Chapter Fourteen
“I thought I was going to have to reschedule. Your friend had to get some stitches and I sent him down for some tests. I think he might have a cracked rib and suffering from a concussion. He’s one very lucky man.” Dr. Tanya Emerson was waiting and quite surprised to see Yvette come into her office holding up a man twice her size.
“I’m the lucky one to have him in my life. It’s fortuitous I was going to come here and was lucky this was the last appointment of your day.” Yvette had been feeling strange the last couple of days.
It was like her body was trying to tell her something without the use of words. Her mood was amazingly upbeat, but there were a few times she went off the handle for no reason whatsoever. She found herself bawling her eyes out and then just as quickly the tears would stop.
“I’ve taken some blood work, but I believe I know the reason for your problem. I don't want to get ahead of myself. The results should be ready shortly. I’ve given you a complete physical. You have a bruise on your chest. I’m concerned you went after him without any regard for your safety.” Tanya had only been her doctor for the past few weeks, but in that time, she had gotten to know Yvette and had even gone out to brunch with her on Sunday with her two young men. She was a little shocked by her confession of being with two men at the same time with their approval. She thought she was crazy to get involved with that kind of drama until she met them in person for the first time.
“You didn’t know me before I knew them. You wouldn’t have wanted to. I wasn’t the same woman you see today. I’ve learned to shed my skin and become the woman I’ve always wanted to be. They have given me the freedom to be open and honest. I can’t say that for my ex-husband. I feel bad for what happened to Blake. We didn’t even get a chance to confront the man following me.” She was sitting in a Johnny gown with the back open.
“Some people may condemn you and call you names, but most of them are envious and would gladly take your place without a second thought. I’m dating one man and your situation has made me look at his brother differently.” She had her stethoscope pressed against her chest and was listening to her breathing.
“It’s hard to describe, but Adam was strong enough to present an option. We were understandably surprised, but his suggestion was something I was willing to entertain for the chance to be with both of them. I thought mistakenly, I would get one or the both of them out of my system, but I haven’t been able to think about anything other than the two of them.” Yvette had been reluctant to call Adam but felt that he deserved to know what had happened.
They were all in this together and it seemed wrong to leave him out in the cold. It was mainly to protect what they had. She had procrastinated long enough.
“It’s very rare for any woman to find the man they intend to spend the rest of her life with. Some never find what they’re looking for and spend their lives searching for something unattainable. I want to commend you for taking a risk and following your heart.” Dr. Emerson’s nurse came in and motioned for her to leave the room for a moment.
This was Yvette’s chance and she felt there was no time like the present. She looked around at Dr. Emerson’s credentials and felt lucky to have her as her doctor. The clinical and sterile white paint made her feel like just another number.
The woman was plainly gorgeous and had the men undressing her with their eyes. She was amazed by her attitude and her ability to juggle her personal life with her professional obligations. She had four kids under the age of five and a husband that traveled extensively for work, leaving her to be the mother and father all in one package.
She dialed Adam with her heart in her throat and in desperate need of a drink stiffer than anything she would find on the premises. She explained what had happened and he didn’t interrupt until she was finished.
“I’m not mad and I only wish you could have trusted to call me sooner. Never mind, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll come down as soon as I can to collect the both of you.” Adam had a checkered past when it came to his temper getting the best of him. He was learning to control it through mental exercises.
“He’s a little banged up, but he’s going to be perfectly fine. I have a couple of scrapes and bruises, but nothing a few days of rest and relaxation won’t cure.” She saw her byline on the New York Times article on Tanya’s desk. It was written about the mayor and not very flattering towards getting him re-elected into the same position.
Yvette had proven she could hold her own and was able to ambush the mayor at a function in his honor. He couldn’t exactly deny the claim he was misappropriating funds to travel extensively with his family. The press criticized him. Yvette’s name was becoming synonymous with uncovering secrets others were afraid to speak in public.
“I’m glad he was there with me and there was no telling what would have happened had I gone off half-cocked by myself. That man really didn’t want to speak and was going to do everything in his power to make sure he wasn’t going to have to.” Yvette had taken a risk, but she had gotten caught up in the moment to realize what kind of danger she was putting herself in.
“I’m glad neither one of you got seriously hurt. I love what we have together and I don’t want anything to ruin it. I’ve been a man of my word. I haven’t mentioned this relationship to anyone including my mother. It’s not easy when she knows something is up from the smirks on both of our faces.” He remembered Sunday dinner and how they’d neglected to tell their closest friends and family about something that would have knocked them out of their socks.
“I think it’s better this way to prevent anyone from interfering in what is primarily in its infancy. We don’t know how long this is going to last. I can’t see it fizzling out anytime soon, but I can only speak for myself.” She was squirming uncomfortably in her own skin trying to find a spot where she didn’t feel like she was exposed to the elements.
