by Melissa Huie
He paused awkwardly, unsure of what to say next. I mentally implored the woman in front of me to hurry up, but of course, the supervisor had to be called over for a twenty cent price difference.
“So you’re expecting, huh? That’s great.”
I groaned inwardly. Really? Do we have to do this? It’s bad enough to stand next to him in line, but do we really need to make small talk? I nodded as I fought the urge to give the cashier a quarter just to hurry things along.
“That’s right. I’m due in February.”
“Wow, you must be having twins!” he blurted out. His eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth.
Are you fucking kidding me? Apparently his filter wasn’t working. I glared at him.
“Excuse me?” Forget about being civil. There are some things that a person doesn’t say to a pregnant woman. Asking if she’s having twins is justification for going into bitch-mode.
“I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean . . . You look beautiful of course, just totally different from the last time I saw you. It wasn’t that long ago … so I just assumed ….” Normally suave and collected, Alex became flustered. And with good reason. I’m sure I resembled a cartoon character with steam coming out of my ears.
“Really. You haven’t seen me in months and the first thing you ask me is if I’m having twins? Would you say that to any other pregnant woman? Would you say that to your wife?” I demanded. The gall of that bastard to say anything to me at all, let alone something as moronic as this. I wanted to pick up the chicken in my cart and throw it at him.
“Uh … I … no … I guess not.” Truly, he looked scared. Alex backed away slightly, bumping into a passerby’s cart.
“If you wouldn’t say it to your wife, Alex, you sure as hell better not say it to anyone else. Speaking of your wife, have you told her how you’re a sad, pathetic excuse of a husband yet?” I asked, my words dripping with venom. Screw being lady-like, I wanted to kick his behind from the checkout lines and all the way to the deli counter.
“I’m sorry, truly I am. I didn’t mean anything by it. B – b- but hey, I forgot the bread. It was nice seeing you again Megan.” And with that, he turned tail and scurried.
“Asshole,” I muttered, as I watched him disappear.
“You don’t look like you’re having twins,” the young cashier remarked as she rang up my groceries. I smiled in thanks, but my good mood had deflated. Stupid Alex.
Once home, I put the groceries away and put the chicken in the oven. I sent a quick text message to Shane telling him about dinner and headed upstairs to change out of my too-tight maternity clothes. My usual attire of yoga pants and tee shirts wasn’t ideal for the romance I had planned, but my wardrobe choices were diminishing. I exhaled, searching for something that could be sexy. Finally I grabbed one of Shane’s oversized white dress shirts, and a matching bra and boy short set. My stomach fluttered with nervous energy, as if this was going to be our first time. I straightened up the bedroom, throwing everything into the closet. After selecting the right playlist for the evening, I went downstairs into the kitchen for some matches and lit several small votive candles around the room. I was going for some ambience, but knowing my bad luck, I’d trip over something so I didn’t leave the room too dark.
I started peeling the sweet potatoes when Shane’s ringtone filled the air. Anticipation overcame my body and I eagerly picked up the phone.
“Hey baby, I was just thinking about you,” I said in what I hoped was my “let’s get it on right now” voice.
“Oh yeah? I’ve been thinking about you all day. But I have some bad news. We’re completely swamped. I’m going to be late for dinner.”
Disappointment coursed over me like a cold wave. “Oh.” Well hell, why did I shave my legs then?
“I’m sorry, Megs. But Adrian needs me.”
I couldn’t contain my bitterness. “And I don’t? Let me ask you this Shane – does Adrian really need you? Or is that another way of saying you’re going out Cartel hunting? I should have expected this. I haven’t seen you in what feels like forever. We barely talk anymore. You’re either at the damn shop or you’re out hunting down the Cartel. But whatever. Do what you need to do. I’ll be here, as always, waiting for you.”
“Don’t act like that, Megs,” Shane pleaded.
“Don’t act like what? Someone who misses her boyfriend? Take a step back and look at this from my perspective. I’m pregnant. I’m lonely. And I have a damn chicken in the oven. If you’re not home in an hour, then I’m eating without you.”
