Suddenly a Bride

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  And that made him feel much better about the whole thing.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next evening after dinner, Caitlyn and Chris decided to relax on the couch and watch TV. Her back settled against his chest, and he had his arms around her. Content, she closed her eyes, not paying attention to what was playing on the TV. Instead, she was thinking about her first prenatal doctor visit the next day and wondering how far along she was. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she was glad Chris would be with her.

  “Did you know that most historians believe rock and roll began in 1954?” Chris asked.

  Surprised, she opened her eyes and glanced at him. “What in the world made you say that?” The movie they were watching had nothing to do with rock and roll or the year 1954.

  “I’ve been studying up on music on this world, specifically music history in the United States.”

  Figuring he was curious about Earth, she shrugged. “Okay.”

  “And the 8-track was popular from 1965 to the mid-1970s. In 1935, William Winchell came up with the term disc jockey, and the term first appeared in print in Variety in 1941. Though heavy metal began around 1964 to 1970, Black Sabbath came out with the album that is considered to be true heavy metal in 1970. In September 1983, Rick Dees debuted the Top 40 countdown.”

  Laughing, she turned in his arms so she could get a better look at him. “What have you been doing? Studying up on music trivia or something?”

  “Well…yeah.”

  She brought her hand up to the back of his neck and massaged it. “Are you going to study TV next?”

  He frowned. “Why would I do that?”

  “For the same reason you’re studying music. To learn?”

  “But I don’t need to learn about TV.”

  “How come?”

  He opened his mouth to speak but then smiled. “I thought you might like knowing I am learning about music.”

  Shifting so that she was straddling him, she gave him a kiss. In a lot of ways, he did the cutest things. “I think it’s great that you’re learning new things, but I don’t need you to learn about music. You should study things you’re interested in.”

  “I am interested in music.” With a slight shrug, he added, “Kind of.”

  She chuckled and leaned forward to give him another kiss, this time letting her tongue brush his lower lip. He opened his mouth for her so she could deepen the kiss. Letting out a contented sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer to her. His arms tightened around her waist.

  When the kiss ended, she said, “I don’t think you should be spending time on things you’re ‘kind of’ interested in. You should spend time on things you’re passionate about.” With a wicked grin, she moved her hips. “I miss those pants you used to wear. The ones made of cotton.”

  “You don’t like me in jeans?”

  She couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed like that disappointed him. “To be honest, I could feel you better through the cotton. You know, when you had an erection.” She smiled suggestively and moved her hips again.

  Clearing his throat, he asked, “You don’t like me in jeans?”

  “I didn’t say that. I said I could feel a certain part of you better when you had on the other kind of pants.” By the uncertain look in his eye, she realized he didn’t understand what she meant. Finally, she said, “I want you to wear what you want to wear. As long as you can take the pants off, that’s all that matters.”

  He frowned. “Do you just want me for sex?”

  She giggled. “What?” She couldn’t remember the last time she heard anything more absurd!

  He released his hold around her waist and said, “I’m not in the mood.”

  “Not in the mood? Since when have you not been in the mood?”

  “Is sex all you think about? I mean, there are other things we could do.”

  Blinking, she struggled to figure out what was going on. She couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or embarrassed. “Chris, is there something wrong?”

  After a long moment, he said, “I just don’t feel like talking about it, alright?”

  Reluctant, she got off of him and sat on the other side of the couch. She wasn’t sure what she could say. Something was obviously bothering him, but if he didn’t want to talk about it, then there was little she could do to make him. “I won’t bother you about having sex. If there’s anything you want to talk about, I’ll listen.” Giving him a tentative glance, she added, “Okay?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Okay.”

  She watched the TV for ten minutes when he stood up and went to the bedroom. As much as she wanted to follow him and insist he tell her what was going on, she thought better of it. He was new to this world and didn’t understand the nuances involved in being in a relationship so she’d give him time to get comfortable with talking to her about his problems.

  Another ten minutes past before she decided to turn off the TV and read a book, preferring to lose herself in a romance novel than to watch a suspense movie. The movie had been his idea, and if he wasn’t going to finish it, she saw no reason to.

  She made decent progress in the book when it was time to go to bed. Unsure of what to expect, she went to the bedroom and opened the door to find that Chris was already asleep. Well, maybe that was his problem. He could be tired. Or maybe something was going on at work that was stressing him out. With a shrug, she got into her nightclothes and noticed her silky shorts were a little snug around the waist.

  There was no way the doctor was going to believe she was supposed to be a month along in her pregnancy. She didn’t know when a woman started getting thicker around the waist, but she knew it wasn’t this soon. It was weird to realize she was really carrying a child, and in some ways, it didn’t seem real yet. She supposed that would change when the baby started kicking.

  She glanced at a sleeping Chris and smiled. So he was having an off day? Everyone was entitled to one of those once in a while. She slipped into bed next to him and snuggled up to him. In his sleep, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. Smiling, she soon fell asleep.

