Something Forever

by M. Clarke

  Becky reached for me and held me tightly. “It’s okay, Jenna. Things will work out. Max will embrace his baby.”

  Nodding to agree, I cried harder. After I let it all out in Becky’s arms, I wiped my tears and gathered myself. “Sorry, Becky. I’m happy that I can get pregnant, but I’m also worried. Even if Max and I were married, he didn’t want to have children right away. He wanted us to travel the world and have an adventure before we started a family.”

  Holding my hand, Beck led me to the sofa. “You don’t always get what you want. Sometimes, life just happens and you have to make new plans. Nobody is prepared for the unexpected. Knowing Max, he will be a great father. You’re already engaged, so there is no reason to be ashamed about this news.”

  Sniffing, I wiped my tears. “To tell you the truth, I think I’m excited, but at the same time I’m really scared. This is a life changing moment.” I paused and ran my hand down my face. “How do I tell my parents? They are going to flip.”

  Becky leaned closer to me. “Your parents are cool. Give them some credit. Plus, you said your mom had a difficult time conceiving you. Maybe she’ll be relieved that you can get pregnant.”

  I smiled to let her know that I agreed. Part of me knew my parents would be okay with this, especially since Max and I were engaged. Peering down at my huge, sparkling diamond ring, my mind went back to that day he proposed to me. Thank God he had. If he had asked me afterward, I would’ve thought he was asking me out of obligation.

  “So...what’s the news?” Nicole asked.

  “Are you moving in with Max? Wait.” Kate looked confused. “You practically live with him, so that can’t be it.”

  “Hurry, Jenna. You’re driving me crazy. You know I’m not good with waiting.” Nicole laughed, but she was serious. She leaned from the opposite side, staring at me as if the words were printed on my face and she would be ready to read them.

  “I’m pregnant.” There, I said it. I finally said it.

  Silence.

  More silence.

  Kate stared at me like I’d just told her that I was an alien, and Nicole simply looked dumbfounded.

  “Oh my God! Jenna, I’m so happy for you.” Kate finally opened her mouth, but her tone betrayed her words. She appeared more worried than happy for me.

  Nicole looked like the news was finally sinking in. “That’s wonderful...right?” Her words confirmed my expression wasn’t a jovial one.

  “Yes, of course it is,” Becky intervened. “It’s all good. Kate was pregnant before she got married.”

  “Max proposed to you even before knowing, so that’s great,” Kate threw in. She got up and walked around to give me a genuine hug, and so did Nicole.

  Kate raised her glass to toast, but stopped. “Wait, does Max know?”

  “Not yet. I planned to tell him when I got back.”

  Silence.

  “You didn’t tell him?” Kate whispered. “I mean...you’re going to tell him, right?”

  “Of course she is.” Becky sounded upset. She glanced at Kate with her brows raised, questioning her choice of words.

  “Sorry, Jenna. I didn’t mean to ask so many questions. It’s just that I remember being so nervous to tell Craig. He didn’t take it well at first, but he came around. I’m sure Max will be different.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  I hoped so.

  Chapter 5

  Becky

  All dressed up—in high heels and dresses that could turn guys’ heads—we were ready to party the night away. Getting into our limo, we took pictures and sent them to Max and Matthew to thank them. I even sent a picture of just myself to Matthew. He texted me back, telling me to change into sweats, and I had to laugh at that. In reply, Matthew sent me a picture back of his frowning face. It was too adorable.

  I’ll be there tomorrow, I texted.

  Waiting for you. Have fun and be safe. I’ll be hanging out with my boring one and only brother.

  No surprise visit tonight?

  You didn’t know I had a secret side job, did ya?

  What? Lol!

  I’m one of the Chippendale dancers. It’s my shift tonight. I’ll dance for you.

  Hahaha!

  You hurt my feelings. You don’t think I could be one?

  You have the body for it.

  Good answer.

  You can dance for me privately when I come back home.

  I can’t wait. I won’t even take money from you.

