Sorry for not updating sooner. I've been busy writing a new story. I'll tell you more about it next time, as of now I'm still working on it. Anyways, here's chapter 18. Enjoy!
PnkSaKuRaSyAoRaNS2 – I hope you had a nice trip. Thanks for being my #1 fan! Riven – I'm glad you like it! Keep R&R! kairi-heartilly – what's your native language? Koumi – are you from the East or West coast? Mrs.Ishida-to-you – hi, great to have you here! What a coincidence that is! Mina & Elena! Hehehe! I hope you keep on reading.
Chapter Eighteen
Sora did leave the following week & she didn't contact Matt or Mimi before she left. Elena heard about it all on the grapevine & though she was sympathetic toward Sora, she assured Mimi that Matt had never treated Sora as anything other than a friend.
"She needed someone to depend on after Taichi died, & Matt filled that role. It's time she stood on her own. What she needs is to start working again, & what you need to do, Mimi, is to stop concerning yourself about Sora and focus on getting ready for your darling baby!"
Mimi took Elena's advice & she found that the following weeks passed quickly. She kept well; saw Dr. Joe regularly, rested every afternoon, & walked after dinner every evening with Matt.
She looked forward to those walks, which had soon become the highlight of her day. They avoided talking about Laurel House & their upcoming battle over it. The only thing they ever argued about…& they argued about just once…was Mimi's refusal to attend Lamaze classes.
Matt brought the subject up one evening when they were strolling along a sun-dappled path that meandered through the woods behind the house.
Flashback
"Moms-to-be are supposed to take those classes," he said, "with a partner."
"I don't have a partner."
He raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you'd consider…"
"No! I would not care to lie flat on my back with my belly in the air & you sitting cross-legged beside me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear in time to soothing music!" But despite her indignant rejection to his offer, she couldn't help smiling at the image it conjured up.
"You could go on your own, then. Just be part of the group. I'm sure there are other women who go on their own."
She watched a crimson-and-white butterfly flit up from a wildflower & disappear amid the leafy branches of an alder tree. "I'm not other women, Matt, & I don't like to join things! I like to be independent."
"But you'd learn how to relax."
"I know how to relax. I read a book on relaxation last time & mastered the technique, and I practice it every afternoon when I lie down for my nap."
"But you'd also learn to breathe properly…"
"I know how to breathe properly!"
"…and how to pant & when to push…"
"How to pant? When to push?" she gaped at him incredulously. "Matt, did you keep that book…"
"Well, yeah, I did. Actually I find it very…"
"I don't believe this! I told you…"
"I know, but Mimi, I want to help." Intensity darkened his eyes to the deepest shade of blue. "You may not need my help, but I need to give it."
"Yes," she said with a sigh. "I know."
"And I think you know why."
"Yes, I know why." He wanted to redeem himself for letting her down when she told him she was expecting his baby. She knew he was sorry, but sorry wasn't enough. The scales were too unevenly balanced & nothing he could do now would ever tip his side up so it was raised to the level of what she suffered alone.
"Then please don't shut me out."
They stopped walking & a beam of sunshine slanted between two trees & gleamed like gold on his hair. He was so close that she could smell his unique male scent, as familiar to her now as it had been eight years ago. It still drew her in ways she didn't understand & it made her yearn to press her lips to his throat, & inhale his erotic scent…
"Meems?"
She was tempted…oh, so tempted to give in…to let him help her. It would feel so good to spill out her worries, to confess how afraid she was that something would go wrong with her pregnancy. But if she did, she would forfeit her independence.
"It's important to me," she said, "to take charge of my own life."
"I don't want to take charge of your life, I just want to help."
"The best way you can help out is to let me do things in my own way."
End of Flashback
He let the matter drop. And he didn't ever mention Lamaze classes again. But he continued to read his baby book. He didn't bother hiding it from her now. She would find it in places she least expected. One time it was in the laundry room, another time on the kitchen counter, once she even found it in the garage. But most of the time, it was on the coffee table in the sitting room & each time she saw it, he'd move his book marker onto a different chapter.
