by Naomi Niles
“Wait, so you two fucked in his office?” I smiled and nodded as she continued with questions, “With people there?”
“Nope. We were alone. You know that I am the office secretary, so I know when people are coming in and going out. The office was free until one, so… I took advantage of it.”
“You are a little horn ball! You and your boyfriend!”
“I know.” I smiled and tapped her on the leg, “Anyways, I just came here to get something to wear and shower up. I didn’t want to go to the store like this because, you know, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’d end up in jail just like your ex-boyfriend.”
I got up and went to her room to find something to wear. Before she had gotten pregnant, we were the same size, so I knew it wouldn’t be hard. As I showered, I thought about what I saw on Gavin’s computer screen. It caught me off guard to see a list of engagement rings pop up. I didn’t know how to respond to it, but I could tell that he sensed a shift in my behavior. I wanted to tell him that everything was okay, but I couldn’t find the words. Instead, I tried to pretend as though I didn’t see it so I wouldn’t ruin the surprise. I mean, we were still fairly young in our relationship, but it was comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one thinking about crossing that line between us. When I finished cleaning myself up, I walked back downstairs.
April was in the kitchen fixing lunch when I walked in. “So,” I said, looking through her refrigerator, “I think Gavin is going to propose to me.”
She stopped making her sandwich and glared directly at me. “Propose? How long have you all been together? A handful of months?”
“Yeah. I know it is crazy, but that is just the way things are going for us. I can’t explain it. I mean, I don’t know if he knows that I saw the computer screen, but I did. I tried to act as though I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Well, I guess I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Or even worse, I didn’t to assume that this was about me. Maybe he was looking at it because one of his friends asked him to help find a ring for his girlfriend or something. I don’t know; I just don’t want to make an ass out of myself by getting excited just to realize that he was never looking for a ring on my behalf.”
She shook her head. “No, I am sure it is yours. I mean, most guys wouldn’t ask another guy for help with that. If anything, they would ask another female friend. That’s what Mark did. He asked some little slut for her help.”
“Slut?”
She put the ends of her sandwich together, “Yeah. I hated the girl because I thought she was trying to push up on Mark. I knew she had a crush on him and as soon as we got further along in our relationship, she stopped coming around. She liked him. I could tell, and if I saw her now, I’d cut her with this fucking butter knife until she bled to death.”
She clenched the butter knife in her hand. “Uh,” I said, cautiously, “this pregnancy is making you crazier than normal.”
She put the knife down and exhaled, “Girl, I know! Sheesh. This baby needs to hurry up and come out of my vagina so I could claim my sanity. Sometimes, I listen to how crazy I sound, and it’s like I just can’t stop it. It is annoying.” She shoved the sandwich into her mouth and took a bite. Her voice was muffled afterward, “Anyways, you can keep what you have on. At the rate I am growing, I am pretty sure that I won’t be able to fit any of those clothes anyway. As a matter of fact, you should come back over here and take some more clothes.” She took another bite. “This baby is going to change everything about me. I don’t care though; I am just ready for all of this to be over so I can get on with my life.”
The way she spoke made me dread going through a pregnancy, but I knew that after the nine months were over, everything would be worth it. I stayed with her for another hour before I headed to the stores so I could shop for Vinny’s party. Even though I knew he wasn’t my son, it felt like he was. We had grown closer since Gavin and I started dating, and before I knew it, he had wiggled himself into a special place in my heart. After I finished shopping, I went back to Gavin’s place. He had given me a key to his home yesterday just to decorate for the party, but when I used it to let myself in, I felt like I was coming home. It was a feeling that I wanted to remain for as long as we were together.
As I walked around the house, I imagined pictures of us in different areas of the living room. Pictures of Gavin and I with Vinny right beside us, and pictures of me and Gavin alone, smiling like we knew there was nobody else in the world that could fit us the way we fit each other. In my mind, I saw a picture of myself in the eight month of pregnancy with Gavin standing right behind me. His hands were on my stomach, and we both smiled from ear to ear. Before long, I snapped out of my daydreams and started dressing the house for Vinny’s party. I hung streamers on the walls and used a ladder to attach them to the higher areas.
