“Have you decided on where you are going to set up your office?”
I follow him into the house. “I thought I would take your advice and work from home. I like it here and it’s very motivating.”
Mason closes the doors and locks up behind us. “I think that is a wonderful idea. I also think I give wonderful advice. Do you want to dine out for dinner tonight?”
“Sure, that sounds great.”
“Ok, let me shower first, then I’ll be ready.”
Mason and I go out for pizza and salads for dinner. We talk about the news we received today at the doctor’s office and about planning our wedding. He asks if I want to move the date up for the wedding, and I don’t. I still don’t want to interfere with Brea and Vincent’s wedding. I ask him if the news we received today has changed any feelings he has, and it hasn’t. He still feels this baby is his and he will love it, no matter what. I believe him; I have no reason not to. That eases a lot of stress from me. I would understand if it is too much for him. We did the pregnancy test, but I think we were still hoping it was wrong.
When we get home, we walk through the spare bedrooms and decide which will make the best room for my office. We don’t talk about the baby’s room or a nursery or anything pertaining to children.
I have already spoken to Sara and Brea about leaving and told them that my last day will be Friday. It is bittersweet. I love them and love working for them, but this will be the ideal move for me, Mason, and our family. It’s time I put my college degree to use.
The next day we clean the house and go to the grocery store. Mason’s Mom, Dad, and sister are coming to dinner. I want everything to be perfect. We stop and get some fresh-cut flowers for the table before heading home.
I was going to cook, but Mason thought it would be too much, so he is going to have steaks on the grill. While the steaks marinate, we make potato salad, baked beans, and fruit salad. Mason is wearing his signature white linen shirt and a pair of plaid shorts. His hair is curly and unruly, and he smells of spice and sandalwood. The music is on the surround sound, and he is singing to every song that comes on. I love seeing him so carefree and happy.
I shower and dress in a white sundress to match Mason’s white shirt. He sees me and walks over to me and lifts me up so we are eye to eye.
He smiles and says, “You look beautiful.”
I wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you, you look pretty handsome yourself.”
The doorbell rings and Mason walks to the door still carrying me. I giggle, wrap my legs around his waist, and hold on so I won’t fall. He opens the door wide for his family to enter, without putting me down and I laugh.
“Hi, come on in,” I say, still laughing.
Mason slowly lowers me, and his Mom and Dad kiss and hug me before kissing and hugging Mason. Madison hugs me then Mason. I close the door and everyone gathers outside near the bar. Bruce pours Mason and himself a Scotch and pours champagne for Madison, Lilly, and me. I look over at Mason and notice that he is watching me. I don’t say anything; I just take the champagne and smile. I have a bottle of water and I continue to drink it. Mason hasn’t drunk any alcohol since my birthday. I wonder if he’ll drink the Scotch.
He puts the steaks on the grill and walks over to me. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t know what to say when Bruce handed me the champagne.”
“It must have been a little awkward.”
“It’s fine, I just told them the heat was getting to me so I was going to stick to my water.”
“Good thinking.”
I kiss Mason before he returns to the grill to remove the steaks. Madison, Lilly, and I place all the food out on the large round outside table. Mason and I sit side by side, then Lilly, Bruce, and Madison seat themselves around the table. As always, the conversation flows easily as we talk about our recent engagement.
“Angel, I would love to throw you and Mason an engagement party and have some of our family and friends and Bruce’s and Mason’s colleagues come,” Lilly says, with a gleam in her eyes.
“Lilly, that is very thoughtful and sweet of you, but Mason and I would rather not.”
“Mom, Angel and I just want to keep this small, between our families,” Mason says while squeezing my hand.
“I understand, but may I post the engagement in the newspaper? Something announcing the engagement with a photo of you both?” Lilly sits up straighter from across from the table and smiles. “Mason, I’m your mother and you’ll get married only once. Please let me do to this for you, for you both.”
