”

  “Maybe. Sometimes I think work is more important than we are.”

  “That’s not true.” Her aunt’s tone shocked her. Aunt Lydia frowned. “You know he’s working this case to provide for you and the babies. He doesn’t like the long hours any more than you do. And have you told your dad yet?”

  “Not yet. Adam still needs to talk to his parents, too. Although I can’t see that happening any time soon. You know they haven’t spoken since he married me.” Sam picked up her bag as the nurse called her name. “Let’s go do this.”

  “Sam!”

  She turned. “Adam, I didn’t think you’d make it.”

  “I begged a recess from the judge. He gave me an hour.” He hugged her. “I wasn’t going to miss this one if I could help it.” He slid a hand into hers and walked with her. Then, he turned. “Aunt Lydia, you come too.”

  The older lady’s face creased into a smile. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Come on.”

  Sam lay on the bed and closed her eyes as the sonographer smeared the jelly over her belly.

  “It’ll be OK,” Adam whispered from his seat beside her.

  She held his hand tightly, not opening her eyes. Terror gripped her, knotting her stomach. She didn’t want to look, couldn’t let herself get attached to the children within her, because nothing would go the way she’d want it.

  “Sam…” Adam shook her hand. “Sam, look.”

  Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at the screen. “Oh…”

  “They look perfect,” he whispered. “And so tiny. Are they all right?”

  The sonographer smiled. “They’re good sizes for their dates. When are you due?”

  “February eighteenth,” Sam replied. She held Adam’s hand tightly, her gaze riveted to the screen. “Is it safe to tell people now?”

  “Of course.”

  Sam looked at Adam. “Should be interesting telling the parentals.”

  He rolled his eyes. “To put it mildly. I’ll ask them all to dinner one evening next week. We’ll tell everyone at once.”

  She caught her breath. “Are you mad? Your parents haven’t spoken to you for the last ten years. And my dad hasn’t got a nice thing to say about them because of the way they’ve treated us.”

  “And it could well be the last thing we ever do, so let’s just go out with a bang.”

  “More like fireworks or handbags at dawn,” Sam said wryly.

  Adam chuckled. “Good thing we like fireworks then, isn’t it?” He looked at the sonographer. “Could we have four photos, please? I’m happy to pay for the extra copies.”

  The sonographer smiled. “You don’t need to pay.”

  “Thank you.” Adam looked at Sam. “Perhaps the photos will work as bribery.”

  Sam snorted. “In your dreams.”

  ~*~

  Adam stood beside Sam as she opened the front door to her father and step-mother. She hugged them. “Hi.”

  Vincent looked at her. “You look sick, child.”

  “I have been, but I’m getting better slowly. Adam and Aunt Lydia are taking good care of me. Come on in.” She peered down the road before she shut the door. She turned and shook her head at Adam.

  He nodded and held out a hand. “Vincent, LaVera, it’s good to see you. Married life seems to be agreeing with the both of you. Come on through. Lydia’s just finishing up in the kitchen. She’s made one of her famous dishes minus the spices, because spicy food upsets Sam’s stomach right now.” He caught Sam’s arm as she followed her parents. “They’d better come after all this.”

  “If not we’ll go drop in on them.” She broke off as the doorbell rang. “I would say speak of the devil, but we probably shouldn’t refer to your parents like that. You better open the door this time.” She hugged him. “It’ll be OK. It has to be, because if this doesn’t make things better, then nothing will.”

  He nodded and hugged her back. “Go on in. We’ll be there shortly.”

  Sam shook her head. “United front, remember?”

  Adam took a deep breath and opened the front door. His parents, greyer than he remembered stood there, along with his brother and a woman he didn’t know. He smiled at the stony faced people. “Hi, thanks for coming.”

  His father scowled. “You didn’t say she would be here.”

  His brother Charles shook his head. “Sam is Adam’s wife, Dad, of course she’d be here.” He hugged Adam briefly. “Hi, bro. Long time, no see.”

  Adam nodded. “Yeah. Come in.”

  Charles grinned. “Thanks. And this is Patricia. We’re due to get married next summer. Patty, this is Adam, the black sheep of the family.”

  Patty looked shocked. “Charles—”

  “It’s fine.” Adam shook his head. “I’m used to him and so’s Sam. Just ignore him the way we do.”

  Charles grinned and hugged Sam. “It’s good to see you again. It’s been too long.”

  Sam greeted Charles and Patty then held out a hand to Adam’s parents. “Mr. and Mrs. West, it’s lovely to see you again.” After a moment of being ignored, she dropped her hand. “I’ll go check stuff in the kitchen.”

  Adam watched her go, his heart breaking as he recognized her stiff shoulders as pent up emotion only just repressed. He glared at his parents. “That was rude.”