Shane was quiet. “Baby, I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been around much. I’m trying though. I really am.”
Guilt slid my frustration to the side. “I know you are. Just be safe coming home,” I replied, disappointment evident in my voice.
I ended the call and wiped the tears of frustration away as the candle light flickered in the room. Well, no need for these anymore. I blew out the candles headed upstairs to change back into my normal attire. The desire to make this night special was quickly squashed.
After washing the mascara streaks from my face, I went downstairs to finish dinner. Whether Shane was here or not when it was done, was up to him. Once I put the potatoes on the burner and set the timer, all Penny and I could do was wait.
I reflected on our conversation and grimaced. I hated fighting with Shane and now that I’m calm enough, I can see both sides of the issue. Being back in the thick of a difficult situation would be tough on anyone and I could see how hard it was for him, being torn in what he should do. One side was pulling him back into the dangerous underground of the street life, going vigilante, and protecting our family. The other was trying to get him to forget the past and move on, to become a responsible adult. But what side will win?
Chapter 11
My head snapped up and I wiped the drool from my chin. When did I fall asleep? My eyes widened as the fog lifted and heard the microwave timer go off. Oh no! The potatoes! I hurried into the kitchen and turned off the burner. Thankfully, the potatoes weren’t too overdone. Glancing at the timer on the oven, it relieved me to see I still had ten minutes on the roast chicken. Holy shit, I almost burned dinner!
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
What now? I shook the cobwebs out of my head as I shuffled over to the door. I pulled back the curtain that covered the window on the door and let out a gasp. Standing under my carport with a bag full of Christmas gifts was none other than Kate Parker herself.
“Oh my goodness! Come in, come in!” I cried, throwing open the door. Gorgeous as always with her petite, slender frame and stunning ice blue eyes, Kate looked exactly as I remembered her. Well, except for her previously light brown hair that is now a striking chestnut brown with maroon highlights.
“Good gracious woman, you’re huge!” I rolled my eyes and I pulled her into a hug. Kate is the one of the few people, aside from Jen and Sarah, who can get away with saying that. Especially after Alex’s stupid comment.
“You’re lucky I love you. When did you get to town? Shane told me you were coming back up, but he didn’t say when.”
Kate draped her black leather jacket over the kitchen chair and sat down. “A few days ago. I had to finish up a few things in Miami and I didn’t know when I would be done.”
“How long are you staying around?” I asked, starting coffee. Kate has a never ending craving for caffeine and could drink it day or night. I came around to the table and sat down next to her. Dressed in a fitted blue V-neck sweater and dark rinsed jeans, she looked just as intimidating as she did when I first met her. Collected, stylish, and beautiful — everything I’m not. But with everything we’ve been through together, including putting herself in harm’s way for me, she became one of my best friends. It’s amazing what a little rain of gunfire can do to a friendship.
Kate shrugged. “Not sure. At least for the next couple of weeks. I have a few meetings at FBI Headquarters next week, then Cole and I are head
ed to the folk’s house for Christmas.”
Interest piqued, I leaned forward to get the gossip. “Cole, huh? You didn’t tell me you met someone.”
Confusion crossed over Kate’s face and then she burst into laughter.
“Cole? No way, he’s my brother.”
Now it was my turn to be perplexed. “I thought you had a sister.”
Shaking her head, she replied, “Oh I do. I have a sister – well I guess she’s my step-sister – Charlie is twenty-three and she lives with my mom and stepdad. My step-brother, Cole, got out of the Navy last summer and lives around here. I’m staying with him until we go to Essex to see our parents.”
Kate got up and helped herself to a mug from the cabinet, poured herself a cup of coffee, and came back to the table with a questioning look on her face.
“Where’s Shane?”
The oven timer went off, giving me time to think of an answer. How much did she know? What has Shane told her? I debated what to say while I pulled the bird out of the oven. I didn’t want to give too much away or give her false information. After turning off the oven and leaving the door open to let the heat warm up the kitchen, I leaned against the counter, apprehensive.
