Chapter 34
SAMANTHA
“Olivia!” I dropped another pancake on the stack.
“I’m coming!” she called back. I heard little footsteps on the stairs.
I had told her a hundred times not to run down the stairs.
Unfortunately, she inherited her father’s sense of caution, which meant she had none.
She was a thrill seeker. She was fearless.
The little girl was going to give me gray hair before she hit the teen years.
I didn’t even want to imagine what she was going to be like as a teenager.
She bounded into the kitchen in her lazy Sunday outfit. The pink top with a glittery unicorn matched the pink shorts. “Is breakfast ready?” she asked.
“Almost. Can you go get Daddy? He’s in the garage.”
“Are we going to go to the park today?” she asked.
“That’s the plan,” I said.
“And then we’re going to get ice cream?”
I smiled and waved the spatula at her. “If you’re good and don’t go jumping off the toy again.”
She groaned and rolled her eyes. “I’m not a baby.”
“You’re four and you are my baby,” I reminded her.
She groaned and stomped away. I shook my head while smiling. The child had my obstinance. When she was older, I was sure we were going to have our hands full.
I turned off the griddle and carried the pancakes to the kitchen table.
The sunlight was pouring in through the tall windows that overlooked our backyard.
The climbing toy that was designed to look like an airplane was front and center in the backyard.
That had been a gift from my father. The girl was destined to be a pilot or she was going to marry a pilot.
I finished setting the table and went to retrieve my wayward daughter and husband. I opened the garage door to find Olivia talking her daddy’s ear off. “Olivia, what were you supposed to be doing?”
Mitch looked up and grinned. “She was telling me all about the airshow.”
“Again.” I laughed. “Breakfast is ready and on the table. I don’t want to hear any complaints about cold eggs.”
“We better get in there, little lady,” Mitch said. He picked up our daughter and carried her over his shoulder.
“You two are incorrigible,” I teased.
He put her in her chair and took his seat at the table. “And you love us both.”
“More than anything,” I said.
“Mom said we’re going to the park,” Olivia said.
“I heard that,” he said.
“Can we go see the planes?” she asked.
Mitch and I looked at each other and laughed. “Again?” I asked. “We went last weekend.”
“I want to see daddy’s plane,” she said.
She was convinced all jets were her daddy’s.
“Why don’t we go next week?” Mitch said. “I was thinking we could go see grandpa.”
“Am I five yet?” she asked.
“No, not yet,” I told her.
Most kids wanted to be five so they could go to school. Olivia wanted to be five so she could do the Blue Angels VR show at the Naval Aviation Museum. We had tried to tell her it might be scary, but that was not a deterrent. Not for her.
“We can play VR when we get home,” Mitch suggested.
“It’s not the same,” she pouted.
“She’s going to be the youngest fighter pilot on record,” Mitch said.
I frowned at him. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
He laughed and shoved a huge chunk of pancake in his mouth.
It was one of the arguments we had all the time.
It wasn’t a real argument, but it was one of those things my mommy heart just couldn’t handle.
It was hard enough watching my husband flip around in the F-18.
I wasn’t sure I could handle my baby doing the same.
She was worse than her father when it came to taking chances.
We finished our breakfast, and while Mitch cleaned up with Olivia’s help, I went to change and get ready for a day at the park. I knew we’d end up at the beach at some point. We always did. My Navy man was a pilot, but he was also a fish. Another trait his daughter inherited.
I slipped on the bathing suit I picked up at the store.
It had a nice stretchy panel and would accommodate my growing belly.
I looked at myself in the mirror with my hand on my stomach.
I was eight weeks along with our second child.
We weren’t telling Olivia just yet. I wanted to make sure the pregnancy was healthy.
It had taken us a while to get pregnant and I didn’t want to get her hopes up.
“Hey, mama,” Mitch said from behind me.
“Hi, daddy,” I said.
He stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around me with his chin resting on my head. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good,” I said. “I keep waiting for the morning sickness to hit.”
“The doctor said it might not be as bad as it was the first time,” he reminded me.
“I know, I just worry.”
“Don’t worry,” he said.
I turned in his arms and hugged him. “You make me so happy.”
“Ditto,” he replied.
“What’s your schedule like tomorrow?” I asked.
“Just two flights,” he answered. “You?”
“I’m going over to Pensacola to meet with a private company,” I told him.
“You know, you don’t have to work,” he said. “You can take it easy. I’m making more than enough money to keep us whole.”
