Addison looked at the greasy piece of pizza lying in the box and wanted to vomit. Someone had brought it in to share at work, but instead of grabbing a slice and tearing it to smithereens, she fought the urge to race to the bathroom. She hadn’t been feeling well all morning. Aiden had commented that she’d been finicky about her food lately, and her sister had complained that she’d gotten snippy for no reason while on the phone. She walked into her office and closed the door, then pulled up her menstrual calculator on her phone.
Two days late…shit.
She hadn’t even noticed. She’d stopped taking her birth control pills only a month prior, and she and her husband had forgone condoms eons ago. Tapping her finger against her chin, she wondered if she should call Aiden as a heads up or take a pregnancy test first. They’d agreed that if and when she became pregnant, they’d accept that. They were taking no measures to prevent it, but she honestly didn’t expect for it to happen yet. After all, she and her ex-husband never used protection, she’d forget to take her pills often, and she never ended up conceiving.
Twenty minutes before my next appointment… The Walgreens is right up the street…
She grabbed her keys and headed out, fingers and toes crossed…
“You look.”
“No, you look.”
“Just do it!” Addison laughed as she stared at their bathroom master suite counter, the pee stick sitting on the edge waiting to reveal their fate. “Come on, go look, Aiden!” She pushed him on the shoulder, made him rock back and forth, but the asshole wouldn’t budge. He took a sip of his water, put the bottle casually down on the nightstand, and then stared at her. “What?”
“I put my prized condo up for sale so we could buy this overpriced house to start our new life in. I did your laundry and mine all week, and,” he said, his finger in the air, “I gave you a back massage because you said you were going to give me one too but then you fell asleep!” She burst out laughing and rolled her eyes. “So, you owe me… go in there and look.”
“No, I’m scared!” She fell back onto the bed. The man shook his head at her, got up, and marched over into the bathroom. She quickly sat up and covered her mouth, afraid she might scream when he got back inside. Aiden turned the stick to and fro, his brows bunched, as if he were trying to read a foreign language and make heads or tails of it.
“Well? What does it say!”
“It has a line on it. Why didn’t you get the digital kind?”
“Because those were expensive.”
“Uh, Addison, this wasn’t exactly the time to bargain shop or try and save a buck!” Her shoulders dropped as she tossed him a helpless expression. “What does one line mean?” He shouted.
“It means not pregnant.”
Okay then. She was surprised that she felt a bit disappointed. In fact, it crushed her.
“Well, we’ve got two lines…Happy Mother’s Day.”
“OH SHIT! OH MY GOD!” She jumped out the bed and heard him chuckling as she spun around. Aiden turned the bathroom light off and casually made his way back over to her, wearing only his white pajama pants. Gathering her in his arms, he kissed her along the neck, driving her crazy with his heated passion in their joyous moment.
“I’m so happy, Addison.” He brought her closer. “We’re having a baby… oh my God.” He said the words softly, as if he, too, were under a spell. She kissed him and ran her hands along his back, giddy with excitement.
“Yes, we’re having a baby…” Her cheeks warmed as she said the words and her heart filled with immeasurable joy. She’d been taken by surprise, but she couldn’t imagine a better gift…
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The Age of Aquarius
One year later…
Greg Bernard lived on thirty acres of land. He had a big old house his father had owned, interesting similarities he and Aiden’s mother shared – they’d both been left a house from a deceased parent. Aiden had driven the route several times now to have dinner with his father and discuss the things that made him who he was. The guy appeared genuinely curious, wanting no informational stone unturned.
He learned that his father had been in fact a wild and crazy man back in his youth, but now was a family guy who appeared well-adjusted. Aiden expected to see his bubbly sister Rebecca, his brother Steve who did look just like him—it was uncanny—during this visit. He’d spoken to them several times on the phone as well, and they were open and friendly, even offering him and Addison to stay for the weekend. But then, there was their mother, his father’s wife…
Vicki never had too much to say to him, and though he found it a bit unnerving, he couldn’t say that he blamed her. She must’ve been filled with emotions he’d never experience or understand, being a wife whose husband had betrayed her time and time again, fallen in love with someone else, and fathered a love child. And now, she had to look that child, now grown, in the face. But, despite all of this, Aiden’s existence wasn’t his fault, and he damn sure wasn’t going to apologize for living and breathing air. He deserved a good life just like everyone else. Life went on, shit happened.
His father was having a cookout and invited everyone out, including Perry. Mom had declined, saying it would feel too awkward, but she and Greg had spoken on the phone. Mom had been an emotional mess for a few hours after that, but she’d been happy he called.
“Don’t miss the road again. There it is.” Addison pointed up ahead at a little bumpy path that he often inadvertently drove past.
“I see it, I see it.” He smiled then looked in the rearview mirror to see his two and half month-old daughter, Allison, fast asleep, and her uncle Perry nodding off, too. “All right, here we go.” He held tight to the steering wheel as the car went over the choppy, bumpy path until they arrived at his father’s house. He still couldn’t get over that…
My father’s house…
He and Addison got out of the car. She grabbed the baby bag and Perry finally woke up. He’d just recently gotten married to Denise, but she couldn’t come due to work obligations. With a goofy smile, his brother leaned over and carefully took the harness off Allison, then, like a little precious feather, he gathered her to his chest and got out the car. Addison reached for her but he turned quickly away from his sister-in-law, as if annoyed.