Kate read me like a book and cocked her head. “What happened?”
“How often have you talked with Shane?” I countered.
“About once a week or so. Why, what’s up?” Something clicked and she nodded knowingly. “It’s about the Cartel isn’t it?”
“Yes! And I don’t understand why! I mean, okay, I get it. He wants revenge and, shit, he deserves redemption, and I understand that! But why can’t he just tell Tommy? Why does he have to go traipsing around Fells Point?” I demanded in exasperation. I fill my glass with water and sat down at the table with a humph.
Kate’s eyes were filled with pity as she squeezed my hand. “I know, hon. It sucks. And trust me, I’ve tried to convince Shane to let me and Rick handle it, but the boy is hell bent on doing it himself.”
I paused. “You said you and Rick. What about Tommy?” I asked, mentioning the third member of Tommy’s group.
I could see the wheels turning in Kate’s head. “Tommy is convinced that the Cartel is on the outs, despite the small bits of info Rick and I have brought to the table. We’re not sure why. Maybe it’s to save face about the screw up over the summer. Having the safe house’s cover blown and the death of the agents was a huge deal. Add Shane coming back from the dead and Tommy looks even more inept. And to be perfectly honest, we never figured out who leaked our location in Deep Creek Lake; we know it was a leak. Not too many people knew your location. In all honesty, we’re trying to keep as much as we can to ourselves, and until we have enough hard evidence that the Cartel is back, Tommy will have to listen to us.”
“Kate, I’m already paranoid that they’re going to grab him off the streets. How close is it to reality? How worried should I be?” I asked, panic rising in my voice.
“At this point, you’re okay.”
“Okay - how? I need more than ‘okay,’ Kate. I need someone to tell me that I can stop worrying. Do you know how terrifying it is to have to keep looking over my shoulder? To not know if going to the store will be the last thing I do for the rest of my life? Kate, I’m having a baby in all this chaos. I don’t want to bring her into this world when I’m scared to death that she won’t have her parents to raise her!” I cried, pounding my fist on the table.
Kate jumped – as did her namesake. Kate grabbed my hand and held it firmly. “Look at me Megan. Baby Katie will be safe. You and Shane are safe. I promise you that.”
“How are we safe Kate? I need fucking answers.”
Kate sighed. “I’ve had Cole and his crew running surveillance. It’s not on the books and, in fact, it’s not with the bureau. Just some friends that are in the neighborhood. They are keeping their distance, just making sure you’re safe.”
“What are you not telling me?”
“I’ve told you everything I know. I’m serious. But ever since the bureau dropped its surveillance on you, I didn’t want to leave you without protection. Cole came back to the area around that time, so I asked him and his friends to look out for you.”
“What is this – a hobby for them? Watch after helpless strangers?” I scoffed.
“No, it’s their job. Cole’s in security and runs a small shop, along with a few other ventures. A lot of what they do is surveillance, monitoring, security detail, and training. It’s a little bit of time and they do it when they can, and it pays the bills. Plus, it gives Cole and his buddies a chance to do what they love – beat people up and play with guns,” she said with a smile.
I chuckled and shook my head. “I don’t know what to say.”
Kate squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to say a thing. I think of you as family. And I protect my family.”
The oh-so-familiar sensation prickled behind my eyes again and I hurriedly brushed away the tears. Damn hormones.
“Seriously Kate. We need to work on your people skills. You really need to stop making people cry.” Shane’s voice came from the doorway of the mudroom. I smiled as I rolled my eyes at the sight of his grease-stained sweatshirt and jeans, and the irresistible grin on his face.
“I only like making you cry, Shane,” Kate shot back, going in for a hug but suddenly pulling back. “Yeah, no thanks. This is a new sweater. I’ll save my hug for later.”
