Concrete Justice

by A. R. Ford

  “I’d say let’s go get that car. Another steamboat dinner would be nice before winter gets here.”

  Shopping for cars is a detestable task. The first car lot we visited had a high-pressure salesman who intended on selling us the most expensive car on the lot. I instantly disliked the man. His slicked back hair, artificial grin, and ill-fitting jacket, combined with the rapid-fire pace of the sales pitch, tweaked my temper. It didn’t help that he put an arm around my waist, put his face within inches of mine, and blatantly flirted in front of Nick.

  “Darlin’, why don’t you come with me? I’ve got the perfect ride for you.” Mr. High Pressure steered me in the direction of a convertible sports car sitting in the showroom. His fingers slid higher along my side. Too close, and personal.

  I extricated myself from his grasp as the irritability came to life in grand style. A finger in his face, I advanced while giving Mr. High Pressure a piece of my mind. “Look, mister. I don’t know you, and yet here you are putting the moves on me with my fiancé in the same room. I’m not interested in a piece of crap sports car that sits on the ground, and can’t carry more than a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread along with two passengers. We’re not after expensive. We’re after a car that meets our requirements. Thanks, but no thanks!”

  Mr. High Pressure took a step back. The expression on his face reminded me of the expression most people make when they’re about to step in a big pile of crap. He knew it. I knew it. Nick stood there laughing at the man’s expression.

  “Ma’am, I certainly do apologize if I have offended you,” Mr. High Pressure said in the fake drawl he adopted the second he saw me.

  “How about you learn how to sell cars that people might actually want to travel around in? Huh? How about that?” I huffed, hands on my hips, toe tapping the polished showroom floor.

  Nick stepped in to spare the man any further embarrassment. “Thank you for taking the time to show us around. I’ll be in touch if we decide to purchase the convertible.”

  “That guy is an idiot,” I muttered when Nick led me to the SUV.

  “Let’s go to the next dealership. Lukas and Morgan recommended a guy there.” Nick cupped my face before leaning in to plant a sweet kiss on the tip of my nose.

  The next car dealership was smaller than the first one we visited. Nick asked for Tom Henderson, the salesman Lukas recommended. Instead of taking us to the lot, the man asked us what we were looking for. Tom wanted specifics—color, type of car, type of transmission, and even the price range we wanted to stay within. He disappeared into an office to retrieve a set of keys before escorting us onto the lot.

  The sporty, black SUV caught Nick’s eye. I could tell by the way he circled the vehicle. Tom put a dealer tag on the SUV and gave me the key. “You folks take it for a drive. No hurry. I want you to find the perfect car today, regardless of how long it takes.”

  Nick snatched the key from my hand with a grin. “Not fair!” I chastised once we were in the SUV headed for Orion Loop.

  “Let’s see what this baby can do,” he mused. “It has all the bells and whistles we wanted, Leah—heated seats, electric everything, and an all-wheel drive. What do you think?”

  The SUV’s engine roared to life when Nick pressed down on the accelerator. I knew without driving it that this was the car for us. Nick wanted to test it for cornering, handling, and other things that I had no clue about. “I like it a lot,” I replied. “And from the way you’re smiling, I would say you do, too. Let’s go back, and seal the deal.”

  It took a few hours to complete all the paperwork. Nick drove the borrowed SUV back to Knight Security’s underground parking garage while I followed in our new car. It was odd how life returned to normal once Leo Soranno, and Mendez were out of the picture. This kind of normal I could get used to.

  Nick

  “I CAN’T FIND A PAIR of pants that fits me! What the actual heck? It has to be water weight,” Leah groaned after tossing a sixth pair of pants on the floor. “I guess those go to the homeless shelter along with the rest of the stuff in storage.”

  I chuckled at her expression, brows furrowed, hands raised in the air as if beseeching a higher power for one pair of jeans that fit the way she wanted them to. Leah found a pair of stretchy leggings that would coordinate well with the flowy top she planned to wear. I sat on the bed, legs crossed at the ankle, watching as she searched for a pair of shoes on her side of the bed near the windows.

