by K, S
"Amber will take care of it. You just need to focus on Brooke. If we need to, we can pull one of the girls from the shop to help out at the office." Their call lasted a few more minutes before he made his way to bed.
I snuggled up next to Jake, and he kissed me goodnight and turned out the light on the bedside table. "Brooke had a great time today. Josh is really glad the two of you got some one-on-one time."
He kissed the top of my head, and I mumbled, half asleep, "Me too."
The next morning I was awake with the sun, gearing up for my day of shopping with Brooke. Coffee was brewing in the pot when Jake emerged from the bedroom in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.
"You still owe me wild-crazy-baby-momma sex."
I filled his coffee cup, added cream and sugar, then placed it down in front of him. I began to rub his bare back and admired his beautiful body. "Oh, I haven't forgotten."
I kissed his neck, and my free hand slipped into his boxers. "Tonight, this is all mine."
He sucked in a deep breath. "You better go before I take you right here in this kitchen."
I rushed off toward our bedroom and finished getting ready. Then I called Brooke, surprised when Josh answered the phone.
"Hey, Sav, she's still in bed. Yesterday was pretty exhausting for her. I don't think she is going to be up for a full day of shopping."
I racked my brain, doing my best to figure out how I could bring the shopping to her. "You think she'd be up for company?" I asked, hoping he'd say yes as a perfect plan popped into my head.
I could hear him talking softly to Brooke before he answered. "Yeah, company is fine. She just wants to stay close to home."
"Perfect. Tell her I'll see her soon."
I hung up the phone with Josh and dialed the local baby boutique that just so happened to be owned by an Hourglass client. "Stacy, this is Savannah Worthington. I need a favor."
Three hours later, I allowed Brooke to come out of her bedroom and escorted her into the living room of their house, which had been transformed into a replica of the baby boutique. Two sales consultants stood there ready to give us the rundown of everything they had to offer from bibs to baby beds.
Brooke sat down on the couch and looked over at me as I plopped down beside her.
"If you can't take the girl to the store, bring the store to the girl."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Brooke
THE THUMPING AND humming of the MRI machine was literally driving me insane, as the table I was lying on sent chills to my bones. It was as hard as concrete, making me even more uncomfortable than I had imagined I would be.
"Almost done, Brooke. You're doing great," the technician called through the speaker by my head. Silence descended on the room for a moment, before the grind of the table took over. Slowly, I was pulled from the narrow tube I'd been stuck inside and was greeted by the friendly woman. I'd forgotten her name. I'm not sure if that was pregnancy brain or the cancer. What if it had spread everywhere? I could feel my heart rate accelerate as the fear took hold of me.
"You okay?" she asked, genuine concern in her eyes as she rubbed my arm.
All I could do was nod my head, words failing me as they sat in a lump in my throat. She knew why I was there, so I hoped that would suffice. I re-dressed and walked out of the room to my husband's waiting arms.
Dark circles lay under his eyes as he dealt with this all internally, trying to balance his cancer-ridden pregnant wife and keeping his business afloat.
Dr. Rothchild was at the hospital waiting on the images and had asked us to remain on the grounds so he could discuss them with us. I supposed it had been a blessing in disguise, unsure how much longer I could wait to hear more bad news. Every passing minute was brutal, so I couldn't even imagine waiting days. After a quick lunch, where I mostly shoved my food around under Josh's scrutinizing glare, his phone rang.
"This is Josh." It must have been a new number for such a clean-cut greeting. That was usually the voice he used on business calls. I relaxed back into my seat, picking up a French fry and chewing on it to appease my worrisome husband. "We'll be right there."
Suddenly I wished I'd listened to the rest of the conversation, realizing that must have been the doctor.
"What did he say?" I asked, analyzing Josh's expression, but it was blank. It was clear the doctor had told him nothing. His only response was running his hand over his face, tugging the skin down with the force.
"Nothing. He is waiting till we get to his office." We both stood up and emptied our trays into the trash. As we walked down the hall hand in hand, I could feel my pulse thrumming through me, the beat drumming in my ears with each step closer to the conference room.
When we stepped inside, Dr. Rothchild was already waiting for us. Black and white pictures displayed on some light boxes on the wall behind him. Upon a closer inspection, I figured out they were my breasts. Well, this had just become officially awkward; never did I think I'd be having a conversation with two men, while my boobs were on display as artwork in the background.
A maniacal laugh bubbled out of me, growing louder by the second. I couldn't even control it at this point, tears soon joining the party as they streamed down my face. Both men looked at me like I'd officially lost it, and maybe I had. Finally composing myself, I took a few deep breaths. "Sorry, it's just that…" I couldn't voice why I'd just laughed like a banshee as I looked at both their concerned faces. Instead, I just waved a hand at the images on the wall and casted my eyed down in embarrassment.
"Alright then, so the images weren't much of a surprise. You have stage three breast cancer. What that means is the cancer has spread to both breast as well as the lymph nodes. We will need to work fast to fight this. I am recommending a double mastectomy as soon as possible, as well as chemo or radiation."