I placed balloons throughout the living room and tossed a few on counters and table tops. Vinny didn’t have many friends, but the few I saw him with were his best buddies. I was excited to see them, but at the same time, I was a bit nervous because of the rumors they heard about me. I didn’t want things to be awkward, especially at Vinny’s party. I had even thought about removing myself before everyone came just to save anything from happening. It took almost three hours, but I had finally completed the decorations. Just as I put the final touches on everything, I heard car doors open and close in the driveway.
I peeked out of the window and saw Vinny, Gavin, and Mike show up in two different cars. Vinny walked to the door with a smile on his face and Gavin’s arm draped around his shoulder. He had a pin connected to his shirt with dollar bills hanging down the front of it. It was something that children did at the school when it was someone’s birthday. They pinned money to their shirt, and for a day, the student got to walk around like they were the richest person on the planet. I smiled as he came through the door. “Bethany!” He kicked balloons out of the way as he ran towards me.
I embraced him. “Happy birthday, Vinny!”
After we released, he kicked balloons out of the way as he walked through the front room. “I love it!” he said with a wide grin, “I love it! All these balloons!”
“I am happy that you love it, Vinny!”
Gavin put his arms around me and kissed my cheek, “Wow. And to think that I was going to pay someone to do this.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought you would still be working at the school when I was planning this. But, now that you have a little flexibility at your job, I figured I’d run it by you. I’m glad that I did.”
“Well, you can still pay me.”
He leaned forward, “Yeah, I’ll pay you in dick,” he whispered.
I smiled and rolled my eyes, then looked at Mike. “Hey, Mike.”
“What’s up, Bethany. How’s shit goin’?”
“Um, it’s going good, Mike.”
“Now, I know this is a kid’s party and shit, but where are the brews?”
“Mike,” Gavin said, “really?”
“Um, they are out back by the grill inside the cooler. I knew to set aside at least a few for you since I knew you would be here.”
He smiled and tapped me on the shoulder, “See, she is a fuckin’ keeper, Gavin. I take back everything I said about you getting married. As long as you marry her, then I don’t think you will have a problem. Hell, if my ex-fucking-wife was half as thoughtful as this, maybe we would still be married. But she was too fucking busy–”
“Mike, we get it,” Gavin interrupted, “Go ahead and go out to the back so we can get started on the grill. Gavin’s friends will be here in a little while.”
“Okay.”
I watched him walk to the patio and close the door behind him. When we were alone, I expressed my concerns about the children’s parents coming to the party when they dropped off their kids. “Maybe I should leave? I mean, I don’t want my presence to cause a problem, especially with the rumors fl
oating around the school. I don’t want to ruin Vinny’s party.”
“No, babe. No. You are not going anywhere. This is my home, and I can have whoever I want here. If they are uncomfortable with it, then that is their problem, and they don’t have to come.”
“Yeah, I understand that baby, but I just don’t want Vinny’s party to get ruined because of me. You know how–”
He pulled me closer to him. I could smell the mint on his breath as he spoke, “Babe, listen and listen good. You are not going anywhere. Vinny wants you here, and I want you here, so everyone else can fucking kick rocks. If they can’t accept you, then I don’t want their asses here anyway. You are not putting yourself out because somebody can’t look past something you did years ago. Okay?”
His reassurance sent a smile onto my face. It made me feel good that he would stand up for me like that. It reminded me of the way Vinny stood up for me at school when some of the students were talking about me. They both made me feel wanted, and up until now, I hadn’t felt that feeling in years. He kissed me on the lips softly, and moments later, Vinny walked back into the front room. “Dad, there are balloons everywhere! Are my friends coming?”
“Yup,” he said, “they are coming. I need to go and start cooking for them when they come.”
