Chapter Twenty-One
O ne week later, Mila was sitting in Dr. Miller's office for her monthly checkup. She was feeling a little anxious. For one, this was her first doctor's visit without Trevor, who was in West Virginia for a show and two, Aunt Ellen and Trevor's Lawyer/Uncle Sammy were driving into town to discuss Trevor's next steps legally.
“If I'm honest with myself the whole thing makes me nauseous and nervous. Dominic Donahue is a calculating, manipulative, dangerous man. He's not as stupid as the paperwork makes him look - he can't be!”
Mila's thoughts were interrupted by Dr. Miller.
Mila laughed, an embarrassed grin on her face.
“Whoops, didn't realize I'd zoned out like that!”
“I see pregnancy brain has kicked in for you!” Dr. Miller said, smiling.
“Ugh, you have no idea! I can hardly read a book anymore; my focus is so bad. By the time I realize I've just read the same sentence 5 times in a row I'm ready to throw in the towel!”
Dr. Miller laughed and shook her head.
“You should've seen me when I was pregnant with my youngest! I don't know how I kept working during that time, I was all over the place some days. It gets better though; your maternal instincts will kick in kind of like an override switch.”
Sometimes Mila forgot that Dr. Miller was a Mom too. She always seemed so professional and put together. But she had a husband and 3 kids at home. Mila wondered how she pulled it all off.
“I'm sorry, sometimes I forget that you're not only a professional woman who helps women get through their pregnancies, but also a mother yourself!”
“Yep, sure am! A 14-yr-old, an 11-yr-old and an 8-yr-old!”
Mila admired the way Dr. Miller smiled and practically beamed when she spoke about her kids.
“How do you do it all?”
“Feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the prospect of it?”
“You might say that.”
“It's totally natural Mila. But believe me when I say, it's so worth it!”
“Thanks Dr. Miller, I guess I needed that reassurance.”
“Anytime Mila. Well, everything looks great with baby girl, your overall health is good. It won't be long before you're holding your daughter!”
Dr. Miller's words stayed with Mila the whole drive home.
“It really won't be long, will it?” she thought.
By the time she got home, Mila's head was so full of thoughts of nursery colors and baby registries that she barely noticed the car in the driveway.
“Who the heck is at my house? Nice car though! See, I told Trevor you can have a sporty car that's still practical!”
Mila made her way hesitantly into the house, only to find Trevor standing in the kitchen with a strange guy.
“Babe! Perfect timing!” Trevor said with a huge grin plastered on his face.
“Trevor what are you doing here? Your flight wasn't supposed to get in until tonight!”
“I know, I grabbed an earlier flight I couldn't wait any longer!”
“Couldn't wait any longer for what- Trevor what's going on here? Who is this?”
Mila was beginning to feel not only confused but pissed off.
Trevor, obviously sensing Mila was about to snap at him, wrapped his arms around her.
“I'm sorry baby, I should've called but I wanted to surprise you. This is my buddy Adam. He's the finest car salesman in the state of New York!”
The stranger offered a firm handshake.
“Hi Mila, nice to meet you. I apologize for the confusion! I kind of boxed Trevor into a corner on his time to make a decision!”
Before she could come up with any further questions Trevor was already nudging her gently towards the door, Adam following behind.
Once they reached the front porch, Trevor placed a set of keys in her hand. Gesturing toward the car in the driveway that Mila had been admiring he said, “What do you think of your new car?”
It was a beautiful black Lexus Sedan.
“Trevor I -”
“No objections babe, you deserve this at the very least!”
“Baby I don't know what to say, it's too much! It's beautiful, don't get me wrong but it feels like too-”
“What part of no objections did you not hear?”
Still standing behind her, Trevor laughed and wrapped his arms around Mila, bending down to rest his chin on her shoulder.
“I hope you like it. Turns out you were right after all; you can have a sports car look and practicality in the same car.”
“Do you know how much time and arguments we would save if you just kept that in your head as a given?”