  I’m not sure what I did right, but I couldn’t believe Matthew and I were together. Not that I didn’t deserve a guy like him, it’s just that a guy like him was hard to come by. Never would I have imagined finding a guy who was good looking, had a great career, and knew how to treat a woman. He was a fabulous package, one that I hoped to keep forever.

  Looking at us with teary eyes, Nicole passed out the champagne glasses to toast. We all had alcohol in ours except for Jenna....hers was filled with apple cider. “Thank you to my best friends. My life wouldn’t be the same without you. You fill my heart with happiness. When I need someone to lift me up, you are all there for me. And for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Love you all to pieces.”

  “Love you, too, Nicole,” Kate said. “May you and Keith forever hold on to the happiness you both deserve.”

  “Ditto,” I bellowed. Kate had taken the words out of my mouth.

  “I can’t wait for you and Keith to finally get married,” Jenna said. “Only a month away.”

  After we toasted, our limo driver blasted the music for us. We were headed to dinner to meet Nicole’s friends. “Whoo hoo!” Nicole shouted. “I’m going to get blasted tonight.” She gulped down her drink and asked for another. Nicole was good at holding her liquor, so I didn’t worry.

  Jenna looked a little spacy, so I nudged her. “You okay?”

  “Just a little nauseous. I hope it doesn’t get worse.” She took a few more sips of her drink. Poor Jenna, she’d hardly eaten during brunch. I knew it was worse than she was letting on; it was the way she was. She was worried that she would ruin the fun, so she was trying her best to hide how miserable she felt. I knew her best...Nicole and Kate had no clue.

  “Look.” Jenna showed me her phone. It was a picture of Max with a frown face. He had sent her a picture of himself just like Matthew had done. I laughed out loud and showed Jenna the picture I’d gotten from Matthew.

  “They’re having dinner together,” I told her, but she already knew that. “If you need to leave early, don’t be afraid to let me know. I can tell you’re not feeling well.”

  Jenna took another sip and gave me a sideways hug. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll let you know if I can’t handle it. I could use a little distraction.” Jenna started laughing, shifting her eyes to Nicole and Kate. They were singing, moving to the beat of the music, and laughing like crazy. I couldn’t help but laugh, too.

  “And people think I’m the loud one,” I said to Jenna.

  “They just don’t know you like I do,” she replied.

  Jenna was right. Not only did I get lucky in the “finding the right guy” department, I was lucky in the “finding a best friend” department. No one knew me the way Jenna did. I hoped I was just as good a friend to her.

  Getting out of the limo was a trip. Nicole and Kate gave us a show, giggling and saying funny things that made no sense whatsoever. Jenna held onto Kate, while I held onto Nicole. Thank God I didn’t drink—I had my own reasons not to—because I couldn’t imagine Jenna taking care of the three of us.

  Nicole’s friends were already waiting for us at Taos. I had heard of this place before. The ambiance was amazing, decorated with Asian culture items and fixtures. I felt like I was actually dining in one of the finest restaurants in China. Being that we were a large group, we were seated in the corner. Luckily, the space allowed us to have some privacy.

  After the introduction and greetings, we ordered our food and held small conversations. Looking at Nicole, I saw that
she was smiling and having a great time. I was so happy that everything was going as smoothly as planned. I was worried about how we would fit in with her other group of friends, but they were nice and friendly. It made the gathering that much more pleasant. Kate checked her phone now and then, most likely checking on Kristen.

  After dinner, we all hopped back in our limo, including Nicole’s friends. I took a bunch of pictures with my cell phone. When one of Nicole’s friends took out stacks of dollar bills, we started laughing like crazy.

  “I’m ready for tonight,” she said, fanning them in front of her.

  Shoot! Bringing dollar bills hadn’t even crossed my mind. I knew Jenna didn’t bother to bring any, so I didn’t even ask. However, I was surprisingly wrong. Looking at me with the most innocent smile, she handed some to me. With my eyes practically popping out, my jaw on the floor, I couldn’t help myself...I laughed out loud.