  ***

  The next afternoon, Chris got ready to get off work early, and on his way out, he stopped by Mark’s cubicle where he was finishing his diagram of the jet’s engine.

  “Hey Mark,” Chris greeted.

  Mark looked up from his project. “What’s up?”

  In a low voice, he asked, “What are you doing Sunday?”

  “Nothing. Why?”

  “Well, Caitlyn’s mom is planning a wedding to surprise Caitlyn, and she said I need a best man. She suggested Andy, but I told her I’d ask you. There’s a wedding rehearsal this Sunday at two. Can you come?”

  “Sure. When is the actual event?”

  “Next Saturday at one. Caitlyn doesn’t know. Sandy’s going to take her there. Both Caitlyn and Sandy think they’re going to a concert.”

  “You mean Sandy doesn’t know?”

  “Not according to Caitlyn’s mom. Her mom thinks Sandy will ‘spill the beans’ if she knew, whatever that means. I don’t see what the wedding has to do with beans.”

  Mark chuckled. “That’s an expression. It means to tell someone what’s going on.”

  “Oh.” In that case, it made sense. Caitlyn wouldn’t be surprised if Sandy told her.

  “So you want me to be at the rehearsal and wedding?”

  Chris nodded. “If that’s okay?”

  “Sure. I’ll be there. It’s actually good. I’d like to know how people on Earth get married, at least in this culture.”

  “All I’m learning so far is that it’s expensive,” Chris muttered.

  “Oh yeah. They can run up to $10,000.”

  “Are you kidding? So far, it’s been more like $35,000.”

  Mark’s jaw dropped. “What are you going to spend $35,000 on?”

  Chris’ watched beeped. “I have to go. Caitlyn’s first prenatal visit is in half an
hour.”

  “Let me know what happens.”

  “I will. I’ll tell you where the rehearsal is at tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Chris left the building and went to his car. He had mixed feelings on his way to the doctor’s office. On one hand, he wanted to be with Caitlyn and see how her pregnancy was progressing, but on the other, he couldn’t help but wonder if she secretly wished he was Randy. He tried being like Randy, but it didn’t seem to work. Looking like Randy and taking an interest in music didn’t seem to impress her. It had to have impressed her when Randy did it. Something Randy did or said impressed her enough so she fell in love with him, but Chris had no idea what that could possibly be.

  And to make matters worse, she didn’t say anything about getting their picture taken. He kept waiting for her to bring it up again since she’d mentioned it that day they went to see her family. Did she mean it when she said it? Maybe she forgot. There was a lot going on with buying a house and getting ready for the arrival of their baby. He had to give her some slack in this area. But it hurt. After all, she still kept some of Randy’s things, including his pictures. He rubbed his chest again, wondering if he should just go see a doctor and find out what was going on.

  By the time he reached the medical center, he saw Caitlyn’s minivan so he parked next to it. When he got out of the car, she was walking over to him with a big smile on her face.

  “How are you feeling today?” she asked, brushing a wisp of hair from her eyes. “I didn’t get a chance to see you before you went to work. I must have slept through the alarm or something.”

  “No. I turned it off before it went off. I saw no reason to disturb you.”

  She ran her hand up his arm, an action which only served to further arouse him. “Is everything okay?”

  He wasn’t sure what to say so he shrugged. “I guess. Are you ready to see the doctor?”

  “Sure.” As they walked toward the entrance, she added, “I have to admit that I’m nervous.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I’ve never been to a prenatal appointment before. I don’t know what to expect.”

  Noting the uncertainty in her voice, he reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. They do this all the time on this planet.”

  “True. I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Really?” He studied her smile.

  “Really. Hey, I made an appointment at the photographer this morning. I hope you don’t mind if we have to be there at 5:30 on Monday. I have to work on Saturday, so I can’t do it then.”

  He paused right outside the entrance and smiled. “You mean, we’ll get a picture taken? One with you and me?”

  She chuckled. “You act like you’re surprised. I mentioned it at my parents’ house.”

  “Well, yeah. But I thought you forgot since you didn’t mention it again.”

  “No, I didn’t forget. I’ve just been preoccupied with the house and eating all the time.”

  Feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. She felt heavenly against him, her body molding nicely to his. Still smiling, he said, “I’ll be there on Monday.”

  “Good. It’ll be nice to hang it up in our new home. Then when the baby comes, we’ll have his or her picture next to it. Oh, I hope you don’t mind wearing one of your suits when we get the picture done? I have a nice dress I want to wear, and I don’t want you wearing a t-shirt and jeans.”

  “Oh, sure. I can wear a suit.” He couldn’t imagine wearing something as sloppy as a t-shirt and jeans to get his picture taken. A picture was much too important.

  She glanced at her watch. “We better get going. We don’t want to be late.”

  His mind turning back to the appointment, he nodded and opened the door so she could enter the building. He followed her inside and let her lead the way to the doctor’s office.

  They waited for ten minutes before the nurse called them back into one of the rooms. He wondered what the doctor needed to do. It wasn’t like the baby would be born today, but he stood next to Caitlyn while the nurse checked Caitlyn’s heartbeat, pulse, and temperature. He had no idea what that had to do with the baby but decided to keep quiet on the matter.