“That you were right?”
“Oh, I like that, say it again!”
“Yeah, yeah Miss Thing! I can't take all the credit; Adam here really came through with the options for me!”
“Just doing my job bud. Speaking of, I hate to rush but I need to get back to the office!” Adam said.
“Okay man, you parked around back, right?”
“Yep. Mila, it was very nice to finally meet the woman who's made my friend here so happy.”
Adam took Mila's hand and kissed the back of it.
“Watch it there Romeo!” Trevor said.
Mila laughed at their exchange.
“Sorry, force of habit. I'll catch you later man!”
“See ya bro!”
Once Adam had made his way around the back of the house and they heard his car start up Mila said, “Serial playboy, huh?”
“Understatement of the century! I mean, he's a good guy, hardworking, all that but just can't seem to keep it in his pants!”
“Yikes!”
“Yeah, but he knows his cars! So, are you going to give her a test drive?”
Mila ran her hands up his chest, biting her lip.
“Dear Lord”, she thought. “These pregnancy hormones are going to be the death of me!”
“I will, but first I'd like to properly thank you!”
“Is that so?”
Trevor's eyes were suddenly dark as Mila lead him by the hand back into the house and upstairs to the bedroom.
“Consider it your test drive.” she said.
“God bless pregnancy hormones!” said Trevor.
Later that evening, Mila was on the living room floor with Finn and Bayley, playing tug of war with a shoestring.
“House full of cat toys and they go for a shoestring every time!”
Mila was laughing and baby talking the kittens when the doorbell rang.
“I got it!” Trevor said, practically jogging for the door.
Mila stood up and stretched just as Aunt Ellen made her way around the corner.
“There's my girl!!”
She stretched her arms out to pull Mila in for a hug.
“Aunt Ellen!! Sorry, I'm such a mess!”
“Oh, nonsense honey, you look beautiful as always! Besides, even if you did look a mess, which you don't, it's an unwritten rule that pregnant women can get away with it! Gotta go for comfort!”
Mila was still laughing when Trevor entered the room with who she could only assume was his Uncle Sammy.
“Uncle Sammy, I'd like you to meet my beautiful fiancé, Mila, and that's our little jellybean in her belly!”
Everyone laughed.
“Mila, this is my Uncle Sammy, aka Samuel Morgan, Esq., lawyer extraordinaire!”
“Nice to meet you Mr. Morgan!”
“Oh, nonsense with the formalities, please, call me Uncle Sammy!” he said, giving Mila a strong hug.
Trevor grinned. “The Morgan’s are huggers!”
“I've noticed!” Mila replied, still wrapped in Uncle Sammy’s hug.
“Samuel let the poor thing go, she's carrying a child in there, not a balloon you're trying to pop!” Aunt Ellen said, swatting her brother on the arm.
“My apologies. I forget that people outside our family don’t hug like we do.”
Mila smiled at the embarrassed blush on the
old man’s cheeks.
“It's no problem, really. Can I get you guys something to drink? We have the usual staples plus orange juice, Gatorade-”
“Not my Gatorade, babe!”
“Hush Trevor! Oh, and I made a pitcher of lemonade this afternoon!”
“A woman after my own heart! I'd love a glass of lemonade Mila, thank you!” said Uncle Sammy.
“You're speaking his language now! I'll take a glass as well and then you sit yourself down!” Aunt Ellen said, giving her a loving pat on the back.
As Mila poured the lemonade and placed some pretzels into a bowl, she could hear the legal talk had already begun.
“Okay Trev, I'm not going to say this is going to be a cakewalk. We're talking about convincing known members of the mafia that they need to reevaluate their investments.”
“I know Uncle Sammy, but this is bigger than me. This is about taking the reins of this legacy and building it up properly so that my children can be proud to one day say their Daddy stood up for what's right!”
Mila, who had dropped off the snacks and drinks, including a beer for Trevor, was looking on at Trevor with love in her eyes. His statement making her heart do back flips.
