Mia Amata

Chapter 22

Saturday was here before I knew it, I found myself getting ready for supper with all of Jacob’s family, including his sister, Janet, and her husband, Jack. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be, I was more excited to share with them that we wanted to get married in October. I had made reservations for us at a restaurant in town, reserving the smaller party room, so we could have privacy.

Jacob was already dressed, ready to go, waiting for me in the living room. He had let Lucky out, now Lucky was lying on the bedroom floor following me with his eyes as I tried on multiple outfits before settling on a new maternity dress that was off the shoulders. I put on some flats, looking at the end result in the mirror. It was obvious that I was pregnant although not too far along. I sighed. I guess I wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer.

“Mia Amata,” Jacob called. “We need to leave soon.”

“I’m ready.” I grabbed my purse as I walked out to the living room. Jacob looked up from the football game on TV he had been watching. He picked up the remote, shutting the TV off. “Well, I guess I can’t hide the baby bump anymore.” I ran my hands over my belly. I looked at Jacob who hadn’t stopped staring at me. “What?” I asked, running my hands through my hair. “Do I have a spot on my nose or something?”

He shook his head, got up, and walked over to me. “You look amazing,” he said. He kissed me, wrapping his arms around my waist. My arms curled up around his neck, pulling us closer together. The kiss went on, I could feel his reaction.

He groaned, “How much time do we have?”

“Not enough,” I said, pulling away. “We need to go.”

“I need a cold shower,” he said grumpily. I laughed as we walked out to the car.

Everyone was already at the restaurant when we got there, even though we were right on time. “Are we late?” Jacob murmured to me when we walked in, seeing everyone already there.

“No,” I whispered. “They are all early.” We greeted everyone, Jacob introduced me to Janet, who was a lot like her brothers but looked like Nora and her husband, Jack. Everyone had a drink already, so we all sat down at the table, except for Jacob.

“Thank you all for joining us tonight on such short notice.” All eyes were on him as he continued on. “All of you are aware that I asked Mia… Mattie to marry me. All of you also know that she is pregnant. I already feel that the little girl she is carrying is my daughter 100%.”

“Randy brought something to our attention, which I then spoke with a lawyer about. If we are married before the baby is born, then the baby is legally my child. So, with that in mind, we have set a wedding date of October 28th.”

The congratulations from around the table were thunderous and full of joy. Jacob took my hand, pulling me up. He motioned for them all to quiet down, then looked at me.

“Thank you, everyone,” I said. “I can’t tell you what it means to me to have you all accept me and the baby into your family like you have. Randy,” I turned toward her, “I was wondering if you would do me the honor of being my maid of honor?”

Randy had tears in her eyes. “It would be MY honor. Thank you.”

Jacob looked at Josh, “I need a best man, what do you say Josh?”

Josh stood up and gave Jacob a hug, “My pleasure, as long as you will be mine when we get married.”

“Of course,” Jacob said, pleased. We all sat down, Jacob and I told them the plans we had for the wedding.

Donald raised his glass, “A toast, to the happy couple. Here’s to a long happy life together!”

***

The next week went by in a flurry of activity. We both worked during the day and then worked on wedding plans at night. When the following Saturday came, I told Jacob I was going into town. “Want me to come along?” he asked.

“I have an appointment this morning to try on some wedding dresses. If you want to meet me for lunch afterward that would be nice. Then you can go with me to pick out some decorations for the wedding. I might need your help.”

“Sure, sounds good.” I gave him a kiss, then headed into town for my appointment.

I was the only one in the bridal shop when I got there. I was greeted warmly by a stately, older woman.

“You must be Mattie! My name is Karen. Is anybody joining you today?”

“No, it will be just me. I want my dress to be a surprise to everyone.”

“Wonderful! I do love the older traditions, nowadays a lot of times the groom comes with the bride. What did you have in mind, anything in particular?”

“Well, we are getting married in October. I do have a pretty good idea of what I want. The dress I have in mind is simple, yet elegant. I would like it to have half- or full-length sleeves, V-neck in front, maybe down the back, about knee-length in front, longer in the back.”

