Forsaking All Others (From This Day Forward Book 2) (16 page)

I finally make it back to the house after hours spent in the grocery store. She had the most obscure things on that damn list and I spent most of my time trying to track down employees to help me.

I carry the bags into the kitchen where the two of them are looking through photo albums together.

“There’s my two favorite girls.” I set the bags down and go over to them. I give my mom a kiss on the cheek and surprise Beth when I lift her up into my arms. My lips connect with hers and it’s the first time since I moved home that I’ve kissed her like this.

My mom playfully swats at my arm, “Oh you two need to get a room!” I know that secretly she loves it though. The problems in my marriage broke her heart just as much as mine.

“Mom, was it really necessary for you to have brown rice flour and arrowroot powder? What in the hell are you making?”

She smiles innocently, “I found a recipe for gluten free bread that I want to try.”

I massage the back of my neck, paying extra attention to the fact that Beth is standing in front of me, shell-shocked by our kiss. Her eyes are homed in on my lips and I’m pretty damn proud of the effect I have on her.

My mom clears her throat and I tear my gaze away from Beth. “Mom, you don’t have a gluten allergy. Why are you going to all this trouble?”

She rolls her eyes at me, “David, there are a lot of people at church who have dietary restrictions. I’m just accommodating them.”

She goes back to putting up the groceries when I stop her.

“Mom, when are you cooking for the people at church?”

She turns her back to me and places the flour up in the cabinet, “You never know when there will be a church potluck and I want to be prepared.”

I sigh, “So, you had me get all of these ingredients on the off-chance that the church has a potluck?”

She smiles, “Exactly. Now help me put all of this away. Beth, is there anything that sounds good to you for dinner?”

I look over at Beth and smile. She’s got a hand still pressed to her mouth and she jumps when my mom says her name.

“Sorry! I got lost in thought over here. Um, would it be awful if I said pizza sounds amazing right now?”

My mom chimes in, “Pizza sounds fabulous. We can order one in and make a salad to go with it.”

I hold my hands up, “Why did I need to go to the store then?”

Beth and my mom exchange a look and start laughing. It’s a damn good thing I love them as much as I do.

I wake when the sky begins to lighten. This old bed of mine is nothing like our king back home, but it definitely has its perks.

Beth is nestled in my arms, her breathing deep and even, and I find that this is the perfect opportunity to study her beautiful features.

Her blonde hair is lying across her face and I gently brush the strands back, before pressing my lips to her temple.

I know I shouldn’t, but I pull the sheets back away from her body, needing to see all of her. She’s wearing nothing more than a tank top and a pair of black cotton shorts and her nipples harden once the air conditioning kicks on. Her body seems different than I remember even from just a month ago, she’s curvier. The stomach that seemed concave before, is now slightly rounded and I find that it makes me happy.

She lost so much weight right after everything, maybe this is a sign that she’s content again. I place my hand on her lower abdomen and immediately pull it back. Where I expected her to be soft, she’s not. Her body feels firm beneath my hand.

I place my hand back and begin gently moving it back and forth while my brain scrambles to come up with an answer.

Her breasts are bigger.

She is constantly taking naps.

She’s been throwing up a lot.

No.

I do the math in my head and then when that doesn’t give me a clear answer, I slide out of bed and grab my phone.

I sit in the floor and type in, “due date calculator.” My screen fills with results and I click on one at random.

Date of last menstrual cycle

Yeah, I have no idea. I scroll down a little further.

Date of conception

I pinch the bridge of my nose while I try to remember the exact date. After narrowing it down, I type in June sixteenth. My heart is like a jackhammer in my chest.

The screen changes to confetti falling around a sign that reads:
Congratulations! Your baby is due March 9, 2015.

According to this, she’s about to be fifteen weeks along. Beth stirs in bed and I damn near drop the phone when she mumbles my name. I freeze until I realize she’s still asleep. I look back down at the screen.

Our baby is four inches long and weighs two and a half ounces.