Shane snickered, “No love, that’s fine. I see how you are. I’ll go shower and be right down.” He brushed passed Kate, who flattened herself against the counter to avoid any grime, and came over to my side. He bent down and gently grazed my ear with his lips. “I’m sorry about dinner. Is everything all right?” he asked, his voice low and tickling one of my most sensitive spots.
My body instantly reacted, growing warm at the touch of his lips, despite my mind’s protest. One touch, one freaking whisper of a touch and I’m a melted bowl of pudding in his hands. No! Stay mad, Megan. Stay mad! But I couldn’t. I could never stay mad at him. I knew deep in his heart, he meant well. Shane didn’t want me to hurt. He’s trying his hardest to protect us. I looked into his hazel eyes and nodded.
“It will be,” I whispered back to him. Everything will be okay.
Chapter 12
Kate stayed for dinner and we chatted late into the evening. We exchanged gifts and she loved the new cashmere scarf we bought her. She also didn’t fail to spoil her namesake with a monogrammed quilt. Kate left close to eleven. Afterwards I dozed off on the couch, which was fine with me, as any sort of intimacy was ruined anyway.
Thankfully, it finally registered with Shane how much time he spent away from the house. The Cartel tracking slowed down. Shane came home more often for dinner and actually stayed with me for a whole weekend or two. Shocking to say the least, I fully expected him to roll out in pursuit of the Cartel at any moment. But, he hung in there, through the Christmas shopping and decorating, even through a Rankin-Bass holiday marathon. Of course, who would leave in the middle of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? I mean seriously, it’s a classic!
But still, there were mornings where I’d find myself alone in bed. Or I’d wake up in the middle of the night to find him gone. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones or the fact that we missed so much together; and it was only a limited amount of time before we would have a new member of the family. I craved those moments together, not for sex because that was the farthest thing from my mind. But the time we spent together felt rushed and tense. Not what I imagined our relationship to be.
We survived Christmas with my family, with the bulk of our gifts given to a family member not yet here. I assured my mom that Katie would love the beautifully stitched stocking and Shane was ecstatic over the new bike jacket I gave him. I received a beautiful charm locket from him, but no ring. My hope for a proposal diminished as the holidays went by.
We spent New Year’s Eve with friends and I experienced the sober reality of being a designated driver. It’s not so
much fun to drive slowly down Route 424 with your boyfriend’s head hanging out the window. As the last big holiday of non-parenthood came to an end, I was happy to get home and put my feet up, while Shane prayed to the porcelain Gods.
Soon enough, we took down the tree and put away the decorations. Two weeks into the New Year and a month before my due date, Jen threw us a co-ed baby-shower. At that point, I was done being pregnant. My back ached when I walked, my feet resembled Fred Flintstone’s, and my crotch felt like it was ripping in half.
Despite all my pregnancy pains, we went to the party and had a great time. While the women ooh’d and ahh’d over the tiny sleepers and discussed breastfeeding equipment, the men huddled around the flat screen in Jen’s basement, watching the Ravens take on the Redskins.
On our way home, I glanced over at Shane who was behind the wheel of my SUV. His body was loose and the small grin on his face was a far cry from the white knuckles on the steering wheel and anxious eyes. Catching my stare, he gave me an impish grin. “What? Do I have food on my face?”
I smiled and placed my hand on his thigh. “You look relaxed. It’s nice to see.”
“Oh, I’m relaxed. But if you move that hand up, I’ll be even more relaxed,” He joked, moving my hand closer to his crotch.
Thanks to the lovely trials of the third trimester, I haven’t felt particularly amorous. My body hurt to walk, let alone have intercourse. The very thought of it had me hiding under the covers. But in that moment, heat pooled in my belly as I stroked his erection through the denim fabric, all the while watching the arousal in his face. Thankfully, there weren’t too many cars on Davidsonville Road because the SUV accelerated quickly. Of course, we caught every single red light once we turned onto Route 301.
The stroking never ceased against the strain of his zipper. His breath quickened and I relished the power I had in my hand. “Dammit, Meg. You need to stop. I’m going to finish right here,” he muttered, groaning as we came to a stop a block from the house.