Unacquainted Page 3

  “I guess if anyone would know the chances of failures, it should be the statistician,” my mom says as she raises her eyebrows at me.

  “Why do people keep on saying that to me? It was sex, fucking great sex, too, and I wasn’t going to sit there and compute the rate of condom failures.”

  My mom only laughs at my little tantrum and continues, “You have seen Gladys then? That’s good. I know you and abortion is not an option. What about adoption?”

  “No, I’m established. I may not be the mom that I wanted to be, being single and all, but I know that this baby will be loved. I’m lucky, I have you and Hildy.”

  “You’re right. I’m excited for you. My baby is having a baby.” She squeals. “Good Lord, Hildy is going to be over the fucking moon for this baby.” With a slight pause, she says, “All right, what about this Brody?” My mom becomes a chatterbox like I do when she’s nervous and I knew this would make my mother more than nervous.

  “He knows,” I say, grabbing our food from the kitchen and sitting down, finally able to eat as I pop a few noodles in my mouth. “I told him last night and surprisingly enough, he wants to be a part of the baby’s life. He’s interviewing for a position up here, incidentally.”

  “You have your mind made up. I can see that. You’re determined and resourceful. You do have a great support system. Ah, shit, I just got it; I’m going to be a grandma, again. I’m not old enough to have two grandkids.”

  “Well, I guess you are. And I’m glad Emma will be doing this first, I may just have to glean a lot of information from her,” I say, speaking of my stepsister, who in the past four years became the real-life sister I’ve always wanted.

  “Honey, I know this is not the way you envisioned having your first baby but sometimes the best things are the ones that surprise us the most,” my mom pats my hand, something she has done my whole life when I’m uncertain or scared.

  “I know, Mom. I told Brody to take two days to think about this, about the commitment he’s ready to make to a baby, when he barely knows the mother. He’s coming back here tomorrow and no, I’m not ready to tell anyone.”

  “What about Emma? She could really help you, you know.”

  “I’m done telling people for now, Emma knowing is not a bad idea. But no one else.”

  “That is a promise, but let’s finish eating, you need to take care of that grandbaby of mine in there!” she says, grabbing her plate. “Eat up, when the morning sickness kicks in, you won’t eat for two months.” She giggles at me but she’s right—all the new emotions, aromas and sensations will be new to my body as it continues to change over the next several months.

  3

  Justine

  I walk into our craftsman-style home that I have shared with Nick for the past five years. Our road, in the beginning, was certainly rocky, but we found our footing and although it’s not perfect, our life is certainly unexpected, as indicated by the heart to heart I had with Rose tonight.

  I find Nick lying on the couch next to Oscar, our sweet dog, watching a college basketball game but he mutes it the second he hears my keys jangle in the door. He and Oscar, a beagle, immediately stand, greeting me as they have done for the past several years.

  “Hey there, sweetheart,” he says, giving me a kiss and leading me to the couch. Oscar, who fights with Nick over my affection, wiggles his way in between us as Nick glares at him. Nick’s thoughtfulness and love for me has never faltered and over the years, our dog has picked up on that. Oscar treats me well because Nick does. Sure, tough times are had by all; but in the long run, he’s always my Nick.

  “Hey, cowboy.” I lean over to kiss him and rub Oscar’s ears. Over the years, our inside joke has now become my term of endearment for my husband, who really is anything but a cowboy.

  “How was your dinner with Rose?”

  Taking off my shoes, I set them by the couch but within a second, Nick stands up to move them to the closet, never one to handle our house cluttered. I let out a long yawn but by the look on my face, he asks, “That bad?”

  “No, it wasn’t bad, Rose just had some news for me that I was certainly not expecting.”

  Sitting back down, Oscar is now taking up more room. Looking down at the dog, he says, “She was mine first.” I laugh because Nick loves this dog more than I do, if that is possible. He continues, this time talking to me, “Oh no, they finally talked her into taking that position in Seattle?” After Kai moved to Sacramento to be with Jane, Nick knows that if Rose were to move away, I would be devastated.

