Page 124 of Unbound

“Maybe tomorrow.”

He walked into the adjoining bathroom and I heard water turn on.

“Now, wife. Outta bed.” He lifted me up and carried me into the bathroom. He was running me a bath.

“You’re pretty strong, carrying a woman the size of two houses,” I grumbled.

“Good thing I work out,” he teased.

“Out then.”

“I’ll take one, too. Then we go out.”

“Out of here. You can’t see me naked. I’m gross.”

“You aren’t gross. I’ll wash your hair.”

“You saying my hair is dirty?”

He shook his head and laughed. “No. I’m not. You like when I wash your hair, baby girl.”

He was right. I really did.

“You haven’t seen me naked in a few weeks. My belly button is inside out. I have a brown line down my stomach. My butt looks like a tub of cottage cheese. Out. I’ve gained forty-four pounds.”

“Athena Ferrano, you, my baby growing in you? You are the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on. I’m scared shitless of being a father but gotta say, I’m lovin’ seeing you like this. You’re beautiful, even if you gained two hundred pounds, you’re beautiful to me.”

I burst into tears. It wasn’t something new. I was always a crier, but my pregnancy? I cried the week before dad died for half an hour because I’d seen a viral video of baby goats in pajamas jumping around. It was just so stinkin’ cute.

We took a bath. He washed my hair sweetly, and then he shaved my legs for me because I couldn’t reach. He wanted to get sexy, but I said I was having none of it.

I told him he’d get arrested for bestiality if he had sex with me because I’d be mistaken for a beached whale. He laughed at me some more and then in our room, he insisted. He gave me oral sex while he jacked off until we both came pretty hard and beautifully, and then got dressed to go out.

The orgasm was just what I needed. I felt a lot lighter in my heart after that release.

We walked around the mall and we wound up in a baby store.

Tommy found a onesie with a Neapolitan ice cream cone on it. Of course, we had to buy it. It even had a cherry on top. When we got home and pulled in, we saw that a UPS truck was outside the gate.

Tommy’s blood was boiling. It was written all over his face.

The truck pulled away and we saw it wasn’t Nick driving. There had, thankfully, been no sign of Nick. He obviously finally took the hint.

Tommy took the envelope from the gate guard and opened the envelope, felt to make sure it was just paper, I guess, smelled it, and then opened the inner envelope and inspected it just quickly. He handed it to me.

It was from Carol O’Connor, my aunt.

It had a sympathy card from her. It was just a standard Sorry for Your Loss card with flowers on the front and “Aunt Carol” written inside with a short note.

Your father asked me to send this in the event of his death. Sorry for the wait. Feel free to call me, if you ever want to talk or visit. I’m sorry for not attending the funeral. It was too painful and hard on me.

Was that her saying she was ready to have a relationship with me? Now that Dad was gone?

I threw the card in the trash bin. Hard on her? She could’ve been there for me. I would’ve been there for her, too. She didn’t have to take me in, but she could’ve still been in my life. Now that Dad was gone? I didn’t think so. And there was a note from Dad that was to be given to me in the event of his death and she just, what, sat on it for over a week? What a royal bitch.

I held an envelope that said Sweetpea on the outside.

I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I opened it.

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