Nadine

Mills let me take grandma for the day and we went everywhere the woman wanted to go. We traveled so much that the older woman was asleep on the way back from the Amana Colonies. She was interested in the concept of the German villages. By the time Grandma was in her room and out for the night, Mills came through the door with a somber look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked while organizing the magazines we purchased for his table since it was bare, with water stains on the surface.

“Pops,” he shook his head. “And Ida.”

“Oh shit,” I chuckled at the two playing cat and mouse games. “Are they still arguing?”

Mills moved towards me, bent and kissed me on the lips. When he pulled back, he answered, “No, not really. Apparently, the stalking has reversed.”

My hand patted his chest while I stared in those beautiful eyes.

“He’s stalking her?” I asked.

He pecked me on the head with his soft lips before answering, “First, he had Troy doing it, but apparently, Pops just interrupted a date with Ida and old man Wilson.”

“Holy shit,” I gasped. “Are you serious?”

“Wish I wasn’t,” Mills shook his head and plopped down on the couch. “Pops told the old man to go find his cane because Ida didn’t need the likes of his crippled ass.”

“Ha!” I yelled and sat down so we were hip to hip.

“The man apparently, went to grab the cane and hit Pops with it. Let’s just say, it didn’t end well and the comment that made Pops the proudest was that when someone said that his sons weren’t too far off from their old man. Something about Knox fucking up someplace for a woman.”

“Jesus,” I gasped. “This story gets better and better.”

“No, it’s fucking crazy.” Mills was not amused. “If Pops didn’t have mercy on the poor man, I’d be bailing his seventy-year-old ass out of jail.”

“Man, you Timms’ men are something else.” I shook my head.

“We get it honest, clearly.” Mills leaned back against the couch. “How was the day with Grandma Beth? Is she ready to skip this joint?”

“Ha! On the contrary.” My eyes grew big. “The woman had me all over the place and loved the scenery, the quiet and it’s everything that Bowie is not.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Mills said as he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, effectively pulled me closer, so that I straddled him.

“She sleep?” He murmured before pecking my lips.

“Hmm,” I answered since I had no choice.

He seemed tired but the need to be close was weighing on the both of us. I’d forgiven him, but I had not forgotten the issues that were swirling around us. The fact that Mills was willing to bring my grandma back with me, knowing that I’d missed her dearly even though I said nothing, was a testament to this man and his love for me. I decided to give it a try. Decided that no matter what, a baby by that heinous bitch or not, I’d remain until I couldn’t. I needed to trust him as he was trusting me. At least with his heart.

We kissed for a bit more and then retired to bed. Apparently, I was tired like Grandma from the full day and Mills was from Pops.

By the time Friday rolled around, Grandma was still not tired of her tourist trips. That evening, there was a big dinner at Pops and we were all supposed to be there, except for Tess and J.D., who were on their honeymoon.

Already seated at the table were Nina, Knox, and Troy. When we walked in, Mills introduced my grandma to them and then we went to do the same with Pops. He already knew she was in town and coming over for dinner.

“Pops, we’re here,” Mills called as we entered the kitchen. “Nadine’s grandmother is here as well.”

The older man turned around with two oven mitts on and what looked like macaroni and cheese in his hands.

“How do you do?” He called to grandma. “Son, Nadine. Now, one of y’all help me here and put down that towel on the counter.”

I was closest, so I moved to do what he said as I heard Mills mutter, “She always listens to my Pops but let me try to tell her what to do...”

Then I heard my grandma say, “I taught my girl how to respect her elders.”

She said this proudly, causing Pops to nod at her in agreement to the comment.

“Taught my boys the same thing, but some seem to forget.” Pops turned sharp eyes on Mills and then commanded, “Show ‘em the washroom so we can eat. Food’s ready.”

We were very well into the meal when the door suddenly opened and it was a red-hot Ida looking quite thunderous.

“Tony Dee Timms,” she called as her eyes swept across the table. “Mighty fine thing that you don’t invite me to dinner but think it’s okay to interrupt mine.”

Oh shit.

“Ida,” he started and stood up at the head of the table. “You’re always welcome here.”

“Ha!” She retorted. “I must have missed the...”

Her eyes landed on my grandma, then they narrowed on Pops.

