Chapter Thirty-Six
BETHANY
I went straight to April’s home after I left Gavin’s office. She was sitting in the front room when I let myself in. “Uh,” she said with the remote control in her hand, “please tell me that you have some clothes on.” I smiled, then revealed my undergarments. She shook her head, “You little slut bug! Why are you walking around naked?!”
I sat down next to her, “I just left Gavin’s office. He gave me the day off, so I wanted to give him a little morning surprise.”
“Wait, so you two fucked in his office?” I smiled and nodded as she continued with questions, “With people there?”
“Nope. We were alone. You know that I am the office secretary, so I know when people are coming in and going out. The office was free until one, so… I took advantage of it.”
“You are a little horn ball! You and your boyfriend!”
“I know.” I smiled and tapped her on the leg, “Anyways, I just came here to get something to wear and shower up. I didn’t want to go to the store like this because, you know, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’d end up in jail just like your ex-boyfriend.”
I got up and went to her room to find something to wear. Before she had gotten pregnant, we were the same size, so I knew it wouldn’t be hard. As I showered, I thought about what I saw on Gavin’s computer screen. It caught me off guard to see a list of engagement rings pop up. I didn’t know how to respond to it, but I could tell that he sensed a shift in my behavior. I wanted to tell him that everything was okay, but I couldn’t find the words. Instead, I tried to pretend as though I didn’t see it so I wouldn’t ruin the surprise. I mean, we were still fairly young in our relationship, but it was comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one thinking about crossing that line between us. When I finished cleaning myself up, I walked back downstairs.
April was in the kitchen fixing lunch when I walked in. “So,” I said, looking through her refrigerator, “I think Gavin is going to propose to me.”
She stopped making her sandwich and glared directly at me. “Propose? How long have you all been together? A handful of months?”
“Yeah. I know it is crazy, but that is just the way things are going for us. I can’t explain it. I mean, I don’t know if he knows that I saw the computer screen, but I did. I tried to act as though I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Well, I guess I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Or even worse, I didn’t to assume that this was about me. Maybe he was looking at it because one of his friends asked him to help find a ring for his girlfriend or something. I don’t know; I just don’t want to make an ass out of myself by getting excited just to realize that he was never looking for a ring on my behalf.”
She shook her head. “No, I am sure it is yours. I mean, most guys wouldn’t ask another guy for help with that. If anything, they would ask another female friend. That’s what Mark did. He asked some little slut for her help.”
“Slut?”
She put the ends of her sandwich together, “Yeah. I hated the girl because I thought she was trying to push up on Mark. I knew she had a crush on him and as soon as we got further along in our relationship, she stopped coming around. She liked him. I could tell, and if I saw her now, I’d cut her with this fucking butter knife until she bled to death.”
She clenched the butter knife in her hand. “Uh,” I said, cautiously, “this pregnancy is making you crazier than normal.”
She put the knife down and exhaled, “Girl, I know! Sheesh. This baby needs to hurry up and come out of my vagina so I could claim my sanity. Sometimes, I listen to how crazy I sound, and it’s like I just can’t stop it. It is annoying.” She shoved the sandwich into her mouth and took a bite. Her voice was muffled afterward, “Anyways, you can keep what you have on. At the rate I am growing, I am pretty sure that I won’t be able to fit any of those clothes anyway. As a matter of fact, you should come back over here and take some more clothes.” She took another bite. “This baby is going to change everything about me. I don’t care though; I am just ready for all of this to be over so I can get on with my life.”
The way she spoke made me dread going through a pregnancy, but I knew that after the nine months were over, everything would be worth it. I stayed with her for another hour before I headed to the stores so I could shop for Vinny’s party. Even though I knew he wasn’t my son, it felt like he was. We had grown closer since Gavin and I started dating, and before I knew it, he had wiggled himself into a special place in my heart. After I finished shopping, I went back to Gavin’s place. He had given me a key to his home yesterday just to decorate for the party, but when I used it to let myself in, I felt like I was coming home. It was a feeling that I wanted to remain for as long as we were together.
