Baby Love Lite

by ANDREA SMITH

  Trey was starting to piss me off. That wasn't a good thing for a couple on their wedding night I presumed.

  “For the last time, a family bed isn't about separation anxiety. You’ve already told me ‘no’ so why are you bringing it up again?”

  “It’s not just that; what about you not wanting to be away from her even for our honeymoon? We fought about that, remember?”

  Of course, I remembered. It had only been last week, for Chrissake. All I'd done was mention that it might be better to take Preston with us to Tybee Island rather than have to pump my breasts five times a day for the three days prior to leaving and then ‘pump and dump’ eight times a day for the two days we were gone.

  Trey had exploded when I'd mentioned it. He made me feel like some sort of "Mommy Dearest" control freak. It hadn't gone well. I'd given him the silent treatment for the better part of a day. In the end, he'd put his foot down again on that one.

  “I just think it may be something to discuss with your doctor. It could be some form of post-partum stress or depression.”

  “Trey, I'm not going to let you make me feel like some kind of nut job because I love my baby and I worry about her. Why do you think that's so abnormal?”

  “I’m sorry I brought it up,” he replied, raking his hand through his just-fucked hair. “It’s our wedding night, baby. Let’s not argue, okay?”

  “You started the shit,” I snapped.

  “Come on,” he said reaching his hand down for me to take his, “let’s go shower, Mrs. Sinclair.”

  I looked up at him seeing his warm and loving smile. I knew that he only cared and worried about me. Maybe I did have an attachment issue, but it was only because I loved Preston so much. I hadn’t told Trey about my recent dreams. They were the reason I didn’t want to leave Preston for any length of time. I smiled up at my gorgeous husband, taking his hand and letting him pull me into the bathroom where we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the shower.

  CHAPTER 5

  Trey and I'd returned to the manor the next morning to pack for Tybee Island. I'd been able to nurse Preston one last time before we left, getting my last “fix” with her before we left for two days. I kissed her soft checks again and again.

  Our two days and two nights at Tybee were totally relaxing, romantic and sex-filled. We spent time on the beach, our honeymoon cottage included a very private beach which we thoroughly enjoyed - naked. Trey and I reconnected sexually to heights of passion I'd not imagined possible. We were inseparable. I felt so connected to him once again emotionally and sexually.

  Once we returned to Atlanta, it was business as usual. Trey resumed his hectic schedule at work. Gina and I hung out when possible, and Preston seemed to be growing and changing on a daily basis. I celebrated my 22nd birthday with Trey and the baby at home.

  Trey had, once again, put his foot down and said that Preston was old enough to be sleeping in the crib in her own room. He moved the baby monitor to her room and she commenced sleeping in her crib there, much to my dismay. Trey was good about hearing her through the night. He took responsibility for getting up and going to get her from her room, bringing her to our bed so that she could nurse. He made sure once she'd finished nursing she was carried back to her own bed and tucked in. I missed having her fall asleep with us after nursing, but Trey was concerned that one of us might inadvertently roll over onto her. He also took advantage of the fact that once I was awakened for her feedings we could squeeze some sex in right afterward.

  It was the second week of August. Trey had just celebrated his 32nd birthday; Preston was a little over three months old. Gina had called earlier that morning, asking if Preston and I wanted to join her for lunch. I suggested that she come over to the apartment and I'd make lunch.

  The truth was I didn’t like taking the baby out in the August heat in Georgia. She'd been out over the past few days while I ran errands, went shopping and drove out to our house under construction to meet with a decorator.

  Preston had a mild case of prickly heat on her bottom and the back of her neck. I'd been putting her in cloth diapers and pretty much letting her go without a shirt trying to get it cleared up.

  I bathed Preston, putting some calamine lotion and a light dusting of a cornstarch-based powder on her diaper area. She was developing her own little personality now. Like Mommy, she loved her baths and loved it when I rubbed her skin with lotion. I was putting calamine lotion on her bottom at the moment. She was smiling and gurgling, trying her best to grab her feet that were up in the air while I was putting the cloth diaper up under her bottom. My cell phone rang. I quickly raised the sides on her changing table and pulled my phone out of the pocket of my shorts.