“Who is she?” The older woman nearly hissed. “Years, I’ve nearly chased you and now you...you...”

“She’s no one,” Pops was on the move towards Ida.

Grandma turned to look at me with one lifted eyebrow. I firmly shook my head to motion for her to keep the DMV on lockdown.

“Who is she?” Ida was shrieking.

This time, Mills was up and moving towards Ida.

“That’s Nadine’s grandma,” he told her with outstretched arms, as if she was a feral animal ready to attack.

“Why is she here?” she continued. “Are you being set up?”

The questions were directed at Pops, who was now standing in front of Ida with his hands on her arms, but she was having none of it.

“Why are you here?” Ida was on the move, coming towards the dinner table. “Are you here for Tony?”

Good Lord.

“No,” I answered, but no one seemed to hear that.

“Lady, I don’t want your man,” Grandma huffed. “He’s all yours.”

Troy’s eyes moved between the two women with nothing but pure amusement on his face.

“Bullshit,” Ida spat. “He’s the most handsome man on this side of Iowa and he’s single.”

This time, Grandma stood up and I quickly put my fork down to intercede if I needed.

“Don’t give a damn. I don’t want him and if you weren’t so thirsty, you’d see that.” Grandma Beth from Maryland retorted.

“Thirsty?” Ida repeated as if the words tasted nasty on her tongue. “What does that even mean?”

Grandma went to explain, but I literally started speaking over here.

“Ms. Ida, this is my grandma from Maryland. She’s here to help me get acquainted and not be so homesick. I promise, this has nothing to do with Pops.” I raised my hand so she can get her focus off my grandma and look at me.

This time, Pops jumped back in front of her, whispered something loud enough that  only he and Mills could hear, which de-escalated the irate woman.

Then he led her outside.

“Is this the craziness that happens here in Iowa?” Grandma asked before returning to her seat.

Nina and Knox were in their own world as the two simply ate as if there was something of greater importance happening outside of what just went down at the table.

“Are they coming back?” Troy asked as if he were looking for the next round.

“Shut your ass up,” Knox threw a roll at Troy.

Grandma laughed at this and then we fell into a conversation about what we could do around here with Nina and Grandma setting up a date for tomorrow. Mills wanted to take me somewhere, so it worked out perfectly.

The next day, Mills drove me about fifteen minutes away from the farm to an open field.

I thought about what this could be but decided to enjoy the adventure. We walked about twenty feet away from his truck and there was a blanket in the middle of the field. I turned to see Mills smiling.

“A picnic?” I laughed and moved even faster towards the colorful setup that disrupted the long tan weeds that covered all that I could see.

On the blanket was a picnic basket, cooler, and two thermoses.

“Mills,” I called and smiled as I sat down. “This is crazy.”

He followed my actions, opened the basket and pulled out two plates of turkey sandwiches and containers of salad.

“Wow,” I exclaimed and took a plate that was tucked on the inside of the basket.

He had soup, beers, lemonade and fruit inside the containers. We made our plates, chatted about the dinner last night and what Nina could possibly be doing with my grandma.

Once we finished eating, Mills pulled out some folded papers from the basket.

“Another surprise?” I asked with a huge smile on my face.

I couldn’t help it, because the man was blowing me away with his acts of thoughtfulness, showing me the plan, just how I asked him to do.

Mills unfolded the papers and laid them out between us and placed a beer on one side. My eyes focused on the light text that was on the papers, specifically the grid lines.

“What’s this?” I asked.

He looked at me until my eyes met his.

“Our home,” Mills replied. “Right now, we’re sitting in the dining room.”

He pointed to a space on the grid and I nearly choked with the realization of what he was saying.

“Mills?” I moved closer and read the top of the large sheet.

Miller and Nadine’s New Home

This was above an address and the date for construction to begin.

“Are you serious?” I gasped again, unable to take in fully what this meant.

“Very,” he grabbed my hand. “This land will be ours and we will build on it, right along with our family and their kids’ kids. We can even build a place for your grandma, too.”

Picnic be damned, I crawled over the paper and containers and straddled the man.

“I so love you,” I told him before planting a wet kiss on him.

He deepened it and before long, we were stripping in the deserted place with nothing but nature looking upon us.

“Ride me,” Mills whispered as he put his Stetson on my head.