  “No, that’s not it. She’s staying put but it is a bit more permanent.” I have now made Nick as confused as I was when Rose told me. “Rose is pregnant.”

  “How, what? I’m mean when and who?” Shock runs all over his face as he waits for the answers.

  “Well, the how I think you get. But remember the guy she disappeared with at the wedding? That would be the who,” I say a bit lightheartedly, though my husband will not take it that way.

  “Jane’s co-worker friend. You mean it was a one-night stand? That doesn’t seem like Rose.” The worry is evident on his face when he blinks rapidly. My kids are anchored in his heart as much as they are in my own.

  Grabbing his hand to comfort him, Oscar senses Nick is upset when he places his head on his lap. “No, it doesn’t and when I saw her leave with him, I thought the same thing. She said they were careful but Gladys told her condoms are known to fail.”

  “Who is telling Rafe?” Nick asks bluntly.

  “Rose can tell her dad. She’s a big girl, she makes really good money and the guy, Brody is his name, told her he wanted to be involved.”

  “She doesn’t even know him?” he asks, already acting like a grandpa to this little baby in my daughter’s stomach.

  “Rose is an adult, she’ll have to navigate this for herself. That’s not to say that I won’t help her if she needs it, I mean, this is our grandchild we’re talking about. But she’s going to have to make these decisions on her own, without influence from us. If she needs us, she will ask. She’s scared shitless and I will help her, especially early on after the birth. This is her life and I think she’s ready to make those hard decisions.”

  “If anyone can do it, it’s Rose,” he says, kissing me on the forehead. He’s never too far away from me when I’m home. His protectiveness has always been a staple of our relationship and he senses that especially now, I need comfort.

  “We aren’t to tell anyone, except Emma. Rose feels as if she could learn a lot watching your daughter go through the same thing she’s about to go through, five months later. I was going to call her soon, before it gets too late.”

  “How does it feel to know we are now going to have two grandchildren to spoil?” Nick asks.

  “Actually, it feels great. We can spoil them and give them back to the girls. It’s how we get the revenge for all the fucked-up shit they put us through.” It dawns on me this is the first time I let my favorite word slide since finding out the news when I feel a small smile form on my face.

  “You’re exactly right, honey, and have a way of putting it so delicately,” he says as we both break out into hysterics.

  4

  Rose

  I hear the doorbell ring. Looking at my watch, I think Brody is really early. Oh great, he’s one of those frightfully early people. That is the one attribute I’m not. Pulling open the door, I see my stepsister standing there with a bottle of orange juice.

  “Well, neither one of us can have a glass of wine so I thought we could talk over a glass of O.J.”

  “I should have known you wouldn’t let me go longer than a day without checking in.” I hug Emma as she walks in, handing me a book.

  “You got that right, sis. Now, let me waddle on in here and put my feet up,” Emma says, pushing past me and heading straight for the couch. “Soon, this will be you.”

  “So, tell me, Emma, I’m not going to get the speech from you like, ‘what the hell were you thinking, Rose?'”


  Emma grins at me, “Um, no, I saw the guy you left with the night of the wedding, I know exactly what you were thinking, girl.” Emma tells it like it is and since it’s an attribute that lives in my own mom, I find it easy to accept in Emma. “What are you thinking now? No dwelling in the past, what happened has happened, what now?” This is Emma, shooting straight with me.

  “I honestly don’t know, though I’m keeping this baby. It is a blessing that I make good money and feel financially stable. I know there is more to it than just money, but it would be difficult if I didn’t have a good income. The dad, who is on his way over, says he wants to be part of the baby’s life. Then there is Jones.”

  Emma is really calm about this. “Well, you have time to work it all out. And it will work out, you know. It may not be what you thought but you will find it’ll be wonderful. If you need anything, let me know. You have your prenatal appointments and a doctor, right?”

  “Yes, Gladys,” I say.

  “That’s right, your grandma’s best friend. Well, just follow what she tells you.” Leaning over to grab a book, she finally is able to bring it to the coffee table. “Here is a book I read early on, it was helpful on what was coming up for me. It’s an easy read. Go ahead and keep it. Maybe you can pass it on to the newlyweds one day.”

