by Jamie Knight
My dad got so angry, his face reddening as he pressed his lips together in a tight line.
“No! I will not stand for this! I am trying to just let you live your life, but when it comes to involving babies, I have to put my foot down. I order you to tell the father about the children. That's only fair and only right. I can't very well be upset at this guy if you haven't given him a chance to step up to the plate.”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. In an instant, things had changed. He had gone from being the supportive father that I hoped for, to treating me like one of the soldiers under his command.
“With all due respect, Dad, I would appreciate it if you would just let me handle this the way that I need to,” I said, keeping my tone even. “I still am trying to figure things out myself. And Bra— The father and I haven't really talked since I got pregnant, so I want to process things myself before I reach out to him. I hope that you can understand that.”
My father paused for a moment and just stared at me.
“You will do as your told,” he said firmly.
It was my turn to get upset.
“You know what, Dad? I've tried to handle this with respect, but it seems like you can't give me the same respect. I didn't have to tell you anything at all. I could have just kept you in the dark about all of it. But, if this is going to be too much for you, I can just leave. You need to treat me like an adult and realize that I know what's best in this situation.”
I looked into my father's eyes, hoping that he could understand and, if he couldn't, then at the very least he could find some acceptance.
“Okay,” he said, sounding defeated. I could tell that he didn't like it, but he knew that he really didn't have much of a choice. I had placed my boundaries right where I wanted them and, if he wanted me to stay around, he would have to respect them.
We finished eating and went into the living room to watch our favorite Christmas movie, A Christmas Story. We had already seen it so many times, but it felt nice to snuggle up next to my dad like old times. He touched my belly a few times, still shocked that I was growing two babies inside of me.
“I really wish that you'd change your mind about telling the father,” he said. Again.
I ignored his comment. I just wanted to keep the peace and enjoy the time that I had with my father without having to make major life decisions in an instant. I just chortled and shushed him.
Over the next few days that I spent at home, he found subtle ways to try to tell me that he still wished that I would tell the father of my babies about them. He told me about when my mother first told him that she was pregnant and how happy he was and how he feels that every father should have the chance to have that experience. I smiled at his not-so-subtle attempt to get me to change my mind.
But, I knew that telling Bradley about the babies would open up a can of worms that I wasn't ready to deal with just yet. For the moment, I comforted myself with the idea that all of our future holidays would be more interesting at the very least once the twins were born and started growing.
Chapter 45 - Bradley
“Flight 8742 has been cancelled due to inclement weather,” said the voice over the loud speaker.
A collective groan passed through the airport as people came to terms with the fact that their holiday plans were being ruined due to the snowstorms that were happening all over.
“This is what happens when we wait to fly until the very last minute,” spat an angry lady at her husband, who just cowered in his chair next to her, looking so pitiful.
I felt sorry for the poor guy. There were four children running in circles around him chanting, “cancelled, cancelled…” He looked like he wanted to grow wings and fly away himself.
I had been on my way home to see my cousin, someone that I hadn't seen in person in many years. She was always the sweet one and I knew that she was going to be disappointed. To be completely honest, so was I.
I craved to be around family for the first time after so long. I had been grateful that James was nice enough to open up his home to me, but it reminded me of just how lonely I had been for so many years. I yearned for family of my own, in a way that I hadn't before.
I retrieved my bag from the conveyor belt and slowly walked back to the parking lot where I had parked my car. There was chaos everywhere, people yelling and angry about the cancelled flights. I was happy to be able to get into my car and shut out the world. I started my car and pulled out of the parking lot. Christmas music played on the radio, serenading my drive home.
“The weather outside really is frightful, folks,” came the deep, sultry voice of the radio DJ. “Be sure to stay warm cuddling up with those you love most in this most wonderful time of the year.”
I smirked at his banter. His playful comment reminded me that I was heading home to my empty apartment. There would be no Christmas cheer or any loved ones to spend time with. It would just be me. The prospect of a lonely holiday made my heart sink a little.
I remembered that James had invited me to his house for Christmas, but I had turned him down since I had already gotten my plane tickets to go back home. I had even called the airline to find out if I could get a refund for them, but they told me that I couldn’t. All sales are final, they said. So, I settled into the idea that I would be going cousin-visiting for Christmas.
But, now that plans had changed, due to no fault of my own, I started to think that maybe I could stop by James’s house after all. I knew that Natalia was going to be there. I was desperate for any reason to see her. What better reason than to come spread holiday cheer? Even if I had no cheer to spread, it would be good to see her, anyway.
I turned in the direction of their house, starting to get into the holiday spirit at the thought of being able to see my best friend and the woman that I loved.
Despite my best efforts to keep my mind off of her, I found my thoughts on her constantly. I worried about how she was doing, if she was okay, and if she thought about me the way that I thought about her. My code of morality was hanging on by a thread. My heart was starting to win out and I was tempted to cut the cord myself and just give in.
