by Amy Marie
“He never said that. It’s all my thinking. I just don’t know what his reasons are. He says that we’ve grown apart.” She throws her hands up as her voice gets louder. “What does that even mean?”
I pull her back into my arms and her head drops onto my shoulder. “I don’t know. I wish I knew. I’m sorry. Does mom know?”
She nods a ‘yes’ and we just sit in silence for a little while.
She sniffles, wiping her last remaining tears and smirks at me. “So what about Trent and Noelle, huh?”
“I know. Talk about a soap opera. I’m not getting in the middle of it.” I giggle. “The two of them have been in love with each other forever but neither of them wants to make the first move. They are both so head strong that it probably will never happen. Or if it does it will be the undoing of both of them.”
“I can totally see that.” She sniffles. “Let’s get back in there.”
After she cleans herself up we head back into the living room to try and enjoy the rest of the night. With Trent gone the tension seems to have left as well.
Everyone, except Walker and Chase, leaves with hugs and kisses. All three of us watch as Noelle breaks out the Resolve and immediately begins scrubbing and bitching about each stain on the carpet. I’m going to hear about this for days.
Walker sits with me on the couch. It’s been a long day. Pulling my feet up onto his lap he starts to massage them, telling me how much he can’t wait for our vacation. Once Noelle is done scrubbing the carpet and putting everything back just how she likes it, she leads Chase to her bedroom. It’s going to be a long night.
The walls in Noelle’s room begin to rattle and I almost feel bad for all the times she has had to listen to Walker and me when we were intimate. With the TV turned up to block out her moans, I barely hear the doorbell when it rings. Walker gently places my legs down heading to the door. He opens it and finds Trent.
“I forgot my phone. I waited until I dropped Jason off at Alex’s parent’s house before I came back.” He brushes past Walker retrieving it from the entertainment stand and turns to me. “Listen. I’m really sorry.”
Just then a thumping noise intrudes on our conversation as Noelle’s screams of pleasure radiate outward towards the living room. I watch Trent’s eyes dilate. He’s instantly furious. His fists are balled up so tightly I can see the whites of his knuckles. This time he throws his phone across the room shattering it against the wall.
“FUCK!” He screams so loud that the banging comes to a halt.
He storms out of the house slamming the door so hard that my picture of Jason falls off the wall, glass shattering.
Pissed I run to the door, flinging it open and yell out to him. “Unless you tell her and she doesn’t reciprocate then quit acting like an asshole!”
I can slam doors too!
Walker chuckles behind me and I spin around giving him a glare. His deep sexy voice replaces his laughing and I can’t help but smile.
“Feel like showing me how thankful you are for me in the bedroom.” His eyebrows wiggle up and down suggestively.
I reach my hand out to his and lead him to my room. As I hit the entrance to my room Noelle’s door flies open. She stands there looking like a sexed up Greek goddess with a sheet draped around her body.
“What the fuck was that?” She asks.
“Oh, just the blind trying to lead the blind,” I say aggressively dragging Walker into my room. “Hey Noe, Trent left some glass for you to clean up.”
~~
The next morning Walker’s side of the bed is empty. I know he promised to help Derek with some home improvement project this morning but I was hoping he would wake me. He never does making sure I get my baby sleep. There is a Tupperware container on his nightstand, and a white note with my name in his handwriting on top of it. Opening the letter quickly, I read what he has written.
My adoring Erin. I didn’t want to wake you. Today is Friday and you know what that means? Yup. Inside you will find your weekly reminder of how big Savannah is currently. The 26th week is not as sexy as the banana but I could use them as tie ups if you like. I will see you tonight. Have a great day. I love and adore you.
Walker
I pop open the sealed container finding uncut scallions. I pick them up turning them around in my hands and laugh.
God I love this crazy man.
“Oh my God, that feels amazing,” Noelle moans. “Yes, oh god yes, right there. Don’t stop! Deeper.”
“Noe, seriously. We’re in public.” I laugh at her. I don’t know why I bother. She doesn’t care who hears what she has to say, inappropriate or not.
“But this feels so damn good, Erin. I want to take her home with me.” She winks at the short and cute little woman who joins in my laughter while continuing to give Noelle’s feet a deep massage.
Walker not only bought me a visit to the salon but has Noelle’s hands and feet getting polished as well. I don’t know where he gets all this money from. He pays more each month for his apartment than I do and has a lower salary than me since he is a first year teacher. When I ask how he can afford the vacation, all the dinner dates, maternity clothes, and baby items he has been stock piling he just tells me that he was born to spoil his girls. I drop it. It’s not any of my business...at least not right now.
“So,” Noelle drags me from my thoughts lightly slapping my shoulder. “Have you and Walker talked about the future?”
Her blue eyes sparkle when she talks about Walker and me. She is constantly saying how much she loves the two of us together because he makes me happy. I am happy. We’ve had so many road blocks and right now it seems that the highway is clear.
The only issue currently is that he hasn’t been around as much lately. We still usually meet up at one or the other’s house at night but we aren’t attached at the hip as much as before. He’s been taking calls in the other room and having to run errands almost every day. I try not to think the worst. I’m really working on proving I trust him. He just isn’t making it easy.
