Chapter Thirty-Nine
Terrance
Next Saturday
“Hey there, sleepyhead,” Morgan’s voice burst through into my dreams, like the angel she would always be to me. “You have to wake up now, as you know we have a big day today.”
Oh God. The knowledge of what the day held flooded through me, spiking ice cold terror into my heart. “Oh no, do we have to?” I feel like a terrified teenager, about to be dragged in front of the angry principal. “Can’t we phone in sick?”
“This isn’t work,” Morgan’s tinkling giggle was the only sound that could possibly get me to open up my eyes. “We have to go. I know you’re scared but it’ll be okay, I promise you.”
I took the plate of breakfast from her and smiled as thinly as I could. “You have to know, I’ve never met someone’s mom before. This is utterly terrifying for me.”
“Trust me, it’s scary for me, too. I don’t exactly have the best relationship with my mom.” She rolled her eyes, reminding me of the strain she’d told me about. A mother who couldn’t understand her ambition or lifestyle. A woman who assumed she should be a home maker, a family woman.
“This might help, right? I mean, you’re finally giving her everything she wants.” I stroked Morgan’s swollen belly, my heart pounding with excitement. “She wants you to have a baby and a man.”
“Yes, and it kills me to give her what she wants, but I suppose this might go some way to bridging the gap. Who knows, maybe we’ll be a normal family after all.” She laughed mirthlessly and rolled her eyes again. “It’s just lucky that she doesn’t live near enough to visit all the time.”
“Maybe I’ll ask her to move in,” I teased. “Just for the first few weeks when the baby is born. We might need her help, it’ll be such a difficult time...”
“Don’t you dare,” she growled back at me. “Let’s just get through this and get back to normal. Eat your breakfast. I’m hopping in the shower. I’ll be back in a moment.”
As she left me alone, the terror came in thick and fast. This was actually much scarier than going to face the damn loan sharks. Then I was scared, but now I was utterly petrified. Facing Morgan’s partly-estranged mother was scarier than anything else in the world.
I ate as much of my breakfast as I could manage to get into my twisting and churning stomach, then I hopped up to look into my wardrobe to try and decide what to wear. I didn’t want to look too rich or too try hard, but I didn’t want to look scruffy, either. I needed to give the right impression that I was a nice man who loved her daughter very much.
Even if I hadn’t yet told Morgan that yet.
“Okay, shirt, no tie. Jeans, but nice shoes,” I muttered to myself. “That will have to do.”
As I tugged the clothing on and glanced in the mirror, I was dissatisfied with my appearance, but I knew it would have to do. I certainly didn’t want to turn into a crazed man who tried on a million different outfits. This would be fine.
“Oh, you look nice,” Morgan squealed as she entered the room with only a towel wrapped tightly around her body. “Really lovely.”
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I growled at the sight of all her very naked flesh on show. “Come on, let’s blow this thing off and stay in bed all day.”
I pawed at her, trying to remove her towel for a brief glimpse of her, but she was having none of it. “Get off me, you fool,” she chuckled. “I have the perfect dress to wear today, one that hides my bump so I can tell Mom before she realizes. I don’t want to waste a good day of shopping just because you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”
“Fine,” I playfully pouted. “But later on...”
“Yes, yes, later on. Afterwards.”
The afterwards would be great – it was just the before that I had to worry about.
***
Oh God.
We stood outside the door of Morgan’s mother’s home, waiting for her to answer the door, with my heart hammering in my chest the entire time. Nerves cascaded through me. I wanted to turn and run about a million times, but I didn’t. Morgan’s hand fixed me in place, doing it’s best to reassure me when nothing else could.
The door swung open and a woman who looked a lot like Morgan smiled happily at us both. “Oh, hello, I wasn’t expecting you so early.” She stepped aside and indicated for us to go inside. Morgan embraced her mother inside the door, leaving me awkwardly waiting by her side. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Viv.” Her graying hairs wisped around her face and her dark blue eyes stared deep into my soul; time had treated her well.
As she smiled at me, all my fears floated to the side. Despite everything that Morgan had told me about her mother, she seemed like a very sweet woman to me. Chances were she probably had her daughter’s best interests at heart, it just didn’t comply with what Morgan wanted for herself.
“I’m Terrance.” I smiled and shook her hand.
“Come in, sit down, I’ll make drinks.” Viv showed me where the living room was and I made my way inside. The room was filled with a pinkish, floral design and family pictures hanging on the walls.
“I’m just going to pop to the bathroom,” Morgan gave me a bashful look, but I nodded at her, trying to let her know that I would be okay.
I moved around the room and examined the pictures closer. There were images of Morgan that I’d never thought I would see – a slightly awkward teenager, a super cute child, surrounded by friends, on her graduation day. It was nice to see the sides of the woman I loved that I might not get to know otherwise.
