Mia Amata

Chapter 17

Friday came around and Randy picked me up early Friday to take me to my OB/GYN appointment. She went in with me, taking a seat while I checked in with the receptionist for my appointment. I sat down next to her; we chatted a little bit about our plans for the day when we finished here. I didn’t have to wait long until they called my name. I went back with the nurse who took my history, got my vitals, and then left me alone to wait for the doctor to come in. Soon there was a knock on the door. A young woman walked in. “Mattie?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dr.Amanda Lee.” I shook her hand. She sat down at the desk next to me. “I understand you had a positive pregnancy test.”

“Yes,” I replied. “By my calculations, I think I am about seven weeks along.”

“You haven’t seen any doctor yet?” she asked.

“No, I was in the process of moving here, didn’t have a chance to. I figured I would establish care here once I moved.”

Dr.Lee nodded. “Makes sense. So what I would like to do is get some history from you first, then we will do an examination, obtain an ultrasound to check dates.” She stood up and listened to my heart and lungs. She then asked me to lay back. She asked me to pull up my top to do an abdominal exam. She hesitated momentarily, then asked, “How did you get the scars and bruises?”

I told her about the minor car accident, the story that I came up with. “Did you see a doctor for that? Go to the emergency room?”

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t have insurance at the time. I really felt fine overall. A few aches and pains from the accident, but otherwise I felt fine.”

“You should have been checked out. You could have had some internal injuries.”

“I know, but I couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket for the medical bills. ”

Dr.Lee did her exam and then had me sit up. “I think you are pretty spot on regarding how far along you are, but I’ll go get the ultrasound machine to do a check to make sure. I’ll be right back.”

Leaving the room and returning shortly with the ultrasound. She explained what would take place to me. I acted like I didn’t know anything about it. Once the ultrasound was completed, the doctor told me my estimate was pretty spot on, I was about seven weeks along.

She printed some pictures of the baby for me and then had me get down from the examination table and taken a seat in a chair. We reviewed the normal pregnancy course, discussing my approximate delivery date. The doctor answered all of my questions, saying she would be happy to take on my care.

I told her I would like for her to be my new OB/GYN, asking her if she could recommend a pediatrician and family practice doctor. “I certainly can,” she replied. She gave me a list of names. One of them was Dr.James Lee, who was a primary care physician. I looked at her questioningly.

She smiled, “Yes, he is my husband. I can’t recommend him over the others for the sake of ethics. You will have to make that decision for yourself. Make an appointment with him and a couple of the others and decide for yourself. I feel that any of those would be good choices for your care.”

I thanked her for the recommendations but knew that I would probably go to her husband to care for my baby and myself. I was impressed with Dr.Lee. She put me completely at ease, didn’t pry too much into the past and concentrated more on the baby and the future. We chatted a little longer about what I could expect and what her protocol was for future appointments. Dr.Lee walked me out, taking me up to the appointment desk, letting them know she wanted to see me back in one month with lab work prior.

I made the appointment and then walked out to the waiting area where Randy sat waiting for me. She got up as I walked out. We walked out to her car. “How was the appointment?” she asked as we climbed into her car. I told her about Dr.Lee and the appointment and what would happen going forward. We chatted about the list of doctors she had given me as recommendations.

Randy said, “Her husband is my doctor. He is awesome. He would actually take care of both you and the baby if you felt comfortable with not having a pediatrician.”

“I would be fine with that. It would be nice having the same doctor taking care of both of us, like his wife is doing right now. ”

We chatted about things as Randy drove us to the city an hour away. Our first stop was a clothing store that had maternity clothes. I tried on a few things and picked out a few cute outfits that I thought would tide me over the next couple of months. Randy and I decided that we would make another trip later on during my pregnancy if I needed additional clothing. I also picked out some warmer clothes, including a coat as there would be snow on the ground before I gave birth.

We then went to a baby store where we had a lot of fun picking out a few outfits. I also picked up some crib sheets, a blanket, and some other odds and ends that I would need. I also purchased a car seat and stroller that all worked together, knowing that the car seat would be an immediate need when the baby was born. I looked at baby monitors and decided to do some more research on those before I purchased one.

After the baby store, we stopped for lunch in the food court at the mall we were shopping in. I went for a piece of pizza while Randy went for Chinese. We met in the middle, talking about our finds, the things that I would need eventually. There were a lot of things out there that were supposed to make things easier for a parent, but some of them didn’t seem necessary to me. We discussed the need for a bassinet, but I wasn’t sure that one was needed.

