Page 62 of Mia Amata

“Our burgers will burn,” I said. He groaned, letting go of me. I laughed and went to the grill, pulling the burgers off.

After we had eaten and cleaned up, we spent the rest of the evening unpacking Jacob’s belongings and putting them away. Or at least Jacob put them away. I just kept him company at his assistance. I assured him I wouldn’t break, but he refused to hear it, insisting that I should just relax and let him take care of everything. It didn’t take him long to get everything tucked away where it belonged, taking the flattened boxes out to the garage.

I heard Jacob come back down the hallway where he stopped. He opened the linen closet door, I assumed to get a towel for a shower. The door closed; Jacob continued his way into the bedroom. “Mattie?” I looked up at him to find he had my backpack in one hand and my envelope of cash in the other. “What’s this?”

Thinking fast, I decided to go with part of the truth. “That is what I guess you could call my ‘go bag’.”

“A ‘go bag’? Why do you have a ‘go bag’? I don’t understand.”

“It’s nothing, Jacob. Growing up like I did, going from foster home to foster home, you learn to keep your bag partially packed with important things. That way you can grab it in a hurry. I guess I put it there out of habit.” I smiled at him, “Really, Jacob, I’ve always had one.”

“Oh, Mia,” he walks over to sit on the bed next to me. “I’m sorry you had to live like that, but you don’t need to anymore.”

I nodded, “I know. I’ve been trying to work my way up to taking the money to the bank to put it in my account. Now that I have my own home, a place I can stay, I think I can get rid of it soon.”

Jacob put the money back in the bag, zipping it shut. “I hope you feel safe here like you don’t need to run anymore.”

Answering 100% truthfully this time, “I’m beginning to, Jacob, it will just take time, but I’m getting there. I know that I was in one place for several years, but for some reason, I didn’t feel safe. Maybe because I was renting the house it didn’t feel like I was safe.”

“I hate that you lived that way.” He reached out to stroke my face. “You are safe, Mia Amata, I’m here with you.”

I smiled, leaning over and kissing him. “I just need some time. I think it will take a little while to get completely past that feeling that I may have to run because I have had the feeling my entire life. I hope you can understand that be patient with me please.”

Kissing me back, “Of course, just remember I’m here for you Mia. I am a bit nervous about having that much cash in the house though.”

“I’ll take it to the bank soon, I promise.”

Chapter 21

We spent the next few days adjusting to each other’s normal routines, which did not take much since we had been spending most of our time together anyway. Thursday came. We got up preparing to go to my doctor’s appointment together. We were both excited to have the ultrasound to find out whether the baby was a girl or a boy. Once we got to the doctor’s office, I checked in. Then we took a seat in the waiting room. There were other couples in there. I realized that they probably thought that Jacob was the father of my baby. I discovered for some reason that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

We were soon called back by the nurse, who took my vitals and got us situated into a room. It wasn’t long until the doctor entered.

“Hi, Mattie,” she said. Then turned to Jacob. “You must be the lucky father.”

Before I could say anything, Jacob replied, “Yes. I’m Jacob, Mattie’s fiancé.” I looked at Jacob in surprise, but he looked at me and smiled.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. How have you been feeling Mattie?” After asking some questions and doing an examination, Dr.Lee said, “Everything seems to be going well. Let’s use the ultrasound machine to take a look at the baby.”

She got the ultrasound set up and then arranged my clothes. She put the gel on my abdomen and used the wand to locate the baby. It didn’t take long for the ultrasound machine to show pictures of the baby. “There’s the baby. Heartbeat is good and strong. I’ll take a few measurements now to make sure the baby’s growth is on target.”

Jacob was looking at the screen in amazement. He squeezed my hand, “Look at our baby. That is amazing.”

“Baby’s growth is right on schedule for a delivery date of February 27.” Dr.Lee said. “Do you want to know the sex?”

“Yes,” we both said at the same time.

Dr.Lee smiled, “Let me be the first to congratulate you on your baby girl.”

Jacob looked at me, “You were right, we are having a daughter.” He leaned over and gave me a kiss. Dr.Lee put away the machine after having printed out some pictures for us, telling us she wanted to see us again in a month. On the way out, we stopped at the reception desk to make the next appointment, then were soon on our way.

Jacob drove home, talking all the way about how amazing that was. He looked at me and said, “I hope you don’t mind that I said I was the father.”

I smiled, “It surprised me, but there is no one I would rather have as the father to my baby.”

“I already feel like this is my baby, I love her like my own.” He had tears in his eyes.

“How did I get so lucky to meet you?” I said.

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