*Published* Accidental Babies (SAMPLE)

Chapter 18

  April couldn't believe their luck even as she brought Tanner her shoulder. Jason had grabbed Daphne. Why was Jason's mother there? Did they need another enemy in their midst?

Tanner calmed down after a while but wouldn't fall back to sleep. He was watching everyone with wary eyes and April felt her heart crack slightly. He's soo young and had been taught that not everyone could be trusted. Babies shouldn't need to learn that before they could walk. They should be carefree and curious, exploring the world around them.

April took Daphne as she'd been reaching for her. Similarly, Daphne didn't want to sleep. Instead, she surveyed the room with a small frown, shooting a glare at Carrie. April bounced her in her arms to calm her down and she deigned to rest her head on her shoulder.

All this took less than five minutes while the adults were busy looking at this new entrant. The woman just graced them with a haughty look and glared when her gaze passed April. Who could care less about her opinion of her. She was busy caring about the twins' wellbeing and a skinny harpy was very far from her radar.

'Mother, what are you doing here?'Jason asked, his voice and face as hard as a rock.

'I heard about the twins and wanted to know what was going on,'she just said. 'You have to vet your employees properly, Jason. Clearly the woman you hired for the twins is lacking. Why, she was busy mingling with the guests when she should have been with your children. Clearly, she doesn't know her place.'

That stung and heaped more guilt on April. She, herself, had wanted to stay with the twins but Sharon and Jason convinced her that they would be fine with the babysitter Sharon had hired for the night. After ascertaining they were happy playing with the other children, she'd went down. She'd checked on them ever so often and the fact that she'd missed Carrie weighed heavily on her.

'April does a wonderful job with my children. I couldn't have asked for a better person,'Jason growled, stepping back to stand with April. He took Tanner as he was reaching for his father. April tried not to show her relief- the twins had definitely grown and together, they weighed a ton- but must not have hidden it well enough. A smile graced Amelia's lips and she sent her a wink. Sending her a faint smile back, she returned to the situation at hand.

'Well, Mrs Halloway, I've just been told that Ms Carrie Carter here is your guest,'Cameron said suddenly. Everyone's attention turned to him and they saw that he was keeping his phone in his pocket. 'Surely you know that Ms Carter is persona non grata with Jason. She's persona non grata with all of us. So may I know why you brought her along?'

'She's my grandchildren's mother. I can't ignore her or throw her to the side once she'd done her job,'she said, sending a glare to Jason. As if saying he'd done just that.

'Considering the fact that I didn't know about my children until three months ago and the fact that she willingly signed her rights away, I don't think I've thrown her away,'Jason growled. April placed her hand on his arm, restraining him from spewing more anger. More anger was not needed in this situation. She ignored the sharp look from his mother with regards to her action. The opinion of one manipulative old biddy was not her concern.

Just then, Jennifer entered and stopped short when she felt the tension in the room. Her brows rose when she noticed Carrie. 'It's time to cut my cake,'she just said.

'Cake? You can think about cake at a time like this?'Mrs Halloway sputtered angrily.

'It's my birthday celebration. I want my cake. I also want a drama-free celebration. So, unless you want me to reveal your true age, Hannah, you'd better put a cork in it,'Jennifer warned. April bit her lips to stop the laugh that was trying to escape. Mrs Halloway looked like she'd sucked on a lemon but kept her lips closed. 'Ms Carter, you are not welcomed to any of my family's events. So if I know of your presence in future, you'll be summarily escorted out. Regardless of the paparazzi or not. I know jobs are drying up for you so surely you wouldn't want any bad press.'

Carrie tried to protest but the warning look Jennifer sent her was enough to keep her silent.

'Well, did you say cake, mom? I hope you kept the boys away if you want a taste of it,'Cameron said, slinging an arm around her, escorting her out.

Everyone moved to follow, except Jason and April. They had to somehow settle the twins back at the nursery before returning to the festivities. She was glad this had been somewhat resolved but the glare that Carrie sent told her that this was far from over.

- ------@@@@-----------

Jason swilled the whiskey in his glass, in the living room, trying to forget about the evening. The celebration deteriorated after the cake cutting ceremony. His mother had been exceptionally shrill and nasty, complaining about the food, decorations, guests. Demanding changes to her food and drink. He commended Sharon for ignoring her increasingly vocal comments. Instead, Sharon was ever the gracious hostess and acceded to her ridiculous demands.

Carrie was also a problem. Sharon and Cameron decided not to throw her out, seeing as she'd been there long enough for people to notice. Not wanting to fan the fires of the gossip mill, they allowed her to stay but got the servers to keep an eye on their uninvited guest. However, Carrie took advantage and tried to create some sob story about April mistreating the twins and how she'd somehow manipulated them to see her as their mother.