  “Mrs. Sinclair?” The voice on the other end wasn't familiar to me.

  “Yes,” I responded, “this is Tylar Sinclair.”

  “Mrs. Sinclair, this is Cathy, Jean Harris’s daughter calling. I’m afraid there’s been an accident. My mother is in intensive care. I wanted to let you know on account of she won’t be coming in to work for you until further notice.”

  “Oh, my God,” I breathed. “Cathy, what happened?”

  Cathy explained that Jean had been on her way home from our apartment the previous evening. Apparently, as she got off of the bus that took her from our neighborhood to hers and started across the street, a car careened out of nowhere hitting her. Jean had rolled off of the hood of the car onto the street. The car had fled and no one had been around close enough to get the license plate numbers. The car was simply described as a newer model SUV of some type. The color was white. Not much to go on for certain.

  I asked Cathy the extent of Jean’s injuries. All that she knew for sure was that Jean had a broken shoulder, a broken leg, several broken ribs and a head injury, which had rendered her comatose for the time being. Cathy said that the doctors had hope that the swelling would go down in the next week or so. I asked that Cathy keep me posted as to her mother’s condition and I got her room number at the hospital. I was reeling with shock. How could something that terrible happen to someone so sweet like Jean? What kind of monster would simply drive off?

  The truth was that since I'd been home since Preston's arrival, I'd really come to depend on Jean’s help with her those three days per week she was scheduled. The things that came up with the new house, as well as handling the bills, shopping and running errands for Trey had been made possible because Jean was more than willing to watch Preston on the days that she was scheduled at our apartment. I couldn't think of anyone else that I'd trust with Preston other than Jean or family.

  My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Preston start to fuss. I finished dressing her for Gina’s visit putting her in a cute little yellow sun suit. I lifted my freshly diapered and dressed baby from the changing table and cuddled her against me. I was rattled from the news about Jean. Preston had taken well to Jean. She'd been a big help to me in many ways.

  I headed to the living room, baby in arms. We settled on the couch as I turned the television on with the remote. I got her situated for her feeding. There was something very unsettling about the whole incident. I realized that things like that happened every day, particularly in large cities but this just seemed so random and yet close.

  Once Preston finished feeding, she drifted off to sleep. I placed her into the crib in her bedroom and decided to phone Trey to let him know about Jean. I talked to Tonya; Trey was in depositions. She promised she'd have him phone home as soon as he was free. I went to the kitchen and started making chicken salad for our lunch. I'd been tempted to call Gina and re-schedule but decided I needed the company of a friend right now. Right after I'd finished making the chicken salad and had just put the croissants into the oven to warm, Trey phoned me back. His voice had the uncanny ability to soothe and calm me.

  “How’s my baby?” he greeted me when I answered the phone.

  “Oh, she’s down for the count at the moment. I expect she'll be waking up any time now.”

  “I
meant you, baby,” he said in his smooth and silky voice. My heart fluttered.

  “Not so well,” I admitted. “I had a phone call earlier from Jean’s daughter Cathy. Jean was hit by a hit-and-run driver last evening as she crossed her street from the bus stop. She's in intensive care.”

  “Oh, God, that’s horrible,” he replied. “How bad is she?”

  I relayed to him everything that Cathy had relayed to me. Trey said he would phone the hospital and the police precinct to see if any new information had come in. He instructed me to relax and stay calm. He asked if Gina was still coming over. He seemed to relax when I told him the plans for lunch were still on. I could tell Trey knew I was stressed about the thing with Jean. “I'll be home on time this evening, baby,” he assured me. “We’ll talk more then, okay?”

  “Okay,” I replied.

  “Hey, I love you,” he said softly.

  “I love you, too,” I replied.

  “Give ‘Bobbin’ a kiss from Daddy, okay?”

  “I will,” I said, smiling.

