by Alison Mello
“When we get upstairs, you get comfy and I’ll set you up on the couch with a blanket so you can relax and watch TV.”
“Thanks.” I look up at him as the elevator doors open.
Sure enough, as soon as I get out of the room, he has a blanket and my pillow on the couch. He also has a TV tray set up with a drink and some crackers. I shake my head slightly and smile. My man certainly knows how to take care of me.
Stone
As soon as Miranda is asleep, I call Logan and ask him if he can find someone to cover for me. I explain that I’m worried about Miranda and don’t want to leave her alone for the night, and because my boss kicks ass, he told me not to sweat it. He’s going to go in to cover for me. This leaves me with time to make Miranda some homemade soup. I pull some chicken from the freezer and get busy defrosting it, while I cut up some celery, onion, and carrots. I dump everything into our slow cooker with some broth and seasoning and set it to low so it can simmer over the next few hours.
When I get back to the living room, my angel is sleeping peacefully on the couch with her hair fanned out across her pillow and a slight snore escaping her luscious lips. She’s beautiful, and I know I’m one lucky bastard to have landed such an amazing woman. I take a seat next to her with my laptop to check my emails. I’ve been working with my boy on a new tattoo idea and I want to see if he’s responded with another sketch. I have a few already, there’s the US flag on one arm with my service dates. On the other arm I have a bulldog with some dog tags. I have a huge eagle across my back with the word ‘America’ in a banner above it. This new tattoo will go on my chest, but the image has to be perfect. My boy wanted to design it, so I gave him some ideas to run with. So far he’s sketched three different designs and none of them are quite right. He’s getting close though, but it just wasn’t what I want, and like I said, it has to be perfect. It’s the type of thing I’ll know it when I see it.
I see he sent me another image and I rush to open it. A smile spreads across my face as I take in the image. It’s pretty sweet. His latest design is a skeleton key with a heart at one end and a skull on the other. There’s a banner going over and around it, and he tells me I can put my choice of wording on the banner. Behind it is flames with skulls mixed into them. I think it’s fucking perfect now, the only problem is what do I put for wording on the banner? I sit back and think about it because there are so many options. I shoot him a response telling him it’s perfect, but I have to think about what I want on the banner and that I’ll get back to him.
A short time later the movie comes to an end and Miranda begins to stir from her nap. “Hey, shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”
“Nope, not going in tonight. I’m staying home to take care of my love.”
“You really didn’t need to do that. I feel so much better now that I took a nap.” Her eyes are still droopy but her stomach growls, letting me know she’s hungry.
“Do you want something to eat? I made you some soup, but it’s not quite ready yet.”
“I’ll just eat some of the crackers you left for me and then see how I feel.” She grabs the crackers and switches positions, leaning on me while she eats. I can see she’s still tired. My baby is definitely fighting something. Her breathing has picked up, she must have fallen back to sleep, but with the way she’s lying, I can’t see for sure. “Are you working at Club Thrive for Halloween?” she asks, shocking me.
I chuckle. “Yeah, why?”
“What’s so funny about that?”
“Nothing. I laughed because I thought you were asleep. Why did you ask about Halloween?”
“The girls and I are planning to go to the party. I’m sure Katie will get us a VIP booth, and she said from what she heard, Logan was moving you for the night.”
“Yeah, he called earlier and said that because of the masks and costumes at Club Thrive, he wanted me there, and he was taking someone from Thrive and moving them to Heat.”
“Heat isn’t going to do anything?”
“The dancers will have special costumes, but no one will be allowed in if they are not following the normal dress code. We don’t want any issues with all that has been going on with Higgins. That would be the perfect opportunity for him to get in. All bouncers will be on shift, so it should be fine.” She sits up to grab her water, taking a few big sips before cuddling back into my side. “Did you girls talk about costumes?”
“Yeah, get this…the girls want me to be a zombie bride and they’ll be my zombie bridesmaids.”
I burst into laughter. “That’s pretty funny.”
“Speaking of brides, how do you feel about a Valentine’s Day wedding?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Baby, if that’ll make you happy, it’s fine with me. I won’t have to wait long to make you my wife, so all the better.”
She looks up at me with a smile. “Then that’s what we’ll plan.”
“Is Valentine’s Day on a weekend?” I question.
“I didn’t look, but if it’s not we’ll plan it for that weekend.”
“Well, you better start planning, because I’m willing to bet it’s a busy weekend for weddings.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll start working on it this weekend. Hopefully I’ll be feeling better.”
Chapter 15
Miranda
I’m a hot mess today. I can’t believe how sick I’ve been, and to make matters worse, I’m late for my period. The combination of the two things has me believing that it can only mean one thing, and I have no idea how the fuck I’m going to tell Stone. We’ve talked about wanting kids, but we are in no place to have them now. We’re not getting married until February, and our apartment is way too small for a child. We only have one bedroom. The thought causes my stomach to get queasy all over again. Fuck, this needs to stop. I take a few deep breaths before exiting the bathroom.
When I get to the kitchen, Stone is hard at work making me breakfast. I really don’t feel like eating, but I don’t want to upset him, either. “Good morning, baby,” he says as he puts butter on my toast. “Breakfast will be ready in a minute.”
