Sausalito Nights (Montgomery Beauty Book 1)

by Stephanie Salvatore

  He laid still before he rolled over slowly, wrapping his arms around me. “How’d the memorial go?” he mumbled quietly.

  “It went.”

  He groaned. “I’m okay.”

  His lips pressed to the top of my head as I returned his embrace and looked up at him.

  “What do you mean, ‘it went’?” he asked.

  “My father and uncles basically cornered me on the couch to confront me about the emancipation. My uncle, Thad, acted as if I was betraying the entire family. I left as soon as I could to avoid it all.”

  He sighed. “This wouldn’t even be an issue if they all had nine to five jobs.”

  I snuggled further into him. “Oh, I know baby. It’s done. I’m sure Matteo will let me know when everything is finalized.” I paused. “Let’s not talk about it, okay?”

  He planted a kiss against my head once more as he ran his fingers through my hair. “What do you want to talk about, Princess?”

  I smiled as I scooted up to his eye level, pressing my nose to the tip of his. “Us. Our lives. Where do you see us in ten years?”

  He smiled, pushing his fingers through my hair slowly. “Well, by then I’ll have gotten down on one knee, given you a wedding of your dreams, and bought you a house. Our little nugget will be…nine…” He gasped playfully. “And probably eating us out of house and home.”

  I giggled leaning in to peck his lips. “And we will make him or her our entire world. Hopefully, we’ll have a few more adorable Montgomery babies to spoil too. You’ll either have taken over Montgomery Construction, or have a really high paying position and we’ll have our very own house and we won’t have to live on a boat. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be helping your parents run the winery by then.”

  He pressed a gentle kiss into my lips. “I am sure that you will be, but you honestly don’t have too. If you want to be a stay at home Mom, then I will support that. What else fills your Mrs. Montgomery dreams?”

  I giggled. “Well, I know Sausalito is great and everything, but I want to make sure our children know and love wine country as much as we do.”

  “Hmm…I actually love that idea. We’ll make Sausalito our home town and travel on the weekends. I think letting our children see the beauty this state has to offer is a must.” He smiled as he brushed his fingers lightly under my hair.

  I smiled big. “We’ll have to get them well acquainted with our favorite places in the bay area first. We could wake them up before the sun rises and take them up the mountain to watch the sunrise. We’ll show them love and support first. I don’t want them to turn on us.”

  He shook his head. “That would never happen, it’s not possible with Montgomery blood.” He paused. “Waking them up before sunrise? That’s a good way to make them hate us.” He groaned.

  I gasped. “They will not hate it…you want to know why?”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Because by that time, we’ll have their trust and they’ll want in on our crazy shenanigans as much as we do!”

  He chuckled. “I could see that.” He paused. “Wait. Are you calling me crazy?”

  I giggled. “Damn straight I am.”

  He smiled. “I like our crazy, though. We’ll be the fun, trusting parents. Maybe our kids won’t rebel as hard as we have.”

  “I love the way you think, Mr. Montgomery; but our children won’t have to worry about the stress of living up to the expectations of a family that commits crime to make a living either.” I said as I snuggled my head into the crook of his neck.

  He wrapped me in his arms, laying his head against mine. “That is very true, my love. You’re going to make a great Mother and wife someday Miss Castillo.” He whispered.

  “You really think so, Mr. Montgomery?”

  “I know so.” He paused, sat up and crawled out of bed. “Close your eyes. I’ll be right back.”

  Confusion struck me, but I sat up and did as I was told. I heard the soft shuffle of his feet against the wooden floors. I heard a rustling near the closet before his feet shuffled once more and the bed lowered as he sat next to me. He placed what felt like a gift bag between my hands. “Okay. Open your eyes.”