Mason promises to provide his mother with a picture of us before they leave tonight. We ask her and Bruce about having the wedding in their backyard on New Year’s Eve. They are excited about us getting married there and readily agree to open their home to us and our friends for the wedding. Lilly starts to cry and Bruce comforts her. Mason squeezes my hand under the table. Mason and I inform his mother that we want a small intimate wedding. She readily agrees.
Mason and Bruce clear the table, while Lilly, Madison, and I get the coffee and dessert ready. We sit at the table and talk about me quitting my job and starting my own business. We also talk about Mason selling his condo fully furnished and that he needs to go over tomorrow to clear out his personal belongings. Madison announces that she thinks the condo will sell quickly. She says that she often gets request for condos in that building and because it is the penthouse with the view it has, it will bring in several different buyers.
“Mason, I’ll meet you at the condo tomorrow and we can get most of your personal items in a few trips,” Bruce says.
“Can you go to the cottage and get my white desk and a few other items from there?”
“Oh, you’re getting rid of the cottage?” Lilly asks.
“Well no, I’m gifting it to my aunt and uncle. It originally belonged to my Aunt Rosie, Raùl’s sister. I am meeting with an attorney next week to help draw up the paperwork.”
“Angel, save your money. I can assist you with that,” Bruce offers.
“Thank you, I’ll call and cancel my appointment on Monday. ”
Mason tells his Mom and Dad that we would like to go to church with them Sunday. His mother is so excited and tells us Mason hasn’t been to church in months. She tells us to be there at 11:00 a.m. sharp. After everyone leaves, Mason jumps in the shower and I pull out the items I bought from Babies R Us yesterday. I hold the small booties in my hand and smile. They are so tiny. I bought a pink pair and a blue pair. I tuck them away in my dresser and then take a quick shower.
Mason
I get out of the shower and walk into the bedroom, expecting to see Angel. I hear water in the bathroom so I know she is in the shower. I don’t want to run into her wearing a towel or less. I dress quickly and head out to the lanai to make sure everything is cleaned up
The news we got at the doctor’s yesterday was good news. The fetus is healthy as far as can be determined. Anything that is a part of Angel, I swear, I will love as much as I love her. She is amazing and beautiful. She doesn’t have a clue how her beauty affects people. They stop what they are doing just to watch her. She has inner beauty to match her outer beauty, as well. She would give up her lunch to feed someone in need. I once saw her give a homeless man a sack lunch she had made for herself to eat. We watched him give half of the lunch to another homeless man.
Angel’s inner strength is starting to show. I knew she had it; I just haven’t seen it until now. She is coming to terms with being pregnant. I was afraid she would become depressed and shut herself out from the world and from me, but she didn’t. It must still be hard on her to have a reminder of that night with Jim. I am so proud of her. I noticed she got some pregnancy books from the library, but hasn’t opened them yet.
Angel walks out on the lanai wearing the white linen shirt I had on earlier. I look over at her and smile.
“Nice shirt.”
She smiles, “It smells like you. I hope you
don’t mind my wearing it.”
“What’s mine is yours. If you promise to wear them all the time, I’ll buy a dozen of them for you.”
She walks over to me and reaches up to kiss me. “I love you.”
“I love you, more,” I say, kissing her back. “Do you want to take a walk on the beach?”
“Sure, I’ll have to go change first.”
“Come on, it’s dark. There won’t be anyone out here.” I take her hand and we walk down to the beach. It’s a full moon and the stars are out. The breeze blows Angel’s hair away from her face and she looks stunning. Her long dark curly hair against my white shirt on her flawless body is gorgeous. She is so beautiful.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, looking at me with a smile on her lips.
“I was thinking about how beautiful you look.”
“Mason, I swear, you need glasses.”
“You are always beautiful and you never know it. You have no idea how many people just stop and stare at you when you enter a room.”
“Mason, that’s not true and stop trying to embarrass me.”