But, out of respect for her father, I stayed in my place.
My phone rang, startling me so much that I swerved a little and had to steady my hands on the wheel. I pushed the button in my car that answered the phone over the hands-free Bluetooth.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey Mad Brad, it’s your cousin,” she practically sang. “Are you on the plane already?”
She sounded so anxious and eager, like a little kid waiting to find out if they had finally reached the destination of their super fun vacation. I hated to have to disappoint her, but I really didn’t have a choice.
“No, sweetheart,” I said, trying to speak loud enough for her to hear me over the car engine. “My flight got cancelled because there are tons of snowstorms all over.”
“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” she said, sounding truly sad. “I understand, though. It’s never been as cold down here as it’s been this year. Well, do you think that you could come visit sometime after the New Year?”
I felt a twinge of guilt hearing my dear relative’s simple and reasonable requests. Why hadn’t I made an effort to go home sooner? I was so busy, thinking about myself and getting my life together I had forgotten about her and other family members who were sprinkled around Tennessee.
I guess that my mind had been stuck on how things were when I left that I barely kept contact with that home to find out that I was indeed missed. It warmed my heart hearing my cousin’s voice. I decided right then and there that I would make an effort to be around my family more.
“I will definitely make sure to get down there soon, m’dear. Much love.”
“Back at you,” she said, sweetly as ever.
I hung up the phone with her just as I was pulling up to James’s house. The house was well-lit and covered in festive lights. I got out
of the car and got ready to walk up to the door when I remembered that I was coming in empty-handed. I’m sure that James wouldn’t have minded, but I thought that it was only polite to have something in hand before just showing up.
I thought about what I might have with me that I could use and remembered that in my luggage, I’d packed a bottle of wine that I had planned to give to my brother-in-law. My cousin told me that he started collecting obscure vintage items and I found a rare bottle of French wine that wasn’t even made anymore. The bottle that I had ordered on EBay was one of seven remaining.
I popped my trunk and opened my suitcase, rummaging around inside of it until I found the bottle. It was almost better that my flight had been cancelled because, based on what my mother had shared about my brother-in-law years ago, he wasn’t someone that I particularly cared for anyway. For a tasty $200 bottle of wine, I’d much rather share it with my good friend, James.
I walked up to the door and knocked hard. A few moments later, the door swung open and James stood there, holding a beer in hand. He smiled brightly and extended his arms to me to give me a hug.
“Look who it is!” he yelled, slurring his words. “Bradley’s here! I didn’t think that I’d be seeing you any time soon. It’s a Christmas miracle!”
He laughed raucously, pulling me inside the house and hugging me hard. He smelled like a brewery.
“It’s good to see you, too,” I said, holding out the bottle of wine toward him. “I brought some wine for you, but it looks like you’ve already got a head start on drinking.”
James slapped his knee, doubled over with laughter. I reached out to steady him as he almost tipped over.
“I’m good,” he said, gaining his footing. “Here, let’s go into the kitchen.”
I followed closely behind him, watching to make sure that he wouldn’t fall again.
“Natalia, look who decided to join us,” he said.
Natalia stood in the kitchen behind the counter chopping vegetables. Her head snapped up and she stared at me, her eyes wide. She looked like a trapped deer. I half expected her to run out of the room, but she didn’t. She just stood there as if she was frozen, staring at me as I walked into the room.
“Hello, Natalia,” I said, giving her the warmest smile that I could muster.
“James came bearing gifts,” said James, holding up the bottle of French wine. “I’ll go ahead and pour us a glass.”
He opened the cabinet, swinging the door open wide. He pulled out three glasses and then paused.
“Oh, wait,” he said. “We only need two glasses. Natalia is pregnant. I’m gonna be a grandpa.” He winked at me and smiled.
“What did you say?” I asked James, positive that I had misheard him.
“Crazy, right?” he said, reaching his hands out to steady himself on the counter. “I just found out. Let's have a glass of wine to celebrate!” He was delighted and roaring.
He extended a glass in my direction, but I didn't take it. My head was spinning and I struggled to make sense of his words and what was happening. I looked over at Natalia. She was frozen, really looking like she was trapped. She clutched the counter in front of her like she was trying to hide her belly and she stared down at the floor like she wanted to sink into it.
I walked around so that I was standing directly in front of her. I turned her with two hands, so that she was facing me. I looked down at her belly. It was obvious that she was very pregnant. My heart jumped up into my throat.
“How far along are you?” I asked, my tone almost accusatory.
Before she could get the words out, James answered for her. “Four months,” he said, holding up four fingers and smiling.
I stood back and started putting together the timeline. If she was four months pregnant, then that meant that she had gotten pregnant around the time that I was living there, when we had been together. And if that was the case, that meant that the baby that she was carrying was mine. For four months, she had been walking around with my child inside of her and she didn't even bother to let me know.