“Here, oh!” Viv’s voice made me jump as she came back into the room. “Yes, I bet you haven’t seen any pictures of Morgan as a child before; she’s so secretive about things like that.”
“I know,” I chuckled. “She always lives in the present moment, doesn’t she?”
“Yes,” Viv sighed deeply as she sat down. “I’ve always tried to make her see into the future, just a little bit. She’s always resented me for that. I guess I always wanted better for her than I got myself, not that Morgan will ever see it that way.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, it didn’t feel like it was my place to say anything really. This wasn’t a part of Morgan’s life that I’d ever had any involvement in. I took my drink and sat back down, just waiting for Morgan to appear.
I sat back and listened intently as they caught up for a while, sharing the sort of small talk that mothers and daughters should discuss every single day. It was a shame that things had gotten so difficult between them. I just hoped that the baby would go some way to healing that rift.
“Actually.” Eventually Morgan turned to face me and she grabbed my hand, dragging me back into the conversation. “Terrance and I haven’t just come here for a social visit...”
“Oh, and there was me thinking you’d come to introduce me to this very important man in your life.” Viv put down her cup delicately and folded her hands into her lap while she looked at us intently. “Please, go on.”
“Erm...” Morgan’s face flushed, she hunched her shoulders over awkwardly. I would’ve jumped in and told her the news on her behalf, but it wasn’t my place to do so. “Actually, we... We’re...having a baby.”
“Oh my God.” Viv’s hands clapped across her lips, her entire expression lit up with joy. “Oh my goodness, are you serious? Is this real?”
She didn’t wait for an answer – she simply leapt up and grabbed us both into a warm family hug. She held us to her as the tears fell down her face, happiness swirling in her expression. I felt a warmth deep in my chest as I was embraced by this family, as I was invited in without the words actually being spoken.
“Yes, Mom,” Morgan finally jumped in. “I’m serious, we’re having a baby.” She pulled the ultrasound picture out of her bag and handed it to her weeping mother. “We don’t know what we’re having or anything, but there he or she is, your little grandchild.
“Oh congratulations,” Viv cooed, drinking in the picture like it was absolutely everything. “This is the best news ever.”
Morgan clung to me like I did her, the love in the room circling us both. We had it all, we were so lucky, and things were only on the up from here.
***
“How does it feel?” I asked Morgan happily. “You’re finally in now, the last box is unpacked. Does it feel more like your home?” Her things littered the place, filling up areas I didn’t even know that there was space, and I liked having her encroach upon me, it felt amazing.
“It does actually. And, I’m glad we can finally move freely about the place, sorry it took me so long to get organized.”
“It doesn’t bother me.” I shrugged, genuinely the happiest that I’d ever been in my life.
I couldn’t hold it back any longer – the words were sitting on the edge of my lips, bursting to get out. I wasn’t even sure why I’d held back for this long, it seemed ridiculous now. All I wanted to do was set every single emotion inside of me free.
“Come outside with me,” I begged on impulse. “Let’s go and take a look at the night sky. It’s been such a nice day, and I want to round it off perfectly.”
“Sure, whatever you want.” She pursed her lips as she thought. “And actually, it was a nice day, much better than I expected. Mom was okay today, wasn’t she?”
“She was lovely.” I took her hand and led her outside. “Really nice.”
The stars twinkled above us as the fresh, brisk air hit us in the face. The night was a nice one, just like the night I took her out here to make love. As I wrapped Morgan up in my arms, and we glanced up at the wondrous sky, I felt the heat warming up every inch of me.
“Morgan, I love you.”
As those word fell out of my mouth, I felt my heart skip about ten beats in my chest. I felt freer than ever before. I’d trapped them within me, trying to keep my cool, but what was the point now? It was time to finally reach out and grab everything that could be mine.
“I love you, too, silly,” she chuckled happily as a response, saying the words with more ease than me. “I love you so much.”
I took her chin in my hand, and I kissed her lips gently, loving the way her mouth felt against mine. The sparks flew, and I didn’t think time would ever be able to dull them,
“Well, I suppose we better go baby shopping tomorrow. I feel all unorganized now, don’t you?”
“There are months yet...” Morgan shrugged, feeling none of the immediate panic that I was.
“I can’t wait,” I snapped back, impatient and excited. “I need to be all ready now. This must be that nesting instinct you hear so much about.”
“Okay, okay, whatever you want.” She laughed. “Are you going to be all Dad-Zilla now? Will I have to rein you in at every step?”
“Maybe,” I admitted with a laugh. “I just want everything to be perfect. I just want everything to be right for our baby.”