As I walked around the house, I imagined pictures of us in different areas of the living room. Pictures of Gavin and I with Vinny right beside us, and pictures of me and Gavin alone, smiling like we knew there was nobody else in the world that could fit us the way we fit each other. In my mind, I saw a picture of myself in the eight month of pregnancy with Gavin standing right behind me. His hands were on my stomach, and we both smiled from ear to ear. Before long, I snapped out of my daydreams and started dressing the house for Vinny’s party. I hung streamers on the walls and used a ladder to attach them to the higher areas.
I placed balloons throughout the living room and tossed a few on counters and table tops. Vinny didn’t have many friends, but the few I saw him with were his best buddies. I was excited to see them, but at the same time, I was a bit nervous because of the rumors they heard about me. I didn’t want things to be awkward, especially at Vinny’s party. I had even thought about removing myself before everyone came just to save anything from happening. It took almost three hours, but I had finally completed the decorations. Just as I put the final touches on everything, I heard car doors open and close in the driveway.
I peeked out of the window and saw Vinny, Gavin, and Mike show up in two different cars. Vinny walked to the door with a smile on his face and Gavin’s arm draped around his shoulder. He had a pin connected to his shirt with dollar bills hanging down the front of it. It was something that children did at the school when it was someone’s birthday. They pinned money to their shirt, and for a day, the student got to walk around like they were the richest person on the planet. I smiled as he came through the door. “Bethany!” He kicked balloons out of the way as he ran towards me.
I embraced him. “Happy birthday, Vinny!”
After we released, he kicked balloons out of the way as he walked through the front room. “I love it!” he said with a wide grin, “I love it! All these balloons!”
“I am happy that you love it, Vinny!”
Gavin put his arms around me and kissed my cheek, “Wow. And to think that I was going to pay someone to do this.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought you would still be working at the school when I was planning this. But, now that you have a little flexibility at your job, I figured I’d run it by you. I’m glad that I did.”
“Well, you can still pay me.”
He leaned forward, “Yeah, I’ll pay you in dick,” he whispered.
I smiled and rolled my eyes, then looked at Mike. “Hey, Mike.”
“What’s up, Bethany. How’s shit goin’?”
“Um, it’s going good, Mike.”
“Now, I know this is a kid’s party and shit, but where are the brews?”
“Mike,” Gavin said, “really?”
“Um, they are out back by the grill inside the cooler. I knew to set aside at least a few for you since I knew you would be here.”
He smiled and tapped me on the shoulder, “See, she is a fuckin’ keeper, Gavin. I take back everything I said about you getting married. As long as you marry her, then I don’t think you will have a problem. Hell, if my ex-fucking-wife was half as thoughtful as this, maybe we would still be married. But she was too fucking busy–”
“Mike, we get it,” Gavin interrupted, “Go ahead and go out to the back so we can get started on the grill. Gavin’s friends will be here in a little while.”
“Okay.”
I watched him walk to the patio and close the door behind him. When we were alone, I expressed my concerns about the children’s parents coming to the party when they dropped off their kids. “Maybe I should leave? I mean, I don’t want my presence to cause a problem, especially with the rumors floating around the school. I don’t want to ruin Vinny’s party.”
“No, babe. No. You are not going anywhere. This is my home, and I can have whoever I want here. If they are uncomfortable with it, then that is their problem, and they don’t have to come.”
“Yeah, I understand that baby, but I just don’t want Vinny’s party to get ruined because of me. You know how–”
He pulled me closer to him. I could smell the mint on his breath as he spoke, “Babe, listen and listen good. You are not going anywhere. Vinny wants you here, and I want you here, so everyone else can fucking kick rocks. If they can’t accept you, then I don’t want their asses here anyway. You are not putting yourself out because somebody can’t look past something you did years ago. Okay?”
His reassurance sent a smile onto my face. It made me feel good that he would stand up for me like that. It reminded me of the way Vinny stood up for me at school when some of the students were talking about me. They both made me feel wanted, and up until now, I hadn’t felt that feeling in years. He kissed me on the lips softly, and moments later, Vinny walked back into the front room. “Dad, there are balloons everywhere! Are my friends coming?”
“Yup,” he said, “they are coming. I need to go and start cooking for them when they come.”
“Thanks, Dad! You and Bethany are the best!”
He walked closer and put his arms around both of us. I felt like we were a family. They filled every emptiness I had in my life, and from there, I could only hope that the rings I saw on Gavin’s computer were intended for me.