With every nanosecond that I thought about it, the more angry I became.
“Explain yourself!” I yelled.
She jumped back startled. She had never so much as heard me raise my voice, let alone heard me yell at her. She didn't say anything. Her eyes were pleading with me, but it was like her words just wouldn't come. She looked back and forth between her father and I like she was watching a car accident.
“Wait a minute...” cracked James, starting to sober up immediately.
I realized too late what my outburst of anger had done. But, I couldn't take it back and I could barely contain my rage. What Natalia had done was inexcusable. If she was pregnant with my child, I had the right to know. I saw the realization set in with James at the same time that Natalia did and we braced ourselves for his reaction.
Chapter 46 - Bradley
“You son of a bitch!” yelled James, almost foaming at the mouth like a rabid animal. He lunged toward me like he was ready to attack.
I stood steady, readying myself and waiting for his blows to land. I knew that I deserved every bit of his anger, so I didn't even bother putting up a defense. Before either of us had a chance to say something, Natalia stepped between us.
“Dad, no,” she said, putting her arms against her father's chest in an effort to stop him. “I can handle this.”
Her father huffed in frustration.
“Move out the way, Natalia,” he growled, his eyes fixed on me. “This is between Bradley and me. Step aside.”
The murderous way that he looked at me, his fists clenched at his side, a vein bulging from his muscular neck, almost made me sweat.
“Calm down,” shouted Natalia, beginning to lose her relative cool. “Let me handle this the way that I need to.”
“Natalia, this is man's business. Not only did he violate a man code by sleeping with my daughter, showing me that he has no respect for our friendship, or me as a man, he left you pregnant. You've been having to deal with all of this on your own and that's not fair!”
“Dad, it's not completely his fault,” she said, pleading with her father. “It wasn't like he knew that I was pregnant and he just chose to be absent. I just didn't give him that choice because I was still trying to figure out how I was going to deal with things. I just didn't tell him.”
“Why?” James and I blurted out in unison.
Natalia stood back and crossed her arms, too ashamed to look at either one of us.
“It's because Bradley was bent on doing the right thing.”
James snorted and rolled his eyes at her comment. Natalia looked between the two of us like she was trying to decide what to say and decided not to say anything and stalked out of the kitchen, shaking her head and mumbling under her breath. I followed behind her and James followed behind me. I stopped mid-stride and turned to face James. My palms were sweaty as I opened my mouth to speak, raising my head so that I was staring at him head on.
“Would it be okay if I spoke to Natalia alone?” I asked, willing my voice not to give out.
James scoffed and clucked his tongue.
“I think that you've spent more than enough time with my little girl,” he said, leering at me like he still wanted to attack me.
I hung my head. I told him, “I know. And I'm sorry for that. But, it's already been four months and the rest of the months are going to fly by, I'm sure. I think that now is a good time for us to start talking about what we're going to do once the baby comes.”
“Are you going to marry her?” James asked, taking a step toward me. He looked at me squarely.
I knew that what he was asking me was a question any real father would ask in this situation. But, more than that, it was something that he was asking me as a man of honor, someone who lived by a certain code of conduct where you did the right thing no matter what. Despite the circumstances, James knew that I was such a man.
&nbs
p; “I plan to,” I said.
James threw his head back and laughed loudly. His laughter was so unexpected that it almost startled me. I was confused.
“Please let me in on the joke,” I began cautiously. “What's so funny?”
James covered his mouth, trying to contain his laughter.
“Good luck,” he said, backing away, still giggling with glee.
For a moment, I wondered exactly what James meant by that, but decided not to think too much into it. My focus at the moment was Natalia and our baby.
I turned and walked down the hallway to the room that used to be Natalia's before she moved out. I tried to turn the door knob and found it locked.
I knocked on the door softly and waited. No answer. I knocked harder. Still no answer. I pounded on the door, shaking it with each knock. I knew that she was in the room. She was ignoring me on purpose.
“Are you going to open the door or am I going to have to take it off its hinges?”
I waited silently. I could almost hear her thinking. After a few minutes, she shuffled toward the door and I heard the lock click. The door flew up and she stood in the doorway, looking at me angrily.
“What do you want?” she asked in a huff.
I tried moving into the room, pushing my body against hers, but she pushed me right back out the door.
“I want you and the baby,” I said with thick emotion, looking at her with seriousness.
“Babies,” she said, taking a step back.
“Wait. What?” I asked, dumbfounded by her statement.
“Babies,” she said, patting her belly affectionately. “I'm having twins.”
She smiled down at her belly. Watching her stand there, full in this knowledge made me even more attracted to her. Finally, able to be free with her, I saw she had a maternal glow about her. It drove me wild. I wanted her in the worst way.
“We're getting married,” I said firmly, reaching out to grab her hand. She pulled it away as if touching my skin burned hers.