“Did you talk to him?” Cin asked.
“Did I talk to who?” Cammie questioned. When her sister simply stared back at her, she knew that she meant Adam. “No. No, I haven’t talked to him.” She sighed.
“Why not?” Cin had apparently decided to be relentless.
“I don’t feel like it. I have so much other stuff going on. I don’t know that I have time for him right now.” She shrugged. “This was probably all for the best.” She started toward the stairs, and then she rushed back into the bathroom and shut the door.
“Are you okay?” Cin called to her. She pressed her head against the door.
Cammie sat on the floor next to the toilet and waited for the nausea to pass. Great. Now she was going to be sick over the holidays. She stood slowly, and opened the door. Cin looked really concerned. “Feel my forehead,” she said weakly. “Do I feel hot to you?”
Cin ran a hand across her forehead, held it to the back of her neck. Finally she shared her assessment. “No. You aren’t hot, but you have pretty much broken out in a cold sweat.”
“I think I’m going to skip church. I’m going to go home and go to bed.” She headed down the stairs to say her goodbyes.
“Are you sure you can drive? And how are you going to climb up that ladder and into bed? Come back to my place. I’ll take the couch.” Cin was determined. “It will give me an excuse to skip church.”
Cammie felt too tired to fight her. She looked at her a moment and nodded. “Let’s go.”
By the time they arrived at Cin’s apartment, Cammie was struggling to stay awake. “I am worn out,” she complained. “I was going to argue with you about taking the bed, but now…well, thank you.”
“So, let’s get you tucked in. I’ll go get ginger ale. What are your other symptoms?” Cin was acting really worried.
“Do I look like hell?” Cammie asked, slightly agitated.
Shaking her head, she responded, “It’s not that. I just don’t remember you ever being sick. I mean…ever. You don’t get sick. And on those rare occasions that you did, it was always so mild. Nothing could ever keep you down. Now…you just act so…weak.”
They took the elevator up to her apartment. Cin lived in a nicer place. She wasn’t afraid to spend money on having nice things. So she had a one-bedroom apartment instead of a studio. She had real furniture. She looked like more of a grown up than Cammie, but the look also came with debt and the constant financial struggle.
“I’m just going to sit here for a minute,” Cammie said. “If I know you, you need to clean your room before I can even lie in the bed.” She tried to smile, but it just made her feel nauseous. As soon as Cin left the room, she sank down on the couch. By the time Cin returned, she was asleep sitting up.
Adam had just returned from dinner with Sam and Haley when there was a knock on his door. He still had that moment of hope that maybe when he opened the door, Cammie would be there. He swung the door wide without looking through the peephole. “Close,” he said seriously. “But no cigars.” He sighed and backed away from the door, leaving it open. “What do you want, Cin? Cammie isn’t here. In fact, Cammie hasn’t been here since the engagement party. We haven’t even spoken.”
She looked really self-conscious, incredibly nervous. “I know. She’s at my place. She’s passed out on the couch. I think she’s sick. Maybe really sick. Nothing ever keeps her down. Ever. Only she was sick at Christmas Eve dinner. And so I took her home with me. She can’t drive. She can’t even stay awake.”
He had planned to be tough, but this news wrecked him. “So let’s go.” He went to the closet and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll follow you. Just know in advance that I won’t be leaving without her.” He had his game face on. He was serious.
For the first time since she tried to get him to sleep with her, Cin smiled. “I was counting on that.”
The quiet streets made for a quick trip to Cin’s apartment. He could tell just from the outside that hers was a lot nicer than Cammie’s. “What do you do?” He asked curiously.
“I work for my parents, pick up extra catering shifts now with Cammie. That’s all.” She smiled proudly.
“Are you going to school? What are your plans?” He was genuinely curious. Cammie and Cin were so different.
“No, I’m just going to run the family business one day.” She seemed pretty proud of that fact. Yet, Adam was even more convinced than ever that Cammie was the right choice.
When he reached the apartment, he noticed nothing but the woman he loved who was completely passed out on the couch. She had fallen over and was curled up there. Adam rushed to her, knelt beside her, and began talking to her. “Doll, wake up,” he urged. He could see why Cin was worried. He had never seen Cammie look this bad.
“Shhh,” she said. “Let me sleep.”
“Have it your way,” he said. Then he picked her up and sat down with her in his arms. “Rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up.” He tucked her in against his shoulder and looked at Cin. “Can you get us a blanket?”
Soon, with Cammie snuggled against him, he was asleep.
When Cammie woke at 8am the next morning, she was surprised to find that she had slept in Adam’s lap. “Hey,” she said, “when did you get here?”
“Oh, you know, Santa dropped me off.” He joked. “Merry Christmas, doll. How are you feeling?”
