by Rose Harper
If I were to have a boy, he wouldn’t be able to go in the backyard with his father and play catch. He wouldn’t be able to go to a baseball game or football game with his father. That thought completely tore me up inside. There was no doubt in my mind that Brad would be a wonderful father. The only thing that was stopping me was the fact he was having his ‘second chance’ at a real family. I couldn’t rip that apart. I would be no better than Cherish if I did that.
A faint heartbeat brought me out of my terrible thoughts. It was then I realized that she already had the ultrasound underway. When she paused the screen and turned to me with a smile, I couldn’t help smiling through my tears. This nurse was so nice, gentle, and warm.
“There’s your little button,” she stated excitedly, pointing toward the screen.
“That’s it?”
She nodded her head with a small smile on her face. “It sure is. Your measuring in just like the doctor said, two-and-a-half months.”
My tears fell faster, a frown marring my features. This woman probably had her whole life together. She probably had the whole thing—house, husband, and children. I wondered if she realized how lucky she was.
She noticed my continued sadness and asked what was wrong, “My dear, why are you so sad?”
I shook my head, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I just thought that the first time I would be seeing my baby the father would be here with me too. But I guess that asking a bit much.”
She frowned softly. “Ms. James, I wasn’t going to say anything, but… Why isn’t the father here with you?”
I chuckled at the questions. “Well it’s because he doesn’t know little button exists. He’s starting his second chance at a family with someone else.”
She shook her head, a sadness in her eyes. “If that’s the case, he didn’t deserve you all anyway. I hope you don’t mind me saying.”
“Not at all. He is a good person though, albeit a little dense at times, but still a good person.”
After leaving the office I was still a bit sad from the fact that Brad hadn’t been with me to see our child for the first time. I was no longer sad that I was pregnant; I was just sad that he wouldn’t get to experience these things with me during my pregnancy with our child. I’ve thought about telling him so many times, but I end up talking myself out of it.
It wouldn’t be good to have Cherish involved in the mix. That was something that I couldn’t let happen. She was a poison, and I was not going to let her anywhere near my child. She would poison it too, turn it against me. Besides my mother, Henry, and Alex, this baby was all I had left.
Upon returning home, I showed Alex the ultrasound picture. I’d never seen her cry, but as she stood there looking at the picture, she began to tear up. I secretly wondered if she wanted a child, but I just chalked it up to having too much excitement for the pregnancy.
“Oh my, it’s so beautiful,” she cooed at the little photo.
“I know, right?” I oozed happiness.
As promised, she made me get out of the house and go shopping with her. It was a much-needed stress reliever just to be able to hang out. Being at home I was working on my accounts all the time, so we rarely had time to hang out with one another. I knew I’d have to give her all the time I could, because later, my attention would be elsewhere.
And I couldn’t fucking wait! Now if I could woman up and tell my mother.
Chapter Nineteen
Two and a Half Months Later…
I looked out the window of the plane, lost in thought. I was on my way home to see my mother. She would soon discover the changes that had taken place in the five months since I’d been home. I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to seeing Brad again, especially in this state of my pregnancy. However, I wasn’t going to be able to hide my pregnancy from my family for long. I needed to tell them before it got out, which was why I was headed back to Cedar Grove.
I’d originally thought that telling my mother over the phone would be the best way to go. But no matter how many times I talked to her on the phone, I could never force myself to tell her. The closest I had come to doing so had been when she said she was going to be in Cherish’s delivery room. That day I had snapped, telling her exactly what I thought of the whole Cherish situation.
However, over the last few months, I’d learn to deal with it in the best way I knew how—not relying on anyone. I was going to raise this baby by myself, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t tell all my family. I’m sure they would be surprised and maybe just a tad hurt, but that couldn’t be helped. You can’t really tell someone the truth if all their focus is on someone else, someone I was sure didn’t deserve their attention.
Don’t get me wrong, it still rubbed me the wrong way, but I’d learned to come to terms with it. None of this was about me, it was about getting everyone in my child’s life. I needed to put my hate behind me and meet this head-on.
My mother had tried to call me before I boarded the plane, but I decided to not return her call. I figured that she would like a visit a lot better than she would a phone call. When I heard the captain come over the speaker telling us to make sure our seat belts were fastened because we would be landing soon, my nerves began getting the best of me. My stomach knotted up and my heart began to race. This was the first time I was seeing my family in five months and I was going to have to tell them all about Brad and me, plus the baby.
It was going to be one messed up visit. When the plane finally touched down and we were let off, it was time to check my voicemail. So, after gathering my luggage I turned on my phone to listen to the message. When my mother’s delicate voice blared through the phone, I instantly knew something was wrong.
Dear, you needed to know, but Cherish is being rushed to the hospital. The doctors will not tell us anything at this time, but we believe she will have to have a C-section. Something about her blood pressure and the babies heart rate. Just please when you get this, call me!
Holy shit! I didn’t like Cherish, but I didn’t want anything to happen to the baby or her. Holding a hand to my belly, I rushed out of the terminal and flagged down a cab. I told the man that I would pay anything as long as he got to the hospital within thirty minutes. Since the hospital was an hour away, I just hoped that he would make it in time.