  “Emma, I’m not ready to tell anyone yet.” Meaning, I’m not ready to hear it from her sister who happens to be my best friend.

  “Besides Tyler, mum’s the word,” Emma promises as she rubs her belly. “Man, when I think my stomach can’t get any fucking bigger, it surprises me and my skin itches.”

  Startled by the knock on the door, I cringe and think crap, he’s still early. “Let me grab that, it will be Brody, most likely.” I look at Emma who has not budged; I’m not sure if she can’t or if she’s a little nosy with Brody coming over. Knowing Ems, it is a little of both.

  Opening the door, before I can say anything, he says, “Sorry, I’m early, I normally am but I was also anxious, I guess you could say.” He leans in, giving me a peck on the forehead. Leading him down the long hall to my living room, Emma is still sitting with a grin on her face. Yep, she’s being nosy, that’s for sure.

  “Anxious, I would say so,” Emma says as I give her a darting look.

  Her remark surprises him, since I didn’t tell Brody I had company. He quickly says, “You look familiar. You're Jane’s sister, I remember you from the wedding. You look a lot like your other sister, Lila.”

  “Yes, I get that a lot. Emma is the name and I’m also Rose’s stepsister. I remember you from the wedding. Well, more like the back of your head as you slipped off with my sister super-fast.”

  Brody has a look of utter confusion by the way he squeezes his eyes together as though he’s in deep thought. Who wouldn’t be confused by our family dynamics? “Emma was just leaving, weren’t you, Ems?”

  “All right, I can tell when I’m not wanted.” She smirks then gives me a hug. Holding me tight, it is the support I need for tonight as Brody and I figure out this whole parent thing while virtually being strangers. Emma says, “It was nice seeing you again, Brody, especially your face this time. See you around.”

  He only waves at her as Ems waddles out of the room. Watching Emma make it down the hall, I turn to him and instantly he asks, “I’m confused, how is she your sister if she’s Jane’s?”

  “Long story short, my mom, Justine, and her dad, Nick, met over five years ago. Emma is his only daughter but her mom got remarried to Kent, Jane and Lila’s dad. When Kai met Jane, it was love at first sight. They dated for five years, he moved down to California and went to Sacramento State, as you know, to be together.”

  “Wow, ever thought about being on Springer?” I laugh at his joke. It’s a question I get often.

  “Well, we aren’t inbreeding, not yet anyway.” I smile, trying to use some sort of icebreaker to calm one another. “Have a seat, can I offer you some great orange juice that my pregnant sister brought over for us to share?”

  “She knows?”

  “For now, just Emma and my mom. Mom thought her being pregnant might help me.” I pour him a cup of orange juice and sit kitty-corner from him. I don’t beat around the bush, “So tell me, Brody Buchannan, what's on your mind? Have you given this much thought?”

  “That's all I have done the past few days. My interviews were over yesterday but I took a few personal vacation days to figure things out. Do you mind if I just lay it all out on the line?” His knee is bouncing and he breaks eye contact with me. I want to touch his leg to tell him I’m just as nervous as he is, but I don’t. I can’t touch him because the physical attraction is so great.

  “Sure, be my guest.” I’m apprehensive. I know it’s ironic since we have this physical connection. This stranger and I will be linked for life and it is a very intimate situation to be going through with a virtual outsider, but I admire his passion. In that way, it’s a comfort that he’s zealous about life in general.

  “Rose, I don’t know you at all. All I know is that you’re great in bed and seem to be a decent person and might I add, you’re knock out gorgeous. But at the same time, I can’t live on this earth knowing there is someone I helped create out there without me. I’d feel like a piece of me was missing. This may scare you but I’m willing to uproot my life to be a part of my child’s. To be honest, I want to get to know you, and not in a sexual way. I want to know the person who is having my baby, just as you would like to know what kind of man has impregnated you.” He stops to give me a sly smile, flashing those blue orbs at me. “Now, I’m not trying to scare you, but I was offered the job. I wanted this job two years ago. That in and of itself is reason to move here, but now, I’m going to be a dad. I want to be there for my baby. I really do. This is not what I imagined, but it is what it is and we can’t change things now.” Watching him intently, he effortlessly explains how his life is now going to encompass our baby. He wants this, to be a dad. It both frightens me but gains my respect for this virtual stranger.

