Tempest Torn

by Nicole Andrews Moore

  Throwing his head back, he laughed. “I’m not that bad.”

  Sitting up she smiled at him. “No, you aren’t, but seriously, what are your plans for the day?”

  Coming over to the bed, Joey sat down on the mattress beside her feet. “Well, I thought we already had a plan. We’re going to hang out and watch movies all day, aside from making or ordering in food. We picked them up last night.”

  “Good.” Marti nodded then hung her head and was quiet for a moment before adding, “I thought things might have changed after last night.”

  Shaking his head, he reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to face him. “Nothing has changed. Tell me what you want for breakfast and I’ll make it or pick it up while you’re in the shower.”

  “Um...eggs, scrambled with cheese. And a cupcake.” She beamed, genuinely happy now that she knew where he stood for the moment.

  “You can’t have cupcakes for breakfast,” he argued.

  “Why not?” Her chin jutted out and she prepared for a full on pout.

  Smirking some, he still contained, “It’s not healthy!”

  Getting on her knees, Marti crawled over to him until her hands were on his shoulders and she was looking him in the eyes. “The same basic ingredients in a cupcake are in croissants and Danishes. Would you be happier if I had asked for one of those or could we just cut the crap and you can bring me home a cupcake?”

  The sides of his mouth twitched. Finally, Joey smiled. “Okay, a cupcake for my cupcake.”

  Leaning over he kissed her forehead before she could react. “What was that for?” she asked.

  “Eh, you were there, looking all cute. So, I kissed you.” He smirked.

  Looking at him sideways, she commented, “Ah, but apparently not cute enough for a lip kiss.” Her words shocked her. She was almost afraid of how Joey would react.

  Reaching out, Joey caught her shoulders. “You want a lip kiss, I’ll give you a lip kiss.” Then he hauled her into his arms, laid her in his lap, bent over and pressed his lips to hers.

  Butterflies. In that moment, her stomach fluttered, her heart beat as rapidly as a hummingbird, and her cheeks flushed. As soon as he righted her, she bounced out of bed and darted for the bathroom door.

  “Too much?” he called after her sounding more than a little bewildered.

  “Too early,” she responded, her back against the door.

  “Do you need me, or do you just want me to go get the food?” His voice sounded closer, like he was just on the other side of the door.

  “Food, please.” Feeling incredibly light headed, she sat down on the toilet lid.

  “Later, cupcake. Don’t overdo.” Then she heard the click of the bedroom door closing behind him. Minutes later, she heard the sound of the truck starting up and driving away.

  Taking his advice, Marti leisurely showered. She even lounged around in the bathroom for a bit to give herself a facial and paint her toes. She had been half listening to see if he was waiting on her, but had heard nothing. To her shock and amazement, when she stepped out of the bathroom wearing only her bathrobe, she found Joey had breakfast laid out on a tray in the center of the bed. There were even a couple of white roses in a vase. Most importantly, there were three different cupcakes right in the center.

  Sighing blissfully, Marti walked out and stood beside the bed. Seconds later, her bedroom door flew open and Joey struggled through carrying her television. Her mouth gaped open. “What are you doing?”

  “There’s no TV in here,” he muttered. Setting it on the top of the dresser, he exited the room again.

  “That’s because I watch it in the living room,” Marti muttered. She could feel the tension returning to her body. How could one man be so wonderful and so infuriating at the same time? Having him around was both a gift and a curse.

  Soon Joey returned, carrying the DVD player with him. She covered her face with her hands as she tried to decide how she was going to explain all of this to him. “But I don’t watch TV in here,” she moaned.

  “You do today, and for now,” Joey asserted. “You need to relax.”

  “Which would be easier to do if you weren’t rearranging my stuff!” she complained.

  “Which is why a bed is better for television and movie viewing.” Joey had been fiddling with plugging everything in and hooking it up. Standing, he slapped his forehead. “Remotes.” He disappeared into the living room again, returning a moment later with them. Finally, he seemed ready to pay attention. “You can relax, watch television, and just fall asleep without having to get up and relocate to the bedroom. You need to lay low for a while. Stop fighting me on this and just enjoy.” He walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her, and studied her face, probably for a reaction. “Okay?”

  “Fine. For now. Because I’d rather eat cupcakes than fight with you.” Marti wiggled away and sat on the bed, already focused on food.

  They ate breakfast in an amicable silence. The extra cupcakes were set on Marti’s nightstand. While he cleared everything, she picked out some comfy clothes for the day. By the time they were ready to settle in for the first movie, she was dressed and exhausted.

  “Another pair of yoga pants?” Joey noted with a grin.

  Rolling towards him on the bed, she laughed. “I take relaxing seriously.”

  “Clearly.” He walked around the bed, kicked off his shoes, and climbed onto the mattress beside her.

  The first movie was loaded. He held the remotes and was about to push play when she finally broke down and initiated a conversation they really needed to have before they had any misunderstandings. “You realize this baby changes nothing between us,” she began casually.

