The One That Matters

by Elle Linder

  “Is everything okay here?” Seth interrupted.

  Craig turned around to see a huge, towering man standing behind him.

  “Marie, is this Craig?” His gaze was hard on Craig.

  “He was just leaving. Craig, be sure to look over the schedule I sent you. If there are additional days you’d like with Jackson, email me your request.”

  Craig stared at her with disdain, and his jaw clenched hard. “My request? You have some nerve. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer. The way you seem to have men in and out of your house might make some think you’re taking on extracurricular activities to pay for your new look. No child should have to live this way.” He fumed, as he walked out of the house.

  “Wow, you had described him perfectly. What an asshole.” Seth huffed. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, but I’m shaking inside.”

  He moved to hug her, but she put her hand to his chest stopping him.

  “No.” He stepped back.

  “Friends can hug, you know?”

  “I know, but you want to be more than friends and I’m in love with Parker. Thank you for coming when you did.” She took a deep breath. “It feels good to stand up to him, but as you could see, he didn’t like it.”

  “No kidding. I was out taking a walk when I saw him at your door. Figured I should stop by just in case.” He smiled. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

  “No, but thanks. I have stuff to do around here. Maybe I’ll see you in the gym tomorrow morning.”

  “Sure thing. Have a good evening.”

  Marie closed the door and leaned against it. She inhaled, then exhaled holding her stomach and locked the door. Craig was definitely pissed and there was no doubt in her mind he would be calling his lawyer. Extracurricular activities? What in the hell was he talking about, paying for her new look? And what does he mean, ‘no child should have to live this way?’ Was he calling her a prostitute?? “Is he going to lie to his lawyer and the judge?” She wished more than anything Parker was home.

  Marie anticipated another lonely Friday night. She poured herself a glass of wine and went out onto her patio. The romance novel she had yet to start reading stared up at her. She picked it up and opened the book, then immediately tossed it back on the table. She had her own romance going on and didn’t need a book to get her through the night anymore. It was going to be a long forty-eight hours.

  Their trip to Idaho couldn’t come soon enough so she could have a full week with Parker. Just thinking about what that meant caused her to tingle. She lifted the glass to her lips and paused. Then she put down the glass and grabbed her phone. Opening the calendar on her phone, she began counting the days when the phone rang.

  “Parker! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again today.”

  “Hi, baby. I wanted to know how it went with Craig.”

  She smiled. “You’re the sweetest. Unfortunately, he was as awful as he was before you were around.”

  “What did he say?”

  She paused. “Craig thinks Jackson is suffering being with me because I have ‘extracurricular activities’ going on in my life, so I can afford my new look.”

  “What?”

  “He basically called me a prostitute. He didn’t say prostitute, but implied it.”

  “That son-of-a-bitch! Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, Seth stepped in when he was getting hot under the collar.”

  “Seth? Why was he there?” There was a sudden tone of irritation in Parker’s voice.

  “He wasn’t here. He was walking by and saw Craig up in my face. As soon as Craig left, so did Seth. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “I’m not worried, but I hate that I wasn’t there for you.”

  “I have to be able to handle Craig without you because you can’t always be my protector…although I love it when you are.”

  “I want nothing more than to protect you, baby. Did anything else happen?”

  “He also demanded to have Jackson for Thanksgiving and I told him ‘no,’ and that he could have him next year because we already have plans this year.”

  “You stood up to him! I’m so proud of you!”

  “Yeah well, he called me a bitch and that’s when he brought up the lawyer.”

  “He’s a piece of work. I hate him!” Parker snapped. “Are you going to be okay? I’ll be home in six days. Damn, that’s a long time still.” His voice fell.

  “I’ll be okay. I’m missing you a ton. I think I may take a bath tonight…I need you.” He groaned. She smiled, loving the effect she had on him.

  “You have no idea how much I want to join you.”