“I don’t have any plans to go anywhere. There's no reason to make us jump through hoops to prove our love for you. I’m on my way and I should be there within twenty minutes barring any complications with traffic.” She could only hope he wasn’t going to drive like a madman through the streets of New York.
“There’s no hurry to get here, so take your time. Blake is going to be resting comfortably until he is discharged later this evening. They don’t think it’s necessary to keep him overnight, but that depends on what they find from the tests. I don’t want you to get caught up in the web of traffic tangling up the city at this hour.” He was a little reckless and driving with him was an adventure with her fingers digging into the dashboard.
“Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of everything.” Adam wasn’t really listening and was concerned enough that he was not going to wait around.
“It’s okay. I’m enjoying my time catching up with Tanya. She has invited us to her place for Sunday brunch instead of going out.” Yvette found herself curious to see what Tanya could make without resorting to caterers.
“I promise I will let cooler heads prevail and not be so impulsive. I do want you to tell Blake how proud I am of how he stood up when you needed him to.” I could tell from his tone that he probably thought he could have done better under the circumstances.
“The both of you are manly in a way that makes me feel like I have to catch my breath. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t need a man to protect me. It makes me angry that the both of you think I am frail and fragile like a broken doll.” She didn't want to raise her voice and realized she was making more of it than she needed to.
“I have never once thought of you as weak and inferior in any way. It bothers me when you think of us in a two-dimensional way. We are more complex. We don’t always need to pound our chests like some caveman. We can talk about this later when you have had time to cool down.” Adam had learned from his mistakes over the first couple of weeks of this relationship evolving. He knew to tread carefully when emotions were running high.
“I don’t need you getting defensive and maybe I should cut this call short to avoid saying something I’m going to regret. I do love you and nothing is going to change that. You might drive me crazy from time to time, but it’s worth every little fight we get into. It probably has something to do with my Latin temper.” She was giving herself a way to save face, but she knew deep down something was wrong.
“You haven’t been yourself for the last couple of days. Don’t think we haven’t noticed. We talked about it and we thought it was the stress of the job. There was some mention about you quitting and traveling the world with us.” Adam knew how important her job was and her independence was something she carried with her wherever she went.
“I do love what I do, but sometimes it does get on my last nerve. I might be getting rave reviews, but it’s only been a little over a month. I’m still navigating the choppy waters of journalism. Thankfully, I have two strong men to come home to.” She hung up when she saw Tanya tapping the file in her hand.
“I have some good news or some bad news depending on how you see it. I suspect this is going to come with problems.” Tanya had already come to her own conclusions but was unwilling to say anything without concrete proof.
Yvette had her hands in her lap, pulling at her fingers like she did whenever she got nervous. It was a habit she was never able to break and followed her from her youth to who she was today. She knew this was going to be a shocking confession, but she was prepared for any eventuality. There was nothing to prepare her for what was going to come out of Tanya’s mouth.
“The tests confirm you are with child. I can’t tell if this is good news or something we should talk about. I know this is sudden, but I did warn you about doing anything with them without the necessary protection. You kept telling me you were going to get around to it, but you didn’t. This might be a surprise, but how much of a surprise could it be when you’ve been playing with fire?” Tanya was wearing her concern on her face.
“I don’t even know what to say. The three of us haven’t even talked about the possibility of having a child together. I don’t even know what they feel about having a family. It’s something we should have talked about, but we never broached the topic.” She was secretly elated, but also understandably suspect about what Adam and Blake were going to say when they finally learned the truth.
“I wouldn’t put it off for too long and you’re already three weeks into the pregnancy. This is the reason for your symptoms of dizziness and nausea. I’m very excited for this child. It’s going to have the love of three parents. You’re going to have to have more tests to determine who the father is. There might not be any definitive proof considering their family DNA is the same.” Tanya took Yvette’s hand and didn’t say anything more. It was better to let the silence settle in with the news before addressing the elephant in the room.
“It doesn’t matter to me which one is the father. I would be quite happy to raise this child with both of them being the father. I’m sure this is going to come as a major shock and I do wonder what their reaction is going to be.” She was thinking about certain ways to break the news but felt a more direct approach was necessary without beating around the bush.
“I don’t know how this is going to affect your relationship with them, but I will be there every step of the way regardless of how they feel about it. You can talk to me about anything. You won’t have to do this alone.” Dr. Emerson had never gotten emotionally involved with her patients, but this was different considering they were friends.
“I don’t want to give them any reason to run out the door with a cardboard cutout of their cowardice. They are the strongest men I’ve ever known. Even the strongest can reach their limits. This news is going to come on the heels of us being together only a short time. I need to soften the blow. I would like your help to tell them during brunch at your house.” She knew she was putting Tanya on the spot, but she felt they were kindred spirits.
“I will be there with you, but ultimately it is your news to share.” Tanya made her another appointment on a weekly basis to give her the necessary information going forward.
Yvette knew brunch was going to be interesting and could almost see their stunned expressions from the moment the truth was revealed.