Page 32 of Milo

Where are we, even?I asked, grabbing the towel to soap up.

I scrubbed my body from head to toe as best as I could with a protruding belly and an eight-pound boy residing inside of it while the question continued to play in the background. Upon exiting, I came to the conclusion that we weren’t any closer to where we needed to be and until I was honest with myself and honest with Milo, we wouldn’t be.

“We belong together,” I whispered, the revelation releasing the budding tension in my frame. Hearing the words was much more freeing than burying them inside.

It just makes sense.It makes sense!

As I patted my body dry, I raced to my closet, still feeling like a snail that just wasn’t moving nearly as fast as I imagined in my head. Nevertheless, I reached the closet where I tossed my overnight bag onto the floor and began my search for my most comfortable clothes. One by one, I stuffed pieces inside, packing enough for a few days because I didn’t have intentions of returning home for a while.

Don’t forget the fruit, I thought, zipping the bag and pulling it up on my bare shoulder.

I carried it into the bedroom where I slid into the pajama top and bottom that laid on the bed. A subtle, floral perfume with a name I hated pronouncing was spritzed all over my body. I stood in the mirror and unwrapped my hair, allowing it to fall into place.

My fingers massaged the rebellious strands into their final resting spots. The gloss on my vanity was perfect for the journey I was preparing to embark on. It was light and it was balmy. With my overnight bag in hand I flipped off the light, exited my bedroom, and headed down the stairs.

On my descend, I pulled up Milo’s contact and copied the address to his home in the GPS. Twice, since discovering the pregnancy, I’d been to his place. Once for a grand tour of where our son would spend some of his time and another to help Milo decide on the nursery color and furniture.

Third time’s the charm. I shrugged as my feet graced the first level of my home.

TWO

With a mired conscious,I contemplated turning around and heading in the opposite direction eleven times before I made it to the first red light on my side of town.

Just abort the mission. I tried convincing myself as I sat underneath the bright red glow of the streetlight. But as it turned green, naturally, my foot switched pedals and continued on the path the GPS was suggesting.

God, Nature. What are you doing?Nervously, I grimaced, so unsure of myself.

As an incredibly cautious and calculated woman, spontaneity was never in the deck that my cards were dealt from. Nothingness swelled in my chest and throat. My oxygen levels decreased as my blood began rushing through me at an alarming rate.

Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom.

My heart beat loud in the silence.

Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom.

Quiet,I begged.

Trembling fingers steered the wheel, making each turn as instructed until I reached the gates of the dreamy, lakefront property that Milo called home. I was envious of the piece of art. It was almost impossible believing the same man I clutched my pearls in the presence of had the brains to build such a masterpiece.

Lawe Domino was a special case and anyone he’d ever encountered would agree. However, just like the other members of the Domino family, he was gifted. The folds of his brain held genius-level knowledge of a certain subject, one that he excelled in, making a fool of anyone else in the same realm.

Using the pad at the end of the property, I punched in the code that had been given to me months ago. Somehow, I remembered it without referencing the text. I held my breath as I punched in the final number.

Zero nine. Zerothree.Zero four. Twenty-two.

“Zero nine. Zero three. Zero four.Twenty-two.”

I repeated the numbers aloud, startled by the discovery.

Our birthdays.

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