  Jenna shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t know if you’d brought any.”

  “It didn’t cross my mind. I heard about it, but I figured tonight was for Nicole, not me. I can’t believe you went out of your way to get all of these dollar bills.”

  “Actually, Max gave them to me.”

  Unbelievable! “What? Seriously?”

  Jenna let out a small chuckle. “He wanted me to think of him every time I used one.”

  “Max, Max, Max.” I shook my head, but I loved it. He was possessive in ways you couldn’t get mad at him for. I was surprised Matthew hadn’t done the same thing.

  By the time we passed through traffic, everyone except for Jenna and I were tipsy. Our group was loud as we stood in line, and we were even louder when we got inside.

  It was crowded. I had never seen so many women in the same room all at once. When the show started, not only did loud music fill the air, but women’s screams and shouts for the men strutting along the stage echoed all around us.

  It was hard not to stare at the muscular men with nicely defined pecs, grinding their hips and posing to the music. Women ran to the stage and looped their dollar bills around their G-string thongs. Some men came out as doctors, firemen, or businessmen, but fully clothed. They would slowly strip their way down to their very toned asses.

  One of the strippers went directly to Nicole and tossed her plastic wedding veil off her head. Laying her down on the table, he pretended to be fucking her. It happened so fast, but we were spellbound by him...we didn’t know what the heck was going on. Oh my God! He seemed to make women around him want to drop their panties.

  I had to admit, he was beautiful. With a toned body and ripped muscles that would be found on a perfect man, he was the complete package. Lifting Nicole’s hand, he placed it on his chest and ran her hand down to his thigh. I swear I thought I heard Nicole whimper and gasp hard. She was going to dream of this tonight...if she was sober enough.

  Looking at the women watching as their eyes grow wide, I was pretty sure they were wishing he was doing it to them. When I turned to Jenna, her expression was the same, but she stepped behind me when the stripper looked directly at her; I didn’t blame her. She probably thought he would go to her next. And sure enough, he got off Nicole and headed toward Jenna, but one of Nicole’s friends grabbed him. She was a willing participant he gladly took instead.

  As much as I was enjoying being with my friends, now that I was dating the man of my dreams, it didn’t seem right. Though I wasn’t participating, or screaming and lusting for these men, a part of me felt guilty. I wouldn’t want Matthew to be in a room full of almost naked women parading around for him to lust over. Now I understood why he didn’t want me to go.

  Chippendales were not all that they were cracked up to be, not that I was expecting much in the first place. If I were single, the experience might have been different. Nicole and her single friends had a blast, and that was all that mattered. After the show ended, we dropped off Nicole’s friends at their hotel and went back to ours.

  Chapter 6

  Jenna

  It was late afternoon when we finally arrived home. The first thing I smelled was the sweet fragrance of roses. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me until I saw a couple of vases full of the fragrant flowers on our dining table. Not only there, but also in the kitchen, on the coffee table, and in our bedrooms. I was just glad the fragrance of them didn’t make me want to vomit.

  “That was so sweet of them,” Becky gushed.

  While Becky texted again, most likely to Matthew, I dropped my purse on the dining chair and searched for a possible note. There it was. I took out the note that was addressed to me and read it.

  My dearest Jenna,

  Hope you had good time.

  I missed you liked crazy.

  I wanted to welcome you home,

  but I didn’t want to be overbearing

  so I thought roses would do the trick.

  I’m trying to seduce you through this letter.

  Come to me!

  TLKS,

  Max

  My lips spread into a huge smile. I looked up to see Becky’s doing the same while reading her note.

  “I’m going to Max’s place,” I said, caressing the rose petal. Feeling the softness of them always put me in a state of tranquility.

  “You’re going to tell him, right?” Becky gave me a reassuring smile and plopped on the sofa.

