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“Why does she love me? She just met me. Is it because I’m carrying her grandbaby?” I ask.
“No, she liked you before that. That certainly solidifies it, though. She told me last night to get off my lazy butt and to make you mine, as in to claim you.”
My phone begins to ring before I can touch that statement. I smile when I see the name. “Gladys?” I answer. “Yes, we are about an hour and a half from Spokane… Yes, we will come straight there… You did what? Oh, 1:30 then? Yes, and I think so, let me ask… Okay, I will inform him but it isn’t as if he hasn’t seen that part before, you know… Yeah, yeah… That’s the truth, that is why we are in this predicament.”
Brody is amused by the end of the conversation as I continue, “Oh, Gladys, don’t get sassy with me… Oh, for crying out loud, no need to be that visual… Oh, okay, and no need to get my mom involved yet. See you soon.”
I’m laughing as I end the call with Gladys. “Never know what is going to come out of her mouth, just a warning.”
“What was that all about?”
“Gladys is warning me about the ultrasound and wanting me to be prepared for it since you will be there.”
“What do you mean, warning you? Is everything going to be all right?”
“Oh, I think so, this is just a preliminary and routine thing they do. But with an ultrasound this early on, they go in vaginally.”
“Um, what does that mean?” he asks.
Smiling at him, I realize vanity will be out the window by the time we are done with this baby. “They take the scope and put it inside of me, instead of on my stomach like they'll do when I get further along. This is a way to accurately get a picture of the baby.” I stop my sentence to look at Brody’s facial expression. “She just wanted you prepared, that’s all.”
“Um, well, I have seen that part of you before, when something much better…” Looking over at me, we both burst into hysterical laughter. “Well, no need to finish that sentence, I think you know where I was going with that.”
“Um, yes, I do. That’s the reason we are in this situation.” Smiling at each other, we arrive at the doctor’s office almost forty-five minutes earlier than my scheduled appointment. Gladys walks in and looks at me and says, “Girl, not only are you early but you’re super early.” Gladys only smiles at Brody, “Oh, yes, I remember you from the wedding. So, you’re the baby daddy?” She continues, “Sorry, I’m way more professional with my other patients, but when it comes to this girl, she’s like a granddaughter to me. Reminds me, when are you telling your Gram?” Gladys is best friends with my grandma.
“After I conjure the nerve to tell my dad.”
“Oh, girl, I don’t want to be a fly on that wall,” Gladys says.
Leaving me alone to change into one of those flimsy paper gowns, Gladys walks in with Brody on her heels. “Okay, I’m going to ask you, Brody, to step out of the room for a second while I examine her and then we will get you into ultrasound earlier than planned. All right?”
His eyes tell me he doesn’t want to leave. “Gladys, he can stay.”
Gladys brings him to the top of the exam table and says, “Stay here, next to her head, and I will continue.”
As she examines me, I wince a couple of times. “The uterus is closed tight and I don’t find any spotting, that is a good sign. We will be by to get you for the ultrasound.”
“Thanks, Rose, for letting me stay. I didn’t see anything,” he says as he caresses my head.
Again, I say this so it will sink into his skull. “By the time we are done with all of this, you will see much more. We might as well get you used to it,” I chime in casually. “If we have a boy, I would like to use your middle name,” I say, needing to talk about something positive.
“Really? What made you think of that?”
“I didn’t give you a choice about Lorelei. And my middle name is Lorelei.”
“My middle name is Andrew.” He starts to chuckle, “You weren’t kidding. You’re a planner.”
When we walk into the room for the ultrasound, I turn to Brody, leaning into him. “Brody, I’m scared.” Grabbing me to kiss me on the cheek, I move too quickly and take the lead to kiss him on the lips. Before I know it, we are lip-to-lip, single-mindedly kissing. He backs up first and smiles at me.
“Rose, you know once we move forward, we can’t move back. I loved that kiss and I will give you a pass on taking charge,” he teases and my mind drifts back to our one night together and how he was in the bedroom. “I love the taste of you but I’m afraid I would be taking advantage of you.”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I stand on my tiptoes to be face to face with him. “Possibly, but I’m not complaining,” I flirt.
“I need to treat you the way I would want our child treated. As easy as it would be for me to take you and gently toss you on the bed and make love to you all night, and I say make love because I feel completely different about you, Toots, I can’t.” We are jostled by the knock at the door as he says, “We will continue this conversation later.”
A woman in her late forties pops her head in the door, “Hey, I’m Evelyn, I’ll be performing your ultrasound today.” She points to the table and I take a seat. “How are you doing, Rose?” she asks in a sweet tone.
“I’m a little scared,” I admit.
“That’s natural. Listen, Rose, honey, I’m going to glide this gently into your vagina. You shouldn’t feel much pain, but if you do, I need you to tell me right away. Now, give me just a second to get you hooked up, my dear, and I will call the doctor. She requested to be in here with you.”
I’m leaning onto Brody, like an anchor I need right now. The irony of the situation is we have really only known each other a week. Gladys has always treated me like her granddaughter so she, too, is concerned.
