True Bliss

by BJ Harvey

“What are the chances of a second date?”

  “I think the odds are in your favor right now.”

  “You're quoting Hunger Games to me? Right now, when I'm about to kiss you goodnight?”

  Say what?

  He took a step forward and backed me up against the hallway wall. “I have to have one more taste of you before I go into the bathroom and have a very cold shower. Can you handle that?”

  “The kiss, or the cold shower? Because I'm sure I could handle both right now,” I said honestly. My whole body was on fire for him, and the man whose body was firmly pressing me into the wall was to blame.

  “Shit, babe, you're killing me here. Fuck, that's hot,” he said just moments before his mouth slammed down against mine.

  Zander was the perfect mix of a gentleman with an adorable playful side as well as a super sexy side that came out with a vengeance when we kissed. Three times we kissed during the date and three times I was left light-headed and giddy. Are kisses on a first date even supposed to make you giddy? Are the butterflies you had at the start of the date supposed to be there by the end of the night? If so, then everything is right in the world and that was the best date of my dating life.

  Why had it taken me so long to see what was right under my nose for at least the past year? Oh, that's right, my best friend was banging him. I was too focused on dating jerks who didn't respect my three date rule, and totally misunderstood the reason he said no to sleeping with me all those months ago.

  Maybe I should have been hitting myself in the head with those Whack-a-mole bats.

  All that being said, bring on the second date.

  KATE

  It's Wednesday-ultrasound day! We finally find out whether there is going to be a mini super hero or heroine joining us in four months' time.

  In the three days since my date with Zander, I've been on cloud nine. We've had breakfast together every morning, then he has given me a chaste kiss on the cheek before leaving for the Academy. As frustrating as it is, it is also very sweet, but part of me wants to grab him by the shirt and slam my mouth onto his. A bit hard when he stands at 6 ft. 2 in. and I'm 5 ft. nothing, but a girl can dream.

  At night, he goes to the gym and has been coming home around six just as I'm cooking dinner. Again, a nice kiss on the cheek, great dinner conversation, he does the dishes, tidies up the kitchen for me because he insists the rule is she who cooks does not clean up-great rule, by the way-then we've either watched television, checked emails on opposite couches, or else he's kissed me goodnight and gone to bed.

  This morning, after he leaves for the day, I find an envelope and a sunflower laid out on my made bed -he made my freaking bed for me. I don't know whether to be grateful or horrified. Inside the envelope is a note.

  My beautiful Kate,

  I would love to take you out for a date tonight.

  Now that we've had the fun, casual, playful date, I think you deserve to be wined and dined.

  There may even be a little dancing ;)

  A sunflower symbolizes adoration.The color also matches the sexy dress you wore for our first date.

  Be ready to be wooed.

  7 p.m.

  ZANDER

  There is no preparation required; I'm already well on my way to being wooed.

  I walk into the ob/gyn office and see Mac and Daniel sitting in the waiting room. I can tell Mac is nervous because she's fidgeting with her purse and tapping her foot on the floor.

  “Hey, you guys excited?”

  “Definitely, but this one,” Daniel says, grabbing Mac's hand and pulling it onto his lap, “is nervous as all hell. Says she has a bad feeling.”

  “I do! I had a dream last night that there was a demon spawn in my stomach, and it was trying to climb its way out of my who-see-what's-it,” she says, talking really fast.

  I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing because, believe it or not, Mac is actually serious. “Hon, you do not have a demon spawn inside you, and you do know that the baby has to come out your who-see-what's-it anyway, right?”

  “Can't I just get a sunroof? You know, put me to sleep, cut me open and I wake up a mom with a baby?”

  “Gorgeous, we talked about this, and the OB talked to you about the risks.”

  “I know. I'm just imagining easier ways to meet the super heroine-“

  “Hero. Superhero. We're having a boy, I just know it,” Daniel butts in, wrapping his arm around Mac's shoulders and pulling her into his side. She relaxes into him and rests her head on his shoulder.

  “I don't care what we're having, as long as it's healthy. And isn't a demon spawn,” she adds.