  “Yes. I’m going to tell him.” I felt bad that Nicole and Kate knew before Max. Who knew who else would find out before he did? Knowing Kate and Nicole, they probably would tell their significant others. “I’m going to give him a surprise visit and one hell of a surprise he won’t be expecting.”

  “It’ll be fine, Jenna.”

  “I know,” I agreed, but I really wasn’t sure.

  I opened Max’s front door with my set of keys. Before I could even push it open, the door swung so fast that I almost fell. Actually, I did fall...into Max’s arms. I let go of my bag and allowed Max to hold me.

  “I knew you would come.” Max started kissing me all over my face. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too, Max,” I said between his lips on mine. “Maybe I should go away more often.”

  Max gave me a strange look. If his expression could speak, it would say ‘hell no’.

  Taking my hand, he led me to the kitchen. I stood by the entrance while he went straight to the stove. “You came just in time for dinner.” Max stirred whatever was inside of the pot with the wooden spoon. “Did you eat? I’m making beef stew.”

  “You made dinner? You know how to cook?”

  “I know how to, I just don’t do it that often.”

  There was something indescribably sexy about seeing a man cooking. Just watching Max brought out a strong sexual desire within me, especially when Max took the spoon out to take a sip. His lips smacked and then his tongue slid across his lips. Even though he wasn’t trying to be seductive in the least, I saw it that way.

  Little did he know I felt sick to my stomach and food was the last thing on my mind. I’d heard of morning sickness, but whoever thought of the name should reconsider calling it pregnancy sickness. Morning sickness should mean only being sick in the morning. Hell, I was feeling sick all day. Pregnancy was not fun at this point. Regardless, I had to pretend that I was feeling well, at least until I told Max the news.

  “I ate a little,” I lied. “But I can eat with you.”

  Max turned away from the pot to look at me. How he could make cooking so sexy was beyond me. With his disarrayed hair, comfortable cotton shorts, and plain white T-shirt that framed his toned chest, I wanted to eat him. Forget about food!

  “So, what did you do while I was gone?”

  Max raised his brow flirtatiously, and when he spoke, his playful tone was hot and heavy. “If you want to know, come here and get your answer.”

  “Maybe I don’t need an answer,” I teased back.

  “Then maybe I had tons of women at my place and I stripped for them. Not only am I a great singer, I know how to
dance well, too.”

  I frowned at his words. Although I knew he was joking, I didn’t like the idea at all. “Maybe I let one of the dancers touch me.”

  Max’s lips formed into a straight line. “Not funny, Jenna.” He turned away.

  Was he mad? Jealous? Surely he knew I was playing around. I didn’t know what had gotten into me. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones acting up, or maybe it was simply the fact that I missed him more than I would admit. Whatever the reason, I had to have him now.

  “Max.” The words escaped my mouth seductively as I started to unbutton my sweater and wiggle out of my jeans. When Max stopped stirring, I knew I’d gotten his attention. “It’s my turn to surprise you. I promise I didn’t let anyone touch me.”

  No words breathed out of Max’s mouth. In fact, I wasn’t sure he was breathing when he saw me with nothing on but a black lace bra and a G-string. Walking to him seductively, I placed my hands on his chest, and that was all I needed to do.

  Max turned off the fire, lifted me up, and set me on the counter. Sliding between my legs, he pulled me into him. My whole body blazed from our bodies pressing together. “Nobody touches what’s mine,” he growled with heated breath. I could feel the intensity behind his words and his hot breath as he spoke, sending chills down my spine. His possessiveness toward me always turned me on.

  “Want a taste of my delicious beef?” His lips curled up into a sexy smirk.

  I knew he meant the beef stew, but there was a double entendre behind it. Before I could say a word, he placed his finger in my mouth and slowly pulled it out.

  “You’re a great cook,” I commented, letting my tongue seductively glide across my lips while savoring the taste of the sauce.

  “I’m good at a lot of things,” he said matter-of-factly, watching my tongue move across my lips again.

  “Aren’t we confident?” I teased, leaning back just a tad to push my breasts toward him, needing his touch.