"Have you got everything?" Abby asked. She was a bit nervous about Carter taking Eve for an
outing all by himself, but she really could use the time alone. Besides, Carter's family still made her
incredibly uncomfortable. She had been out to dinner with his parents and had visited his
grandmother's mansion several times during her pregnancy, and each of these meetings was about as
cheerful and lively as a funeral. Maggie and Eric may be crazy, Abby thought, but at least they're
interesting.
"We're all set," Carter answered. He was loaded down with a diaper bag and an infant seat. Abby
walked him to his jeep, carrying four-month-old Eve. She settled Eve into her car seat as Carter put
his armful of baby accessories in the back.
"Have fun, baby," Abby cooed to her daughter, kissing the top of her head. "Say hi to Grandma and
Grandpa for me." She then turned to Carter and reached up to put her arms around his neck. "So,
are you ready for this?" she asked. Carter grinned.
"They'll be fine," he answered. "They won't be thrilled with the idea of us getting married without
a huge church wedding, but they'll get over it. Besides, they're crazy about Eve. They'll probably
be so involved with her that they won't even mention a wedding." Abby kissed him goodbye and he
hopped into the driver's seat.
"Bye! We'll see you in about three or four hours," he called to Abby, waving at her as he pulled
away. He actually was dreading this get-together with Gamma and his parents, during which he was
going to tell them about his and Abby's plans for their wedding. Carter knew that it would take
some heavy persuasion to get them to agree that a civil ceremony at city hall was the way to go.
After Abby had said yes to Carter's proposal, they had spent several months talking about how they
wanted to go about getting married. Abby was adamant about not wanting any sort of traditional
wedding. She wanted a simple, civil ceremony, performed by a judge in city hall, with a few close
family members present. She didn't have any trouble convincing Carter that this was the best plan
for them. The new parents were exhausted. Their daughter was practically nocturnal, keeping them
awake at ungodly hours. It seemed excessive and unnecessary to spend time putting together a guest
list, choosing flowers and decorations and all of the other tedious details that a wedding entailed.
Carter pulled into the circular driveway in front of Gamma's enormous house. He hoisted Eve into
her infant seat and carried her inside. Eve's brightly colored diaper bag and squeaky plush bunny
seemed completely out of place in the cold, austere mansion.
"John," cried Gamma, hurrying into the front hallway to greet him. "I'm so glad you're here! Let
me see that precious angel." She delicately lifted Eve from her infant seat and held her close.
"Thanks for having us over, Gam," Carter replied. He smiled at his patrician, blue-blooded
grandmother, who was affectionately kissing Eve's plump, dimpled hands.
"Any time, John, any time. And where is Abby?" she asked.
"She decided to sit this one out. She needed some alone time," he answered, curious himself as to
what his soon-to-be wife was doing at home.
***************
Abby sighed and submerged herself underneath her hot bath water. She resurfaced with wet hair
streaming and thick, sudsy bubbles clinging to her skin. Reluctantly she drained the tub, having
spent close to an hour soaking. No interruptions, no rushing...it was heavenly for the new mother.
Abby wrapped a thick towel around herself and stepped on the scale. She was thrilled to see that she
was only two pounds heavier than she had been before getting pregnant. It had taken her about four
months to get the baby weight off. Abby stepped into the bedroom and opened her dresser drawers,
on a quest for some comfortable pajamas.
As Abby searched, she was distracted by neatly folded shirts and jeans in her drawers that she hadn't
worn in many months. Curious to see how her pre-pregnancy clothes would fit, she pulled on one
pair of jeans after another, pairing them with snug shirts and low-cut sweaters. Abby was almost
laughing out loud with pleasure from being able to fit into this long-neglected clothing. She made
her way over to her closet and rifled through pencil-slim skirts and the occasional dress, stopping
when she came across her favorite black leather jacket. She pulled the garment off of it's hanger,
smiling as if she had just been reacquainted with an old friend. She slipped her arms into the jacket
and buttoned it up, tying the belt around her waist. Perfect, she thought, twirling to examine herself
in the full-length mirror. She thrust her hands into the pockets, and then pulled them back
immediately as if she had been burned.
An old pack of cigarettes remained in the left pocket of her jacket. She slipped her hand back in and
pulled it out slowly, flipping open the lid to find that three cigarettes remained in the pack. Familiar
cravings flooded her body. It had been ages since Abby had smoked...she hadn't touched a cigarette
since that first day she had found out that she was pregnant. She stared at the crumpled pack in her
hand, grappling with whether to throw it out or to smoke one. She knew it was wrong, and she knew
how Carter felt about them smoking, especially since Eve had come along. Guilt and desire fought
each other for prominence, and after a minute of debating, desire won out.
Abby searched the apartment for matches, finding some in the kitchen. She made her way back into
the steamy bathroom and cracked a window. Feeling as giddy as a teenager sneaking a smoke
behind her parents' backs, Abby lit the cigarette and took a long, smooth drag. The cigarette was
stale, but Abby savored it anyway, puffing away until she had smoked it down to the filter. She
threw the butt into the toilet and fanned the remaining smoke out of the window before closing it.
She misted the bathroom with some air freshener for good measure, and went back into the bedroom
to put away the pieces of clothing that she had flung around the room during her impromptu fashion
show.
