Chapter 47
Roses for Momma
Martin was sitting in the truck at the park waiting for Addison. He was watching a couple of kids feed some ducks. He and Randi had talked about kids, but they needed to have a serious talk. The conversation he had with his dad was coming back to him and he did not want to make the same mistakes he’d made with Celia.
It was one thing to say you wanted kids and an entirely different thing to sit down and plan it out. He wanted at least two, maybe more, if Randi agreed. He wasn’t a millionaire but he did well enough. If they invested wisely, they would never have to worry about the important things like a home, healthcare, education and the daily necessities.
They seemed to have a lot in common and wanted a lot of the same things, but he needed to be certain. He wanted to get this right. He wanted to settle down and start a family. But, after this mess with her mother, would Randi still want those same things, or an even bigger question, would she still want him?
“Wow, you’re a million miles away,” Addison said, bringing him out of his thoughts as she walked up to the truck. “Good thing I’m not the press, hounding you about your next maid or your next live-in-love.”
“Funny.” Martin motioned with his hand for her to step back as he climbed out. He took the flowers from her and laid them in the seat of his truck.
“Are you going to tell me now why I’m the one picking up your red roses and a card?”
“Well, I won’t need the card. I’m going to deliver them in person. As to why, I don’t know any flower shops that are not staffed mostly by women who might know who I am. I didn’t want to deal with the scene.”
“Makes sense. Are these for Randi?”
“No. Her mother.”
“Okay, and why?”
Martin leaned against the truck crossing his arms. “For some reason, my possible future mother-in-law hates me, or at least dislikes me enough that she’s trying to force Randi to dump me.”
“So, you’re going out on that limb and thinking about wedding rings, and all that?”
“I suppose. But not if I can’t convince Mrs. Sanders that I’m deserving of her daughter’s hand.”
“How did all this come about? Is it because of the way you met? Did she find out, or is there something else that I don’t know about?” Addison asked, crossing her arms.
“Nothing on my end. I think it’s partly what happened with Celia at the start, and the fact I’m a movie star. I’ve sent Randi a few texts and after a few tries she told me - and in her mother’s words - it’s because I get paid to sleep with and have sex with women.”
“Ouch. That does sound bad. Our Mom has never liked that about your job either.”
Martin shook his head. “I think having your mother think about your sex life is the most embarrassing thing possible.”
“Then change jobs. Start directing, or get a real job.”
“Yeah, like a nice cushy lawyer job. I didn’t go to school for that.”
“No, but you could be a little pickier about the movies you make.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to start preaching, too. I expect it from Mom.”
“Well, maybe you should expect it from any normal woman. I would not have married Rafa if I had known that somewhere down the line, in order to win a case, he would have to be in bed with another woman.”
Martin wanted to curse. What was he supposed to do? He’d spent most of his life preparing for this career. Did he have to choose between his life’s work and love? He finally spoke, “Are you serious? If Rafa had been a movie star you wouldn’t have married him?”
Addison’s expression softened. She uncrossed her arms and reached out and put her hands on his shoulders. “I can only tell you what I would have done. The night that Rafa and I met, if he had said to me, ‘I make movies for a living’, I would have smiled and thought, ‘What a shame’. Then I would have gone on my way.”
“But you love him and you married him.”
“I do now and I don’t know if I could love anyone else like I love Rafa. I do know, though, that I couldn’t live happily knowing while I was at home waiting for him that he was in the arms of other women.”
Martin shook his head. “This never came up with Celia.”
“Right. Because Celia didn’t love you! Martin, maybe all women are not like this, but I’m jealous and I go to church. I wouldn’t want a man who – for any reason - wanted to hold another woman in his arms.”
Martin moved away, pacing and looked at her. “What if you’d met him and didn’t know what he did for a living? What then? Would you have just walked away from your feelings?”
Addison didn’t answer. This was a serious topic for him and he supposed she was going to give him the best answer she could.
“That’s hard to say but I’ll try to put myself in Randi’s shoes.” This time she began to pace. He watched as she walked back and forth, and for a few seconds, she placed her hand on her stomach. His eyes grew wide and he moved his gaze to the serious look on her face.
“You’re pregnant?!?” he blurted out without thinking. He looked around, and thankfully, no one was around to have heard or cared what he said. The smile on her face couldn’t hide the news and she nodded, ‘yes’. Before he could snatch her up in his arms and swing her around, which he really wanted to do, she held up a hand.
“You cannot tell Mom. I want to tell her in person. Promise me you won’t let a word of this out. Not even Randi, not anyone.”
“I won’t. Can I hug you now?”
“Yes.” She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he swung her around in a circle then very carefully set her on her feet. They were both laughing and crying at the same time.
“I’m going to be an uncle, I’m going to be an uncle,” Martin said in a sing-song voice that was totally out of character for him.
“That you are, and again, not a word, not a word to anyone.”
“I won’t. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good. I plan on having a small wedding in Dad’s church soon. I was going to tell you this. I’ve just been trying to get it straight in my mind. I want to tell them about the baby right after we say our ‘I do’s’. Then after we leave there, we’ll be going to Italy to see Rafa’s mother. I expect we may have to exchange vows in their family church, to make her happy, but I’m fine with that.”
“Can I bring Randi?”
“Sure, if she’ll come. Is this mostly her mother, or do you know yet?”
“I’m pretty sure Randi is fine. It was her idea to leave. She told me what was going on. For the acting and the sex scenes, we had agreed that we would cross those bridges as they came.”
“I think that might be a mistake. You don’t want to get in the middle of a bridge and find out it’s weak – that it can’t hold the weight.”
“You could be right, but what do you suggest?”
“Well, I know that you were talking about not drinking for Randi. What’s the big deal about saying ‘no’ to the movies with sex scenes in them? Is it the money? The fact that you enjoy them? Be honest with yourself because until you know the answer, you won’t know what to tell Randi or her mother.”