Brandi enters the kitchen, her hair pulled up into a towel. She smiles at me in such a way that I am able to brush aside the memory of Marty’s over the line text he had just sent. Her gaze is warm and inviting, and I am convinced that I did the right thing coming home. “Morning,” she says and then suddenly throws her hand over her mouth and nose. “Oh, God, is that ham?” she looks like she’s going to be sick, and she darts out of the kitchen.

Marie, the maid, has just come out of the back room. “Aye!” she shrieks, “I completely forgot about the ham.”

Brandi is gone, and just like that my morning seems to have taken a less than pleasant turn. “What’s wrong with the ham?” I ask.

“She’s been having aversions,” Marie explains. “The pregnancy, you know? Just the smell of bacon normally sends her straight to the bathroom. I should have told you that last night when you ordered your breakfast.”

I shake my head, “That’s my bad. I should know these things.”

Marie grumbles under her breath. “It’s not like she gave you a chance to know.” And then her face turns red in worry that I had overheard. Marie’s always been my favorite. Back in the day –before the divorce –Marie had always been my favorite of the house staff. She secretly always took my side, and Brandi always hated her. I had been surprised that Marie hadn’t gotten fired after Brandi threw me out.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you,” I say and wink at her.

“Sorry,” she says and looks away embarrassingly.

I get up and head upstairs; I can hear water running as I enter into the bedroom. I find Brandi in the master bath just splashing water on her face. “Hey,” I say. “I’m sorry about the ham. I didn’t know it would make you sick.”

“It’s okay,” she says as she dabs her face with a towel. She stands upright, one hand on her stomach, and stretches her back. She smiles that lovely smile of hers. “How could you have known?” She comes up to me and puts a hand on my chest. “So today I was thinking we grab lunch at that café you told me about near the gym. Then maybe we can go do some shopping and pick out some stuff for the nursery?”

I smile at her. “Brandi, I’d love to, but I have to work today.”

“I thought you don’t have a match set up right now?” she questions.

“No, I mean at the gym,” I say. “I have to work at the gym today.”

“Oh,” she says, and she sounds disappointed. She laughs slightly. “I figured you were going to quit. You should. Soon your boxing career is going to take off again, and it’s not like I don’t have some money put aside. Besides, it’s just a distraction for you anyways.”

I smile at her to let her know I’m half-joking. “You’re not just saying that because it’s Laurel’s gym, are you?”

She shakes her head, fighting off a slight grin. “I don’t have to worry about that, do I? Laurel seemed like a nice woman. She wouldn’t try anything, would she?”

I kiss her forehead. “Even if she did, I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise. You’re my girl,” I say it, but a part of me wonders if I mean it. “But I am not going to leave Alexis hanging. She gave me a job when I really needed it, and I rather not take the chance. For all I know, Caleb won’t get me booked for another match in months, and these low-budget matches don’t bring in the kind of money I’m used to. It’s best I hold down some sort of job. You can’t dance right now either since you’re busy, you know, growing a human.”

She laughs. “Yes, I suppose your right. I guess I’m just a little worried for you. You told me all of Laurel’s friends go to that gym, and I just don’t want them giving you too hard of a time.”

“I’m a big boy,” I say, “I think I can handle a few hostiles.”

Brandi slips her fingers around the tie of my robe. “You know what we haven’t done since you came home?” she says with this alluring look about her.

“Oh?” I question. “What’s that?”

She leans forward and kisses me, and I can feel her big, round belly press against me first, and I instinctively lean my waist back and away from her as though I think I’m going to crush the baby if I hug her too tight. She pulls back, and she looks upset. “What’s wrong?” she asks me. She looks like she’s going to cry. Pregnancy hormones, man.

I kiss her cheek, “You look beautiful, Brandi.”

“Then what’s wrong?” she asks.

“I just didn’t want to squish the baby,” I assure her, and she laughs at my response.

“You’re so stupid,” she says and grabs the sleeves of my robe and yanks the whole thing down off me in one fell swoop. The robe drops to the ground, and her eyes scan me up and down. I feel her fingers trace my chest, and we hurry back into the bedroom.

This, I have to say, is a new experience for me. I guess it is a little ridiculous, but I’m worried about how to go about this. She really is beautiful this way, though. The whole pregnancy glow thing is real. I miss kissing her and holding her close to me in our bed. I forget about Laurel, and I pull Brandi close to me. I move slow and cautiously as though I think I’m going to break her. She’s such a petite woman, so that pregnant belly looks so huge on her. Her lips trace my collarbone, and I run my hands up and down her back. “That feels good,” she tells me; I’m sure her back is tired. I rub her sore breasts too, and she giggles. I wish I could live in this moment for a while longer, but I am already going to be late for work.

Brandi is laying on her side, that same wonderful smile etched on her face with an added look of sexual gratification. I throw on my gym shorts and company t-shirt before leaning down and kissing her goodbye. “You taking the Ferrari to work?” she asks as she nestled up into her pillow.

“I think I’ll take the Volkswagen,” I say. “It’s really grown on me.”

“Yeah, after you gave it that gaudy pain job,” she says.

“Sorry, but pink is not exactly my color,” I say, realizing the ridiculousness of the sentence since I am wearing a white t-shirt with this giant pink logo on it. I give her one last kiss goodbye before heading out. Today is going to be a rough day.