AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was almost four when the girls finally headed to Stacey and Jacob’s backyard. Elizabeth took as long as she could to get ready. She was not excited about heading over there and wanted a good group of people there before her.
Jessica spotted some of their friends from their Sunday school class under the big weeping willow tree in the back corner of Stacey and Jacob’s yard and headed in their direction. Elizabeth glanced around, was glad she did not see Jacob or Kristen, and followed behind Jessica when she was surprised from the back, caught in a bear hug, and swung around.
Laughing, and a little dizzy when her feet touched the ground again, she turned and saw it was Chad who accosted her. “Damn, Chad. Please don’t scare me like that. Remember?” She patted her stomach while tilting her head and giving him a smirk and an irritated shake of her head.
Chad looked concerned and grabbed her arms. “Sorry.” He bent down to talk to her belly. “Everyone good in there?” He stood up and gave her belly a soft pat. “He’s all good, but maybe you shouldn’t be using that kind of language in front of the little one. He can hear you, you know.”
“She has you calling it a boy now, too, huh? Please let’s just talk to it like it’s a single baby. Not more than one. Yes, he or she is fine.” Elizabeth giggled and linked her arm through Chad’s, pulling him to the group under the tree.
Seeing Elizabeth approaching, some of the girls came to her and offered her a hug and a seat on the lawn chairs that were spread around. Elizabeth greeted everyone and graciously sat down. Chad found Jessica. Elizabeth smiled when she saw her best friend light up when Chad gave her a hug and returned his kiss.She deserves to be happy.Thought Elizabeth.
The afternoon was warm and humid. Even under the tree, Elizabeth felt herself getting hot and sticky. She decided she needed a bottle of water and got up to get one from the cooler by the deck. Chad tried to intervene and offered to get her water, but she denied him.
Elizabeth walked across the yard to the side of the deck where the food was on tables and drinks were in coolers. She opened the one marked water and took a bottle of cold water from the cooler, closed the lid, stood up, and came in direct contact, again, with Jacob.
Jacob grabbed her arm before they collided, and took her in. His eyes traveled from her face, down her body, pausing for a beat at her baby belly, and slowly back up to her eyes. He gave her a small smile. “Hi, Elizabeth. You look nice. I like that dress on you.”
Her mouth fell open in surprise and her eyes became wide at his reaction and words. Something inside her clicked and irritation shot through her at the thought that he could complement her like they were friends. “Hi, Jacob. Thanks. I appreciate it.” She held his eyes, daring him to continue.
Taking her look as encouragement, he seemed to relax, and his smile became more genuine. “It’s good to see you. I’m glad you decided to show up today. You really are looking good.”
Elizabeth just stared at him amazed at how he was treating her. The guy who wouldn’t give her the time of day in the grocery store, and treated her like a leper, then flaunted his girlfriend in the mall, was now complimenting her repeatedly like they were old friends, and nothing ever happened between them. She shook her head at him in disgust as her irritation was itching to explode from inside her.
“Thanks, Jacob. It must be that pregnancy glow people are always talking about.” Elizabeth turned to go, but stopped, pushed her shoulders back and lifted her head higher, ready to face him head on. “You know, Jacob, I don’t understand you. You glance at my stomach, then look at me with hurt and disgust all over your face one day, but if I would have aborted the baby, and I still had my skinny, tight, sexy stomach you loved instead of this small basketball growing, you would have still looked at me with disgust because of my actions. Now, today, you act like me being pregnant isn’t a big deal, and that we’re friends. Well, I don’t think we’re friends, so I don’t really know what you’re up to.”
His eyes clouded with confusion, and he tilted his head as if trying to comprehend what she said.
Elizabeth shook her head and smirked at his reaction. “Really? You don’t know what I’m talking about?” She stared at him, watching his features. There was no change and still no recognition that he understood her at all. The irritation that had threatened to reveal itself spilled out. “Here, let me spell it out for you. Just a couple of days ago at the grocery store, do you remember how you treated me?”