The nursery was close to my bedroom, and I felt that the baby needed to sleep in her own room. Also, with the right baby monitor, there should be no issues with having the baby in the crib from the beginning. I decided I would think about it, as I could see the benefits of one, especially if it could be moved from room to room, but I felt the baby would outgrow it pretty quickly, so I didn’t feel it was a wise use of money.

When we finished lunch, we browsed some other stores, including a bridal store where Randy picked up some brochures and looked at a few dresses. We were told the best thing would be to make an appointment when she was ready to seriously shop for a dress, they would be better able to help her find the perfect dress. Randy agreed to do so.

Our next stop was a home store. We browsed around, discussing all the different decor for my home. I picked out some wall decor that I really liked. I found some nursery wall decor that I thought would be perfect for the nursery.

We walked around the mall, making small purchases here and there. I bought a new pair of shoes, some slip-on tennis shoes. After all, I only had one pair of shoes at this point. I also purchased a pair of black flats that would look cute with some of the new outfits I bought, but yet would be comfortable should my feet swell with pregnancy. We finally left the mall and started driving home.

“That was fun,” Randy stated, “but I am worn out.”

I laughed, “I am too. I was able to check a lot of things off my list today, and for those I didn’t I have some ideas of what I do want. We will probably have to make another trip in a month or so.”

“I’m game!” Randy said, “Maybe, on that trip, I will have an appointment to look for a wedding dress too.”

“That would be fun,” I said.

We talked about the purchases we made today, most of them mine, and how the nursery was going to look cute with the decor I bought for it today.

“I really need more home decor,” I told Randy. “I really don’t have much as far as decorations go.”

“Well, you bought enough books to fill some of those shelves next to the fireplace!” she said.

I laughed, “Yes, I haven’t read in a long time, so there were a lot of books that caught my eye. I could have bought a lot more had you not dragged me out of there.”

“I didn’t think we could fit much more into my car! With the baby car seat and stroller, all the clothes, shoes, decor, and books, I’m surprised my car can move and that we have room for us in it! Should have borrowed Josh or Jacob’s truck.”

We laughed and joked the rest of the way home. We finally pulled into the driveway at my house. I unlocked the door, letting Lucky out to take care of some business. He ran around a bit while we started to carry things into the house. A set of car lights came around the curve and Josh pulled up in his truck. Randy squealed, running to give him a hug as he climbed out of his truck. “I thought you couldn’t make it this weekend.”

He hugged her in return, “It just worked out that I could make it back. I have to go back Sunday night, so I am there first thing Monday morning, but I wanted to see you.”

I carried a couple of bags into the house, letting them have this moment alone. Lucky went into the house with me. I gave him some fresh water and food before I headed back outside to get more of my bags from Randy’s car. While I was getting the water for Lucky, Randy and Josh came into the house, carrying the big things that I had purchased that day.

“Hey, Mattie,” Josh said. “Randy told me about the baby, congratulations!”

“Thank you,” I said smiling at the couple. “Thanks for helping me carry my stuff in too.”

“No problem. Where do you want us to put the stroller and the car seat?”

“Back in the nursery if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” he said, following Randy down the hall to the nursery. We got all of my packages carried in, just depositing them on the couch. I looked at Randy and Josh and said, “I would invite you to stay for something to drink, but I can tell you two want to go home and be alone.”

Randy blushed, while Josh said, “Are we that obvious?”

I laughed, “Yes. I know how much Randy missed you while you were gone. Get out of here you two. I’ll talk to you later.”

Randy gave me a hug, and they left. I shut the door, arming the alarm system. I was a little hungry, so I made a sandwich and started to go through my purchases for the day. I knew I would wash all the bedding and clothing I got for the baby before using them, but for the time being, I just took off the tags, putting the items in the nursery in the hamper. I laid out the décor, so I could decide where I wanted to hang the items.

I put the books on the shelves next to the fireplace. I took all the tags off the clothes I bought for myself, putting those in the hamper to wash this weekend. I could still wear most of the clothes I got from Eva and Lauren, but I could tell that in a couple more weeks I would probably need to move into maternity clothes.

After supper was done, I cleaned up the kitchen. I then got the hammer and nails to hang the decor I had picked out. I got the step stool and got ready to climb on it to start hanging decor when someone knocked on the door.

Thinking maybe I left a bag in Randy’s car, I went to the door and pulled it open. It was Jacob. “Hey, Mia.”