  Right after I'd gotten off of the phone with Trey, the doorman buzzed letting me know that Gina was on her way up. When I opened the door to Gina I knew immediately something was wrong. She had her sunglasses on inside of the building. “What is it, Gina?”

  “I caught Ian fucking around on me,” she said unable to hold the tears back. “I'm going to kill him and the bitch!”

  “Oh my God, Gina, what are you talking about?”

  I grabbed her hand pulling her over to sit down. I'd never seen Gina distraught about anything. The fact that Ian would cheat on her was unfathomable to me. He seemed so totally devoted to her. The same way that Trey was devoted to me.

  “We’ve had problems in the bedroom,” she admitted.

  “Since when?” I asked totally dumbfounded.

  “Since we’ve been trying to get pregnant and not being able to,” she sobbed. “I know that I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on Ian to go to his doctor and get checked. It’s just that having the man checked first is way easier than having fertility testing done on a woman. My own doctor told me that.”

  I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

  “Ian has been putting it off and putting it off. He’s too busy at the club, or let’s give it another month - always another fucking excuse.”

  She stopped to get a tissue out of her purse to wipe her nose. “Anyway, last night I knew he had to close the club so I thought I'd surprise him and go there at closing wearing nothing under my trench coat except some edible undies I bought in his favorite flavor. I get to the club and David the bartender is cleaning up downstairs. He tells me that Ian is up in his office going over the nightly receipts. I go up to his office and he’s in there all right. He sure as hell wasn’t counting any receipts though!”

  At this point Gina broke out into loud sobbing. “He was on the couch in his office humping Shelly, the upstairs bartender who is like 21 years old!”

  “Oh, my God! I'm so sorry. What did you do?”

  “I freaked out, naturally. I called him every name in the book and then turned to the skank and wished her luck. I told her not to worry about birth control because the fucker was shooting blanks! Then I left, went home and packed his suitcase. I left it on the front stoop. Do you think Trey will represent me in my divorce?”

  “Slow down,” I advised. “Don’t do anything rash, just yet.”

  “What the hell, Tylar? Do you mean to tell me that if you caught Trey with his bare ass up in the air slamming his dick into some random chick you wouldn’t beat a fast path to a lawyer?”

  “Trey would never . . .”

  I realized how that sounded to someone who had never considered that her husband was capable of such an act of betrayal, either.

  “Excuse me, Tylar; I don’t mean to burst your happy balloon here but don’t you think that I'd that same kind of trust with Ian?”

  “I’m sorry; of course you did. I’m just totally shocked by this. I mean you're right. You had every reason to trust Ian just as much as I trust Trey. Is it possible that he was just caught at a weak moment? Is your marriage worth saving? What about counseling?”

  “I can’t exist in a marriage where my trust has been shattered. Maybe some women can but to use your line: I don’t roll that way!”

  She started sobbing again. I hugged her and listened to her as she ranted and raved and then cried again.

  “Do you want to stay here with Trey and me for a few days, Gina? You know, maybe if you just put some time and distance between you and Ian, you can get some perspective.”

  “Why do I need perspective?”

  “Well, because you know Ian has to come home sooner or later at some point when he feels you've cooled off and aren’t likely to pull a Lorena Bobbitt on him.”

  For the first time I saw a flicker of amusement cross her face. “No, Ty, I need to be at our condo. Ian might change the locks and then I'll be shit out of luck.”

  I knew that Ian would never do that. So did Gina. Deep down inside, Gina wanted some type of explanation from Ian, something to assure her that his infidelity wasn't about her sexual prowess or attractiveness. “Do you want to stay and have dinner with us? I mean, Trey doesn’t practice family law, but I’m sure he can recommend an attorney at his firm if that's the path you really want to take.”

  “Thanks, Ty, but I don’t think that I could handle having the Hot Nazi feeling sorry for me. He might actually be pleasant to me and I know that would piss me off. My emotions are just too raw right now. I'd appreciate you speaking to him and getting a referral for me.”

