Eleven
Willow I-Don’t-Know-What-I-Want Tate
“Wait, wait, wait!” Emerson cried as she, Laura, Penny and I had brunch on the outdoor patio at my favorite café. Jamie and I had gotten back from Switzerland a couple weeks ago, and this was the first time we’d all been able to get together. I wished Phoebe was here, but she was still traveling. “So…you got pregnant after Laura’s bachelorette party for the wedding that would never be—thank God—and you’re just telling us now?”
To tell the truth, since my belly was starting to really pooch out, I was surprised neither she nor Laura had guessed before now. But they both had their starry-eyed honeymoon glasses on, their focuses mostly on their hunky men.
“I didn’t tell anyone except Penny. You were getting married then Laura was getting married. This is the first break we’ve had.”
Laura narrowed her eyes speculatively.
“And you’re living together now? Are you sure you didn’t get married in Switzerland?” she asked, pointing at me.
“We’re not living together. I just spend mostly every night at his place. And we definitely did not get married, Elopement Jane.”
She rolled her eyes. “But you are going to marry him, right?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m just not sure.”
“You’re just not sure you love him?” Emerson asked. “Or that you want to spend your life with him? What his feelings are for you?” She waved her hands in little circles, as if she were weighing things. “I’m not understanding the hang up here.”
“I love him.”
“But you are going to at least move in with him, right?” Penny asked. “It’ll be hard splitting time between places, for you guys and the baby.”
“That’s my other news, I guess. We bought a little place.” Okay, it was little compared to all the homes Jameson had dragged me to. This one had seven bedrooms and nine and a half baths. And if I never wanted to leave the property again, I didn’t have to with all the extras included. Frankly, it was overwhelming, but since I’d talked him down from the ten and twelve bedroom places, I was sucking it up.
Of course, it had included a hell of a fight which had resulted in us going to our separate homes in a fit of anger. Sort of. About two in the morning, Jamie had slipped into bed with me and proceeded to fuck the hell out of me. I hadn’t even realized how much I’d missed some rough, sweaty, no-holds-barred sex. Not that I didn’t crave the tender stuff he’d been plying me with. Still, I’d slept better that night than I had in weeks, maybe months.
And now, we were getting the smaller mansion that frankly reminded me of a mini-castle with its theater-style media center, library, family room, soaring spiral staircases, pool, spa…
Again…overwhelming. I’d need a freaking map to find the main bedroom. Even more surreal, we were interviewing staff later today. Thank God, because I wasn’t cleaning that place.
“We’re moving in next week,” I told them. We chatted about other things after that, the brunch topics turning to Emerson and Laura’s homes, the school where Penny taught and how things were coming as they neared the end of the school year, then baby showers. Or specifically, a baby shower for me.
“Do you know what you’re having?” Penny asked.
My hand splayed over my little bump. “A baby.”
“Ha-ha,” she replied.
“No, really, we find out on Monday, hopefully. We’re scheduled for the twenty-week sonogram.”
“I can’t believe you’re having a baby first,” Emerson laughed, her hand going to her own stomach. “I mean, we always guessed you’d end up with Jameson, no question there, but I thought it would be a while yet.”
My gaze followed her gesture. “Em, you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?”
“Not supposed to talk about it for a couple weeks still.”
“Emerson!” we all yelled. And all the talk turned to two baby showers.
* * * *
“Ready to see your little one again?” Dr. Bob asked. My physician didn’t question Jamie being here since the files had been updated to reflect Jamie as the father. Jameson still wasn’t thrilled by the gender of my doctor, but I’d told him to get over it. That had been some pretty spectacular sex, too. I was finding that bickering brought out some wildness between us that wouldn’t be tamed by our forced “niceness.” It felt so much more…normal. For us anyway.
Our kids would be so screwed up, but by God, they’d know that Mommy and Daddy loved the hell out of each other and them.
“Yes,” Jamie said, his fingers locked with mine, tension on his face like it hadn’t been last time. Happy, excited tension. A little jolt went off in my middle at his expression, and I bit my lip as corresponding happiness shot through me.
His eyes met mine as the doctor adjusted the monitor.
“I love you,” I mouthed.
In this darkened room, Jamie practically bounced as he squeezed my fingers, pure elation vibrating from him. I felt it. Family… The two of us meant to be together in a way that my parents never should have been. Jamie was my person.
“I love you,” he mouthed back.
I almost whispered Marry Me , but the Dr. Bob saved me from it by squirting cold gel on my exposed belly. Gah! Had I almost proposed? What was wrong with me? Then the thwump-thwump-thwump filled the room and all my attention was centered on the screen and Jamie’s hand clenched on mine.
The doctor took some measurements making Mm-hmm sounds as he clicked away. “Okay, are we ready to know what we’re having?”
“Yes,” Jamie replied, giving my hand a little squeeze. “Boy, girl, demon spawn…”
“Jameson,” I scolded, laughing. “If the baby has horns, it’s from your side of the family.”
He snorted.
“No horns…unless you count this,” Dr. Bob told us. Our gazes riveted to the monitor as we figured out what he was talking about. My mild panic receded when I saw it. Jamie drew in a breath as he saw it, too.
“We’re having a boy?” Jamie whispered. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my temple. “Thank you. Thank you, baby. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” I answered, my heart so full, I could barely stand it. Our faces close together, we watched the screen containing the image of our son. I wasn’t sure if that moisture was from my tears or Jamie’s. I wouldn’t have traded this moment for anything. More than ever, I was glad he was here with me and I knew he was committed to us—a real commitment, not a duty.
“Who should we call first?” he asked as he helped me off the table after the doctor had finished and left the room.
“The Chinese takeout place. I’m starving.”
He laughed. “Fine. I have a backup fruit bar in the car, too. And after that?”
I grinned, absolutely sure who we’d tell first because his family was my family now. “Your mom and dad. But I know everyone, even Em and Laura, is at the office today. Maybe, we can get them all together in the big conference room and announce it to them all at once.”
“Brilliant.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’ll call Roz and get her on it. She’s still trying to get back in Mom’s good graces.”
“I’ll call Penny and get her there, too. Won’t Bennett be happy with that?”
“What?”
“Really, Jameson?” I laughed.
“Really what?”
“You haven’t noticed your brothers seem to have a thing for my friends?”
“Huh…no.”
I shook my head. Men…
“So Bennett and Penny? And she likes him, too? Does Bennett know?” he asked.
If Penny did, I certainly wasn’t telling this man who’d run to his Irish-twin brother, blabbing about the news. Their birthdays were close enough they shared the same age for part of the year and had even been in the same grade in school. They’d done everything together—except pick on me. Jameson had never allowed that. I was his own personal frenemy. Now, I was his own personal everything.