  I fluttered my eyes open and looked down at the gift bag. Stripes of pink, blue, yellow and green were printed down the bag with a giant green square and a yellow duck in the middle. A giant smile crossed my lips as I looked at him and reached into the bag, pulling out a set of green and yellow sleepers. I set them beside me before I reached back in the bag and pulled out a small yellow duck plush. Tears filled my eyes and threatened to spill down my cheeks. “Awe, Christopher! It’s our baby’s first stuffed animal! This is precious. Thank you.” Picking up the sleepers, I looked them over and looked at him with gentle eyes as overjoyed tears fell down my cheeks. I placed a hand against his cheek, kissing him deep and passionately. He was so damn thoughtful, loving, supportive, and personable. How I managed to get so lucky just when I needed him was only a question the universe could answer.

  He pulled away just enough to look me in the eyes. “You’re welcome, sweet girl.” He paused, placing a hand against the side of my waist, brushing his thumb over my stomach. “I love you and our little bean.”

  “We love you too, Christopher.” I whispered and closed my eyes taking in his words.

  Vivid images of Christopher and I becoming husband and wife and raising our children how we wanted took me to a land of bliss. Images of mini Christophers and Lorelais running around in Napa through the vineyards while Chris and I trailed behind them with a glass of wine in each of our hands. This daydream was so vividly clear, it felt real. I wanted to cling to it until it was our actual reality; but for now, our present reality was good enough to hold onto. I couldn’t rush the time I had with him. I wanted the rest of forever to pass by as slowly as possible because as long as I had Christopher Montgomery at my side, life was imperfectly perfect.

  ***

  Winter

  The holidays had come and gone. The spirit of Christmas and plans for the future of my life with Christopher and our little bean were talked about mostly during the cold nights we endured sleeping in the cabin of Cakes and Pies. We went to my first official appointment for an eight-week checkup a few days ago and I woke up to the sonogram sitting in the corner of a picture frame. A sigh left my lips as I realized that my human furnace had already woken and had gone to grab breakfast for us somewhere. The fatigue feeling that came over me as I laid there made me want to fall back to sleep. The aches and pains this morning were worse than normal. I curled up into a ball trying to warm myself up until I heard yelling from the familiar voices of Christopher’s parents. Sitting up, ignoring my screaming bladder. I rushed to the door and stepped out silently to listen in on the conversation.

  “This is ridiculous, Christopher. You are almost eighteen years old. You know what’s right and wrong, and continuing this affair with that girl is wrong.” A female voice said. “That entire family is nothing but trouble.”

  “Your mother is right. We’ve been out looking for houses, and we’ll be moving out of here soon.”

  Chris sighed. “You’re right. I am old enough to know right from wrong, and I’m sorry that you can’t see what I see in Lorelai.” He paused. “She’s not like the rest of her family. She’s been betrayed by them on more than one occasion.”

  Distressed sighs could be heard; and I knew if I didn’t interrupt to back him up, they would just continue giving him a hard time. I stepped out to where they were sitting over coffee and stood behind Christopher. “What he said, it’s not a lie,” I spoke softly.

  His parents eyed me carefully. “Without going into detail, I haven’t been home in weeks and I don’t plan to go back. To say that my family has their issues is an understatement, but not what’s important here. I am in love with your son, and I would never let anything happen to him. He’s… he’s all I have.”

  They eyed Christopher with a twitch of their lips. I could tell they were looking for a
reason to dismiss me as I placed my hands on Chris’s shoulders.

  I smiled down as I felt Christopher’s broad rough hand being placed over one of mine. “You two are a prime example of knowing what true love feels like. You know what it was like to be on your own and rely on each other to get through the hard times, and Nana and Papa supported you.”

  His parents looked at each other, and his mother spoke first. “He’s right, Nathan.”

  “Grace…” His tone filled with annoyance.

  “Don’t you, Grace me! He’s right and clearly head over heels for this fine young woman!”

  I breathed a sigh of relief.

  His father looked to me. “Perhaps.” He paused. “I suppose if Christopher is that adamant about this relationship, then we can look past the connection to your name.”

