Chapter 9
CHAPTER
BY THE NEXT morning, Max still hadn’t answered any of my calls or texts. At work, I was tired and distracted.
He finally called around noon. I stepped out onto the building’s small fourth-floor balcony to take his call.
“Hey, Savannah. Sorry I missed your calls last night. I ended up falling asleep pretty early. You sounded really upset in your voicemail. Is everything okay?”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stay as calm as possible. “No, not really, Max.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Try to sound rational, I coached myself. Max wouldn’t take me seriously if I sounded unhinged.
“Well, I’m pretty upset about what Madison posted on social media yesterday.”
“Oh … I haven’t been on socials in a couple of days. To be honest, I don’t really look at that stuff all that often. What did it say?”
“She posted an announcement to the whole world that you two are going to be parents, and that her and your baby—‘Baby Hunter’—is due November eighth.”
“Okay …”
“Max. She’s implying it’s her baby.”
Max let out a big whoosh of air. “Hold on, let me take a look.” I heard scuffling noises in the background. Then, “Well, that wasn’t a great way for her to phrase it.”
Seriously? Not quite the reaction I’d been hoping for.
“Look, Max—I’ve been hesitant to bring some of this up, because I know the best thing is for the three of us to get along.
But I’m kind of at my wits’ end here. Ever since I said I didn’t feel comfortable with Madison being at my doctor’s appointments, she’s been really cruel to me.
” Tears filled my eyes, but I worked hard to keep my voice steady.
“It goes beyond just being overly helpful. She’s treating me like I have no idea how to care for the baby, and accusing me of doing a horrible job, and basically saying she’s going to need to step in and take over. ”
“Savannah, please calm down. I know you’re upset. But try to understand that she’s just excited. She’s looking forward to helping with the baby.”
“No, Max,” I said, keeping my tone firm.
“It may have started out that way, but things have changed. Do you know that she ambushed me at my friend’s bachelorette celebration Saturday night, and criticized me in front of everyone for being out at a club, and putting my baby’s safety at risk?
She accused me of partying too hard, even though I was drinking mocktails.
She was super aggressive, and it was very embarrassing. ”
Max sighed again. “I know she can get a little worked up sometimes, but that’s just her personality, Savannah. She’s just trying to do the right thing.”
Then I told him about the balloon delivery that had cost me the promotion at work, and the anonymous texts I’d received that had all vanished into thin air before I could show them to anyone.
“Sorry—Madison sent you a very nice gift to your office to congratulate you, and you think it was a prank? And what does Madison have to do with some anonymous texts?”
I bit the inside of my cheek in frustration. “The texts said I’m out of control and don’t deserve my baby—exactly what she said to my face at the club. It had to have been her, Max.”
“Can you forward me these texts so I can see them?”
I cringed. “I would, but I told you—they disappeared off my phone after I saw them.”
He was silent for a moment. It was hard to gauge what he was thinking without being able to see his face—but I didn’t have a good feeling about it.
My mind raced. Is he just annoyed by my complaining?
Resentful of my accusations about his precious girlfriend?
Or, by some miracle, is he actually hearing me when I say Madison is being cruel and legitimately threatening?
“Savannah … I’m not sure how to ask this. But … are you sure you’re okay? You don’t sound well. Have you been sleeping? Are you taking care of yourself?”
Oh God. Option four—he just thinks I’m crazy.
Despite my efforts to stay calm and in control of the conversation, tears burned behind my eyes.
“No, I haven’t been sleeping, Max. There was a weird person outside my apartment last night, and someone is sending me threatening texts and photos.
Not to mention, my credit card is maxed out with fraudulent charges, so money is extremely tight right now.
Would you be able to sleep?” I decided to keep the fact that I suspected Madison of having something to do with the credit card fraud to myself for the moment.
Max’s voice softened. “Okay, okay, calm down, Savannah. Everything’s going to be alright. I don’t want you to get all worked up and put stress on the baby. Just take a deep breath, maybe make yourself a cup of herbal tea, okay?”
I bit back words of anger. I had a right to be upset, and if I heard one more “calm down” from Max, I might actually lose it. But he was right—I didn’t want to put stress on the baby.
“I will try to calm down,” I said. “But the one thing that will help me stay calm is for you to talk to Madison. If she’s so concerned with this baby’s health, then she needs to stop doing things to upset me and stress me out.