I felt my face contort to disgust. There was little known about radiation treatment while pregnant, and I just wasn't willing to take that risk. This was supposed to be the happiest time of our lives, and instead I was facing cancer.
I was so tired of being sad, and now I was just plain angry. This isn't fair!
"Excuse me?" Dr. Rothchild asked, making me realize as both his and Josh's eyes looked at me that I had spoken out loud.
Figuring I had already blurted out my last thought, I unleashed. "This isn't fair!" I pushed out of the chair and shoved it back, the wheels carrying it until it bounced off the wall with a thud. "How is it this bad, this fast? I don't understand. There is no family history of breast cancer, I called my mom and checked. I get my yearly doctor appointments and breast exams. I am about to be a mother. How am I supposed to feed my baby with no breast? What is my husband supposed to tell my son or daughter if I'm gone?" Tears trickled down one by one as both men continued to watch me. Seriously, a man with a straight jacket was bound to come in soon.
"Mrs. Worthington, I can assure you we will fight this. You have an amazing support team, and remarkable women such as yourself beat this all the time."
"But they lose the fight too." I said very matter-of-factly.
"Sadly they do, but you can't lose hope, Brooke. Let's reconvene after you've had a few days to process this all."
Josh stood up beside me, taking my hand and holding on to it so tightly I thought I was losing circulation. We walked out in silence; it seemed to be the new trend in our lives.
The car was only filled with the sound of the radio as I stared out the window. At each passing car or person, I would peer inside and try to figure out their lives. Decide if they were happy or sad. The vibration of my phone inside my purse buzzed against my leg. After digging in my bag a moment, I tilted the screen so that I could see the caller. Savannah. Ugh, she'd be wondering how the doctor appointment went.
I slid the button to answer the call. "Hey, how is your day going?" I prayed she'd have some saga tale to break the depression taking hold. Anything to brighten my day or change my train of thought. Savannah and Josh deserved so much better. Especially aft
er bringing the boutique to me the other day and helping me get excited for this baby.
"You answered. Hey," Savannah stammered out.
I had that coming; I ignored a lot of calls these days.
"I'm good, getting bigger by the day. How about you?"
I could hear the hesitation in her voice; she knew it was a dangerous line to walk with me. Just one toe out of line, and I'd inevitably go off and hang up.
"You know… same old. My belly is getting bigger too, and he or she is moving around like crazy lately."
"So it wasn't good?" she choked out.
I shook my head as tears welled up in my eyes. My God, they had to be almost out of tears by now. I felt cried out.
"Well, I won't need bras anymore, so you'll have to hit up the semi-annual sale solo this year, and I have a like sixty-percent survival rate since I'm pregnant, as long as I do the radiation or chemo."
"Brooke."
I knew she was crying from the sound of her voice. I looked at Josh and mouthed the word Jake; she needed him to hold her up. What kind of screwed-up pyramid was this? I needed Savannah, Josh, and Jake. Savannah needed Jake, and so Jake needed Josh. But Josh needed Jake. And in the end, they all needed me. That's not even mixing in the three babies involved in the diabolical mess.
"We got this." I confirmed, using the line they'd fed me relentlessly.
"No doubt."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Savannah
MY HEART WAS breaking all over again as I ended the call with Brooke and sat down on the couch in my living room. The only light in the room came from outside as it shined through the open windows. Devastated, I sat there alone, praying that my best friend would be spared from this cruel disease that had come into our lives like a crazy ex-girlfriend, hell bent on wreaking havoc.
I counted each tick of the clock as I waited there for Jake to get home. It ticked ninety-five times before my attention was drawn to the faint sound of the elevator bell.
The sound of keys jostling in the front door caught my attention, and I looked on as Jake stepped inside. His shoulders were slumped, and I could see the concern in his eyes as he crossed the room toward me.
He plopped onto the couch, right next to me, placing his hand on my leg, "How you holding up?"
Doing my best to fight back the impending tears, I just looked up at him and shrugged before lying down on his lap. Once situated, Jake's hand went straight for my belly, rubbing the bump that was getting bigger and bigger as each day passed. Jake lifted my shirt up to expose my full belly, and I instantly pulled it back down. "Babe, don't lift my shirt up. I'm as fat as a cow."
He gave me a look, as if telling me I'd lost my mind and then lifted my shirt up again. "You're perfect, Savannah, and so are these…" His body flinched beneath mine, and then he pressed harder on my belly. "Did you feel that?" he probed.
An embarrassed smile crept over my face. "Sorry, I think it's gas. These squatters have been worse than a bowl of beans lately."
A laugh flew out from deep within Jake. "I don't think that's gas. I think that was one of the babies kicking."
I quickly sat up and held my shirt up with my chin as I looked down, massaging my belly. "Alright, you two. I want to feel my squatters kick. Let's go. Get a move on it. I don't have all day to sit here and wait." I delicately shook my belly, hoping to get them to move around, but nothing. I sighed. "They hate me. They're punishing me because I didn't want them."
Jake snorted and then climbed off the couch and knelt in front of me. "Let the master show you how it's done." He winked up at me, fighting a heart-stopping smile, and then put both of his warm hands on my bare belly and began to coo at our babies like he was a professional. "How are my little babies? Daddy loves you so much and can't wait to meet you. Let's show Mommy how much we love her too."
