CHAPTER TEN

"I can't believe you, Bam! How long have you been doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Trying to seduce another man's woman! Trying to get Nat!"

Bam scoffed, knowing that it would be better he didn't answer the question. He was lucky enough that it was Ryan who had caught them, Ryan who had gone looking for Nat after she disappeared, but he was still getting the third degree. Deciding that it would be worse if April had found them, he sat back and sighed.

"As long as I possibly could."

"Has she," Ryan began, "Let you...do anything?"

"Almost. Quite a few times, but she always came to her senses. Fuck, her senses should bring her to me, not away!"

Ryan could see the pain in his friend's face. There wasn't going to be any healing for Bam as long as Nat was still around, pregnant, and with Ville. Nobody had suspected this at the time of their breakup. Everyone assumed Bam wasn't yet over Missy, but the hurt he expressed at the time of his divorce was nothing compared to this. Ryan finally understood why Bam let Nat go; he didn't want to fall in love.

"It's okay. You'll be fine, man."

"You can't say that, Dunn. But I can try, if it means anything."

Each day I was growing bigger. The end of September was coming by quickly, and I was feeling like a whale. April had a celebration planned for Bam's birthday, especially after the turmoil he'd been through, but I was unsure I would be able to enjoy myself when I could barely sit in a chair anymore. In another week or so, I would be eight months along, and slowly reaching toward my due date.

At the time, April had also confided in me the day of my baby shower. It would be two weeks after Bam's birthday, on the twelfth of October, and that I should act surprised. Ville was starting to hold my stomach every once in a while, once he realized that my baby had begun to kick. Although it wasn't his baby, he seemed mesmerised by the feeling that there was a life inside me, kicking.

"That is so wonderful," he whispered to me.

"Try feeling it from the inside!"

"Does it hurt?"

Smiling sweetly, I replied, "No, not at all."

Romantic walks, hand in hand, were becoming a past-time for Ville and me. There was not much else I was able to do, considering soon April had planned to confine me to bed rest, but it felt nice to be outside. We were always making jokes about the baby, and then bringing up happy memories from the past. Everything was happening in a whirlwind, especially once Bam's birthday came on the twenty-eighth.

Bam woke up as early as dawn, knowing full well that it was his day. He ran around the corridors screaming about it like a little kid, causing us all to awake groggily and throw pillows at him. He first attempted to make everyone do absolutely everything for him, such as dress him and feed him, but we all retaliated and walked away. I didn't even bother trying anything; when he spoke, I ignored him.

By the time the big birthday dinner came along, I was getting tired of Bam's attitude. Everyone was gathering around in the dining room, whereas I decided to sneak away. Considering all the commotion that was going on, nobody noticed, and I managed to get into the downstairs laundry room unseen. At first all I did was sit on the dryer, thinking of something to do, then I passed out in a laundry pile on the floor.

"Where's Nathalie?"

Dinner had finished and April was bringing out Bam's big birthday cake, and he had only noticed then that I was gone. "Seriously, where did she go?" he asked.

Nobody had an answer, the only person to speak being Glomb, saying, "No idea."

Bam then stood, with everyone telling him to sit back down and blow out his candles. He shook his head, and left the room, on a search for myself. The first place he checked was the pirate bar, after that one night, but was confused when I was not there. My bedroom was also empty, and he could see earlier from the dining room that the "pleasure lounge" was deserted.

I had no idea the time, but I found myself awaking to light entering the room. Squinting my eyes open, I noticed someone had opened the door, and their shadow was in the doorway. I rubbed my eyes, and sat up slightly, trying to get a better look at my visitor. The light switched on then, and the face before me gave an astonished but confused look.

"Bam? What are you doing?"

"Why weren't you at dinner?"

I gulped, "I was...tired."

"Why are you sleeping on dirty laundry and not in your bed?"

I had no answer there, so Bam knelt before me, "Come have cake."

I shook my head, "No."

"Why not?"

"I just don't want to. You go have your cake."

Taking a seat in the dirty laundry beside me, Bam smiled, "I don't want my cake if you won't eat it either."

That sentence, for some reason, made me smile and blush with happiness. I leaned into Bam, and he put his arm around me, holding me close. It was the first time in many months that he was able to hold me, and it seemed to please the both of us. After what seemed like only moments, I found myself dozing off in Bam's arms, and not long afterward, he fell asleep as well.

The first sound I heard when I woke was April outside the room, worried because she couldn't find Bam, and it had been an hour since she presented him with the cake. Turning to my right, I noticed the birthday boy still asleep beside me. Unsure of what to do, I slowly removed his arm from around me, and grabbed onto the washer as I stood. Opening the door, I peeked around.

When it became evident that nobody was there, I decided to go find someone. Eventually, I felt a bump on my front and belly, with someone asking, "Nat! Have you seen Bam?"