  I smiled. “Mr. Montgomery. I promise I’m nothing like them. My cousin Marie and I, we grew up being the odd balls in the family. We never cared to stay and listen to their updates even when my Father said we should, because we needed to learn it sooner rather than later. I’ve always been the odd ball, or the black sheep if you will.”

  Grace turned to Nathan and they both looked to Christopher.

  Grace moved her chair to take my hand. “My parents didn’t like Nathan. They stuck their noses in the air when I told them I was in love… and coincidentally enough, my father was offered a job across the country. I cried to Nathan, and he bravely talked to his parents who took me in without a question. It would be wrong for us to not give you a chance, Lorelai.”

  A lump formed in my throat, and I fought back the emotions and lost as the tears filled my eyes and fell down my cheeks. “Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery.”

  She leaned in and gave me a hug and I accepted it. To be accepted by not only Christopher, but his loving parents touched me on a deep personal level. I never received that from my parents. It was business first, always.

  Letting go of Grace, Nathan stood and came to give me a hug. “If Chris says you are what he needs in his life, I suppose it’s time we trust our boy’s instincts; and trust me, you won’t be the oddball out with the Montgomerys. We’re all a little strange.”

  His parents laughed, and Chris looked up at me. “Why don’t you go clean up, love? We have an appointment today.”

  I nodded. “Okay.” I leaned down to kiss his cheek and looked at the Montgomerys once more. “It was nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery.”

  “You too, Lorelai.” They spoke in unison before I left to go inside the cabin.

  ***

  I ignored the pain I’d been experiencing from the time I woke up. I narrowed it down to being tired from work, school and growing a human body inside of me. Stepping into the shower, the warm water fell over me as I prepared for our first couples’ therapy appointment. The tension of how we were going to get through our predicament of our parents trying to pry us away, being out on our own, Armani’s sudden death, becoming young parents before we had a chance to attend college or get married hung over our heads; and instead of allowing it to push us further apart, Christopher had suggested we take on counseling.

  A few minutes later, I saw the door open and Chris came in. “Baby?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Why is there blood on the floor?”

  I looked out at him as he peeked into the shower. “Lor, you’re bleeding everywhere!”

  I inhaled a sharp breath as I spotted the droplets of blood on the floor and looked down at the pool of blood mixing into the water. My hands clasped over my mouth. “Chris…. Wha-what’s happening?” Tears sprang to my eyes, and I felt a tightness in my chest and sharp painful cramps shot across my abdomen. The overwhelming fatigue feeling intensified. I found myself bent over and grasped a hold of my stomach crying out in pain.

  The glass door to the shower swung open, Chris turned the water off, wrapped me in a towel, helping me get dressed. “I’m not sure Lor, but I think we need to take you to the emergency room.” A million concerns and thoughts raced through my mind. I was scared. The fear and anxiety that took over paralyzed my mental state of mind. Laying my head against his shoulder, my lips opened but I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I had a gut feeling this wasn’t a good sign for our little bean. He looked at me with reassurance before he pulled me into his arms and carried me out of the cabin and down the docks toward the car.

  The ride to the hospital was silent. I cried until we arrived and Chris brought me to the counter and signed me in.

  “Who's being seen?” The young female asked.

  “My girlfriend. Her name is Lorelai Castillo. She’s pregnant and bleeding.”

  “Did she fall or experience any other immediate trauma?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Okay, it’ll just be a few minutes. Have a seat, we’ll call you into triage shortly.”

  Chris led us toward the seating area and we sat down. I laid against him and tried to breathe as I placed a hand against my abdomen. “It hurts, Christopher.”

  “I know, baby girl. The doctor’s going to help, okay? Just try to hang in there, okay?” He brushed his fingers through the long locks of hair lying against the front of my shoulder.

  A few minutes later, the door opened. “Lorelai Castillo?”

  I opened my eyes, lifting my head from Christopher’s shoulder and looked at him before I made eye contact with the nurse. I followed her back to triage where she asked me a slew of questions before she called over her walkie to make sure there was a bed available.

