by Anne Leigh
I saw that Zander had unpacked my bag because my toiletries were piled neatly in the bathroom.
I brushed my teeth and took a long shower. I felt every muscle in my body was sore. Probably from the flight and this morning's exertions. I smiled at myself.
I truly loved this man. He was so honest, so giving, and so good to me.
I still didn't know how to broach the topic of my pregnancy so I thought I'd wait until tonight.
After the shower, I changed into my linen pants and wore a tank top underneath a light sweater. I had no idea where Zander was. He was probably in training camp.
My phone was blinking; Zander's text came in around 11:48 am.
Training camp til 5. Hotel key on top of the minibar. Later, babe.
I responded with a smiley face so he'd know when I saw his message.
I went to the cafe, grabbed a turkey sandwich and lemonade and read my emails on the phone. I walked lightly after eating and went back inside the hotel when I saw that it was starting to get dark.
I was on the process of changing my clothes when I heard the door open.
"Babe, you in here?" he called.
"Yup, bedroom."
I was in my white bra and pink panty when he saw me.
"I could get used to this view," he said playfully. His eyes were so bright, they sparkled.
"Sedona, babe, don't be offended or anything ok?" he said.
"For what?" I looked up at his face.
"Has Kieran been feeding you burgers or something?" he asked.
"What? Why?" I was adamant. What was he trying to get at?
He looked at me and said, "Well, your stomach kinda looks bigger, like a lot bigger and I haven't seen you, in like, 3 weeks. I'm not saying you're not beautiful or anything because you are. Always.”
"Ohhhh," I said. Realizing that he could see the slight protrusion of my belly. At almost 2 months, my body was showing visible signs of pregnancy.
"About that," I started.
"When were you going to tell me?" his eyes shining. His voice soft.
My thoughts skidded to a halt, "You knew? How? Did Kieran tell you?"
"No, babe. No one told me. This morning I thought you felt different. Your boobs felt bigger,” he grinned, slyly, “At first, I thought I was imagining things so I left it alone. Then, when I unpacked your suitcase, I saw your prenatal vitamins. I got A’s in Biology class, you know."
I stepped closer to him. “I guess I’m the reason they put the fine print in those birth control pills, the 0.01 percent who could get pregnant while on them. These past months have been so hectic. Looking back, I don’t know if I took them the same time, every single time.”
I searched his face, “Are you okay with us having a baby, Zander?”
He sat me on the bed; this time, we were facing each other, "I wanted to wake you up this morning, but I knew you were so tired,” his eyes were filled with gentleness, as he whispered, “I'm going to be a dad."
It was then that I saw the tears falling down on his face.
"If it was possible to love you any more, Sedona, I would. I’m giving you all of me. You own me, babe,” he traced my face tenderly, his breath slightly trembled, “I also know that this isn't part of your plans and it isn't a part of mine, maybe not for another 8 years or so. But it's here now. I couldn't be happier."
"Oh, Zander, I was so worried you'd be upset." My love for this man just grew exponentially. This might not have been the right time for a baby. It was not in my plans. My plan definitely did not have a “B” for Baby right after school. Neither did my plan contain “Z” for Zander. He was the unexpected, the ‘x’ in my equation.
As he sat me on his lap, he brushed the hair off my face and caressed my growing tummy.
"We're going to be okay, babe. Whatever happens, we will deal with it together. Do you trust me?"
I nodded my head, “Yes, I do.”
I trusted him completely. With my mind, my body, my heart. And now, our future.
Epilogue
Kieran
She was going to be alright. After signing off from the video chat with her and Zander, I
breathed a sigh of relief. She was positively glowing; her eyes shone with so much happiness. She said that they were flying back in a couple of days to attend the commencement exercises. All throughout our 30-minute chat, she described how she was feeling better; how she has been spending the past 3 days visiting tourist spots in the city, while Zander was in training camp; and, her visit to the Mall of America to start buying some chic, maternity clothes.
I still couldn’t believe she was pregnant. I joked that who would have thought, out of all our friends, Miss Plan Ahead, was having a baby at 21. She just smiled and glanced at Zander. They were ecstatic about the baby. Her only worry came when she thought about her dad and Zander’s parents; how they would react to the situation. Zander and I reassured her that everything would be okay.
I was happy for them. My best friend deserved the best. Zander was a great guy. I remembered the first time I met him, at the College Sports Awards Night. He looked at her with such longing and heat, like she was the only woman in the room. His eyes never left her. I saw him chatting with other women; but, his eyes were always following her. I overheard Sedona tell Nalee that Zander was a flirt. What she didn’t know was that if she had looked closely, she would have seen that she was only woman that mattered to Zander. And, it has been that way ever since. He made her happy. He brought out the best and the worst in Sedona. He challenged her and she challenged him right back. With Brennan, she stayed in her shell; controlled, reserved. With Zander, she blossomed and thrived; alive, carefree. She looked at him the way I used to look at her.
Sedona thought she knew all my secrets. She did, except for one. A secret that I would always keep from her. A while ago, she asked me if I had ever fallen in love, I shushed her and told her it was blasphemous.
I have fallen in love, once. When I was 11, I met a girl with piercing, violet eyes, who challenged me that she could find the coin I dropped in the pool.
My Letter to All of You
This would not have been possible without these people in my life:
My husband : Thank you for your patience, for all the football advice, and for always supporting my dreams. I know you’ve told me, “Where is your mind today?” countless times while you were trying to tell me that the TV wasn’t working, the food was burnt, and my phone was constantly ringing. Thank you helping me with the formatting when I was going crazy about it. Blame it on Zander and Sedona.
My friends, you know who you are: Thank you for listening to me and going through this crazy journey with me.
My beta readers: Thank you for pointing out why a scene wasn’t good or why I needed to expand on other scenes.
KMS Editing: My wonderful, sweet editor, I owe you for all the commas, the apostrophes, and the semi-colons. I couldn’t have found a more professional editor than you. Any spelling mistakes and grammatical errors after your final edits are on me.
Okay Creations: Thank you for telling me that Sedona needed to be sexier. I insisted on this one girl for the cover and you held your comment and waited for me to figure out that I was wrong. I love the cover!
To my readers: I just want to tell Zander and Sedona’s story. I was a bit selfish to share them with you. But they wanted to let people know about the possibility of falling in love when you least expect it. I enjoyed creating these characters. I hope you enjoy them too. Please be kind enough to leave comments where you purchased my book. You can contact me on FB, Twitter, and e-mail. I would love to hear from you!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.leigh.963.
Twitter: anneleighauthor
E-mail: [email protected]
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