“Thank you. That would be wonderful.”
“Well, we’ve already lowered the stairs for you since you said you would not be interested in the zipline experience, and if you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you again for everything, Goldie.” I give her a crooked grin and chuckle as she fans herself.
“Your wife is one lucky lady.”
Whoa, I can't help but laugh at the older woman who looks to be about my mother’s age.
“Here’s your map of the grounds. Now you just want to stay on this road, and it will take to straight to your cabin. However, you will have about a quarter of a mile walk to the tree house though. Will that be an issue?”
“No issue. I’ll just carry her.”
I laugh as the woman fans herself once again, “Looks and brawn, if only I were a couple years younger and didn’t have about two hundred pounds of dead weight,” she motions to an older gentleman in the corner. “I’d be on you like white on rice.”
She tosses her head back in a cackle while the old man just shakes his head and continues whittling away at something, sawdust and wood shavings in a pile at his feet.
“Y’all have fun,” she says in a singsong seductive tone and I tip my ball cap in her direction before remembering one important thing I needed for my own reassurance.
“Goldie, just for peace of mind, where’s the nearest hospital?”
She stops mid cackle and seems a little unsure about my question.
“Oh, umm, not far. About thirty minutes or so. Wouldn’t you agree, Wilfred?”
“Yep.”
“Mr. West, I don’t like to pry, but—”
“It’s for my wife. She’s pregnant and on bed rest. This will be our first. Can’t be too cautious.” She grips the material over her heart and lets out a soft sigh and a knowing nod.
“You let us know if you need anything, ya hear.”
I nod once again and make my way back out to the truck and to a still smiling Presley.
“You ready, beautiful?”
“Absolutely.”
We follow the dirt road till it dead ends in a gravel cul-de-sac. Lightening bugs dance through the trees while the tall native grasses sway in the wind like waves out at sea. There’s a light chill in the air and I make sure Presley is bundled up just right. She laughs as I pull my hoodie over her head and tie the strings tight up underneath her chin. I’ve missed her.
Making my way around the front of the truck, I open my door and give her my back. “Get on.”
“I’m sorry, what?” She’s still laughing from my earlier attempt at dressing her, so I point to my back.
“Get on my back.”
“Robert, you’re not going to carry me. I am perfectly capable of walking.”
I turn and move my body so it is now filling the opening of the cab, faces mere inches away from one another. “Presley Elizabeth, you can try to scare any doctor you want into getting your way, but you can’t scare me. I am your husband, and right now I want nothing more than to protect you and our daughter. You are still on bed rest and I’m not letting you off of it just because we’re a couple hours from home. Now, get on my back.”
She looks up at me with her innocent green eyes. The look a child has when they’ve gotten in trouble, but yet hidden behind her innocence is a hint of desire as she leans into my touch. “I’m sorry.”
My thumb brushes against her lips before I give her my back once again.
Her arms wrap around my shoulders and chest, while her legs are securely wrapped around my waist and I grip the underside of her thighs for support. Her breath tickles my neck just moments before her teeth graze my earlobe. “You know I love it when you take control.” Her voice is a deep seductive whisper and I can’t fight back a smile.
After my quarter of a mile walk and Presley’s piggyback ride, we stop in a small clearing. A tranquil brook is all that separates us from the single-story deluxe tree house with an extended balcony. The night air is charged with the unmistakable scent of an impending storm, moisture and decay as the leaves have changed from their vibrant greens to mixes of red, oranges and brown. “Welcome home, princess.”
Presley’s legs loosen from around my waist, her grip on my shoulders relaxes as she slides down my back, my name whispered like a reverent prayer. “Robert, it’s perfect.” Her eyes never leave the tree house as she stares at it and I watch in awe as my pregnant wife glows.
* * *
After our doctor’s appointment today, I was more than ready to get out of town. It didn’t matter where we went as long as I was away from our house and the doctor’s office. Away from the fear I had lived under.
Being challenged and talked down to by Dr. Ward shouldn’t have come as a shock to me. In fact, I learned early on in my career that if I didn’t put my foot down with a client right away, then I would be looked over and talked around. I was constantly having to prove myself to men, and it took a couple of years and some major results before they took me seriously.
I wasn’t some frail woman that would let a man dictate how it would be; especially when I knew more than that man.
I was grateful Robert stood back and supported me in the exam room. I know he’s scared that at any moment this could end, and so am I, but right now, I’m at peace with the way things are. He has been beyond attentive and in fact, packed my bags for our little weekend getaway.
The drive down to Cypress Haven was peaceful. The occasional conversation and singing along to whatever was on the radio. One of my favorite things about our relationship is how neither of us feel the need to fill silence; we can just be.
Robert finally parks the truck and comes to my side to help me out. I will never tire of his chivalries, a far cry from the man I once knew. Instead of his hand he gives me his back, “Get on.” I giggle at the sudden request. I challenge his invitation and quickly discover just how serious he is. The heat from his breath dances across my face, hypnotic deep blue eyes locked on mine, his lips just mere inches from mine call to me, weaken me, until I do as I’m told, eager just to be molded to him. My Robert. My protector.
