An Old Flame

by Raquel Belle

  “Cramping? What caused the cramping?” Mark asked.

  “Stress,” Joe said.

  Mark sighed. “Stephanie …” He took my hand and held it tight. I didn’t know what to say. It was unfair that he looked so good. I was in house clothes—a pair of sweatpants and a pull over. My coat was draped over the chair my dad sat in.

  Mark cleared his throat and glanced at Joe. “Um, can you give us a minute, Joe?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Joe said eagerly. He got up and left the room in under five seconds. I glanced up at Mark, then down at my fingers.

  “Look, I’m sorry about not telling you about the first miscarriage.” I met his eyes as he listened expectantly. “It was wrong of me, and you deserved to know,” I said sincerely.

  “I know that you went through a lot back then, and I don’t blame you for not wanting to relive any of it by telling me. I understand,” he said. “But it still hurt that you never could tell me.” I nodded and he continued, “And I’m sorry for storming out and not responding when you said that you were pregnant again,” he said.

  I didn’t realize that I had started to tear up until one fell on the back of my hand. Mark quickly wiped the trail away from my cheek and leaned down to press his lips to mine. “You know that I’ve wanted the whole nine with you since we got serious in college. Steph, that hasn’t changed. I still want to marry you, I want to be a family and get a tasteful house that you approve of. We can get a cat like you wanted and a parakeet and then name them Sylvester and Tweety,” he said earnestly.

  I giggled, he’d actually remembered that silly fantasy of mine. “I still want those things with you too,” I said softly.

  “So … well, I wanted to do this so much differently, but,” Mark got down on one knee right next to the hospital bed, with my hand still clasped in his. My jaw fell slack with genuine surprise.

  “Steph, I love you, and I don’t want to take things slow or leave them up in the air with us anymore,” he said. “Will you marry me? Will you say ‘yes’ again?” He smirked, yet his smile was sheepish.

  “Of course I will, Mark, yes,” I said. He stood up and held my face in his hands. His lips were soft but firm against mine. I felt dizzy with relief, and a huge wave of joy swept over me. My entire body felt a hundred pounds lighter. Mark kissed both of my cheeks and then my forehead. It was the same thing he did the first time that he proposed.

  There was a tap on the glass, and we both looked up. Dr. Chen was back and she was flanked by an orderly. I waved them inside.

  “Hi, I’m Dr. Chen, and you must be the father,” she said knowingly. I wondered if she saw him on his knee or not. She did have a wide grin on her face.

  “Mark, and it’s nice to meet you doctor,” Mark said and shook her hand. “Is everything going to be alright with Steph and the baby?”

  “Yes, we’re going to do an ultrasound right now just to make sure. Steph, this gentleman is going to wheel you up to the ultrasound room,” she said.

  “Okay.” My hand tightened around Mark’s as the orderly unlocked the breaks on the bed and opened the ER door wide. When we got to the ultrasound room, I had to take off my bottoms so Dr. Chen could work. I could tell Mark was nervous when Dr. Chen turned on the machine and inserted the ultrasound wand. He kept looking at me then the screen and back.

  “Alright, so first thing, there’s no bleeding and that’s a great sign,” Dr. Chen said. She turned to the machine and clicked a few keys. “Soon we’ll get a picture …” Mark’s hand tightened around mine.

  “It’ll look like a pea, right?” I asked.

  “Exactly,” Dr. Chen said. “Okay so this is your uterus and … there is your little pea. Nicely snuggled high up on the uterine wall. That’s what we like to see,” she said. Dr. Chen pointed to the screen. There was a lot of static, but I did see a little distinct blip on the screen.

  “That’s our baby?” Mark said, his voice wavered for a second. I glanced up at him and saw the wonder in his eyes, as he stared. I didn’t know why I doubted all that time that he wouldn’t be the best dad or husband that he could be. Mark was an idiot sometimes, and I was stubborn, but our love was real, and without it we wouldn’t be looking at our tiny miracle on the screen.

