by Roxie Rivera
“You were worried they would go after Margie?”
“Yes.”
“Next time, just call me. I can help you.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
“There will,” he said with a resigned sigh. “If you remember anything or if you hear from Calvin, contact me.” He handed me a business card from the back of his little notebook.
“I will.” I definitely would not.
“I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thanks.”
He hesitated at the curtain. “About last night? At your place?”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’re just trying to do your job.”
Eric nodded and left the exam room. Not even five seconds later, Ben finally appeared. He crossed the distance between us with quick, powerful strides and wrapped his arms around me. We had hugged and kissed earlier, but without the adrenaline and fear surging through me, I sagged against him. He smelled so good, and his body heat soothed my raw nerves. He kissed my cheek and my neck and then my mouth, his lips lingering on mine while his fingers combed through my hair.
Foreheads pressed together, we stared into each other’s eyes. This wasn’t the way I wanted to tell him, but there was no reason to wait. He needed to know.
“Ben,” I said, pulling back so I could see him better, “I’m pregnant.”
He smiled lovingly and brushed his thumbs over my cheeks. “I know.”
“What? How?”
“They found two pregnancy tests in your bags at Target. I was sure they weren’t Marley’s.”
“No, they were for me.” I swallowed anxiously. “Are you…? I mean… How do you feel about it?”
“How do you feel about it?”
Frowning, I insisted, “I asked first.”
“Fine.” He huffed out a little laugh. “I feel excited and happy and scared and worried. It’s a lot to take in, you know?”
“I know,” I assured him. “I know. I feel the same way. Just a jumble of emotions.”
“Good or bad?”
“Mostly good,” I said, feeling shy as I added, “and I really want to keep the baby.”
“So do I,” he said, his whole body visibly relaxing. “I don’t want to pressure you, and if you change your mind—”
“I’m not changing my mind,” I interrupted with certainty. “I want our baby.”
This time, Ben kissed me so tenderly it brought tears to my eyes. Ever so gently, he placed his hand on my stomach. “We made a baby.”
“We did.” I covered his hand with my own and kissed him. “We’re going to be parents.”
“I don’t know the first thing about being a dad.”
“I don’t know the first thing about being a mom,” I replied, thinking of how my mother had failed me. “We’ll figure it out, Ben.”
He nodded, but didn’t get a chance to answer as the obstetrician finally arrived. She introduced herself before pulling on a pair of gloves. My nurse came back with a portable ultrasound machine and pulled the stirrups into place. I glanced at Ben who had suddenly turned his attention to the ceiling, and I couldn’t help but smile at his discomfort. Who would have thought he would be embarrassed by a pair of stirrups?
Once the doctor had the uncomfortable probe inserted, Ben finally lowered his gaze, first to my face and then to the ultrasound screen. I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to see in the fuzzy black and white image. Thankfully, the doctor pointed out my cervix and uterus to help us understand what we were looking at in that moment.
“And here it is,” she said with a bright smile. “Your baby.”
Ben interlaced our fingers and squeezed tight. I glanced at his face, but he was entranced by the image on the screen. He looked stunned and scared but then his mouth curved with happiness. He grinned down at me and mouthed, “I love you.”
Eyes stinging with tears, I watched the little white peanut floating in its black bubble. It was surreal to think that our baby was growing inside me. The fast blips of its heartbeat reassured me that all was well. Rendered almost speechless by the sight of our baby, I could barely muster any response to the doctor’s questions.
When the doctor and nurse left, Ben and I stared at the printed strip of ultrasound pictures. He traced the tiny baby and said, “Can you believe we made this?”
“We’re pretty good at this baby making thing,” I teased. “We didn’t even have to try.”
Ben laughed and kissed me. Ignoring the buzz of the emergency room, we shared our sweet moment, just the two of us dazzled by the possibilities of our future. It was a moment I never wanted to end.
Chapter Seventeen
Six Weeks Later
“Are you sure you have everything? Passport? Credit cards? Cash? Backup cash? Phone? The right SIM card? The different battery charger?”
“Yes, Mother!” Marley answered with a sarcastic laugh as she grabbed her seatbelt and fastened it. “I checked and rechecked my list. I’m ready.”
“Okay.” I glanced at my mirrors before pulling away from her house. “Did you want to stop by your mom’s place?”
“No.” Her tone communicated that she was absolutely done with her mom’s bullshit.
Not wanting to upset her by asking what her mom had done this time, I simply nodded. “Spider?”
“I saw him last night.”
“Has he calmed down about your trip? Or is he still going bananas trying to convince you to stay?”
“He was the one who told me I needed to get out of Houston,” she replied bitterly. “If he wants me gone, I’m going far away.”
“Not for good,” I interjected selfishly. “Right?”
“No, just to clear my head,” she said. “I promise I will be back in time to plan and host your baby shower.”
“You better! I can’t have this baby without Aunt Marley right next to me.”
“You’ll have plenty of support with Grandma Nina and Grandpa Pedro,” she insisted. “You know, once they let go of their vendetta against Ben for knocking you up.”
