Thanks for all the reviews! I hope you all like the new chapter!
Chapter 4: The Falling Out
Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm sounded singling it was time to start the day. Claire groaned and rolled over to shut it off. She absentmindedly found herself reaching to Owen's side of the bed, only to have her hand encounter cold sheets instead of her fiancé. Claire sighed, she felt awful for treating Owen the way she did last night. With a heavy heart, she slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
Thirty minutes later Claire came downstairs dressed in a crisp white skirt, navy blouse, and her favorite pair of nude heels. Her auburn hair was perfectly straightened, and her make impeccably done. When she entered the kitchen what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. There on the counter was her favorite Starbucks latte and an oversized blueberry muffin, along with a note from Owen.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up this morning. Barry called me during the night and said there was a small problem with the raptors so I left early. I hope you have a good day. I love you. - Owen", Claire read the note aloud. His incredibly sweet gestures only made her feel worse for the way she treated him.
This was their routine for the next two weeks; when she woke up Owen was already gone but he always left her breakfast and coffee waiting on the counter. When she would get home she would skip dinner, shower, and lye in bed for hours waiting for Owen. Owen would stay later than usual to work with the raptors, usually he would eat dinner with Barry before heading home. Once he was home he would take a fast shower and crawl into bed besides Claire. Most nights she would pretend to be asleep when she heard Owen get out of the shower and climb into bed, but nothing broke her heart like him kissing her cheek and whispering "I love you" in her ear each night.
One Saturday afternoon Claire was leaning over the kitchen island typing furiously on her Mac when a facetime call from Karen popped up on the screen. Claire clicked the green button, "hey Karen what have you and the boys been…"
"Cut the crap Claire! What the hell is going on between you and Owen!" Karen snapped.
"Oh God not this again," Claire said as she put her face in her hands.
"Oh yes this again, Claire it's been two weeks and you and Owen still haven't talked about your fight," Karen replied.
Claire sighed and stared at the kitchen floor before replying, "fine, but if we're going to talk about this, I'm going to have a drink."
Karen watched completely amazed as Claire took a bottle of tequila out of the liquor cabinet, poured the drink into a shot glass, and threw her head back as she gulped down the burning liquid.
"Ugh!" Claire remarked as she opened her eyes and turned the shot glass upside down on the counter.
"It's been three years and he still can't teach you how to throw back a shot," Karen laughed as Claire shot her a dirty look.
"Claire, what's all this really about?" Karen questioned again, trying to get some answers.
"Zara had a baby and now I…I", Claire stopped mid-sentence and looked at the floor.
"Now you want a baby too", Karen replied, effectively finishing her sister's sentence.
Claire looked up from the floor to meet Karen's eyes any gave a small nod.
Karen grinned and replied, "after all this time you finally admit it." Claire smiled told Karen about all the baby thought's she'd had, including one incident the other day when she walked by one of the spare bedrooms and the only thing she could think of was what a great nursery the room would make.
"You know Claire if you want a baby so bad why don't you just tell Owen, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to oblige,"Karen said still grinning.
"I…I can't tell Owen," Claire finally admitted. "I've put my foot down anytime he tries to bring it up. I can't just…"
"Oh, I see, its a pride thing", Karen interjected. Claire looked down at the floor and gave a small nod as her eyes filled with tears.
"Well if you don't want to wound your pride, poke holes in the condoms or tell him that your shot ran out early," Karen replied with a grin on her face.
Claire smiled slightly but shook her head "I can't lie to him. It took me a long time to find him and an even longer time for me to realize I wanted him; to be his wife, to have his kids," Claire replied.
"I know, but Claire you do realize you're going to have to tell him eventually. I know you're used to doing things on your own, but you need a man to make a baby," Karen said.
"I realize that Karen, thank you", Claire laughed before being interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle. "Gotta go Karen! Owen just got home!" Claire exclaimed and quickly shut the lid of her Mac. That night was no different than any of the others. Both Claire and Owen tried desperately to ignore the other's existence; they ate dinner in separate rooms and went to bed at different times.
That night Claire had a beautiful dream. She stood in one of the spare bedrooms in the house, except it looked extremely different. The walls were painted a light blue, there was a dark brown crib pushed against the wall, a matching rocking chair in the corner with white cushions in the corner by the crib, and across the room there was a dark brown dresser and changing table. Several bins on the floor contained stuffed various animals and toy trucks. Suddenly, a small cry drew Claire's attention, she walked over to the crib and picked up a tiny, fussing baby.
"Shhhhhh", she cooed and gently began to rock the little boy. After a few minutes of swaying back and forth the baby's cries turned to happy coos. Claire moved to stand by the window and smiled down at the baby in her arms. The baby boy had hazel eyes that were more green than blue and sandy hair.
"How's my son?" Owen's voice startled Claire from her observations.
She turned to beam at him before replying, "he's just fine daddy." Owen crossed the room to where his wife and son were and pulled Claire into a hug.
Owen was woken by the sound of quiet whimpering, he lay there confused until realizing the cries were coming from Claire. He rolled over to face her and saw she was crying in her sleep.
"Claire, Claire", Owen called as he shook her. A few seconds later her eyes flickered opened and she began to cry harder.
"Claire what's wrong?" Owen asked his voice full concern.
"It was a dream", Claire stammered.
"Nightmare?" Owen asked.
"No, it was a perfect dream," Claire struggled to reply.
"Then why are you crying?" Owen asked again.
"Because I woke up!" Claire sobbed harder turning her face so she was crying into his chest.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked as he stroked her hair trying to calm her. Claire turned her gaze up to meet his before bursting into another fit of tears.
"Claire what is it?" Owen tried again. Claire suddenly sat straight up in bed pulling Owen up with her. Before he knew it, she was straddling his lap and had her arms wrapped around his neck.
"I…I.." Claire stumbled. Owen brought his hands up to frame her face and the dam burst. "I…I…I wa..want a ba..baby", Claire sobbed out.
The truth is finally revealed! I promise to post the next chapter soon!