Curiosity had made her peek; & she noticed he was keeping pace with her pregnancy. She also noticed that he used a yellow highlighter to mark certain passages. One Saturday afternoon when she came down from her nap, she found the book lying open on the kitchen table. She glanced at it & saw he was reading the chapter entitled: Preparing the Baby's Nursery.
She poured herself a glass of milk & sitting at the table, pulled the book over. But before she could start reading, Matt came in from outside.
"Oh, hi," he said. "I see you're having a peek at my book. Good, I want to discuss something with you."
"What?"
"I know you want a purple-and-white nursery and…"
"How on earth do you know that?"
"I overheard you telling the clerk when I lined up behind you to buy the mobile that night when we went to the mall. So …what I want to know is, do you want the walls painted purple…or were you thinking the walls should be white & the blinds purple, or maybe the carpet…"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I've decided to turn that second guest room…the one Elena was working on…into a nursery for the new baby."
Mimi narrowed her gaze. "Does that mean you're planning to give up on fighting me for the house?"
"Heck no! But either way…whether the house is yours or mine…you'll be coming back here from the hospital, at least for a while, & you'll need a room for the baby. I figured that since the guest room is next to your bedroom, it'll make an ideal nursery. So…that takes me back to my question, white walls or purple? I've arranged it with Elena to do the painting at her own convenience."
Mimi hesitated, & then said, "I was planning to have the walls purple & have the blinds and curtains in glossy white. And I thought…perhaps a Disney border for the walls."
"How about buying that crib, the one with the mobile over it? It had Disney decals & would go nicely with your theme. I could drive over to the mall tomorrow & pick it up for you."
"Goodness, I'm not planning to buy the very first crib I see! Half the fun of buying stuff for a baby is browsing. And when I go shopping for the crib, I'll be looking at sheets, too, & blankets, and…all sorts of things."
"Can I ask you something personal?"
"Sure, but whether I answer depends on whether I mind the question!"
"Do you have enough money to buy everything? I mean, you haven't been working for months & your father didn't leave you anything."
"I earned good money in New York & I've saved enough to spend on this baby. I'm looking forward to going back to the mall. I'll make an outing of it."
"We'll make an outing of it together."
"Matt, men like shopping at places like Home Depot where they can stare at a box of nails for hours! Baby departments do not turn them on! If you were with me, you'd be following me around & I'd feel rushed."
"I'll go to the bookstore. Look," he went on quickly as she made to argue. "If you're planning a major shopping spree, you'll need me to carry everything. And you did say last time, that you appreciated having me as a chauffeur. Now," he glanced pointedly at the rounded bulge under her crisp shirt, "I should think you'd appreciate it even more."
"You," she said, "are s-o-o-o pushy."
"Yeah," he grinned. "That I am."
She thought of trailing around the department store for hours, her back probably aching even worse than it was regularly doing now, carting everything out to her car, & then facing the long drive home. She nibbled her lip. And he saw her uncertainty. "It would be better," he said coaxingly, "for the baby if I did the driving."
"I have to say one thing; you sure know how to press the right buttons! Okay, I'll let you do the driving. And thanks for the offer. What time shall we leave?"
Mimi took an early nap the next day & they left for Crestville at two o'clock. When they arrived at the mall, they went directly to the Baby Department store.
Matt said, "Let's see if that crib is still here."
It was, & Matt seemed to have set his heart on it, Mimi mused. But as he inspected it, she moved on to look at the others on display. She decided the first one had been the nicest & she told it to Matt when she went back to him.
"So you'll take it? I talked to a salesperson & she said you can buy matching Disney borders at the paint shop at the corner end of the mall. I'll go get them while you carry on with your shopping."
"Where will we meet up?"
"I'll come back here, what time?"
"Give me till five o'clock."
He took off whistling, apparently enjoying himself as much as she was.
After asking the salesperson to set aside one of the boxed cribs & mattress, Mimi shopped eagerly. She ended up buying a couple of sets of purple-and-white bed linens & a package of diapers, six patterned blankets and four tiny undershirts, & the sweetest purple-and-white knit romper suit that she'd ever seen.
