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Ann Marie chuckled. “There’s a house in any price range in any neighborhood. You just need to know where to look.”
Her response made me happy. “Okay, so what do I need to do next?” I was eager to find out.
“What days are good for you to go look at properties? I can send you pictures and you let me know what houses you want to visit in person. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect!”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. That conversation gave me some energy. I drank my nausea tea and laid still on the loveseat to give it time to work its magic.
I had to stop by my OB’s office before going to the ranch. My ultrasound was not routine, there was something that caught the doctor’s attention and she wanted to have another ultrasound done. I was able to get in and out of my appointment with no delays but the doctor was not present.
I made my way to the Buick, already dreading being in the house with Brandon after what happened last night. Chris was coming to the ranch today to make sure I was safe. I did like it when he played protector. He had confidence, and his concern for my well-being was welcomed.
I couldn’t help but imagine having my baby and being with him. Being a family, me, him, Natasha, and this tiny thing growing inside me. I was not sure how he would react to the news of a baby on the way but in my mind, I envisioned him pulling me close, kissing me, and professing his eternal love. If only real life were that easy. I was five minutes from the ranch now and I had to switch my focus to work and getting things finished. The plan was to finish all the final touches for the master bedroom. I had examined everything the night before. I had movers scheduled to get the pieces staged under my watchful eye. The next task was to have the carpet installers start working in the art room. I had designed a feature wall that I planned on completing. That would take me about three days to get done. The final items for the art room would be paint and staging.
I will be here for another week tops. I pulled into the cobblestone driveway. I was no longer enamored by the place. I was more terrified of the secrets that lay within. I was comforted to see Chris’s Tesla parked out front; he was already there. I headed in to take a look at the master bedroom carpet installation. If anything was done incorrectly, now was the time to spot it before the furniture was moved in. The movers arrived on time and we started the task of moving each piece one at a time from the garage. I had a vision of where everything was going to be, the movers were careful but also efficient. I saw Chris a few times when I passed his office but I didn’t stop in to say hi. I figured the less contact we had the better. With Brandon lurking around, I did not want to take any chances.
When I finally called Chris in to take a look at his new master bedroom, it was about one in the afternoon. He seemed eager to see what I did. I was happy when his face showed genuine admiration for the effort, I put in to make the space just for him. I could tell he was impressed with the outcome.
The master bedroom now had a dark blue accent wall that complimented the baby blue color Chris picked for the rest of the room. I replaced the carpet in the room with one that had more padding so anyone that entered the room felt like they were walking on clouds. The new furniture for the bedroom were all hand picked by me from Giorgio Collection. Every piece was exquisite and brought new life to the space.
We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes after the reveal before I left and turned my attention to the art room. I was still organizing my ideas for the accent wall. I wanted to incorporate the three items Natasha had picked out. The music box was no longer an option and everything else in the art room was packed up and sent to storage.
The flooring contractor was getting ready to start working on the floor and I needed to take a look at the pieces in the garage that were bought for the art room. I walked out the front door as my phone rang. It was Lizzie. “Hey, Sis, I don’t have a lot of time. I have a few contractors waiting on me to direct furniture placement.” I lied. I wasn’t in the mood to be scolded by Lizzie for not checking in.
“Okay. Are you alright? I didn’t hear from you all morning.”
“Yes, I’m fine. Chris is here as well, so I didn’t want him to see me on my phone too much, especially with all the work that still needs to get done.” With any other client, this would have suited Lizzie but with Chris, she was not having it.
“I don’t care about what he thinks!” she snapped. “He should have been more concerned not to knock you up!”
I was tired and in no mood to continue the conversation. “I have to get back, everything else okay?” She calmed down when she sensed I was shutting down. “Yes. Just be careful. Don’t have him play you for a fool. That’s what these rich men do. I’m sure he is just waiting for a chance to get in your pants again.” I simulated a bad connection, told Lizzie I couldn’t hear her, and hung up the phone.
The carpet installers finished promptly at 3:45 p.m. I now had time to concentrate on my accent wall. I was taking pictures and making notes of measurements when Chris walked in. He startled me at first but I was glad to see him. I wanted to discuss a few ideas I had for the space and get his take on whether Natasha would like what I had planned.
That’s when he walked up to me, pulled me in, and kissed me. I was not expecting that, I resisted at first but could not help but return his warm embrace. I melted as he had his way with me. We were locked together for what seemed to be five minutes before I pulled away. The baby fluttered in my stomach. That was the first time I felt any movement and it startled me. I looked at Chris and was about to blurt out my secret, but my feet took over and I walked briskly out of the room. I am sure he thought I was crazy. One minute my tongue was deep down his throat and the next minute I was walking out with no explanation.
I grabbed my bag off the kitchen counter and headed straight for my beat-up Buick. As I drove off, I could see Chris standing in the driveway looking at me with questioning eyes. I had to get out of there before my heart betrayed me. I was now crying as I drove silently from the ranch. I didn’t know why, but I thought my hormones were starting to kick in. I wanted to call Lizzie but she would just scold me and call me naive. I wish she wasn’t so cold sometimes. Now I know how she made it through the hell my sister put her through, she had to be tough no matter what.
I felt the flutter again in my stomach, I instinctively placed my right hand on my belly although I was weeks away from showing. Was I equipped to do this on my own? I thought about my mom. My dad passed away two months after I was born, leaving her to raise me and Lizzie after my sister left to discover her purpose in life. I was trying to draw inspiration from my mom when the phone rang. It was my gynecologist.
I was immediately concerned; I was waiting on her call all day and was relieved at first. No news is usually good news. Now I wasn’t so sure. You only get calls from the doctor’s office after 4 p.m. if something is wrong. “Hello, Dr. Maggie. Is everything okay?” I didn’t care about pleasantries at this point, I just needed to know if my baby was okay.
“Hi, Sam. Yes, everything is okay. I just got your results back and thought I should give you a call. I am sure you would want to know what we found before your next visit.”
I waited in anticipation for what she had to say.
“Congratulations, Sam, you are having twins.”
I stopped the car on the side of the road and stared at the phone in disbelief. This shit just keeps getting better.
* * *
CHAPTER 19
CHRISTOPHER
It was Saturday and I stood on the oversized balcony of my downtown loft. It was 8 a.m. and the city was slowly coming alive. Natasha was seated in the balcony chair with a croissant and her iPad. She was laughing and giggling about something my Aunt Helen just said on their Facetime call. They were getting close and I was happy to see them both bonding. My mother passed away when Natasha was only two years old so she had no memories of being with her grandmother every Sunday for my mother’s weekly parties. Victoria’s parents both died before her twentieth birthday so my mom was the only grandparent Natasha had.
