8. Lasagna and Lilies
Chapter 8
Lasagna and Lilies
Tatum || 15 weeks pregnant, September
I n the weeks following our weekend at the beach house, the weight of our situation has been easier to carry. Every time I look at Darcy, I can’t help but want more with her. I almost kissed her that night on the beach. She was wrapped in my sweatshirt, listening to me talk about my dream of living in that house. I can see that she wants it, too, but she’s holding back. I’ve been waffling on asking her out on a proper date, but her job as a data analyst has been leaving her drained. So I am going to do the next best thing and text her best friend.
Me
What’s her favorite meal?
Kodi
Whose…?
Me
You know who.
Kodi
Say it. Out loud.
Ugh, if she was anyone else I would be pissed but Kodi is just antagonizing me so that I have to face the facts. I want Darcy.
Me
Darcy. She’s had a draining week, I want to have dinner ready so she doesn’t have to worry about it.
Kodi
You’ve never offered to cook meals for your friends before. Why are you really doing this?
Me
I told you why already and she’s not just my friend.
Kodi
What does that mean?
Me
I don’t know yet. Now her favorite meal, please?
Kodi
Lasagna, salad-hold the onions and garlic bread. The lady goes crazy for a homemade lasagna.
I chuckle, picturing Darcy jumping up and down when she discovers it’s homemade. I also get a little hard imagining her letting one of her little moans loose like she did for the steaks.
Me
Thank you.
Kodi
Don’t hurt her, Tate. She doesn’t let people in easily, and I can see her walls coming down with you. A kid adds another level of complication, so be careful.
Me
I don’t intend to hurt her or our blob. I’m also not going to rush anything, if we progress past co-parenting, then we will take it one step at a time.
In between our texts, I order a delivery of everything I need to make Darcy dinner tonight.
Kodi
Not you too with the Blob. LMFAO
Me
The baby looks like a blob right now so that’s its nickname.
Kodi
You two are odd. Bella is waking up, talk later. 3
I’m cleaning up the last bit of mess I made preparing dinner when I hear the front door click open softly. I wipe my sweaty hands down my pant legs, suddenly nervous that this small gesture is going to cross a boundary for her. Darcy’s footsteps pad gently down the hallway, stopping in the kitchen doorway. Turning to her, she seems frozen in place, taking in the preset spots at the table, the fresh lilies in a vase in the center of the table, the lasagna dish, and a freshly tossed salad sitting next to a platter of garlic bread. For a little personal touch, I grabbed two Coke Icees right before I knew she would arrive, and they are sitting next to our plates, along with glasses of water.
“Dinner made for me twice in the past week? What did I do to deserve this?” She smiles softly before her eyes grow wide. “It smells delicious, lasagna?”
“Yep paired with a salad, no onions, and garlic bread,” I explain, answering her smile with one of my own. I pull her seat out for her before taking my seat across from her.
“Who told you?” She questions, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Told me what exactly?”
“Lilies, lasagna, garlic bread. My three favorite things, I know for a fact I haven’t told you that.” She takes a bite of the lasagna and her eyes roll up into the back of her head. A perfect, gentle little moan escapes her lips as she swallows. My dick responds as it swells, reminding me how I’d like to see her swallow around something else.
“I wanted to do something for you. I know it’s been rough at work recently. I texted Kodi, who helped point me in the right direction when it comes to your favorite food. Though, the lilies I picked out on my own. Lucky guess, I suppose.” I pull at my neck anxiously, feeling my face flush.
“Well this lasagna is delicious, and the flowers are beautiful. Thank you, Tatum.”
“Anytime. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Did you want kids? Like, before we found out about our blob.”
She laughs, like wind chimes on a bright summer's day.
“I did. I don’t think I wanted them right now, but I did eventually want one or two, maybe three. I didn’t have siblings, or even cousins growing up. I was always envious of my friends who did.”
“Having siblings is great until they’re both girls and you can’t get into the bathroom in the mornings. Honestly, I didn’t ever plan on having kids.” I pause for a deep breath, because I’ve never shared this next part with anyone before. “It's not because I didn’t want to be a father, rather I didn’t see how my lifestyle could adapt well enough for those kinds of changes. Like, beforehand I didn’t think I would ever settle down with someone or want to sacrifice parts of my lifestyle—like getting a car that can hold a car seat.”
“And now?” She asks, her voice timid.
“And now, I see that I was wrong. It’ll be worth it, getting to hang out with our kid like Mav does with Bella. Seeing you blossom into the best mom and getting to co-parent with you feels right.”
“You think I’m going to be the best mom?” Her pale skin taking on a pink hue.
“I do. Our little blob won the mom lottery.” I smile. “Have you thought about how you want your career to fit in?”
She takes a moment before responding, carefully choosing how she wants to answer the question.
“Yes, and no. A conventional job, like the one I hold now, is something I would give up in a heartbeat. I barely have the energy to handle it now. No one knows this, except for the girls, but I’ve always wanted to write—and not some one-time passion project. I want to write something beautiful and powerful, like romance novels that make you scream, cry, kick your feet, and clench your thighs together.” Do not think about her thighs clenched together right now. “I love how as an author I could make my schedule. I could write whenever I don’t feel nauseous, during naps, or even during pumping sessions. It just takes time to see any kind of financial return out of it and I only have myself to rely on so I don’t have the funds to do that right now.”
“You know D-” I don’t even get a chance to finish my thought before she gives me a “don’t you dare” face.
“Absolutely not, Tatum.”
“I didn’t even get to tell you what I had in mind.” I chide.
“You were going to offer to take over finances and say something too good to be true, like you have the money and I can focus on writing while you handle everything else. Were you not?”
“You got me there. But, Darcy, it’s the truth. I make plenty enough to provide for us and I wouldn’t mind helping you out while you build your brand and business. You would be able to rest when you need it, instead of working yourself into the ground. You can still be in charge of where our money goes.” I pause, bracing myself for the potential backlash her fierce independence may cause. “Listen, Darcy, you don’t have to say yes right now, or at all, even. Just think about it, okay?”
“Ugh, you have some valid points, but I don’t want to say yes yet. The office is offering to let me work from home. They can see that I’m exhausted and want to work with me on some of that. I don’t think they realize it's not the pregnancy sucking all my energy, it’s the job. Do you mind if I set up an office space in my room to work?”
“You can do whatever you want, this condo is your home too, whether you say yes to my offer or not.”
“Thank you, Tate.”
“No problem, D.”
A little while after cleaning up from dinner, we head to our respective rooms where I lay awake, wondering what life might look like over the coming months. Will Darcy’s nausea ever completely go away? What kind of dad car will I be driving or will we use hers to transport our blob? Will Darcy quit her job and take me up on my offer? When our child makes their appearance in the world, will anything change between Darcy and me? Will I be a good Dad? What does it feel like to hold your child for the first time?