Karen listened closely. “I think we have a couple of dresses like that. What are you thinking about the waistline?”

I laughed, “Well, I don’t have much of a waist these days, so I was thinking of a higher waistline.” I ran my hands down my stomach.

“Oh, congratulations! I think I have just the dress for you! Have a seat, I will go grab it along with a couple of others just in case.” I sat down, looking around while I waited. She soon came back out with three dresses in plastic bags. She hung them on some hooks where I would be able to see them.

“I’m saving the best for last,” she said smiling at me. “This first one is not as flowy. It hangs straighter. It has beadwork all over—which you didn’t mention, so I don’t know if you want beadwork or not. It has cap sleeves with the V-neck down the front.”

I studied the dress but shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think I want that much beadwork. Seems too fancy for our small wedding.”

“No problem,” she said. She moved the dress to a different hook, pulling a second one forward, taking the plastic off it. “This one is a little closer to what I think you are looking for. It is shorter in the front and longer train in the back. It is strapless though. It has a higher waist, covered in lace.”

“This one is pretty; I do like the lace. It is a contender though not what I really had in mind.” She moved it back in front of the other dress.

“If you would like to try it on you definitely can, but here is the one I think is perfect for you.” She pulled the third one out of the bag .

When I saw it, I caught my breath. It was almost exactly what I had in mind. Karen saw the look on my face and said, “I think we found your dress. Let’s go try it on.” She helped me try it on, then we went back out in front of the full-length mirrors. I looked at myself in the mirrors, the tears started flowing. Karen said quietly, “You are beautiful. Your fiancé will love to see you in this.”

The dress was simple, white with Bishop sleeves, an A-line silhouette, V-neck, made of Chiffon, so it had the flow I was looking for. “It’s perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. I’ll take it.”

We discussed some items to go with the dress, veils, and hair pieces. Then Karen helped me change out of the dress. We went to her office to discuss the details. I asked her for a final fitting the day before the wedding for any quick-fixed things that might need to be done, offering to pay her extra.

“That won’t be necessary,” Karen said, smiling at me. “I would be happy to do that for you, with a pregnancy it is understandable that we may need to make some last-minute adjustments.” We worked out all the details, and I paid the deposit for the dress. “I will order it today; it should get here this coming week sometime. Once it gets here, I will have you come in for the first fitting. Try to bring the shoes you are going to wear with you so that we can use them to judge the length better.”

Telling Karen I would bring the shoes, thanking her for all of her help. I headed out for lunch with Jacob.

As we ate our lunch, Jacob tried to get out of me what my wedding dress looked like. I smiled, finally telling him he would just have to wait. He mentioned the pastor would like to meet with us some evening this week, I told him to set it up any time. We would be there. After lunch, we went to some craft stores and flower shops, trying to pick out the right decorations for the wedding. We went with fall colors, those flowers being the easiest to find, plus fall is my favorite season. At one of the flower shops, I ordered my bouquet, along with flowers for Randy, Nora, and Janet.

We made one more stop at our favorite restaurant, discussed the food, and made arrangements for the setup and then later cleanup with them. With the small party, we were having we didn’t need servers, but we did pick out some nice plates and silverware to dress things up a bit. We arranged for them to set up a larger table than mine so that we could all sit around it comfortably, Jacob and Josh would move furniture a little to make room for it .

When we finished there, Jacob said, “Anywhere else we need to go today? You look tired.”

I smiled at him. “I am tired. I believe we are done for today. We got a lot of things checked off our list for the wedding.”

“Good,” Jacob replied. “I’ll take you back to your car, then follow you home.”

It was late afternoon when we finally got back home. I changed clothes into a T-shirt and shorts. Jacob did the same. “You should lay down and take a nap.” He said, looking at me, concerned.

I shook my head. “I’d rather just get comfortable on the couch with you. I’ll have to make supper soon anyway.”

“I like the cuddling on the couch, but how about I fix you supper tonight?” Jacob suggested.

“That sounds great.” We sat down on the couch, I snuggled up with my head on his chest, his arm around me, while we watched some football.