“What do you mean?” I pick up my decaf hot tea from the cup holder glancing at her.
“You know what I am talking about Erin. You two are doing great and you are going to have his baby in three months. You must have talked about living arrangements with him or marriage even. I don’t know. Just something more than what you are doing now.”
“We haven’t really. I think he is just trying not to push too much. In the beginning it seemed like he didn’t want to leave me with any choices and now he is giving me space,” I say shrugging my shoulders like it’s not a big deal.
“Is that what you want?”
“No.” I answer too quickly but this actually has been on my mind. I know I need to fight for what I want but I’m too shy to tell him I want to move in together and I don’t know how Noelle would react. We both own our house. “I want to move further in our relationship.”
“How far, Erin? Marriage?”
She grabs my hand when I don’t answer. I am too stunned to form a response. I was with Robert for four years before I even considered marrying him. Four months with Walker and I would marry him in a heartbeat. How is that possible?
“Erin?” She raises her voice a bit, pulling her feet out of the foot tub and turning to me. “Erin. It’s ok to want to marry him. I know that feeling must be scary but anyone can see the two of you belong with each other.”
“It’s only been a few months, Noelle. How can I love him so much already that I would drop everything if he asked me to fly to Vegas?” A tear falls down my cheek and I catch it before it hits my leg feeling completely stupid.
“Because he is the one!” She squeezes my hand getting me to look at her. “Don’t let your feelings for him scare you. I know he feels the same. I see it every time he watches you across the room or when you fall asleep watching TV. Just talk to him. You can’t tell me you don’t think he wants the same things as you?”
“What about you? What if we want to move i
n together?” My palms get sweaty just thinking about not living with her anymore. We’ve spent the better part of nine years being roommates. She has been the only constant in my life in a world of so many changes. Good and bad.
“Then do it,” she nonchalantly declares placing her feet back into the warm water.
“Just like that you would want me to leave you?”
“Are you kidding? I don’t want you to leave. I need you too.” My narrowed eyes must show her how upsetting that statement is because she decides to clarify. “Listen. Over the past decade I have watched you date some pretty shitty men. Robert was just the crappy icing on the shit cake. I saw you devastated over your dad, your lost baby with Robert, his cheating and this past summer when you thought it was you against the world. Your life has been full of loss and now when I see you with Walker I know that you are done with all of that nonsense. It’s time for you to start living and it starts with Walker. He is so good for you Erin. You need to move in with him because you need to be happy.”
“I love you Noelle.” I drag my newly painted toes away from my pedicurist, Jasmine, and stand up to embrace her.
“Ok, now enough with the girly shit. Sit down,” she laughs looking down at my toes. “And now she is going to have to fix your polish.”
I look at my toes and see turquoise smeared all over my toes. “Shit.”
“Damn it!” Jasmine yells causing Noelle and I to hysterically laugh.
~~
Our day of pampering came to an end and I had to tip Jasmine extra due to the mess I created. We had lunch at Lou Malnati’s before we went home.
As Noelle pulled into the driveway the car jolted forward when she slammed on the breaks.
“What the hell!” I yell grasping at my belly. I’m 30 weeks now and I don’t think stopping short is the best for me or Savannah.
“That stupid mother fucking ASSHOLE!” She screeches out throwing the car into park and jumping out.
I look up and spot the object of her rage. Robert is standing on our porch.
I jump out as quickly as my big belly will allow and try to diffuse the situation. I’m too late. By the time I reach them Noelle has successfully slapped him across the face and is on her way to doing it again. Robert stops her hand mid swing but she recovers by kneeing him in the groin.
“Leave asshole! You thought Walker hit hard wait until you feel what I have for you.” She yells at his curled up form on the ground. “You low life piece of shit. She deserved so much better and it took you being a cheating bastard for her to get that. Get the fuck off my property.”
“Noe, stop! I think he’s had enough.” I almost laugh at the fetal position he is in. What a little wuss.
“A little bitch slappin’ does a cheater good, Erin.” Noelle kicks him one more time before stepping over his body and opening our front door.
Robert groans in pain at my feet and this time I laugh, duplicating Noelle by stepping over him and into the house.
“I just want to talk to you Erin. Please.”
“Come on in when you can walk,” I say without a backwards glance.
I waddle in to find Noelle holding a bottle of tequila in her hands. “Drinking already?” I ask amused.
“Oh, no. This is for me to throw at dickweed out there.” Her face is dead serious so I walk over taking the bottle out of her hand.
“He said he wants to talk. Didn’t you say you needed to take a shower?” I’m not sure having them both in the room for an extended period of time is a good idea.
“Nope. I’m staying here until he leaves. Anything that prick has to say to you he can say in front of me.”
I leave it alone. I wouldn’t win the argument anyways. She knows everything and she is right. Anything he has to say I will just tell her when he leaves.
A few minutes later Robert walks in eyeing Noelle to make sure she doesn’t attack him again.
“I won’t touch you anymore. I’ve had my fill of nastiness for the day. But I swear if you make her cry or touch her I will murder you. Blood all over my floor or not.” The seething anger radiates off of her skin. She snatches the tequila back, taking a shot straight from the bottle, and sits at the kitchen table.
