I shook my head, needing to be by myself. “Actually, you know nothing.”
I turned and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door, and closing him out. Unbelievable. This was not how I saw my night going. I didn’t know what I was going to do if Dana pulled that again. If she was capable of lying about something like that, she could take it so much further than I had expected her to. Dodger wanted me to put faith in us and our relationship, but I don’t think I could, if it meant him trying to save a girl from a burning building that she lit the match to.
SEVERAL WEEKS HAD PASSED. Dodger and I had argued a few times about Dana, and his “need” to help her. If she was being abused, which I highly doubted, he couldn’t stand the idea that a woman was being hit. Dodger had a few hot buttons that made him see red quickly and that was one of them. At the moment he and I were agreeing to disagree. I could barely force myself to step foot in the gym recently because if I saw her, I couldn’t promise him that I wouldn’t attack her myself. And I really didn’t want to put that kind of pressure and stress on Dodger when he was already tense about so many other things. Instead I made the conscious decision to stay away and trust that he would take care of it in his own way, but respecting me my own level of comfort.
I was relaxing on one of our new couches, in our newly renovated den. I’d been going room by room, decorating and painting, trying to make it exactly how I wanted it. For this room, I wanted it to scream pure relaxation. It was where Dodger and I would plop down and watch television, where the family would likely gather to spend each evening, and where I wanted it to be the least formal. The living room could be more for guests when people were over. I went with a warm gray for the walls, a pale colored couch, and candles were all over every flat surface in the room. Dodger demanded he have a sixty-inch television, which he mounted on the wall and made sure he subscribed to every sports channel known to man. I loved it in here so much that I constantly found myself napping on the comfortable sofa.
It was the beginning of a weekend and Dodger had come home later than normal. When he plopped down beside me and cozied himself up under my warm fuzzy blanket, I looked over at him.
“Long day?”
“The longest day.”
“Patients or the bitch at the counter?”
He shot me a look like don’t start. “Patients. I took on someone new today even though it went against my better judgement. It was another Vet that had partial amputation of his left leg. As much as I would love to help them, I simply don’t have the proper equipment. Plus, not all of them are getting psychological help on top of PT and it can be frustrating because they aren’t used to their prosthetics.”
I felt bad for him. “Well, maybe that’s something you should really look into then. That space next to the gym is still available for rent. We could ask the bank for a loan to help purchase the equipment that you need or what will get you through until insurance helps pay off enough that you can get more. It would be a win-win for everyone.”
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “If only it were that simple.”
“It doesn’t have to be so complicated.” I grabbed his hands and laced his fingers with mine giving them a squeeze. “Don’t stress about it. I can help you figure it out.”
He squeezed back. “We don’t have the money for that. The baby is coming in a couple of months, and last time I talked to the realtor about the space, the rent was higher than I’d like to pay.”
“Then you leave that up to me.”
He opened one eye. “Yeah? And how do you think you’ll convince him to give it to me for a better price.”
“Dodger Brooks, have you even met me? I’m a wheeler and dealer. I know how to strike a bargain. Besides, if they won’t come down, I’ll show him my boobs and that usually does the job.”
He chuckled. “Man, I wish I had boobs.”
I giggled. “They’re a great asset.”
We sat and watched TV together. It was some Housewives of Beverly Hills or some stupid mindless shit I’d put on as background noise so I could nap. I had two candles lit on the coffee table and the house smelled of pumpkin spice. Pizza was ordered and hopefully on its way. I was questioning whether I should have ordered a second pizza, because I was certain I would be downing a whole one and poor Dodger would either be stuck with left overs, or he’d need to go get another one for himself.
“Oh!”
Dodger’s eyes shot over to mine and I quickly detached my fingers from his and placed his hand flat on my stomach. The baby had been moving a ton lately, but he hadn’t yet had a chance to feel any of it. We both sat perfectly still. I even forgot to breathe. When I took a deep breath in, our son did some crazy acrobatics that had me grunting and Dodger nearly tearing up.
“Holy shit, did you feel that?”
“You’re kidding right?”
“Oh, right sorry.”
“Yeah, I think that was my kidney that just got sucker punched.”
“God, that has to feel amazing in there. How cool is that?”
I don’t think he just heard me say I got a right hook to a major organ.
“Um, well it feels like sunshine and roses and lollipops. In fact, it gives me the energy to want to find a field and frolic in it.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, I hear you.” His hand shifted around desperately trying to feel our baby boy do it again.
“Here.” I used his fingers and pushed. “Sometimes, if you squish him around, he will kick.”
He gaped at me. “That’s a little mean, don’t you think?”
I genuinely laughed. “Dodger, he’s in his safe little bubble inside my stomach right now. Even if I got into a car wreck, he would still likely be safe, floating around like nothing happened.”
He tried pushing a little, tentatively at first, but then he gave more force. Our little man kicked him right where his fingers were. Dodger’s face lit up.
“He did it. Holy sh—, I mean crap he did it. Oh my god, he can probably hear me to can’t he? Maybe we shouldn’t curse so much. It can’t be good for him.” I shook my head. That wasn’t fucking happening. “Woo, high five little guy.” He used the tips of his index and middle finger to commend his son.
It really was endearing interaction to see. I wish I had my phone nearby so I could have recorded it, but instead I sat slouched back and soaked in every second. It was happening again. I was beyond a level of happiness I ever thought possible. Here I was in our home, sharing a special moment with a man that I never could have imagined up on my own, and a baby boy that was actively growing and making the other guy in my life smile. Things were so perfect I almost felt too scared to breathe too hard or my happiness bubble would burst.
The doorbell rang, adding a whole new level of happiness for this preggo.
“I got it, Babe.” He leaned over and kissed me, then kissed my stomach. “We’ll play again after we eat, little man.”
He got up and got the door, while I cherished the love that was swirling in my home.