by Blair Grey
The rest of my life was back to normal too. My nightmares had stopped not too long after I had started sleeping with Landon again. I didn’t know if that was because I was usually so exhausted by the time we finally went to sleep that I was out before my head hit the pillow. Or maybe it was just that I felt so unbelievably safe around him.
Maybe not so unbelievable. The guy had taken a bullet for me after all. If I could trust anyone to protect me with their life, it was him.
“How was Lina, by the way?” Landon asked suddenly. “Sorry, I meant to ask yesterday when you got home from your dinner with her, but I was distracted by that dress of yours.”
I grinned, remembering the previous night. The sex was always good between us, but last night had been one of those particularly good nights.
“Lina’s doing good. Really good,” I told him. “She’s lost twenty pounds; can you believe it? Still going to the gym all the time too. I don’t know where she finds the motivation. Or the energy! They have her working so many hours at the daycare at the moment, and I can’t imagine coming home from that and deciding to go work out in my free time. I’d become such a couch potato if I had her job.”
“Is she still dating that guy from the gym?” Landon asked. “What was his name again?”
“Charlie,” I said. “And yeah, she really thinks he might be the one. She’s got this feeling like now that she’s lost all this weight, she should play the field a little and not tie herself down. But I think if Charlie asked her to move in with him, she’d be on that in a heartbeat. As it is, they’re just having fun for the moment.”
I paused, wrinkling my nose. “Actually, she came into work the other day, and Donald was all over her. I mean, he used to think that she was pretty, but I thought it was just that he hit on everything with two legs and a vagina. But now I’m starting to think he might actually have a crush on her.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Landon asked.
“Not exactly, I guess,” I said, frowning. “It means he’s no longer hitting on all the customers who come through, and that’s probably a good thing.”
“And he’s not still hitting on you, is he?” Landon asked, a menacing tone to his voice.
I laughed. “He hasn’t hit on me since the first time he laid eyes on you,” I assured him. “What was that, three months ago now?”
“Yeah, about three months ago now,” Landon mused. “Or maybe four? I can’t remember anymore. It feels like I’ve known you for a lifetime.”
I grinned at him, but I didn’t miss his introspective expression. I blurted out the question that had been bothering me for a while now. “Do you still miss New Mexico?”
Landon looked shocked that I even asked, and I felt my heart sink. Of course he still missed New Mexico. What a stupid thing for me to ask him. I looked away from him, hoping that I wouldn’t start crying. I’d been feeling emotional lately, and even though I knew there was a cause for it, that didn’t make it feel any better.
“Hey,” Landon said, coming around the table toward my seat. He dropped down to one knee on the linoleum, holding both of my hands in his. “There are things that I miss about New Mexico. The food, and my family. The weather. This humidity is killing me. But Anne, you’re my world now. The only thing that I need in my life. Wherever you are, if I’m there next to you, I’m the happiest man alive. I thought you knew that.”
“You really mean that?” I asked, hardly daring to breathe as I waited for his response.
“I really mean that,” Landon said gravelly, nodding his head. He paused. “Even if you wanted to move to Antarctica. I’d probably have to spend my life’s savings on clothing just so I could stay even remotely warm, and I’m sure that would have an impact on our ability to make love at the drop of a hat. And I’d miss seeing your legs when you wear your dresses and skirts. But if you wanted to pick up and move to Antarctica, I’d be the happiest man alive if you were willing to have me by your side.”
I was giggling by this point. I ran my fingers through his hair. “I can just picture you in one of those fur hats,” I said.
“Or if you wanted to move me to some country where I couldn’t speak the language and didn’t know what any of the food was. If you wanted to live on the streets in a box. Wherever you want to be, if I’m there with you, I’ll be happy,” Landon promised. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I told him, smiling.
“Where’s all of this coming from anyway?” Landon asked. “You’re not still worried that I’m going to leave, are you? Did Braxton call and say something to you?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s just, I’ve been worried that…” I trailed off, still not sure if I was ready to tell him. Maybe I should wait a little while longer. I just didn’t know how he would react.
On the other hand, he was going to start to connect the dots soon enough. He would start to wonder why I wasn’t drinking anymore, why I was insisting on eating such healthy meals, why I couldn’t walk past an aisle of baby clothes in the store without cooing over how cute the itty-bitty shoes were. And my belly was going to start to show soon enough. Better that I tell him now so that he could help me through the process. And so that he wouldn’t be upset when he found out that I hadn’t told him, and that I’d been keeping something from him.