“See what I mean?”
Angel and I walk a short distance down the beach in silence and I notice her shiver.
“Come on, Beauty, let’s head home.” I take her hand and lead us in the direction of our beach house. “What are your plans tomorrow when Dad and I go to the condo?”
“I thought I would go to the cottage and pack up some of my things. I meet with your Dad next week to gift the cottage to Uncle Raùl and Aunt Maria.”
I look over at her as she intertwines our fingers.
She says, “When my Aunt Rosie gave me the cottage, it was fully furnished. A few things in there belonged to my Mom, so I want those things. I also want the china cabinet with the serving dishes in it. I’ll need to call Aunt Maria to make sure it’s all right. That is, if you don’t care? The furniture there won’t really go well with your furniture.”
“I’m sure they would want you to have whatever you want out of there. Don’t worry about it matching or not. If you want it, we’ll make it work. ”
“I bet you didn’t realize how little I was bringing into our relationship?”
“All I want is you; nothing else matters. What is mine is yours.”
We walk the sandy path leading to the beach house, and I watch her walk up the stairs to the lanai. I want to look away, but I can’t. My white shirt only goes mid-thigh and reveals her long tan legs. I can see the outline of her naked breast beneath the shirt. I adjust myself and walk up the stairs and lock the door behind us. I go right to the kitchen so Angel can’t see the effect she has on me. The stronger and more independent she becomes, the more I want her. She was so broken when I met her. I just wanted to wait for her to heal and become the woman I knew was hiding beneath her tortured soul. Now that she is right where I knew she could be, I just want to make love to her and show her what it feels like to be loved. I don’t think I have ever made real love to a woman before, but when it comes to Angel, I don’t think it will be tough to figure it out. I used to crave it hard and fast, but with Angel I’m going to want it to last.
“Mason, what is wrong with you tonight? You are in such deep thought.”
I look up from behind the refrigerator door that I am hiding behind and smile. “Nothing, I was getting us a water. That’s all.”
“No, you have been standing there for five minutes, looking at the picture of us on the refrigerator.”
“I like that picture of us and I didn’t realize you were timing me.” I smile, close the refrigerator door, and open a bottle of water for her.
“Mmm, mmm. Come on, Handsome, let’s go to bed. We have church in the morning.”
I wake up to Angel crying. She is in bed and the lights are off. I blink a few times, trying to decide if she is having a nightmare, or if she is awake. Angel hasn’t had a nightmare in a while. Lying near the edge of the bed, she cries softly. Angel usually sleeps right next to me or in the crook of my arm. Too much space is between us.
I scoot over to her and place my hand on her shoulder, “Angel,” I say softly.
She continues to cry. I stroke her arm softly, again. “Angel, what’s wrong?” Still no answer.
I think she may be asleep. I get out of bed and walk over to her side. She is lying in a fetal position on the bed and crying into the sheet. I kneel down beside her so I am eye to eye with her. I don’t want to be towering over her when she wakes up; she still startles easily. I stroke my hand lightly along her cheek. She wakes up and looks at me. She doesn’t startle like I thought she would. She blinks a few times.
“Are you all right, Angel?”
“It’s my stomach.”
“Your belly hurts?”
“It’s cramping.”
“Do you know for how long it’s been hurting?”
“No.”
“Have you been to the restroom?”
“No, I’m scared.”
“Come on, Beauty, we need to see if you’re bleeding. I’ll help you.” I pull the sheet back and help her up. She stands on shaky legs before walking into the bathroom. I wait by the door for her to come out. When she finally opens the door and walks out, she says, “No blood.”
She takes my arm and walking with me to the bed.
I pull the covers back for her to get in. Do you know where your doctor’s business card is?”
“No, but I have her number programed in my phone.”
“Good girl.” I walk over and get my medical bag from the closet and take her vital signs and check her pain level again. She says the cramping is better, but I’m not sure I believe her. Her blood pressure is elevated, indicating pain.
