Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“My in-laws?” she asked and when I nodded, she continued. “They are the loveliest people you’d ever meet. It helped that we knew each other for years and both sets of parents knew that we were going to get married.”
“That’s nice,” I said and wondered if Alex’s parents would have accepted me if I’d been adopted rather than raised by a drug addict.
“What about you? Did you get a whole new family when you and Alex got married?”
I made a face. “I wish. Unfortunately, no. I wasn’t the kind of girl they had envisioned for their son, so they more or less cut us out of their lives.”
Helen’s mouth fell open. “What horrible people!”
“I thought so at first but now I’m getting a better understanding. He’s their only son and they had such great hopes for him which included marrying a girl from their kind of world. They probably just hoped to frighten him and when it didn’t work, they didn’t know how to heal the rift.”
She stared at me. “You’re a really good person. You raised yourself well.”
That made me laugh because it was so on point. I really had raised myself. I worked hard and got myself scholarships. Everything would have been perfect if Alex’s family was in our lives.
“They’ll come around,” she said. “Especially when a grandchild comes along. They won’t be able to resist it.”
“You think?” I said.
She nodded. “Grandkids are impossible to resist.”
Charlotte
Alex and I had started talking about kids. It would be a tight squeeze with his schedule, but I really wanted a baby. A family of my own.
Helen and I talked and talked. I asked her about our father and she too had no idea.
Our stomachs were the first to complain. We got up and walked to a hot dog stand at the entrance of the park. It was fun to realize that we both liked loads of mayonnaise slathered on our hotdogs and no mustard.
We returned to our bench and spoke for a couple of more hours.
“Hey,” she said. “Can you guys come over tomorrow for a barbecue. We usually have a barbecue every last Sunday of the month.”
“Yes!” I said. “I’d love to meet your family.”
“And I’d love to meet Alex. You talk about him a lot. He must be very special,” Helen said. “Not to mention a man who chose his fiancée over threats from his family.”
“He is,” I said. My muscles ached from sitting down for so long. I walked Helen to her car and we hugged goodbye.
It felt good to know that I would be seeing her the following day. Only after she’d gone and I was walking home, did I realize that I had forgotten to take pictures of us to show Alex.
Alex had opted to go to the office rather than stay home alone. I got home as he parked his car in the drive and we walked into the house together.
“How was it?” he asked.
There was so much to tell him. We cuddled on the couch as I told him everything Helen and I had talked about, including the invitation to go to their house the following day for the barbecue.
“What do you think?” I said, looking up at his face.
“We have to go,” he said. “It will be nice to have more family. I’m really happy for you Chaz.”
I kissed him. “I know.”
I kissed him again and it grew into a heavy make out session. We made love on the couch and afterwards, cuddled some more.
I loved our lazy Sunday mornings. Alex yawned and stretched and then swung his legs out of bed.
“Coffee coming up,” he said, pulling on his boxers.
I loved the five o’clock shadow on his jaw and the untidy mop of hair on his head, giving him a sinful look. Not that I could manage to make love again after being at it most of the night. As he left to make coffee, I thought about a baby again.
When Alex returned carrying two mugs of coffee, I brought it up. “I’m thinking about what we talked about. Having a baby.”
He handed me my coffee and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been thinking about it too. It would be nice to start our family but I worry it might be too much for you. Work and a baby.”
I laughed. It was just like Alex to over worry about me. “Millions of women do it all the time. They hold down jobs and raise families.”
He grinned. “You’re right. I’m good if you are.”
“Should I throw away my contraceptives?”
He nodded and raised his mug and I clinked mine with his. “To having loads of fun making babies.”
I laughed. “Why am I not surprised that you’re more interested in the process rather than the end result?”
“Because you’re so sexy and trying to make a baby is going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “I can’t wait to meet your sister today.”