Chapter 46
Chandler
“Hey, can you grab some pepperoncini from the store?” asked Gabriella who was posted up on the couch underneath a cozy blanket, her head propped up by several pillows as she flipped through the channels on the TV.
She had her hand draped over her stomach, looking at me with an innocent smile that could only read as “I have you wrapped around my finger.” I put my hands on my hips and raised an eyebrow as I looked at her from the arched entryway to the kitchen where I had just finished washing dishes from our dinner earlier.
“I can’t help it!” she said with a shrug. “Baby is craving some spice.”
“I’ll give you some spice.” I smirked.
“Chandler!” she exclaimed, her cheeks turning pink. “Not in front of the baby,” she whispered, covering her tiny bump with her hands as if they were earmuffs.
I laughed out loud before striding over to her.
She was in a pink and white striped nightie, and I was having my own cravings right about now.
I bent down and pressed my lips to hers in a gentle kiss, even though I was hungry for more.
She had only been out of the hospital for a few days, I didn’t want to push it no matter how sexy she looked.
Aside from a kiss here and there, we had been taking things slow.
“Anything else?” I whispered against her lips as her eyes fluttered open, the golden flecks shimmering against the green of her irises. Up close, her hazel eyes were even more captivating.
“I think that’s it,” she whispered.
I nodded and stood up, her eyes following me, her breath shallow. I wondered how much longer we would be able to resist each other. From the look in her eyes, I would guess not much longer. I tore my gaze away, afraid I would throw caution to the wind and peel that nightie off her right then.
“I’m on it,” I said, striding for the door.
I grabbed my keys and wallet from the entryway table and threw her a smile over my shoulder.
I really loved having her here at my place, seeing her in spaces she had never been before.
Where no woman had really ever been before.
I had opened up a part of me that I usually kept closed off to the world, and now I couldn’t imagine her not cozy on my couch or sleeping next to me in my bed or cooking pancakes in the kitchen.
She belonged here. For a moment, I didn’t want to leave her, missing her already, but knowing she would be there when I got back made me smile.
I rode the elevator down to the lobby. The lights were dim and the place was quiet, except for a few residents sipping cocktails at the bar and a few working on their laptops in the seating area.
I was usually one of them, working on my laptop with a whiskey in hand.
But now it was nearly 11 p.m., and I was in my new routine of heading to the corner store.
I had grown accustomed to heading out at this late hour to get whatever Gabriella was craving, or the baby was craving, as she claimed.
I actually loved doing it. I loved taking care of her.
It was a whole new thing for me to care about someone else.
To cater to them. I thought Gabriella secretly enjoyed bossing me around based on the hint of a mischievous smile she had on her face anytime she asked me to do something for her, which usually revolved around food or rubbing her back.
Maybe part of it had to do with her getting back at me for all the times I had bossed her around in the office.
I didn’t blame her. I was an asshole. But it felt like those days were so far behind us now.
Even the mess at Harold Enterprises seemed like a distant problem for now.
After we told her father what had happened, he told her to stay the hell away from work and focus on getting better.
He didn’t want anything happening to his grandbaby.
I didn’t realize how much his support mattered to me.
“Back again?” asked the store clerk as I pushed through the door of the corner store, the bell jingling overhead.
“It’s about that time.” I chuckled as I perused the shelves. “Please, tell me you have pepperoncini,” I called out.
“Third aisle on the left.” He laughed out loud from the counter.
I followed his direction and found the jar of yellow peppers right where he said they’d be. I picked it up, followed by a jar of pickles nearby, knowing we were running low and Gabriella would be requesting them soon enough. I walked to the counter and set both jars on the surface with a dull thud.
“My wife liked the spice too,” said the clerk, clearly coming to his own assumptions.
Curiosity got the better of me. “What did you end up having?”
“A girl.” He smiled.
My heart swelled for a moment, thinking about the idea of having a daughter.
I would be happy with either a boy or a girl, but the thought of a daughter was overwhelming to me for some reason.
It was like I could picture what she looked like already, and knew I would be totally wrapped around her finger.
“Do you know yet?” asked the clerk, a warm smile on his face.
“Not yet.” I shook my head.
“Exciting times, my friend.” He handed me a small paper bag with my groceries inside.
“I’ll see you soon.” I left a twenty-dollar bill in the tip jar and headed out the door and into the cool evening air.
Fall was definitely here. Even in the darkness, the streetlamps illuminated the brown and red leaves that covered the trees.
I enjoyed the short walk back to my apartment, soaking in the new season.