  “Mmm, I want you to join me too. In my imagination, you’ll be there. I’ll feel your hands on my body, your lips on mine and your fingers in me…yes, it will be you, handsome.”

  “Damn baby, you have me hard just listening to you. I can’t wait to have you for a whole week. And I seriously want to talk about our living arrangements.”

  “You’re amazing. We’ll talk after you get back. I should let you go. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Marie ended the call and the calendar was on her screen again. Unbelievable.

  Shaking her head, she took her glass of wine inside and locked the sliding glass door. She poured the wine into the sink, washed the glass, dried it, and put it away in the cabinet.

  Chapter 21

  Life-Changing

  When Jackson returned from his weekend with Craig, he wasn’t himself. It surprised Marie when Craig didn’t follow Jackson through the door like he did every other time. The unusual occurrence piqued her interest, prompting her to question Jackson about the visit.

  “Did you have fun with your dad and Sasha?”

  “It was fine.” Jackson avoided eye contact with her. It was clear he was bothered by something, given his quiet and slightly detached behavior. If this were before Parker entered their lives, she wouldn’t have thought twice about it. Jackson was always in a dumpy mood back then, but now, this was not normal and it concerned Marie.

  “Wanna tell me about it?” she prodded.

  “No.” He carried his duffle up to his room, leaving Marie confused.

  On her daily call with Parker, she filled him in on Jackson’s solemn mood. Her mother’s intuition told her something had happened at Craig’s. She asked Parker to text Jackson to see what he could find out. To her disappointment, Parker came back empty handed. Whatever happened, Jackson wasn’t telling anybody. Parker reassured her they would, in due time, find out. But she didn’t like that answer. Short of calling Craig, what could she do?

  During the remainder of the week, Marie busied herself preparing for Idaho. It helped the week fly by, but it also wore her out. There was no way she could ignore the extreme exhaustion that plagued her. She hoped it was just a fluke, like her late period.

  If this was perimenopause, the timing couldn’t be worse. Nothing like shining a big light on her age when she was finally feeling vibrant and alive. Rather than overthink the situation, she’d wait for Parker to return from Budapest, or for ‘Aunt Flo’ to show up. The latter would be ideal, wouldn’t it? She was conflicted. They hadn’t talked about kids. What if Parker didn’t want children?

  For now, Parker’s return was her highest priority. Today’s four o’clock call was the last one from Budapest, then he’d be coming home. Marie’s excitement had kept her preoccupied all day, and she could hardly focus on work.

  “Parker, it’s driving me crazy not knowing what happened at Craig’s. What if Jackson never opens up about it?”

  “We’ll find out. Maybe he’s like his mom and needs time to process,” he teased.

  “Ha-ha, very funny. God, I miss you.”

  “Soon, baby, just one more day. Are you sure you don’t want me to sneak into your house when I get into town?”

  “You know I do. But I have to work Friday and Jackson has school, and you’d be a wonderful distraction I wouldn’t be able to ig
nore.”

  “Yeah, I knew you’d say that, but I had to try. We can handle one more day. Then I never want to be apart from you again. A week with you in Idaho is just a tease. I’d like you to consider staying with me during Jackson’s winter break.”

  “For two weeks? You know, I still have to work.”

  “I know, and Jackson can stay with Vicky and me. I’ll have a lot of time off and we’ll hang out while you’re at work.”

  “Hmm, I’ll consider it. I know Jackson would love to hang out with you. And I’d love to go to bed with you every night,” she said with a wistful hum.

  “We can make that happen permanently. Just say the word.”

  “What are you saying? Is this your proposal or are you asking me to move in?” she teased.

  “No, this is not my proposal. But, are you saying you’d say, yes?” Parker asked, sounding hopeful.

  She giggled.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” His voice melted her.

  “We haven’t even talked about kids, like if you want them? Or if I’m too old? Or what we’d do with Jackson if I go on location with you.”

  “Baby, you’re not too old. I’d love to have a baby with you. Do you want another baby?”