  “Makenna Lewis,” the nurse calls out, and we all stand.

  “This is going to be so cool! I get to see my god child before I meet him,” I say excitedly before Mac gives me a dirty look. “Or super heroine. Whatever!”

  We're all ushered through a short corridor and into the ultrasound room. There are a couple of chairs on one side of the bed and the ultrasound equipment and screen on the other.

  “Would you like to put a gown on Makenna, or are you happy just to lift up your shirt?” the nurse asks.

  “I'll just lift up my shirt, but thank you.”

  “You're welcome. Just pop up on the bed when you are ready, and the technician will be right in to start.”

  “Awesome,” Mac replies, rubbing her belly and kissing Daniel softly on the lips before he grabs her hand and helps her up onto the examination table.

  “I love you, gorgeous,” he murmurs before kissing her forehead and sitting down beside her as she reaches down and takes his hand.

  I hold a sigh back as I watch them. Will Zander and I get to that stage? Does he even want it to get to that stage? I decided this morning that we will just take it one date at a time. I'm going to go with the flow. If something happens, it happens. The expectation my mother has put on me to find a nice man to look after me and give me the perfect 2.5 children and picket fence life is just that, her expectation. Not mine. Zander has made me realize that sometimes what you want, and what you need, can be different.

  The door handle rattles and the ultrasound technician walks in, introduces himself, then shakes Daniel's hand and sits down on a rollaway stool next to Mac. “Okay, so we're doing the twenty week ultrasound, is that right?”

  “Yes, but I'm a bit late for it,” Mac replies, her voice shaky.

  Daniel gives her hand a squeeze, and she visibly relaxes.

  “That's okay. Let's get started then. Before we do, did you want to know the baby's sex?” the technician asks.

  “Yes,” we all say at the same time, launching both Mac and I into a giggling fit.

  “Fuck, here we go,” Daniel mutters under his breath as we struggle to stop.

  “I just need you to lift your top to just under your bra, then move your waistband down to the bottom of your stomach,” he explains as Mac follows, still sniggering. “And I'm just going to apply some of this gel so that the wand can show us what we want to see. So looking at your notes, you're twenty-two weeks today, is that right?”

  “Yes,” Mac answers dutifully.

  “Okay. So we should be able to see everything we need to see then. Are you measuring big for your date?”

  “A little bit, yes, but the doctor said it's within the normal range.”

  “Great, just wanted to check.”

  The technician moves the wand over Mac's stomach and all four heads in the room are suddenly riveted on the screen in front of us. I let out a little squeal when the baby's head comes into view.

  “Well, there it is. Let me just turn the volume up so that we can hear the baby's heartbeat.” With a turn of a knob, the sound of a very fast heartbeat fills the room.

  I see Mac's head turn to Superman, her eyes glistening with tears. “No demon spawn,” she whispers as he grins at her.

  “I love you,” he whispers back.

  “What's that other heartbeat?” I ask, leaning forward to have a closer look a
t the screen.

  “That'll just be mine, hon,” Mac replies.

  “Ah…” The technician pauses to look at Mac's notes again.

  “What? What's wrong?” Mac asks, her voice sounding tight.

  “Is this your first ultrasound?”

  “Yes. We've just been having monthly OB check-ups,” Mac replies, looking confused. “But they've been very regular, and I've felt the baby moving constantly. Please tell me my baby's okay?”

  “It's okay. Everything is fine. I just need to get the doctor in here for a minute. I'm sorry, it'll just take a second.”

  “Wait, is there something wrong?” Daniel's face is full of concern as he grips Mac's hand tighter, moving in closer to her.

  “No, no. Nothing's wrong. I just need the doctor to double check something.”

  “Right. Okay,” Daniel says. He runs his hand through his hair, and I know that he's still on edge. Mac is lying on the bed, stomach exposed and covered in gel, but she's cradling it with her hand, rubbing it gently.

  “You alright, Mac?” I ask, rubbing her leg.

  “Yeah, just a bit confused. I mean, why would he need to check something with the doctor?”

  “Maybe the baby is just big or something.”