“Mia, wake up,” Jacob said. “Supper is ready, you should eat.” I woke up to find I was lying on the couch covered with a blanket.

I stretched, sitting up. “I fell asleep? I’m so sorry.”

Jacob laughed. “Nothing to be sorry about, you needed the rest. But you also need food.” He took my hand, helped me up, leading me to the table. I could barely keep my eyes open at the table. I ate a few bites, until Jacob finally said, “OK, come on. Let’s tuck you in.” He took me back to the bedroom, tucking me into bed. He gave me a kiss, then went back out to the living room. I was asleep before he got out the door of the bedroom.

I slept really well, waking up at 3:30 in the morning. I rolled over, curling up on Jacob’s shoulder. His arm automatically went around me. “You OK?” he asked sleepily.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I leaned over, kissing him.

“Mm mm,” he said, kissing me back. He rolled over, so I was now on my back, kissing me again. His hands roamed my body under my shirt, I groaned, straining up against his hands. “Is this, OK?” he asked, as he kissed me again. “I know you were so tired.”

I groaned again, “Don’t you dare stop now,” I whispered. Afterward, we fell back asleep in each other’s arms until Jacob’s alarm went off in the morning.

** *

The week seemed to go by really quickly. We met with the pastor on Tuesday evening and discussed all the arrangements with him for the ceremony. We worked on decorations as we could, some we made by hand, often Randy would join us to help make them in the evenings. I had a fitting for my wedding dress, which seemed to fit almost perfectly with some room for the baby to grow a little bit. Randy found a dress to wear, the guys picked some shirts, ties, and dress slacks to wear. Everything was coming along nicely for the wedding.

Finally, the weekend came for the shopping trip to the city for Nora, Randy, and me to go buy the remainder of the baby things. Jacob was to drive me to Nora’s house, then we would leave from there while the guys went fishing. We walked into Nora’s house, where both Jacob and I were surprised to find Nora, Donald, Randy, Josh, Janet, and Jack there. “Surprise!” They all yelled when we walked in.

Turns out they put together a small wedding shower and baby shower for Jacob and me. They had taken the list of things I needed for the baby and went shopping without me. There was only one present for the wedding shower, something they had all gone in together on, a honeymoon cruise to Alaska. I looked at Randy in surprise. She was the only one who knew that one day I would love to take a cruise to Alaska. She smiled at me; I gave her a hug. We had a fantastic time spending the day with family.

***

The day of the wedding arrived quickly. I had continuously argued with myself about going through with the wedding. It would never be legal, but I had a new identity, and that person was not married. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but I was trying to make it right in my mind. I would lose Jacob if I told him, I didn’t think I could handle that.

I had my final fitting of the wedding dress the day before. Jacob had gone to Josh’s the night before the wedding while Randy came to stay with me. The furniture had been rearranged to fit the table we needed, plus all the decorations were ready to go. Nora, Donald, Janet, and Jack arrived Saturday morning to help us decorate. They then took charge of the inside of the house for the reception while Randy and I went to my bedroom to get ready.

Things were pretty much ready for the caterers to bring the food later, so everyone else went back to Nora and Donald’s to get dressed for the ceremony. A friend of Randy’s came over to do our hair and makeup.

Nora and Donald soon came back, Nora knocked on the bedroom door asking if she could come in. Randy and I were not in our dresses yet. We had some time before we needed to put them on.

Nora had a gift bag in her hand. “Oh, Mattie, you look so pretty.”

I smiled, “Thank you.”

She gave me a hug before sitting down in the chair next to the bed. “Randy and I have some gifts for you. First,” she said smiling, “you need something blue.” She reached into the bag and pulled out a garter with a blue ribbon running through it. We laughed, I told them it was perfect, and I loved it.

Nora then said, “Next is something borrowed.” She reached for the bag, pulling out a box. “This is my first anniversary present from Donald.” She handed it to me. I opened it to find a beautiful diamond necklace and earring set. It was simple, yet very elegant.

I had tears in my eyes, “Oh, Nora, it is lovely,” I said, giving her a hug. “Thank you so much.”

Nora hugged me back, “My pleasure,” she said.