“Hey, so let’s see what’s going on here.” Gladys is on one side of me holding my hand as Brody is on the other side. She tilts my head back. “Rose, do you see that?” she asks before pointing to the screen. “That is your baby’s heart.”
“There it is, Toots. That’s our baby,” Brody says confidently, holding onto me. He can’t, or won’t, take his eyes off the screen. In his profile, I see the stress in his face lift and it is replaced by a broad grin. He finally breaks his hold on the screen, catching my gaze.
I start crying and the ultrasound tech finishes her scan as Gladys says, “This whole scare is when you realize how much this baby means to the both of you. Funny how that works. I have been in this job for so long, I have seen this every time. I want you, missy, to take the rest of the week off from work and I will write you a work excuse. I want you to rest and get recuperated and no long trips for now, do you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say. I know she will call my mom if I don’t behave.
“And you,” she says looking at Brody, “I need you to keep an eye on her. I want her ass in bed for the next week and back here on Monday of next week to check her out. Then, I will let her get back to work, if I feel her health warrants it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says.
“And Rose, call your mom and enlist her help. I need you seriously in bed doing nothing, to make sure this is just your normal pregnancy stuff.”
“All right.” I wait for Brody and Gladys to walk out, as I get dressed then send my mom a text telling her everything that has been going on.
Brody is waiting for me out in the waiting room. “You heard the doctor, let’s get you home and in bed, Toots.”
“Those words…don’t quite hold the same meaning,” I joke as he holds the door open for me.
“Rose, I’m not going anywhere, but the need to take care of you right now overrides the time I need to give you to make your choice. Regardless, you’re stuck with me in your life because of the baby.”
“I’m sorry, I’m emotional right now. You’re right and I thank you for being logical,” I explain.
“Speaking of logistics, who will be staying with you at night?�
� He wants to take care of me. This man both melts my heart and my panties.
“I don’t think I need anyone.”
“Like hell you won’t. I don’t want you by yourself. So, if your mom or sister can’t, I will.”
“Emma is on bed rest, too. She can’t. It took them five years of trying and she hasn’t worked from the second she found out.”
“Well, I want to give your mom first dibs, I mean she’s your mom and all but if not, I will stay with you.”
“I will think about it,” I say when my mother calls me. Sighing, I know I’m about to get the animated version of Justine Wallace and I’m not sure I can handle that now. “Mom, I’m all right, yes, I told you I was with Brody this weekend… No… That is not what that means. All right, if that would make you feel better… Well, yes, if Nick is cooking… Yes, Brody is taking me back to the house… Yes, Mother… Yes, he probably will… I don’t know yet, Mother…” Every time I would say the word mother, I stressed her name more than I normally would. She was being so nosy but what else should I expect. “Yes, you can… I don’t know, you can ask him… Oh, yes, we did… There was no need to worry you… I did and she guessed I was pregnant… I know, I wish it would be that easy with Dad… You will, actually, yes… See you tonight… Me, too.”
“Um, that was quite the conversation,” Brody remarks, amused. “I only heard part of that and it seemed there were fifty different conversations on her end. Should I be concerned?”
How do I ready Brody for Hurricane Justine? I simply say, “I know, she gave me hell about not telling her I was seeing Gladys for possible complications. Told me she was bringing over dinner. Nick is cooking because she’s a horrible cook.” I continue to give him the breakdown of the conversation and I finish by saying, “She’s going to tell my dad.”
“I’m helping you this week. That is not negotiable,” he says sternly.
“You need to get moved in, too. I don’t want to hinder that.”
“But I can do that one day your mom is with you,” he assures me, grabbing my knee. A shot of excitement shoots right through me and immediately I want to kiss him and be held by him.
“All right, you can stay tonight, but we will discuss the rest later, okay?”
“You got yourself a deal, Toots.”
“Toots? Is that really going to be my name?” We both laugh at one another.
“I think it will be. It fits you perfectly.”
11
Justine
The second I ring the doorbell, the young man I saw for a brief moment at my son’s wedding is now standing in front of Nick and myself. “You must be Rose’s mom and stepdad. I’m Brody Buchannan. I’m making Rose plant her ass down just as her doctor told me to.”
I smile, looking at Nick, knowing we both think the same thing as I say, “I like this kid already.” Walking in, I carry the dessert as Nick follows me. “That sounds like Gladys’s instructions,” I say.
“Brody, it’s nice to meet you, I barely remember you from the wedding,” Nick said.
“Ah, hell, everyone remembers you from the wedding, sneaking off with Rose. It is nice to see you again,” I say as I see my daughter lying on the couch. I’m glad as fuck to see that she’s doing fine. I drop the dessert off in the kitchen and go over to her as if she’s still my little girl, sick and needing her mommy. “Hey, my baby, are you doing all right? Anything you need me to get? I brought an overnight bag to stay over if you need me.”
“It’s okay, Mom, Brody is staying tonight, in the guest room. I’m fine, just really tired.” I turn around to see Nick on my heels checking on Rose; he loves my girl like I do. “Nick, what did you bring?”