  “You know what we think of her,” his father said. “I can’t believe you’d invite us here under false pretenses…”

  “Dad…” Charles began.

  Adam shook his head. He wasn’t going to force the issue. “It’s fine, Charles. I didn’t invite anyone here under false pretenses. You were invited to talk over dinner. If you don’t want to stay, eat, and hear what we have to say then fine. There’s the door. Otherwise, dinner is ready.”

  Adam glanced at his mother, but as usual she just stood meek and mild beside his father. He withheld the sigh—it was possible to take being a submissive wife too far. At least Sam stood up for herself and put her five eggs in when she didn’t agree with something, before taking the united front with him.

  Charles gripped Patty’s hand. “Well, we want to hear your mysterious news at any rate. Lead the way, bro. I
’m famished. And something smells amazing.”

  Adam went into the lounge. “Charles, this is Sam’s dad and step-mum, Vincent and LaVera Reece, and her Aunt Lydia. This is my brother, Charles, and his fiancée, Patricia. Excuse me one sec. I need to make sure Sam’s all right.”

  Vincent looked concerned. “She was fine a minute ago.”

  Adam rolled his eyes. “Long story.” He left the room, exhaling deeply as he closed the door. He reached the kitchen in several swift strides. “Sam…”

  She brushed her hand over her eyes as she turned. “Sorry…”

  “Oh, honey,” he whispered, hugging her. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He raised her face to his and kissed her gently. “I chose you, out of all the women in the world to be mine. I put my ring on your finger, twice as it happens. You and the twins you carry are all that matters.” He slid a hand to her middle and caressed the tiny baby bump.

  “But your father—”

  “My father has a choice, too.” Adam held her gaze. “He can abide by my choices, accept them and you, or he can leave, and I told him so. I’ve done without him for the last ten years. And as much as I’d value his love, friendship and approval, all that matters right now is you, our babies, and that you love me.”

  “Of course, I love you. The three of us do.” Tears slid down Sam’s face. “I always have and will.” She froze in his arms, her gaze fixed on the door behind him.

  Adam turned. “Dad…”

  His father stood there. “Twins?” he asked.

  Adam nodded. “That’s why we invited you, Mum, and Sam’s parents to dinner tonight. We wanted to tell you all together.”

  “You’ll have to do it…” Sam’s knees buckled and she clamped a hand over her mouth, running from the room.

  “Let’s go in the lounge and let me explain.” Adam headed into the lounge and waited until his father sat. “Sam will be back in a few, but she probably won’t be eating anything tonight,” he began. “She’s pregnant, but she has hyper gravitas and been in hospital for the better part of three weeks with it. We’re hoping now she’s twelve weeks along that it will begin to ease.”

  The faces around him showed a myriad of expressions before breaking into smiles. Vincent looked at him. “I’m going to be a grandfather again?”

  Adam nodded. He pulled the scan pictures from his wallet. “Twins.”

  “This changes nothing,” his father said.

  “I’m not expecting it to, Dad.” Adam sighed. “We just wanted you to know.”

  LaVera looked at him. “I’m thrilled,” she said. “They may be my step-grandchildren, but I will love and spoil them as much as any of the other eight.”

  Adam grinned. “Eight now?”

  Vincent nodded. “As of two o’clock this morning, I think the phone rang. Robert was rather over excited.”

  “And rightly so,” LaVera added. “Little Edith is his first child. Not to mention the first girl in the family since my Annabelle. They always said because I had six girls, I’d used them all up.”

  “And my second granddaughter, as all LaVera’s other grandchildren and great-grandchildren are boys.” Vincent’s pride was evident.

  Adam’s father looked at him. “You have other children besides Sam?”

  Vincent shook his head. “No; but Immy”—he looked at Adam—“is not forgotten.”

  “You had another child?” Shock resonated in his father’s voice, covering the gasp from his mother. “Why didn’t we know this?”

  Adam sucked in a deep breath, praying his voice wouldn’t betray him. But before he had chance to formulate a reply, another voice came from the doorway.

  “She died of cot death when she was ten months old.” Sam moved to Adam’s side, sitting on the floor by his feet. “We miss her every day.”

  He laid his hands on her shoulders, ready to give up his seat for her if she wanted it.

  “You didn’t say anything…” His mother spoke for the first time since she’d entered the house.

  “You made it clear you wanted nothing to do with Adam when he married me,” Sam said. “We didn’t see how a child would change that. We were simply abiding by your wishes, but ten years is a long time to be angry at someone. We want to put the past behind us and start over. I want the twins to know their grandparents—all of them.”

  September

  Sam glanced up from her book. Sitting with her feet up was getting boring, but at least she wasn’t throwing up all the time. It was a rare Saturday that Adam actually had the day off. “What time is your dad arriving?”