  Setting the remote in his lap, Joey shook his head. “Please, it changes everything between us.” His finger was ready to hit the button and end the conversation, but Marti had more to say.

  “How’s that?” Her eyebrows rose in disbelief.

  Shifting some so he could turn towards her, Joey wore a self-satisfied look. “Well, now you have to forgive me for the sake of our child.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Marti argued. “Says who?”

  “It’s the law.”

  She scoffed at his reasoning. “Your law, maybe. Legally, we don’t have to be together because of a baby.”

  Seeming more serious, Joey shrugged. “Still. We’re having a baby. You must remember when we made him.”

  How could she forget? Naturally that wasn’t the part of the sentence she honed in on. “Him? Now you’ve decided it’s a him.”

  Looking at her incredulously, Joey announced, “Of course it’s a him. What else would we have?”

  “A girl,” she spluttered.

  Raising his hands, he asked, “Why would we have a girl?”

  Laughing, Marti muttered, “Well, we were bound to have one or the other.”

  “And you think we’re having a girl?” Closing his eyes, he shook his head. “Nope. I was built to be a boy daddy. He’ll be a football player, like I was. And baseball in the spring.”

  “You seem to have this all worked out. What happens if he’s not athletic?” Marti stared at him. This wasn’t the conversation she thought they were having.

  “He’ll be athletic. I know it.” Joey leaned back confidently against the pillows.

  She was having a terrible time with his flawed reasoning. “Yeah, well what if he’s a girl!”

  Calmly, he laid a hand on her still perfectly flat belly before delivering his edict. “Nope. It’s a boy.”

  Marti glanced down at his hand on her tummy, completely unconvinced. As much as she relished his touch, she couldn’t allow herself to relax into it. “Right. We’ll see. In the meantime, I still haven’t forgiven you for going back to Finn.”

  Shooting up to a sitting position, Joey let out a guttural yell. “That was weeks ago! I sent her away. We haven’t talked since. Hell, I basically risked any hope for an insurance payout for you!”

  Frowning, she shook
her head. “I’m not talking about that time. I’m talking about a few days ago. The night you never came home.” She swallowed hard. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Again?” he asked, reaching around her to grab for a napkin from the nightstand.

  Sniffling, she grumbled. “It’s the hormones! You know, like the ones that keep you running back to Finn.” Tears ran down her face now. Even the napkin couldn’t keep up.

  “For the last time, I didn’t go to Finn’s.” Joey sighed. “I slept in my truck in the driveway.”

  Her mouth gaped open. The tears slowed. She wanted to believe him.

  “I pulled in after talking to Keely. She was who I ran to. I needed a friend.” He grinned. “I settled for Keely.”

  “She’s your friend,” Marti reminded him. Already she felt better. He wouldn’t lie to her about Keely. This was an alibi she could check if she doubted him.

  “No. She’s definitely your friend.” Joey looked at his hands, rubbed his palms together. “I deserve it. I messed up. But I didn’t mess up that night.” He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before continuing. “When I returned home, I found you and Brantley sitting on the couch talking. You looked...cozy. So I slept in my truck.”

  Her eyes widened. “You must have been freezing!”

  “I was. And uncomfortable. I just thought I’d be more uncomfortable inside with the two of you. Earl woke me up when he arrived for work. We talked a few minutes and then we went to decorate for the Winter Festival.” He shook his head. “This town celebrates everything and I’m in charge of decorating for it. Hell, I have to go decorate for Valentine’s Day before we leave.”

  Leaning back and feeling immensely better about him than she had for a long time, she sighed. “I think it’s nice that the town decorates and celebrates.”

  “I think you’re nice,” Joey teased. “And I’m glad we’re having a baby together.” Hesitantly, he reached over and held her hand.

  She looked at their fingers, intertwined on the bed. It warmed her inside, but also scared the hell out of her. This was a man she could love, she might just love if she could ever let go of the hurt. Scowling, Marti realized it was his own fault she had doubts.

 

  On Monday morning, Marti woke to discover she had once again fallen asleep fully dressed. This time, however, there was one major difference. When she finally started regaining consciousness, she found Joey was in bed with her. He, too, was dressed. From the looks of the television screen, they had fallen asleep while watching a movie. It wasn’t an altogether unpleasant experience. He was wrapped around her, one hand protectively covering her abdomen. He was warm and smelled so inviting. Part of her wanted to turn her head just a few inches so her lips could graze his.

  Shifting slightly, Marti prepared to sneak that kiss when she realized he had woken from her movements. “Oh,” she sighed. The disappointment was evident even in her monosyllabic utterance.

  “Morning, cupcake,” he whispered as though he was afraid to ruin the mood.

  “So any idea how this happened?” Marti asked him evenly.

  Nodding, he admitted, “I’m afraid so.” Joey grinned. “So you fell asleep in my arms.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “I find that hard to believe.”

  Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and started tapping on the screen. “Nope. Totally true. I took a couplie for proof and posted it to my major social media accounts. Figured Keely and Laurel should hear it from me?”

  Marti grabbed her head. It was already positively spinning. “Couplie? Social media? Who are you?”

  Laughing, he set the phone down. “I’m the big tease you let impregnate you, sucka!” He winked at her. “Yeah. No pictures. And it should go without saying that I have no social media. I just thought I’d make you laugh first thing in the morning. How’d I do?”

  “You suck,” she told him bluntly. “You’d have been better off making me breakfast first thing this morning.” Hopping out of bed, Marti turned to wink at him before heading to the bathroom.

  “Don’t suppose you’ll let me join you in there?” Joey asked hopefully.

  “Not a chance, Masters. You’re lucky I fell asleep first or you’d be on the couch.” She grinned as she pulled the door shut.

  Leaping out of bed, he rushed to the door and yanked it open. “Wait!” he shouted.

  Her hands were already on her hips about to pulls her yoga pants down. “I was just about to pee. Pregnant chicks pee a lot.” She paused, waiting for him to leave. When he hadn’t moved for several seconds, she started to growl under her breath.

  “What?” he asked. “Go pee.”

  “This is one of the many things I don’t do with an audience. Get out.” She crossed her arms over her body and tapped her foot angrily at him.

  “Fine, but can I just talk to you about breakfast?” he asked impatiently.

  Softening at the mention of food, her shoulders slumped. “Why didn’t you say so?” Smiling at him, she added, “So talk.”

  Joey’s mouth twitched then he laughed. “Okay, so if I keep showing up and ordering food for us, Laurel and Keely are going to wonder what’s up. I thought maybe we could go one place or the other for breakfast before we head to the doctor.”

  “It’s a good plan,” Marti agreed. “Of course I don’t have an appointment yet, but that’s just semantics.” Glancing past him to the clock on her nightstand, she realized it was almost 8am. “The office will be open by the time I get out of the shower. I’ll call then.”

  True to her word, Marti called the office the moment she finished dressing. Joey was in the shower, so it made it much easier. The situation was uncomfortable enough. The conversation was brief and an appointment was set for ten in the morning. Feeling both better and worse, she headed out to the kitchen to boil some water for a hot tea before they left.

  It didn’t take long for Joey to join her. “What’s the word?” he asked, his face the epitome of concern.

  “Ten. Plenty of time to get breakfast first.” She smiled.

  Walking closer, Joey wrapped his arms around Marti. “It’s going to be fine,” he murmured in her ear.

  The sound of footsteps on the stairs had them backing away from each other fast. “Morning!” Brantley called out happily when he spotted them.

  “Morning,” they responded in unison.

  “I’m kind of surprised to see you. You laid very low yesterday, Marti.” He studied her for a moment. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yup. Just needed some sleep. That kind of thing.” She forced a smile. If she didn’t need the money so badly, she’d be glad to send him packing. Lately, he just annoyed the hell out of her. The whistle of the teakettle announced her water was ready. Turning, she grabbed it, turned off the burner, and poured water into her travel mug.

  “Well, I have a big day. Going to look at more properties,” Brantley announced. Then he looked at her a moment. “I don’t suppose you have time to come with me?”

  Shaking her head, Marti frowned. “I have plans all day today. Maybe some other time.” She wanted to let him down easily, but she never planned to go property hunting with him again. It was exhausting. “If you want company, I could see if Reagan has time to join you. I’m sure she’d love an excuse to get out of the house.” Marti brightened.

  Head tilted to the side, Brantley seemed to be assessing the merit of her suggestion. “I may just do that. Oh, and she gave me her number at the festival, so I’ll call her myself.” He straightened and walked over to the back door. “Have a nice day! I’ll be home for dinner tonight.” Then he shut the door behind him.

  Moving over to the sugar canister on the counter, Marti pulled a spoon from the drawer and started to sweeten her drink before they left. It didn’t take long before she heard Joey sigh. “What’s on your mind?” she asked, suspecting she was going to regret it.

  “Oh goody, we get to make dinner for him tonight. God, I hope he finds a place fast. I don’t know
how long I can handle this guy,” he complained.

  “I get it. Want to know how I cope?” she asked with a lopsided grin.

  Joey stared at her tensely a moment. “Tell me.”

  “I remember how much I need the money.” She shrugged. Nothing magical, pure economics.

  “Well that helps me not at all.” He threw his hands in the air. “Ready? Let’s go.”

  Screwing the top on her mug, she set the spoon in the sink, nodded and headed towards the door. “So, Laurel’s or Keely’s?” she asked as she walked down the steps.

  “The cafe. Laurel kept giving me the suspicious eyes yesterday, but you wanted cupcakes for breakfast and tomato bisque soup with grilled cheese at lunch.” Joey rolled his eyes. “Now I’m public enemy number one again for some reason. I’m hoping she’ll calm down after I produce you in good health.”