After several minutes of walking, we stop in the middle of nowhere and I look up.
“Welcome home, princess.”
A babbling brook with strategically placed stepping-stones separates us from our tree house. Soft lit windows offer a welcoming glow, their light just barely reaching the ground below. A gentle breeze rustles the canopy of leaves as the first strike of lightning dances across the sky.
I’m rendered speechless in the serenity of our cabin. My remaining nerves swept away with the water flowing at our feet as an overwhelming sense of peace envelopes me. “It’s perfect.”
I stare at our house a few seconds longer before he takes my hand and leads me across the brook to the winding staircase that leads up. “Hop on,” he lowers himself and I once again climb onto his back. His hands grip tight to my underside as we make our ascent, the stairs aren’t wide, but he manages the climb without a struggle. Opening the door, he carries me in before setting me down in the first room as we take in the sight before us.
There’s not much to it, a small kitchen freshly stocked with the approved items from the nutritionist. A bathroom with a vintage claw-foot tub, plush towels hanging close by on a handmade ladder and a wall of windows facing west with French doors leading out to the wrap around balcony. The bedroom reminds me of our igloo, windows on three sides with a bed centered in the room. Sunrise at our heads, sunset at our feet. Once again there is another set of French doors leading to the balcony.
As I take everything in I am overcome with emotion. Tears start and I can't seem to control them. Robert’s arms surround me as I’m pulled into his chest. “Shhh, it’s gonna be okay Pres.” My body heaves with his reassurance. I thought I was fine. I thought my fearfulness was gone, but it was only hiding, lurking, waiting. “Talk to me, sweet girl.”
“I don’t know, and yet I do know,”
I say through broken sobs. A puzzled expression rest on his face as I lift my head to find comfort in his lips. “I feel like I can finally breathe, and everything will be fine, but I also feel like nothing is for certain. We’ve lost so many already, but I’m afraid this one would hurt the worst. Just weeks old and I feel like I know her, Robert. I see this beautiful little life, your eyes, my nose, and something tells me feisty as hell.
“I want to celebrate and yet keep this a secret at the same time.
“This place is perfect and beautiful, and I should be able to relax and let my mind free, but I know in five days reality is going to slap us in the face. I’m sorry, I know I’m not making any sense, but I don’t know the right words.”
Collapsing into him, I’m held firm against him, his strong steady heartbeat a lulling comfort, but also an angry curse. His heartbeat may very well be the only heartbeat I hear. Tears pool in my eyes to the point of blinding.
“You make perfect sense P. I have those same feelings too.”
I look up at him in surprise. “You do?”
“I do.”
Delicately cupping my face, his strong fingers run the course of my neck, he kisses my nose and chuckles, “It’s why I thought we needed a change of scenery for a week. No doctors, no everyday routine, just us, away from everything. And,” he places a kiss on my lips, “if you,” he kisses my neck, “want to celebrate,” he kisses my collarbone, “we’ll do that too.” His lips are locked back on mine, his tongue dipping ever so lightly into my mouth before I break our seal, looking into his eyes. They’re kind and soft and so full of love. I pray our little girl gets his eyes.
“I’d like that,” I whisper out.
His motions are smooth and fluid as he lifts me and carries me over to the bed. His lips never leaving mine while slowly laying me down.
I watch as he removes his shirt and jeans before helping me out of mine. Every piece of clothing he takes off is done with care and attention until I’m completely exposed. He leaves a trail of kisses starting at my neck and inching their way down to my stomach where he pauses his descent, placing several soft kisses low on my abdomen.
“Hey little girl,” he lifts his hooded eyes to mine as warmth floods my system and I smile back at him. “I’m gonna make sweet (kiss) beautiful (kiss) love (kiss) to your momma right now, okay?” I giggle at his omission, but the softness of his timber somehow makes me fall in love with him even more. “Please don’t go anywhere little one. In fact, just get used to this, because your mommy is strong,” he kisses my stomach once again before his eyes meet mine, “she’s fearless,” his kiss moves higher, “she’s sexy,” he kisses in between my breast, before playfully fondling each one, his goofy boyish grin plastered on his face, “and I’m totally and completely in love with her.”
His mouth collides with mine. I close my eyes as his tongue slips between my lips, dancing with mine. Pulling him closer to me, legs spread I feel him enter me gradually, inch by inch as I arch into him letting out a small moan.
“Tonight is about us Presley,” he whispers as he moves deeper, stretching me, filling me, completing me, “And I’m going to take my time with you.”
A final push and I feel him against my clit. He is slow and calculated with every stroke. Bringing me right up to the point of bliss before taking it away. Our bodies intertwined and pressed hard against each other. Occasionally fighting for dominance until he overpowers me and I’m under him again.
After what seems like hours of take and give, teasing, playing, sucking and biting, we finally submit to each other, riding wave after wave of pleasure, both our bodies spent as we lay in tangled up sheets, too exhausted to move. My back is tightly pressed against his chest while his arm drapes across my side, his hand gently resting on my stomach while my eyelids fight against sleep.
“I hope she didn’t mind,” Robert jokingly says before kissing the soft skin behind my ear causing me to shimmy closer to him. “Those eight days have been torture on me.”