Wasn’t that what had started our problems in the first place, a lack of communication?
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to steel my nerves and prepare myself.
“What’s going on?” Landon asked, and he actually sounded worried.
I reached around behind me for the package that I’d stacked on the buffet nearly a week ago now. It was still taped shut, and I knew that even if he had been curious about it, if he’d noticed it sitting there, Landon hadn’t opened it. He trusted me. Now it was time for me to show him how much I trusted him.
“Go on, open it,” I said, handing the box over to Landon.
He kept his eyes on me as he undid the tape on either end. Then, he lifted the lid off, revealing the tiniest of motorcycle jackets. “What, did it shrink in the wash?” he teased as he held the thing up. “Or is this one of those things like you ordered it off the internet but didn’t read through all the details, so when it came, you were shocked to see that it would fit a hand puppet better than you?”
I chuckled, even though I’d sort of been hoping that he would understand without having to actually say the words. “It’s not for me. Or for you,” I told him. I put my hand meaningfully on my stomach. “It’s for our it.”
Landon’s eyes widened. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked. “Are you pregnant?”
I nodded, wishing that he would give me more of a clue as to whether that was something he was on board with. Instead, he just stared at me for a long moment, his mouth wide open in shock.
Then, he grabbed me in his arms, lifting me up and spinning me around. “Easy,” I said, feeling my breakfast slosh around in my stomach. I hadn’t had much morning sickness to deal with, at least not yet, but I didn’t want to chance it.
Landon hurriedly put me back on my feet. “Sorry,” he said immediately. “I’m just so excited. You’re having a baby!”
“We’re having a baby,” I corrected, grinning at him.
“Do you know when? How pregnant are you? Are you certain?” He frowned. “We’ll need to start doing our research, right? Babyproofing the place and going to birthing classes and all of that. Does Lina know?”
I laughed at all the questions, trying to answer them in order. “I’m not sure exactly how pregnant I am yet, but I’m sure that I’m pregnant. I missed my period a while ago, and I took a few tests. They were all positive. You’re the first person I’ve told, though. And I have an appointment for an ultrasound early next week that I was hoping maybe you could come with me for?”
“Of course,” Landon said.
“I’ve already done a little research, but I think we could research for the whole nine months
and I might still feel like I’m not ready,” I admitted. “There’s just so much that I never would have thought of.”
“But we’ll get through it together, honey,” Landon said confidently. “I’ll be here for you every step of the way.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” I said, smiling at him.
Landon frowned. “Does this mean you have to stop riding motorcycles?” he asked. “At least until the baby is born? And are you going to be one of those wives who makes me sell my bike and get a Suburban now that we’re starting our family?”
I laughed, just trying to picture Landon driving a minivan around town. “Nah, your bike is safe,” I told him. “And I should be fine to ride for now. Obviously, I won’t be able to once I get bigger, but I’m not even showing yet. Besides, I don’t ride very fast; you know that.”
“Still. I want to make sure we’re looking out for our little ‘it,’” Landon said seriously. “No unnecessary risks.” Suddenly, his eyes widened. “That’s why you’ve quit drinking beer with me!” he said. “And why you’ve started being such a health-food nut.” He shook his head. “I was starting to worry that I was going to wake up one morning in twenty years and find out that you were a completely different person than the one I fell in love with. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I was just worried that I might not be able to keep up.”
I leaned up on my toes to kiss him. “You’re staying right by my side, remember?” I said. “You don’t have to worry about keeping up with me; I’ll wait for you. I love you.”
“Good,” Landon said firmly. He smiled down at me. “A baby,” he said, shaking his head. He bent down to kiss me again. “I love you too. Both of you.” He frowned. “Or all of you, if it ends up being twins. I hear that gene runs in the family. Do you think we’re ready for twins?”
I groaned. “Don’t jinx us already,” I told him. “I don’t know if I’m capable of carrying two little babies in my belly, let alone raising them!”
“I’ll be right there with you the whole way,” Landon reminded me. He paused and winked at me. “But yeah, let’s keep hoping there’s only one little ‘it’ in there for now. We can go for twins with the next batch.”
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Copyright © 2018 by Blair Grey
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