Poor love. She looked shattered. I would be too if I was in her position.
“I’m sorry, my love. Maybe Mr. Right will introduce himself soon to keep your mind away from Mr. Right Now.”
“Hell, Ava, your attempts at jokes haven’t quite improved, even after all these years.” She gurgled a laugh, her face breaking into a smile.
“You complain, and yet they never fail to make you smile.” My jokes might be mediocre, but they were still effective. Frankly, I thought that, as long as the outcome was achieved, how it had begun and what had gone on in the middle was irrelevant.
“I can’t help it. Anyhow, how’s that ever-loving husband of yours? Please tell me you’re not leaving just yet; we haven’t had our usual fill of fun.” She pouted as she curiously sipped her champagne whilst looking over the menu.
“About that…” I cleared my throat, preparing to do my hefty speech. “I’m actually staying indefinitely.”
Let me just say that my bombshell of an announcement reached such loud, differentiated levels of “fuck” it was guaranteed she would be apoplectic with the news of my divorce. However, when I told her why it had come to that point, she immediately thawed and empathized with my situation. She was also delighted to find out about the baby and fiercely promised to castrate both Ashton and Reiss once she got her hands on them.
The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, and it wasn’t before long until I was inside the cab, heading back to the hotel, oblivious to the scenes around me as I got lost in my own thoughts. Then, out of the blue, my phone snatched my attention, ringing as it flashed my cousin’s name.
“Hello, cousin. I have a feeling this isn’t a social, is it?” I inquired, smiling.
“I’m afraid your hunch is spot on. I’m guilty as charged,” Toby Watson cheerily admitted. “News got to me about you planning to divorce Ashton. I hope you’re safe and well?” He sounded concerned, most likely assuming, like the rest, that I’d gone off the deep end because Ashton and I had been together since the beginning of time. This was the main reason that, when breaking the news to my family, it had obviously come as a surprise.
But this was the typical Toby—always incredibly kind and caring. It was one of the things that made me confide in him since both of my parents were kind of hard to relate to. He was like the big brother I’d never had.
During the call, I found out that my mother had been hysterical, telling mostly anyone with an ear about my plan of divorce. Though I was a little shocked to know that, apart from that, she hadn’t divulged anything else that was much bigger news, like my impending pregnancy and who’d fathered it. Looking at it prospectively, I supposed she still hoped for reconciliation, and that I would pass this on as Ashton’s baby as they all, Ashton included, hoped. Well, they were in for a real shocker because I wasn’t going to change my mind.
Exhausted from everything that happened today, I decided to take a light soak in the bathtub the moment I got back into my hotel room. The stress from dealing with all the drama was taking a toll on my energy levels, and I seriously needed some immediate relief.
Before I went into the bath, I stood naked in front of the mirror, studying my body and noting whatever changes it was going through. Though my abdomen remained flat, my breasts were a different matter. They appeared to be swollen, rounder, and heavier compared to a week ago. It was amazing how one’s body had to go through such transformation to accommodate the baby growing inside. This was nature working its beautiful spell on me. It was beyond fascinating to see the minor changes already, even though I was in the early stages of pregnancy.
The drama caused by my mother, my family’s curiosity, Ashton’s reluctance in letting me go, and Reiss’s reservations in me meant nothing compared to the happiness that this baby was giving me. The rest could go to shitters, and I would gladly survive it as long as my unborn child was all right and safe from harm. Be it a girl or a boy, I’d love it with my entirety.
Immersing myself in a tub filled with warm water, surrounded by stress relieving scents from the oils and candles around me—I thought it might do a splendid job. Basked in the calming ambiance, the water slowly worked my body into a less tensed state while the herbal scents did their magic in making me feel much lighter inside.
Uplifted, I emerged from my bath with a newfound vivacity. My skin felt freshly renewed as I vigorously applied some oils so my skin wouldn’t have any stretch marks. I had read it in one of the magazines that the earlier, the better. Since the skin was stretching, it was best to keep hydrated at all times to ensure my skin’s elasticity wasn’t stressed for too long.
I was in the process of untying my hair when I heard the chime of the doorbell. What time was it?
Glancing at the nearby clock, it indicated it was barely thirty past eight in the evening. If it was my mother, I would most likely shut the door on her face because, if I didn’t, she wouldn’t leave me be until she had accomplished what she sought to do.
“Wait a second,” I called out when the bell rung again, followed by a few taps rapped at the door.
Pacing quickly towards the entrance, I barely got the chance to tie the knot on my robe as I yanked the door open.
“Reiss—” I muttered, as my nose once again immediately detected the smell of alcohol on him.
“Hello, hello, pregnant lady,” he greeted a little too enthusiastically, though his face appeared none too amused.
My eyes didn’t directly meet his. I was too overwhelmed with how gorgeous he was, standing there, sexily brooding with his hair somewhat less pristine and his jaw starting to grow stubble. He was the epitome of a delicious trifecta. He had this air of danger about him, making my stomach coil from unfurling desire.
Shrugging, I swung the door wider. “Why don’t you come in? Is something the matter?”
He merely grunted as he took my invitation to come inside.
Securing the tie on my silk robe, I tried to cover up as much as I could, feeling naked around him. I then looked away while I went to the bar and plucked out a bottle of water from the fridge, attempting to distract myself by hydrating my body.
“You know, I can smell alcohol on you.” Placing the cap back on the bottle, I met his gaze full on.
He stood right in the middle of the living room with a unreadable expression. His eyes radiated such intensity that my body instantly responded with my nether region throbbing for his touch. How could he affect me so? He wasn’t even touching me, for goodness sake! What was worse was the fact that, since I was pregnant, his appeal had become a hundred times more lethal.