“Oh, don’t remind me,” I grumbled, thinking of the absolute shit show in our kitchen when I told them. Not even Ben’s expert handling of the broken lawn mower had soothed Pedro’s ire. Nina has been on the verge of a breakdown as she cried about disappointing my dad by letting me run wild.
“When are they coming back to town?”
“Next week.” Smiling at Marley as we slowed to a stop for a red light, I added, “Nina sent me pics of some onesies she picked up in Maui. They’re adorable.”
“I guess she’s forgiven you.”
“Hopefully.”
“They love you,” Marley said gently. “They only want what’s best for you.”
“I know.” After the initial hysterics, we had sat down and discussed things like adults. Pedro had been relieved that I wanted to sell the house and downsize. Nina had been surprisingly enthusiastic about my decision and revealed she had been dreaming about finally traveling to all the places on her bucket list. They weren’t thrilled that I was going to be an unwed mother or that my relationship with Ben was still so new, but they had wished us the best. It was all I could hope for at the time. Eventually, they would come around.
My phone buzzed in the cup holder between us. “Can you check that?”
“Sure.” She picked it up and read the screen. “Ben wants to know what MAWICL means?”
“Master Walk-In Closet,” I explained, shaking my head. “He was standing right next to me when we labeled those boxes.”
“You were probably bending over and showing him your ass or those ginormous pregnancy tatas,” she reasoned as she answered the text. “He was using the wrong head.”
I snickered. “Probably.”
“Has that gotten any better? The whole afraid to touch you thing?”
“Much better,” I said, blushing at the memory of tying him down again and having my way with him. “He’s finally accepted that he can’t break me or hurt the b
aby.”
“Good.”
“Very good.”
My phone buzzed again, and Marley snorted before reading it aloud. “Are you texting and driving?”
I rolled my eyes. “Are there, like, twenty exclamation marks?”
“Yep.” She tapped at the screen. “I told him it’s me.” A few seconds later she said, “Aww,” she said. “Look, he’s already acting like a father!”
“Is he giving you the stranger danger talk?”
“Yep.” She put my phone back in the cup holder. “He’s going to be a good dad.”
“Definitely,” I agreed. My gaze drifted to one of the billboards along the interstate. It was matte black with a big, ripe peach grasped in a man’s hand. The glistening flesh and dripping juice communicated exactly what they were supposed to: sex.
“Well, that’s an attention getter,” Marley remarked, her gaze glued to the risqué billboard. “Peaches? That’s what they decided to call the new club?”
“It’s less gross than Wet,” I replied, wrinkling my nose at the name of one of Besian’s other clubs.
“Almost classy,” she said with a giggle.
“Almost.” As I took the exit for the airport, I decided it was now or never. Carefully, I asked, “Have you heard from him at all?”
“No,” she said softly, sadly. “When he didn’t visit me in the hospital, I knew.” Her gaze drifted to the window. “I thought maybe he would come see me at my last shift at the pawn shop, but…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not as if we ever actually dated.” She trailed her finger over the dash. “It wasn’t ever real. It was just a whisper of something that might have been.”
I smiled at her description. “You should write while you’re on your trip. You have such a beautiful way with words, Marley.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Following the signs to Terminal D, I asked, “Are you sure you feel up to this?”
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “They zapped my heart. I’m taking my meds. I’m good.”
Not long after she had been admitted, the cardiac team had diagnosed her with a heart defect. Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. She’d been born with extra electrical pathways. The cardiac team had decided a catheter ablation was the best option for treating the problem. So far, she seemed better, and I had to trust that she was telling the truth about being healthy enough to explore Europe on her own.
Slowing to a stop in the unloading lane, I put my Jeep in park and hit the hazards. I flipped down the visor and retrieved the airplane ticket I had stored there. Handing it over, I said, “Happy early birthday.”
She frowned. “What’s this?”
“Your ticket to London.”
“But, Spider said—”
“I convinced him to let me buy your plane tickets.”
“Aston!” she gasped after opening the ticket sleeve. “You are not serious!”
“Like I’m letting my best friend fly to London in coach?”
“First class? British Airways! It’s too much.”
“It’s not. You deserve it.”
With happy tears in her eyes, she reached across the console and hugged me. “I’m going to miss the hell out of you.”
“Promise me you’ll call or FaceTime me every day.”
“I will.” Reluctantly, she pulled back. “I better go.”
“You want me to help you with your suitcase?”
She shook her head. “I got it.”
I felt like a mother bird watching her baby bird jump from the nest as Marley gathered up her backpack and suitcase. She smiled as she closed the door and waved from the sidewalk. I waited until a porter grabbed her bag to turn off my hazards and ease into the traffic flowing through the departures terminal. I had to remind myself not to take my usual exit at the airport. Our new house was easier to reach if I used the Hardy toll road.
Our new house.
The thought thrilled me. We had closed on our new place last week and were moving in today. The freshly renovated house in the Heights wasn’t anything like we had envisioned as our first home together. After touring a dozen model homes and a handful of luxury apartments, we hadn’t found a single place we both liked.
Then, Ben had called one morning and asked to pick me up for lunch. He had surprised me with a side trip to see an older house that had come onto the market that morning. We hadn’t considered the Heights during our initial searches, and the house was older and bigger than we had wanted. I was skeptical until the house came into view.
