Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“I guess I’ll go do my laundry,” she said, moving past the father of my child, into the hallway. She disappeared down the corridor, no laundry basket in her hands.
I rose from the bed, feeling ugly and bedraggled.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Jason said, throwing the flowers onto the counter. “I love you, Lindsey. Please come back home.”
My heart sang. I raced into his arms, tears beading up in my eyes. All my worries and ruminations about the future came crashing down around me in that one instant. He was here. He had followed me to my friend’s doorstep, and he loved me.
“I want this baby,” he said. “I love the baby, and I love you.”
We kissed. Under the dim hallway light, in Ava’s pathetic kitchenette, we kissed long and hard. All the stress of the past few days melted away in a genuine show of affection. He loved me, and he wanted our baby.
“Come home with me?” He begged again when we parted.
I nodded. “Let me grab my things.”
I went to the bathroom to change back into my clothes, while Jason fetched Ava from the laundry room. Together, we climbed back into our vehicles and drove home, where we were meant to be. After we had parked, Jason helped me up the porch steps. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I was perfectly capable of walking myself. Lack of balance due to a “delicate condition” would come later. He walked me to the couch and sat down beside me, taking my hand in his.
“I’m sorry I acted like an asshole,” he said.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“It was just a shock,” he said. “I was so worried about you, and I didn’t know how to process what you had said. And you know, everything else.”
“I understand.” I patted his hand. A lot had happened in a short amount of time.
“I want to be there for our baby. Angie signed the divorce papers, and there’s nothing to do now but wait.”
I felt my heart soar. Jason, my Jason, would soon be free and available to start a new life with me. All the awkwardness between us dissolved into something like tenderness. We spent an hour on the couch, confessing our feelings, clearing out all the cobwebs that had collected in the two months we had spent together. When we finally went to bed, we were committed to establishing our life together. There weren’t any firm plans, but we knew that we would be together. We would raise our baby as a family, and we promised never to keep things from each other again.
I fell asleep in his arms, in the bed where we had made love time and time again. For the first time since Angie had barged into the cabin, I felt safe. He transported me to a place where anything was possible. I knew that it would all work out. His arm around my shoulders and his chest against my back were an anchor protecting me from the storm. Whatever would come next, we would face it together.
The next day, I woke to find Jason already awake. Instead of leaving the bed, he had remained to stroke featherlight fingers up and down my arm. It was a delicious feeling, as if the entire world had narrowed to include only us, only this room. I opened my eyes and kissed him, a warm and meaningful kiss that dispelled all doubt.
“I’m going to take the day off,” he said.
I felt the familiar roiling in my belly and raced to the bathroom before emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet. It seemed like the baby hadn’t gotten the memo and would continue to be feisty. Jason followed me, drawing a cup of water from the tap for me to swish my mouth out.
I gave him a thankful smile, on my knees, gripping the porcelain throne.
“It’s that bad?” Concern showed in his voice.
I accepted the water and rinsed, spitting into the bowl. “It’s okay.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“A couple weeks,” I said.
“Why did you keep it from me?” he wondered.
“At first I thought it was food poisoning or some sort of dizzy spell reaction to various hair chemicals,” I admitted. “Then when I took the pregnancy test, I wasn’t sure how you would react. We hadn’t even said ‘I love you’ at that point.”
He nodded, trying to not push more. “What do you need for breakfast? Eggs and toast?”
“Some crackers would be nice,” I tried.
He helped me to my feet and walked me into the living room, taking care with each step. It was adorable to watch him being so tender, so solicitous. He had obviously never been around a pregnant woman and had no idea how to act. In his ignorance, he treated me like a China doll. I let him take care of me. For once in my life, I let someone in, giving up my façade of invulnerability. He poured me a Sprite and got my box of crackers from the cabinet.