  “Okay, Miss Castillo, you can follow me.” She led us back to a room where Christopher helped me undress and put on a dreadful gown.

  The doctor arrived a few minutes later. “Miss Castillo? Hi. My name is Dr. Harris, I’m going to be taking care of you today.”

  I turned my attention to the young woman in a lab coat.

  “Can you tell me why you came in today?”

  Tears threatened my eyes. “I’m pregnant, but I started bleeding while I was in the shower today.”

  “Is that the first time you noticed the bleeding?”

  I nodded slowly.

  “Okay. We’ll take a look and see what’s going on.” She washed her hands and turned to Christopher. “I’m going to ask that you step out for now. I’ll come get you when I’m finished with the exam.”

  I looked from the doctor to Christopher with pleading eyes. He took both of my hands into his, leaning down to press a kiss against my forehead. “It’s okay. I’ll come back in as soon as I can.”

  Searching his eyes with sadness in my own, I bit my lower lip. I preferred that he not leave at all, but clearly I would not get my way about this one. Tears trickled down my cheeks as he slowly left the room and the doctor went to grab a nurse to assist.

  Lying there through the examination while the doctor did a full pelvic exam and sonogram, she stayed quiet until she was finished and spoke in whispers to the nurse outside of the room when they finished. Why was I being left in the dark about my damn child? I needed answers. I needed to know that my child, my little bean, was okay. I opened my mouth to speak words and nothing came out.

  The nurse came back with supplies and looked at me. “Dr. Harris left to go get Christopher. For now, I’m going to have you place your underwear back on, and I’ll give you a more absorbent pad that will help soak up the blood.”

  I thought for sure I would go bat shit crazy if someone didn’t tell me what the hell was going on. The blood should have been the biggest clue as to what was happening, but I refused to believe my little bean was not okay.

  The nurse left me with a gown, instructing me to place my underwear back on so I wouldn’t bleed on the bed and left me to get dressed. I did as she said before I laid back on the bed staring off at the supply cabinet.

  A knock on the wall turned my attention to Christopher standing in the doorway. His tall, slimming stature leaned against the wall as he stared at me with those big grey-blue hues filled with
sadness and I couldn’t stand it. Did he know something I didn’t?

  “How are you feeling, Lor?” He spoke quietly as he moved the chair next to the bed.

  “Mostly tired, but the pain is still pretty bad. This…this can’t be normal for a pregnancy,” I said.

  He reached his hand to take mine into his. “The nurse said the doctor would be in soon.”

  I took his hand between both my hands as tears clouded my vision. “I’m scared, Christopher.”

  He wrapped his fingers around mine, locking his eyes on mine. “I know, but you’re strong Lorelai. We’ll get through this together.” He spoke above a whisper.

  I closed my eyes and tried to hold onto his words for everything they were because I knew something was not right. I was sure that I was not as strong as he thought I was.

  Dr. Harris returned, peeking her head into the curtain. “Lorelai?”

  I turned my attention toward her as she walked in to take a seat with a chart. “I apologize for the wait. I’m very sorry to tell you this, but the bleeding you’re experiencing is your body miscarrying the fetus.”

  Bean? My little bean is no longer? I was sure I heard her wrong. Tears sprung to my eyes as I turned my head away from her as Christopher stood next to the bed and pulled me into his arms. Sobs left me quietly as I grasped a hold on his shirt. Dr. Harris let the words sink in before she continued talking. “I know this is hard to swallow, and no one expects either one of you to take it lightly; but I want to make sure you get the proper care.”

  Her voice echoed off in the distance as she continued talking. Her voice eventually stopped, and I stared off. I was no longer in the hospital. I didn’t know where I was. I was in a land of nowhere. I felt Chris holding me, but I wasn’t there. I shook from the inside out as the tears fell down my cheeks and I began to sob. The sobs grew louder. I pulled away from him and curled up into the fetal position as I felt the remains of our bean seep out between my legs.