It looked like the set of a Hallmark movie with its wraparound porch, gated yard and carriage house. Even though the exterior was love at first sight, I was worried the interior would disappoint. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The home had been beautifully renovated. Walking through each room, I had no problem imagining our little family living there.
Our offer was submitted and accepted that same day. Tonight would be our first in the new house. Knowing Ben had been handling the movers while I spent time with Marley, I made a detour to Phan’s.
They had been open almost two weeks in their new and slightly larger location. The line of diehard pho fans was out the door when I arrived. Certain it was worth the wait, I joined the queue and swiped my phone screen.
For a Friday, my work inbox seemed almost empty. There was a reminder from Oliver’s PA about a meeting on Monday afternoon and another from the building supervisor about the resurfacing of the parking lot. My gaze flicked down to the message from Margie, and I hesitated before opening it.
The message was nothing more than a lighthearted selfie of Margie and Elliot taken on the London Eye. She looked happy in it, more relaxed and well-rested. Elliot’s chubby little face was just as bright and adorable as ever.
I hadn’t gone to Gary’s funeral. I hadn’t wanted to be a distraction or cause unnecessary gossip or drama. I waited almost a week before asking if I could visit her. She had graciously invited me over for coffee. I hadn’t stayed long, and the visit was awkward. She seemed to hint that she knew I had paid the ransom, but I didn’t want or need to be thanked.
After the nightmare she had survived, Margie had decided she wanted a fresh start. Jed still wanted to let her go, but I had squared up with him over it and made the case to Oliver that the firm had invested more than a decade with her. She was an asset. We had to keep her. In the end, Oliver had offered her a promotion and position at the London headquarters of StrateCore. Her mother had moved with her, and it seemed they weren’t likely to come back.
As I neared the front of the line, my phone buzzed with a new text message. I recognized the number and grimaced. Teddy Leung.
Ever since we’d met to exchange the crypto, he had been sending flirtatious messages. Ben wasn’t amused by them, but I had explained this was just alpha male bullshit. Teddy wanted to agitate him. He had promised me that he wouldn’t let it bother him, and I had promised that I would share the messages with him for full transparency. I had considered blocking Teddy’s number, but Ben had been sure Teddy would find another way to bother me. Text messages I could handle.
Leaving the message on read, I dropped my phone in my handbag and pulled out my wallet. I ordered Ben’s favorite for both of us and moved down the busy line to pay. Dinner in hand, I left the restaurant and strolled back to my Jeep.
When I slid behind the wheel, I was reminded of the cargo I now carried. Almost fourteen weeks now, I couldn’t hide my condition. The swell of my stomach was more prominent, and my preferred styles did little to camouflage it. Not that I wanted to hide it. Once I had reached the end of my first trimester, I felt comfortable enough to let everyone know.
“Ben? I’m home!” I called out as I walked into our kitchen. “I stopped at Phan’s.”
When he didn’t answer, I toed off my shoes, left dinner on the counter and set off to find him. In the living room, I was taken aback by a giant flower arrangement and two bottles adorned with bright
pink bows. Curious, I checked the card and smiled.
Congratulations on the new house! Here’s a bottle for now and another for later! Love, Alina
I looked at the labels. One was non-alcoholic champagne and the other a very expensive bottle of Louis Roederer. Touched by her considerate housewarming gifts, I carried them both back to the kitchen. The non-alcoholic bottle I stowed in the freezer to enjoy after dinner.
“Ben?” I called out again as I headed upstairs.
“I’m in the nursery.”
My heart did a funny little flip. Ben had picked out the room next to ours for the nursery. He had already been sketching plans to open the wall between the two with French doors to make it easier to get to the baby at night.
When I walked into the nursery, I found Ben taping paint swatches to the walls. The colors varied from soft pastels in shades of pink and blue and yellow to deeper, richer hues of green and gray.
“Hey,” he greeted with a smile. “Marley make it to her flight on time?”
“She did.”
“Come here.” He held out his hand, and I grasped it, letting him draw me into his embrace. He kissed me, the touch of his lips tender but promising more heat later. When he drew back, he asked, “What do you think?”
Snuggling in close to him, I studied the colors he had chosen. “I expected to prefer the pastels, but I think I actually like the darker colors better.”
“Same,” he agreed. “I looked on Pinterest—”
“You looked on Pinterest,” I interrupted, shocked. “You?”
“Be nice.” He pinched my butt, and I squealed and swatted away his hand. “I asked Marley where to find nursery ideas. She told me to download the app, and we started sharing a board.”
“You sneaks!”
He laughed and patted my bottom. “You can have the link to our board.”
“If?” I sensed there was some quid pro quo to the offer.
“We can negotiate later.”
“Uh-huh.” I moved out of his arms and walked over to the stack of old, dusty boxes in the corner. “What are these?”
“Alina brought them with the flowers and champagne.” Ben followed me and placed a reverent hand on the top box. “They were my mom’s. Or, I guess, they’re mine. My baby stuff and toys. Alina thought I would want them.”