“Well,”, Uncle Sammy said. “in that case, let operation takeover begin!”
The discussions between Uncle Sammy and Trevor lasted well into the night. Somewhere in there, Mila fell asleep on the couch before Trevor carried her up to bed. When she woke the next morning to find his side of the bed empty, a concerned Mila went looking for him - only to find him now passed out on the couch.
“Good morning Mila!” Aunt Ellen whisper yelled from the kitchen where she was cooking breakfast. Uncle Sammy, sitting at the table going over some paperwork spread out before him, looked deep in thought.
“Good morning! Looks like everyone but me was working hard all night!”
Mila hated to admit the fact that lately, without work, she'd felt less than useless. She'd always needed that creative outlet, plus it was her dream to work at PEW. She had it in her hands and it still slipped away.
Feeling her emotions about to get the best of her, Mila quickly blurted out 'excuse me' and ran back upstairs to the bedroom.
Sitting on the bed she felt the tears almost immediately start to envelope her. Finally, she tugged the blanket haphazardly over herself and laid down on her side, the tears still flowing.
She wasn’t sure when she nodded off, but Mila awoke to Trevor standing over her kissing her temple.
“Hey sleepyhead! The little jellybean making you tired?” he asked.
“Yeah, that's it.”
But Mila's actions were doing way more talking than she ever could. She was still curled up on her side, her back to Trevor. She hadn't turned her head to even look at him.
“I want you to know I know that's bullshit but I'm going to let it go until you're up to talking about what's bugging you!”
She thought he would leave but Trevor instead climbed into bed with her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Am I not allowed to get into my own bed with my fiancé?”
“Of course, I just thought you'd be busy.”
Mila, now face-to-face with Trevor, couldn't avoid his knowing eyes any longer. The second he touched her face the floodgates opened.
“Hey, hey, come here baby, what's on that pretty overly active mind of yours?” he said, pulling her closer as she cried.
“I can't handle this Trevor. I've lost my dream job, I'm dealing with the frigging mafia, I'm trying to enjoy this part of pregnancy, but I can't because I'm under too much pressure, I feel useless and I just don't know what to do.!”
And before she could stop them, or even fully realize what she was saying, the words came flying out like bullets.
“I never felt like this with Mikey.”
Trevor shot up out of bed like he'd been struck by lightning.
“And there it is!”
Trevor was now hurriedly getting his shoes and a heavier shirt.
“Trevor I -”
“No, you know what Mila, I'm sorry my life's so fucking complicated, in case you hadn't noticed I've been having a hard time dealing with it too. I'm sorry I don't come baggage free, but you know what, I can't fight a ghost. I'm not him Mila, I can't be him and I'd have thought maybe by now that I was enough for you as myself, but I guess I was wrong!”
“Trevor!!”
Trevor left the room, slamming the door behind him. She called out for him several more times, but still heard the unmistakable sound of the door to the garage slamming shut, Aunt Ellen and Uncle Sammy calling after him.
Mila sat frozen in her spot, knees pulled up to her chest, before sobbing and rocking back and forth.
“Why? Why the hell would you say that Mila? What have you done?” she thought.
Just then, after a quick knock on the bedroom door, Aunt Ellen and Uncle Sammy rushed in looking panicked.
“Honey, what happened? What's going on?” Aunt Ellen asked
“I ruined it like I ruin everything!”
“Oh baby...”
Giving Uncle Sammy an 'I got this' look over her shoulder, Aunt Ellen wrapped Mila up in her arms as the door softly closed behind Uncle Sammy.
“Now tell me honey, what happened?”
And before she could even stop it Mila was pouring out the entire contents of her soul, or at least the parts that lead her here. Mikey, her family, her friends and the venomous words she had just let escape her lips.
“Oh, baby you've been through so much. I can't believe you've been carrying all that on your shoulders.”
“And now I've lost him, the only thing that has made me feel safe, happy and loved in ages!”
