by Teagan Amici
No sooner had I said that than Blair sprang up and was guiding me towards the lounge room, pushing me onto the couch.
“Sorry, Lesley, I don’t have a lot of practice with pregnant women, maybe you should lay down until you feel better. Here, let me put this rug over you. What time do you have to start work? I’ll wake you up if you fall asleep”.
I should have resisted, but it felt so nice to have someone fussing over me for a change that I let Blair take charge, telling myself that it was only this once. It did feel nice having his hand in my lower back when he was guiding me to the room, and his hands on my arms as he helped me lower myself to the couch. I told myself that it was only because I had been so alone since falling pregnant that it felt nice, it had nothing to do with the little thrill that ran through me when Blair touched me. Yeah, right, I just kept telling myself that as I fell asleep.
It seemed as if my eyes had just closed when Blair was shaking me gently, waking me up. I opened my eyes dreamily, thinking how nice it was to wake up to Blair, then I realised I was lying on the couch, not in my bed, and started to struggle to sit up in confusion.
“Wait, Lesley, let me help you. Did I hurt you?”
Blair had asked the last question as I gasped when he touched me. He had leaned forward, grasped one arm with a hand, and put the other arm around my back to support me as he used his strength to help me sit upright. It had been a shock, as the feel of Blair’s arm around me felt so good, and it took me by surprise.
“No, no, you didn’t hurt me, I just had a twinge, that’s all”.
“Is it time? It’s too early yet, isn’t it?”
I shook my head at his panicked face, smiling.
“I’m fine Blair. It’s nothing. What time is it?”
“It’s eight, Art and I have put together the nursery furniture, and we wanted you to have a look. We have to move around some of the furniture in the house as well, Diane had a new lounge suite she wanted to put in here, and we’re taking this old one away for reupholstering. We couldn’t really do it with you on it though”, he said, smiling at me.
I shook my head again, struck again by the beauty of Blair’s face when he smiled. He seemed to have several smiles, most of the time he looked cheeky and devilishly handsome, but when he smiled like he was now, he looked angelic. I took a breath to compose myself, and started to lurch to my feet, closing my eyes briefly in bliss as Blair moved to help me. This time I ended up briefly in his arms while he steadied me. I briefly toyed with the idea of swaying gently, just to see if he would continue to hold me, but thought better of it. I had to get a grip on myself.
I followed Blair into the nursery, exclaiming in wonder at how much work he and Art had got done while I had been sleeping. The furniture was assembled and the bedding had been removed from the packets and was airing on top of the chest of drawers. I turned in wonder to look at Blair, and caught him watching me with a look in his eyes I couldn’t make sense of. For just a moment it looked like longing, then shutters seemed to come down, and he smiled that cheeky smile at me again.
“Look’s good, doesn’t it?”
Just then Art came in, dusting off his hands.
“I broke up all the boxes and put them in the recycling bin, do you know what day the bins have to go out?”
I shook my head no, and Art winked at me.
“Not a problem. I’m sure you can ask your neighbours, and Blair would be happy to put them out for you, wouldn’t you Blair?”
Something passed between the two men that I didn’t understand, but I realised with a start that the morning was getting away from me.
“If you two miracle workers would excuse me, I have to log on. Is there anything I can do for you before I do?”
Blair stared at me for a moment, then Art spoke.
“No, you just do what you have to do, Lesley. Blair and I will keep working if you don’t mind”.
I settled myself in at the dining room table with my computer and some notepaper, and logged on to the remote server. While I was scrolling through my emails, keeping up with team news, I could hear the men bringing in something from outside. A brief discussion ensued then I heard the front door close. Shortly afterwards Blair stepped quietly into the room.
“Art thought it would be best to go to the hardware shop while the ute was empty, so don’t step into the lounge at the moment. There’s both sets of furniture stacked up there right now. I’m going to haul the bags of things Diane wanted to donate to the front step while I’m waiting, but do you want anything before I do?”
I shook my head no, smiling as Blair stepped out of the room again. I could see now how Diane had been swept off her feet so easily by Cole, if he was anything like Blair. I momentarily stilled as I had a strange thought, surely Blair and Art weren’t thinking I would be happy to get into a similar relationship? I shook my head at my silly thoughts, while I could easily have fantasies about Blair, I wasn’t in the slightest bit attracted to Art, and besides, who would want to get involved with anyone who was having another man’s baby, and soon?
Chapter 4
Over the next few days I began to wonder if maybe I had misread Blair. He and Art finished what they had to do that first day, leaving me with a much newer lounge suite to sit on, and a new peephole to check the identity of callers before opening the door. I was very grateful for everything they had done, and of course neither of them would accept anything for all their trouble, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I preferred to pay my own way, and the two of them had spent so much time doing things for me that I felt quite guilty.
The next day, I had just returned to my room from the bathroom after my shower and was vainly trying to wrap the towel around myself. Of course it wouldn’t go around anymore, my belly was too big. My phone rang, and I picked it up to hear Blair’s voice.
