A Baby And A Wedding

by Eckhart, Lorhainne

  Emily slid off the bed, and then realized that everyone had left and the door was closed. “Well, I better get changed.” She listened to the chatter of the guests downstairs and outside the house on this warm day, waiting for a wedding. Emily shut her eyes because she couldn’t bear to face them and tell them there wouldn’t be one, and then have to explain why.

  “No, just relax. I want you to rest. I’ll take care of the guests,” said Brad, pulling open the bedroom door. He lingered for a minute, and watched from across the room in a private, uncertain moment that was theirs and filled with such disappointment. Then he left, shutting the door behind him. Emily wept.

  Chapter 5

  “Keith, for fuck’s sake, what the hell is taking so long?” Brad shouted into his cell phone as he paced in the north field, away from Emily’s prying ears.

  He had done everything he could to get Bob to sign the papers and for three months the man had stalled. Even after dealing with Crystal and all she’d put this family through, Bob had surprisingly turned out to be an unexpected challenge for Brad. The problem was that he had underestimated the man. Brad had never considered Bob as conniving and dishonest, with a mind as calculating and devious as Crystal’s. If he’d approached Bob from the beginning as if he were dealing with a snake, this would have been settled, and he and Emily would be happily married.

  The fact was he thought Bob wasn’t by nature a cunning manipulator. He’d just stumbled by accident into a position of power. By refusing to sign the divorce papers to free Emily to marry another man, he had made Brad automatically assume it was because he’d got a plan to shake him down for a lot of money.

  But, now, as Brad thought about it—and he’d had plenty of time to do that—he realized it wasn’t about money. Bob was so angry and hurt at Emily for leaving him that this was his way of hurting her. Brad also suspected that Bob still loved her, but the hate he carried within overshadowed any affection. Katy was just a pawn to him. That much Brad had figured out. Bob wasn’t really interested in seeing his daughter, which wasn’t very often anyway; only every other weekend for two days, and more often than not he cancelled for one reason or another.

  After the disastrous wedding day that didn’t happen, Brad’s brothers and parents had rallied together. Jed had suggested they drive down to Olympia and have a talk with Bob. Neil, too, was on board, flexing his muscles and saying they wouldn’t leave until he signed. Brad was all set to go, but it was Rodney who reminded his hot-headed sons that putting a man in the hospital wasn’t the best way to solve the situation. And it was Becky who had told them sternly, “Cool off, all of you, before you land your butts in jail; then where would Emily be?”

  Becky was, of course, right. And Keith, Brad’s long-time friend and lawyer, was handed the reins to clean up the mess so that the couple could be married before their baby was born.

  But here they were, with Emily huge with child and tired almost every moment of the day. Brad could see the stress etched in the lines on Emily’s forehead, which weren’t there before; the gray, translucent skin smudged under her eyes; and the tightness around her mouth. Only last night he’d found her sitting on the bathroom floor, crying silently so that she wouldn’t wake the kids or bother anyone.

  He had held her while she trembled and voiced his own fears: “I love your baby, this baby, and my worst fear right now is having your baby and being married to Bob. I’m thirty-six weeks. This baby could be born any time.”

  Now, as Brad paced the field, waiting for Keith to come back on the line, he worried that Emily might be proven right. He was furious that a selfish, jealous man was all that stood between their legal marriage, and the peace and happiness that Emily so deserved.

  “Bob is coming in this afternoon, but I don’t want you here,” Keith barked into the phone.

  Brad considered showing up at his lawyer’s office anyway; not to say anything, but to scare Bob into signing, because if there was one thing of which he was aware, it was that he made the man extremely nervous, like a cat with a mouse. He didn’t want any more delays. “Are you sure he’s going to sign this time?” he asked.

  “Listen, Brad, I’m hopeful, but if you show up here, I guarantee you that he won’t. In case you haven’t noticed, this really isn’t about money. He wants to hurt Emily and you, too. I’ve seen this before. You want him to sign, but you can’t bully him. He’ll dig his heels in.”