“Hey,” I said as I let him in. He noticed I had a hammer in my hand.

“What are you doing?” he asked, walking into the living room.

“I was going to hang some things on the walls. I wasn’t expecting company.”

He smiled. “Josh sent me a text letting me know he was home for the weekend and mentioned that Randy just dropped you off. I hope you don’t mind I came by unannounced. ”

I hesitated, “No, I’m just in the middle of something.”

He saw the step stool and all the decor lying around. He looked at me. “You weren’t getting up on that stool to hang things, were you?”

“Well, of course, I was. How else can I reach where I want to put them?”

He reached out and took the hammer from me. “Mia Amata, promise me you won’t climb on any stools or ladders. If you were to fall again…” he trailed off.

“I’m pregnant Jacob, not an invalid.”

“I know that. You fell once already, if you fall again, it could end badly. If something happened to you.” He looked at me so intently that I promised him I wouldn’t do any ladder-climbing or stand on any stepstools. “Good. Now tell me where you want things hung.”

It took a little while, but we finally got everything hung and positioned to my liking. Jacob put the tools away, while I looked around at my home. I was happy with the way the house looked. It felt more like home every day. There were moments when I could hardly believe that I was free. It had only been a couple of weeks, but I felt so at home here, so happy. I had new friends, a loyal dog, a home, and a baby on the way, what more could I ask for?

Jacob came back in from the garage. “What’s next?”

“I was just going to watch some TV and work on the baby blanket I’m making.”

“Can I keep you company for a while?”

“Won’t you be bored?”

“Is that your way of telling me you want me to leave?” He tried to look so sad, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course not.”

We picked out a movie, sitting on the couch together. I crocheted for a while until my eyes were tired. The baby blanket was coming along nicely. I wasn’t sure how much time I could dedicate to it when I started working on Monday, but I vowed that I would try to do a little every night, even just a few rows.

I had plenty of time to finish it before the baby came as long as I dedicated time to it on a regular basis. I crocheted until the end of the movie, then put it away.

“You are talented,” observed Jacob. “That blanket is cute.”

“Thanks, my first attempt at crocheting. The next movie looked interesting, want to stay? I’ll pop us some popcorn?” Surprising both myself and Jacob by asking, I think.

“Sounds wonderful,” he smiled at me. “As long as I am not ruining your evening.”

I shook my head, “I’m glad you are here.” I meant it too. I enjoyed his company tonight.

Popcorn was popped, I turned the lights down, sitting back down by Jacob, so we could share. He put his arm around me, and we settled in to watch the next movie. When the popcorn was finished, I covered up with a blanket from the back of the couch.

We both dozed off, and the next thing I knew Lucky was whining to be let outside. I sat up and looked at the clock, realizing it was three o’clock in the morning. Jacob didn’t stir, as quietly as I could, I took Lucky outside.

I stood outside on the deck, shivering, while I waited for Lucky. Jacob came out, wrapping a blanket around me. We stood there in silence until Lucky came running back up the steps. Going back inside, Jacob looked at me. “I should go.”

“No, Jacob. It’s too late. You can stay here tonight.”

“Thank you. Do you have a pillow and blanket I can use on the couch?”

“Yes, I’ll be right back.” I soon came back out with a blanket and pillow for him.

“Thank you,” He looked at me intently, then leaned over and kissed me softly. “Good night, Mia Amata.”

“Night, Jacob.” I went to the bedroom, and as quietly as I could I locked the bedroom door, wondering why Jacob was here and why I was letting this happen.

***

The next morning, Jacob and I were enjoying coffee on the deck watching Lucky run around in the yard playing when we heard Josh and Randy hollering from down by the lake. Lady ran up, greeting me as usual, then ran down to play with her brother in the yard. I waved at Randy and Josh; they headed up toward the deck to join me.

I looked at Jacob, he looked back. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I asked, confused .

“They are going to think I spent the night.”

“Well, you did,” I replied.

“You know what I mean.” Jacob smiled back at me.

“I do, but it was perfectly innocent. There is nothing to hide.”

“No, but I don’t want anyone to draw the wrong conclusions if it would bother you.”

“I’ll be fine Jacob. Besides, it could be fun seeing them try to resist asking questions.”

Jacob laughed, “Yes, that would be fun.”

“Coffee’s fresh,” I said as they joined us on the deck. I saw the look of surprise when they saw Jacob sitting there with me. “Help yourself. There are some fresh baked cinnamon rolls on the counter too.”