“You haven't lost him honey; I can promise you that.”
“How can you promise that? I've never just thrown Mikey in his face like that.” Mila cried.
“Honey you're under a lot of pressure. All the weight of this attempted takeover thing, having to give up a job you had dreamed of for so long, after finding out it wasn't what you thought, and going through all this while pregnant? Honey it was bound to happen at some point.”
Mila blinked behind her tears, staring at Aunt Ellen with a bewildered look on her face.
“It was?”
“Sweetie, you naturally mentally were trying to protect your own sanity. So, you went to the last place you remembered feeling safe before Trevor. But that doesn't mean you don't love Trevor and he knows that.”
“It doesn't feel like he knows.”
“He knows baby, you’ve just got to give him a little time. He's always been this way. Ever since his Mom died, he's carried this constant fear of rejection.”
“And guess who just added fuel to the fire!”
Aunt Ellen spoke softly as she rubbed circles on Mila’s back. It was the closest thing to maternal comfort she had felt in a very long time.
“Oh, you did no such thing. Mila honey, Trevor loves you more than anything. I've never seen him as happy as he is with you.”
Mila could feel the tears she'd thought had subsided threatening to start all over.
“You know Aunt Ellen, when Mikey died, I figured that part of my life was over. And really, I was okay with that. I hated my life back home in Indiana and this job with PEW was my way out. So, I headed out here, not looking for anything but a job and a place to stay. I knew I'd throw myself into my work and my creativity would, as always, be my outlet.”
She took a deep breath before continuing.
“And then I met Trevor.”
This brought a smile to Aunt Ellen's face
“And before I knew it my whole world got flipped upside down. Everything I was so sure of no longer made sense. Suddenly the idea of being alone, without Trevor, was a terrifying thought. And I...”
“And what honey?” asked Aunt Ellen.
“Dominic Donahue is a very dangerous man. We're dealing with the mafia here, and the thought of someone possibly t
aking that away, taking Trevor away from me, it's just, it's too much. I can't go through that again. Especially not with a baby on the way, a wedding to plan, a house and a life that we've built. I can't lose that.”
“Oh honey, I have known Trevor his whole life. And when Janet died, he built up this wall. So, from the age of 7 on he got very uncomfortable if he felt someone was getting too close. I watched him push away friends, girlfriends, even me at points.”
Aunt Ellen looked down.
“I was beginning to think he'd live the rest of his life in solitude apart from his wrestling. I never saw him open up and give of himself to anyone until you. And not that I need to tell you this but when Trevor loves, he loves with a fierceness that's unmatched. So, trust me, he'll be back.”
She squeezed Mila's hand.
“And if he takes too long, I will have my foot permanently lodged up his behind until hell won't have it anymore!”
Finally, they both let out a laugh, but Mila couldn't help the yawn that came out next.
“You get some rest, trust me when I say, it'll all work out.”
“Thanks Aunt Ellen.”
Mila laid back in the bed as Aunt Ellen left. Looking out the window next to the bed, she quietly whispered to herself, “I guess all I can do now is wait and hope Aunt Ellen is right.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
A nd so, Mila waited and hoped. And waited and hoped. Around midnight she heard him pull into the driveway and get out of the car. But after 10 minutes he still wasn't coming into the bedroom.
Looking out the window of their room, Mila saw Trevor sitting on the porch swing lazily swinging back and forth. Wrapping the robe that matched her pajamas on and slipping into her slippers, she made her way downstairs and out the front door to the porch.
Holding her growing bump, she quietly eased her way onto the porch. Trevor looked up when he heard her.
“Hey” Mila said quietly.
“Hey” he replied.
“Trevor I'm so sorry I -”
Trevor put a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet while simultaneously patting the seat next to him on the swing.
Mila slowly made her way to the swing. The second she sat down Trevor slung his arm around her, pulling her into him tightly as she tucked her feet up under her. She finally let herself relax and rested her head on his shoulder.
Wrestling With Love Page 13