“Um, I’m not really hungry today. Can I just have the toast?”
His head snaps around and his brows shoot up. “Are you sick again?”
“Not really, just not that hungry.” I try to shrug it off, but he’s not buying it. He knows something is up because he reads me like an open book. I take a deep breath. “Listen, I promise to tell you if I start to feel sick again, okay?” He nods, but his eyes narrow and I can tell he’s not sure if he believes me or not. He hands me my toast and I thank him. I grab a cup of coffee and quickly eat my breakfast. The second the first bite hits my stomach I know it’s not going to be good. My stomach starts to roll like a gymnast doing back flips over and over again, but at this point I have to eat this or he’ll be really suspicious.
As soon as I’m done, I kiss him goodbye and tell him to have a good day before I practically run out the door. As soon as I’m in my car I start it up and head off to work with the security detail following behind me. I’m taking deep breaths the entire way, because at this point I know I’m going to be sick as soon as I run through that door. I’m so focused on getting to the bathroom before I embarrass myself I don’t even notice that I run straight past Katie. No sooner am I in the stall than I gag and empty my stomach. God help me if I’m pregnant, because I can’t take much more of this. I’m sitting back on my heels when I suddenly hear, “Miranda? Are you okay?”
I take a deep breath. I can hear the concern in my best friend’s voice. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Are you sick again?” she asks as I walk through the stall door. I feel bad because I can see she’s worried about me.
“I don’t know.” I start to cry. “I think I might be pregnant.”
She wraps me in a hug, not knowing what to say. “Have you told Stone?”
I shake my head no. “I just realized it yesterday and I don’t know how to tell him. I mean, we�
�ve discussed this, but we’re not ready for it.”
“I’m willing to bet if you just give him a chance he’ll be fine with it.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ve been taking the pill to avoid this. I swear I’ve never missed even one, so I have no idea how this happened.”
She gives me a warm smile. “It was your time.”
I walk over to the sink, shaking my head. “I don’t know.” I turn on the water to rinse my mouth and she hands me a paper towel so I can dry myself off, and then we both head toward the office.
“Listen, get some work done, and at lunch we’ll sneak out for a little bit. We’ll go get a test and find out for sure, and then you can talk to Stone.”
I nod my head in agreement as we both walk into our offices to start work.
I spend the entire morning trying to focus, but I’ve really done next to nothing. The only work related business I’ve managed to do is answer some emails that needed my immediate attention. Once that was done, I did some research on pregnancy while on the pill and discovered it really isn’t uncommon to get pregnant while taking it. There are so many things that can make it less effective. I sigh, thinking about how I’m going to bring this up at dinner tonight. I need to figure this out, because the Halloween party is coming up, and if I am pregnant, I can’t drink.
I get up and storm out to Katie’s desk. I cross my arms over my chest. “Are you ready?”
She grabs her purse and follows me as I march to the door. “So much for sneaking,” she mumbles behind me.
“I’m sorry. I can’t wait anymore. I’m a mess and can’t focus. If I don’t do this, I’m going to go crazy.”
She grabs my arm and spins me around. “Calm down. It’ll be fine.” She gives me a warm smile.
I sigh. “I haven’t been able to think about anything else all morning. I’ve gotten nothing done today, and Higgins is waiting for an update on his event, and all I have are masks. At least if I know, I can stop guessing and make some decisions.”
“Well then, let’s do this.” She grabs my arm and pulls me the rest of the way to her car.
We get to the pharmacy and go straight to the aisle we need. There are so many tests to choose from I don’t even know where to begin. We start looking through them all and I pick the two brands that say earliest detection. I head to the cashier, pay a ridiculous amount of money for some sticks I’m about to pee on, and make my way back out to Katie who’s waiting at her car. She pulls away, but I notice she isn’t heading back toward the office. I look at her in panic. “Where are you going?”
“My place. Shane is out, and I’m not letting you take this test in the bathroom at work. You can do it there and then we’re going to talk,” she demands.
“About what?”
“Why you’re really afraid to tell Stone.” I stare out the window contemplating her words. What is it that I’m afraid of? I know Stone loves me and I have no doubt he’d make a great father, but I really wanted to be married before we went down this road.
We pull up to her house and hurry inside so we can get this over with. I go straight to the bathroom. Thankfully I have to pee, so we should know shortly if I am or not. Nothing is said between us as I open the package and quickly read the directions before taking the test.
A minute later she knocks on the door and asks, “Are you okay?”
I don’t answer but I open it to let her in. We both sit and wait for the results to appear.
“It can take a few minutes,” I say as we stare at the stick. Suddenly results appear and a tear escapes me. I’m pregnant with Stone’s baby.
“Don’t cry,” Katie hugs me. “It’ll be okay. I promise you. Stone is such a great guy and he loves you so much.”
“I know. I love him too. I know he’ll make a great father. I just…” my words trail off. “I don’t want him to think I did this on purpose.” I sigh.
“Oh sweetie, he won’t. He knows you better than that. I’m willing to bet some of this emotion you’re feeling are your hormones running wild on you, but now that you know, you need to tell him.” I sniffle and nod my head.