Randy cleared her throat, and with a sly look on her face, she said, “Now for something new.” She reached under the bed, pulling out a box that she handed to me. I opened the box to find a beautiful, lacy bra and panty set.

“Randy!” I said, laughing.

She laughed, “Well, you bought everything you needed, as far as I could tell. I figured this might be the one thing that you hadn’t thought of.” We all laughed, I commented on how lovely they were, very pretty.

We heard people talking, taking a look at the clock, Nora said, “Well, it’s time you ladies get dressed. The ceremony will be starting soon.” She left the room to go out with Donald.

Randy looked at me, “Where’s the dress? I can’t wait to see it!”

“In the nursery closet,” I told her. She went to get it, hanging it up, taking the bag off. “Oh, Mattie,” She cried, “it is lovely. I can’t wait to see you in it.”

Smiling, I said, “One second, Randy, I have a gift for you.” I gave her a package, “Thank you for standing up with me today.”

She had tears in her eyes as she opened the gift. I had given her a bracelet engraved with the saying, “Not sisters by blood but sisters by heart.”

“Oh, Mattie!” she cried, “I love it!” She put it on, giving me a hug.

“You better stop crying, you will ruin your makeup.”

She wiped her tears, checked her makeup, then turning to me said, “Let’s get you in your dress.” She helped me get dressed, I turned around for her to see the full effect. “Mattie,” She said, “you are so beautiful. Jacob will agree, I am sure.” Randy put her dress on, we made some last-minute touches to our hair and makeup. We peeked out the window, everyone was ready. The music then started.

I turned to look at Randy. “Here we go.” She smiled at me, picked up her flowers, and headed to the bedroom door.

Randy led the way, meeting Josh at the French doors leading out to the deck. I watched him take her arm in his, escorting her out on the deck. I then started down the hall myself to the doors. I watched as they met Jacob and parted, going to separate sides. The music changed to the song for me to walk out to.

I took a couple deep breaths, then headed out the door. There was no turning back now. I crossed the deck and down the steps to the yard. I followed the path down. I looked at Jacob, he was not only smiling a huge smile, but he had tears in his eyes.

I walked up, joining him in front of the pastor. He took my hands in his, staring into my eyes, smiling at me. I smiled back, not being able to take my eyes off of him either. He looked so handsome.

As the pastor went through the ceremony, it all seemed like a dream. Soon the pastor was asking me if I take Jacob to be my husband if Jacob would take me to be his wife. We both said ‘I do’ pretty much before he finished asking us, much to the amusement of the onlookers. We were oblivious, still looking at each other. We exchanged rings, soon the pastor pronounced us man and wife. Jacob was kissing me before the pastor had the chance to say, ‘You may kiss the bride’. Everyone laughed.

Soon, Josh tapped Jacob on the shoulder, “Hey, we are all still here you know.”

Jacob pulled back, grinning sheepishly at everyone. “Um… Sorry everyone,” he said.

We turned to his family; they all came up to congratulate us. We made our way up to the house, Jacob holding my hand tightly in his. He leaned over, whispering, “How long will everyone be here?”

I whispered back, “At least an hour or two.”

“I don’t know if I can wait to be alone with you that long,” he groaned. “You are so beautiful in that dress.”

“Wait until you see what I have on under it.” I smiled wickedly at him.

He groaned again, “You are torturing me.” I laughed as we entered the house.

The catered meal was fantastic. We sat around the table talking and laughing. Many toasts were made.

Jacob’s hand rarely left my hand or leg under the table the whole time. Soon we heard the caterers come back to clean up, so we all moved out onto the deck.

Jacob whispered in my ear again, “How can we get rid of everyone?”

“Behave,” I said. “They will leave soon.”

“Not soon enough for me.” I elbowed him in the ribs, turning to talk to everyone some more. Pretty soon the caterers had everything cleaned up and left, so the guys moved our furniture back into place. I sat down on the couch, Jacob noticed that I seemed slightly pale. He came over to me kneeling down in front of me.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

I nodded, “Just felt a little light-headed for a moment, I’m fine.”

