He looks at me confidentially, almost triumphant. I can’t help but see the smugness he is trying to hide behind his concern. Than I remember his words to Charlie a few minutes ago on the phone.
I stand up and Sebastian reluctantly lets me go. I start to pace slowly across our bedroom floor.
“You knew. You told Charlie that you planned to tell me this morning. You said…” I pause to look directly at him as his words hit me. “You said you needed me to feel safe and you would do whatever was in your power to make that happen.”
I take a few steps towards him until I am standing next to the bed.
“Did you do this? Did you do something to make sure he stayed in prison?”
Sebastian doesn’t look guilty and he doesn’t look like a man hiding something. He looks like a man who would do anything to protect his wife.
“The new evidence was weak. His defense team had nothing and the jury wouldn’t have overturned the original ruling with such a weak case. I just helped them see it a little sooner then they would have on their own.”
“Why? Why would you do that and risk everything? You could go to prison, Sebastian.”
He pulls me down next to him on the bed and grabs my hands.
“Look at me.”
I look up into his eyes with unshed tears threatening to fall at any moment.
“I won’t go to prison. I’m smarter than that and you have to believe me when I say, I will never do anything that could take me away from you. I love you and I will always do everything in my power to protect you, I won’t apologize for getting involved. Kyle Monroe deserves to stay in prison; I just made sure that happened. I will always protect you, until my last breath. You’re safe now and I don’t want you to ever worry about him again.”
The tears start to flow down my cheeks as I whisper, “I love you. I love you so much.”
Sebastian pulls me to him and wraps me in his arms. We hold each other for what seems like hours, I never want to let go.
Unfortunately, I’m not so lucky.
“Will you be okay?” Sebastian asks me as he stands up to start getting ready.
“I’ll be fine. What time is your flight?”
I look over at the clock to see it’s a little after eight in the morning.
“I’m supposed to be in the air in an hour. I can stay, delay my flight for a few hours if you need me.”
I stand up from the bed and walk over to give my husband a soft peck on the cheek. “Don’t be silly. I’ll be fine. I have plans with Rachel today. She is shopping for a new car and I told her I would help her look. You’ll be home in a week, right?”
This was the longest Sebastian and I have been apart since we got married. I usually travel with him on these long trips but with the baby due in a few weeks, it isn’t safe to fly.
“Yes, I’ll be home in a week. Sooner if I can help it. Your mother is flying in tonight, right?”
“She should be in around six. She is insisting on staying until the baby comes so I’m warning you now. I might be homicidal when you comeback.”
He laughs at my comment.
“I’m not joking,” I try to say seriously but the ends of my mouth come up in a smile.
“I hate when I have meetings in New York. The city is cold to me, unfriendly. I really wish you were coming with me.
“I wish I was, too. Next time.”
Sebastian finishes getting ready and before I know it he is kissing me and walking out the door. I don’t know how I am going to make it a week without him.
The day goes by fast. Rachel and I check out six different car lots until she finds the right car. By the time she is done negotiating with the salesman, I’m starving and ready to eat. Thankfully, she takes pity on me and tells the man to have the car ready for us to pick up later this afternoon.
We eat at one of the local cafes near the estate. We laugh and talk about her new position with Sebastian’s company. I’m so thankful that Sebastian didn’t fire her or any of the other girls. Rachel was a hard worker and deserves a great paying job, even if I didn’t want it to involve the extra benefits she use to give my husband on the side.
By six o’clock I am at Miami International airport, waiting for my mother outside of arrivals. The heat is killing me this time of year. The humidity can be unbearable and I’m sweating down my neck and back.
I see my mother walk out the sliding glass doors and I step out of my vehicle. I wave her over and she runs over as soon as she sees me.
“Oh my, Darling, you’re huge.”
I close my eyes as I give her the best hug I can mange with my large belly in the way.
“You weren’t this big with Miles. I swear we could have hidden your pregnancy the entire time, you barely showed. Now this one, I swear I could spot you from a mile away. You look like you could be carrying twins with how big your belly is.”
Did I tell Sebastian a week? Well, I was wrong because my Momma was already making me homicidal and it’s been two minutes. I lift my hands in a praying motion and close my eyes as I send up a silent prayer.
Lord help me.
*****
It’s day three of my Mother being in Miami and she is driving me nuts. I have never had her fawn over me so much in my life. Not when I broke my arm after falling out my window when I was seven, not when I was horrified to get my period in the middle of Sunday service when I was twelve, and not even when I was pregnant with Miles. You’d think I’d enjoy her newfound attentiveness towards me.
I didn’t.
They say be careful what you wish for, well I finally understand that stupid saying. I’m lying in bed, my feet propped up by pillows, my head against another stack of pillows, the remote in my hand, and every snack and drink imaginable is next to me on the nightstand.
I can’t stand being forced to lay like this.
I slowly get up, trying to make as little noise as possible so my mother doesn’t hear me. I’m standing next to the bed, almost home free when my mother walks into the bedroom.
“Mia, darling, you lay down this instant. There is no need for you to get up. If you need something I can get it for you.”