  “Leah.” I sat up straight, eyebrows nearly in my hair as I saw her body from the side. There was a definite rounded belly that was uncharacteristic of her usual slender, lean body. “When was your last period?”

  Leah ignored the question as she dropped to the floor to look under the bed for the pair of shoes. “Aha! Found the sneaky boogers hiding halfway under the bed.” She stood up with the prized pair of shoes in hand. “What did you ask me? Sorry, I was focused on hunting down shoes.”

  “Come here a second.”

  “Nick, this isn’t the time to be fooling around. You promised me a steamboat dinner, and I intend to collect on that promise.” Leah stood eyeing me for a moment before dropping the shoes. She crawled onto the bed, face inches from mine. “You’re being strange today.”

  I pulled her onto my lap, nuzzling her neck briefly before repeating the question. “When was your last period?”

  “A few months ago, I think. Things have been off since the explosion. I’m usually not that irregular. Why are you so interested in my monthly cycles? Is there some kinky sex in my future I didn’t expect?” she huffed.

  My hands slid across her belly before settling protectively around what I instinctively knew was our child growing within her womb. “Take a pregnancy test.”

  Leah twisted in my lap until she faced me. Her face paled slightly; eyes wide. “I ... I promise I’ve been taking the pill regularly. I’ve not missed any. Crap! Do you think I might be pregnant? I’ve not been sick, or anything.”

  “I think so. Why do you think your pants didn’t fit? You still run and work out every day, Leah. There’s no reason for you to have gained any weight, except being pregnant.”

  We drove to the drug store a block from the apartment for a test. Leah wasted no time in using the test once we got home. I stood holding her hand while we waited for the results. Less than three minutes later, two pink lines appeared in the test window. I hugged Leah hard, laughing and crying at the same time.

  “Yes! We are having a baby, a little Nick, or little Leah to run around our new house. Yes!” I could not hold back the cheer of joy. Having a child with Leah would be yet another confirmation of our love.

  Leah pulled away, eyes searching mine. Her brow was furrowed, teeth tugging at her lower lip. Her uncertainty warmed my heart. She always thought of me first, never putting her own needs as a priority. “You’re happy? Please tell me you’re happy.”

  “I. Am. Happy. What’s wrong? You seem uncertain, baby.” Not once had it crossed my mind that she might not be happy about having a baby.

  “We didn’t talk about having a baby. I wanted to make sure you’re okay with it. It’s rather unexpected. Of course, I’m happy, Nick. Having your child is something I’ve dreamt of since we met.” The corners of her mouth lifted, limpid eyes caught, and held my gaze. “I suppose we have an appointment to schedule to get things checked out then.”

  Leah’s regular gynecologist also practiced as an obstetrician. As luck would have it, she had an opening the next day. I tagged along; every bit as curious about the baby as Leah was. The doctor confirmed the pregnancy before conducting an ultrasound. The image of our child appeared on the screen seconds after the doctor slid the transducer across Leah’s gel-covered abdomen.

  “I would say you’re about four months along. I can take some measurements of the baby’s femur which will help determine a due date since you’re not sure when your last period was, Leah. Everything looks good. We might be able to see the gender. Do you want to know if you’re having a gi
rl, or boy?” Dr. Clark looked over her shoulder at us.

  “Leah?” I waited expectantly, and was rewarded with a whispered affirmation.

  “Yes.”

  The transducer moved across Leah’s belly. Dr. Clark paused, pointed at an area on the screen before saying, “That’s definitely a penis. You’re having a boy.”

  I couldn’t hold back the whoop of excitement. Leah and I laughed and kissed. Tears filled her eyes when she looked at the screen again. Dr. Clark handed us printed images from the ultrasound. I took it a step further, smartphone held in the air as I snapped several photographs of the ultrasound screen.

  “Please don’t post those on social media,” Leah implored. “We should tell Rose, mom, and David first. It’s a big day for a lot of people.”

  “I won’t, Leah. We should go see Rose first,” I replied, my eyes glued to the photograph on my phone which now served as its background, and screensaver. While Leah cleaned her belly off, I sent a text to Rose asking if we could come by for a visit.