Nora overheard our conversation and made the decision it was time for everyone to go. She herded everyone out the door, but in a manner that made it look like it was their own decision to go. Once Jacob saw the last one out the door, he shut it, locked it, and then came right back to me. He sat next to me, taking my hand.

Seeing the look of concern on his face, “I’m fine. Probably just all the excitement.”

“Are you sure?” I nodded, leaning over to kiss him. He held back a little bit, but the more I persisted the more he relaxed.

He pulled back, “Wait a minute, was that an act to get everyone to leave?” he asked.

I laughed. “No, it wasn’t although it did work.”

He kissed me again, “Yes, it did.” We kissed some more. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?”

I smiled at him, “Yes, many times. ”

“You take my breath away.” He kissed me again, then pulled back again, “If I remember right, you said something about what you have on under that dress?”

“I did.” Standing up, I took his hand, leading him to the bedroom. I pushed him to sit down on the bed, then slipped off my dress. I stood in front of him wearing the new bra and panties.

“Oh, Mrs.Vance,” he said thickly, “you are beautiful.” He pulled me toward him, ran his hands over my belly, kissing it, and then pulled me down on the bed.

We lay on the bed a little while later, breathless, entangled in each other’s arms. “What time is it?” I asked.

Jacob looked at the clock and chuckled, “4:30. Why?”

“I was just thinking, it will be a long night so maybe I’ll take a nap.” I smiled at him.

“Well, Mrs.Vance, you sound like you have some plans for tonight.”

“Maybe,” I said as I yawned. He leaned over, kissing me gently.

“Get some rest,” he said. “We have all night and tomorrow.” He covered me with a blanket and then got up.

Sleepily I asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be in the living room. I need some ice water, worked up a thirst.” I smiled at that and drifted off to sleep.

I slept soundly for about an hour. I woke up rolling over and stretching. I used the restroom, washed up, and then pulled a box out from under the bed. I pulled the negligee I had bought out, slipping it on over my head. I looked in the mirror, liking the way it fit, although the baby bump was showing, it flowed nicely over my body. I smiled to myself, then headed out of the bedroom.

Jacob was sitting on the couch watching TV. “Hi,” I said, yawning as I walked past him to the kitchen. I caught a glimpse of Jacob out of the corner of my eye when I passed by him, his eyes widened. He turned, watching me walk by his eyes following me as I got a glass out of the cupboard filling it with ice water. I walked back to where Jacob was sitting on the couch, taking a seat next to him, “What are you watching?” I asked innocently.

“I don’t know,” he said, still looking at me.

I noticed Lucky, so I stood back up. “Oh, hey Lucky, come on, I’ll take you outside.” I walked out on the deck, going to the rail to watch Lucky in the yard. Lucky ran down the steps, into the yard playing. I sensed Jacob coming out on the deck behind me. Soon he slipped his arms around me.

He never said a word and started kissing my neck while his hands ran up my stomach to my breasts and then down to my thighs. I groaned, pressing back against him. He groaned in return, picking me up he took me back inside to the couch, leaving the door open for Lucky. He lay down beside me on the couch, kissing me hungrily this time. I responded just as hungrily in return.

***

I later woke up on the couch, with Jacob sleeping next to me, his arm wrapped around me protectively. Trying not to disturb him, I slipped out from under his arm, going into the kitchen. I was starving. I pulled out some things to make a sandwich, deciding I would make Jacob one, leaving it in the refrigerator for him to eat later.

I ate my sandwich, drank a glass of milk, and then put my dishes in the sink to wash later. I walked quietly back to the bedroom, heading into the master bathroom. Running a warm bubble bath, I climbed in, sighing as the warmth relaxed me.

“Mia Amata?” I heard Jacob call a few minutes later.

“In here,” I said. He came into the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub. “Hey, beautiful,” he said.

“Hi. I made you a sandwich, it is in the fridge.”

“Thanks, I’m starving.” He went out, bringing the sandwich back in the bathroom, sitting back on the edge of the tub. “Did you eat?” he asked.

I nodded, “I was hungry.”

“Good, glad you ate something. How do you feel?”