“Momma, I’m fine. Its good for me to get up, walk around, and live a normal life until this baby comes. Besides, I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Oh,” she says as she places a few magazines at the foot of the bed. “I’ll wait here while you go take care of business.”
I shake my head at how silly my mother is being. I walk into the master bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind me. I don’t actually have to use the washroom but I need to get up and I need a few minutes to myself before I go back out there and face her.
Sebastian is still gone in New York. I’ve spoken to him a few times each day and he’s hopeful that he’ll be back in Miami tomorrow night. I'm counting down the minutes until he is home. My mother loves him; probably more than me, so she will listen to him when he tells her I do not need to be on bed rest.
I move to the sink and turn on the faucet. The water is cold so I splash some on my face. It feels so refreshing and helps keep me awake. Who knew that all the rest I’ve been getting the past few days would actually make me more tired.
I look at myself in the mirror. My face is swollen from the pregnancy, actually, my entire body is swollen. My nose is spread out a little farther, my lips are fuller, and my eyes are a little smaller. I feel like a hot mess. How Sebastian can still be attracted to me is shocking.
I move to grab a towel and dry my face when I feel a gush of fluid move down my leg. I look down to see a puddle of clear fluid at me feet. I can still feel something slowly trickling down my leg.
My water broke.
Oh my God, my water broke.
I’m in labor.
I take a few deep breaths before I start to freak out. All I can think is that Sebastian is not here.
“Momma,” I yell from inside the bathroom. My mother is knocking at the door within seconds, trying to open it.<
br />
“Darling, let me in. The door is locked.”
I waddle over to the door and open it for her.
“My water just broke,” I whisper as I stare at her in shock.
“Oh, my. Oh my, oh my, oh my. We need to get you to the hospital right away. This is your second baby so your labor should be much faster than when you had Miles.”
My mother starts running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
“Did you pack a bag? Please tell me you have a bag ready? How far is it to the hospital? Do you have your doctor’s number with you?”
“Momma, calm down.”
She turns towards me and smile hugely. “My baby is about to have a baby girl! I can’t calm down, I’m just so excited.”
“I have a bag packed. It’s next to the bed. The hospital is only fifteen minutes away and we can call Dr. Patel on the drive there. I just need my phone so I can call Sebastian.”
My mother walks over to the nightstand and grabs my cell phone. She hurries to hand it to me. I start to dial Sebastian’s number as I see my mother move to the side of the bed. She is grabbing my bag for the hospital.
I lift the phone to my ear as I hear it ring.
“Hi, Honey. I’m in the middle of a meeting, can I call you back?”
“Sebastian… umm, my water just broke. I’m in labor.”
I hear nothing on the other end of the phone for a split second, and then chaos ensues.
“You’re in labor? Okay…. Okay, call Dr. Patel and let her know you are on your way to the hospital. Have Walter, my head of security, drive you to the hospital. He is the only person I trust and your mother can sit with you in back. I’m leaving now and heading to the airport. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay,” I say quietly. I’m all of a sudden scared that my husband won’t make it in time to see our little girl be born.
“Mia?”
“”Yes…”
“Wait for me, I'll be there soon. I promise.”
“Okay.”
“I love you,” he says softly into the phone.
“I love you, too.”
With those words I hear the click of the call ending. My mother is standing before me when I lower the phone from my ear.
“Okay, darling, let’s go.”
I follow my mother out the bedroom door and down the long hallway. Once we get to the foyer I see Walter waiting by the front doors.
“Are you ready to go to the hospital, Mrs. Price?”
Was I ready? Yes, I was. I couldn’t wait to meet our little girl. I just hoped Sebastian was there to meet her, too.
*****
We walk in to the hospital just as it starts pouring rain outside. The radio station we were listening to on the ride over here reported that Miami was going to get some heavy storms. This is because of the tropical storm that is hovering about fifty miles out in the sea.
We make our way up to the labor and delivery wing. There is one nurse behind the nurse’s station.
“Hi, my name is Mia Price and my water broke a little less than an hour ago. I called Dr. Patel and she was going to meet us here.”
The nurse types a few things into the computer and then stands to walk over to us.
“I see you are already registered in the computer. Come follow me. Dr. Patel has you in a private room towards the back. This way we can hopefully help you keep anonymity.”
It was so easy for me to forget that people might actually be interested in Sebastian’s child. I was glad the hospital was looking out for us.
Once I’m in my private room, the nurse has me change and get ready for an internal exam. I’m starting to feel the contractions and I know I won’t be able to ask for an epidural until the internal exam has taken place.
I’m lying down on the bed when I hear a knock on the door. Dr. Patel walks in and greets us.
“Where is your husband?”
“He’ll be here. He is flying home from New York.”
Dr. Patel looks at me skeptically but doesn’t say anything. “Let’s find out how far along you are.”
She pulls my legs in to the stir-ups, puts on some gloves, and checks my dilation.
