Trophy Wife

by Bethany Lopez

  “For?”

  Summer looked at me nervously and said, “My period.”

  I’m embarrassed to say it took a few beats for me to connect the dots, and when I did, all I said was, “Oh!”

  Wow, she thinks she could be pregnant? I momentarily lost the ability to breathe at the possibility.

  “Yeah, oh,” she said, with a light laugh. “Like I said, I don’t know anything for sure, but I did bring a few tests with me so that we can find out together, if you want.”

  My brain was scrambling to catch up, while my stomach was churning, and my heart started yearning. A million emotions ran through me all at once, but the one that was prevalent? Hope.

  “A few?” I asked, wondering why we’d need more than one.

  “Yeah. Sometimes there’s a false negative, or positive. So, I figured if I took three, we could go with the majority. Of course, we will find out for sure for sure, at the doctor tomorrow.”

  “Great, what do we need to do?”

  “Well, I need to pee on a few sticks. All you have to do is hold my hand while we wait for the results.”

  “I can do that,” I assured her, then took her hand and led her to the bathroom to do just that.

  33

  Summer

  I shut the bathroom door and rushed to the toilet to throw up.

  Ugh, how embarrassing. It’s bad enough Noah is going to be waiting on the other side of the door while I pee on a stick, but now he got to listen to me vomit as well … There goes the mystery.

  If I was pregnant, I knew he’d be witness to a whole lot more, so I tried not to let it bother me too much.

  We’re all human, right? And bodily functions are a part of life.

  Still, as I rinsed my mouth out in the sink and opened the pregnancy tests and laid them all out on the back of the toilet, I wished we’d had a little bit longer together with the mystery.

  With a glance at the door, I sat down and did what I had to do, then placed each stick on top of a box and finished up before opening the door to find Noah pacing the hallway.

  “You okay?” I asked, noting the panicked look in his eyes.

  “Mm-hm, I’m good. You?” he asked, moving to stand right in front of me. “Want me to go get the crackers?”

  I flushed at the knowledge that he’d definitely heard the puking.

  “No, thanks, I’m okay right now.”

  He nodded profusely, and asked, “So how long do we wait?”

  “About three minutes.”

  “Okay. Okay. Okay.” Noah muttered, lifting his arm to presumably set a timer on his watch.

  I bit my cheek to keep from laughing. It wasn’t a funny situation by any means, but Noah was just so adorable I couldn’t help myself.

  “How are finals going?” I asked, hoping to distract him.

  “Good, only a couple more this week and we will be wrapping up this semester,” he said absently, his eyes never leaving his watch.

  After a few seconds of silence, I felt the need to fill the space and said, “I saw Margo and Whitney earlier. They’re both doing good.”

  “Oh, yeah? That’s nice.”

  “Noah,” I prompted.

  “Huh?” he asked, still not looking up, then said, “Three minutes is a really long time.”

  “When you’re watching the clock it is,” I joked, putting my hand on his arm. “Hey.”

  Noah glanced at me with unfocused eyes.

  “It’s going to be okay … either way.”

  His expression cleared and he gave me a small smile as he let out a breath.

  “Yeah, it will be.” Then his alarm sounded, and he shouted, “It’s time!” making me jump and press my hand to my heart.

  We walked into the bathroom and stood side by side as we both bent slightly to look down at the three tests.

  Three plus signs stared back at us.

  We both sank down to the floor.

  “That’s pretty definitive,” Noah said softly.

  “I’d say so,” I agreed. “Of course, tomorrow we will know for sure…”

  “But we kind of know for sure right now.”

  “Yup.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes and as I really thought about it, about the fact I was pregnant and going to have a baby, something I had wanted for years, excitement started to grow inside of me.

  “Oh my gosh,” I said, covering my mouth as I let out a startled laugh. “I’m going to have a baby!”

  “Me, too!” Noah exclaimed, and we turned to look at each other.

  “Holy Toledo,” I said, which made him laugh.

  “A family,” he said.

  I let out an exaggerated breath as my mind began to spin.

  “Okay … okay. I have money saved for a place, so I can move before the baby comes. I don’t want her to grow up in that apartment. She should have a yard … oh, we can get a dog!”

  “Wait,” Noah said, holding up a hand. “I have room here. You should move in with me. I have a yard, and room for a dog. That way we would be together … to raise her together. It’s perfect.”

  I blinked and stared at him, because seriously … this man.

  “You are so sweet, but we probably shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, right?” I asked gently. “We’re excited, but we do have time to figure this out. Let’s go to the doctor and find out for sure before we worry about what comes next. Okay?”

  “Yeah, sure, of course … just putting it out there,” Noah said, running a hand through his hair. “I want you to know it’s an option. That I’m in this, one-thousand percent. I love you and I want us to be a real family.”

  “I love you, too,” I said, crawling over to get in his lap.

  He bent his head and gave me the sweetest kiss I’ve ever felt. It was full of love and promise, and pure joy.

  Pulling back slightly, he whispered against my lips, “I’m really happy.”

  “Me, too,” I whispered back, then bridged the gap and kissed him again.

  A phone started ringing in the other room and I recognized my ringtone.

