, depending on who you are and how she feels that day," I said. Dad smiled.
"So," he said, leaning next to me. "She's eighteen, a high school graduate, works in a diner, has an ex-boyfriend in jail, and is now pregnant."
"Well it sounds bad when you put it that way. But, that's about right," I said with a smile.
"Well, she's a lot better than Crystal," Dad said. "You talk about Madison a lot more than you did about Crystal, for sure," Dad reminded me.
"So, you're saying you like her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Very much so-even though I just met her." Dad acknowledged.
I heard the sounds of Andy and Madison running out of her room. I straightened and watched them run down the stairs. Andy flew past me and, before she could evade my grasp, I snatched Madison and pulled her to me. She instantly put her arms around me in a hug.
"Hey! What are we doing for dinner?" Andy called.
"Aw damn! We never went shopping," I said.
Then, ears burning, Barbara came in and told us that she would be happy to serve us some meatloaf, but that she needed to buy some more ground meat first. Madison told her mom not to worry about it, because she had a better idea.
"Staff discount," Madison suggested, looking at me. "Or it could just be free, since everyone loves me."
"True," I said, smiling. "Andy, Barbara, Dad, we're going out!"
Citing fatigue, Barbara declined, saying that she would stay home and eat leftovers from yesterday's roast chicken supper. She was kind enough to invite Dad to join her, but he decided to come with us instead.
"Where are we going?" Andy asked, coming into view at the bottom of the stairs.
About twelve minutes later, we pulled into a parking spot at Wayside and my dad pulled in next to us. Andy opened the door for Madison and she laughed at his chivalry as she climbed out of the car. He poked her and the two of them engaged in a poking war until we got to the hostess podium.
"Madison!" the hostess said. "Oh my God, we've missed you so much! Jen could have filled a cup with all the tears she was crying."
"Is she here?" Madison asked.
"Yeah, she's got the afternoon shift."
"I'll be back," Madison said and ran through the restaurant towards the back. Even from where we were, we could hear the screams of joy and the three of us laughed. A server put us at a table, but our food arrived before Madison came back.
"I thought you ran away," I joked.
"No, sorry, I was talking with everyone and then I talked with my boss," Madison admitted. "We've made arrangements for me to do lower stress jobs here. I can work in the back and do some hosting for now. We both agreed that if I went back to waitressing before the baby was born, I'd be pushing myself too much."
"Well, that's good," Andy said.
"What will you do once your baby's born?" Dad asked.
"Um, actually," Madison said. "We were talking about me training for assistant manager when I come back. It's less physically demanding work for a young mom, but will involve taking some business courses so I can handle the ordering and bookkeeping tasks.
"That's great!" I said.
"I take it that this meal is a celebratory one," Madison said.
"Absolutely, baby," I said.
"What are we celebrating?"
"Anything and everything: the baby, the job switch, having you out of the hospital, not having to worry about Damian...Need I go on?"
"You made your point," Madison said, kissing me softly.
We ate our dinners, but I couldn't stop looking at my dad. He had that look like he wanted to say something, but I guess he didn't want to say it in front of Madison and Andy.
I forgot about it by the time we done and were on the way over to Knightsbridge Tavern. Apart from playing, I had never actually been there as a patron. Things looked different when you weren't on the stage, to be sure. Madison wouldn't sit still this evening, which, with her being pregnant, worried me somewhat. She dragged me onto the dance floor and we stayed there for nearly ten songs before I convinced her to sit down for a while.
"I know you like dancing, Mad, but that doesn't mean you should dance yourself into exhaustion," I warned.
She leaned against me and told me not to worry about her so much. How could I not? We sat around for a while and talked with her uncle when he came over. By the time we got back to her home again, it was late and Andy went to bed first. Madison soon followed, after I assured her that I'd check on her every so often. I really wanted to climb in bed with her, but I didn't think she was ready for that kind of thing yet.
I woke up early the next morning. It felt weird waking up on my side after sleeping on my back for the last two weeks. Waking up alone felt weird, too, but it really wasn't too uncomfortable. I put on my slippers and robe, and peeked in on Andy, who was fast asleep and about to fall off the bed. I closed the door softly and went to peek in on Orion in the guest room, who was asleep face down with his butt in the air like a baby. I slapped my hand over my mouth to stop from giggling and I tiptoed down the stairs. I found that I had the entire downstairs, so I made myself a bowl of cereal and plopped down on the couch in the living room. Then I turned on cartoons and enjoyed my first worriless day in a long time. It was so relaxing to feel this way.
I was alone for about half an hour when I heard someone come down the stairs. Orion came wobbling into the living room in his boxers, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Good morning," I greeted him. He froze and lowered his hand from his mouth to look at me.
"Thought you were asleep," Orion mumbled.
"Nope, I've been up for a bit," I said. "I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep, so I came downstairs and got breakfast." I gestured at the empty bowl sitting on the table next to me. Orion yawned again and nodded, then made his way to the kitchen. I turned my attention back to the TV, but something else caught my attention. "Hey, when did this come here?" I stood up and walked over to our side table, where there was a new computer perched on top.
