Page 52 of Sin Wagon
Finally, the day of our flight arrives. We take an Uber to the airport, and miraculously, Vegas security isn’t chaotic for once. The doctor assured me it’s safe to fly since my pregnancy has been uncomplicated, but I can’t imagine I’ll be comfortable in a plane seat.
Once we board and settle into our plush first-class seats, I slip on my noise-canceling headphones and select a movie from my tablet. I try to relax, but my mind keeps wandering to what awaits us in Chicago.
Movers are handling everything here, so Derek and I focused on the essentials—clothes, documents, and important mementos. We shipped a few boxes ahead, filled with things we’ll need right away.
I’ve already found an OBGYN in Chicago.
When we land, I expect a driver to be waiting, but instead, Rhonda is there by the baggage claim. A huge smile lights up her face.
“Rhonda, I didn’t know you’d be the one to pick us up.”
“Of course, I would. You’re my granddaughter. I can’t let you take a cab to the house.” She grabs my suitcase and starts rolling it toward the door. “Come on now. I wanna show you around the house.” She quickly wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a hug, but releases me just as fast.
“House?” I ask.
As she turns, a mischievous grin spreads across her face, directed right at me. “I’m sure you’re going to say I overdid it. There’s no way my granddaughter and her baby are going to live in an apartment building with countless flights of stairs. I wanted you to have a yard and to be close to us in case you need anything with the baby.”
“Okay, so what did you do?” I ask with a playful smirk.
“I set you up in a house—three bedrooms, two baths, a yard. It’s only five minutes from us, ten in traffic. It’s fifteen minutes from Wells’ place.”
“Thank you, Rhonda.”
“Anything, Delilah. We may be new family, but we’re family nonetheless, and I’m going to make sure you’re okay and that both you and Little Boba are taken care of.”
“How did you know we call the baby that?”
“Wells told me.”
Derek bumps his shoulder into mine. “Told you this family thing won’t be too bad. They want to know you, they're just figuring it out too.”
“Know it all,” I hiss, but flash him a smile.
We get in her Range Rover, and she drives us about an hour from O’Hare to a nice townhouse. It’s way bigger than our apartment in Vegas. I can’t believe how much they must have spent on this place, but I’m grateful. The place is amazing.
“Holy shit,” Derek whispers.
“Is it okay?” Rhonda asks.
“It’s more than okay. It’s too much,” I tell her.
“No such thing for my grandbaby.”
In silence, I gaze at her, a question lingering in my mind. “It’s not weird for you?” I blurt.
“What?”
“The baby is your grandbaby, but also your great-grandbaby. Is it not weird? You’re not regretting this whole ‘I wanna be a grandma’ thing?”
“I’m gonna go explore our new home. You two need a minute.” Derek tosses me a wink and disappears down the hall.
“No, Delilah. I love you already, but we missed your whole life. I’d like to be just a grandma if that’s okay. You can call me what you want—Grandma or Rhonda—but I want the baby to call me grandma. Will that be alright?”
A smile forms on my face. “I’d love for you to be my baby’s grandma. I think Rhonda is fine for me. Calling Jonas dad is something I don’t foresee myself ever doing. It’s weird to think about. Think he’ll want to be Grandpa Jonas or Uncle Jonas?” I wink.
“Don’t ask him that... yet. When this mess is cleared up in Florida, you can give him hell. But hold off until then.” She laughs.
“Deal.”