  “It’s probably Whit or Margo, they knew we were going to take a test and are probably dying to know the results.”

  Noah helped me up off the floor and asked, “So, we’re telling people? I’ve got to call my parents.”

  I paused and asked, “Should we wait? Is it bad to tell people this early?”

  “It’s never bad to share joy with the people you love,” he replied.

  I stepped toward him, fisted my hand in his shirt, and urged him down for another kiss.

  “I really do love you.”

  34

  Noah

  I held my breath as I waited, trying to keep my attention focused on the monitor and ignore the fact the doctor was using a vaginal ultrasound to see the baby.

  We’d gotten confirmation via blood work that Summer was indeed pregnant and had promptly made an appointment with an OB doctor. Luckily, my sister-in-law, Jamilla, had given us a recommendation for an OB clinic she’d used and loved, and we were able to get right in.

  Suddenly, a bubble with a large head inside of it popped on the screen, and my heart stopped.

  Then the doctor pressed a button and the room filled with a whooshing sound.

  “That’s the baby’s heartbeat,” she said with a smile.

  I squeezed Summer’s hand in mine, not even bothering to fight back the tears that threatened.

  “It’s beautiful,” Summer said, quietly weeping.

  “Amazing,” I agreed.

  “It looks like you’re about six weeks along, so it’s early yet, but everything looks great. I’ll print out some pictures for you.”

  “Thank you,” I said, unable to tear my eyes from the screen.

  “So much,” Summer added.

  “I’ll leave you to get dressed,” the doctor said, leaving the monitor on so it was frozen on the picture of the baby.

  As Summer got up and put her clothes on, I found myself mesmerized b
y that fuzzy screen.

  “Such a miracle,” I mused.

  “Isn’t it?” Summer said, coming up behind me and wrapping her arms around my waist. “I can’t believe I’m growing an actual human being in my body.”

  “Such a gift.”

  She rested her cheek briefly against my back and said, “Ready?”

  I nodded and we left the room to go make our next appointment before leaving the clinic.

  “Do you mind if we stop by my parents’ house on the way?” I asked, once we were in the car.

  “Of course not,” she replied.

  My parents were both thrilled at the prospect of being grandparents again and my mother in particular had been dying for me to bring Summer by.

  Fifteen minutes later, we were parking in my parents’ driveway.

  “They are going to love these photos,” I said excitedly as I opened the passenger door and helped Summer out.

  Before we made it up the walkway to the door, it swung open and my parents both came barreling out.

  “There she is,” my father said boastfully, moving to take Summer in for a bear hug.

  “Hi,” Summer managed.

  “Don’t suffocate the poor girl,” my mom said, patting him on the back and then pulling Summer into her arms once she was free. “Oh, Summer, you precious woman.”

  Summer looked slightly embarrassed, and I hoped also pleased, at my parents’ affection and enthusiasm.

  “Come inside,” my mother said, not completely letting Summer go by tucking her arm through Summer’s. “How does some tea sound?”

  “Wonderful, thank you,” Summer replied.

  My father fell into step beside me as we followed them into the house.

  “Your mother is beside herself at the prospect of another grandchild,” he told me in a hushed tone.

  “I know. She’s been sending me pictures of baby clothes and links to cribs. She’s going off the rails,” I said with a laugh.

  “Oh, let her have her fun. I hope your girl is ready for hurricane grandma.”

  “Actually, I think she’ll love it. I’m not sure how her mom will react about the news, Summer is putting off telling her, but I think she’ll appreciate how happy Mom is about it and how much she’ll want to be involved. At least, I hope so.”

  “If it gets to be too much, just let me know and I’ll tell your mom to ease up.”

  We found them in the kitchen, my mother preparing a tray of tea and scones, and Summer at the table.

  “How is the nausea doing, any better?” my mother was asking.

  “Much. At least I’m not sick all the time anymore,” Summer replied. “Now it’s mostly occasional nausea.”

  “Well, I picked up some ginger tea and these pregnancy pops that you can suck on to help with the nausea.”

  “That’s so sweet of you, thank you,” Summer said, her eyes meeting mine. “Noah, why don’t you show them the pictures.”

  “There are pictures?” my mom asked, forgetting all about what she was doing to round the island and come to me.

  I pulled out the small, flimsy, grainy shots and held them out. My parents oohed and aahed like they were portraits taken by Annie Leibovitz.

  “This child is going to be a beaut,” my father proclaimed, making me laugh.

  “How can you tell?”

  “Look at his or her parents. Hell, look at the grandparents,” he replied with a grin. “Gonna be a showstopper.”

  I caught Summer’s gaze from over his head and rolled my eyes genially.

  “I’m going to babysit all the time,” my mother said happily.

  “We’re going to hold you to it,” I replied.

  35

  Summer

  “No booze for you, baby mamma,” Margo said, skipping my glass as she poured wine.

  I pouted and admitted, “I hadn’t really thought about that.” But now that everyone around me was drinking, I began to realize it was only the first of many things I would be giving up during my pregnancy and beyond.

  “Speaking of … I brought you these books I used while I was pregnant with Sky. I hope you don’t mind, Whitney told me,” Charlotte said, handing me a tote bag of books.

