“No, I have them. Would you mind closing the car door, please?”
“No, of course not.”
I follow Mason into the house, closing the doors and locking up behind us. I help him unload all the groceries and I am in awe over all the fresh produce and organic foods he bought. Before I have a chance to say anything, Mason reaches into a bag and removes an item, then walks into the bedroom with it. Thinking it must be a personal hygiene item, I continue my quest to get everything put away.
When I am done, I grab a cranberry juice and head outside to the lanai. I know Mason is already in the shower. It’s the first thing he does when he gets home. I swear, if his office had a shower in it, he would shower there, before coming home. Mason is so afraid of bringing germs from the office into our home. He always showers before and after work, and sometimes he showers before bed. It’s no wonder he smells so good all the time.
He walks out into the lanai, carrying a beer. I kick out the seat across from me for him to sit down.
“Are you tired tonight, Miss Angel?” Mason laughs.
“I am, Mr. Myles. I worked hard today.”
“You did? Is it too much for you?” he asks, concerned.
“Mason, I sit on my butt and answer phones all day. Do you really think I work hard?” I ask.
“Well, I did, until you put it that way.”
We both laugh.
Mason reaches for my hand and kisses it.
“So, I take it you thought we needed some fresh fruits and vegetables in the house, huh?”
“I told you my baby likes fresh fruits and vegetables. I just wanted to make sure she has enough to eat.”
“How do you know it’s a she and how do you know it likes fruits and veggies? Maybe it likes Snickers and Pepsi?” I grin.
“Well, maybe it’s not a girl, I’ll give you that. But fruits and veggies are definitely good for mom and my baby — and me. We can all benefit from eating healthier.”
“You’re right about that, Mason.”
“Why, thank you.”
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about what I said last night.”
Mason turns his chair towards me to give me his undivided attention. “Ok, it sounds serious.”
I clear my throat and sit up a little straighter in my chair. “Last night, I said some pretty ugly things about this baby, that maybe I wouldn’t be able to love it.”
“Beauty?”
“No, please, let me finish. I need to say this.”
“All right,” Mason sits back in his chair, never taking his eyes off mine. “Go on.”
“Mason, last night I said some things that I didn’t mean. I said some things out of fear, and I never should have spoken those words.” I look at him so he can see I am serious. “I didn’t look at the whole picture, and I never should have thought those things. I’m sorry.” I lean forward in my chair. “I know I probably sounded like a monster, and that isn’t who or what I am. I just want you to know that.”
“May I talk, now?”
“Yes, please.”
Mason leans up and takes my hand in his. “Beauty, you don’t need to explain anything. The things you were feeling are normal for anyone who has been through what you have been through.” Mason touches my engagement ring and smiles. “I know you will be a great mother and will love this baby with every fiber in your being, because that is the person that you are.”
“Mason, how can you be so sure? You always have so much faith in me.”
“Angel, I know your heart and I know who you are. You have fears and that is normal. You have been through hell and back, but you came out stronger than ever.”
“God, your faith in me is astounding. I don’t deserve you.”
“No, Beauty, you don’t. You deserve so much more.”
Mason
Angel and I wait in the waiting room of her OB/GYN appointment. I made the appointment first thing in the morning so I wouldn’t have to miss a whole day of work. Angel, on the other hand, took the entire day off. She wasn’t sure how she would feel after the appointment.
Angel has been drinking water for the last forty-five minutes. She needs to have a full bladder when they do the ultrasound. I feel anxious, but I am more relaxed than Angel is. She is fidgeting with her nails and biting the inside of her cheek.
“Doesn’t that hurt?”
She looks up at me with a raised brow. “Does what hurt?”
I take her hand in mine. “Biting the inside of your cheek.”
“Oh, I guess not. I didn’t even realize I was doing that.”
“You do that when you’re anxious.”
“I’m not anxious,” she lies.
I look around the waiting room, which is full of expectant mothers and scared boyfriends and husbands. All the women are in various stages of pregnancy. A nurse calls a name, and a very pregnant woman waddles along with her husband through the door.
“That doesn’t make you anxious?” I ask, smiling.
“What, that woman who is about to deliver at any minute?”
“Yeah, her.”
“Yeah, it makes me a lot anxious. She’s going to push a human being out of an opening the size of a nostril. That scares me to death.”
I look at Angel and she is biting the inside of her cheek again.
“You’re going to draw blood, if you don’t stop, and it’s not the size of a nostril.” I lift her hand to my lips and kiss it.
“I’m sorry, I don’t even know I’m doing it, and it’s not much bigger than a nostril.”
“It stretches. You have nothing to be afraid of.” I intertwine our fingers and smile.
“I wish I could be as calm as you. Are you medicated or something?”
I laugh. “No medication. I just know there isn’t anything to be afraid of,” I lie.
I’m glad Angel doesn’t know how I really feel. I am scared right along with her.
“I have to pee.”
“Hopefully, it won’t be much longer.”
“Miss Perez,” a nurse calls from the open doorway.
Angel and I stand, and I reach for her hand while we walk towards the nurse. We are greeted warmly, and then they check her weight and give her a paper gown to put on. Angel sits on the bed fidgeting while I take the seat next to her.