I smiled up at him. “You have kept us very whole. I love our house. You’re a great provider. I want to work a few more months. I’ll probably cut back before the third trimester.”
“Okay.” He kissed my forehead. “Whatever you want to do. I’m here for it.”
“You’re so good to me,” I said.
“I love you. I’m trying to be the best for you and our family.”
“You’re doing a great job,” I told him.
“Dad!” Olivia shouted.
We both sighed. “When this baby is born, we are really going to have to explain to her the need for quiet.”
“I think she likes to hear her voice echo.” He laughed.
“That’s your fault.” I scowled. “You showed her how to do it.”
“Because it’s really cool,” he said. “When I was a little kid, I always dreamed of having a big house with an upstairs. I don’t know why I was so dead set on stairs. I just always thought it was so cool.”
“Until we’re too old to climb these stairs with bad knees and bad backs,” I reminded him.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Are you ready?” Olivia asked from the door.
“Almost,” I replied.
We left our beautiful home in the suburbs and went to the same park we always visited.
I found a nice place to sit in the shade while Mitch played with Olivia.
He was the best daddy ever. We had both learned how to be parents and spouses together.
It wasn’t easy in the beginning, but my life was amazing.
We were going to welcome our second child soon.
I loved him more than I could have ever imagined.
He looked over at me and smiled while pushing Olivia on the swings. I saw love in that look. I knew I was loved. Our daughter was loved. Everything was good.
I jerked awake and looked around the dark room. “What the hell?”
I’d been in the throes of an amazing dream. It was the future I wished I could have. I wanted to fall back into the dream. It was so much better than reality.
My phone rang on the nightstand. That was what had woken me up. I reached for it with the hopes it was Mitch. It was my dad. “Hi, Dad,” I answered with a yawn.
“Did I wake you?” he asked with concern.
“I must have fallen asleep,” I said. “I was just going to lay down for a minute.”
He chuckled. “I know that feeling. Your body needs the rest. You have to make sure you’re resting when you can. How are you feeling?”
“I’m good,” I assured him.
“I don’t want to nag, but did you have a chance to talk to Mitch?” he asked.
I blew out a breath. “I did.”
“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not bad,” I replied. “He’s in shock. He’s taking some time to think about what he wants to do.”
“Was he happy shocked or do you think he’s really going to walk away from his responsibilities?”
Dad was old school. If he could have pulled out a shotgun and dragged Mitch to the altar, he would have done it. I knew he would support me, but if Mitch did choose to walk away, my father would be very disappointed. Mitch would never be welcome.
“I think he was shocked and a little disappointed I waited so long to tell him,” I said. “I think I hurt his feelings by assuming he wouldn’t want anything to do with the baby.”
“Well, he’s certainly not disproving those thoughts,” he said. “A man doesn’t get to run away from his mistakes.”
“Dad, we’re not calling the baby a mistake,” I told him. “This isn’t something that is a booboo to be fixed.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” he quickly said. “I just meant the decent thing to do would be to step up to the plate.”
“I have no doubt he’ll try to offer support,” I told him. “I just don’t know if he’s ready to be a father.”
“Sweetie, I don’t know of anyone who is ready. It happens and you roll with it.”
“Are you saying I wasn’t planned?” I teased.
“We were broke as could be living in a studio apartment.” He laughed.
“I don’t know if I would say you were planned.
We were thrilled when we found out you were coming, but it sent us scrambling.
We had the same thoughts. We weren’t ready.
We didn’t know if we could do it. Then you showed up and we did it.
Your mother was thrilled to have a baby.
I was too. Everything changed for the better.
They say kids make you grow up in a hurry.
That’s for sure. We figured it out, but Sam, I have to tell you, raising a baby is no joke.
I cannot imagine doing it without your mom.
I know you’ll be fine, but I just want the best for you and my grandchild. ”
“I know, Dad,” I said. “I’ll figure it out no matter what happens.”
“Alright, get some sleep,” he said.
“Thanks, Dad, goodnight.”
I sat up and went to the bathroom. I needed to order some dinner.
If I didn’t eat before I went to bed for the night, I was going to feel it in the morning.
I had to be up early to do the inspections before the show.
I did not want to be dragging ass and puking.
After making a quick dinner order, I pulled up my text conversation with Mitch with the hopes there was a new one and I somehow missed it. There wasn’t, of course.
I had to come to terms with the fact I might very well be on my own with this situation.
The dream I’d been having before my father woke me up wasn’t reality.
It was the hope for a future I would never have.
The dream of the perfect family in the perfect house with the perfect man was just that. A pipedream.