Chapter Fifty Three

Aaron was currently at the grocery store. I had forced him to go and take Hayden along. He wasn't happy about it, considering it was his first time grocery shopping with her ever, and he was also alone. But I needed just a little bit of alone time. Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter and my fiance beyond any words that could ever describe it, but I kinda felt like I needed to breathe.

On walking through the kitchen, I glanced at the calendar. Two days until I was eighteen. Yay me. I frowned, confused at why I didn't have the enthusiasm I thought that I would upon the fact that I could get married legally in 48 hours time.

I jumped when the phone belted a shrill ring throughout the house, and I shuffled over towards it, not glancing at the caller ID.

"Hello?" I mumbled, walking back into the kitchen to get a cold bottle of water.

"So, you're about to be eighteen, eh?" I fumbled with the phone as I tried not to drop it in the sink.

It was my mother.

"What's it to you?" I shot back, immediately taking a defensive stance in my words.

"It's nothing to me. Can't a mother call her own daughter before the big one-eight?" my mother said, her voice a cool drawl.

My mother was of Hispanic decent, and, against all of my wishes, she was gorgeous in that freaky-ass MILF way that made me want to gag up my breakfast.

"Last time I checked, you weren't my mother. I just happened to pop out of your ovaries." I tapped my fingers rhythmically on the stainless steel sink basin. I could practically hear the ice in my mother's breath.

"Be lucky I even own up to that."

"I'd rather you not."

"So, gotten pregnant yet?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I have, thanks. She's about four and a half months old and she's gorgeous." My voice swelled with the love for my daughter. "Oh, and I'm engaged."

"Always knew you'd get knocked up."

"Yeah. Sadly, I'm like you in more ways than one."

"How much did you have to pay the father to buy you a ring and to fuck you, eh?" She snapped.

I pressed end on the phone, and immediately found the number for our phone company. I was changing the house phone number as soon as I could.

• • •

"She what?" Aaron practically screamed, and I covered his mouth with my hand, gesturing wildly towards the sleeping infant in the backseat of the car.

"She asked me how much I paid you to fuck and propose to me," I repeated, unhooking Hayden's baby seat and carefully lifting her into my arms as Aaron followed me into the house, his arms laden with groceries.

"Can I kill her?" he muttered, trying to hold open the white front door for me. "What gives her the right to say that to you?"

"Who said she'd ever wait for the right to say it to me?" I replied, heading into the living room to lay Hayden down in her playpen so that she could continue her nap in peace for as long as possible. "She's always been a vulgar bitch. You know that." I padded back into the kitchen, where Aaron was pulling things out of plastic bags.

"Doesn't mean she should have said it." I pulled the bag that had the bread in it away from him before he could smush it any further.

"Calm down, Aaron. I'm used to it." I started putting cans and boxes into the cupboards. I jumped when his arms encircled my waist and his chin nestled against the crook of my neck.

"You shouldn't be used to it. It's not right." I set the box of pasta down and put my hands over his large ones.

"I know it isn't, but I am used to it, and you can't change the past." I turned my head and kissed the upper part of his cheek. "I love you, Aaron."

"Te amo," he mumbled into my neck, and I giggled. "Hm?"

"That tickles." Aaron kissed my neck. "Ah." I could feel his lips twist up into a smile. "And that feels really good."

"What about this?" he asked, pressing light kisses to my neck and shoulder. I shivered and twisted out of his grip. He pouted.

"Come on. We have groceries to put away, mister."