  “What if he doesn’t sign? What then? Emily’s doctor has already warned me that she is stressed. Her blood pressure is a little too high and she is being monitored closely. She could have the baby any time now. I want her to be my wife before she’s goes into labor.”

  Keith sighed on the other end. “Brad, I will do everything I can to make sure that happens. Go and look after Emily. I’ll call you this afternoon after the meeting, I promise.”

  Brad took his time walking back to the house. He shoved his hands into the lined pockets of his sheepskin coat. The weather was becoming colder and the rain had tapered off today. It was fall and Halloween was only a week away, but it seemed more like the dead of winter.

  He stopped at the back door and shut his eyes, sending up a silent plea for Bob to sign the papers, and open his eyes to how he was hurting Emily and their innocent baby. Opening the door to the house, Brad stomped off the mud caking his worn cowboy boots onto the mat. Hanging up his coat, he listened for the floorboards to squeak.

  Sure enough, Emily appeared in the doorway, with her hair tied back and her hands pressed into the small of her back to support her belly, large with his child. Emily was so tiny that Brad couldn’t imagine her belly becoming any bigger. For a minute he worried if she’d have trouble giving birth.

  “Did you sleep?” asked Brad, wandering over. He rested his hands on her shoulders and squeezed softly, looking into her eyes at the weariness she was trying to hide.

  “You know I can’t sleep during the day,” Emily replied. “And I’m getting tired of sitting around all the time. I wanted to do something, but Mary was here, and I know you called her again. She took Katy home with her again, saying she’d bring her back before dinnertime.”

  Brad slid his arm around Emily’s shoulder and turned her. As he did so, he smelt an aroma wafting from the kitchen. “You cooking something?”

  She grinned up at him. “I made some soup and there is a plate of sandwiches in the fridge. I thought you’d be hungry when you came in.”

  Brad stopped at the table and pulled out her chair. “Well, I am starving, so you sit and I’ll dish up.”

  Emily hesitated, but she knew that when Brad decided upon something, you had more chance of moving a mountain than changing his mind. He’d obviously decided that she was to rest, and do as little as possible. Emily glanced up at the ceiling, shook her head and sat down.

  “Good girl.”

  Chapter 6

  It took some convincing, and Brad had actually threatened to carry her upstairs and tie her to the bed, but Emily agreed to lie down. He knew she wasn’t sleeping well at night, because he wasn’t either. Brad would listen to his partner’s frustrated breathing, and tossing and turning, as he stared at the ceiling for hours, trying to ‘will’ a way for Bob to sign those damn divorce papers.

  “Do I have to tie you to the bed or do you promise me you’ll stay here?” he asked.

  “You’re not tying me to any bed.”

  Emily sat on their queen-size bed on top of the new floral duvet she’d ordered recently, which matched the new curtains. Redecorating and replacing the things Crystal had chosen was the only way that Emily could get her memory out of the house, and Brad had given her free reign to do it. Unlike Crystal, Emily was a bargain shopper and only bought what was reasonable.

  Brad had just plumped up the pillows behind Emily’s back when his cell phone rang. Yanking the handset out of his back pocket, he glanced at the screen and turned away to answer it. “So what happened?” he asked.

  Brad started toward the door, but befo
re he reached it, he heard the bed squeak. Turning, he saw Emily getting up to follow him. He snapped his fingers and pointed at the bed, but she crossed her arms determinedly, as if she knew it was Keith on the phone and that the conversation involved her.

  “He signed,” said Keith in a weary voice.

  “You’ve got to be kidding? Thank you.” Brad glanced at Emily and stepped toward her. “He signed the divorce papers.”

  “What? Oh, hallelujah!” Emily gasped. She shut her eyes and sat down on the bed.

  “Keith, when can we get married?” asked Brad.

  Emily opened her eyes and watched him with a hopeful gaze. She reached for his free hand with both of hers.

  “As soon as I get this signed by the court commissioner and filed with the clerk, and I’m heading over there right now,” Keith replied. “You can get married the day after.”