  She touched her stomach knowing she was late. “I want it all with you.”

  “Okay, I think one more day is going to be too long. I want to kiss you so bad and I want to get planning right away. I want you and Jackson on location with me the next time I come to Budapest.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to see you.”

  “I’ll text you when I arrive. I love you, baby.”

  “I love you too. Bye.” Marie sat at her desk smiling. If she was indeed pregnant she knew Parker would want to get married right away. Christmas would be a perfect time, with her parents out for a visit. She sighed dreamily…just one more day.

  Later that evening while Marie packed she heard Jackson talking in his room rather loudly. She quietly crept to his door to eavesdrop on his conversation.

  “No Ricky, when a person has a miscarriage, the baby died. I’m not getting a little brother or sister.” He went silent.

  A miscarriage? Was he talking about Sasha? She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  Jackson continued, “It was a crappy visit, with Sasha crying the whole weekend. My dad kept promising her they could adopt and that I’ll live with them full-time so she could be a mother to me.” He was silent again, likely listening to Ricky.

  Marie rubbed her stomach. She was stunned, as she continued to listen with her ear pressed against the door.

  “No, I don’t want to live with them. I want to stay with my mom and Parker. My dad doesn’t really want me. He only wants to make Sasha happy. He’s always about Sasha. At least my mom and Parker love me.” Jackson was silent again. “Yeah, I’d like a baby brother or sister.” Marie backed away from the door, utterly shocked by the one-sided conversation.

  Sasha had a miscarriage? They want Jackson full-time?

  Back in her room, she paced, not knowing what to think or who to call. No, there was no one to call. She’d wait for Parker and they’d figure it out together. No panicking this time. Craig would not get Jackson full-time. She resumed packing her things but the fact that she was twenty days late occupied her mind until her phone rang. It was an unknown number, but she answered anyway.

  “Hello.”

  “Marie, it’s Nancy. How are you?” Parker’s mother asked.

  “Nancy, so nice to hear from you. I’m good. How are you and Peter?”

  “We’re both fantastic and looking forward to seeing you and the kids for Thanksgiving, which is what I’m calling about.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes, the last couple of years Parker has hired a chef to cook our meals. I know he does it so we can spend time together and no one is stuck in the kitchen, but I want to cook the meal like I always have. So, I’m calling to ask you to be my ally.” Nancy and Marie both laughed. “See, if you’re on board with preparing the Thanksgiving meal, he’ll listen to you. What do you say?”

  “Well, I’ve always cooked the meal too, so I’m on board. I love how he tries to take care of everyone, but sometimes he needs to be taken care of.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. So, when does Parker get home?”

  “Late tonight. I’ll see him tomorrow afternoon.” They chatted for a while and planned the Thanksgiving menu together. Nancy volunteered to do all the shopping. Marie’s excitement grew with the phone call. It was going to be a great week.

  By nine o’clock, Marie was done for the day. The last several days she had been asleep by nine. This night was proving to be no different, except she wanted to stay up to hear from Parker that he had arrived safely. Once she kissed Jackson goodnight, she waited anxiously in bed for his text.

  At midnight, Marie woke, startled after nodding off. She reached for her phone on the nightstand and was surprised there wasn’t a message from Parker. It wasn’t like him not to text, so she texted him.

  Marie: Hi handsome, you didn’t text me. Is everything ok? Or did you forget?

  She waited for a reply and fell asleep.

  Marie popped up in bed and looked at the clock—7am. “Oh my gosh, I overslept.” She rushed into Jackson’s room. He was still asleep. “Jackson, wake up honey. It’s Friday. After today we get a week-long vacation.” She stroked his head.

  As he stirred, she noticed a peculiar smell. She walked around his room in search of the foul odor and found a cereal bowl with curdled milk on the desk among his school books. She bolted for the bathroom. Into the toilet, she heaved and gagged…and she knew.