“Thanks, Dad! You and Bethany are the best!”
He walked closer and put his arms around both of us. I felt like we were a family. They filled every emptiness I had in my life, and from there, I could only hope that the rings I saw on Gavin’s computer were intended for me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
GAVIN
Vinny’s surprise birthday party went off without a hitch. Bethany was worried that her presence would cause a stir, but to her surprise, the parents that dropped their children off were more welcoming than anything else. They said how much they missed seeing her around, and some of the women even admitted some crazy things they did in times past. After hearing their stories, there was no reason for Bethany to feel ashamed of what she did. I loved how they helped loosen her up though, and after that, things went along smoothly. I asked if she could spend the night there because I had one more surprise for Vinny the next day, and I wanted her to be a part of it.
“Babe? Wake up.”
She turned over. Her voice was froggy as she responded, “What is it?”
“Come on, get up. We have one more thing to do for Vinny.”
“What time is it?”
“It is nine am.”
“Just a few more hours.”
I laughed. “No, if we wait a few more hours, it will be too much of late start.” I tapped her on her behind. “Come on. Breakfast is ready, and you have to get up and get dressed so we can go.”
“Go where?”
I smiled. An hour later, we arrived at an amusement park. Bethany’s eyes lit up like a child as we rolled into the parking lot. She didn’t know where we were going, and neither did Vinny. Mike trailed behind us with his date and another little boy for Vinny to hang out with while we were there. “Wow. As long as I’ve lived in Virginia, I can count the number of times I’ve been here on one hand.” She looked at me, “But, I have to be honest about something.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I am a little afraid of heights.”
Vinny spoke up from the back, “You are? But why?”
She looked in the rearview mirror, “Because, I mean, we are up so high and… I don’t know; I just can’t explain it. It scares me when we are up so high.”
“So, what are you saying?” I smirked. “Are you telling me that you won’t ride any of the rides?”
“No, I am not saying that. I will get on the rides. Like, the rides that are made for Vinny. I hear the teacup ride is pretty awesome.”
Vinny laughed out loud, “What? The teacup ride?! That is for babies! That’s not made for me! I am riding the Titan and the Vulture.”
“The Titan and the Vulture? Are you insane, Vinny? Those things are crazy!”
I drove to the parking meter and snatched a ticket out of the machine, “Yeah, that is the fun part! Oh, you’re going to ride those rides. I mean, if you can handle it,” I cleared my throat and looked down at my pants; she laughed and covered her face as I continued, “then, I know you can handle those rides! It will be nothing to you!”
We laughed together as Vinny spoke up. “What’s so funny?”
“Um, nothing, Vinny. Nothing at all, son.”
We found a parking spot and directed Mike and his date to a spot right beside ours. He brought a woman that he had been messing around with for the past month or so. Even though he said that he wouldn’t get married again, by the way things were going, it seemed as though he could change his mind at any time now. “Hey, you guys ready to fucking have some fucking fun?” His date stood next to him with her arm around another little boy. She was a smoking-hot blonde. She wore small shorts with long, tanned legs. A halter top held her large breasts in place as her hair was tied into a tight ponytail. “Bethany, I don’t know if you met Stacy, but Stacy, this is Bethany. Bethany, this is Stacy.”
“Hi, Stacy, nice to meet you.”
She smiled. “Same to you, Bethany.” She looked at me, adding, “And Gavin, nice to see you again.”
“Yeah. I hope Mike hasn’t been too overbearing for you.”
She laughed. “No, not at all. If anything, I think I may be a little too much for him.”
Mike put his arm around her, “I like her, Gavin. She can drink almost as much as I can.”
“Almost, fucker?”
He laughed. “Aright, she can.”