  Nick: Are you working today?

  Rose: I’m off. Have things at home to take care of.

  Nick: Dropping by for a visit later.

  Rose: See you later.

  The events of this day would linger forever in a bank of fond memories stored in my mind. Leah and I were having a baby boy in about five months. We drove straight to Rose’s house from the doctor’s office. The door stood slightly ajar. Alarm bells went off in my head. I motioned for Leah to stand behind me before opening the door wider. The living room was empty.

  I moved into the kitchen only to find it empty. A sound from Rose’s bedroom attracted my attention. The door stood open revealing a tableau that I would not soon forget. Rose, and Agent Benjamin Halman, lay on the bed locked in a passionate embrace. Thankfully, they were still fully clothed.

  Rose shrieked, turned red in the face, and jumped off the bed. “Nick! Leah! I-I didn’t expect you guys so soon. Oh ... this is so embarrassing,” she groaned.

  Agent Halman was as equally mortified as my sister. “Nick, Leah. Fancy meeting you here.” He scuffed the carpet with one shoe, eyes downcast.

  “Rose is my sister, you know. And I messaged her earlier.” I couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the situation. Holier than thou Agent Benjamin Halman had the hots for my sister. And I busted him in the middle of a heavy make-out session. Priceless.

  Leah giggled behind one hand; finger pointed at Agent Halman. “You are so busted, mister! And don’t try your special agent intimidation tactics to get Nick and I to forget this. Oh, the holiday dinners that will hear the story of the day Agent Halman almost got caught with his pants down.”

  “We’ll be in the living room while you folks get yourselves together,” I added for good measure. “By the way, Agent Halman, that makes us officially on a first name basis now if I’m correct. Any time an FBI agent gets caught with his tongue down a woman’s throat, said woman’s brother is automatically allowed to drop Agent as a form of respect.”

  Rose and Agent Halman appeared in the living room a few minutes later. Both of them had somehow managed to adopt a calm demeanor.

  “I’m just going to pretend this didn’t happen. And, Nick, call me Ben,” Agent Halman said.

  “I would appreciate it if we didn’t discuss this in the future,” Rose murmured. “So, what brings you two over for a visit? I can put on a pot of coffee if you’d like. There’s peach cobbler I baked this morning if you’d like some.”

  “No, thanks, Rose. Leah and I came by to share some good news. First, we bought a new car yesterday, and construction on the new house is going well,” I began before taking a seat on the sofa next to Leah. “You should probably sit down for the next part of this.”

  Rose and Ben sat in a loveseat positioned across from the sofa. “This is bad. I just know it is. Please don’t tell me Leo Soranno escaped, or something,” Rose replied.

  Leah giggled, taking my hand. “You do the honors,” she encouraged.

  “Leah and I are having a baby. A boy.”

  Rose forgot about the embarrassing incident that had just occurred. She shrieked, jumped to her feet, and clapped. “You’re giving me a nephew? Oh my gosh! I can’t stand the excitement. Leah, we have to go shopping! And you need a baby shower. We definitely have to plan a baby shower.”

  “We have a few months to work on all that, Rose. I just found out for sure today. Had it not been for your brother’s very observant eye, we may have had a baby without knowing it was on the way,” Leah sighed while leaning against me.

  After a round of handshakes, hugs, and congratulations, Leah and I decided to leave Rose and Ben up to whatever they had in mind before we interrupted. We visited Elena and David next. Their reactions were the same as my sister’s. Elena insisted we stay for dinner. It turned into another opportunity for Leah and her mother to bond, while David and I cooked steaks on the grill.

  That night Leah and I lay in bed with my hand on her belly. “Dr. Clark says I should start feeling movement. She said sometimes it feels like gas, or muscles twitching,” she murmured. “Oh, Nick, you’ve made me so happy! You gave me your heart, love, and now your baby? How can I ever say thank you enough?”