“Stay right here and lie on your side. I’m going to call the doctor.”
Angel does exactly as I say, and I walk into the other room to make the call. I don’t want to alarm her if I don’t have to.
Once the conversation is over with her doctor, I take a bottle of water and some Tylenol into the bedroom with me for Angel. She is fast asleep. The doctor said for Angel to lie on her side and drink plenty of water and to take Tylenol for pain. She said if Angel begins to bleed to call her and take her to the hospital. She also said if she begins to miscarry, there isn’t any way to stop it. We can only try to prevent it. I wake up Angel and give her the Tylenol and a drink of water. I tell her the doctor said to rest and she doesn’t question me. I shut off the lights and climb in bed with her.
She is lying on her left side and has her back to me. I scoot close to her and kiss her head.
“Sweet dreams, Beauty. I love you.”
“Good night, Mason. I love you, too.”
Angel hasn’t said much about the pregnancy since her doctor’s appointment. I’m not sure what she is thinking. I know it will be hard on both of us if she carries to term. We will have a remembrance of Jim in our lives every single day. We’ll get past it, but it will take time. It will also be hard if she miscarries. We both have had thoughts that we will feel guilty for having.
Angel reaches behind her, and I take her hand in mine. We often hold hands in bed. It’s the closest non-intimate way to be with her. Sometimes I think I’m turning into a girl.
“Mason?”
“Angel?” I say, scooting even closer to her.
“Do you think God will punish me for saying I didn’t think I could love this baby? Do you think he’ll take it from me for saying hateful things?”
I stand up and walk over to the edge of the bed and kneel down beside her. I look her in her teary eyes and stroke her cheek.
“Beauty, I think God has a plan, I think God already had a plan and things will end up exactly as they should. Your thoughts are normal and should be expected. I don’t think it matters what we say or do. Things will end up exactly as God has intended. If you deliver, you and I will be the parents of a beautiful baby and we will love him or her, with all that we are.”
“What if I lose it?” She sniffles.
“Then we will mourn our loss and figure out the best way to move on. We’ll spend time getting to know each other and planning our wedding. We’ll talk about when the right time will be for us to start a family.”
“You want kids with me?”
“Beauty, I want to fill this house up with kids who look just like you. I want to hear giggles and cries and laughter when I get home from work. I want to clean up spilled milk and change dirty diapers. Beauty, I want all those things with you and only you.”
“I have a boy’s name picked out, already.”
“Mmm, should I be worried?”
“Nope, you’ll love it.”
“Well, since we are being honest, I have a girl’s name picked out, too,” I say, stroking her hair. “What’s your name, then I’ll tell you mine.”
“Don’t laugh.”
“Ok.”
“It’s Alexson Bruce Myles.”
I smile because I don’t want to laugh. Alexson Bruce Myles. I get the Bruce name, but how did you come up with Alexson?”
“It’s Mason Alexander combined, Alexson.”
“That’s your boy’s name, huh?”
“Yup, your turn.”
“Well, don’t you laugh.”
“Ok.”
“My girl’s name is Ana Maria.”
She smiles to try to hide her laugh. “After the island? I like it,” she giggles.
“No laughing.”
“Mason, you can’t name our daughter after Anna Maria Island.”
“No, I can’t. But, I can name our daughter after your mother, Ana, and after your Aunt Maria. Ana Maria Hope Myles.”
Angel gets tears in her eyes and they fall down her cheek. Her lip begins to quiver. I wipe her tears away with my thumbs and lean in to kiss her quivering lips.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” I ask, kissing her again.
She kisses me back and nods. I can feel the warmth from her tears on my cheek. I pull away from her and look at her.
“I love you more than you’ll ever know, and I thank God for bringing you into my life,” she says, backing up and lifting the cover to me.
Starting Over Trilogy Boxset Page 41