133. Not happening
133
NOT HAPPENING
Daire
Nothing. Nada. I wasn’t pregnant and we’d been trying for weeks.
“I’ve heard it can take six months or more, babe,” my mate reassured me.
“Mmmm.” Nate was willing to let nature take its course but I was too impatient. Once we decided to try for a baby, I wanted one in my belly.
“See you tonight.” Nate was filming early today and not for our motel project. We’d finished our latest one and were looking for another motel to buy.
“Okay.” He must have left because I heard the door close but my mind was on babies, or specifically one baby. Mine. Ours.
I wandered over to Micah’s to start work and passed Ivor taking Dyani to the park. “Can I ask you a personal question?” I squatted down and tickled Ivor’s daughter who giggled.
“Never stopped you before.”
Right. I deserved that. “How long did it take you to get pregnant with this little one?” I couldn’t recall. There was always drama in the lives of the Sunshine Manor family.
“Ummm we didn’t plan it. It was a happy accident,” Ivor replied.
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I was hoping he’d say it took ages and they almost saw a specialist.
Ivor put his hand on my arm. “I’m sorry it’s not happening as quickly as you want. You should talk to Nate. Maybe he feels the same way.”
“He doesn’t.” And that reminded me of our commitment to be honest with one another. Sure he was aware I was impatient but I hadn’t told him of my fears that we would never have a baby. While I was Charlie’s guardian and I adored him, he was Neil and Martin’s son, and I was the fun uncle. At least I hoped I was fun .
Dyani squealed. She and I were both restless and Ivor continued toward the park.
“Morning,” Archer greeted me as I entered his and Micah’s house. He handed me a coffee, just the way I liked it.
I took his arm and steered him away from his home office into the kitchen. “When you got pregnant with Elune, how long was it after you and Micah got together?”
“Got together?” he grinned. “That’s such a cute old-fashioned way of saying had sex.”
“Because I’m such a gentleman.” I slurped the coffee, spilling drops on my shirt.
“We slept together but we didn’t know that unicorns could mate and have kids with anyone other than unicorns. so we weren’t being careful.”
Oh right. They pulled away from one another, each thinking they’d never make the other one happy.
“I sense you’re frustrated, Daire.”
“Not at all, Nate and I have plenty of sex. We have it all over the apartment. Even did it on the stairs one night.” We were so glad Neil and family were in bed or they might have caught us.
“Thanks for that image,” Micah said as he came into the kitchen for more coffee.
Archer grinned. “Not frustrated as in you’re not getting any. Frustrated because you’re not pregnant.”
“That.” I waggled my finger. “That’s exactly it.”
“Sorry,” Archer said. “What does Nate say?”
And there we were back to me not venting my frustrations to my mate.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day is his motto,” I said.
“You know what you have to do?” Micah told me.
“I do. Have more sex.”
Archer giggled. “Talk to Nate.”
That was everyone’s advice. And while Neil was a dad—though he’d never given birth—if I asked for his opinion, it’d be the same. “Talk to your mate.” I had to get used to sharing with Nate instead of bottling up my feelings.
“Fine. I’ll do it tonight.”
I was waiting with dinner ready and a cold beer when Nate walked in the door. “Ummm I think I love you.”
I was never great at timing and my mate had a mouthful of chicken when I blurted out, “We need to talk.”
Neil
“Have fun.” I waved off Martin and my boys. Toby kissed my cheek and Charlie yelled, “Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye,” repeatedly, accompanied by more waving .
I stayed on the sidewalk until the car was out of sight and then taking a deep breath, I raced up to our apartment, made coffee, got the TV remote and snacks and got on the bed. It was Saturday and a me day. No kids, no work. Just me being alone and doing exactly what I wanted, which was nothing.
Thinking about Daire and Nate trying to have a baby, I hoped they relished their alone time now before Daire got pregnant because once the baby arrived, there’d be no more sleeping in, no long, lazy Sunday brunches or having sex in the car—I never understood that one—or binging their favorite TV series over an entire weekend.
At one point, the snack packet slipped from my hand and I must have dozed off. When I woke up, it was late-afternoon. Wow, I really needed a nap. But when I focused on the time, I recalled Martin telling me they’d be home by three, and I checked the phone. No messages.
I should get up and think about dinner . I yawned. Or not .
But as the minutes ticked by and there was no message from Martin, I texted. What time will you be home ? If he was driving, Toby would normally respond.
A sliver of doubt slipped into my head and I pushed it away. Irresponsible Martin from months ago might have left the kids in the car while he raced into a shop and then forgotten about them. But those days were long gone. He was the man I knew when I first met him. Ummm yeah he was, he is , but the first two times we met, I ran away from him. That wasn’t his fault though.
I got up and occupied myself by staring into the fridge. That took up thirty seconds. But there was nothing that sparked my interest so I texted Martin to pick up take out. I continued with, Burgers and fries and I’ll make a salad . It’d be the kids’ once-a-week crappy food treat.
Five minutes later when there was no reply I called Ivor. Martin was running Ryder’s company for Ivor, so he and my wolf shifter friend were in constant communication. Even though Ryder’s health was improving, Martin was still working at the job Ivor offered him.
“Hi, Neil. What’s up?”
I picked a piece of fluff off my shirt and my voice wavered as I asked, “You haven’t heard from Martin this afternoon, have you?”
Ivor’s wary voice echoed through the phone. “Noooo. Why?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” It was something and my friend called me out.
“You wouldn’t be phoning me on a Saturday about your mate for no reason if you weren’t worried. Spill.”
I did. Told him everything which wasn’t much except they were late and he wasn’t answering his phone. Now my mind was going to places it shouldn’t.
“What about Toby? He has a phone.”
“Mmmm.” But I’d asked him to leave it at home today as I wanted his focus to be on enjoying the day out with his brother and dad. Shit .
“Where were they going? ”
“Mini golf first. Then lunch and a movie.” The movie was for Charlie, and I suspected Martin would fall asleep in the middle.
Ivor suggested phoning the movie theater. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Of course. But when I called, I never got to speak to a human, and after listening to different options and pushing 1 and then 3 and who knew what else, I cut the call. Too hard. I’d drive there instead.
But by now my head was filled with gruesome images of my mate’s car wrapped around a tree and my boys being transported to hospital with sirens blaring. Maybe me driving down town wasn’t the most sensible option.
“Please let them be okay,” I whispered to the universe. “Please. They’re my world.”
I stumbled down the stairs, past Daire and Nate’s door and outside onto the sidewalk. Ivor was there waving Ryder’s keys. “I’ll drive.”
But as he started the car and I got in beside him, Martin drove around the corner. Toby leaped out and ran toward me as my mate took Charlie from his car seat.
“Sorry we’re late, TD.” Toby gave me a big hug.
Charlie reached out for me and as I held him, I put an arm around my older son, and breathed them in.
“We went for ice cream after the movie,” Toby explained.
“And then we got a flat tire.” Martin enveloped us in his arms. “Toby was a trooper and entertained Charlie while I fixed the tire. Tried to borrow someone’s phone to call you but they told me to piss off. I knew you’d be worried.”
“What happened to yours?”
“Left it at the cinema,” he explained. “Have to go back tomorrow.”
Ivor went back inside the manor as we walked up the stairs to our apartment. “Maybe next time you take the kids out, Toby should take his phone,” I suggested.
“That’s what I said this morning, TD.” My older son giggled as I ruffled his hair.