Chapter Thirteen
AIDEN
I was nervous walking towards Emily’s door. It had only been two days since I’d admitted to seeing other women, and I feared she would be upset with me. I never promised to be exclusive with her; in fact, we were just trying to figure out what we wanted from each other.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have feelings for Emily, and the truth was, I didn’t share an emotional connection with the women I’d been with since meeting her. They were merely puck bunnies after a game or night of partying, while Emily meant so much more to me.
I couldn’t quite place my feelings for her, but I knew she was special and always treated her as such. I was shocked by her questioning and a little embarrassed at her response. I expected Emily to care for me. Honestly, I wanted her to, but I also wanted her to give me some time to change my lifestyle to accommodate her.
I slowly knocked on her door, fearing her reaction. I’d disappointed several women in my past, and they all seemed pretty upset with me immediately following my actions, so I expected the same from Emily.
“Hey, I’m running behind,” she shocked me, answering immediately after I knocked.
“Oh, it's okay. I’m a little early,” I explained, still caught off guard by her sweet reception.
“Do you want anything to drink? I can’t find anything to fit,” she sighed as she disappeared up the stairs.
“No, do you want me to get you a drink?” I called after her.
“No, just make yourself at home,” her voice faded farther and farther away as I followed her up the stairs and down the narrow hallway of her condo.
I had to admit, Emily’s place was quite plush for a gymnastics teacher. She had decorated the space exceptionally. I particularly liked the plants she’d scattered throughout the apartment.
“Do you need help?” I asked softly as I approached her bedroom.
“I can’t fit anything,” she whined while reaching on her tippy toes in her sizeable closet.
“Let me help,” I suggested, before reaching for a blue silk dress I noticed hanging from the end of the closet.
“That’s my mom’s,” I heard Emily mumble as I draped the dress over her arms.
“What was her name?” I asked, as she silently taught me to wrap the dress around her using her tiny fingers.
“Elaina,” she whispered, looking into my eyes with her clear blues.
“That’s a beautiful name,” I smiled while tying the thin strips of silk into a bow.
Her baby bump protruded much further than it had the last time I saw her, and I instantly noticed that every day I was away, I lost an opportunity to witness our child grow. With my hands placed on her belly, I leaned down to kiss her forehead. I could feel her lean into me and I knew that despite her proud stance, she needed more help from me. Emily presented a strong front, but anytime I pushed past it I could tell how much she appreciated even the slightest assistance from me.
“Ready?” I asked, and she nodded.
The doctor’s office was nicer than I expected. I knew Emily wasn’t poor, but I had prepared myself for a lower standard than I was used to. I was relieved to see that she was receiving the best care for our child. My nerves grew by the second as we waited for the doctor. The nurse had already weighed Emily and checked her blood pressure. I found it hilarious that she made me look away when she stepped on the scale, as if her weight gain may affect how attractive she was to me.
“Hi Emily,” the middle-aged doctor excitedly greeted Emily before turning her attention to me. “And hello to you, Mr. Beckett. I’m Dr. Lindsey Stevens, and I’m a huge fan. I hope you’re taking good care of my Emily,” she warned before shaking my hand.
“I’m doing my best,” I grinned as she went to wash her hands before settling onto her stool.
“So how is everything? Liz gave me your vitals; it looks like you’re right on schedule with your weight. Don’t be afraid to have a little meat, Emily. I know you want what’s best for the baby, but you have to be careful not to eat a bunch of junk just to avoid it. You can get protein from a lot of places – leafy greens, beans, nuts, eggs, even supplements; just make sure you get it.” She advised while reaching for a pink cylinder.
“I think I’ve been doing pretty good. I’ve had a little meat occasionally. I’ve had a few cravings for hot wings,” she admitted to my surprise. She hadn’t mentioned her cravings to me. It was another element of her pregnancy that I was missing.
“Just listen to your baby. You’ll know what’s best.” She smiled as she paused. “So are we ready to see this little angel for the first time?” She eagerly asked.
“Will we,” I coughed to clear my throat before continuing, “Will we be able to tell the sex today?” I nervously smiled at the doctor and then at Emily.
“I think it’s a little early for that, but we’ll see what we get,” she smiled as she instructed Emily to pull her shirt up.
I scooted towards the bed so that I could see the small screen to the left of the exam table. My nerves were indescribable as I prepared to see our baby for the first time. The doctor squeezed a gel like substance on Emily’s stomach before moving an electronic device across her small baby bump. Instantly the screen came to life. A black and gray image popped onto the screen, as a loud whirling sound played through the monitor.
