Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
“Yeah, Frank, let’s take this inside. Maci said she has some news to share with us.” Mom takes Dad’s hand and pulls him away from the entry so we can be let through.
“Thank you,” I breathe through a wave of nausea. My hand goes to my lower stomach instinctively, and Mom watches the movement like a hawk.
This morning, my eyes opened to an empty bed. The sheets were cool to the touch, so, clearly, Tysen had been up for a while. When I rolled over to get out of bed, there, on the nightstand, greeting me, were a glass of lemon lime soda, a few crackers, and the ginger chews Luke suggested we pick up. I sank my head back on the pillow, looked up at the ceiling, and pinched myself hard enough for me to say ouch. When I started to get out of bed to use the bathroom, the queasiness hit, and I used the tools available to me to hopefully not be on my knees in front of the porcelain throne.
We make it inside the house. Dad closes the door while Mom is still eyeing me suspiciously. The way my stomach is doing a dance inside of me might have me running to the nearest bathroom rather quickly. Except I’m pretty sure the reason in this instance has nothing to do with the child inside of me and everything to do with the news we’re about to deliver.
“Oh my god, Maci is pregnant,” Mom says, slapping a hand over her mouth as soon as the door closes behind us. My shoulders sag in defeat. This is not the way I would have liked the news delivered, but I guess the Band-Aid is ripped off either way. “I should have known. Your body has changed right before my eyes, and I didn’t even question it.” What does she mean, my body has changed? I mean, sure, my boobs are a bit fuller, and I’ve also gained a couple of pounds since being back, but the weight has everything to do with her and Dad feeding me non-stop. A trait that Tysen has seriously taken over.
“Well, Mom, that would be because I wasn’t aware, either, until around twenty-four hours ago. Surprise!” I look at Tysen. He’s got a slight smirk on his face, and when I look back at Dad, he’s grinning himself.
“Have you been sick? Your mom was all the time, morning, noon, and night,” Dad says, not congratulating or scolding us, just diving right into making sure his little girl is okay.
“She’s getting better now that Luke gave her some over-the-counter medicine and a prescription if it gets too bad,” Tysen chimes in. He further tacks on, “Luke, my friend, is a doctor. He won’t be seeing Maci for the duration of her pregnancy. I think she’s worked out that she’ll want to see his partner at his practice.” I squeeze his hand, and he throws me a wink.
“Come here, my girl.” Mom opens her arms, and I fold into her. The wave of nausea subsides, and the waterworks try to take hold. I blink the tears away. This is not ideal. I should still be getting back on my feet. The need to come up swinging is at the forefront of my mind. Then there’s also the other part, the softer side of me, that is jumping for joy, overly excited to be carrying a life inside me and to have Tysen right beside me during the entire process.
“Thanks, Mom, you know, for not being upset.”
“I could never be angry with you. I’m just glad you have a man in your life who deserves you. It says a whole lot that you found out yesterday, and he’s here with you today. Plus, Tysen is not bad on the eyes.” The last part of her statement, she whispers quietly.
“And what about flying? Surely, she shouldn’t be doing that anymore,” Dad asks Tysen. I perk right up, ready to put my foot down if either of the men in my life try to dictate my life.
“She can fly up until the last couple of months of her pregnancy,” Tysen reiterates what Luke mentioned yesterday.
“I’d rather she didn’t.” Dad crosses his arms over his chest.
“I can’t say that I blame you. We spoke about this last night. I own Vaughn Elite Air, a private jet company that we charter four times a week. That’s how we reconnected,” Tysen continues, but I move toward him, my hand wrapping around his arm, silently telling him not to go into full detail because ick. “I met her the day she was leaving Vegas.”
“And that’s enough of that. We’re all adults, and I love you, Mom and Dad, but you don’t need to know the logistics. We lost touch, I happened to be on his plane, and he saw me lose my cookies. Romantic, I know.” I fling my hand that’s not occupied with the man standing next to me. “Tysen had been trying to find me all along, you see. So, anyways, back to the story. I’m going to turn in my resignation at the airline and work for Tysen. Samuel will also be with me because, you know, he’s the one who helped me secure the gig in the first place.” I take a breath and get the rest out so hopefully, we can celebrate for a few minutes before heading to his mom’s house, where I’m sure we’ll repeat the process, hopefully without me getting queasy. “Also, the pay is better, and the benefits are superior to what I’d receive anywhere else. I’m also moving in with Tysen. He and his friends will be around later this week to grab what we can’t today. Since becoming pregnant has now made me unable to lift a box.”