Page 45 of The MC's Surprise
It was like she did a one eighty after I told her I was pregnant. She did everything in her power to help me be comfortable and when my hormones got the best of me and I started crying over nothing, she would sit by my side and pet my hair until I could breathe normally again. It was like we’d grown closer in the last month and a half than we had in the last five years.
“I could always stick you in the cart if you need a break,” Vegas teased. He laughed when I stuck my tongue out at him, putting a hand supportively on my lower back as we headed inside.
The inside of the store was… a little overwhelming. There was an entire section of strollers, a wall of carseats, and crib sets as far as the eye could see.
“Holy crap,” Vegas and I said in unison.
Mom snickered, leading the way to the customer service desk. “Babies need a lot. Why do you think I was so glad Vegas planned this trip? At least now you can try it all out and see what you like best. Go look around. I’ll get us the scanner for the registry.”
It still felt weird to make a registry. I didn’t have friends, so I knew most of it would be bought by me and Vegas or my parents. Or maybe his.
“Have you told your family about the baby?”
He blanched and a horrified look crossed his face as he whipped around to look at me. “Oh shit. I forgot to call my mom.”
He looked genuinely panicked, not like he was hiding it, so I did my best not to take offense. Of course, my hormones had other ideas and I felt the tears well in my eyes despite knowing full well he didn’t mean anything by it.
His eyes widened even more and his panic grew when he noticed my expression. “Shit, Sierra. I didn't mean to– It’s not like that– I–”
He was practically dancing foot to foot, grasping at straws as he tried to come up with something to say. Finally, he whipped out his phone and put it on speaker, dialing his mom.
“You can’t tell her over the phone!” I complained, my voice watery and thick.
“Why not?” he asked, perplexed.
“Why not what?” Mom asked. “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you overwhelmed?”
Understatement, but not because of the store like she thought. And Vegas looked a little green about explaining it to her. Which only made me feel worse and I burst into tears despite myself.
“Shiiiit… Sierra, I swear I just forgot. I’ve been so busy with the house and the stuff at the club and spending time with you, I didn't think to call home. I don’t normally call home more than once a month at best.”
“That’s horrible,” Mom chastised as she moved to my side, rubbing my arm soothingly. “Your poor mother. Are you telling me she doesn’t know about the baby?”
“What baby?” a voice asked. Which was when we all realized Vegas never hung up the phone. Through tearfilled eyes, I watched as Vegas looked down at his phone comically slowly, staring at it with his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
“Justin, what baby?” the woman, who I assumed was Vegas’s mother, demanded.
“Uh… Hey, Mama…” he croaked. “I, uh… have some news.”
The resulting screech was deafening, even over the phone. Vegas was getting looks from everyone and had to step outside to talk to his mom in private. Meanwhile, mine led me toward the baby clothes, muttering under her breath the entire way.
“I’m so glad I never had sons,” she carped. “It would’ve broken my heart if you only called me once a month when you moved away.”
“Same,” I sniffled, accepting the tissue she pulled out of the packet in her purse. “I always looked forward to our phone calls.”
When things were going well for me, I would call home at least every other day. Sometimes every day. My parents would listen to me gush about how things were going and how many clients I had. It made it more embarrassing when things eventually fell apart, but I couldn’t imagine not calling. They were my parents.
Vegas came inside a few minutes later, looking properly chastised and sheepish. “Hey, Sierra? Would you be willing to meet my mom and my sister this weekend? I’m looking at certain death if you say no.”
That broke my meloncholy and I started laughing so hard my sides hurt. Vegas wasn’t ever the person to be kept down for long, so he joined me, laughing and leaning against one of the racks to hold himself up.
“You two,” Mom chided, though she was smiling when she said it so I didn’t feel like she was actually complaining. “Comeon. We’ve got baby things to look at. And yes, of course she’ll meet her. We’ll have a meal at my home so we can all get to know one another. We’re all part of the baby’s family, after all. How does tomorrow for lunch sound?”
I shook my head, taking a moment to catch my breath before saying, “The blood drive is tomorrow.”
I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but Vegas looked a little green when I mentioned it. I was going to ask, but Mom interrupted, asking how long it would be and if we could make dinner work instead. Then she handed me a scanner that looked like a smart phone in a fancy case, and it was my job to scan tags of items we liked. I’d have to remember to ask him about it later.
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