  Brad wanted to shout with joy. “Well then, don’t spend time talking to me—get going! Call me when it’s all signed.”

  This time Keith laughed. “Will do,” he answered, before hanging up.

  Brad slid the cell phone back into his pocket.

  “Did he really sign—no joke?” Emily asked. Her eyes were big, blue pools of hope. The stress that had been weighing down her shoulders seemed to ease up.

  Brad nodded. “He signed. Keith is on his way to get the papers signed by the court and filed. Once that’s done, we can get married.”

  He sunk down on the bed beside Emily, who leaned against him. Reaching for her, he lifted her chin, gazed at her shimmering blue eyes and touched his lips to hers. Emily reached up with a shaky hand and caressed his face just as a tear slid down her cheek.

  “My dress isn’t going to fit me anymore,” she said sadly.

  Brad pulled her against him, and kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose. Tilting her chin up, he slid his lips over hers. He pulled away just a fraction and rested his hand on her very swollen belly.

  “No, I guess it won’t,” he replied, “but, just so you know, the only thing I want is you. The dress is optional.”

  Chapter 7

  Brad called his parents and Jed, and told them that the wedding would be going ahead when the papers were filed. As Jed owned a small ranch in Snohomish County, he planned to leave as soon as he could throw some things together. Neil and his parents wouldn’t be able to get a flight until the next day.

  Brad’s neighbor, Mary Haske—a retired, gray-haired lady and friend of his mother’s— returned with Katy that afternoon. When Brad told her the news, she hugged him and Emily, before promising to return the next day to help with the wedding preparations. This time only the family would be invited and, of course, Mary.

  For dinner, Emily made a pot roast with biscuits, green beans and salad. The meal was relaxed and one of the best that Brad had tasted in a long time. “You just sit here and relax. I’ll clean up after I’ve got the kids bathed and to bed,” he told her.

  “Sounds good to me,” she said, turning around in the hard, wooden chair. “I am so tired and my back is killing me. I’m going to go and put my feet up in the living room.”

  Brad frowned, because Emily never ever, not once, said she was going to put her feet up. “Okay…” He paused for a minute and watched her waddle away. “Katy, Trevor, come on. Go upstairs and I’ll get you ready for bed.” He lifted the two children and they giggled. Pausing for a moment, he glanced at Emily, who was sitting on the sofa with her feet up. She leaned back against a pillow and shut her eyes.

  Brad hurried Katy and Trevor through their bath, dried them off, and dressed them in their pajamas. He read them only one story in Katy’s room before tucking them both into their beds. Then, turning on the nightlight, he hurried downstairs and stopped in the living room where he noticed that the sofa was now empty.

  Hearing a clatter in the kitchen, Brad found Emily clearing away the dinner. She was bending over the dishwasher and loading it with dishes.

  “What are you doing?” he asked. “I told you I’d clean up.”

  Brad hovered over Emily, took the dirty plate she had just rinsed and set about loading the dishwasher.

  “I know,” she sighed, “but I can’t relax. I need to keep moving. I think all the stress and worry of Bob not signing those divorce papers has wreaked havoc on my body. My back hurts more when I sit. I just need to walk it out.” Emily stretched her arms up and then pressed her fingers into her lower back.

  “Here, let me.” Brad wrapped one arm around the front of Emily’s shoulders to hold her and then pulled her into his arms. He pressed the heel of his hand into her lower back and massaged it in circles, across and then down.

  Emily leaned her head against his shoulder and moaned. “Oh, that feels so good.”

  Brad brushed a kiss against her forehead. “I could continue this upstairs, and get you tucked in bed and relaxed, so you’re all rested up for our wedding.”

  She opened her eyes and gazed up at him with a dreamy look in her soft blue eyes, now free of the shadow of worry that had plagued her earlier. “Okay.”

  Brad touched a lock of Emily’s hair that had curled out of place and tucked it behind her ear, before tracing the outline of her chin with his fingers. Her eyes widened and she licked her pert, kissable lips as he leaned down, closing the distance between them and capturing her in a sweet, tender kiss, her breath warm on his lips.