I pushed it down to my ears and then slid down on his hard dick. Using my free hand, I lined him up to my sopping wet pussy and impaled myself on the thick cock. This elicited a long rush of air from me and I began to ride my man, like he wanted. Mills large hands dug into my hips as he continued to guide me, but I controlled the rhythm as he looked up at me with those eyes that screamed, “Mine.”

“Fuck, Mills,” I hissed as I felt myself coming apart.

“Yes, sweetheart,” he began to top me from the bottom. “Yes, that’s it.”

I yelled out my release as he came shortly after me.

The two of us laid there on the blanket for a few minutes to gain our composure and then cleaned up. We talked more about what we both wanted in a home, how long it would take, and how Knox would be the one leading the work. I know this put him at ease since he trusted his brother explicitly. This was Mills showing me, and I was more than happy about this process even with the issue of this baby still hanging in the balance.

It was not a deal breaker, I decided, but I guess it wasn’t real until I knew for sure.

Mills:

My lawyer had been in contact with Rebecca almost every day that week, but she kept insisting that I meet with her and I absolutely refused. She would not consent to a paternity test until I met with her and I refused. So finally, my lawyer gave me a suggestion to call her bluff.

“Develop a contract that says since she won’t consent to the paternity test, you won’t be responsible for the child once the baby is born,” Leon told me over the phone.

Nadine was out with her grandma and Ida, of all people. Apparently, the two women turned out to like each other. Of course, it was Ida who decided to show Grandma Beth all the ins and outs of Libby. She also vowed to get her dating someone. It smelled like trouble, but it damn sure was entertaining.

At least for Troy it was.

He was always texting me little shit that was happening with Ida and Pops. Not that anything significant was happening between the two, but just the pretense.

“It’s not true,” I told Leon.

“She doesn’t know that.” He replied with the condescending tone reserved when he was devious.

“Do it,” I agreed.

I had known Rebecca for a long time, but I never knew her to be a devious bitch. Did I have blinders on during our entire relationship? Maybe, but that was a long fucking time to be with someone and not know them, at all. There still seems to be something off about her. The woman got on a plane to not even attend a wedding, but to ruin my life. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around that. This was not the woman I used to be in love with. She had changed and there was no hint of her anywhere.

The next day, just like Leon thought, Rebecca consented to the paternity test. It was after the results, that we planned to set up the doctor’s visits. I tried my damnedest to make sure Nadine knew what I was doing about the entire thing, so she knew I hadn’t forgotten or was not trying to act like it wasn’t there. I wanted her to continue to trust me and know that I was on top of everything. She didn’t ask too many questions, but I knew it weighed heavy on her.

The day of the paternity test, I told Nadine that I wanted her to go out and have fun with her grandma because apparently her mother was pissed that the two of them were living it up in Iowa without her. Therefore, Lazarus and her mom were coming but staying at a hotel for the week. Nadine was not very excited about this, but after Grandma Beth told her how much she loved Iowa, the nosey woman couldn’t resist.

I was at Pops’ house with Troy when Leon called with the results.

“I think you need to get down here,” my lawyer told me with no hint of humor but definitely of uncertainty.

“Leon, what the fuck?” I barked. “What’s happening?”

This caused both Pops and Troy to look my way with concern etched in their expressions.

“Man, get down here. Now.” The line went dead, causing me to curse again.

I grabbed my keys and headed for the door.

“Coming with you,” Troy announced.

“Me too.” Pops contributed.

All sorts of shit ran through my head as I raced to the local clinic. God, I prayed Nadine wasn’t there or something was permanently wrong. As soon as I reached the door, Leon waved to get my attention. He turned on his heels as if he were in a rush and I followed him down a narrow hall with Pops and Troy on my heels.

“Leon,” I whispered. “What the fuck is going on?”

“You’ll see,” he answered and burst through a door.

There was Rebecca lying on a bed with both her parents standing next to her with sadness in their eyes.

She was pregnant and it must have been mine, if Leon had me down here.

“Mills,” Rebecca called with joy in her eyes. “You’re here. I knew you’d come.”

What?

Her father shook his head, causing me to glance his way.

“What’s going on?” I asked the room.

A small man standing behind us near a computer turned and said, “You must be Miller Timms.”

“Yes, that’s me.” I replied. “What’s going on?”

