Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Bruno
Six weeks later
Iknew living with a woman was going to be a huge adjustment to my daily routine, but never in my wildest dreams did I believe it would be this bad.
Rosario is a walking advertisement for every drug on the market. She’s hot, then cold. Happy, mad, sad, and weepy all at the same damn time. Then the next minute, hornier than a teenage boy.
Those moments I’ve been enjoy a little to much.
Her taste in food has varied so much that I have no idea what to cook for her, but today it hit me. I woke to the sound of her wretching in the bathroom, and it was like a damn lightbulb went off in my head.
She’s pregnant.
I sit in bed for a moment doing the math in my head and wondering if it’s too early for a pregnancy test to even pick it up, but it would put her mind at ease. I held her all night while she cried and asking me what was wrong with her.
Getting out of bed, I walk into the bathroom to find her hugging the toilet with a light sheen of sweat. Her color is off and I try to hide my suspicion and giddiness with concern.
“Hey sweetheart. Not feeling well?” I turn the sink faucet on and wet a washcloth with cool water, then turn to place it on the back of her neck.
She sighs in relief, and I kiss her forehead.
“Must have been dinner. The venison tasted off to me.” I hum and nod as I rub her shoulders.
“I’m going to run to town and graaab sime things. Maybe some gingerale and nausea meds will help. Need anything?” He shakes her head slightly, then bleaches, turning green.
Another violent wave hits her, and I grab her hair as I rub her back.
“Ugh, get out. You don’t need to see this. It’s foul.” I chuckle at her weak attempts to push me away.
“Sickness and in health, sweetheart. I’ll be back soon. Try to rest once it passes.” I turn away to get dressed and hate the feeling of leaving her alone like this, but what choice do I have?
I take a few moments to make a list so I don’t need to leave again soon, and relax slightly when Rosario returns to bed. I listen to her slight snores from the doorway before grabbing my keys and forcing myself to leave.
The trek down the mountain is rather peaceful now that the snow is melting. I slow down when I drive past where the vehicle that crashed should be, but isn’t.
Interesting.
My best guess is that whoever broke into the house to set up our wedding night surprise took care of cleaning up the accident scene. Less for me to worry about, I guess. I’m distracted as I make it into town and frown when I realize the square is set up for some type of festival.
“Fuck,” parking is a nightmare, and what should have taken an hour at most turns into three hours of avoiding tourists and questions from locals.
The chemist was the absolute worst, with people congratulating me just because I bought the fucking test. So much for being discreet. I slam the truck door closed and close my eyes, releasing the moment of muted silence from the music I’ve been enduring while shopping.
I’ve managed to grab enough groceries for a month, some medicine to help ease some pregnancy symptoms, and got the name of the town midwife who does house calls if the test is positive.
Happy with that progress, I start on my way home and then sheirck to a stop when a fucking parade blocks my only path home.
“Great,” I throw the truck in park and tap the steering wheel in frustration as the floats and performers pass me by. It’s not until Santa on a sleigh being pulled by really fucking reindeer passes by that I really feel like a jackass.
Christmas?
I pull my phone out and check the calendar. Sure as shit the date flashes reminding me of how out of touch we’ve been up on that mountain alone in our small little bubble.
A small smile spreads across my face as I wonder if I’ll get the news that I’ll be a father on Christmas Eve. I remember her saying she didn’t want to be the next Virgin Mary, and I chuckle.
With the way I’ve been fucking her no one would ever think that now.
Is this what true happiness feels like? I would give anything to live in this feeling. It’s bright and beautiful just like my wife. The mother of my child, maybe.
Fuck, I hope so.
A horn honks and I blink myself back to reality. Check the coast is clear I start to drive myself home to the woman who has consumed my entire existance the last six weeks that I lost all track of time.
Guess that’s what love does to a man.
Love? I slam on the brake and straighten out the truck when I fishtail to a stop. When the fuck did I fall in love with my wife? Was it when she confronted me naked on our wedding night? Or when she almost burned the cabin down to surprise me with breakfast?
No, it was when I realized that I wouldn’t trade a single day I’ve had with her for anything in the universe.
I punch the gas and climb the steep mountain in a rush to get her back into my arms, where she belongs.
It starts to snow again when I’m halfway home, and I try to remember if there was enough firewood inside.
I pull into the carport and park the truck, running to grab some when I find Rosario covered in a throw blanket by the pile of wood.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Anger surges through me as she straightens up and glares at me.
“Don’t curse at me! I was getting wood. The door locked behind me, and I was huddling to stay warm until you got back, but I heard him crying. Come help me!” Him?
I glance at where she’s pointing and see a tiny set of eyes looking back at me.
“Is that a baby fox?” She lifts a piece of wood and snatches the little thing up into her arms.
“Shh, it’s ok little one. He’s so scared. I bet you’re hungry too, huh?” She wraps the wild animal in the blanket and then walks to the back door and waits for me to unlock it.
“Rosario how long have you been out here? It’s dangerously cold!” I turn the key, and she shrugs.
“Not long, twenty minutes maybe. I was warm enough. Stop freiting the cold helped with my nausea.” Her nose is bright red, but other than that, she seems fine.
She takes the throw blanket off her shoulders and reveals the snowpants, boots, and a heavy sweater under it. She pulls off her hat and gloves, and I sigh in relief.
“It was reckless.” I sigh thinnking about how that simple action might have gone terribly wrong.
She needs to think of the baby now!
The one I need to make her aware of. I stomp back out to the truck to grab the groceries as she takes the baby snowfox to the fireplace to warm up. By the time I’m done, she’s made the thing a little bed out of a box and pillow and has a bowl of water set next to it.
“You can’t keep him, Rosey,” I say softly as I start unpacking the stuff I brought home.
“Just for the night. Maybe his mama will come back for him.” She looks at me hopefully, but I know that the chances are slim now that he smells like humans.
“What’s this?” She’s holding up the box of pregnancy tests with a look of shock on her face.
I watch while a dozen emotions run through her, and then suddenly she dashes for the bathroom. I listen for the sound of her vomiting, but it doesn’t come. Two minutes later, she comes out holding a test in her hand like it’s a live bomb.
“You took it?” She nods and bites her lip.
“It said results in three minutes.” She places it on the kitchen counter and backs away.
I set the kitchen timer, and we both stare at the thing as we wait.
“What if I’m not. Cheese and crackers, what am I? I don’t,” I come around and pull her into a hug.
“We try again, or we love the child we created. Either way, this is the best fucking Christmas Eve I’ve ever had, so thank you for sharing it with me.” She stardles and gasps but before she can asy anything the timer beeps.
I reach for the test, and we both look at the screen.
Positive.
“We’re going to be parents.” She sighs and starts to cry with a smile on her face.
“Best Christmas present ever.”