  “Of course I will! I'll be here for you just as you've always been there for me. Have you talked to your mom about this?’

  “No way. I asked Aunt Becky to do it. If you thought I had an East coast temper, you should see my mom’s! It’s better if she hears the news from Aunt Becky.”

  Gina and I finally had lunch though she didn’t eat much. She was totally destroyed by this and I'd have been the same way had it been me.

  Trey was home promptly at 6:00 p.m. I'd just started dinner. He found me in the kitchen and pulled me into his strong arms, holding me tightly. I was totally out of sorts with the day that I had.

  “How are you, baby?” he asked.

  “Bad day all around,” I said. “Were you able to find out anything more about Jean?”

  “Not really,” he replied. “One witness said it was a late model SUV and appeared to have out-of-state license plates. He said it was as if the driver swerved to make sure that he hit Jean. It makes no sense.”

  “I’m still in shock,” I said. “What if she doesn’t pull through?"

  “Hey, don’t think like that, honey! Jean's a strong woman. I called her daughter Cathy this afternoon and the doctors are very optimistic that she'll recover.”

  “I hope so. I feel so guilty. I’m not sure why.”

  Trey pulled back from me, tilting my chin upward to kiss me softly on the lips. “Sweetie, you've no reason to feel guilty about anything. It was a random act of some sort. It has nothing to do with you or me, okay?”

  I nodded but I wasn't convinced that he was right. Something about this had my stomach tied in knots of fear. There was something personal about it, though I wasn’t sure how it could possibly be linked to Trey or to me. “I've more bad news, I’m afraid.”

  Trey looked over at me, taking a peeled carrot from the cutting board to snack on as he waited for the news.

  “When Gina came for lunch today she was devastated. She caught Ian in the act of cheating with one of his young female employees. She's beside herself. She asked if you'd represent her in divorce proceedings.”

  “Hmmph,” he grunted, “I'd be more inclined to represent Ian - pro bono.”

  “What?” I snapped. “This isn’t a joke, Trey. He's freaking destroyed her.”

  “Oh, come on! You don’t think in Gina’s own way she hasn't emasculated him over the years? It was just a matter of time
before Ian discovered he had some balls.”

  “What the hell are you saying? Do you actually think that there's any excuse for cheating?”

  “I didn't say that, Tylar. Look, let’s not argue about Gina and Ian’s business, okay?”

  I didn’t answer him, continuing to peel vegetables for our salad.

  “Where’s ‘Chubbers’?” he asked, clearly wanting to change the subject. Trey had taken to referring to her now as "Chubbers". I didn't care for the nickname. My baby was at a healthy weight.

  “Don’t call her that,” I reminded him again. “She’s in her crib napping. I put her down about an hour ago. Would you look in on her?”

  “I’d be happy to do that,” he said heading down the hall to check on Preston. I knew he would end up waking her up. Several minutes later he reappeared cradling her in his arms.

  “Tylar,” he said in a serious tone.

  I looked up at him from where I'd continued chopping up carrots for our salads. Preston gave me a dimpled grin from her vantage point against Trey’s chest.

  “I changed her diaper just now. What’s with the rash that she still has on her bottom? Why aren’t you doing anything for it?”

  I didn’t know what it was. Perhaps it was the stress over what I'd just learned about Jean; perhaps it was Trey’s cavalier attitude about Ian’s cheating on Gina or maybe it was the repetitive nightmares that I'd been having about losing Preston. All I knew was that in that nanosecond I lost it. “What the hell!” I screamed, startling both Trey and the baby as I slammed the knife down on the chopping block.

  I saw Preston’s little face scrunch up in tears; her thumb went immediately into her mouth.

  She buried her face into Trey’s chest and whimpered against him. Trey gathered her closer to him as if he was protecting her from me - the enemy. This was so unfamiliar to her. It was unfamiliar to all of us.

  “I take good care of my baby!” I yelled. “Who are you to tell me otherwise?” I pushed past Trey and Preston, tossing the dish towel I'd wiped my hands with back behind me where it floated to the floor.