He leaned in and kissed my skin, right between both of his hands, and instantly I felt a kick.
I shook my head in surprise. "Oh my goodness, Jake. They kicked!" I yelled, as I bounced around on the couch. "Make them do it again, please," I begged him, eager to feel my two little squatters from the inside.
Jake's gaze captivated my attention as he stared up at me, mesmerized as if I was the Mona Lisa, and he'd waited his entire life to see me.
Unable to stop myself in the moment, I took his face between the palms of my hands and began to lean in toward him, wanting to claim his mouth as my own, but the squatters had something else in mind. I began to laugh hysterically as I tried to lean in again with no luck. It was official: my big ole' belly had finally gotten in the way.
Jake's body collapsed back against the floor in laughter as I repositioned myself and placed my feet on the ground. I climbed off the couch, trying to control the hysterics that were escaping me and made my way over to Jake, straddling over him.
I began to kiss him in-between laughs, but each time my belly would press up against his perfectly sculpted abs, we would begin to laugh even harder. It finally got to the point that I climbed off him and lay down next to his giant frame until we could both begin to control ourselves.
Jake pressed himself up onto one arm and pulled me against him. His hand trailed over my belly. "I missed that laugh. Life has been so sad lately I almost forgot what it sounded like for you to have a good time."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I lifted my hand to caress Jake's face. A spark ignited within as I ran my fingers against his scruffy facial hair, which made me want to rip the clothes right off him and take him on our living room floor.
I knew in the back of my mind that I shouldn't be enjoying life like that because it wasn't fair to Brooke. But, I also knew that it was one of the happiest times in my and Jake's lives, and, quite possibly, the last time I'd ever be pregnant, so I needed to learn how to balance the good with the bad.
I slipped my fingers across Jake's throat, memorizing the way his warm skin felt beneath my fingers, and then gripped the collar of his shit, tugging him down toward me and claiming his lips.
A cavernous moan escaped his mouth as I traced his faultless lips with my tongue. His body began to move closer, filling my space as he climbed over me, both of his arms trapping me underneath him, exactly where I wanted to be, and I watched as his eyes grew dark with lust.
Not allowing anything to spoil the moment, I dug my fingers into his back and forced his body against mine. "I want you so badly," I pleaded.
Jake didn't need anything further than the permission I'd just given him, and with one swift movement he was standing up, both legs straddled over my body. The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. He wanted me as desperately as I wanted him.
I watched as his huge frame leaned down over me. He gripped me under my arms and lifted my body straight off the floor as if I was as light as a feather.
He cradled my body against him, holding me tightly in his arms, and made his way down the hall and into our bedroom. Jake pulled back the comforter on the bed and gently laid me down onto the mattress, and I watched as he began to remove his clothes.
His arm muscles flexed as he reached for the hem of his shirt, gracefully pulling it over his head and tossing it on my face. I giggled and held it up to my nose as I inhaled the smell of his favorite cologne. Next, he undid the buckle of his belt and the button of his pants. My eyes settled on his fingers, jealous that his hands were doing all of the work and not mine. He unzipped his pants, and with one swift push, they slipped down his muscular legs, the sound of his belt buckle crashing onto the floor, just as he stepped out of them.
He started to climb into bed, but his boxers were still on, and I shook my head. "Lose the boxers. I don't want half of you. I want all of you."
Flames lit behind his eyes, and he was out of his underwear quicker than I'd made the request.
I stared at him, his entire body, admiring the fact that he was all mine whenever I wanted him. His skin tone was tanned a golden brown, and the hair on his face was trimmed to perfe
ction. Each of his muscles were defined impeccably, as if they'd been painted on by Michelangelo, himself.
I stretched my arms out and motioned for him to get his butt in bed and help me out of my clothes.
There was no hesitation as Jake's hands delicately made their way to each article of clothing that remained on my body. He slowly took each piece off, one by one, admiring my body the same way I'd done to his, once he had me fully naked.
"You are so beautiful, Sav." He leaned down and kissed my lips, sucking them into his mouth and teasing me. His hands trailed down my body, massaging every piece of exposed skin along the way.
I moaned into his mouth. "I need you inside of me, please, Jake," I begged, wanting my husband more than ever.
And in one slow, passionate movement of his hips, my plea had been answered in the very best way possible.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Brooke
AS I WALKED across the marble floor to my office at Hourglass, I couldn't help but reflect back to my first day. I'd been so full of life and ambitious, driven and passionate. Now I trudged to my office, desperate to survive the battle and anxious to deliver this baby healthy. My lights flickered as they came on. After being dormant for two weeks, now they protested having to come to life.
I spun my chair around to face me and then sank into it, letting the leather caress me as I got comfortable. Reclining back, I hugged my growing belly. It felt so odd to be at work, and it was short-lived, since I was only here for a week before going on leave for my mastectomy. Dr. Rothchild had tried to get me in a bit earlier, but I'd wanted to come to work, wrap some things up, and just be for a little bit.
Lisa went strutting past my office, then suddenly froze in place as she must have realized my office light was on.
