"I taught you better than that. We raised you better than that. You cannot be mad at your husband and then leave the house. Whatever it is, you stay in that home and sort it out. I will chalk it down to pregnancy hormones, but you cannot stay more than a week." My father shouted even after I tried to explain we were just having a couple’s minor quarrel.
"Fine!" I walked to my room to take a much-needed nap. But that was wishful thinking, as my mum was in there within five minutes.
"Would you like anything special to eat?" she asked.
"Mum, that’s not why you are here."
She sighed and sat on my bed. "The first few weeks after your wedding, your father would sneak in here in the middle of the night to sleep."
I chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like something he would do."
"Children, they turn out to be your world. From the moment they are born, but for mothers, you fall in love with your child before you even feel its inside you."
She held my hand and pulled me to sit beside her. "Every decision you make from now on should be for your child. Sometimes, your husband may push your buttons to the ends of the earth; whatever you do, think of your child. As long as you are not being abused. And Benita, Richard loves you. I have seen the way that boy looks at you."
"Mum, I promise. I just need a break from the craziness of it all." I still don’t know how much they know, and I didn’t want to go into details.
"If you say so." She kissed me on my forehead. "I’ll make some rice and spicy soup."
"Sounds good." I groaned after she left the room and collapsed in the bed. Maybe coming to my parents’ house wasn’t a great idea.
It had been thirty-six hours, thirty-six hours without my wife, and I was going crazy. I needed her now more than ever. Why couldn’t she see that?
I had underestimated my wife’s intelligence by constantly putting down her suspicion about Sam. I had known him all my life and didn’t see his treachery. I see how much my dad loves my mom, but I couldn’t see that he betrayed her either.
I had confronted him at the hospital, and he admitted everything Sam said was true. He was my stepbrother, a result of a brief office romance. How cliché. He was sleeping with his secretary.
He had kept the secret so well, and now he still wanted to protect his son; he didn’t want him in jail. But I wasn’t done with Sam; no way in hell was I done with him.
I paced back and forth in my office, thinking what I could say to her to get her back home. I know she was done with lunch meeting with my father. I wasn’t speaking to him, so I couldn’t ask him how it went.
She wasn’t picking up my calls or replying to my messages. She didn’t even let us, at least for one minute, be happy that we have a child on the way.
It should have been a beautiful moment, but she was still hell-bent on divorcing me. Where would she go with my child?
Without thinking further about it, I grabbed my jacket and my briefcase and hurried out of the office.
I got to the Williams’ house and found Martin relaxing in a chaise lounge on the balcony. Poor guy can’t catch a break since I got married. He has been shuffling between protecting me and Nita.
"Hey, big guy!" I said.
"Good evening, sir!" He looked behind me. "Where is your guard?"
"I ditched him. I needed to drive myself."
"You can’t do that, sir."
"Don’t worry. You can do the guarding yourself because I am not leaving here without my wife." I told him, patted him on the back, and entered the house.
Mrs. Williams was home on the phone; she gave me a nod acknowledging me and pointed in the direction of Nita’s room. I followed her finger; the door was open, so I stepped through. She was lying on the bed; the subtle movement from her breathing signified she was asleep.
I closed the door, took off my shoes, and got into bed with her.
I watched her sleep, the gentle flutter of her lashes, the soft whistle from her nose. I reached for her belly where my baby was lying. Our love baby; she finally admitted to loving me even though her eyes were spitting fire when she said it; I knew it was honest.
She snuggled into me in her sleep, her head resting on my chest and her arm draped around my midsection, just like she used to.
I hadn’t had a decent sleep since she got admitted to the hospital. I must have been watching her sleep for too long that I drifted into a nap myself. When I opened my eyes, she was watching me.
"How long ago did you sleep?" she asked.
"a few minutes a day for four days now."
"I know, thank you." I reached for her face. "Come home, babe. I miss you."
"I need time." She replied, sitting up.
"About what the future holds."
"My future, all I want for my future is you and my baby, our babies. That’s the future I see; that’s the future I want."
"When did you know?--- I mean that you wanted to stay married."
"Since the moment I kissed you on the altar at our wedding." I admitted, smiling as I replayed the scene in my head. The way she had conquered her fears, stepped forward, and planted her lips on mine. Her urging for me to deepen the kiss. I was dumbfounded.
"Me too," she said with a small smile.
"I guess we better rip up that contract, huh."
She laughed. "I think so."
"What made you change your mind?"
"I had a chat with your dad."
"So are you going to come home with me?"
"On one condition..."
"For God’s sakes, Nita." I groaned.
"I am craving Mama L’s burger." She laughed at my frustration.
"I’ll buy the goddamn place, sweetie, if that’s what you need."
"Naah, then it won’t be street food anymore."
We both laughed this time, and I pulled her close to kiss her.
"There is something I have always wanted," I said, my lips still against hers.
"I have always wanted to make love to my pregnant wife in her father’s house."
"You perv!" She playfully smacked me and made to shuffle off me, but she was too late. I caught her and gently flipped her to the bed.
"Richard, my dad will be home soon. And my mum is right out there."
"I guess we will have to be very quiet then." I finished and kissed her once more.