His expression was still blank. Breathing out her frustration, she stomped a foot and rolled her eyes. Her words became cross. “I’ll remind you; you treated me like a stranger. Like there was never anything between us. Look, I’m sorry I let things happen like they did, and go as far as they did, but I can’t, and won’t say I’m sorry for this.” She placed both her hands and the water bottle on her small baby bump. She spit out her next words while holding eye contact with those blue eyes she can get lost in.
“I won’t be sorry for this. It has taken me a few months to be able to accept this as my new reality, but I am not sorry I’m pregnant. The actions which led to my pregnancy—maybe. But this is my life now.” She rubbed her hands on her belly to emphasize the life inside her. “I made a decision, and I’m gonna be a mother. If you can’t look at me without that disgusted, hurt look on your face, then please, just stop looking at me!”
Jacob’s expression changed to one of faked confidence and annoyance. A smirk grew across his lips. He looked at Elizabeth, really looked at her and took a step in her direction, closing the little bit of space there was between them. “You know, I would like to stop being annoyed, and would like to be able to really move on. I don’t know what happened to us, or why you walked away, but you make it hard for me to forget you when you’re parading around here like nothing has ever happened between us. Dressed like you want all the attention.”
Elizabeth took a step back as if he slapped her. Her mouth opened in surprise at the accusation that just came out of his mouth, and she raised her hand to stop any more comments coming from him.
“Really? You think that? How about you with that whore-bitch, hanging all over you like she won the grand prize at the county fair? I thought you were above her, but I guess not. One thing I have finally learned is that I really need to get to know the people I choose to sleep with. I need to stop choosing the low life.” She held his gaze as she said this, daring him to continue.
He was so close to her that they could easily kiss. His eyes were hard and intense. They held hers, and searched hers, for a moment before he slowly glanced down at her lips and back up. Elizabeth’s heart sped up and she felt the familiar heat build in her groin from his gaze, but she broke the spell between them by closing her eyes and giving her head a quick shake while backing up to put some space between them.
Regaining her composure, Elizabeth turned abruptly and stomped away with such force that she rammed right into the front of the whore-bitch she was just talking about. Her eyes blazed out of their sockets with both shock and rage. “Kristen, get the hell out of my way!” She said these words between gritted teeth. Even though she felt her blood pressure rising, Elizabeth tried her best to keep her composure. She tilted her head up high, as she pushed past Kristen and back to the surprised group who were watching the whole thing from under the weeping willow.
Elizabeth walked directly between Jessica and Chad. She looked at her friend and started taking deep breaths to calm herself before she fell apart.
Once Elizabeth calmed down, Jessica pulled her and held her at arm’s length with admiration all over her face. “That was amazing! You are amazing! I don’t know exactly what all you said, we couldn’t hear everything, but you pissed off that, what do you call her again?”
Chad interjected for her, knowing she wouldn’t say the words. “I think it’s whore-bitch.”
The way he said it made everyone under the tree start laughing. The laughter eased the stress Elizabeth felt. Chad found himself joining in. He didn’t even feel bad when he turned around and saw his best friend arguing with the girl he again made a bad choice to be with.
Elizabeth did a good job of avoiding Jacob and Kristen the rest of the night. Getting tired, she wandered to the deck and took a seat on the outdoor couch with a couple girls from their young adult class at church, Desiree, and Charity. Elizabeth met Charity and her husband Don that first night at Stacey and Jacob’s dinner party. Charity, who is very pregnant, is expecting their first baby in October.
“How are you feeling, Charity? Can I get you anything, a water maybe?” Elizabeth asked before she got too comfortable on the couch.
Charity put her hands up to let her know she was good and shifted her position in her seat so she could look at Elizabeth easier. “I’m doing fine. The baby is very active tonight. Sometimes it gets a little uncomfortable.”
The petite blonde put her hand on her stomach, then reached over, grabbed Elizabeth’s hand, and laid it on the side of her pregnant belly. “Here, feel.” Elizabeth did not have to wait long before she felt a thump against her hand followed quickly by a couple more thumps.