As we were pulling up to the hospital, my mother called again. This time, I answered but still didn’t give away my location.
“Hello,” I answered, worry evident in my voice.
“Claire, oh my God, Claire. They’re going to have to do a C-section on Cherish. Her blood pressure got way too high. She was almost going into seizures. They’re rushing her to the operating room now,” my mother screamed through the phone, pain lacing every word.
My heart was beating out of my chest, nerves drawn tight. “Keep me updated. I don’t like her, but I don’t want anything to happen.”
“Okay, dear.”
Then the line was disconnected.
I rushed my way through the hospital, taking the first elevator that I came to. A nurse was rushing after me asking me if everything was okay. I told her what was happening and she directed me to the right elevator before I took the one that went to the ‘crazy’ floor. Yeah, that would have been super lovely.
Taking an extra baggy sweatshirt out of my bag, I slipped it on. This was not the time nor the place to tell my family about my pregnancy. I would have to tell them soon, but right now they needed to be focused on the emergency at hand. When the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival, the doors opened to a waiting room that was full of people arguing back and forth. I quickly stepped out of the elevator, hiding that I was there.
It was then I heard Brad yell across the waiting room. “That’s my child, you son of a bitch. My name was on the tag in the baby’s carrier.”
An unknown voice spoke up, and I began looking around and my eyes landed on a giant of a man. He stood close to six-five and weighed close to three hundred pounds of solid muscle. But that’s not what
had me doing a double take. This man claiming the baby was his had skin the color of coal.
“To hell that’s your son, I’m the one that got Cherish pregnant, you asshole. Just ask her. That’s my baby boy they just wheeled out; I don’t give a shit if it had your last name on the tag. Just take a gander real close, you’ll be able to tell that fucking child’s mine. I’ve been seeing Cherish for the last year, even when she was with your sorry ass.”
Oh my God. Did that guy just say what I thought he just said? Fuck, this is gonna be good.
“You lying piece of shit,” Brad yelled, trying to break the hold Henry and his friends had on him.
The other man chuckled. “Just look at the boy. I’m telling you, it’s not yours.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer. My piercing squeal caused the people that were next to me to move out of my way. I grabbed my stomach when it started to hurt from my cackling. Everyone turned to see who it was, splitting a path to where Brad could see me. Slack-jawed and all, I pointed a finger and let it fly.
“This is fucking priceless! I told you, didn’t I? I told you that baby wasn’t yours, and you freaking believed her. Holy shit, I think I’m gonna pee myself. This shit is just too good.” I continued to bellow with laughter, wiping the tears from my eyes as I did.
“Claire?” my mother’s delicate voice rang out through the silent waiting area.
I finished wiping my eyes, giving a shy smile to her. “Hey mom, I’m here.”
Everyone was still shocked silent as she ran toward me, grabbing me into a big hug. I knew the moment she felt my belly bump, because she jerked back like she’d been burnt. She stared at me with wide, unbelieving eyes, then looked at my stomach and then back to me. I knew this was a lot to take in and I didn’t expect her to attack me with a hug when I just got here.
Shit was about to hit the fan.
Chapter Twenty
“You’re fucking pregnant?” she squealed throughout the hospital wing. At this point I think people three states away could frigging hear her.
“Just turned five months,” I confirmed, a lone tear sliding down my cheek.
She embraced me again, shaking with sobs. I opened my eyes to look over her shoulder, seeing Brad had turned as pale as a ghost. His father and friends had dropped their hold on him, but that turned out to be a bad idea. The second their hands released his body, he dropped like a sack of potatoes to the ground. I giggled, not being able to help myself.
My mother heard the gasps and thud of Brad hitting the floor. She turned around, confusion deep in her eyes. I had to take my mother from here and tell her right now, before he woke up. If I didn’t do that, then everyone would know that he was the father of the baby. Right now, he was the only one that had an inkling that it was his, thus him falling to eat the tile floor. Pretty damn hard from what I saw.
“Mom, I have to talk to you. We need to go somewhere private,” I said, grabbing her hands and leading her away.
Henry came up to me, a bright smile on his face. He gestured if he could touch my stomach; I smiled and told him that he could. The baby chose that moment to kick as his hands touched my skin.
“I guess she knows who her grandfather is,” I chuckled, loving the look on Henry’s face. “But you need to grab your boy. Brad, you, mom, and I have things to talk about. Privately.”
He nodded, telling some of the guys to grab Brad. Before I knew it, we were in the chapel of the hospital. Of all places, they had to choose the chapel. Fuck! I walked over to the water fountain, filling up a little cup. When I brought it back to Brad, I got an idea of how to wake him up to take a drink. Rearing my arm back, my slap across his face echoed through the entire chapel.
He eyes slowly opened, locking with mine, tears brimming on his eyelids. “That was the reason you asked, wasn’t it?”
I nodded as I gave him his cup of water. I stood up and set my sights on our parents. Taking a deep breath, I mustered as much courage as humanly possible. Removing my sweatshirt, my full bump was put on display. Three gasps rang out through the silent room shortly before I heard my mother sniffle.