Stacy introduced us to her nephew, and it didn’t take long for him to hit it off with Vinny. As soon as the video game topic came up, they looked to be best friends with each other. After a few minutes passed, we went into the theme park. We wanted to go straight to the big rides, but Bethany convinced us to ride a few of the smaller rides so she could warm up to the larger ones. We weren’t going to at first, but out of all people that could sway our opinion, Mike was the one to do it. Stacy and Bethany walked ahead of us while I spoke to Mike. “So yeah, I think I fucked up.”
“Shit,” he responded, “what the fuck did you do? Fuck somebody else? Is she pissed at you?”
“What? No. Not at all.” Vinny and Andrew ran past us, laughing with each other as the closed in on Stacy and Bethany. “Bethany was at my office the other day, and I think she saw me searching for engagement rings. Now, I don’t know if she did, but soon after that, the mood in the room changed. I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t know if she doesn’t want me to ask her because we haven’t been together that long, or if she just doesn’t want me.”
“Doesn’t want you? Are you fucking stupid? You think she doesn’t want you? Look, let me help you understand something. That woman is in love with you, okay? I know you haven’t seen love since the days of Karen, but I know what love looks like. Love is patient and understanding. Love is something that I didn’t have with my ex-wife, and that’s why it didn’t last. What we had was lust, but you and her? Shit man, if me and my ex had a twinkle of what you two fuckers have now, we would still be together. The way you care for her. The way she looks at you. I mean, that shit is not fake. That shit is love, and if you think any other way, then you need to be medicated.”
I laughed. “Well, then what do you think was the deal with her change in behavior after that?”
“It could be anything. Maybe she didn’t see it, and if she did, maybe she didn’t know how to respond because I’m sure she wasn’t supposed to see it, you know? It could be anything, but who the fuck cares? I mean, you didn’t make it this far in life by not taking chances. You’re a fucking millionaire. You have money, and you got it because you saw something you wanted and you went for it, regardless of who was in front of you. So, I’m not saying she is money, but she is something more than that. She is potentially your fucking wife, and if you want her, then take her. My guess,” he said, l
ooking at the two women ahead of us, “she is yours for the taking.”
I focused on her behind as she walked next to Stacy. Mike was right again. I had to go after her, regardless of how I thought she felt. I let my mind trick me out of doing something that I knew was right. “Yeah, okay. I hear you.”
“Good. Now, fuck that shit, and let’s ride these fucking rides.” He yelled ahead, “Hey Bethany, enough pussyfooting! It is time to get on the big boy and big girl rides!”
“What?” she said in horror as she turned towards us. Vinny and Andrew laughed at her expression. “Wait. I mean, the teacup ride is right there! The teacup ride! Let’s just get on that and then I am sure that we would’ve gotten all the thrills that we needed for the day.”
“Nope! No, no, and no again! I’ve stalled for you as long as I could, baby girl. Now, I’m done. It’s time to get on the big fucking rides! Wooo-hooooo!” he yelled out in a voice full of adrenaline, “We are going to the Vulture! Let’s go!”
Mike charged ahead and put his arm around Stacy. Bethany tried to pull back. “Wait, wait, wait. Just wait,” she said, digging her feet into the ground, “let’s just think about this. Let’s think about our safety. Safety first, right? We need to be safe, and what ride is safer than the teacup?”
“Babe, we are adults, okay? We are not getting on the teacup rides. Come on.”
“Wait, wait, but wait. How about the swan? That is nicer than the teacup. I mean, scarier! I meant scarier!”
“Babe, I can jump higher than the hills on that ride!” I laughed at her attempt to change my mind. She was so cute when she was scared shitless. “Come on, baby. We are going to get on this ride, and after that, I guarantee you that you won’t be scared to ride anything else.”
“The Vulture? It’s a scavenger! It is going to scavenge our bodies once we all die from being on that coaster!”
I laughed and pulled her along until we got to the line. I stood with my arm around her as she shook her head in disbelief that she was about to get on the ride with us. I held her tight and spoke to her while the boys raved about how excited they were to get on the ride. “Babe, listen. I am not going to let anything happen to you on this ride, okay? If you want, you can close your eyes.”
