Page 19 of Resolution
“You heard me. I’m pregnant. With twins, no less.” There’s no sense in keeping this a secret. She sees me every day, and if crying jags are something she’s going to experience, I might as well prepare her. I don’t recall being this emotional with my other kids, but with Enzo being gone and his super sperm giving me twins, I just might be in for a rude awakening.
“Wow.” Brenda gasps as she rounds the corner of my desk. I stand and she embraces me in the biggest hug we have ever experienced together. “Congratulations?” she questions to make sure I’m on board with celebrating.
“Enzo and I couldn’t be happier,” I tell her. “With him being gone, I think I just miss him, too much. Hopefully, I’ll have my emotions in check when he comes home.”
“Congratulations on your engagement as well. You guys sure know how to move fast,” Brenda teases.
I can’t help but roll my eyes. “That’s an understatement, but with Enzo, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I glance at the clock on my wall. “Crap. I need to get moving if I’m going to get to the grocery store and pick up the kids on time. Was there something you needed?” I say when I realize I never did find out what she came in here for.
She looks a bit perplexed for a minute and shakes her head. “I can’t remember. Apparently, it isn’t that important. You should get going and when I remember, I’ll message you.” She hugs me once more, then walks to the door. I grab my purse and jacket and follow right behind her. We walk out to the main office together and say our goodbyes.
I quickly make my way to the grocery store to pick up everything I need for dinner. Since Soren’s coming over, I stop by the bakery section and pick up a cheesecake for dessert. I haven’t been major grocery shopping since I’ve returned from Germany, so when I realize I have plenty of time, I get a few more things than I had originally come for.
As I load the conveyer belt, I realize one thing.I should never shop while I’m hungry or pregnant, apparently.Ice cream, cheesecake, pretzels, pickles, tortilla chips, cheese, avocados, and sour cream are just the first items I unload from my cart.Of course, I’ve got everything I need for dinner, but when I look at the combination of items placed on the conveyer belt, I wonder if anyone will wonder if I’m pregnant or just think I’m weird.
By the time I pick up everyone from school and drop them off at practice, I have a little less than an hour to make dinner. Thankfully, Maddie’s catching a ride with Soren, and Devin brings Declan from practice, so there’ll be no interruptions. Frankie’s upstairs doing her reading homework. I make my way to the kitchen and start the rice for later. I chop up some vegetables and set them in a pot to steam. Just as I begin cutting the chicken, a wave of unexpected nausea comes over me.Oh, shit. Not again.
It seems different from before. I don’t think I will get sick, but I sit and rest my head in my arms on the counter, anyway. I slowly take deep breaths and soon the wave passes. When I feel like it has passed, I force myself to get up and attempt to make dinner a second time. I manage to cut all of the chicken and am just about to start cooking it when another round of nausea hits.
This cannot be happening. I don’t have time for this shit.I glance at the clock and realize I have another twenty minutes or so before the kids will be home.After a few minutes, I realize I might need to eat something to calm my stomach.I walk to the pantry and pull out some crackers and 7-UP I keep on hand for when the kids are sick. I snack on them as I make my way to the couch in the family room, just off the kitchen. After a few more bites and a small sip of soda, I lay myself down, covering my eyes with one arm.Much better. The world has stopped spinning for a moment and I can finally relax.
The next thing I know, I hear the front door opening and voices coming from the hall.Crap. I must have fallen asleep.I soon realize the voices are coming from Declan and Devin. I make it as far as a sitting position before they stop talking and notice me.
Declan greets me with, “Hi, Mom. What’s for dinner?”
I stand and stretch off the sleep that just consumed me. I can’t believe I took a nap in the middle of the afternoon. “Honey chicken,” comes out in a yawn.
A grin lights up Declan’s face. It’s his favorite. “Awesome. I’m going to shower. Soccer was muddy.” For the first time, I notice that he’s indeed covered from head to toe in undeniable dirt. Well, his feet are clean since he obviously changed his shoes before getting into the car.
“Sure thing, Dec. See you in a few,” I offer to his backside as he darts out of the room.
Devin looks around the room and eyes the crackers and 7-UP. He doesn’t say anything but asks, “So, how was Germany? I hear you had an exciting trip.”
“It was wonderful.” I turn to start the chicken again.Thank goodness, no nausea. Must remember to eat and be well rested before cooking again.
“The kids said you got engaged. Congratulations,” Devin offers as he sits at one of the barstools at the island next to me. “When’s the big day?”
“Well, we’re actually going to be married shortly after Enzo returns from Germany.” I might as well lay it out on the table. He has every right to know since it’ll affect the kids as well.
Devin takes in a big breath and slowly releases it. Evidence of shock flashes across his face, but he recovers. “Wow… That’s soon.”
I shrug. Not that it’s any of his business. “Well, there’s no reason to prolong an engagement. We think it is important to be married before living together.” I make eye contact with Devin to ensure he gets that I’m doing it to set an example for our kids as well.Though, if I’m being honest, I just want Enzo and I could care less if there was an official paper stating we were together. But with the babies coming…“It makes sense to do it right away. There’s no use in him getting his own place and just have to move a few months later.”
He takes a moment to process what I said. In the short time Enzo was here, Devin and he actually spent a bit of time together. With Devin and I wanting to be an active part of our kids’ lives, we’re usually both at their activities. Devin knows Enzo’s a decent guy who cares about our kids. I don’t think they’ll ever be best friends, but they tolerate each other the best they can.
I can tell the moment it clicks into place. He shrugs and says, “It makes sense. I guess… If you’re happy, I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I go back to adding spices and honey, as I turn up the heat to caramelize the chicken.
Devin’s quiet for a moment. Long enough for me to look his way to see what he’s thinking. When I glance over, he’s looking at the sleeve of saltine crackers and 7-Up. Knowing Devin like I do, he appears as if he’s going to say something else but closes his mouth before anything comes out. His expression changes as if he changes his mind and instead says, “Well, I’d better get going. Let me know if you need help picking up the kids this week.”
We say our goodbyes, and just as dinner is ready, the door opens again. This time it’s Maddie and Soren. I’m still not used to seeing them holding hands as they enter, but I guess there could be far worse things for them to be doing. It’s weird watching my baby grow up. It feels like it was yesterday when she came into the house with pigtails and dirt on her face, claiming boys were disgusting and there’s no way she would ever have a boyfriend. Times sure have changed.
“Hey, Mom.” She beams as she enters the kitchen. “Smells great. I’m starving.” She sets her bag on the floor near the island and takes a seat on the barstool next to it.
“Me, too,” Soren says as he rubs his stomach. “Coach had us run lines forever when we kept missing our shots this afternoon.”
“Well, if Jack hadn’t been mouthing off, I’m sure that would have helped,” Maddie snarks out, which is out of character for her. Especially around Soren. “You said he’s the one that brags about staying out all night with Anna and kept missing his shots today, right?”
