Melody
Chapter seventy-one
“Tell me everything,” Kodi gushes before she’s even taken her seat at the quaint little coffee shop I asked her to meet me at.
It’s lunch time, and I decided to give myself a long break from The Bloom Room.
I can’t place my finger on it, but I feel weird.
I keep getting spells of dizziness, and I’m so damn nauseated because I haven’t eaten yet today.
It started when I woke up, and I didn’t say a word to Kaden because I knew he would have dropped his whole meeting with Saint and Ivan to stay home with me.
I’m just hungry. That’s all.
There’s a light jitteriness to me as I pick apart a croissant I ordered twenty minutes ago. The few bites I’ve taken feel heavy in my stomach, and I begin to wonder if I’ve come down with a bug…
“There isn’t much to tell,” I shrug with a smirk.
“You bitch,” my best friend spits before shoving my shoulder. “You’re married to Kaden! There’s got to be something to tell.”
“The sex is great,” I lift my brows in amusement.
“Ew,” she gags.
“You asked.”
Kodi slides her purse into one of the unused chairs. “You know what I mean! How is he treating you? Has he locked you in a red velvet room with whips and chains?”
“How do you know about our sex dungeon?” I gasp playfully.
She rolls her eyes. “Saint was right, you know? You two are freaked out.”
I snort, the bright lights from the window cutting into my eyes harshly as I squint. Strange. “Everything is actually going amazingly. Better than amazing. He’s caring and attentive. He reads with me—”
“It’s monster smut, isn’t it?”
I laugh. “Could have guessed that from a mile away, huh?”
She rests her chin in her palm, her eyes brushing over me. “I don’t know, Mel. You’ve got this glow to you. Makes me think you two were actually meant for each other.”
I smile fondly down at my food, my heart overflowing. It’s such an odd occurrence. I didn’t think we would ever get another chance at this, yet we fell into it so easily. In my heart, I knew Kaden was it for me. The first and the second time.
It’s always been him.
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I think we are, Kodi.”
She slides a hand across the table, her fingers curling around my wrist. “I’m happy for you.”
My vision blurs, and at first, I think I’m about to break out into tears, until I realize that everything is slowing down around me—the sounds of cups hitting the table, the baristas steaming milk, and Kodi’s words become jumbled and fuzzy.
“Mel, are you okay?” My friend asks, but she sounds far away.
A barista passes by us, dropping something onto the floor. I try to shake myself out of my haze by bending down to pick the abandoned napkin up, but that’s a mistake.
Everything goes dark as I slide out of the chair and hit the coffee shop’s tiles.
Waking up in a hospital is invasive and embarrassing. You’re peppered with questions as nurses rush around you, your best friend stands awkwardly in the corner of the room, her phone lifted to her ear as she speaks quickly to your husband, and you’re naked.
So very naked.
With only a poor, tattered gown wrapped around you to block out the sterile chill of the hospital. The IV in my arm sends liquid cold into my veins, making me scratch at the sight.
Kodi slaps my hand away with a scowl. “They literally told you not to do that.”
I mock her under my breath.
“I heard that!” She calls out as she grabs me some more water from the beige pitcher on the counter.
“Stop making me drink water,” I groan as I rest my head back on the bed. “I have an IV.”
She cuts me a glare before shoving the cup into my hands and lifting my elbow. “Shut up.”
I would prefer for her to waterboard me at this point.
I take a small, unhappy sip before heavy boots echo through the hallway. I pick up the sound of Kaden’s frantic voice as he interrogates the nurses. A moment later, he rounds right into my room, his chest heaving with his breath as if he ran here.
I lift my fingers in a wave. “Hi.”
He sinks down to a crouch, pressing the heel of his palms into his eyes. “You scared the shit out of me, Melody. I shoved Ivan to the ground before leaving his office because he was in my way.”
I snort, lifting a hand to my mouth to muffle it. “He deserved it.”
Kaden finally looks up at me, the corners of his lips twitching. “Oh, yeah. Pretty sure I did it just because I wanted to.”
Kodi chuckles as she pats my shoulder. “Okay, I’m going to leave you in his hands.
Blink twice if Kaden is holding you at gunpoint.
” I deadpan at her, and she holds her hands up before kissing my temple and grabbing her things.
Before she leaves, she pulls Kaden to the side as she whispers loud enough for me to hear.
“She was dehydrated and hadn’t eaten anything all day. ”
His head snaps to me, and my heart sinks at the disapproval swirling in his eyes. I sink lower in my bed, sipping my water as I avoid his gaze.
Kodi leaves us alone, and I feel like I’ve been trapped with the Grim Reaper himself as my husband stalks closer to me, pulls up a chair, and plops down.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I sigh.
“I have plenty to say,” he grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers. “But I’m just glad you’re okay.”
I squeeze his digits in mine. “I’m waiting on the nurse to get back with my urine sample.”
He scrubs a hand across his mouth, relief flooding him. “What happened? And don’t downplay it, Sunny.”
I set my cup aside on the stand near my bed as I shrug. “I have been feeling lightheaded since I woke up this morning.”
“And you didn’t say anything to me?” He reprimands softly. “You have to tell me these things, baby.”
“I know,” I roll the hem of my gown between my fingers before he places his free hand over mine, drawing my attention back to him. “You had your meeting, and I didn’t want to interfere—”
He cuts me off sharply. “You aren’t interfering with anything, do you understand?