“Truthfully,” I said. “I’m exhausted.”

He smiled, “Me too. You wore me out. How about I join you in the tub, wash your back for you, we will relax for a little while, then go to bed.”

“Sounds like heaven.”

He finished his sandwich, getting undressed he climbed in the tub behind me. I laid back against him, sighing. This was the life I had always dreamed about my entire life. A happy marriage with a baby on the way. Closing my eyes, I relaxed while Jacob rubbed his hands up and down my arms. I started to feel really drowsy.

“Hey,” Jacob chuckled. “Don’t fall asleep in here. I might have trouble getting you out of here when you’re all wet.”

“Mmmmm,” I said.

“Come on, Mia,” he said. “Let’s get you to bed.” We rinsed off and Jacob helped me out of the tub. After drying off, he led me into the bedroom. “I’ll be right back,” he said. “I’ll go lock up the house.”

I slipped on a T-shirt and climbed into bed. Jacob was soon back, climbed in behind me, and pulled me back against him. “I love you, Mrs.Vance,” he said.

“I love you, Mr.Vance,” I said. We soon drifted off to sleep.

***

We woke up late the next morning. Throwing on a T-shirt and shorts, I made a pot of coffee, taking a cup with me out on the deck and let Lucky run around. Jacob joined me a few minutes later with a cup of coffee, handing me a plate with some toast on it. “You need to eat something,” he said.

Thanking him, I munched on the toast while we sat there, enjoying the quiet morning. We discussed the trip we were taking tomorrow, and what time we needed to leave to make our airplane in the morning. Jacob took my hand, “You look tired, babe.”

“I feel exhausted, like I could sleep a few more hours,” I replied.

“How much packing do you need to do?” he asked.

“I’m all packed, just add some last-minute things in the morning, like my toothbrush and stuff.”

“Then when you finish eating your toast, I’m going to tuck you back into bed,” he said. I started to protest, but he stopped me. “We have a big day tomorrow with the flight, then the start of the cruise. You will have some jet lag probably.”

“You need to get some rest today while you can. I’ll run Lucky over to Josh and Randy’s house this afternoon. Even if you don’t sleep, you can lay there, watching TV, just relaxing. I don’t want you to get sick or have anything happen to you or our baby.”

“OK,” I agreed, “if you will relax with me for a little while. We have something to discuss.” He looked at me questioningly but didn’t ask. At that point, Lucky came running up the steps, ready to go inside to get a drink. We finished our toast and coffee, so we went back inside the house. Jacob wouldn’t let me do the dishes, insisting he would do them later. We went back into the bedroom; I lay down on top of the blankets. Jacob covered me up with a little throw. He sat on the bed next to me.

“What do we need to discuss?” he asked, looking a little worried.

“Don’t worry,” I replied. “I just think it is time we discuss a name for our daughter, don’t you?”

He smiled, “Yes, it probably is time. Do you have any thoughts as to what you would like to name her?”

I do.” I looked at him. “After I met you, I came up with a name that has stuck with me. I’ve tried to think of other names, but I keep coming back to it.”

“Sounds like it was meant to be. What is it?”

“Jayden Lee,” I replied.

Jacob looked thoughtful, trying it out himself. “Jayden Lee.”

“I wanted to name her after you. Jayden is close to Jacob and, well…”

“Lee is my middle name. Are you sure?” he asked.

“Only if you like it. If you don’t, we can discuss some other names,” I said, watching him.

“Jayden Lee Vance. I love it. I feel honored that you want her to be named after me.”

“How could I not want to name her after you? You have accepted her as your own. She should be named after her father.” Jacob’s eyes welled up; he pulled me close to him.

His voice was hoarse as he said, “Thank you for making me a father, for letting me love you and our little girl.” He ran his hand over my belly. His timing was perfect, at that very moment Jayden Lee kicked.

He pulled back, his eyes wide with amazement. “Was that what I think it was?” he asked.

“Yes, it was our daughter,” I said, smiling. “I think she approves of her name.” As if voicing her agreement, she kicked again.

“Hey, there little girl,” Jacob said, rubbing my belly.