"What? Oh, you mean the computer," Orion said. "I got it during your time in the hospital. Before you say anything, it doesn't add anything to the bills. The bills are still very payable."
"Well thank you so much, baby. We really needed a new computer and now I can use it for my courses after I have the baby," I said, going back to the couch.
"Maybe having you in the hospital for a while did something. Normally, you would have argued with me," Orion said, walking over to me.
"Yeah, but it's different now, isn't it? Some things have changed. I can relax and let other people handle things, instead of thinking that I have to be superwoman.
"Well, that's good," Orion said. "Because there's no way in hell I'm letting you do everything with that baby. I want my equal share."
"Is something burning?" I asked.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Orion yelled and hurried into the kitchen.
"I think my cooking skills have been rubbing off on you," I called after him, laughing more.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IF THERE WAS anything that needed to be said about my pregnancy, it was that it was a pain in the ass ! Between the mood swings, nausea fits and exhaustion, I was surprised I hadn't sent Orion running yet. I was also surprised that it only hit me right then, being four and a half months along, that I really was pregnant. I guess the catalyst was when I noticed my belly getting bigger and feeling the baby move.
One day, I found myself sitting at work, looking over a list of supplies. I was basically doing my training to be an assistant manager ahead of time. My boss had come down hard on me when he found out I was pregnant while doing so many double shifts. The only reason I came into work today was because I needed something to do before my doctor's appointment.
"Hey Madison, when do I get a break?" Andy asked.
My brother was working at Wayside too, now. He was kind of alternating between serving and cooking.
"When Justine finishes her break," I said.
"She should be done soon." I said.
Andy nodded and disappeared around the corner towards the break room to find out when she would be finished. I wiggled my foot as I checked things off the list. Both Justine and Andy came back soon. Justine went up front and Andy made himself something to eat. He pulled a stool over to me and sat down.
"How much longer are you going to be here?" Andy asked.
"Until Orion gets me," I answered.
"When are you going to find out if the baby is his for sure?" Andy asked. I sighed and looked up, lowering the list to my lap.
"That's what this visit is for," I said. "We get to check up on the baby and find out that Orion is the father."
"I think in Parenting Class the teacher said the latest you can get the test done while pregnant is twenty-two weeks," Andy said. "You're pushing it."
"You're taking Parenting?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah well, it'll come in handy." Andy said.
"Tell me, Andy; is there a girl you like in this class?" I asked.
Andy turned his attention to his hamburger. I laughed. "Oh, great. My brother's got a crush." I poked him and returned to the list.
Later, at the hospital, Orion and I were waiting impatiently for the paternity test to come back to us. Apparently they took forever to get accurate results.
"Okay, can I go to the bathroom yet?" I asked. Orion laughed at me. "Hey, it's not funny. You try drinking that much water, have a growing baby inside you push against your bladder and then have that stupid wand thing shoved up there." I was wiggling in my seat.
"Then go to the bathroom," Orion said.
"But what if the doctor comes back before I get back?" I asked.
"Baby, she's doing the tests and printing off the ultrasound pictures that you wanted so badly. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a while," Orion said.
That was enough for me. I got up and left the little room we were in. Unfortunately, I was only gone three minutes, but by the time I got back, the doctor was there.
"Well the results of the test should be pleasing," the doctor said, smiling. "Mr. Pratt, you most definitely are the baby's father."
I looked over at Orion and smiled. He looked relieved and giddy at the same time.
"Would you like to know the sex of your child?" the doctor asked.
"Could you write it down for us, please?" I asked.
"Sure," the doctor said. She wrote it down, then folded the paper and handed it to me. I stuck it in my pocket.
We left soon after that and sat in the parking lot at the restaurant. Andy would be finished soon.
"So you want to know what it is, don't you? Makes things easy for people buying for a baby shower, I suppose," Orion said.
"Okay, what girls do I know who would come to a baby shower?" I asked.
"Well, Nora for one," Orion suggested.
"Oh yeah," I said. I had talked to Nora quite a bit after getting out of the hospital. We met at a café a while ago and I told her everything that had happened in the last year, minus the stuff I didn't remember. She obviously had met Damian before because she went on a ten minute rant about how at first she thought he was a nice guy, but figured out quickly how manipulative he was. Luckily for her, she didn't get close enough to get hurt.
"Jen for another," Orion said. "I'm pretty sure most of the girls here will come to it."
At that moment, the back door opened and Andy bounded into the car
. "How was the appointment?" he asked, closing the door and doing up his seatbelt.
"All good," I said, turning to look at him.
"You find out what it is?" Andy asked.
"Yeah, it's human," I joked.
"Ha, ha, very funny," Andy retorted. I took out the piece of paper and waved it. "When are you going to read it?" he wondered.
"Later," I said. "I'm hungry right now, so let's go home."
As soon as I told Nora about the baby shower idea, she started rambling on about what should happen, where it should take place, when it should be, and so on.