  Brad slid his hand over Emily’s bottom and up her back, caressing her shoulders as his arms tightened their embrace. Tracing her lips with his tongue, he deepened the kiss and pulled her more tightly to him, her swollen belly pressed against him. Suddenly, he felt the baby kick and he pulled away. Pressing his hand over the baby, he gasped, “My god, did you feel that?”

  Emily gazed up at him with desire softening her weary eyes. “Yes, I did. I guess baby liked that as much as I did.”

  Sliding her hand upwards, Emily tried to pull Brad’s head back down, but he grabbed both of her hands, stomping out the fire that was beginning to simmer. He hadn’t meant for the kiss to get so heated. But the simple fact was he missed her. Over the last few months the couple’s lovemaking had dwindled due to the stress created by Bob and the way in which he’d wedged himself between them, like a festering scab that refused to go away.

  Brad’s hands slid farther down her back and cupped her bottom, before pulling away, regretfully, but what Emily needed more than anything was a good night’s sleep. “Come on, darling,” he said, turning towards the stairs, which he helped her to climb.

  Tucking Emily in bed, Brad massaged her lower back, and when she was breathing softly, he slipped away downstairs. Checking his cell phone for messages, he didn’t find any from his lawyer. He told himself that first thing tomorrow, if he didn’t hear from Keith, he would be on the phone hounding him.

  More than anything, Brad wanted Emily to be his properly wedded wife, because, as old-fashioned as it sounded, he didn’t feel right about his baby being born without the protection of his name. No matter how many celebrities or couples carried on in such a matter, and society had little care nowadays, to him it mattered.

  Chapter 8

  Emily’s belly felt squeezed, like a rubber band being wound around her middle and slowly tightening. Lying on her side in the darkened room, propped up on two pillows, she wondered if she had imagined it. Wondering what time it was, Emily glanced at the bedside clock where Brad slept, and then realized that his side of the bed was empty. The red digital light flashed 12:40. Emily slid her hand over his empty spot and sat up. Where was he?

  Emily scooted her bare legs over the side of the bed in her baby doll pajamas and shivered; she really needed to sleep in something a little warmer. She started to walk, but stopped at the foot of the bed as her muscles contracted around her belly, squeezing more tightly. Emily grabbed the bed post and leaned against it. After exhaling, she rubbed her stomach until the squeezing lessened and finally released its hold. She let out a deep breath.

  Striding over to t
he closed door, Emily pulled it open, but stopped at the top of the stairs when she heard two male voices below. Stepping back into the bedroom, she headed into the ensuite bathroom and snatched her pink satin robe off the back of the door. It was thin, but at least it was sort of decent. Pulling it on, she belted it over the place where her waist used to be. The material barely covered her now.

  Emily started down the stairs barefoot, clutching the front of the robe closed. As the steps squeaked, she heard chairs scrape back in the kitchen. Brad appeared at the bottom of the stairs, with Jed lingering just behind him. Emily stopped halfway down just as she felt her muscles contract more tightly to the point that she couldn’t think clearly, except to focus on the pain that stole her breath away. Somewhere in the distance she heard boots pounding on the wooden stairs. Brad’s supportive arm slid around her.

  “Em, are you in labor?”

  Emily heard him say the words, but she couldn’t speak, not yet. She waited until the pain broke its hold and the pressure released from around her belly. Then she nodded. “I just woke up. I’ve had two, not that far apart, but they are strong.”

  Brad helped her down the remaining steps and to the rocking chair in the corner of the living room. “Sit down.”

  Jed hovered in the archway, dressed in faded blue jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His wavy, brown hair was creased from the cowboy hat he always wore.

  Emily pulled the two ends of her housecoat together as they parted when she sat down, exposing her bare thighs. Jed looked away. Brad grabbed a blanket that had been tossed over the sofa and draped it over her legs. He hunkered down in front of her.

  “I don’t think they’re that far apart,” she said, noticing the concern in Brad’s eyes.

  He glanced behind him to Jed. “Your timing is good. Could you look after the kids if we have to go?”