Our baby.

It’s only the size of an apple. I don’t need a pregnancy test to confirm what I already know.

Beth is pregnant.

She’s pregnant with my baby, but didn’t tell me.

I think back to that doctor’s appointment I went to with Jess. I asked her if she was pregnant and she told me no.

I grab a pair of sweats and quietly pull them on before heading downstairs. It looks like I’m the only one up, which is perfect for what I’m about to do. I step out onto the patio and look up Beth’s doctor. I know it’s Saturday, but maybe someone will be there. A call center nurse answers on the third ring. “Good Morning, this is Cynthia.”

I clear my throat, “Good Morning, Cynthia, this is David Greene. My wife, Elizabeth, is a patient of Dr. Harper’s and she is having a lot of trouble with um…”

Think, David, think

“She’s having trouble with throwing up still. Is that normal?”

“What is her date of birth?”

“December 5, 1983.”

“And Mr. Greene, how far along is she?”

I swallow, “I think fourteen weeks. Is there any way I could get Dr. Harper to call me? We’re out of town and I just want to make sure I don’t need to take her in to a hospital.”

“Yes sir, I can page her. What is a good number for you?”

I give her my number and then pace the patio, waiting for the call that will give me all the confirmation I need. I sink into a patio chair that is damp with dew, my head in my hands.

Please don’t let Jess’s baby be mine…

Please let Beth be pregnant.

I don’t know if I’m praying or wishing at this point. All I know is that I feel like a bow string, pulled taut and ready to snap.

I jump when I hear the sliding door open and I guiltily stumble out of the chair.

Beth opens the door and then steps back inside to grab something. She comes back out carrying two cups of hot tea and I’m overtaken by a memory.

Beth comes into the kitchen and immediately wrinkles her nose. “What is that smell? It smells like something is burning.”

She sniffs the air and I hold up her coffee. “I got you coffee. Is that what you’re smelling?”

She looks at the cup like it contains poison and begins gagging. I’m still trying to process what the hell is wrong with her when she calmly walks over to the sink and vomits.

She hands me a cup and then sits in the chair opposite me. “Morning. I woke up when I realized you weren’t in bed anymore. How long have you been up?” Her smile is still sleepy and I feel like an ass.

“I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d sit out here and enjoy the morning.”

She takes in the humidity and grey skies before quirking a brow at me, “Really?”

I take a sip of the tea to avoid answering her, scalding my tongue in the process, before nodding vigorously.

She laughs at me, “It’s hot. I would’ve warned you, but I thought the steam coming off the top would be enough. You sure you’re okay?”

I set my tea down, “I’m fine—you still not drinking coffee?”

She shakes her head, “I’m kind of on a tea kick right now.”

I reach my arms out to her, “C’mere.”

She grins and sets her tea on the patio table before climbing into my lap and laying her head on my chest. I hope she can’t feel how fast my heart is beating or she’ll worry I’m about to have a heart attack.

She’s sitting sideways which makes it easier. I bring my hand up and rest it on her stomach.

Her entire body stiffens and I see fear in her eyes. If I didn’t know, I doubt I would’ve noticed the change, but it’s definitely there.

I want to shout to the entire neighborhood that my wife is pregnant, but I want her to be the one to tell me. I can’t force this or she’ll run.

My phone rings in my pocket and I try to stand quickly without dumping her onto the patio. “I need to take this. It’s about a job.”

“Okay—you’re working this weekend?”

I kiss her cheek before moving toward the front yard, “I’ll be quick—I promise. Then I’m all yours.”

She blows me a kiss and sits back down.

“Hello?”

“Hello, this is Dr. Harper. Is this David Greene?”

I unlock my truck and climb in. “Yes, it is. I called about Beth.”

“I had to double check her records to make sure, but she does have you listed. What seems to be going on with her?”

“She’s still throwing up. Is that normal?”

I’m holding my breath, waiting for her next words.