Together, we decided on having it at the Knightsbridge Tavern during the day, when it was closed. We figured we should have it in two months, when I was six months along, so that there wasn't too much time between the shower and the birth. That way, Orion and Andy wouldn't have to restrain themselves from playing with the baby's toys for too long a time.
Finally, after having that piece of paper folded and hidden in my room for a few days, I allowed myself and the boys to look at it.
"Will you just read the damn thing?" Orion asked, watching me. I kept unfolding the paper then changing my mind.
"I'm getting there!" I said. Andy grabbed the paper from me. "Hey!" I glared at him as he unfolded it and he just shoved it into my hands.
"Well?" Andy asked.
I sighed and rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile.
"Boy," I said.
"Yeah!" Andy cried, attacking me with a hug.
So, I was going to have a boy, which meant one more male in the household to fight over who gets to be what in which video game. Oh joy, oh bliss. Boys were funny though, I supposed, so I wouldn't have a problem with that.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"YOU CAN'T BE serious," Orion said.
"I'm dead serious," I assured him.
"But...but...you can't ask me to do that!" Orion said.
"Which would you rather have, an old car or a safe baby?" I asked. I looked at his car. I loved it, really, but it wasn't baby friendly. "You know I love this car."
"Yeah," Orion said. "I guess you're right. Do I have to get a minivan?"
"Ew, no," I said. "But it needs four doors."
"Got it," Orion said with a smile. "Four doors."
"Yes, please," I said.
"You'd better appreciate this, boy," Orion said, patting my stomach. I hit his hand. "Okay, ready to go hear your song?"
"Yep," I said, "Although it won't make much sense now."
"Yeah, I know." Orion said.
We walked into Knightsbridge Tavern, which we had been standing outside of for a while. Andy was already in there and when I found him at the bar, there were several girls with him. I rolled my eyes and sat a few spots down from him at the bar and ordered a water. Jack came over and said hi to the baby and me.
Finally, it was time to hear the song I wrote for Orion's band, Horizon, to play. Orion's introduction came on and I smirked as Andy came over to me, leaving a few disappointed girls behind.
"Here's another new song. It has been a long, crazy while, since it was written, so it doesn't make much sense now," Orion said. I laughed. "Anyway, this was written by the love of my life, Madison Summers." Andy made me stand up, and the spotlights fell on us. I glared at Orion, but couldn't help the smile. "We hit a rough patch for a few months, which inspired this song for her, and she thinks it would be better for me to sing it. Anyways, here goes nothing. This song is called Should Have Loved You .
He began singing over a slow-tempo beat. The words weren't important; they meant nothing to us now. However, he sang every word as beautiful as I wish he had. He narrated every thought that went through my head when I was trapped with Damian.
Then, in an instant, I let Damian take over my mind. I remembered every kiss we shared, every name he'd ever called me, every time he hurt me. It was as if all the sadness in the world flooded into my brain for several seconds. But I snapped out of it, put my hand on my belly, closed my eyes and listened to the beautiful voice of the one I loved. Then all my recent happiness flooded over it and I allowed Damian to fade away into nothingness, forever.
I opened my eyes and noticed Orion motioning for me to come up on the stage. Curiosity took over, so I went up.
"This girl here is the inspiration for so many of my songs," Orion said, putting his arm around my waist. "
And, as it turns out, I'm the inspiration for some songs she's written." I looked at him, my eyes goi
ng wide. "She's got a fantastic voice, so I want all of you to give her a big round of applause to convince her to sing one of her songs." I was amazed when the crowd burst into applause. Orion stepped away from the microphone. "I'm sorry, babe. I didn't mean to look through that book of yours, but it was sitting out and...this song is amazing."
"What...which song?" I asked.
"You'll know it when you hear it," Orion said. "Please sing."
I closed my eyes. I could have backed out, but something made me want to sing, so I nodded and opened my eyes. Orion smiled and kissed me, which made a huge applause erupt. He stepped away from me, giving me center stage. The band started up and, he was right, I knew which song he was talking about. Taking a deep breath I started.
I've been thinking a lot about you and me, baby,
We've been through so much pain and love.
We've seen the highs and lows,
Seen the darkest darks and brightest glows.
But there's one thing I know to be true,
I've come to love you.
I looked at Andy and smiled at him. He was yelling out cheers and clapping along with the crowd to the music.I kept singing my heart out and, between breaths, I
let my eyes wonder over to Orion to see him just standing there, watching me with a big smile. I laughed and looked out at the couples in the crowd. It was an amazing sight-almost everyone dancing seemed to have coupled with someone.
When my song was done, Andy helped me off the stage and I ran over to Orion, who knelt down to kiss my pregnant belly. He climbed up to his feet and brought his face within inches of mine.
"I love you," Orion whispered.
"I love you too," I whispered back.
I smiled and kissed him. It felt, for the first time, as if everything was perfect.
EPILOGUE
Can you believe it! I, Madison Summers, of all people, am actually at a completely happy point in my life. Of course, I had to go through an unplanned pregnancy, three years of raising an adorable boy and get pregnant again for this to happen.
If I Never Knew You (If I Never Knew You Series) Page 10