Of course, she was not blatant about it. However, a word in the right ears had definitely induced a ripple effect. Jason received word of it when he was preparing to return home and his protective instincts went into action. He tried to rectify the story but knew the damage had been done. He only hoped April would agree to the measures he'd thought of to protect the twins and her.

'Hey, what are you thinking about?'April asked softly, dropping onto the sofa beside him. She'd left him to his own devices and, along with her mother's help, settled the twins down for the night. Seeing as she took half an hour longer than usual, he surmised she had a harder time that night. Probably due to their scare in the evening.

Realising she'd kept a distance between them, he pulled her into his side and cuddled her close. He slung his arm over her shoulder and laid his cheek on to the top of her head while she tensed slightly and then relaxed beside him. Silence reigned for several moments. And it wasn't the awkward kind of silence, either. The silence was quiet, soothing, each one of them knowing that the other needed to unwind before they could talk. The soft lighting in the room helped them relax further into each other.

'How are the twins?'he asked as he put down his brandy and entwined his frer hand with hers. He had to smile at her discomfort. He knew he was unfairly increasing the pace of their relationship but he didn't care. Not that he didn't care about her thoughts and feelings about it. He was just impatient and wanted her to be as comfortable with him as he was with her.

'They're fine. They required a bit more attention and fussing but fell asleep quite fast considering the evening they've had. I'm glad Mom was there to help,'she told him, moving into a more comfortable position.

'How's she settling in? Any more mentions of finding her own place?' He felt, more than heard, her scoff.

'Every hour of every day. And she won't stop. Even though she's broker than a homeless person, she's soo independent and proud that she'd have left if I hadn't told her I needed help with the twins,'she grumbled, her worry for her mother endearing. Which reminded him of his own facsimile of a mother.

'I wish mine acted remotely as warm as yours,'he said softly. She squeezed his hand and pressed a kiss onto his hand. He didn't know what, whether it's the soft light creating a intimate atmosphere, her presence or everything combined that encouraged him to speak. 'Clearly, my mother is a cold human being. She has an agenda for everything. Nothing comes free with her. And she's a stuck up bitch. Which is weird since she came from a middle-income family before managing to capture my father.

'Despite that, they're two peas in a pod. Every move made, every word spoken is with the aim to further their agenda. Whatever that may be. They're like a team but not one founded on love and loyalty. Their teamwork is so cold and calculated I'm surprised they're not made of ice.'

'Then why are you soo different?'April asked lightly, smiling up at him.

'I was sent to Aunt Jen when I was seven. My parents had a hard time keeping nannies. They said I was too noisy and wouldn't listen to instructions.'

'Now I see where the twins get their aversion to nannies,'she said, laughing. Jason joined but explained once she stopped.

'I didn't see it like that. To me, it was a bid to get my parents' attention. In my mind, I was thinking, "Dad would like me now," or "surely Mom won't scream at me again if I show her this". Sadly, I was mistaken and was shipped to Wisconsin before I knew it.'

Throughout his rant, April ran a soothing hand along his arm and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. He didn't know why but it helped to ease the hurt and sense of abandonment from his 7-year-old self and he knew those memories won't hurt him anymore.

It also helped ease the slight sting of hurt and betrayal that his mother's presence induced that night. He didn't know why it surprised him but he'd thought she'd cared about her grandchildren and wouldn't want that viper anywhere near them. To find that she'd invited her and allowed her near his children. Now that hurt. And destroyed his hopes of ever repairing their relationship.

They lapsed into silence after. Similar to their earlier silence. However, he was now more aware of her breast pressing into his arm and her soft curves fitting against his hard body perfectly. Her jasmine and apple scent of her body wash tantalising his nose. He was unused to the woman he's with not being covered with the cloying scent of perfume, no matter how expensive or nice it first seemed. All these factors were causing a stirring south of his chest. Trying to hide his growing excitement, he shifted in his seat. Which made April look up.

Her face flushed slightly, making him believe he was showing his lust and attraction. Her eyes darkened, her tongue peeked out to wet her lips. He couldn't help but take that as an invitation and swooped down for what he'd been craving for the entire day.

Hey guys. First off, I'd like to thank you guys for giving AB 1000 votes!!! I feel like it's a big milestone. So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! :D AR took longer but I attribute it to my still developing style back then. Now both stories are more than 1K. I'm having a party in my head. YEAH!!

Next, in this chapter, I said that Cameron and Jason grew up in Wisconsin. Now, does anyone know whether I have mentioned something else in either AR or AB?

Back to AB. Hope you guys like this chapter. VOTE & COMMENT if you like it. THANKS.