  “I knew Char was coming tonight, and although I know you aren’t telling everyone yet, I figured it would come up tonight, a lot,” Whitney said with a laugh. “And since she’s in the club now, I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “No, of course, it’s completely cool,” I assured them both, giving Charlotte a welcoming smile. “I’m so excited you decided to join us.”

  “Honestly, I’ve been going kind of crazy being either at work or home, with no breaks or anything, even though with Nigel gone all the time, things are pretty much the same. So, when Whit told me you were all going out tonight, I called my mom and asked her to watch Sky … and here we are. I do appreciate you guys including me.”

  “Anytime, and I gotta say, your hair looks fab,” Margo said, lifting her glass in appreciation.

  “Oh, thanks,” Charlotte said, her hand going up to touch the end of her straight bob. “I needed something quick and easy. With Sky and work, I don’t have time for a lot of prep, and I can’t go to the gallery every day with my hair in a bun, so … this was what my stylist came up with.”

  “It really suits you,” Whitney told her new sister-in-law.

  “Ladies, have you had a chance to look over the menu?” our server asked, putting a pause on the conversation.

  I’d had a craving for beef, so we were at a new farm-to-table steakhouse, which I was really excited about. It was kind of crazy, because it seemed like I was either stuffing my face, or too nauseous to eat anything. There was no in between.

  Luckily tonight, I was starving.

  “You seem to be feeling better,” Whitney said once we were alone again.

  “Much, thank God. I don’t know if I would have been able to handle nine months of that.”

  “Just wait, there are a bevy of delights coming your way,” Charlotte said with a snicker. “Swollen ankles.”

  “Peeing anytime you sneeze, jump, or jar your body in any way,” Whitney added.

  “Not being able to see your feet.”

  “Unable to find a comfortable position to sleep in.”

  “The waddle,” Charlotte said, causing them both to laugh out loud.

  “Oh, the waddle. I don’t miss that,” Whitney said, “But I do miss the boobs. Oh, my goodness, I had fabulous breasts when I was pregnant.”

  “Hers are already great. But, oh, the hemorrhoids.”

  “I already have those,” I said, thankful it was one less thing to look forward to in their list of horrible things to come.

  “They’ll get worse,” Charlotte promised.

  “Then there’s the emotions. They’ll be all over the place. One minute you’ll be happy, then angry, then crying…”

  “Jesus,” Margo said, her face full of horror. “Sign me up for none of that!”

  “Me either,” I muttered, feeling less excited than I had when I arrived.

  “Sorry, Summer,” Whitney said, reaching her hand out toward me. “I promise, it’s all worth it. There are not-fun aspects about pregnancy, sure, but the good far outweighs the bad. Like the first time you feel that little flutter in your belly.”

  “Or when you can see the foot pressing against the side of your stomach and actually see the outline of it,” Charlotte said with a knowing smile.

  “When you can feel the baby react to the sound of your voice, and Noah’s.”

  “And have we mentioned the boobs? They’re going to be magnificent. You’ll need a whole new wardrobe just to showcase the girls,” Charlotte joked.

  “A new wardrobe sounds nice,” I agreed. “And Noah does love my breasts.”

  “He’s going to lose his mind,” Whitney promised.

  Margo looked at all of us and shook her head. “Nope, not worth it.”

  I grinned at her and said, “Oh, but my little one is going to ad
ore Auntie Margo.”

  “And I’ll spoil the little bugger. But there’s no way this temple is ever going through all of that.”

  “Never say never,” Whit warned.

  “I just did.”

  “I never thought I’d have kids either, but then I got married and Nigel said we had to carry on his family name. Of course, then I had Sky, which pissed him off. But now I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She’s the best.”

  “He was angry you had a girl instead of a boy?” I asked, unable to fathom it.

  Charlotte shrugged and said, “Yeah. He said a girl was of no use to him.”

  “Wow, what a prick,” Margo said with a scowl.

  “He really is,” Charlotte agreed. “We will be much better off without him.”

  “Yes, and you have us here for you if you need anything,” Whitney said, reassuringly.

  “And she doesn’t just mean her and Luca and your family, but us, the Jilted Wives Club,” I told her. “We’re your family now, too.”

  “Damn straight,” Margo said, raising her glass once more, but this time saying, “To the Jilted Wives Club and to the assholes who didn’t know enough to treat us like the queens we are … good riddance.”

  “Good riddance,” we all cheered.

  36

  Noah

  “Man, are you serious? You’re gonna be a daddy and you’re going to ask Summer to marry you?” Trent exclaimed, right in the middle of my lecture hall.

  It sounded like half the class groaned out loud, causing me to look out over at them with a frown, while Trent chuckled.

  “Hey, did you not notice I was whispering?” I chided. “They’re taking a test.”

  “Sorry, couldn’t help myself. But the girls in this class will be crying themselves to sleep tonight now that they know sexy professor is off the market.”

  “Stop,” I told him in a hushed tone.

  “Simply stating facts,” Trent teased. “I can’t believe this, Noah. It hasn’t been that long since we spoke. How could so much have changed so quickly?”