“That was fast,” said Gabriella, sitting up eagerly on the couch like a kid on Christmas morning. She was adorable.
“I try.” I gave her an easy smile, heading to the kitchen for a plate and a napkin. I plated the pepperoncini in the shape of a heart and brought it over to her.
She laughed when she saw it. “Who knew you were such a cheeseball?” she said with a shake of her head. She took a bite of the yellow pepper and closed her eyes as she chewed in quiet satisfaction.
“Mmmm,” she said. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
“Of course,” I said, sitting beside her. She tucked herself under the crook of my arm and popped another pepper into her mouth.
“You want one?” she asked, holding one up. I opened my mouth and she placed the spicy pepper in it. I had to admit, it was pretty good.
“Good, right?”
I nodded.
She smiled before her face turned more serious. “Thank you,” she said. “Not just for the pepperoncini or the Oreos last night or the pepperonis the night before. Thank you for taking care of me. For inviting me to stay with you.”
“You don’t need to thank me.” I shook my head. “I want to be here. I want to take care of you and the baby. I’m committed to this. To you. To the baby. Whatever you need, I want to do for you. Whatever it takes.”
She bit her lip, her throat bobbing as she looked at me intently.
“I love you, Chandler,” she whispered, her hands clutching the plate of the half-eaten heart of peppers.
Her words took me by surprise, filling me with a content ease that warmed through me.
They were the words I had wanted to hear, ever since I had told her I was in love with her.
But then everything got so complicated, I wasn’t sure if I would ever hear them.
I wasn’t sure if she felt the same. But here she was, opening up.
I would have taken care of her either way.
I would have stepped up to be the father I strived to be with or without her reciprocated feelings, but it was so much sweeter this way.
“Really?” I whispered in disbelief.
“Mhmm.” She beamed up at me.
I grabbed the plate from her hands and set it on the coffee table before turning to her and taking her hands in mine. Her eyes watched me eagerly.
“You know I love you, too,” I said, gently squeezing her hands. “I want to do this right, okay? I want to give us a real shot.”
“I do too,” she said, her eyes glassy.
“Our baby deserves a happy family,” I said, my eyes drifting down to her stomach.
“Yes. Yes, they do.” She nodded, a tear trailing down her cheek. I leaned in and pressed my lips against it before it fell.
A few days later, Gabriella had an appointment with her doctor.
It was earlier than necessary, but with her health scare, the doctor wanted to make sure everything was looking okay.
I was relieved when she asked me to join her.
It was such a big step, and I knew I wanted to take it with her.
I didn’t want her to go through any of this alone anymore, and I didn’t want to miss out on these moments.
“You nervous?” she asked as I pulled the car into a metered spot near the small brick building that stuck out among the large glass and metal skyscrapers surrounding it.
“A little,” I admitted, placing the car into park.
“You’ll really like Dr. Spellman,” she said, reaching over and giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.
I nodded before getting out and rounding the car to open her door.
She took my hand and I helped her out of the passenger seat before linking my hand through hers.
She looked beautiful with her long, brown hair pulled into a high ponytail and wearing a sweater vest dress that brought out the green in her eyes.
We walked through the door together and up the stairs to the waiting room.
Seeing other couples around us made the pregnancy seem even more real.
My heart started to beat a little faster.
Gabriella checked in at the front desk and soon we were called back by a nurse in pastel-flower scrubs.
She led us back to a dimly lit room with an exam table and a TV monitor.
Gabriella settled in on the table and I pulled up a chair to sit beside her.
The nurse instructed Gabriella to pull her shirt up to just under her bra, before rubbing a clear, jelly-like substance on her stomach.
I looked at the screen eagerly as she placed a white wand over Gabriella’s stomach and began moving it slowly until she found what she was looking for.
My breath caught in my throat. I had seen the glossy pictures of the baby just last week, but seeing it in person was mind-blowing.
The baby was bigger already. As my eyes studied the screen, zoning on the slightly bigger white blob, Gabriella reached for my hand.
I didn’t know I was crying until I felt her fingers intertwine with mine.
I laughed softly, wiping my cheek, slightly embarrassed.
“You want to hear the heartbeat?” asked the nurse, looking between us both.
I nodded eagerly.
And then there was no stopping the tears streaming down my cheeks as the thump-thump of our baby’s heart played throughout the room.
It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
It was life. It was our future. I looked at Gabriella in awe.
Tears were streaming down her face too as she smiled up at me.
“It’s…” I shook my head, not able to finish my sentence.
“I know,” she sobbed quietly, not needing me to say anything at all.