  “Or maybe he needs to check that there isn't a third leg, and it's actually his huge penis,” Daniel butts in, a smirk on his face.

  “Daniel!” Mac whacks his arm as he just laughs at her. “It's a girl, I just know it.”

  Five minutes later the technician and the doctor walk in. After shaking hands with Mac and Daniel, they get right back down to business. The technician puts the wand on Mac's swollen stomach, and the baby is on screen again with the heartbeat racing in our ears. I turn my head, trying to focus on just the heartbeat. I can hear the second one, but it is a lot faster than mine.

  After a few minutes of nodding and pointing at the screen, the doctor asks the technician to move the wand over and in the screen I see two heads. Say what?

  I look at Mac who is now propped up on her elbows, her eyes wide as she turns her head slowly and looks at Daniel who has raised a hand to his chin, engrossed in the sight before him. He stands up, not letting go over her hand.

  “As you can see, we all got a little surprise here today. Congratulations, you're having twins!”

  I gasp.

  Mac groans and drops her head back onto the bed as Daniel just stands there dumbfounded and speechless.

  Twins. Who saw that coming?

  Mac had a hard enough time wrapping her head around one baby. Now there are going to be two? I sense a Mac freak-out level ten coming sometime in the future.

  “Holy shit, Daniel. You are a superhero, aren't you. With super sperm it seems,” I say, trying to avert the inevitable.

  Mac glares at me. “Not helping, Kate.”

  “Sorry, but isn't this great? Twins! Get your two kids over and done with all at once,” I explain, trying to make her feel better, but not knowing if it's working at all. Her face is expressionless now. I think the shock is setting in.

  Daniel leans over the bed, still holding Mac's hand as he whispers in her ear. She turns her head toward his, and they kiss before he touches his forehead to hers, resting it there.

  “Both babies are okay though, right?” I ask, not wanting to break up the moment Mac and Daniel are having.

  “Yes, the OB will talk to you more about everything as you'll need to be monitored more closely now, and you'll also have regular ultrasounds, but Twin A is the bigger one of the two. Twin B is slightly smaller, but they're both strong and healthy.”

  “And how did they not know there were two babies in there?” Yes, that's me, the nosy bitch who has to know everything.

  “Without a scan, the OB was likely using a Doppler to listen to the babies' heartbeats but would've been unable to tell that there were two in there, hence how baby number two was missed. Look, I know this is a lot to take in, and as I said, the doctor will talk to you more about the ultrasound once we're finished in here. Would you like to know the sex now?” He turns and looks at Mac and Daniel, waiting for their answer.

  “Yes,” Mac whispers, still looking at Daniel who is still leaning over her. This moment is so special that I kind of feel like an intruder. I stand up to leave.

  “No, Kate, please stay. I want you here.”

  “Ok, babe, I'll stay.”

  I watch as both Mac and Daniel turn their heads, their hands entwined as they watch the screen cheek to cheek and wait for the news.

  “Twin A is a bit of a show off today, so definitely a boy. Can you see that…” the technician explains, pointing between the baby's legs where there is a small, but obvious penis on full display.

  “There's my boy,” Daniel says quietly.

  “And now for Twin B...this is a bit more difficult. Mac, can you just roll a little bit to the left for me...great, now just a moment. We need to wait for the babies to move.”

  “Holy crap, that wasn't a kick, that was an entire body roll,” Mac contends.

  “There we go. Twin B is a bouncing baby girl. So you've got one of each, congratulations.” The technician gets up and wipes Mac's stomach with a towel before she takes over the job herself.

  Daniel stands up and shakes the technician's hand, the smile on his face unforgettable. “Thank you.”

  “Not a problem,” he says. “If you just head back to the waiting room, the nurse will call you when the doctor is free.”

  “Holy crap,” she whispers as Daniel leans back to stand up beside her. “Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap.”

  “Gorgeous, we'll get through this. You said I was your superhero, but to me, you're the strongest, most determined and capable woman I've ever known. We can do this. There are two of us, and there will be two of them.” He leans down and kisses her belly.