“Hmm…well she’s about to be fifteen weeks so that should be subsiding soon. Is it like the episode before where she had to be hospitalized?”

I can no longer feel my arms.

She’s pregnant.

My wife is pregnant.

In the midst of the chaos, we created life.

I hastily wipe at my eyes as tears form.

“Mr. Greene?”

“I’m sorry. No, it’s not like before.”
When I thought she had alcohol poisoning.
Was she even drinking that night?

“Make sure she keeps hydrating and if it worsens, it might not hurt to take her in to be evaluated. If that happens, page me again and I’ll see what I can do from here.”

I thank her and hang up. I rest my head on the steering wheel and laugh as tears fall.

I’m going to be a daddy.

Louisa and I sit and enjoy our tea on the patio when David comes back. He looks upset and I immediately go to him.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

He starts laughing and it takes him a minute to catch his breath.

He’s scaring me

David swings me around in his arms. “Beth, I’m better than fine. Just got the best news on a job that I’ve wanted for longer than I can remember.”

I laugh, getting swept up in his euphoria, as Louisa eyes us both over a cup of coffee. “Tell us about this job, David.”

He gives both of us a smug grin, “Well, there was one other guy bidding, but I got in there first and my bid was accepted. It’s mine now and I’ll be damned if I let it slip through my fingers.”

Louisa and I congratulate him before I jump in, “This is the most excited I’ve ever seen you over a job. It must be good.”

He wraps his arms around my waist again and his eyes look misty, “It was definitely a job worth waiting for and I’m going to prove that I’m the only man that can handle it—no matter what it takes.”

Without waiting for a response, he leans down and kisses me soundly on the lips, effectively stopping my train of thought.

How odd

“I wanna take you to the beach today. Sounds good, yeah?”

I nod stupidly, still trying to wrap my head around his excitement over another construction job.

“Go get packed and we’ll head to Galveston.”

I doze as we make the ninety minute drive to the ferry, the sky spitting rain onto the truck. Louisa backed out of going, saying she had to meet a friend for lunch. I think she wanted us to have this time alone though.

When I open my eyes, we’re waiting in line for the ferry. We sit in lane five while country music plays softly on the radio. I turn from the window to find David staring at me.

“What? Did I drool on myself?”

He laughs and shakes his head, “You’re beautiful—you know that?”

I smile, “I’m glad you think so, Mr. Greene.”

He reaches for my hand, “I know so, Mrs. Greene.”

We drive onto the ferry and park before heading to the front. The majority of the other passengers head to the upper viewing decks, but I’ve always liked being close to the water. I smile at the memory.

The air tastes of salt, something you can only experience on the ocean and I’m reminded of a Modest Mouse song. The ocean breathes salty indeed. I expected to see more people on the deck, but it’s relatively quiet for a Saturday.

“Looks like we missed the summer crowd.”

David agrees, “Yeah, it usually settles down after August—everyone’s back in school by now.”

I stand at the railing, letting the wind off the ocean whip my hair around. It’s invigorating and I close my eyes, taking it all in.

David comes up behind me, threading his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my head. His hands make lazy circles across my stomach and my body stills.

It’s the second time today that he’s done it. The touch isn’t unwanted—I find I can pretend that we’re just a normal married couple, expecting our first child. That’s all it is though—just pretend.

Does he know?

That thought leaves me with the urge to bring up the past and push him away, but I shove the thought back down and allow myself to enjoy him. I place my hands over his, holding him against me and he kisses the top of my head in response.

“Look at that!” My eyes open and David takes a hand off of me to point out into the ocean. “Dolphins.”

I lean into the railing, searching the choppy water. Just when I think that I’ve missed them, two surface and gracefully dive back under. The sky brightens and the clouds begin to move away.

We may get a nice day at the beach after all.

I’ll hold onto this memory forever and when things seem bad, I’ll remember the feel of the ocean air, the dolphins, and my husband’s arms cradling me and our baby.