As much as she wants to help, she’s hurting me, Max.
And whatever hurts me hurts our baby. Do you get that? ”
“Okay. I’ll talk to her, Savannah. I promise.”
I couldn’t tell if I’d truly gotten through to him or not. But his assurance would have to do for the moment.
“Thank you.”
I leaned my head back as a light breeze blew through my hair.
The air on the balcony of Jenna’s apartment felt heavenly.
She shared it with a United Airlines flight attendant based out of SFO who was out of town five or six days of every week, so she had it to herself most of the time, and it was definitely nicer than my place.
I took a sip of my Paloma-Rita mocktail; Jenna had found cans of them at the grocery store and grabbed a six-pack for us. We poured them into margarita glasses so they felt like the real thing, just like they did at the High Note.
“I’m torn,” I told her. “Dr. Quinlan’s office called to schedule my twenty-week ultrasound. They told me I’ll be able to find out if it’s a boy or a girl—but I’m not sure I want to know.”
“Why not?”
I sighed. “I am a little bit curious. But mostly, I’m just scared.”
“Scared? What are you scared about?”
I knew it would probably sound silly. Most mothers can’t wait to find out if they’re having a boy or a girl, if only because it helped them plan things like nursery colors, clothing, potential names, and all that.
“I feel like …” How to explain what I was feeling? “Like it will just give me a whole new list of things to worry about.”
Jenna tilted her head. “What do you mean? What are you worried about?”
“Well, like—if it’s a girl, what if we don’t get along?
What if she’s a girly-girl who’s really into fashion?
You know me. I tend to be more … understated.
And if it’s a boy, well, what the hell do I know about raising a boy?
” I knew it didn’t sound logical. But feelings rarely were.
“What about you?” I asked. “Do you think you’ll want to find out if you’re having a boy or a girl?
You only have a few more weeks to go before your twenty-week ultrasound, right? ”
Jenna bit her lip. “I’m not sure either. I used to think I couldn’t wait to know, but now … I don’t know. The father and I aren’t really talking. Maybe I’d feel differently if it was something he and I were going to find out together.”
I could see the sadness behind her eyes. “I can understand that. I mean, yes, I have Max to tell, but then I also have Madison hovering in the background, judging me, and trying to take over.” I puffed out my cheeks, then exhaled.
I’d shown her Madison’s post on social media about “Baby Hunter” and she’d been just as disturbed as I was.
“Yeah, she’s really going overboard,” said Jenna. “Especially if it makes her get crazier, I don’t blame you for not wanting to find out.”
“I’m kind of glad they told me I can only have one other person in the room with me.
I’ve decided I’m going to invite my mom and avoid Max and Madison completely.
I might have considered inviting Max at one point, but I don’t need his girlfriend throwing a fit and accusing me of trying to get him alone again. ”
“That sounds like a good call,” Jenna said. “Hey, want another Paloma-Rita?”
I smiled. “Sure.” I watched her as she fetched two more cans from her fridge and poured them into our glasses.
I felt a little pang of jealousy at how good she still looked, in tight leggings and a T-shirt.
“Look at you, Jenna!” I said when she came back with our drinks.
“Gosh, you look so good. You’re barely showing at all.
Meanwhile, look at me—I’m so puffy and swollen, everywhere. ”
Jenna waved a hand. “Stop. You look great. Your skin and hair are glowing. You look exactly like what a twenty-weeks pregnant woman should.”
I smiled as we sipped our responsible drinks. “Aw, thank you, Jenna. And thank you for being here for me and listening to all my whining. You know—I’m really glad I met you.”
Jenna looked down at the ground with a small smile. “Me too, Savannah.”
When I called Max that night to tell him about the appointment, he answered with a distinct edge to his voice.
“Hello, Savannah.”
He probably thought I was calling to complain about Madison some more—which would have been fully within my rights.
“I’m just calling to let you know I scheduled my twenty-week ultrasound.
Unfortunately, they said I’m only allowed one person in the room with me.
So I asked my mother to come along.” He was silent at first, so I added, “But they do give me a DVD of the ultrasound, so you can see it after the fact.”
When he still didn’t say anything, I said gently, “I’m sorry if you’re disappointed.”
He sighed in a quick whoosh. “They really said that? Only one guest?”