  When the nurse measured Caitlyn’s abdomen, she frowned. “Let me try it again.”

  Caitlyn gave Chris a look that told him she wasn’t surprised.

  The nurse shook her head again when she saw the result of the measurement. “Are you sure about the date of your last period?”

  Caitlyn looked like she was ready to answer, paused, shrugged, and said, “No.”

  The nurse breathed a sigh of relief. “Good because I was beginning to think I was losing my mind. You’re measuring at fourteen weeks. The doctor will probably want to do a quick ultrasound to get a better picture of what’s going on.” She patted Caitlyn’s shoulder. “We’ll get this straightened out. In the meantime, let’s see if we can find a heartbeat.”

  Chris watched in fascination as the nurse spread the gel on Caitlyn’s abdomen before she ran the fetal doppler over it. Nothing happened at first except for a weird swishing sound, and Chris started to wonder if that was it when a galloping sound came through.

  “Is that it?” Caitlyn asked.

  The nurse smiled. “Yep. The baby sounds healthy.”

  Chris had to fight back the urge to cry since it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard and knowing he had a hand in creating the tiny life growing inside Caitlyn’s womb was an amazing experience. On his world, nothing like this was possible. Sure, they created babies in labs, but it was cold and impersonal. This way was much better. He quickly wiped his eyes and squeezed Caitlyn’s hand.

  The nurse wiped the gel off of Caitlyn’s abdomen, marked the heartbeat rate into the chart, and left.

  Caitlyn sat up and sighed. “I suppose future visits will show me further along than I should be. I can only imagine what the nurse’s reaction will be next time I come here.”

  “You think she’ll be upset?” he softly asked.

  She chuckled. “Stunned. She’ll probably assume her measurements were off this time.”

  “That’ll upset her, won’t it?”

  “I can’t help how she reacts. Anyway, at least the baby’s heartbeat is healthy. That’s the important thing.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “We can find out if it’s a girl or boy before I give birth, you know.”

  “Can we?”

  She nodded. “Do you want to know or do you want to be surprised?”

  “I’d like to know. But what about you?”

  “I want to know. It helps to figure out what kind of clothes to buy.”

  “You don’t want to be surprised?”

  “It’s tempting, but I think I’ll go the more practical route.”

  “But isn’t being surprised more romantic?”

  Smiling, she shook her head. “I don’t know what knowing the gender of the baby has to do with romance.”

  “No. I mean, in general. Your mom said women like to be surprised.”

  She frowned. “My mom hasn’t been bugging you, has she? When I was going out with Randy, all she ever did was hound him about getting a better job. Then when I married him, she said we better not have children until he was more secure. It drove me crazy.”

  He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear about Randy or not but wanted to know more about her relationship with her mother. It seemed to him every time her mother was involved in something, she hated it. “So, whenever your mom talked about Randy getting a better job, it drove you crazy?”

  “Yeah. He took it all in stride. Nothing ever bothered him. And you know, it wasn’t even her business whether or not we had children.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” he agreed. “It’s not like she was there when you conceived our child.”

  “Exactly.” She sighed and held his
hands. “Chris, there’s more to why I didn’t want to tell my mom I was pregnant than her assuming we were fooling around before we got married. She’ll assume that anyway when I give birth before our nine month anniversary.” She paused and took a deep breath. “You see, I was pregnant while I was married to Randy. I didn’t tell her right away because I knew she’d harp about his job again, but when I miscarried, it didn’t matter so she never knew. I don’t want to tell her I’m pregnant this time until I’m sure I won’t miscarry.”

  “Miscarry?” he asked.

  “The baby never survived to be born.”

  His jaw dropped. “That happens on this planet?”

  “It happens a lot more than most people think. Chris, I’m glad we’re having a baby.”

  He squeezed her hands. “Me too.”

  Women on his world thought having babies was a burden, so to hear Caitlyn say she was happy with the prospect of being a mother thrilled him to no end. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. He had intended for the kiss to be short and sweet, but her lips parted, encouraging him to explore her mouth and he was more than happy to comply. His tongue brushed hers and he let out a contented sigh before he deepened the kiss.

  When the kiss ended, she took his hands in hers. “I love you.”

  “You do? Really?” he whispered, thinking he might be dreaming.

  “I know. We haven’t been together that long, but when you know, you know. You know?”

  His smile grew wide and he thought his heart might burst from happiness. He brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them. “I love you, Caitlyn. I loved you from the moment I saw you in the diner. I’m glad the agency sent me to you.”

  “Me too.”

  A knock on the door made him end the kiss. Blushing, he quickly thought of some math equations and was relieved when his erection went away.

  Caitlyn settled back on the table and called for the doctor to enter.

  The door opened, and the female doctor entered the room. “Hello. I’m Dr. Keeting.”

  “Caitlyn.” She shook the doctor’s hand. “This is my husband, Chris.”