“I was called to do a paternity test, but I always like to do an ultrasound before doing so, it just makes sense.” His bushy mostly white eyebrows rose as he spoke and made emphasis on certain words. “I couldn’t find the fetus the first time and then after trying eight more times, I still couldn’t find the fetus.”

“Mills, don’t listen to him. He’s trying to say I’m not pregnant but I am.” Rebecca yelled, almost frantically. “Look.”

She lifted her shirt and I saw her rounded stomach when I turned to her. The woman had always been fairly thin, but her stomach was clearly larger and round.

“I’m not trying to say, Mr. Timms.” The doctor said. “I am definitely saying, she’s not pregnant.”

“What in the Sam Hill is going on?” Pops chimed in. “She’s clearly pregnant. Is it his or not?”

“Sir, she’s not.” The doctor persisted on. “I believe this is a classic case of pseudocyesis. When a woman thinks she’s pregnant, have the symptoms but she’s not. It can also be called a phantom pregnancy.”

“What in the fuck?” Troy was asking no one.

I turned to look at Rebecca, who was slowly rubbing her stomach with tears rolling down her face.

“Mills, I’m telling you. I stopped taking the pill last year because I wanted to help move us along. I know it’s not right, but you hadn’t proposed yet and things were getting weird, but I love you so much. I do. And this, we made this.” She was patting her stomach.

So many thoughts raced through my head at the same time and I turned towards the doctor and asked, “Is it possible that you’re just missing the baby? Maybe he or she is hiding behind an organ or something. You can’t make this up.” I point to her stomach.

The doctor sighed and shook his head slowly. “Mr. Timms, I’ve tried eight times because I don’t want to believe it either. I even called her parents down here so maybe they could help with this mystery.”

“Can you try a ninth time then?” I asked him with all patience leaving me because this could not be real.

“Sir,” he began to say.

“Try another time, the man said.” Pops snapped. “This is their life and they need to know.”

The doctor nodded his head, began to prep Rebecca’s stomach again with the aid of a nurse he called in. Rebecca laid there with her eyes closed and mouth moving, as if she were praying. I had never known the woman to pray, but I understood why she would. There had to be a mistake and even if we needed to get...

Nothing.

There was nothing to be seen.

All eyes looked at the content of Rebecca’s belly and it wasn’t even the old grainy ultrasound. This was the state of the art color technology and there was nothing.

I heard sniffling and I looked up to see Rebecca’s mom with a red, wet face. A hiccup escaped her and then she burst out in tears.

This was confusing to me until she grabbed onto her husband’s arm and exclaimed, “Becca had a riding accident when she was a young teenager.” She hiccupped again. “She can’t have children.”

Then the woman burst into more tears. Her husband yanked his arm from hers and yelled, “WHAT!”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you, Don.” She kept crying. “I thought maybe, I thought... When the issue came up, we could say the issue was with the man and not our daughter.”

“It’s not true, Mom!” Rebecca yelled. “The doctor has it wrong. Mills got me pregnant. See.”

“Fuck, I’m in the twilight zone,” Troy muttered.

“Why are you just saying something?” I barked at my ex’s mom. “She’s been walking around here like this for months and now you say something.”

Her red eyes landed on mine and she cried every louder, “I wanted to believe it too.”

“Holy fuck,” Pops hissed under his breath.

“Mills, don’t...let me explain.” She started, but I turned towards her father and said, “Get her the help she needs. She’s been off for months. She got on a plane to go to someone’s wedding just to tell me she was pregnant. And now she’s not even pregnant. It’s a phantom fucking pregnancy! She’s off.”

I realized I was yelling with emotions running entirely too free. No wonder Leon needed me to get my ass down here.

“I am.” The father shook his head. “I know Mills, and I am.”

I nodded to the man, bent down and kissed Rebecca’s forehead to say goodbye, but she latched onto me.

“No, Mills. Don’t leave.” She cried. “We can be together and have this baby. Please.”

I pried her hands from my shirt and turned on my heels to leave. Pops, Troy and Leon were right behind me and we all collectively took a deep breath.

“You alright, son?” Pops asked me when we were out of the clinic.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “It seems fucked up but mostly sad for her.”

“Yeah, man.” Troy chimed in.

“So, we’re on to plan B?” Pops asked.

I met his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, let’s do it.”