***
Stone
I wish I would hear from Miranda. She’s been silent all day. I’ve sent her a few texts and have heard nothing from her. I know she’s keeping something from me. I could tell by her behavior the last two days. She’s been quiet and she keeps telling me she feels fine, but she’s been eating next to nothing and I’m worried sick. I swear if I can’t get her to talk to me tonight I’m going to lose it.
I look at the clock. I’m so nervous. She should be home any minute now. I spent the last few hours making her favorite meal. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I made this for her when we first started dating, and it became one of her favorites. I’m hoping it will encourage her to eat something, and maybe she’ll talk to me. I’m putting the finishing touches on our meal when she comes walking through the door, although it’s more like she’s dragging herself through it. This isn’t a good sign. She looks sad and she’s slouched over. This is not my Miranda, my Miranda always has her head held high, with bright eyes and a beautiful smile on her face. She looks like someone stole her puppy. “Baby, what’s wrong?” I question, my voice laced with concern.
“Nothing, let’s eat,” she says, sounding so sad.
“Miranda, please, talk to me. I’ve been so worried about you, and now you come home looking so sad and lost. It’s killing me.” I practically beg her. A tear escapes her and it breaks me. I quickly wipe it away. “Baby, please. I promise you that no matter what it is, we’ll get through it.”
“I’m pregnant,” she says in barely a whisper.
“You’re what?” I question.
She sighs. “You heard me. I’m pregnant.” This time her eyes meet mine. A smile spreads across my face.
My hand instantly goes to her belly. “Are you sure?”
“I took a test today with Katie. I wanted to be sure before I told you. I’m sorry I worried you, but I was scared. I wasn’t sure how you were going to react. Our place is too small for a baby and we only just started planning our wedding.”
“Oh baby, I’m sorry you didn’t feel you could come to me. I’m ecstatic. I love you with all my heart, and there’s nothing in this world that would make me happier than to have a baby with you.”
A smile slowly creeps across her face. “Really? You’re not upset?” she questions.
“Why would I be upset? It’s not your fault, and this is something special.” I kneel down before her and press a kiss to her belly. “Is this why you’ve been so sick?” I question as my hands slip under her shirt and over her waist as I stand. She nods her head. “I wish you would have told me. I would have been more careful about what I was feeding you.” Using the back of my hand, I gently wipe away the remainder of her tears and then I wrap her in a hug and hold her close. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” she says with a chuckle. “I’m usually only sick in the morning, hence the term morning sickness.”
“Good, let’s eat. I made you a special dinner tonight,” I pull her toward the kitchen, because I’m starving as well.
We both make plates and take our seats. She begins to eat, but I can still see the cogs in her head are spinning as she takes this all in. I wish I knew how to make her feel better about this. “What are you thinking?” I try asking her.
She looks up with a grin. “I’m happy that you’re not mad, but I’m also thinking about all we need to do now to prepare. This apartment is too small for a baby. We’re supposed to be getting married in February, and I would still like that to happen so we’re married before the baby arrives.” She pauses.
“Baby, I agree. I want to be married too, and don’t worry about the apartment. Logan knows a great agent who I’m sure can help us find a place. I promise we’ll make it work, okay?”
“Okay, but I need to make an appointment with my doctor.” She’s starting to sound a bit more confide
nt now. We finish eating in silence, but at least now I feel like she’s not spinning from trying to take in the news and fear over what I think.
“Let me know when it is and I’ll go with you.”
She smiles. “Thanks, babe.”
Once the kitchen is cleaned up and her lunch is made for tomorrow, we snuggle up on the couch and discuss our future. She tells me she’d like a two bedroom apartment in an area that has decent schools. I had to laugh. Leave it to Miranda to worry about schools when the baby isn’t even here yet. I didn’t tell her this, but I hope to be in a house by the time our first is ready for school. Yes, I said our first, because I hope she will give me at least two more, but we’ll get through this one before I bring that up.
Chapter 16
Miranda
Stone and I are off to the doctor’s this morning to confirm my pregnancy after we enjoy breakfast at the diner up the street. I stopped by there yesterday to let them draw some blood and run the tests, now we are meeting with the doctor to confirm how far along I am and to go over all of the guidelines she would like me to follow. I’m quite nervous and I don’t know why…it’s not like she’s going to tell me something I don’t already know.
“Ready, baby?” Stone leans on the doorway in the bathroom where I’ve been fumbling with my hair.
I let out a sigh. “I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“You’ll be fine. Let’s grab breakfast so we’re not late.” He takes my hand and pulls me from the bathroom. I’m quiet the entire ride to the restaurant. I can’t get out of my own head, and I need to focus on deep breaths so I can control the nausea I’ve been battling. I’m trying to think about what I want to eat because I’m starving, but I know what’s going to happen. I’m going to eat, and by the time I get to the doctor’s office, I may be running to a bathroom.
Stone opens my door for me and we walk into the diner. He tells the hostess we need a table for two and she escorts us over. After she places two menus down and tells us the waitress will be right over, she disappears.