  “Mom, are you okay? You’re not getting sick, are you? Our trip!”

  “I’ll be fine. Go get ready for school. We’re going to be late,” she urged him. Marie rinsed her mouth and quickly gathered her clothes to shower.

  In the shower, she touched her breasts. They had been tender, but she thought it was because of her impending period. They also felt heavier. Her body had changed over the last two weeks ridiculously fast. Parker was sure to notice, the second he had her stripped down. He loved her breasts and probably knew them better than she did; she giggled, thinking about how he might react.

  Mere minutes later, she dried off and examined her breasts in the mirror. Yup, there were definite changes. The prominent green veins she’d gotten with both kids were present and her areolas were darkening.

  She shook her head in disbelief as she threw on her clothes as quickly as possible. A baby. A smile stretched across her face while she fixed her hair and applied a little bit of makeup. Were they really going to have a baby? It was hard to believe.

  “Jackson, are you ready?” she called to him from the bathroom. It was 7:40 and they had to get out the door quickly. She had a morning meeting first thing; it was such a bad day to be late.

  “Yeah, are you?” he hollered back.

  “Almost. Meet me downstairs!”

  “Okay!”

  Now that she had acknowledged the changes, she noticed she was not her typical zippy self. The facts she couldn’t ignore—she was late, her breasts were changing, she threw up and she was exhausted. Parker was sure to notice. Parker! She picked up her phone, but there was no text.

  She grabbed her handbag and rushed downstairs. “Let’s go, buddy.” She ushered Jackson into the car. She called Parker from the car and it went straight to voicemail. “Shit!”

  Jackson looked at her, shocked.

  “Sorry.” She grimaced. “I’m just trying to get ahold of Parker.”

  Jackson’s wide eyes softened, and he went back to whatever he was doing on his phone.

  Why hadn’t Parker texted her when he arrived? And why didn’t he answer his phone? Did his flight get delayed? Jackson would be so disappointed if their trip to Idaho were pushed out or shortened. An uneasiness came over her then, turning her stomach queasy. Something was wrong.

  Marie pulled up to the curb in front
of the school and Jackson hopped out. “Have a good day buddy,” she said as she waved. He was five minutes late, which meant she’d be fifteen minutes late with only minutes to dash into her office and gather the documents she’d need for the morning appointment.

  Marie called Parker again and it went straight voicemail. She didn’t know who to call that would know his whereabouts or any problems he might have with his flight. This could be an emergency and Marie didn’t have anyone’s phone number. Why didn’t she have anyone’s phone number?

  “Oh my gosh, Brooke! I could call Brooke! Hopefully, Dave knows how to get in touch with him.” She called Brooke, trying to keep control and not panic.

  “Hi Marie, what a surprise.”

  “Brooke, I need your help,” she blurted out. So much for maintaining control and not panicking.

  “Marie, what’s wrong?”

  “I haven’t heard from Parker. It’s not like him not to message me or call, especially when he said he would. He was supposed to arrive from Budapest last night at ten. Brooke, he hasn’t texted me. When I woke up this morning there was still nothing from him.”

  “Oh honey, that doesn’t sound like him at all.”

  “I know. I called him this morning and it went straight to voicemail. I don’t know who to contact and I’m starting to worry. Can you ask Dave to help me? Please, Brooke, something is wrong. I just know it!”

  “Of course, we’ll help you, but Marie, you need to stay calm. I can hear you getting worked up. Don’t overreact, honey. Let me call Dave at work and I’ll call you right back, okay?”

  “Mhmm, please hurry. I don’t know if I’ll be able to work until I know Parker’s okay.”

  “Yes, I’ll hurry.”

  Marie tried her best to stay in control, but she struggled. It wasn’t like Parker to go so long without talking to her. Something was wrong, and she felt it in her bones. The weight of the large smoked-glass door overpowered her as she pushed it open like it was a solid steel wall. As each second passed the fears she carried within her made her weak.