Cammie made a face while she stretched as if she was concentrating very hard before answering that question. “I think I’m fine. I must have just been overworked.”
“Cin said you were puking and that you were worn out. She was really worried.” He frowned as he looked at her. It was true that her color was better. She was smiling up at him.
“So, are you my present for real?” She asked happily.
“I’d like to be,” he said honestly. “I’ve figured a few things out while we were apart.”
“Oh yeah, like what?” She asked as she continued to lie in his lap.
“Well, for one…I can’t stay busy enough to stop missing you. You?” He asked her hopefully.
She frowned. “Lately, there’s a hole where my heart’s supposed to be. I only really feel when you’re near. Doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“And you call me ‘genius.’” He joked. “It seems like the obvious solution is to be together, doll. Two birds, one stone and all that crap.”
He stood, still holding her in his arms. Gently, he set her down, making sure she had her footing before letting go. Only she didn’t want to let go. She wanted to be closer. He could feel the determination in her as she held him and pressed as far into him as she could. Soon enough they kissed. Cammie hopped up and her legs wrapped around his waist. He smiled at the familiarity of it all. His hands were on her hips. She looked him in the eyes and very deliberately let go, falling back until she was dangling, her ponytail grazing the ground, her arms were outstretched, her eyes were closed and there was a huge smile on her face.
“You trust me,” he said incredulously.
She laughed. “Obviously, genius. You shouldn’t even have to mention it.”
“Hey,” he said, “I don’t suppose you call me genius because your mother had a porcelain doll…” He smirked.
“No,” she said seriously, “but we did have a beagle once that my father called Genius and kicked a lot. Is that the same thing?” She laughed.
“I like my story better. Can I help with the last five years of your ten year plan?” He asked as she still dangled upside down.
She was quiet for a moment. “Pick me up! Pick me up!” She begged.
He panicked and pulled her up as quickly as he could. “What’s wrong?” She dropped to the ground and rushed to the bathroom.
Cin came out of her bedroom when she heard the commotion. “Hmmm.” She said.
“I guess she’s still a little sick,” Adam said.
“Maybe,” Cin commented and she went to knock on the bathroom door.
Cammie had her head in the toilet when he
r sister walked in. “I don’t remember saying you could come in,” she mumbled. “Do you think it’s food poisoning?” She asked. She looked at Cin for a moment, still the picture of health. “Maybe not.”
“Have you peed yet?” Cin asked seriously.
Cammie chuckled. “Normally that would have been my first stop, but then the puking started.” She laid her head on her arm and her arm on the toilet seat. “When was the last time you cleaned this thing?”
Reaching under the sink, her sister passed her a pregnancy test. “Do this. See you in three minutes. We may have the answer to this mystery ailment sooner than you think.”
Cammie stared at it. She hadn’t used one of these since the freshmen year of college. All it took was the one scare and she had been so much more careful. She had been on the pill for years, so her doctor had recommended that she discontinue that and consider instead getting an IUD. She was supposed to have an appointment for that when her next cycle came. She had been so busy. When was her next cycle? Hell, when was her last cycle? She knew she had one in November. It was now the end of December. Shit.
Unwrapping the test, she yanked down her pants and panties and peed on a stick. Having to do this once a decade didn’t make her a whore. She had slept with less guys than she had fingers…on one hand. The pill was such a habit. Never having to think about protection because the pill was such a habit. She never considered for a moment that she could get pregnant that quickly. She might not be pregnant. She might not. She wiped and flushed. She stood, pulled up her panties and pants, walked over and washed her hands. It was early. She shouldn’t even look yet. Only as she looked, there were two very distinct lines. She smiled. The control line that meant she had peed enough. The other had to be the minus sign. She felt better already.
Drying her hands, she grabbed the stick and proudly walked out to where Cin and Adam were talking. “Look. Control and minus. No baby!” She exclaimed happily.
Adam and Cin both shook their heads. He looked at Cin. “You want to explain this to her, or shall I?”
“Honey,” Cin began quietly. “Two lines mean you’re pregnant.”
“Can’t be,” Cammie murmured, just before her eyes rolled back in her head.
Adam jumped as soon as he saw her knees begin to give. Just before she sank completely to the ground, he caught her. Looking up at Cin, he said calmly, “Well, I thought that went well.”
While Cammie rested on the couch, Adam had plenty of thinking time. Suddenly, there were no questions, only answers. After spending time apart, he knew that he never wanted to go that route again. He was going to move her in as soon as possible. What if she didn’t like his loft? No problem. He would sell it and buy them a new place. Maybe they should live in a suburb…have a yard. He could probably mow. Or he could hire someone. Yup.