“You’re a little over five centimeters dilated, Mia. It shouldn’t be too long until you’re at ten and ready to push. Is there anything I can get you to help with the discomfort?” Dr. Patel looks over at the machine that is monitoring my contractions just as I feel a big one coming on.
“Yes, an epidural. Please.”
She smiles knowingly to me. “I’ll have the anesthesiologist in here right away.
Two hours later, I’m drugged up, I can’t feel any of my contractions, and I’m ten centimeters dilated. Hope is ready to grace us with her presence.
“It’s time to move you, Mia. You’re ready to start pushing,” Dr. Patel says as she finishes giving me my final internal exam.
“I’m not ready yet. Give me a few more minutes. I know Sebastian will be upset if he misses this.”
“We can’t wait any longer, Mia. Keeping your daughter inside will only cause you and her unnecessary stress. We want you both to be as healthy as possible. That means I need to bring you into the other room and deliver her. Whether your husband is here or not.”
I want to fight her on this but I have no choice.
I’m being pushed in to a cream colored room with one window. The storm outside is defining and I worry about the safety of one person. The person I need here with me the most. The person who is traveling to be here, with me.
I’m not nervous or anxious for what is about to happen to my body. I’m calm and relaxed. I know the only reason is because I’m happy.
Truly, sickeningly happy.
The kind of happy you only dream about. The kind of happy I never thought I’d have again.
My mother walks into the room just as I hear a crash of thunder vibrate through the building. We both look out the window to see the rain and hail beating on the pavement. It’s coming down harder than it was earlier.
“You’re going to have to prepare for the worst, Mia.”
My mother was always the pessimist.
“He’ll be here, Momma,” I say calmly, while letting out another deep breath.
“Honey, I just don’t think you are being realistic. It’s raining cats and dogs out there. The winds are blowing around fifty miles per hour. It’s just not going to happen.”
My frustration is growing. I love my Momma but I need her to be on my side for once. I need her to think positively for me. If she doesn’t believe it… who cares. All I need is a false sense of hope then.
“He said he would be here, so he’ll be here. I need to believe he’ll be here. Why don’t you get that?”
Just then, I hear commotion outside the door while a man’s voice drifts into the room. I would recognize that voice anywhere. I’m right… He is here.
Sebastian burst through the doors and our eyes meet.
“Did I miss it,” He asks while looking around the room, to see what, I wasn’t sure.
“No, I’m just about to start pushing. You have the most perfect timing.”
He walks over and gives me a gentle kiss on the lips.
“I love you,” he says against my mouth.
“I love you, too.”
“Now that we’ve all said I love you, I have a baby to deliver.” Dr. Patel hands Sebastian some scrubs, or actually just the top half of one to put on.
My mother comes over to the other side of me to squeeze my hand as Sebastian grabs my other hand.
“Are you ready to push, Mia?” Dr. Patel says from between my legs.
I look over at Sebastian and smile, “I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever life throws my way.”
Epilogue
Hope is asleep in my arms as I carry her into her room and place her gently in her crib. It’s been a long day for all of us. We celebrated Hope’s first birthday today. It was a smaller get together. A few of our friends from Miami were the
re along with my mother, Charlie, Jonathon, and Cameron.
Sebastian’s mother sent a gift from Paris. I send her updated pictures of Hope every few months but she has yet to see her in person. Sebastian doesn’t seem to mind but I know it must bother him a little.
The day started off with a trip to the zoo followed by dinner at the restaurant Rachel now owns. It is one of the hottest spots in Miami and Rachel deserves the success. After dinner, we came back to the estate for cake and presents.
I sometimes can’t believe it’s already been a year. You forget how fast life goes by until you see your child life speeding past you. Hope is the most amazing gift to me. I still have a hard time believing that I might have missed the chance of knowing this perfect creature. I talk to my therapist about this sometimes. Thankfully, she doesn’t make me feel like I’m a horrible person. She tells me my feelings are completely normal.
I still see Dr. Montgomery but my sessions are fewer and farther between. I see her twice a month now instead of twice a week. I know there may come a time when I don’t need her anymore but I still deal with insecurities. There are still days I grieve for Miles harder than others. There are still days I’m depressed and don’t want to get out of bed. There are still days I have a hard time coping with what Kyle did to me. There are still days I have a hard time understanding why Sebastian loves me.
These days are rare but luckily Dr. Montgomery is there to help pick up the pieces. She teaches me how to cope and I will be forever grateful to her. If it wasn’t for therapy, I don’t know if Sebastian and I would be together.
My mother and Charlie moved down to Miami a little over three months ago. After Hope was born, my mother and Charlie had a hard time leaving their granddaughter. Each visit became a little longer and the time between each visit became a little shorter, until one time neither of them left. I was glad to have them here. My mother needed the joy a child brought in to her life and Charlie loved to feel needed. He got that from Hope and me. We still went down to Riceboro for a couple days a month, to visit Miles.
Dr. Montgomery thinks I don’t need to go that often, but I’m not ready to shorten my visits yet. I like my time with Miles. I know it’s just his body. His soul is in heaven but I feel closer to him there.
The Road To Forgiveness Page 14