  “He said he was picking your dad up at ten and then coming here.” He winked over his coffee. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “Male bonding over decorating?” she asked, keeping her face straight. “What in the world could possibly go wrong?”

  He snorted and finished his coffee. “You sure you want the nursery painted yellow? Surely pink or blue or lime or cream would be better.”

  “I’m not putting a boy in a pink room. It has to be yellow. And don’t forget the hedgehogs,” Sam added. “But no furniture. It’s too soon for that.”

  Adam laid a hand on her stomach. “Really?”

  “Yes. I’m only sixteen weeks. There is plenty of time to shop before D-Day in February.” She broke off as he dumped a pile of catalogues in front of her. “What’s this?”

  “Mum and LaVera are coming over as well. Did I forget to mention that?”

  She threw a cushion at him. “Yes, you did.”

  “Oops.” He tossed the cushion back to the sofa beside her. “Sorry.”

  “Should think so, too.” She leaned back. “I can’t entertain like this.”

  “You don’t have to. Anyway, the three of you are going to go through these and just pick out designs you like. Get ideas for buggies and prams and so on. Oh, and whether you want just cots or Moses baskets, too.”

  Sam sighed. “If I must…”

  Adam knelt beside her. “Honey, nothing is going to go wrong this time. It’s OK to plan and buy things.” He kissed her.

  Sam kissed him, but then broke off. “Ohhh…” Her hand flew to her stomach.

  Concern flooded Adam’s face. “Honey? Is something wrong? Do you want me to call Jackson?”

  She shook her head and grabbed his hand. “Feel this.” She laid his hand over her stomach and watched his face as the twins within her moved.

  Tears filled his eyes and a huge grin covered his face.

  “They want hedgehogs,” she told him.

  Adam’s face was a picture. “And I suppose they told you this?”

  Sam laughed. “Yup—we have this telepathic bond thing going here. They also said for you to stop feeding me broccoli. They say chocolate has as much folic acid in it and tastes way nicer. Oh, and they also say it’s too early to shop. Unless it’s got hedgehogs on it.” The doorbell rang. “That’ll be the parentals.”

  Adam got to his feet. “So while I let them in, you and the twins start looking at cribs and get them to pick one.”

  ~*~

  Just after six, Adam stood in the doorway watching the myriad expressions cross Sam’s face. Was she pleased? Shocked? Amazed? Either way she was speechless. “Well?”

  She looked from the decorated nursery to him. “You three really did all this today?”

  The three men nodded.

  “Wow.” She carefully stepped over the paint tray and onto the sheets covering the carpet. “It’s incredible. Who did the hedgehogs?”

  “That would be Dad,” Adam said. “Who knew under that innocent appearance, he could draw like that.”

  Dad chuckled. “And I suppose the pirate ship on your wall when you were seven just appeared from nowhere.”

  “Seriously?” Adam looked over at his Dad in amazement. “You did that?”

  “Yeah.”

  Sam stood in front of the mural of hedgehogs, tears filling her eyes. “We love it. Thank you.”

  Vincent laughed. “We? Is
that the royal we, child?”

  Adam chuckled. “Apparently she has a telepathic bond with the twins. They tell her things and she just passes on the message.”

  “Don’t let them tell you how much she needs chocolate,” Vincent started.

  “She’s already tried that one. So I checked on line. Broccoli is better for her.” He grinned over at his wife. “Sorry babies, but Mummy isn’t getting chocolate no matter how much she begs.”

  Sam crossed her arms over her chest. “They say she needs it. They say everything in moderation and a little of what she fancies does her good.”

  Adam laughed. “I think I need words with these babies. But it’ll have to wait until later, because I’m hungry.”

  Sam grinned. “Good. Because your mum made chocolate volcano puddings for dessert. She believed the twins, even if you don’t.”

  October

  Sam looked at the wheat sheaf bread Adam arranged on the table at the front of the chapel. She tilted her head. “It needs to go the left a little.”

  “That looks amazing.” Nate Holmes appeared as if from nowhere. Sometimes she thought he really did operate in police stealth mode. “Did you really make that yourself, Sam?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I can’t even plait hair,” he said wryly. “As Vianne will tell you.”

  Adam turned. “Hi, Nate. Congrats on the promotion to DI.”

  “It’s Acting DI,” Nate said. “Just whilst DI Jenson is away in Scotland. I’m actually happier out on the streets doing the leg work rather than stuck behind a desk, so I’m changing things while I’m in charge.”

  He chuckled. “That’s the Nate we know and love.”

  Sam touched his arm. “I’m going to go and sit,” she said.

  “OK, I’ll be there shortly.”

  Nate watched her go. “How’s she doing?”

  Adam shrugged. “She’s scared, stubborn, still sick on and off, but not constantly anymore. It seems to be certain things that set the nausea off, so we’re avoiding them as much as possible. She’s afraid she’ll lose the twins, too.”