“Do you hear that? That’s your baby’s heartbeat,” the doctor said while looking directly at me. My own heartbeat seemed to slow as I stared at the screen. Following my line of vision, the doctor began pointing at the screen while explaining what I was seeing.
“That’s your baby. They’re just a little nugget right now, but they’ll keep growing, and the next time we may be able to tell if you’ll be having a son or a daughter,” she smiled.
I felt like the entire scene was playing in slow motion. I’m sure Emily had already come to grips with the fact that she was having a baby, but for me, it was all a bunch of talk. Now, seeing my baby on the screen, everything became very real. I started thinking about all of the things we needed in preparation. I wondered what kind of father I would be and what life would be like for a child living in the spotlight beside me.
“Do you have any questions?” The doctor asked, jolting me from my thoughts.
“Uh, no… None that I can think of,” I answered slowly, my mind racing with so many questions that only I could answer.
“I know, it's real for the moms when they pee on the stick, but the dads get their dose of reality here. And wait until you get to hold this bundle of joy. It’ll all set in, don’t panic,” she chuckled as she removed the device from Emily’s belly and wiped the gel with a large blue paper towel.
“So when do I need to come back?” Emily asked while sitting up on the table.
“We’ll get you all squared away at the front desk. Just remember what I said about the diet and keep doing whatever you’re doing. Everything looks great. It was nice to meet you, Aiden,” Dr. Lindsey said after washing her hands again.
“It was a pleasure. See you soon,” I responded as she left the room.
I could see Emily smiling in my peripherals. I hope she was happy that I would be joining her because I didn’t plan on missing any appointments.
We scheduled the next ultrasound on a morning when I didn’t have a game and made our way to a few baby stores my assistant had lined up. Much as I expected, Emily was very easy going about the shopping. She was apprehensive about making any purchases until we learned the gender of the baby, but I was too excited after the doctor’s appointment.
“Let’s just make a list for a boy or a girl, and then when we find out the gender we can have the store send the matching list,” I suggested.
“We can’t do that,” she whispered, appalled by my idea.
“Sure we can,” I laughed before calling over a store clerk and relaying my plan. She left and quickly returned with two handheld scanners before giving us instructions on how to use them.
“Okay, you scan for a baby girl,” I handed Emily one of the scanners, “and I’ll scan for Aiden, Jr.” I held my scanner up.
“Aiden, Jr.?” She scoffed.
“Yeah. Are you against juniors?” I smirked.
“You just seem a little more enthused than usual,” she giggled.
“You heard the doctor. The ultrasound makes it real for the dads, babe,” I briskly kissed her cheek before heading towards the furniture department.
After two hours we had scanned half the store and Emily was exhausted. I could have shopped even longer; I had no idea how much things babies needed. The aisles seemed endless, and I made a mental note to do some more shopping online.
We were heading to lunch when I noticed Emily’s leg twitching and wondered what was bothering her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I’m nervous,” she whispered while biting her lip. She was so sexy even when she didn’t try. I had to force myself not to be distracted.
“About what?” I was completely confused as I stared at her now red bottom lip.
“Your parents,” she said as if I should know. Honestly, I had completely forgotten about it being their first meeting. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity to meet Emily’s parents so I couldn’t imagine her anxiety.
“Don’t worry. They’ll love you. My parents are really laid back, and they’re super excited about meeting you.” I assured her.
I had never introduced a woman to my parents. I hated the fact that Emily might think she was only meeting them because she was pregnant. While I might not have done it so soon, I definitely think Emily would have been the first woman that met my parents, regardless of the pregnancy.
“I hope so,” was all she murmured.
We barely spoke for the rest of the ride as I ran my thumb over Emily’s skinny fingers, hoping to relax her. She leaned her head on my shoulder, and I kissed the top of her head as the city passed us by.
My mother had reserved a table on the patio, I’m sure so that she could see us as we arrived. She could barely contain herself as we made our way to the table.
“Oh, look at your little bump!” She immediately hugged Emily before placing both of her palms on the baby bump. Luckily Emily didn’t seem to mind, but I was a little uncomfortable for her.
“I’m Debra, by the way. And that’s my husband, Christian,” my mom said before kissing Emily on the cheek. I was grateful that I had warned Emily about my parents’ excitement, although I’m not sure anything could have prepared her for my mother’s overly affectionate introduction.
“I’m Emily,” she smiled as my mom pulled her towards the chair seated next to her.
“Yes, we know. Tell us more about you!” She eagerly pleaded while beckoning the waitress. Everyone had settled into their seats before Emily began.