  Epilogue

  Mark

  “Do you think she’ll like it?” Joe and I stood in the living room of the house I just bought. It was a sensible five-bedroom house in Queen Anne. It overlooked the water and had a nice yard out back, some place for the baby to play as he got older and maybe a couple of dogs too.

  “I think she’ll love it. It’s homey, it’s got the wood floors all women seem to love. You did good,” Joe said, impressed. He had his hands in his pockets and glanced up at the vaulted ceiling of the living room. I was nervous, even though it didn’t make sense to be. Stephanie already technically accepted my proposal but it had been in the height of the moment with not much time to think. Or a ring.

  I glanced at Joe’s hand in his pocket, trying to spot the outline of a ring box. He promised me his wife’s old wedding ring to propose to Stephanie with…the proper way. The only thing he’d said since then was that he needed to get the ring cleaned. The man was not very choice for words.

  “So uh, Joe, about that conversation we had—”

  “Yeah, yeah, the ring, I’ve got it for you.” He took his hand out of his pocket with the ring. It was a trio of diamonds on a silver band, simple and classic. The stones were gorgeous too, they glinted with the slightest turn.

  “It’s perfect,” I grinned and took it from him.

  “And priceless, so if I don’t see it on my daughter’s finger within three days, I’ll assume you’ve pawned it off for cash and skipped town,” Joe said. I cracked up and clapped his shoulder.

  “Very funny, old man,” I chuckled.

  Joe looked at me as if there hadn’t been a joke. “Do I look like I’m laughing? I’m serious,” he said gruffly. We stared at each other for a minute and then he finally cracked a grin, I laughed all over again. “But really, the house is beautiful. I can see Stephanie in here, it’s a family home,” he said as we walked towards the foyer. Sure, the house was considerably smaller than the one I had but there was still a foyer between the formal living room and the curving staircase.

  I drove Joe to Steph’s apartment, she was still at work, and then hurried to the store. I only had a couple of hours to place lights and candles in the living room and a shit ton of flowers.

  ***

  I couldn’t help but chuckle again as we pulled up to the new house.

  “Stop laughing at me, Mark!” Stephanie giggled. “You’re the one who planned a surprise but didn’t think to buy a blindfold,” she said and tugged the snow cap lower over her eyes.

  “I know, I know, I’m sorry,” I chuckled and she playfully hit my arm. I turned off the engine and she turned her head towards me, I bit my lip to keep from laughing at her all over again.

  “I’m gonna come around to get you. Don’t peek,” I said. She sighed and I got out, quickly rounded the car, and opened her door. Steph took my hand and I helped her out of the car, kicked her door closed, and led her to the porch’s front steps. “Okay, you can look,” I said and she took the hat off and smoothed her hair down. Her eyes took in tree-lined street behind us before she turned around to finally look at the house.

  Stephanie’s breath caught and she hiccupped. “Oh my god,” she whispered.

  “Do you like it? Is it…is it nice?” My heart was beating fast in my chest as if I’d just sprinted up and down the street. The front of the house had a small porch attached that led to the front door. It was just enough space for a few plants and a swinging bench.

  “I figured we could put a swinging chair there and a couple of flowerpots on that side,” I said. “Come on,” I led her into the house and her breath caught again when she took in the dark wooden floors and light neutral paint that covered the walls. The curving staircase to our right led up to the second floor balcony
and loft family room space. The formal living room to our left had a wide archway that led to the formal dining room.

  “We could paint it however you want and change the floors if you think they’re too dark or something…” I led her through the archway behind the stairs to the second living room. It shared an open plan with the kitchen and breakfast nook.

  “Oh my god, Mark,” Stephanie whispered. I hung lights over the wall of windows and sliding doors at the back of the room. I lit candles on the floor in the corners of the room and placed flowers along the sliding doors. Her eyes were on the view of the bay, though, and they were filled with tears.

  “I know how much you hate my house,” I started and she giggled through the emotion thick in her throat. “So I bought this one, Joe said you’d love it. There are only five bedrooms,” I added, making her laugh again.

  “Joe also gave me this…” I lowered onto one knee and reached into my pocket for the ring. I held it out to her and she let out a sob and covered her mouth.