There was one possibility that he never considered. What if she wanted to get an abortion? That was unthinkable for him. It had nothing to do with being super religious. It had nothing to do with being Pro Life. No, he simply couldn’t imagine that she’d want to kill their child, a product born of their love. They were having a love baby.
He glanced over at her while he rubbed her feet. Her eyes were open. Wide open. She had a hand on her lower abdomen as if she expected to feel something different.
“I can’t believe that I’m pregnant with your demon lust baby,” she moaned. “How could I have been so irresponsible?” She moaned again. “And I am just starting a super promising career. And not only am I not married, but I’m not in a relationship! I’m a whore!’ Tears streamed down her face.
Adam looked at her. He tried to keep a straight face. Only he couldn’t when she started calling herself a whore. “Doll, you are not a whore. Don’t ever say that. And that is our love baby. You are in a relationship. More importantly, we’re going to get married.” He stopped after saying all that he had. After a quick assessment, he realized he meant every word. He really did want to marry her.
“We barely know each other! We’ve been together on and off for six weeks and spent most of that time apart and most of the apart time trying to stay apart. How the hell could it ever work between us?” She sat up on the couch and yanked her feet from his grasp. “And you need to stop confusing me by being nice.”
“I am nice!” He protested.
“No. No. You’re not nice. And you are just as irresponsible as I am. Are there two people in this world less qualified to have a child? I can’t think of any.” She stood up to pace.
He let her. He wanted to stop her, but instead, he opted to simply be on guard and not take his eyes off her. That was the most she would allow.
“Doll, it’s Christmas. I think this baby is a sign. And we need to talk and think before making any rash decisions.” He stood and walked to her, turned her to face him, and wrapped her in his arms.
“This will never work,” she mumbled.
“One problem at a time, Cammie. Take a breath.” He rubbed her back. “Let’s not think about this any more right now. Let’s take a break from it all and enjoy the holiday. Sam and Haley invited me over for brunch. We should go.”
“Fine. No talking about the pregnancy. Got it. We need to make some decisions first.” She looked at him sternly. “Promise.”
“Doll, I will follow your lead.” He smiled and held her close hoping that she would calm down.
They stopped at Cammie’s cupboard since it was closest. She picked out some clothes and toiletries, and then they showered and changed at Adam’s. He was in the bathroom shaving when she stepped out of the shower. He watched her closely, started studying her. She was apparently doing the same thing. She paused to feel if her boobs were bigger. He saw her wince. Tender. Good to know. She rubbed her towel down her stomach. It had always been so flat and perfect. It still appeared to be to him. Judging by the look on her face, she concurred.
The next stop was actually their destination. “Wait,” she said, grabbing his arm as they walked up the sidewalk. “Do they know I’m coming?”
“Of course! I sent Sam a text. They are looking forward to seeing you.” He smiled warmly at her. It just felt right to be together on Christmas. He just had to convince her to now be together every day.
Neville answered the door and invited them in. Haley and Sam were waiting on them in the study. They sat on the sofa across from them.
“It’s so good to see you!” Haley said jumping up to greet them.
Even Sam seemed to be happier and more relaxed. “Less than a week,” he said. “Then I’m off the market.”
“Please,” Adam said. “You were never on the market. What a waste of a trust fund!” He smiled.
“Well, I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of you, Cammie,” Haley said sincerely.
“Oh, you,” Cammie remarked. “Lots and lots more. I’m about to get huge.”
Adam looked at her with wide eyes. “Doll…”
“Sure will,” she said. “I’m pregnant.” Her eyes were wide as she spoke. Clearly, she was not over the shock. He could never imagine her talking this way under normal circumstances.
“Yeah. So we’re going to get married,” he added as he looked at her for a reaction.
“Hey! I thought we were going to talk about it first,” Cammie exclaimed.
He raised an eyebrow. “And I thought we weren’t going to talk to anyone else about it at all.”
She shrugged. “Touché.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Sam said. “Congratulations?” He looked at Adam who was smiling at him like he’d won the lottery.
“I do,” Haley said giddily. She looked at Cammie. “Double wedding. Please?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We’ve only been together for the better part of six weeks…” her voice trailed off.
“And doll, just how pregnant do you think you are?” He smirked.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Six. Weeks.” She bit out.
“Clearly rushing into things is pretty much just our way. Marry
me.” He said it as though it was the most logical conclusion he could make.
“You don’t even have a ring.” She frowned. “How do I know you mean it?”
“You have my baby. Baby trumps ring. And we’ll pick your ring out tomorrow. We’ll need to find wedding bands anyway. Oh, and you’ll need a dress. Other than that, we pretty much already have it covered…unless you want two cakes?” He smiled.
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