I let out a small giggle.
“I mean it P. Have you seen yourself? You are, by far, the sexiest pregnant woman I have ever seen.” I don’t need a mirror to see the reddening of my cheeks, but I bask in his compliment as he gives me a tight squeeze and we nestle into each other as sleep overtakes us.
Chapter Five
The gentle rays of the morning sun dance over my closed eyelids as amber light calls my mind from slumber. Robert’s arm still draped over my side, his hand resting on my stomach as if he were already protecting our child from the evils of the world.
It’s early September, still hotter than Hades in Texas, but there is a slight welcoming of cooler air in the morning, the promise of chillier weather just weeks away. The changing of leaves from their multi-shades of greens to robust colors of fall, vibrant oranges and reds.
Fall is an ironic season. That even in death, beauty can be found. “Always look for the beauty,” Gram would remind me; fall was always her favorite season.
As a child I always looked forward to spring and summer, the flowers, the fun, swimming pools, the break from school and of course baseball. But now, as an adult, fall was quickly becoming my favorite. The colors, the smells, the anticipation of that first cold day in which I could bundle up in sweaters and boots and Robert and I could be together once again.
I slide out from under his arm and notice he made the walk back to the truck to retrieve our luggage sometime during the night. I open my suitcase silently to see what kind of outfit I can put together with the items he’s packed. Not a single article looks familiar, and as I shuffle through the packed items, I realize that every piece is brand new: loungewear that is butter soft, pants with tie waistbands, and tops that are relaxed and flowy to hopefully accommodate my one-day growing belly. My heart smiles at the lengths he still goes for me, and the fact I get to call him mine.
I pull out a cream pair of pants and a white tank top, tossing my hair in a messy bun and make myself a cup of tea before sitting out on the balcony, watching the sun continue to rise and listening to the morning song of the birds nesting around us.
Halfway through with my tea, I hear soft padded footsteps behind me. “Morning you,” followed by a kiss on my cheek. “How ya feeling?”
“Good.” Looking up at him I offer a half smile. Memories of Gram have helped keep my anxiety low this morning.
“Any big plans for today?”
“Just letting you spoil me.”
“Hmm. I think I can definitely manage that. I saw some fresh fruit on the counter. You up for some breakfast?”
My stomach flips at the mention of food. “No peaches.” He chuckles while gently massaging my shoulders. “The sight of them alone makes me queasy. Just toast for me, please.”
He kisses my head before heading back inside, “I’ll get rid of the peaches and tell the front desk not to pick any up.”
* * *
Mostly, we spend our trip lounging around, waking up late, napping, and then being wrapped up in each other at night. We took a couple short walks, but minus the sex part, Robert has taken the bed rest and Dr. Ward’s orders pretty seriously. We discussed names for our little one, and if it really is a girl, we have the perfect name picked out. We also decided to tell everyone the good news, we’ve never announced a pregnancy before, but this time it seems right. The whole trip Robert has been absolutely amazing and incredibly attentive, I want for nothing.
The sound of his footsteps on the stairs signals his return from taking our luggage out to the truck and the end of our paradise. “You ready to go?”
“Not really.”
He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and squats down in front of me, “We’ll come back one day, I promise.”
I’d love to come back, but I’m not ready to face our reality. I enjoyed living in a bubble. I liked the feeling of safety that surrounded me as I lived twenty feet up in the air. I give a weak smile before climbing on his back and heading downstairs.
“What time is your appointment again?”
“Two.”
“Okay. We’ll stop and grab lunch on the way then.”
“Babe, you know there’s going to be a lot of these appointments, it’s okay if you need to get back to work.”
“P, there’s no way I would miss an appointment. Coach understands everything that’s going on. The team’s doing fine right now; I’m not leaving.”
* * *
From the time Presley checks in for her appointment to the time we’re shown back to a room, it’s less than five minutes. I’ve never known a doctor that has ever run on time, even the team doctor is at least thirty minutes behind on a good day, and he only deals with the players and coaches. A nurse shows us to the ultrasound room and hands Presley a hospital gown to change into. “You know the drill sweetie.” She offers a parting smile before closing the door. “Dr. Ward will be in shortly.”
Presley looks at the gown and then at me. A little worry and apprehension at what might happen if she puts it on. “You told him once a week P. It’s gonna be fine. I’m here.” I watch as she strips out of her clothes, folding them and placing them in the cabinet before sitting on the exam table.
Three rapid knocks followed by a chorus of hellos lead the way as Dr. Ward opens the door, this time looking directly at Presley. I am but a fly on the wall. “How are we doing today?”
“I guess as good as can be expected.”
“Great! I was hoping for an easy day today.” I chuckle as she dramatically rolls her eyes. “Should we take a look and see what’s going on?”
“Yes.”
Dr. Ward almost seems startled at her willingness. This may be the first visit in which she hasn’t challenged him...yet.
“Alright then.” They both take their positions as I move closer to the table, wrapping Presley’s hand in mine. “Okay, so you’re almost three weeks now. If everything is developing the way it should, we should be able to see the amniotic sac now. That will be your baby’s home for the next nine months or so.”
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