“Count me in!” Josh exclaimed as he went into the house. When he passed Jacob, he gave him a fist bump, which I raised an eyebrow to.

Randy laughed. The exchange between brothers and my raised eyebrow not escaping her. “I had better go in and make sure he doesn’t eat the whole batch!” She followed him in, and they soon came back out with a roll and a cup of coffee each. They sat down on the deck, and we chatted easily while they ate, and we all drank our coffee. Josh went back inside for a second roll, bringing the coffee pot out to refill our cups.

He sat down, “These rolls are fantastic!”

“Thanks. I enjoy baking. Cinnamon rolls sounded really good today.”

Randy added, “I’m surprised you found the time to make them,” she smiled as Josh almost choked on his roll. She added hurriedly, “You will have to give me the recipe! They are fantastic.”

“I can’t, I don’t have a recipe. I just threw them together.”

Randy looked at me in surprise. “Really?” I nodded. “I wish I could do that. I mean after I make something enough times I can usually get to where I don’t need the recipe, but I’m not good at throwing ingredients together to make something this good.”

“I’ve always been able to make things without a recipe. If it is a new item, I may look it up to see what is in it, but then I never follow the recipe. I don’t know, it just seems to come easily to me.” We sat there for a while longer discussing our plans for the weekend. I invited them to come back that night, stating that I would cook supper for all of us, then maybe we could watch a movie, which they accepted. We talked about what sounded good, all three of them stated together Italian, so I said I would make lasagna.

“Well,” Josh said, “we had better get our day going, have some errands to run and things to do around the house today.”

We all stood up, taking our dishes into the house, Lady and Lucky following us in. Randy offered to wash the dishes, but I refused. I wrapped up a few cinnamon rolls for them which Josh was more than happy to take home with him. They left, but not before I saw Josh give Jacob another fist bump. I was washing up the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. Jacob took my trash out for me. I checked the cupboards to make sure I had everything I needed to make lasagna with garlic bread for supper.

Jacob and I sat down on the couch together when I finished the dishes. “What was all that about?” I asked him.

He feigned innocence, “All what?”

“All the fist bumps with Josh,” I said.

“It’s a guy thing. He knows I spent the night here last night; it was his way of saying way to go.”

“But nothing happened!”

“I know, I’ll make sure he knows that too. It just didn’t seem an appropriate time to bring up the fact we haven’t had sex yet.”

“Yet?” I looked at him. I felt uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going.

“If it bothers you that much, I can call him right now. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you.”

He looked so distressed at the thought I was upset with him; I couldn’t figure out what was happening there. “Jacob,” I started, but he didn’t let me finish.

He sighed, “Honestly, I know he will bring it up later, and I will tell him that we fell asleep watching movies and that nothing happened. I would never lie about that just to make myself look like I…”

“Got lucky?” I asked.

“Exactly. Josh knows that too. We are super close; we share a lot with each other. He is honestly probably just happy for me.”

“Happy why?”

“Because I finally found someone.” He got up and walked away, heading to the bathroom, before I could respond to that. I sat there stunned. Jacob kept saying things like that. I had no idea what he thought was happening here and how to handle whatever this was. Jacob walked out, heading to the front door. “I should run home. I need to shower and run to the store for a few things for the week. Can I pick up anything for you?”

“No, I have everything I need here. Unless you all want something besides tea, water, or milk to drink. I don’t have any alcohol around here.”

We walked to the door. “We don’t need alcohol, whatever you have here will be fine. I’ll grab some soda, just in case.” When we reached the front door, he turned toward me. “Would it be OK if I come back early? Before Josh and Randy get here? I think we should talk.”

I hesitated, then nodded. “I may be busy with supper.”

“That won’t bother me, we can talk while you cook.”

“You can come back whatever time you’d like. I’ll be here doing some things around the house and cooking.”

He leaned down and kissed me. “Love you,” he turned and walked out before I had a chance to reply. I shut the door, once more stunned. I wasn’t sure what to think. I stood there a couple of minutes, then shook my head, needing to get some things done before they all came back for supper that night.

First, I gathered up my laundry throwing it in the washing machine. I then went back to my bedroom, grabbed my empty backpack, and picked out some items to put in it. I had been thinking that if I needed to run, I should have a go bag that if able I could just grab and leave. I put the rest of the $5000 cash in there, knowing that I had the checking account along with the credit cards, plus starting Monday I would be making money I could live off of.