We’re a team. If something is wrong, then I need you to communicate that with me so we can think of a solution.
Your health and happiness come first, Melody.
I don’t give a fuck about meetings when my wife is having a health scare. ”
My chest warms at his words. He’s just so understanding and kind when it comes to me. He always has been. It’s what makes our love so effortless.
I feel like I’m finally on top of the world. I have a loving husband, an amazing home, and a career that I enjoy. It’s like Kaden made all of the pieces fall right into place, even if they weren’t perfect, and still chipped. He jammed them in anyway, making sure I had everything I ever wanted.
I’ve been overcome with emotion these last few weeks, crying over the small things out of gratitude, because this is what I’ve always dreamed of.
And I had those very dreams with Kaden by my side.
Here we are, married and so in love that I can’t think straight when he’s not around.
I look for him anytime things get tough, and he’s always there—ready to catch me when I fall.
My lips tug upwards in a warm smile as I brush my thumb over his rough, scarred knuckle. “Okay…”
He pinches my chin between his fingers before lifting my eyes to him. “We’re in this together. Through sickness and in health.”
I nod, my face stinging as the first tear falls. “I…I love you so much.”
His expression softens, turning fond. “I love you too, Sunny.”
I press forward, our lips crashing as life continues around us. But I’m not worried about everything else, because right here, I have my whole world.
A nurse breezes in, making us both draw back as she smiles sheepishly with my urine sample in her hand and a little stick in the other.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she winces, “but it’s standard protocol to do a pregnancy test. Your chart said you were taking birth control, but a contraceptive isn’t completely foolproof. ”
My stomach drops. It isn’t from knowing my birth control could fail, but the fact that everything has slowly begun to piece together inside my head. Lightheadedness, mood swings, and nausea.
Oh, shit.
Kaden’s hand tightens around mine in reassurance as he frowns deeply and watches the nurse test my sample. Neither of us speaks as the woman hums a light tune while she waits for it to process.
“Oh,” she breathes, pulling the stick toward the light and flashing two pink lines at us. “Well, there’s the culprit. It seems your ‘stomach bug’ has ten tiny toes and fingers.”
“Holy fuck…” I whisper in shock.
Kaden leans forward, squinting his eyes. “Wait…” He shakes his head slightly. “Does that mean…”
“Positive,” the nurse chirps. “Congratulations, you two. Ultrasound will be here in the next ten minutes.”
She leaves us to process, and it’s as if the whole room has stood still. My heart monitor beeps, picking up speed as my brain flips over the truth again and again.
I’m pregnant.
We’re having a baby.
Oh, my god…
“Hey, hey,” Kaden coos gently as he brushes my hair aside and uses a thumb to wipe my steady, streaming tears. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“I’m freaking out,” I blurt, my inner thoughts spilling past my lips as I curl my fingers around his wrist like he’s an anchor.
“I know,” he nods. “I am too, but look at me, pretty girl.”
My eyes snap to him, and it’s like all of those nerves melt away at the strength and reassurance in his gaze. I’m still shaken, but I can finally breathe.
“No one is ever ready to be a parent,” he huffs, a small, weak laugh. “But I know we’re going to figure it out. Together.”
I swallow, nodding. “Oh, my god—”
“I know,” he chuckles, his lips tipping upward. “It’s unexpected.”
I give a sharp, watery laugh, caught off guard by the joy in his eyes. “Is it good, unexpected, or…”
He softens as he tucks my strands behind my ear. “I should be asking you that. How are you feeling?”
“I think I’m gonna puke,” I mutter past the saliva gathering on my tongue.
He rises quickly, grabbing the trash can before shoving it under my chin. “Okay—”
He doesn’t even finish what he was saying until I wretch violently into the bin.
He soothes a hand down my back as my stomach bile slops inelegantly into the plastic bag lining my puke bucket.
My eyes are watering as I finish, and I roughly scrub a hand across them to collect my tears before he takes the trash can and sets it down beside the bed.
“Sorry,” I gasp, my nose scrunching at the horrible taste that lingers on my tongue. “I’ve been so nauseated all day…”
“Don’t apologize for that,” he reprimands me lightly. “Now we know why you passed out.”
I roll my thin sheet between my fingers as I blink past the welling emotions inside me.
I’m pregnant.
I’ve always wanted to be a mom, but my future wasn’t clear while I was with Dylan. I didn’t even bring up the topic to him because I didn’t know how to combat my own hesitation on the matter.
But right now?
I don’t feel that uncertainty. I don’t feel a sense of impending doom. I feel…happy.
I’m having a baby with Kaden. The man who stole my heart long ago and never let me go.
He came back for me, and all I can see is the next ten years stretched out before me—sports or ballet recitals, our fridge covered in sentimental family photos and little finger paintings, and us. A family that we created together…
“Is it wrong of me to be happy?” I ask quietly as my nerves bite.
He crouches down, chasing my eyes. “Of course not. Is it wrong of me to feel the same?”
My eyes widen. “You do?”
He smiles widely. “Yes, Melody. I’m excited we’re having a baby.”
Relief floods me as I throw my arms around his neck and crush him to me. More tears fall, our joy is shared, and he squeezes me tightly in return.