“Good morning Lesley! Did I wake you up again?”
“No, I just stepped out of the shower”.
I thought I heard Blair making an odd noise before he continued, and I pulled the phone from my ear, thinking maybe there was some interference somewhere, so I missed the first few words.
“… nearly there, so I thought I’d give you some warning”.
“What? How far away are you?”
“About five minutes. I noticed a few items that needed maintenance yesterday, I can get them done without bothering you too much. Put the kettle on?”
I quickly threw on some clothes and put the kettle on, racing (as much as I could) to the bathroom to brush my teeth before my five minutes was up. Just as I was wiping my mouth, I heard knocking at my door. Feeling impish, I stepped up to the peephole, saw that it was Blair, and then said loudly:
“I don’t know if I should open the door! Is that the big bad wolf I see on the other side?”
At that point, I could have sworn I heard a growl, then looked through the peephole again to see Blair scowling at the door. I opened it and stared at him quizzically, then looked around him and behind him.
“What’s wrong?” asked Blair testily.
“I was looking for a dog. I thought I heard a growl just then”.
I looked up at Blair to see his eyes narrow, then he smiled, although it didn’t really meet his eyes.
“Never call me a wolf, Lesley. One day you’ll understand why”.
I stepped aside and led Blair to the kitchen where I made hot drinks and waved aside the pastries that Blair had brought today. As I toyed with my cup, I wondered what I had said that had Blair so fidgety, then mentally shrugged as I decided that whatever it was, it was really no concern of mine. Over the next few hours, I worked at the dining room table again while I heard Blair thumping and clanging around the house. He seemed to be mostly outside, thankfully, as whenever he was too close he was too disturbing, and I wasn’t able to do much work. I knew how lucky I was to be able to work from home, and I didn’t want my privileges revoked so close to the birth, especially if it was because I was drooling over a man who was ou
t of my league!
Blair spent a lot of time on tasks that obviously hadn’t been done for a long time, such as cleaning all the leaves and muck out of the guttering, and tidying up around the paths so I could walk in and out of the house without tripping over trailing greenery. Curious as to the history of the house - especially why it had been neglected for so long - I found myself looking idly out of the window one morning while waiting for a software update to go through on the laptop. My eyes boggled as I watched Blair stand up and wipe sweat off of his forehead with his arm. He had his back to me and I found myself contemplating how nicely his jeans hugged the cheeks of his arse. I was unable to look away, even though I found myself rubbing my belly to remind myself of the condition I was in, when Blair’s hands went to the hem of his t-shirt and he lifted it over his head. My mouth fell open at the sight of his broad back, the outlines of his musculature clearly defined. I had to curl my hands tightly in on themselves, as they itched to run over the hard ridges and bulges I could see. I made a little squeak as I realised the area between my thighs was heating up, and although Blair was some distance away he turned his head to look over his shoulder towards the window. I remained frozen, convinced that surely he couldn’t see through the sheers so long as I remained still, but I swore I could see the hint of his cocky smile on his profile, and I fled to the bathroom, convinced that the man must have some sort of mystical hearing and vision.
Diane had formed a habit of calling for a brief chat each afternoon to check how I was settling in, and on Friday she invited me to her house. She said that the men who were building her house - and I got the impression it was a family building company rather than a group of strangers - had a football game each Saturday, and they usually had a barbeque afterwards. I wouldn’t listen to her reassurances that I needed to not bring anything, and was relieved when she told me to bring a pavlova. I was not a great cook, but I could cook one of those. Even if it cracked a little, my mother had told me that loads of whipped cream and tasty toppings could hide most faults, so after I logged off for the day, I went shopping. I cooked the pav that evening, and as my mother had taught me long ago, when it was done I turned off the oven and left it in the oven with the door open overnight to let it cool gradually.
As I drove to Diane’s on Saturday, I was as cautious as a learner driver, aware of my precious cargo in the back seat. It had turned out beautifully, and was piled high with luscious berries and sprinklings of shaved chocolate, so I had packed around it with towels to prevent it moving and being destroyed on the drive. The first part of the drive was easy, being on the freeway, but once I turned off and started following the complicated instructions to Diane’s house, I kept having to stop to check them. I was pretty sure that I was going the right way, but I couldn’t believe that I was now in such a remote area when such a short time ago I had been in suburbia. I turned down what I hoped was the right driveway, and drove for what seemed like a really long way before I breathed a big sigh of relief. I could see what looked like a little city of machinery and sheds, with an enormous house nestled at the back of the mess, seemingly against a hill. I parked where I thought my little car would be out of the way, and just as I undid my seatbelt, I noticed a shadow to my right. Turning my head, I smiled to see Blair motioning to me to open the door.
“Blair, I’m so thankful to see a familiar face and know that I am in the right place.” I said as I reached out for his extended hand. Pride be damned, my car was small and low, and my belly was big. Without help, it was a struggle to get out, and I wanted to hang on to my dignity if I would be making a first impression on strangers. Blair must have pulled too hard, or maybe I pushed up too hard, as I lost my balance and fell into him, his arms swiftly going around me to catch and steady me. Foolish as I was, I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of being encircled by his strong arms, and stayed there a little too long before he steadied me and put me from him.