I put an extra set of car keys in there, some clothes, things that I could wear pregnant or not. I decided that I would keep the diaper bag packed at all times, so I could just grab that for the baby. I thought maybe I should sit down and figure out an escape plan in detail, maybe even two, but for right now having bags ready to go would suffice.

I walked into the nursery and started packing the diaper bag. Once the baby is born, I would pack it with one or two bottles and a can of formula, whatever I would need until I could get some place. Both bags were packed. I took them out to store them together in the linen closet. I will work on a bigger plan soon. I didn’t want to put it off too long, otherwise it may be too late.

I went to the laundry area, taking the clothes from the washer, and putting them in the dryer. I did some light cleaning, then went down to the office to do some more studying on the protocols for work on Monday. I felt like I had a good grasp on them, but I wanted to make sure I was prepared. Lucky was following me around while I was doing chores around the house, and I wondered how I would be able to take him and the baby if we needed to make an escape. I figured the way he followed me everywhere it wouldn’t be a problem; he would get in the car with me without hesitation but keeping him quiet could be an issue.

I decided I would pack some dog food, bottles of water, and extra dishes into a bag. This was turning into a lot that I needed to grab if I had to make a run for it. I would have to figure out another way. Some way I can just grab the baby and the dog and go. This would take some thinking. I vowed to sit down soon and figure out a better plan.

When I left Laurie and Eva, they had given me a phone number. No name, just the number. This was a number for me to contact if I needed help again or if I was able to help someone else. I had it in my wallet, but I wanted to try to memorize it so that it was not found. I wanted to make notes on things, but if I did, I would have to destroy all evidence of them or make sure to take them with me.

Making an escape plan that can be discovered would obviously not be a good thing. I tried to focus on the plans for work, but my mind kept wandering. I gave up and went back upstairs. I got a glass of ice water, taking Lucky outside. I walked down to the pier, and he ran around and explored, but never got too far away from me. I went down, sitting on the bench on the pier. Lucky soon brought me a stick.

“What’s up? Want to play fetch?” He wagged his tail at me and gave a bark. I flung the stick out into the water watching as he jumped in after it. He swam out, got it, then swam back to the shore like he had been doing this for years. “Oh boy,” I told Lucky. “I’m going to have to give you a bath when we go back in the house!” He dropped the stick at my feet, barked, and wagged his tail.

I threw it again, watching as he dove after it. We played fetch for a while until it was apparent that he was tired. I let him lay at my feet, hoping he would dry off a bit before we went back into the house. I would give him a bath, but I would rather he not be sopping wet when we went back in. He was soon dozing in the sunshine while I enjoyed the view.

I glanced at my watch after a bit, finally deciding we had been out long enough. I needed to go in, give Lucky his bath, then start the lasagna. I stood up, and Lucky was immediately up and alert. We walked back up to the house, Lucky running around and chasing dragonflies or butterflies.

Once in the house, I ran bath water for Lucky, and he readily hopped in the tub when I told him to. I gave him his bath, which he actually seemed to enjoy. I managed to get him all rinsed and clean, drying him the best I could.

Once finished with his bath, I went to the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients to make the lasagna.

I got the lasagna all put together, then put it in the oven to cook. I then got the garlic bread all ready, setting it aside to put in the oven soon. I washed up the dishes from making the lasagna and put them away. I then set the table for the four of us when the phone rang. It was Randy.

“Hey, Randy,” I said.

“Hi, there! Hey, I was wondering if there was anything that we can bring for tonight.”

“I didn’t plan anything for dessert, so if you have a chance to grab something that would be great.”

“Josh is running into town here in a few minutes, I will have him pick something up. Any special requests?” she asked.

“I’m good with anything chocolate,” I laughed.

“We have to be sisters,” she laughed. “I love chocolate. We will see you soon.”

I went around the house, doing some straightening and light cleaning, not that the house really needed it.

I sat down, relaxing until it was time to put the garlic bread in the oven.

I couldn’t find much to watch, so I shut the TV off, going to take a quick shower. When I was dressed, I heard a knock at the door. It was Jacob, carrying a sack with some soda in it. He walked into the kitchen and put the soda in the refrigerator. Once he was done, he turned to me, where I had been leaning against the counter across from the sink.

“Hey, Mia.” He smiled at me.

“Hey,” I said. “I need to work on supper. Make yourself at home.”