  God, this guy knows what to say and when to say it. Mac's right, he needs to run classes on this shit.

  “Okay,” she says, her eyes wet with tears again. “Goddammit, no wonder I've got leaky eye syndrome. There are two of them in there working against me. Oh my god. My vagina is going to be as big as the grand canyon once they're finished with it.”

  Through my laughter, I step forward and wrap my arms around her, squeezing tight as she clings to me and cries happy tears into my shoulder. “You're gonna be awesome,” I say into her ear.

  I leave them in the waiting room, walking back to work with a huge grin on my face and butterflies in my stomach as I remember my date with Zander tonight. I can't wait to see what he has in store for me.

  KATE

  “You're joking, right?” Zander asks, shaking his head at the news that Mac is pregnant with twins. “That is unbelievable. She must be freaking out, surely.”

  “Not really,” I reply, lifting my glass of red wine to my mouth.

  We're at an amazing French restaurant that Zander told me he found on the internet and chose because of their menu and the reviews. He really put his homework into this date.

  Arriving home after work, I was greeted with a glass of chill Pinot Grigio-my wine of choice-and a kiss that left me no doubt that the night ahead would test all of my rules and ideals. I had a shower, got dressed and headed to the living room where I was struck by the sight of Zander wearing a pair of black slacks and a tailored grey, pin-striped, short-sleeved dress shirt that fit him like a glove. He'd also done his hair up into a fauxhawk which made me drool. Literally.

  Remember the drooling at both ends text? Times that by one hundred and that was me, standing in the doorway staring at my date.

  Which leads us to now, finishing up at the restaurant after an awesome meal. Zander really did well on the restaurant research. He has almost eliminated my last horrible restaurant dating story from my subconscious. I said almost.

  Throughout the meal, he has been very attentive and sweet. Hand holding across the table, a touch here, a foot rubbing against mine there. And now my body is humming at such a high heat I'm afraid I'm going to
combust if this man even looks at me the right way. I've never felt like this before. It's never been this exciting, thrilling, and terrifying, all at the same time. Whatever he has planned next, I say bring it on. Whatever happens, by the end of the night, something is going to happen, three date rule be damned.

  ZANDER

  Tonight has been beyond perfect. All my planning has paid off, and Kate seems relaxed, happy, comfortable with me. It has been one of the best dates in my life. Honestly.

  Checking my phone and seeing that it is only nine o'clock, I quickly rack my brain for somewhere else for us to go.

  When we step outside the restaurant, I reach between us and grab her hand, spreading her fingers with mine and entangling them. She pauses, looking down between us before turning her gaze up to me, a huge grin on her face. But it's not just a smile. There's something more there. I hope like hell I'm not seeing things.

  “I was thinking we could go for a walk around the park? I don't know about you, but I don't want this date to end just yet,” I say.

  Kate grins up at me, her eyes sparkling in the street lights. “Me either. I'd love that, Zan.”

  We start walking and she shocks and amazes me by wrapping her arm around my waist, ducking her head under my arm and cuddling into my side as we reach the park. God damn, she feels good in my arms. I knew she would, but the heat coming off her body is setting my mind into overdrive. I hear her sigh as I place my hand on the curve of her hip.

  “Are you cold, babe?”

  “Not anymore,” she murmurs, nestling in deeper.

  Fuck, this is hard. Fuck, I'm hard. Her soft, hot as fuck body resting against mine, and of course my dick would think that it was on like Donkey Kong. All I want to do right now is get down on my knees and worship this woman. Or better still, get down on my knees, strip her naked, and worship her in a myriad of ways, some of which I probably haven't even thought of yet.

  Unable to stop myself, I lean down and kiss her on the top of her head, then smile to myself when I hear and feel her release a sigh of contentment.

  We reach the center of the park, and I see a small clearing lined with tall trees. With the chance to get some privacy, I can't stop myself moving in that direction. To my surprise, Kate doesn't hesitate; she simply holds on tight to my chest and continues to walk with me. At the edge of the clearing, I stop in front of a large tree trunk. Putting my hands on her hips, I push her out slightly so that she's facing me.