  “Now, as far as your boyfriend returning home is concerned, I will give you space. I ask for you to include me in as much as you’re comfortable with but I can tell you I want to be a hands-on dad. I don’t know how this will work, how we will name the baby, visitation and about a million other logistical issues. I’m sorry, I must be overwhelming you now, but this is my way of saying I’m willing to work on it.”

  I’ve been silent through his entire monologue, which I wondered at one point if it would ever end. I’m finally able to say, “That is a lot to take in.” I try to lessen the stress in the air by taking cleansing breaths. He’s silent, waiting for me to respond, but the only thing I can think of adding is something important to me. “Well, I can tell you that if the baby is a girl, she already has a name. I guess we can discuss a boy’s name. I’m not tied to one of those yet.”

  I can see he’s amused. He might as well find this out now. “I, Rose Hernandez,” I say, a bit silly, “am a planner to the nth degree.”

  “Really? You have a name already?”

  “I have my whole life planned out. Yes, I know it sounds neurotic.”

  “No.” He pauses, looking at me. Those eyes, along with every part of his hot and sexy body, pull me in like the morning sunset. As his lips part, I can’t help but want them on my own mouth now. But then he only smiles, “Okay, yes, I guess that is a little neurotic, I can’t lie. But hell, Rose, you make neurotic look sexy as fuck.” I flush and look away; if he saw it, it may remind him of our night together when he caused the same reaction and I only became wetter. “So, the girl’s name?” he says as he brings me back to earth after remembering this little detail of our night together.

  Oh, I have forgotten all about the baby and the name in the heat I feel. “I lost someone near and dear to my heart five years ago.”

  He grimaces at me with concern. “I certainly can’t argue with a situation like that. So, out of curiosity, what will our little girl be named, if we
have a girl?”

  “Lorelei Justine, and call her Lorel for short.”

  He leans over with a whisper and says, “It’s cute, what a sweet way to pay tribute to someone you loved. How could I argue with a sentiment like that? That would be a dick move.”

  I may have a full-blown anxiety attack, though I want to ride him like I did the night of the wedding. This is such a mix of emotions and I’m all over the place. I can’t imagine letting this baby out of my sight, not even if it was to the other half that helped form him or her. I’m making no sense, I know.

  “Brody, I know nothing about you, except that you’re a physical therapist and you live in Sacramento.”

  He leans back against the couch, placing his hands over his head, clasping them. “There isn’t much to tell. I live a pretty quiet life. I have a much younger sister, and my parents live in a small town over the Oregon border by Pendleton. They are still married, and were young when they had me and that is why they waited on Bryn, my sister.” Oh, he’s family man. How fucking sexy. That’s just what I need, another quality about him that makes him irresistible. Ah, his parents will hate this—I know it.

  “Now, will your parents, I mean, how will they feel about this?” I ask.

  “Are you kidding? My mom has been bugging me for years about settling down. I’m twenty-six.” Oh, this little detail I didn’t know about him. “I messed around for a while and took time away from college. My mom has been on me about finding the right girl,” he says, staring at me, not breaking eye contact as he continues. “This may not be what she wanted but this child will be her grandchild. She’ll be invasive, sorry, felt I should warn you in advance. I’m close to my family. One reason I wanted this job was to be close to them.”

  Oh, the fucking job—I haven’t even asked about it. “The job, where will you be working?” And shit, he will be around all the time. As he talks, I just stare, not really listening to him at first but taking him in, like a tall drink of water. His muscles bulge from underneath a simple long-sleeved grey shirt. His hair is a dirty blond—holy fuck, thinking of him and dirty makes me think of our night together. Then that makes me flush again. I finally remember he’s talking about his job, something important; I must concentrate on his words and not his body.