After assuring him there wasn’t anything he could really help me with, I motioned him to the couch, telling him to find something to watch. Instead, he pulled out a stool at the bar. “I would rather talk to you.”

I was putting the garlic bread in the oven. When I leaned over to do so, the shirt I was wearing slipped off my shoulder.

“Wow, how did you get that bruise on your back? It’s huge. Are you OK?”

I froze, then regained my composure, continuing to close the oven door. “I’m fine,” I said, “I was in a minor car accident. Nothing to worry about.”

He was looking at me, the amount of concern in his eyes really surprised me. “You’re sure you are OK?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” He seemed reassured.

After a few minutes of silence, Jacob asked, “You seem quiet today, is something wrong?”

Hesitating, “I don’t know Jacob. I’m… confused.”

“About what?”

I wasn’t sure what to say or how to bring up the subject. Finally, I sighed, deciding to just dive in headfirst. “You. Me. This… whatever is going on here.”

Jacob nodded his head. “What do you think is going on here?”

“I don’t know. You have hinted around before, but earlier today when you were leaving…” I trailed off.

“I said ‘love you’ when I left. Did that bother you?” He was watching me closely.

I looked at him, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Can you deny that you feel something for me?” He dared me.

“I do feel something for you. I’m not ready to call it love. In fact, I’m not sure that love even exists.”

Jacob said, “I know it does. I see it with my parents, with my sister and her husband. We both see it with Josh and Randy.” He stood up, coming around to where I was standing, turning me to face him. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.”

I stared at the countertop, my mind going in 20 different directions at once. “Mia Amata?” he whispered. I looked at him, he leaned in and kissed me, so tenderly that I thought I would faint. I knew I should pull away, but I couldn’t. He finally pulled back, staring into my eyes. “Say something,” he pleaded.

“Oh, Jacob,” I cried. “You don’t know me at all. How can you say you love me?”

“I don’t know, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the moment I saw you. I realize we don’t know each other very well. We can start getting to know each other better.”

I pulled away from him. I could sense his disappointment, but I was so confused. I needed to think. He leaned against the counter; I started pulling out the vegetables to make a salad. I was working on the salad when I heard a car pull up outside.

Jacob went to the door, opening it to let Randy and Josh in. Randy and Josh walked into the kitchen, both giving me hugs. “Supper is almost done. Make yourselves at home.” Lucky was happy to see Josh and Randy.

Everyone gave him scratches behind his ears, and then he went over and lay down in his dog bed. Randy stayed in the kitchen with me while Josh and Jacob sat down on the couch talking football.

Pretty soon, I told everyone to have a seat at the table, I was ready to pull it out of the oven. “He is so well-behaved now,” Josh said, looking at Lucky lying in his dog bed. “How did you do it?”

I shrugged my shoulder, “I really didn’t do anything. He just seems to know what to do and when to do it. I haven’t had to hook him up to a leash at all. He won’t leave my side.”

Josh and Randy looked at each other in amazement. Jacob was the one who finally said something. “It was like he waited for you to come along and has dedicated himself to you.”

“Maybe,” I said. “All I know is he is a very well-behaved dog. I love having him here.”

I went to the oven, pulling the lasagna, and garlic bread out of the oven. “That smells fantastic,” Randy said. The guys agreed. Randy helped me finish getting the food on the table. Everyone took helpings of salad, lasagna, and garlic bread. We settled down to eat. The conversation was easy and light-hearted.

We had a lot of laughs during the meal, I couldn’t remember when I had ever had so much fun, even with the conversation that weighed heavily on my mind. We finished eating, the guys having seconds of the lasagna, declaring it some of the best they had ever had.

“Don’t let Sal or Louisa hear you guys say that,” Randy said sternly. “They would never forgive you.” The guys laughed, begging to be able to take leftovers home with them. I told them I would definitely put some in containers for them if they took Lucky out back for a little bit. They agreed to do so. Randy helped me clean up from supper. While loading the dishwasher, Randy looked at me slyly. “So Jacob spent the night last night?” she asked innocently.

“Yes. We fell asleep on the couch watching a movie, waking up at three am. I wasn’t going to let him drive home that late.”

“Oh, sure.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” I asked.

“Nothing!” she said. “You two can’t seem to take your eyes off each other. I haven’t seen him take an interest in any woman like he has with you.”

Josh looked at me as they came back inside from the deck, “Lucky is definitely loyal to you. He took care of business outside, then immediately came up to the door where he could watch you. Pretty soon he was whining to be let in the house.”

