-28-
Charlie's phone started to ring, "Ugh who could that be?" He rolled over away from Maya, "oh shit" he saw his mother on the Caller ID.
"What?" Maya watched him sit up.
"Hey Mom, yes, no just busy with a meeting, yes I know we had dinner plans, yes I can't wait for you to meet Maya." He looked to his fiancé and mouthed sorry.
Her eyes were wide as she crawled out of the bed and started pulling clothes from the dresser as he ended the call, "We're having dinner with you Mom and you forgot to tell me?"
"Sorry, I got distracted." He smirked.
Maya threw a sock at him, "I've never met your Mom and now I have to smelling like sex!"
"Sorry, sorry." Charlie watched her, "My Mom is going to love you, I promise."
"I hope you're right because I'm giving her, her first grandchild." Maya closed her eyes as she pulled on clean clothes.
"She'll love you, I promise." Charlie pulled on his clothes before grabbing his cologne and spraying himself as Maya sprayed her own body spray across the room.
Maya ran her fingers through her hair, "This is not how I imagined this going."
"It'll be fine, I promise." Charlie came over and kissed her temple, "Let's go, have a nice meal, and get this formality over."
Maya sighed as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her purse, "I hope you're right."
Charlie followed behind, "My Mom is going to adore you."
Lucas came in the back door and stopped when he saw all the cooling racks set up, the variety of baked goods on the counter, "Ri, what's wrong?"
She closed the oven door placing an apple pie on an empty rack, "How did you know?"
"You're baking, Riley I know you." He put his bag down and came over to kiss her softly, "Is this because Cavanaugh is now working at NYSN?"
"You heard?" She started busing herself with cleaning up some dishes.
Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, "I might have been ten seconds away from shoving his microphone up his ass."
Riley cringed, "Yeah, he got my job and I got released."
"Honey" Lucas pulled her to him, "I'm so sorry, what happened?"
She couldn't look in his eyes, "New owners, but I had a clause in my contract they had to pay the whole thing out if they release me so, major payday but I can't appear on TV for a year."
Lucas sighed, "What else happened, I could see you baking a few things, but not an entire bakery."
Riley looked up sadness coating her brown eyes "Dad left Mom he's up in the room next to Alex."
Lucas nodded, "Oh, so you've got a full house now."
"We have a full house now." She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "I don't know if I could get through any of this if you weren't here."
He held her close, "I'm not going anywhere honey, I promise."
"Can you stay here, I want to run out and get more eggs and butter and milk."
"Yeah of course, I can always run out and get that for you though."
Riley nodded, "I know, but I need to get out of this house for a little bit. I won't be long."
"Okay, I'm going to go take a shower, anything you need me to do?"
"You're doing it." She pulled away removing her apron and grabbing her purse, "I won't be long."
Lucas nodded as she left knowing she probably had another destination in mind than the grocery store.
Kimberly Gardner drummed her classic red nails on the table top as she waited for her son and his latest girlfriend. It was obvious he was serious about this Maya girl, he was already living with her and if she was honest with herself he'd been talking about her for years.
Not that Kimberly approved, no her son could be dating the cream of society, any of the young girls of means he sold paintings to. He could be pulling himself into the upper crust of society instead he was bedding some trashy artist.
She took a sip of her martini as she waited for them to arrive she'd called over thirty minutes ago. That girl probably wasn't ready or throwing a fit about having to be dragged away from her art.
"Mother, I'm sorry we're late." Charlie gave her a half hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, "I would like you to meet my fiancé, Maya Hart."
"It's wonderful to finally meet you." Maya reached out to shake her hand.
Kimberly took it, gave it one quick pump and dropped it, "It's nice to finally meet the young woman my Charlie has been going on and on and on about for years." She lied as studied this woman, her black dress a bit tight in areas, but a nice sweater thrown over for some decency. Not as trashy as she was expecting. "Please have a seat, I already ordered an appetizer, it should be here momentarily."
Maya smiled and picked up the menu, wondering if she would be able to keep her morning sickness at bay since it seemed to love to appear in the evenings.
Charlie squeezed her knee under the table, "So Mother, Maya and I just purchased the loft next to hers, to expand and create a more livable and workable space."
"That's just wonderful." Kimberly brought the martini to her lips, "Oh dear they make the absolute best martini's here, you'll have to have one."
Maya gave her a nervous, short smile, "I think I'll stick to ginger ale."