“Do you want something to read while we wait?”
“No, I’m fine. I didn’t realize how anxious I would be today. It’s one appointment. I shouldn’t be worried.”
“You’re right, Angel. It’s one appointment, and there isn’t anything to worry about.”
“Do you ever get excited about anything?”
“Nope, I have nerves of steel.” I laugh.
“Nerves of steel, huh?”
Just then, the doctor comes into the room and introduces herself as Doctor Rosa Thomas. She talks to Angel about her family medical history, and asks me about mine. Before I give any health information about me, we inform the doctor that the baby is the result of a rape and the father’s health history is unknown. I inform her we would like to keep this between us and I will be listed as the baby’s father on all the paperwork.
I hold Angel’s hand and smile at her. I don’t want her to dwell on the past. This is my baby, and I dare anyone to say otherwise.
“I understand and I’m sorry. Go ahead and lie back. I want to listen to the baby’s heartbeat and measure your belly. I also want to get an ultrasound and see the baby’s organs and make sure they are functioning properly. It’ll be too soon to tell the gender of the baby, so don’t get your hopes up. Once we are done, I’ll be able to give you an estimated due date.”
Angel lies back and I stand next to her. My hands begin to feel sweaty, and my heart starts to beat a little faster. Nerves of steel, my ass, I’m a nervous wreck. I am grateful that Angel can’t tell.
“Are you all right?” Angel asks, sweetly.
I look down at her and she is looking at me, concerned. I look over at the doctor, who is also looking at me.
; “I’m fine, why?” Not sure why they are both staring at me.
“Because you look pale.”
I take a deep breath and smile before saying, “Beauty, I’m fine.” I stroke her cheek with my free hand and continue holding her hand with my other hand. Touching her always calms me.
The doctor dims the lights, and Angel and I both watch as the doctor gels Angel’s belly and moves the wand side to side. We hear a swishing sound first, and then a heartbeat. Angel squeezes my hand and I smile at her. The doctor moves the wand back and forth and then higher and lower.
“Let’s take a look,” the doctor says, as she turns on the monitor. The monitor comes to life and reveals a grainy image of a peanut shape. The swishing sound returns and is mixed with a very fast heartbeat. The doctor points out the heart, and tells us the peanut shape is the baby. I squeeze Angel’s hand and bend down to whisper in her ear.
“Our baby is beautiful.” Angel looks at me and she is crying.
I kiss her cheek — it is wet. I reach over and grab the box of tissues from the counter before handing a few to Angel.
“Thank you.”
I don’t say anything; I just watch the monitor. The fast heartbeat is mixed with more swishing sounds. I become a little more anxious, and I take some deep breaths to try to calm me.
“Is everything all right?” Angel asks, with a shaky voice.
“Everything’s fine and the baby looks healthy,” the doctor says.
Angel looks at me and I smile.
“That’s great news,” I say, never taking my eyes off the screen.
Doctor Thomas prints off a couple pictures before turning off the monitor. She turns the lights back on in the room and Angel quickly wipes away her tears. I know Angel’s mind is spinning like crazy. The doctors pulls something out from her pocket and turns the dials. She rechecks her chart and readjusts the dial again.
“This little pocket calculator tells me that you will be due on February 6th. That makes you about 11 weeks. We’ll see you in one month and then we’ll do another ultrasound.”
“I should start to show very soon?”
“Yes, Angel, you will. I recommend that my patients wait until after three months before announcing their pregnancy.
There is always a risk for miscarriage the first trimester. Before you ask, there isn’t anything you can do to prevent a miscarriage. Miscarriages are nature’s way of aborting unhealthy fetuses. Just take it easy, no heavy lifting, get plenty of rest when you can. It’s also too soon to know the sex of the baby. Around five months, we’ll have a better chance of finding out the sex. Do either of you have any questions?”
“Um, I have a question. Can we have sex or should we refrain from it? ”
“It is fine and very healthy for you and your baby if you want to continue a healthy sexual lifestyle. As long as you feel up to it, there isn’t any reason for you to stop having sex. Intimacy is very important in a relationship and just because you are pregnant is no reason to stop.”
“Ok, thank you. Mason, do you have any questions?”
“Is there anything that would alert us something is wrong?
“Well, yes, cramping and any vaginal bleeding would warrant a phone call to me and possibly a trip to the hospital.”
“Any other questions?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Angel says, looking at the doctor.
“Angel, go ahead and get dressed and I’ll gather some information for you both,” the doctor said. “Schedule another appointment with me in a month and if you have any questions, please call me. I’ll leave the information for you at the front desk along with my business card.”
“Ok, thank you,” Angle says as the doctor closes the door behind her.
I help Angel up; she stands behind the curtain to get dressed. I sit back down and run my hands through my hair. I think I’m taking it better than I thought. I have sworn off alcohol from now on. The night I first proposed to Angel and she told me she was pregnant, I totally screwed that up. I got drunk and left her to deal with everything. That will never happen again. I am glad that I swore off cussing — especially out loud — when Angel was in the hospital. I need to be a better person for my family.