I scratched Lucky behind the ears. “He is pretty easy to love. He has definitely become a good companion for me.”

“I’m glad that he has a good home,” Randy said.

“Does anyone want dessert now, or should we wait a little bit?” I asked.

Everyone groaned. “I’m so full,” Jacob said. Randy and Josh voiced their agreement with him.

“OK, so we will wait for a bit. What would you all like to do now? Should we find a movie to watch?”

“That sounds great. What type of movie do you like?” Jacob asked me. Having not been able to watch much TV over the past five years, I went on with what I have watched since I gained my freedom.

“I like old black and white classic movies the most I guess.”

“Really?” Jacob asked. “I’ve been wanting to watch some older movies, but just haven’t yet. Maybe we can find one to watch.”

We all sat down on the couches. Josh and Randy sat on the bigger couch, leaving the smaller one for Jacob and me. Randy had a slight smile on her face, so I knew it was deliberate. Jacob and I sat down on the smaller couch.

I turned on the TV. We found TMC where Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds was on. We started to watch it when Randy jumped up, shutting the lights off. “Alfred Hitchcock is better watched in the dark I hear.” She sat back down with Josh, and we all settled in to watch the movie. We were all enjoying the movie, chatting about it.

About halfway through it, Jacob and Josh declared they now had room for dessert, so we paused the movie. Jacob and I went to the kitchen, serving up dessert for everyone. I made a pot of coffee. We all enjoyed chocolate cake and coffee while we watched more of the movie. We were pretty soon all quiet, involved in the movie while we finished our cake .

When the movie ended, we pulled up the guide. It turned out to be an Alfred Hitchcock marathon night, so while we waited for the next one to start, Randy and Josh cleaned up our dessert dishes, to their insistence. We discussed how much we enjoyed The Birds and were looking forward to the next one starting.

Lucky decided at that time to join us on the couch. He lay down next to me with his head in my lap. I stroked his head and Jacob commented, “I have never seen a dog-owner relationship like yours before. He is definitely devoted to you.”

Randy laughed, “Yes, he was definitely a good escape artist to get here to you.”

“Yet, now that he is here with you, he hasn’t run away once,” Jacob said.

I paused, “No, he hasn’t. He never wanders away from me.” Jacob reached across me to scratch Lucky’s head, purposedly making sure we touched in the process.

“I bet he would defend you against any danger. You probably have a great guard dog here.” His face was close to mine, he looked at me. I found myself looking into his eyes and couldn’t look away. “I can understand why he would be so devoted,” Jacob said quietly so only I could hear. Randy and Josh came back over to the couch, having finished the dishes. Jacob sat back up.

I glanced at Randy and Josh to see if I could read what they were thinking. They didn’t appear to give us a second thought. The next movie, Psycho, soon started; we all went quiet as we watched the classic movie. Lucky hopped down, heading to his dog bed, curling up, promptly falling asleep. I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, covering up with it.

Jacob put his arm around me. I didn’t pull away but felt rather anxious and tried to concentrate on the movie. We watched the rest of the movie with his arm around me. Not too long after the movie had started, I heard light snoring from the other couch. I looked over to find both Josh and Randy sleeping. I smiled and looked at Jacob who had also heard them.

He looked at me and smiled back. He leaned close and whispered to me, “Let’s go outside on the deck.”

I nodded, so we got up quietly, letting the movie play while we went out on the deck, with Lucky joining us. Lucky went down into the yard. I walked to the deck rail, looking out over the backyard. Jacob joined me, putting his arm around me. We stood like that for a couple of minutes, watching Lucky run around. Then Jacob turned toward me, pulling me closer.

“Mia Amata,” he said softly. I looked at him. He leaned over and kissed me. He pulled back, “I’ve been wanting to do that all night.”

“Jacob, we need to talk. I can’t… I don’t know what we are doing. I’m not good enough for you. I’m… terrified.” I walked over, sitting down on the top step of the deck, looking out at the yard, watching Lucky.

Jacob sat next to me. “Listen to me. I never want to hear you say you’re not good enough for me. You have nothing to be afraid of, I will never hurt you.”

I was crying. “I have heard that before, by my foster dad, by my ex—by everyone that ended up doing just that, hurting me.”

“I’m not them, you can trust me.”

“I don’t trust anyone. I don’t know how.”

“I will help you learn to trust me if you will let me,” he said.

“Then there is your family. How would your brother feel about your getting involved with me.”

“You mean because of the baby?”