I let out a tired sigh. “Okay. I want to explain things to you before you have questions. I am five months pregnant. If you count back, that makes time of conception in July. I do not know the sex of the baby, but I do know who the father is.” I stopped when the panic began to overwhelm me. Shoving my emotions to the side, I had to get this out before I was unable to.
I closed my eyes and swallowed the bile rising in my throat. “The father of the baby is Brad.”
I waited for screaming, yelling, pretty much anything that was close to freaking out. But what I didn’t expect to get was laughter. I cracked one eye open to see that Henry and mom were doubled over with laughter. They were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes and mom was covering her face with a handkerchief to keep from snorting all over the place.
“Oh, honey, do you really think I believed there was a ‘Brett?’” She used her fingers as air quotes around his name. “I knew all along that you and Brad were messing around. I’m not blind, and trust me, one would have to be blind not to see that,” she chortled.
“Ditto,” Henry squeezed out between laughs.
Are you frigging serious right now? She knew the whole dad-blasted time that Brad and I had been together? “B … B ... But how did you know?”
She chuckled. “Do you really think no one heard you two in that department store?” she stated, arching her eyebrow, causing me to blush furiously.
“Whoa, whoa …. Wait a minute. You’re five months pregnant and you didn’t fucking tell me?” Brads anger making itself known.
Oh, you don’t even want to come at me like that, bro.
I ignored him, and my confused eyes settled on Henry and my mom. “You’re not mad?”
They both shook their heads. Henry speaking up first. “You and Brad aren’t bound by blood. There’s nothing wrong with what you two did, nothing at all. I would be worried if nothing had happened. Simply because you two were crazy about each other in high school. I knew that I had to get over any reservations of you and Brad being together when your mother and I got married. It was bound to happen.”
“You’re not mad?” I asked again in disbelief
“Sweetheart, no. We are not mad. You are two consenting adults, you can do whatever the hell you want to,” my mother stated.
“Claire,” Brad growled, coming to stand in front of me. “You were harping about Cherish not telling me about the baby for four months, but you kept my child from me for five. What. The. Fuck,” he fumed, his eyes blazing into mine.
“Don’t go there,” I warned, shooting him a narrowed glare.
“Fuck that. I’m going there, and you’re going to tell my why,” he hissed.
“Fuck you, Brad. I don’t owe you anything.”
I thought I was okay with what he was doing with Cherish, but the second I admitted it to our parents, I realized I wasn’t... I was just fooling myself the whole time. Here I was actually pregnant with his child, and Cherish’s baby daddy showed up at the hospital and he most definitely was not Brad.
I thought that it would make me feel better knowing that it wasn’t his, instead of guessing. But it didn’t make me feel better. It made me feel worse, because he’d still chosen her over me. There was no doubt that I still felt something for Brad. Just having him this close to me was throwing my pregnant emotions all over the place. I didn’t know whether to rape him or throat punch him.
“We’ll just leave you two alone.” My mother grabbed Henry’s hand and led him out of the chapel.
Just as soon as the doors closed, Brad pinned me to my place with a stare that could kill. He had a right to be pissed, but then again, so did I. It took two to tango, but it only took one to ruin a relationship, which was what he had done. He ruined anything we had. I just hoped my traitorous body would get on the same page.
“Claire, I am only going to ask you this one m
ore time. Why the fuck did you keep this from me? Especially after what I said.” His deep voice rumbled from his chest.
I tried my best to keep my head in the conversation, but I found my body was quickly taking over. My nipples began to harden underneath my thin tunic, and my breathing began to come in fast pants.
“Back off, Brad. I don’t want to do this right now. Trust me, you don’t either. You need to go be with Cherish,” I warned.
His eyes narrowed, and his stance widened. “Claire.”
I clenched my jaw. “I didn’t tell you because you got off the fucking phone before I could. You care about Cherish more than you ever did me. Now go be with her, your second shot at a family.” I turned away from him.
Before I could make it a few steps, his hand grabbed my wrist halting my retreat. “Claire Bear, I’m not trying to be a jerk. This just caught me by surprise, that’s all.”
Tears threatened my eyes. “Brad, I’m not your Claire Bear. You need to go be with Cherish.”
His voice hardened. “Did you miss what happened in the waiting room? No, of course not, that’s when you threw it in my face that you were right.”
I cocked my eyebrow, placing a hand on my distended stomach. “Well, I was fucking right, wasn’t I?”
His eyes twinkled, a small smile appearing on his face. “That’s beside the point.”
“Oh, to hell. Beside the point, my ass. You’re just pissed that I was right and you were wrong,” I say, sticking my tongue out at him like a petulant child.
He chuckled. “Very mature, Claire. What’s next? You gonna steal my cereal?”
I snickered. “Hell yes, motherfucker. Cocoa Puffs are my favorite.” I knew the hidden innuendo wouldn’t be lost on him, and I was right. Just as soon as cocoa came from my mouth, his eyes narrowed. I about lost my shit right there.