  “Mark,” she whispered. “Is that?”

  “Your mother’s ring. Joe wanted you to have it and honestly, it’s perfect,” I said. Stephanie really started crying then and I swallowed past the lump in my own throat.

  “I didn’t think the hospital was the best setting for our proposal story. I want this to be the one that sticks,” I said. Stephanie wiped her eyes but it didn’t do much because she was still crying. “Steph, I love you and I promise to spend the rest of my life making you happy and protecting our family. For the third time…” I chuckled and she laughed through her tears. “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, a thousand times, yes,” she said, giggling. I put the ring on her finger and stood up. I picked her up into my arms and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me back. I felt her heartbeat against mine and the most peaceful calm washed over me. As we stood in our new home together, I knew without a doubt that Stephanie was always supposed to be my happy ending.

  An excerpt from “My Not So Fake Boyfriend”

  Jenna

  The only thing worse than not getting laid was having the rest of the world know she wasn’t getting any. Jenna Benson slid down in her chair and attempted to hide her face, when her friend gasped way too loudly.

  “You haven’t gotten laid in a year?” Ashley’s shock was stamped all over her heavily-pierced face. “My God, Jenna, that’s really sad.”

  “Say that a little louder why don’t you? I don’t think the rest of the world heard you,” Jenna said, giving the small group of guys across from them a weak smile. One of them, Idris Elba’s doppelganger, eyed her with either interest or pity. Most likely pity because he, along with the rest of the world, now knew about her year-long dry spell. “Thank you for that, Ashley. I owe you a world of humiliation.”

  Jenna glared in her friend’s direction, as she sipped some green concoction from a plastic cup. Ashley was a stickler for eating and drinking healthy. Jenna, on the other hand, always ate whatever she wanted and couldn’t care less about the consequences.

  With a grin, Ashley lifted her shoulders. Her jet black hair hung in waves around her pale face, and her brown eyes danced in that fun, devilish way they always did. She lifted a brow, which had three rings running through it. Ashley was a cross between a gothic chick and a porn star version of Snow White with her porcelain skin, made even paler by heavy makeup. Her ample bosom and long legs were encased in black leather. Ashley was an original, and that was what drew Jenna to her.

  They had been friends since Jenna moved to Virginia and stumbled into Ashley’s tattoo parlor one drunken night. She had been on a mission to prove that she wasn’t the boring prude that her ex-boyfriend had branded her. And what better way to show that she was spontaneous and loads of fun than to get some ink? Of course, Jenna had chickened out and ended up venting to a total stranger about her ex-boyfriend dumping her for being too vanilla.

  Ashley had graciously listened and then closed her shop, after which the duo painted the town red with Ashley giving Jenna the official tour of all of the hotspots in her new city. That had marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Opposites truly did attract because Jenna was Ashley’s exact opposite in both appearance and personality. Jenna could only wish to be as outspoken and uninhibited as Ashley was.

  “I’m sorry, Jen, but damn, an entire year,” Ashley said, shaking her head. There was unmistakable pity in her eyes. “No wonder you’re so uptight.”

  “I am not …” Okay, maybe she kind of was but there was a very good reason for it. “You know I work a lot and don’t have time to date or have casual sex as you keep encouraging. I’m focused on building my career and making a name for myself.” That was Jenna’s number one goal since she escaped the small town she grew up in, where she worked for her father.

  “You’ve had the job for one year, Jen. You have plenty of time to establish yourself as a legend of the damned boardroom. Live a little first.”

  Plucking imaginary lint from her blazer, Jenna huffed. “I am living. I happen to like my life. Independence, a budding career …”

  “Lonely as fuck.”

  Jenna sent Ashley another glare and took a sip of her latte. “Why are we friends again?”

  “Because without me, your life would be incredibly dull, and there would be no one to reveal the painful truths of it.”

  “Hmm … You’re probably right,” Jenna said. Ashley did force her to do things that Jenna considered fun sometimes, and she was brutally honest, which Jenna appreciated … most of the time, anyway. Jenna heaved a heavy sigh, causing Ashley’s smirk to disappear.