Time passed so quickly that when five came around, she noticed the time with a sense of shock. She paid for all her purchases, & just turned from the sales desk filled with packages, when she saw Matt approach.
"You look as if you've bought the whole store!" he said.
She laughed. "I warned you."
"Where's the crib?"
"We have to pick it up at the side entrance."
He took all the packages from her, except a couple of lighter ones. "So," he said as they walked along the mall, "how are you feeling?"
"Wilting, I'm afraid."
"Glad I came along?" he teased.
"Yes," she said sincerely. "I really am."
"Tell you what," he said as they walked outside, "let's have a bite to eat at Panda's later & then when we get home, you can put your feet up & relax."
They arrived home at seven-thirty. As they walked in from the car, Matt glanced down at Mimi. Her white shirt wasn't as crisp as it had been in the early afternoon & her khaki skirt was creased, but she still looked absolutely gorgeous. Her face was pale, though, & her eyes heavy.
"I hope," he said, "that you haven't overdone it."
"My back aches, but then it usually does!"
He unlocked the door & they went into the foyer. The house felt hot & stuffy, so he left the door open.
"Why don't you go out to the patio," he suggested. "It'll be nice & cool in the shade. Put your feet up & I'll bring you a cold drink after I put away all your purchases upstairs."
When he went outside a few minutes later, Mimi was lying back on a chaise, her forearm was over her eyes & her sandals were under the table. Her long hair spilled over the arm of the chaise in a cascade of shiny chestnut brown.
She was so still he thought she drifted off to sleep. But just then she made a 'tsking' sound & shifted her right leg impatiently, as if it was uncomfortable.
He set the glass of lemonade on the table. "Are you okay?"
She took her arm away & when she looked up at him, her smile was so sweet he felt his love for her well up inside him till he almost choked on it.
"It's so peaceful here," she said. "I'm almost ashamed to feel so lazy." She crinkled her nose. "The only thing that's spoiling it is my right leg. It's been cramping a bit."
He loved the way she crinkled her nose; it made him want to kiss it. Instead he crouched down on the foot of the chaise. "Here, let me."
He wrapped her slender foot in his hands & massaged it gently. She didn't resist or try to pull away. "Stretch out your leg," he murmured. She did and he held her toes & pressed the heel down. "Tell me when you feel the stretch in your calf muscle."
He worked on her for a few minutes, stretching her leg & massaging her foot, trying to concentrate on his task & not get distracted by the seductive smoothness of her skin or the sexiness of her pink-painted toenails.
"Thanks, Matt," she said when he finally released her & stood up. "That felt wonderful." She ran her fingers through her hair, & then gathering it back, tucked the long glossy tassels behind her ears. "Could you hand me my lemonade?"
"I'm going inside to exchange it for milk. If you're prone to having these cramps, you should be drinking more milk…or taking calcium tablets. It says so…"
"In your baby book." She shook her head, her expression amused. "You just don't give up, do you?"
"No," he said. "And I'm not going to. Whether you want my help or not, I plan on giving it to you until you have this baby safely in your arms."
He went inside. And as he poured Mimi a glass of milk, he realized he never felt this happy in months…no, in years. And yet, at the back of his mind, there was always a niggling feeling. It's because of Sora. She usually comes back from summer vacation at the end of July. It was now almost September, the schools would be starting next week, & she still hadn't returned home. He felt so bad that things turned out the way it had been for the two of them; how unfortunate it was that she misread his intentions.
"Matt?" Mimi walked into the kitchen in her bare feet. "What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking," he said, "about…" An abrupt knock on the back door interrupted him.
He said, "Who the heck could that be, on a Sunday night?"
Mimi gave a "beats me!" shrug & watched as he walked to the door. He opened it & blinked in surprise.
AN: Okay, I know I said I didn't want to put cliffhangers...but sorry, I can't help it! You need a little bit of suspense every now & then, anyway. Who do you think is the mystery person at Matt's house? Is it Michael, who suddenly realizes that he can't live without Mimi? Or is it someone else? Come on, guys, take a guess! And don't forget to review!