“Mason?”
“Yeah, um, I’m sorry, yes?”
“I asked you if you are ready to go. Are you all right? You seem like you’re in deep thought.”
I smile and stand. “You look stunning.”
“Mmm, what got into you?”
“I’m just speaking the truth. Do you have everything?”
“The truth, huh? Let’s go, Handsome. My head is spinning in circles from our visit today. A baby.”
I hold the door open for Angel and place my hand in the small of her back, as she walks out into the hallway. “We sure got a lot of news in a short time.”
“You can say that again,” she laughs.
We check out and pick up the information at the front desk. I hold the car door open for Angel and wait for her to buckle up. I get in, start the car and sit there. I look over at Angel and smile.
“Well, I have to get to work. But when I get home tonight, we’ll have a lot to talk about.”
“Ok, I have some running around to do, but I’ll be back to get you at 5:00.”
I start the car and pull out into traffic. “If you finish early, you can hang out in the office until I get done, if you want.”
“I might just do that.”
“Come in through the back and the office will be unlocked.”
Chapter Ten: Oh, Baby (Destined to Love)
Angel
I drop Mason off at work and go to the library first. I don’t have a clue about babies. Before, I would crawl into my black hole and cry — that was the old me. The new me is going to fight and try to keep it together. I know Mason loves me and wants to be with me, but I also know that this is a lot for him. I need to be strong for me and for him. I get the books I think will be the most helpful and head to the checkout.
Next, I head to the pharmacy and get my prescription filled for the Prenatal Vitamins. I take one right away, with some water I have in Mason’s car. I go home and call Aunt Maria and Uncle Raùl. I don’t tell them anything about the pregnancy; I just want to talk to them.
I tell her I am gifting them the beach house and I hope that maybe, one day, they will move down here. She tries to talk me out of gifting it to them, but the beach house belonged to my Aunt Rosie, Uncle Raùl’s sister, so it should go back to them, and rightfully so.
I call Lilly next, to see if she, Bruce, and Madison could come to dinner tomorrow. I just want to be around family. I also call an attorney to set up a time with him to assist me with re-gifting the cottage.
On my way to Mason’s office, I stop by Babies R Us. I just want to see what’s in there. I walk in and I grab a cart. I walk up and down all the aisles and just look. The store is filled with everything, not just everything, but ten different kinds of the same thing in different sizes and colors. I stop by the baby clothing section and look at a preemie dress. All the clothing is so small. Can someone really fit in these? Now I understand why Brea was freaking out. I make a small purchase and head to the paint store. They have my samples all ready when I get there. I put the sample pallets for the Interior Design Business in the trunk of the car and head over to pick up Mason.
I text him to tell him I am on my way; I don’t want him to worry. When I pull up, Mason is locking up the office and waves goodbye to Carla and Cathy. He doesn’t get in the passenger seat — I didn’t think he would. He opens the driver’s side door and I smile.
“Get in, I’ll drive,” I say.
“Beauty has jokes. That was a one-time deal, and I won’t let that happen again.”
“I like driving you around,” I say, as I take his hand.
Mason keeps ahold of my hand and walks me to the passenger-side door and opens it for me.
“You won’t let what happen again?”
“I won’t get dru
nk and expect you to take care of me again.”
“I like taking care of you,” I say, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him.
Mason wraps his arm around me and lifts me up. “I love you,” he says, before he kisses me.
I kiss him back and then I tell him that I love him, too.
He smiles and lowers me to the ground. I probably shouldn’t keep doing that.
I laugh. “Soon, I’ll be too fat and you won’t be able to lift me,” I say, getting into the passenger seat.
Mason laughs and says, “Buckle up,” and closes my door.
I buckle up and he gets into the driver seat and fastens his own seat belt. He looks into the back seat. “Did you do some shopping today?”
“A little. I made some decisions today and went ahead and put them into action.”
“Really?” he asks, as he pulls out of the parking lot.
“I called your Mom and invited her, your Dad, and Madison to dinner tomorrow.”
“Good, I haven’t seen them much lately. Dinner will be nice.”
“I also called Aunt Maria today and I told her I was gifting them the beach house. I called and made an appointment with an attorney today to draw up the paperwork. I want to gift them the beach house as soon as possible.”
“You had a very productive day today.” Mason looks over at me and smiles. “My Dad may be able to help you with gifting the beach house.”
“Surprisingly, the news today didn’t send me back to the black depression I used to live in. I do believe I owe that to you.” I reach over and take his hand in mine.
“Beauty, I believe this is all you. You have always had inner strength; you just didn’t know it.”
“I don’t know about that, but thank you. Do you think your Dad would mind helping with the legal paperwork for the cottage?”
“No, I think he would love to help.”
We pull up into the garage at the beach house and Mason helps me out and then starts to reach for the items in the back seat.
“I’ll get these, if you’ll get the paint samples from the trunk,” I say, reaching into the back seat.
“Ok, what are you planning on painting?”
I grab the bags from the back seat and close the car door behind me. “Nothing. Well, not yet anyway. It’s for my Interior Designing Business. It’s time I get it up and running, don’t you think?”
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