“Yes. Jacob, I’m pregnant with another man’s baby. How do you think people will react to that when they realize that we…” I trailed off.

“When they realize what?”

“That we care for each other.” I finished.

“Is that true? Mia Amata?” He lifted my chin with his finger. “Do you care for me?”

“Jacob, people are going to think awful things of me. How will you deal with the way others will think about me?” I tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let me.

“Mia, please answer me, do you care for me?”

I looked at him, tears in my eyes. “I can’t explain it, but I think I do. I’m so confused, we haven’t known each other long. People are going to object.”

“If you care about me, even just a little, then I don’t care what others think about us. All I care about is us.” He leaned down, kissing me gently.

“But your family, Jacob. How will your parents and your sister feel when they find out I’m pregnant? Have you considered that? What if they hate me?”

“They will love you; I promise. My family does not judge others. They are not that way. I bet you that Josh has already accepted us being together. It’s obvious Randy wants us together. ”

I smiled, “Yes, she seems to.” Jacob kissed me again, this time more passionately. When he finally pulled away, I sighed. “I’m just not sure about a relationship right now. It scares the hell out of me truthfully. I don’t want to get hurt or have you be ashamed of me.”

“I would never be ashamed of you. I promise I’ll never hurt you. I’ll prove it if you let me. All I ask is that you give me, give us a chance.” We sat quietly, until he finally asked, “Can you do that? Do you want to do that?”

“I think I do want that; I’ll try to give us a chance. I hope I don’t disappoint you.” I started to shiver. We stood back up to go back into the house.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” Jacob asked.

“Yes, that would be nice.” We made plans for lunch the following day, then went back into the house, Lucky at our side. The movie was still on. Randy and Josh were still sleeping on the couch. We sat down, I covered up with the blanket as I was cold from being outside. Jacob put his arm around me, pulling me close. We finished the movie, then Jacob whispered to me “I should make sure the old couple get home.” We both smiled at this.

He leaned over, kissing me. I put my arms around his neck. He pulled me into his lap, kissing me even more passionately. We heard someone move on the other couch, so we both looked over in that direction.

Randy and Josh were still asleep, but we knew they could wake up at any time.

I could hear Jacob struggle to get his breathing under control. He whispered in my ear, “God Mia Amata, you drive me crazy. I want you so much.” I stiffened, he felt it and said, “It’s OK, we will take things as slow as you need to.” We sat there holding each other, both of us waiting for our breathing to return to normal, when we heard Randy from the other couch.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry we fell asleep.” Then she saw us, with me sitting on Jacob’s lap with our arms around each other. “Or not,” she said, smiling. She shook Josh awake. “Come on honey, let’s go home. It’s late.”

“Sounds good.” He saw Jacob and me then, his face breaking into a huge grin. “Don’t bother getting up, we will show ourselves out.” They grabbed the leftovers from the refrigerator and were out the front door before we could even move.

We looked at each other and broke out laughing. “Well, I think that answers your question about how they would feel about us.”

“Yes, I think it does.” I stood up, letting Jacob get up. We walked to the door, Jacob holding my hand. Jacob pulled me into his arms at the door, giving me another kiss, this one deep and drawn out. He finally pulled back and said, “I will see you tomorrow.” I nodded, not able to speak.

I went back inside and set the alarms for the night. I shut all the lights and TV off and went back to my bedroom as I thought about the night. I felt like my heart skipped a beat when I thought about kissing him. I had vowed not to let my heart run my life again, but it seemed like that was just what I was doing. The last thing I wanted to do was make the same mistakes all over again.

When I compared Allen and Jacob though, there were a lot of differences. There were traits that Allen had shown from the beginning that I was just too naive to understand. He had always been rough around the edges and always seemed to push me to his way of thinking, to agree with him. He was very manipulative.

I know I haven’t known Jacob for long, but I did not get the same sense with him, yet I debated that maybe it was too soon to know him that well. I wanted to get to know him better. I think I am starting to care for him. This scared the hell out of me. I finished brushing my teeth. As I was climbing into bed my cell phone went off. It was a text message from Jacob. “Hey, Mia. Thank you for tonight. I had a great time. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

I replied back, “I had a good time also. Looking forward to tomorrow.”

He replied back, “Good night.”

“Night,” I replied. I curled up with Lucky lying on his blanket on the other side. I lay there for a long time thinking about where this relationship could go, or if it should even go anywhere. I finally fell asleep and, yes, I dreamed about Jacob.