“All your favorites, sweetheart. Flank steak, mashed potatoes and a corn salad, and I stopped and got you cheesecake. I didn’t have time to make it from scratch like you love but I will, sweetie.” Heading to the kitchen and making himself at home, Nick calls back to Rose, “Are you hungry?”
“Yes, I’m starved.”
Standing up instantly, Brody is in the kitchen. “I’ll make you a plate.” I only look at my daughter who is staring at this man that obviously adores her.
As we all settle on the couch, eating dinner, I watch Brody, who is watching my girl as she eats, making sure she’s taking care of herself. Before I give it a second thought, I ask, “What are your intentions, now that you know you’re going to be a father?”
Brody is surprised by my forwardness while Rose only looks at him as she waits to shovel mashed potatoes in her mouth, “Sorry, Brody, I tried to warn you. My mom sometimes goes straight for the jugular.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, surprise is not the word I could use, and we were careful, very careful, every time careful.” I can’t help but laugh at his insistence of their night together. “Um, well, to continue, I have always wanted a family and well, this is certainly what I would call a more non-traditional family than what I was thinking, but she’s carrying my baby, our baby. I don’t know the rulebook on this, it’s going to be a live and learn type of scenario and I’m sure I will make mistakes, but I’m not going to abandon my baby. I would love to see something in the future with us, her and me together. She knows that. But I know that’s not fair to her right now, her emotions are all over the place plus she has to figure out things with Jones. So, I’m here to help her and let her get to know me. I need her to understand I’m a decent man just trying to be a good father to our baby.”
“Holy shit, you’re long-winded but if I didn’t like you before, I fucking like you now. I wasn’t wanting to. I hope your word is true and you will be a dad to this baby. He or she will need you.”
My daughter stops for a second in between chews to add, “Yeah, just to warn you, my mom also can use the F word like most people say the word THE.”
12
Brody
I have never instantly liked someone as quickly as I did with Justine and Nick Wallace. They told stories all night long but by nine pm, I finally say, “I hate to break this up but I have got to get Rose to bed.”
Her mother, who is one of the most open people I have ever met, looks at me and says, “I’m sure you do.”
I only laugh, seeing the polar opposites in Rose’s mom and mine. They are both so involved but in two different ways. After her parents leave, I make my way to the spare room making up the sofa bed. I hear Rose from her room calling, “Brody, I was going to start a movie, you want to come watch it with me?”
“Probably not,” I say, I need to create barriers with this girl.
“Please, it is a total chick flick, it’s called Paper Towns.”
“Oh, all right,” I say, walking into her room when I eye the chair in the corner.
She watches me try to shove my large body in her little chair. She throws a pillow my ways as she says, “Brody, just crawl in bed with me.”
“Says the woman who wouldn’t share a hotel room with me even with separate beds,” I tease. “Now you want me in bed with you. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Just get your ass up here. I’m not going to do anything.” However, her smile is more seduction than I can refuse. Remembering the kiss from earlier today, my body still hums with the sensations she has caused within me.
Taking off my shoes, I sit against the headboard of her bed. Leaning up next to me, I frown down at her. “Hey, Toots, you’re supposed to be laying down, not sitting up. Here.” I reach for some pillows, piling them up so she can see the television screen lying down.
She looks at the pillows and moves them closer to me as she situates herself near me, somehow maneuvering her body to be in the crook of my arm. “You said you like affection.”
“You aren’t playing fair, you know, Toots,” I tell her.
Now leaning on her back, she looks straight into my eyes. We lock onto each other’s gazes and I know she’s done. Bringing her lips up to mine as she pushes her tongue into my mouth, she wants deep access to me and I give it. I think she wants to
taste me, fully. Her passion is recognizable as is her desire. I remember her scent and she hasn’t changed. Thank fuck! It is the most amazing smell I have ever inhaled. I continue to kiss her fully, too, without hesitation. I don’t dare move my hands, for I can’t control where they may end up.
I pull away gently, though I don’t want to. “I think that is all the excitement you can handle for tonight, Toots.”
She smiles a wicked smirk my way as she turns toward the television, snuggling her back into me. She has to have felt my erection yet she sits there watching a chick flick when all I can think about is how she’s molded to my long body. I kiss her on the cheek when her breathing turns heavy, tucking her in under the blankets. Turning off the movie and the light, I’m walking into the guest room when I hear her calling for me.
“You all right?” I asked alarmed, rushing to her room.
“No, can you sleep in here with me tonight. I like you near me.”
“Rose, I don’t think that is a good idea,” I say sternly, not calling her my little pet name that fits her perfectly.
“I just like you near me.”
“I do, too, I just don’t think I can control myself with you.”
“I guess you’re right.”
I stew with the emotions of a horny man in love. After just a couple of days, these feelings have blossomed like corn at harvest time. I want to keep my word to her but at the same time, if she needs the closeness for security then I want her to feel that from me. I’m having a silent debate with myself when I hear something coming from Rose’s direction.
“Rose?”
“Shit,” she says.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you crying?”