*******
Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing! I truly appreciate it, and I hope you are enjoying the story!
outing all by himself, but she really could use the time alone. Besides, Carter's family still made her
incredibly uncomfortable. She had been out to dinner with his parents and had visited his
grandmother's mansion several times during her pregnancy, and each of these meetings was about as
cheerful and lively as a funeral. Maggie and Eric may be crazy, Abby thought, but at least they're
interesting.
"We're all set," Carter answered. He was loaded down with a diaper bag and an infant seat. Abby
walked him to his jeep, carrying four-month-old Eve. She settled Eve into her car seat as Carter put
his armful of baby accessories in the back.
"Have fun, baby," Abby cooed to her daughter, kissing the top of her head. "Say hi to Grandma and
Grandpa for me." She then turned to Carter and reached up to put her arms around his neck. "So,
are you ready for this?" she asked. Carter grinned.
"They'll be fine," he answered. "They won't be thrilled with the idea of us getting married without
a huge church wedding, but they'll get over it. Besides, they're crazy about Eve. They'll probably
be so involved with her that they won't even mention a wedding." Abby kissed him goodbye and he
hopped into the driver's seat.
"Bye! We'll see you in about three or four hours," he called to Abby, waving at her as he pulled
away. He actually was dreading this get-together with Gamma and his parents, during which he was
going to tell them about his and Abby's plans for their wedding. Carter knew that it would take
some heavy persuasion to get them to agree that a civil ceremony at city hall was the way to go.
After Abby had said yes to Carter's proposal, they had spent several months talking about how they
wanted to go about getting married. Abby was adamant about not wanting any sort of traditional
wedding. She wanted a simple, civil ceremony, performed by a judge in city hall, with a few close
family members present. She didn't have any trouble convincing Carter that this was the best plan
for them. The new parents were exhausted. Their daughter was practically nocturnal, keeping them
awake at ungodly hours. It seemed excessive and unnecessary to spend time putting together a guest
list, choosing flowers and decorations and all of the other tedious details that a wedding entailed.
Carter pulled into the circular driveway in front of Gamma's enormous house. He hoisted Eve into
her infant seat and carried her inside. Eve's brightly colored diaper bag and squeaky plush bunny
seemed completely out of place in the cold, austere mansion.
"John," cried Gamma, hurrying into the front hallway to greet him. "I'm so glad you're here! Let
me see that precious angel." She delicately lifted Eve from her infant seat and held her close.
"Thanks for having us over, Gam," Carter replied. He smiled at his patrician, blue-blooded
grandmother, who was affectionately kissing Eve's plump, dimpled hands.
"Any time, John, any time. And where is Abby?" she asked.
"She decided to sit this one out. She needed some alone time," he answered, curious himself as to
what his soon-to-be wife was doing at home.
***************
Abby sighed and submerged herself underneath her hot bath water. She resurfaced with wet hair
streaming and thick, sudsy bubbles clinging to her skin. Reluctantly she drained the tub, having
spent close to an hour soaking. No interruptions, no rushing...it was heavenly for the new mother.
Abby wrapped a thick towel around herself and stepped on the scale. She was thrilled to see that she
was only two pounds heavier than she had been before getting pregnant. It had taken her about four
months to get the baby weight off. Abby stepped into the bedroom and opened her dresser drawers,
on a quest for some comfortable pajamas.
As Abby searched, she was distracted by neatly folded shirts and jeans in her drawers that she hadn't
worn in many months. Curious to see how her pre-pregnancy clothes would fit, she pulled on one
pair of jeans after another, pairing them with snug shirts and low-cut sweaters. Abby was almost
laughing out loud with pleasure from being able to fit into this long-neglected clothing. She made
her way over to her closet and rifled through pencil-slim skirts and the occasional dress, stopping
when she came across her favorite black leather jacket. She pulled the garment off of it's hanger,
smiling as if she had just been reacquainted with an old friend. She slipped her arms into the jacket
and buttoned it up, tying the belt around her waist. Perfect, she thought, twirling to examine herself
in the full-length mirror. She thrust her hands into the pockets, and then pulled them back
immediately as if she had been burned.
An old pack of cigarettes remained in the left pocket of her jacket. She slipped her hand back in and
pulled it out slowly, flipping open the lid to find that three cigarettes remained in the pack. Familiar
cravings flooded her body. It had been ages since Abby had smoked...she hadn't touched a cigarette
since that first day she had found out that she was pregnant. She stared at the crumpled pack in her
hand, grappling with whether to throw it out or to smoke one. She knew it was wrong, and she knew
how Carter felt about them smoking, especially since Eve had come along. Guilt and desire fought
each other for prominence, and after a minute of debating, desire won out.
Abby searched the apartment for matches, finding some in the kitchen. She made her way back into
the steamy bathroom and cracked a window. Feeling as giddy as a teenager sneaking a smoke
behind her parents' backs, Abby lit the cigarette and took a long, smooth drag. The cigarette was
stale, but Abby savored it anyway, puffing away until she had smoked it down to the filter. She
threw the butt into the toilet and fanned the remaining smoke out of the window before closing it.
She misted the bathroom with some air freshener for good measure, and went back into the bedroom
to put away the pieces of clothing that she had flung around the room during her impromptu fashion
show.
*******
Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing! I truly appreciate it, and I hope you are enjoying the story!