“Well, I’m a gymnastics teacher. I’ve worked at Wilshire Academy for a couple of years now, and I do a lot of private lessons,” Emily smiled while looking towards me. I didn’t notice I was grinning while watching her until I caught my mom’s gaze and knew she was gawking at us.
“Well, you won’t get to do too much of that now, huh?” My dad asked, and I wanted to kick him under the table. Why would he bring that up so carelessly?
“No, my doctor has told me I’ll need to take six months off, which is much longer than I expected. I already miss it, but I think I’ll be able to get back out there soon after the baby’s here,” Emily explained, and I realized we hadn’t discussed her plan before or after the birth of our child. I didn’t want to tell her what to do, but I also didn’t want her rushing back to work. It wasn’t the right time to discuss it, so I decided to bring it up later.
“Oh, you’ll probably want every second with that baby when they get here. When can we know the sex? I’m dying to tear through the children’s department in Saks!” My mom squealed.
“As if she needs another reason to shop,” my dad teased as he opened the menu.
“The doctor says it’ll be a couple more weeks,” Emily explained.
“You’ll have to put your mom in contact with Debra so they can shop together. That’s all the grandmas want to do,” my dad said and Emily’s smile instantly faded.
“Christian!” My mom chastised my dad as I cut him a stern look. I had already told my parents about Emily’s mother and father passing away, but my dad barely listened, so I knew he’d forgotten.
“It’s okay. Both of my parents passed away while I was in college, Mr. Beckett, so it's just me,” Emily forced a smile, but I could sense that she wanted to cry.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. But it’s not just you, we’re here to help you,” my mom rubbed Emily’s back, and I was grateful for her overbearing tendencies.
“I’m sorry, Emily. Aiden did tell us that, I must have forgotten.” My dad explained, and Emily shook her head as if it wasn’t a problem, but I knew it made her a little uncomfortable.
“Let’s get a little food in that belly,” my mom rubbed Emily’s bump, and it seemed to brighten her spirit just a little.
The waiter came over, and my mom listed the entire menu practically as she ordered for everyone without even taking requests.
“Did you get enough, Dear?” My father jokingly asked after the waiter retreated.
“Well, it’s a party of five, Christian, we need a nice spread,” she winked at Emily.
“Mom, Emily isn’t eating meat,” I explained.
“Oh, you try that for your first trimester, by the eighth month your body won’t even be yours anymore. You’ll be eating whatever that baby wants!” My mom laughed as she poured lemon water into Emily’s glass.
“He’s already been demanding chicken wings,” Emily giggled while rubbing her belly.
“He?!” My mom excitedly asked.
“Well, I’m not sure. People have told me they think it’s a boy, but I don’t really know,” she was flush after her slip up. She had never referred to the baby as a boy to me. I wondered if she had any inclination about the gender.
“Either way, we’ll be ready to spoil them rotten when they get here,” my mom grinned.
The rest of lunch passed quickly as my father, and I discussed business and the hockey season while my mother gushed over Emily and our baby. I wasn’t sure how Emily would feel, but I thought the meeting went pretty well.
Emily excused herself to use the restroom as the waiter cleared the table and my mom used the time to interrogate me.
“Aiden, what are you going to do about your living situation?” She asked bluntly.
“What do you mean?” I asked confused.
“I mean, where do you expect your child to be living?” She answered matter-of-factly.
“Mom, we really haven’t discussed all of that,” I admitted.
“Well, it’s obvious you care for her, son. Trust me, you don’t want to miss a day of your child’s life,” my father mumbled, and I knew he was speaking on his own regrets. He had missed a lot of my childhood running his hedge fund, and he often told me how much he wished he could go back and change it.
“And she shouldn’t be raising your child alone. It’s a lot of work, Aiden!” My mother scolded me.
“I don’t intend for her to be alone, mom,” I responded sharply, a little annoyed.
“She’s a sweet girl. I won’t have you tossing her to the waste side as you’ve been known to do,” she glared at me from the corner of her eye.
My mother hated whenever she read a story about my personal life. She constantly asked when I planned to grow out of the ‘bad boy phase,' as she called it. Her questioning at lunch seemed uncalled for and quite frankly inappropriate. Deciding there was nothing I could say to rectify the situation, I chose to stay mute until Emily returned.
When Emily finally re-emerged from the restroom, the waiter was just returning with two large bags filled with all of the leftover food we hadn’t eaten. I was eager to get away from my parents after my mom’s unexpected lecture, but she seemed to have other plans.
“You two go ahead, I’m going to walk with Emily,” my mom announced as I reached for Emily’s hand to head towards the car.
I was worried what she might say to Emily but trusted she wouldn’t go too far.