“Diane’s waiting”, Blair said as he pointed towards the house, “why don’t you go in and say hello? Do you have anything you need to take in from the car?”
“Yes, I have a pavlova on the back seat, I can take it in so you can go back to what you were doing if you like”.
“Pavlova? Did you make it?” Blair sounded like an excited little boy as he opened the back door and almost reverently retrieved the cake container before closing the door gently, careful not to jostle the container.
“Yes, I did. I only hope it didn’t get bounced about too much on the dirt roads”.
I headed towards the house, and saw Diane waiting for me. By now I knew that the container wasn’t the only thing that he been bounced about on the roads. My bladder was reminding me that I had been driving for a while, and the drive hadn’t been as smooth as my bladder preferred. After hugging Diane, I was barely able to wait for Blair to leave before I was asking where the bathroom was. Diane led me to hers, explaining that the house wasn’t finished yet, and her bathroom was the only one that was working. As we walked through her bedroom, my eyes widened and my cheeks flushed as I noted the enormous round bed. After the bathroom door closed behind me, I couldn’t help but look around. The shower seemed as big as an entire bathroom by itself, and there were three shower heads. The rest of the room was big, there was a huge bath, clearly capable of seating three, and multiple sinks built into the cabinetry. As I washed my hands in one, I looked at myself in the mirror, taking a few deep breaths to try to clear the flush in my cheeks. Obviously this bathroom was meant to be used by Diane, Cole and Bram all at once, and it made the situation much more real than just meeting them had done. The level of intimacy involved in sharing such spaces as the bedroom and bathroom made the whole situation seem much more domestic, even while it was so unfamiliar. I walked past the bed again and came to a sudden stop as I realised that I was picturing Blair in that bed, and wondering what it would be like to shower with Blair in that bathroom. I felt an unexpected pang of melancholy as I thought of how lucky Diane was to have two men who cared for her so much, when for most of us, finding just one was so difficult.
When I reached the kitchen again, I expressed something similar to Diane, who smiled gently as she took my hands, drawing me to the window. Looking out, I smiled as I saw Blair, busy doing something nearby and barely heard Diane as she spoke.
“Just have patience, Lesley. I’m sure that somewhere out there is someone who is just perfect for you. Just because you chose the wrong one once, doesn’t mean that the right one isn’t waiting for you to be ready to choose him”.
Sighing gently, I remained where Diane had left me, watching not only Blair, but all the men bustling around outside. Briefly I imagined myself living here, and that Blair was with me and would welcome our child when it was born, instead of wishing it away as Darren had done.
Chapter 5
I winced as Blair was crunched between two large men, and released the breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding when he slipped out between them, grabbed the ball he had dropped, and kicked it to a team mate. While the set up certainly resembled a football field, with the goal posts and point posts seeming to be the correct position apart, this was like no football game I had ever seen before. I had watched the random team selection, listening to Diane’s explanation of how it was intended to mix up the two groups of men, forcing them to mingle, but there seemed to be very little observation of the rules of AFL. Diane had also explained that she used to umpire the game until she announced her pregnancy, when she was gently ushered to the sidelines for fear of her being hurt. I could certainly understand that, for each man out there seemed to be from the land of the giants, some even more so than others. I could see a resemblance between many of them, they were obviously related to Blair and Cole, or at least from the same ethnic group, as they all had similar colouring. The other men seemed to be more randomly collected, although they all had European features. Diane had explained that both Bram and Cole had their own group of friends and families, and that the two had previously no
t been able to get along, but had been forced to when she had managed to catch the eye of her partners. According to Diane, the men got along a lot better now, so I would have hated to have seen how violent the earlier games must have been. I stared at Blair quizzically, realising that he was getting bumped just as much by people who were obviously from his group, as those from Bram’s group. Was Blair being targeted particularly? I decided that I was just seeing what was happening to Blair because I was concentrating on him. When he was picked, he took off his shirt and threw it to the sidelines before jogging up to his captain, who happened to be his brother, Cole, and it had taken all of my self composure not to sigh out loud at the sight of his muscled torso rippling as he moved. Since then, I had been unable to tear my eyes from him, following his progress around the ground, and only stopping when Diane spoke to me, or when it was half time and we headed inside for another bathroom break. While we were alone in the house, I had asked Diane about the similarity I had noticed between some of the men, and she explained that Blair’s family was originally from South America. Well, that explained the colouring and cheekbones, I thought, but how odd it was that the entire family had emigrated and resettled together. It was then that something that had seemed out of place finally clicked for me.
Diane and I were the only two women here. Surely there were wives, girlfriends, mothers, sisters? Diane paused before answering the query I had voiced before I was able to stop myself. I thought maybe she thought I was being too nosy.
“Well, I think most of them are between girlfriends at the moment. It’s complicated. But we’d better get back out there, or we’ll miss the start of third quarter”.