Kimberly nodded, "Of course."
A waiter brought out the appetizer, placing it on the table.
The smell of the seafood platter in front of her hit Maya and immediately her stomach began to twist and churn. "Excuse me, I need a moment." Maya rose from the table and quickly made her way to the ladies room.
Kimberly tossed her menu down and glared at her son, "You knocked the whore up?"
"Mother, Maya is not a whore." Charlie adjusted his tie and leaned back in his seat, "I am in love with her she is the mother of your grandchild. She and I will be getting married, but if you're going to be a bitch you can fuck off. I get it you had a shitty marriage, you married for money and power, and where did it get you four daughters and one son, sure you've got a cash flow but you don't have power do you? You thought what, you could force that onto me, that you could convince me to marry someone who would help bring you the status you want?"
Kimberly leaned in close to her son, her fingers taking his chin in her hand as she looked into his eyes, "You marry this whore, you are cut off my boy."
"I have my own money mother, more than the trust fund you hold over my head could ever dream of being." He smiled, "And do you want to know how I made all that money Mother? Maya's artwork, she's talented beyond your snotty imagination, she loves me, everything about me, most women wouldn't want a man like me, but she does. Think about that if you ever want to be a part of your grandchild's life. I will cut you off if I have to. Don't think I wouldn't."
Kimberly rolled her eyes, "You'll get sick of slumming it Charles then you'll come crawling back to Mommy."
Charlie rose from the table, "Enjoy the solitude of the upper crust, I'll be happy in my beautiful loft, with Maya, and our child." He started to walk away and then turned back, "Oh wait, how will you ever be part of the upper crust if all your children marry for love and not money or power. I guess you'll have to figure out a new plan."
He grabbed Maya's purse from the table and went outside the ladies room, "We're leaving." He guided her out, "We don't need my mother's approval, and I'm sorry I subjected you to this."
Maya was stunned, "What happened?"
"She showed her true colors, her true motivations." They were out on the street and he hailed a cab, "She's miserable, and she wants everyone else to be miserable with her. You make me happy in so many ways Maya, you get me in ways no other woman ever could my life would be filled with darkness without you and our child."
Maya closed her eyes feeling the tears begin to well up. "Charlie, I knew this wasn't going to go well."
"You were right I'm trusting your gut from now on. Let's go home, I'll make you a grilled cheese and get you some ginger ale."
Maya sighed as she leaned into his body, "That sounds perfect."
Riley stared at the door in front of her, all her life she had just walked right through it, she rarely knocked she had always had a key. It was her family home. Though most of her family was now residing in her brownstone.
She gripped the knob, twisting it to enter and found her mother laying on the couch a washcloth over her eyes. "Mom we need to talk."
"Not now Alex!"
"It's Riley, your daughter, sit up Topanga!" Riley shook as she watched her mother slowly sit up. "I don't know what the fuck is going on with you Mom, but you need to get your head out of your ass."
Topanga rubbed her eyes and put the washcloth down on the coffee table, "Why would I need to do that? Are you upset about Maya and Lucas again, sweetie, I promise you Maya is a strong amazon warrior."
Riley could only stare at her mother confused for a moment, "Maya and Lucas are only friends, he's my husband."
Topanga shook her head and reached for her daughter's hand, "No sweetie, Lucas cheated on you, it was a big scandal. Reese is your husband."
Riley tried to process what her mother was saying, "Mom, who is Alex's father?"
"Reese is, the two of you were high school sweethearts, you had a misunderstanding, a miscommunication, but you've always loved him." Topanga had moved to the kitchen and was filling the tea kettle with water.
"Mom are you feeling okay?" Riley couldn't understand what was happening.
"Just a little headache, I'm used to it." Topanga waved her off as she set the kettle on the stove.
"Mom, I need to go to the ER, will you go with me?" It was the only way Riley was sure she could get her mother to a doctor in this state.
Topanga turned to her daughter, "Of course honey, what's wrong?"
Riley took a moment, "Cramps, awful, painful cramps, I might pass out." She lied as she grabbed her mother's purse and allowed her to be guided to the door.
"Text your father and tell him we're going. He should be home soon he had to work late." Topanga took her purse from her daughter and gave her a smile.
"Yeah of course" Riley took out her cell and texted her father, she wasn't sure what was happening but she knew that whatever this was it couldn't be good.