  “Okay, what is it? Let it out.”

  Propping her chin on her palm, Jenna glanced around the small cafe. There were couples everywhere, holding hands, gazing into each other’s eyes, and inappropriately making out. But, she supposed the public displays of affection were only inappropriate in her eyes because she didn’t have anyone to make out with. Ashley was right; she was a bit lonely at times. Not that she thought she needed a man to fulfill her life but, every now and then, when she crawled into bed, she would appreciate another body next to her.

  Her feeling of loneliness was amplified by the thought of returning to her hometown, still single. In just three weeks, her brother was getting married and of course, she had to attend. Going to her brother’s wedding solo was a depressing thought, considering that her ex-boyfriend would be there.

  “Noah is getting married.”

  Ashley sputtered on her green juice and slammed her cup down. “What the hell did you say? Damn it, I lost my chance. Your brother is so hot.”

  “And you are so not his type. No offense.”

  “None taken,” Ashley said. “The last time he visited, I figured that out. He kept looking at me as if he expected me to pull out a wand and do some Harry Potter shit to him.”

  Jenna’s spiraling mood momentarily lifted when she remembered the humorous introduction. “He did ask me for the down low if you, by any chance, chanted naked in the woods at night.”

  Ashley didn’t exhibit a trace of anger. She threw her head back and bellowed out a laugh. “No shit? What? Do you think it was the eyeliner?”

  “Maybe it was the eyeliner. You do apply it pretty heavily.” Jenna smiled. “I did make it known that you were not a practitioner of magic. You have to understand that where we grew up, we didn’t encounter many people with your particular style.”

  Ashley shrugged. “It’s too bad I’m not a practitioner of magic. I would have put a spell on that Noah Benson. Did I mention that he’s hot?”

  “You have, too many times, and I’m officially disgusted.”

  Ashley laughed. “Okay, so your hot brother is getting hitched. Why the long face?”

  Jenna gritted her teeth and stared into her cup with growing fury. “My ex is going to be at the wedding.”

  Ashley’s eyes widened and her lips formed an O. “Yeah, that’s not cool. Why would your brother invite your ex to h
is wedding? Did he not know about you two or something?”

  Of course, Noah knew about Bryce. The entire town where she grew up knew about her and Bryce, just as they all knew that he had dumped her. “Bryce and I dated for two years. Of course, my brother knew about us. Noah was practically planning our wedding by the first year.”

  Bryce is a good guy. I like you with him, Noah had always said. Well, he didn’t know Bryce as well as he thought he did. “Noah said he couldn’t not invite his friend and co-worker to his wedding.” Jenna sighed. “I guess I should be glad for the heads up. At least, I can prepare myself for the humiliation of showing up dateless. Bryce has a new girlfriend you know. A blonde with humongous boobs that are most likely fake.” Sarah, Noah’s fiancée had kindly shared that piece of information with Jenna.

  “Bryce,” Ashley said. “He sounds like a douche.”

  A ghost of a smile appeared on Jenna’s lips despite her misery. “He is, but he pretends to be this nice guy around everyone.” Her self-confidence had taken a nosedive since she started dating Bryce and a year after they ended, her confidence was still struggling to recover.

  “You can’t show up solo. You have to make it look like you’ve been living it up here in Virginia, dating and having a good old funky time instead of living like a boring cat lady.”

  Another seething glare was directed at Ashley, but Jenna didn’t comment because her friend wasn’t wrong. “I have one cat. That does not make me a cat lady.” Jenna scowled and muttered, “I hate you.”

  Ashley snickered. “Awe, it never lasts long.” She sobered and sat up straighter. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll find you a date for that wedding because I refuse to allow my girl to be humiliated in front of her no-good ex.”

  Jenna shook her head miserably. “There’s no time. I’m heading home a week before the wedding. I can’t find a date in two weeks, Ash.” There was no way she could meet a nice guy and go on the required number of dates to feel comfortable enough bringing him to meet her family. “It’s hopeless.” Jenna threw her hands up in defeat. “I’ll just have to bear the humiliation. God, I’m going to look so pathetic.”