I don’t think she is kidding.
I can’t fathom why I want to hear what he has to say. The last time he was here I ended up in the hospital. It wasn’t his fault but I’m sure the stress of him being here and the mean things he said contributed to my anxiety. I’m hoping he is here only to apologize.
Pouring myself a glass of lemonade I sit on the recliner, far away from Robert, who sat on the couch. Silence fills the air and Noelle’s heavy breathing is the only thing I can hear. She must be irate. I feel bad. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him in here.
“I’m so sorry.” Robert finally breaks into the quiet looking at where Savannah is happily moving around.
A quick “psh” comes from behind me and Noelle is now busily tapping away on her phone.
“Sorry? For what? The cheating? The terrible comments you made the last time you were here?” My eye brows rise in anticipation of what he will say next.
“Shit Erin.” His hands run through his slightly longer hair. “Everything. Every damn thing. But what I’m the sorriest about is what I said to you about our baby.”
“THAT IS NOT YOUR BABY!” Noelle shrieks making me jump.
“No. I know this one isn’t mine but what I said about the baby we lost. I didn’t mean it.” His head drops into his hands and he lets out a loud sigh.
“Why are you apologizing?” I sip my lemonade casually letting him know that it means nothing to me. He hurt me and I can forgive but I will never forget. What he did lead me to the greatest things in my life but I will not thank him or forget the hurt I experienced because of it.
“Anna left me.” His brown eyes look sad. I don’t give a shit.
“So what? You want me back now?” I snort. “Not happening. I have a real man now. One that I know would never hurt me the way you did. One who I put my faith and trust into and know, for a fact, would never betray that. He knows what he has. You never did.”
“No. It’s not that. I just...she wanted to work things out with her husband. She never was going to leave him for me. Not that I blame her. What good can come from a relationship of two cheaters? A lot of mistrust. I can’t even tell you how sorry I am for what I did. I should have talked to you when I thought things were going downhill. Maybe we could have fixed it, or maybe we could have gone our separate ways and still been friends. I don’t know. I just know that I will never forgive myself for what I did to you.” He stands looking towards Noelle and then the door. “I should go.”
“Oh, don’t leave on my account Robert. Feel free to stay about five more minutes.” A devious smile crosses her lips and I know she had to have been texting Walker.
He looks at me confused but I’m not wasting any time. “You should probably go. I can guarantee in five minutes you won’t be happy you stuck around.”
I’m pushing on Robert’s back while Noelle cackles and just as he reaches for the door knob it swings open to over six feet of sexy anger. If looks could kill Robert would be dead on the floor right now. Walker immediately grabs a hold of Robert’s jacket and lifts.
“Walker, stop! He was just leaving,” I yell out.
At the same time Noelle yells, “Kick his ass.”
“No!” I say and Walker gently places Robert back down. Like a cockroach he scurries out of the house and to his car.
“What the hell was he doing here Erin? Are you ok?” Strong arms wrap around me careful not to squeeze me too tight. His soft gentle kisses are placed on top of my head.
“She’s fine. Asshat just wanted to apologize and say that Anna left his sorry ass,” Noelle’s fading voice calls from down the hall. “I’m going to shower now that the show is over. What a letdown.”
“Seriously, I’m fine. I promise. You can go home now. I don’t want you to be too tired for our flight
tomorrow.” I look up and kiss the bottom of his chin.
“My stuff is already packed up. I’m staying here tonight. Now go shower so I can get you dirty again.” He turns me around and pushes me gently forward with a slap on my ass.
“Hey!” I try to sound offended.
“Now woman!” And with that he turns to head back outside. I just hope Robert is gone.
~~
The shower felt fantastic. The oil they used on my back during the massage was starting to stick. Towel drying my hair I walk into my bedroom with only one of Walker’s Chicago Bears shirts on.
“I don’t think you’ve looked sexier. Come here.” His arm reaches out for me and like a magnet I am drawn to him.
He lovingly pulls the shirt up exposing my bare chest and pink lacey thong. Since I’ve gotten bigger I have been wearing cuter underwear. I feel huge and they make me feel pretty.
“These are sexy,” he says rubbing his hands behind me to caress my ass.
A whimper escapes me with how good that feels.
He pushes himself back so he is sitting in the middle of the bed. “Grab that bag on your nightstand and come sit in front of me,” he softly commands.
I grab the white bag and peek inside. It’s a bottle of coconut lotion. “What’s this for?” I ask, sliding across the bed so that my back is to his front.
“Well,” he says, taking the bottle from me. “You are thirty one weeks and I thought I would do something different. My book says that Savannah is the size of a coconut. Knowing you don’t like the taste, I decided to get some lotion and massage it into you. Now, I know you had one today but I hope they didn’t give you the kind I plan on.”
Small, soft kisses run up and down the back of my neck causing my heart beat to quicken. My masseuse today was amazing but not nearly as amazing as when Walker touches me.
The sound of lotion coming out of the bottle has me giggling but once he places his hands on my shoulder all humor is gone. His touch is gentle and precise, hitting every single erotic zone on my body.