  “Just keep doing what you’re doing, baby. You’re perfect just the way you are.” I meant every word I said. Leah was beyond perfect for me. She made my life complete. Her love healed wounds from the past that I never thought would close. Now she carried my child. There was one more thing that could make everything perfect. “So, uh ... we’ve never set a date for the wedding. Would you want to sneak off, and get married tomorrow?”

  “Yes,” she murmured before yawning. “Can we go to sleep now? I’m exhausted after all the excitement from the past couple of days.”

  “Anything for you, Leah.”

  She fell asleep within minutes. I was content to hold her, one hand on her belly, as I thought about our life together. Our life together was perfect. Not the kind of storybook perfect where people meet, fall in love, and have a happily-ever-after life. It was perfect for us. And that was all that mattered.

  Chapter 25

  Nick

  SOMETHING NUDGED MY back, hard. It happened again. This time it was a not-so-gentle tap. Leah lay against me, sleeping as soundly as a child exhausted after a day at the park with friends. I shook her awake after rolling to face her. “Leah, wake up, baby.”

  “Hmmm?” Leah’s face automatically nuzzled against my bare chest. “What’s wrong?”

  “The baby is keeping me awake. How the heck can you sleep through that?” I grumbled. The only response I received was a giggle, her silken arms tightening around my neck, and another pronounced tap from the baby. “I really want to get some sleep. Could ... would you mind turning over, baby? Please? I have bags the size of a large suitcase under my eyes.”

  “But you’re so warm and comfy. I don’t feel like a cow if I can put my belly against your back,” she protested.

  I flicked the bedside lamp on before going into super-convincing Nick mode. “What would it take to bribe you into turning over? Name it, and it's yours.”

  Leah grumbled, rolled onto her side, and sat up on the side of the bed. Her tousled hair made my heart melt. She was adorable, beautiful, and the reason for my very existence. “I have to pee anyway,” she replied.

  The round curves of her behind clad only in lacy panties made me grin. “You’re sexier now than you were the first day I met you.”

  “Oh, right, me with a belly the size of a house?” Leah disappeared into the bathroom. She reappeared a few minutes later, hands cupping her belly, leaning against the bathroom door frame, pouting. “This is sexy. Right?”

  She was two weeks from the expected due date of our child’s birth. We planned a small wedding ceremony tomorrow. Nothing fancy, just friends and family at our new house that had been completed a couple months before. Moving in and getting settled was just one step in the process of spending the rest of our lives together.

>   Seeing her pouting in the doorway drove any thought of sleep from my mind. She was the most important thing in my life besides our unborn child. I walked to her, hands cupping her face, before pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

  “You are incredibly sexy. Do I need to remind you?” My groin pressed against her belly, and she giggled at the realization that, yes, I wanted her this very instant.

  “I think we’ve had sex more since we moved into the house than we ever have.” Her arms looped around my neck, head coming to rest against my chest. She groaned, pulled away, and walked toward the commode.

  “What’s wrong, Leah?”

  “It feels like I have to pee again. He’s pressing on my bladder a lot now, and...” She stopped speaking, and gasped when a flood of fluid drenched her legs, and the floor. “Oh, no ... Nick, my water just broke.”

  I moved into action, tossing a towel on the floor to absorb the fluid while snaking an arm around her waist. “I’ve got you. Let’s head back to the bedroom. You have one of those pad things the doctor told you to buy just in case. We’ll put that in the bed...”

  Leah stopped walking, and bent over, hands on her knees. She panted, and moaned for about thirty seconds. Her eyes caught mine. “I don’t think we’ll have time for that. That was a contraction, a good one.”

  “Have you been having contractions today, baby?”

  “Just a few light ones. And my back hurt a lot; more than it normally does. I didn’t think anything about it, really.” She walked out of the bathroom to the dresser where she retrieved a clean pair of panties. I waited patiently while she changed into dry clothes. A few minutes ticked by, broken only by Leah’s panting moans from the bathroom. Only a couple minutes had passed since the first contraction. “I think we should go to the hospital, Nick.”

  A sense of panic seized me. This was really happening. Leah was in labor. Our baby...