CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"Sorry, Walter. It's me. Ralph."
Walter's disappointment it wasn't Paige lasted for a fraction of a second. Then worry something was wrong with Paige or the baby flooded through him.
"Hey, Ralph," he said cautiously. "Is everything all right?"
"Why didn't you tell my mom you were married?"
Hearing the censure in the boy's voice made his gut twist. "It's not a real marriage," he started to explain.
"I know," Ralph cut in. "Mom told me why you did it." There was a huff of air. "You still should have told her."
"I know. I'm sorry, Ralph." Walter ran his hand through his hair. "How is she? Did she go to her appointment yesterday? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, she went to her appointment," Ralph replied. "Everything is okay with the baby, as far as I know. Are we still going to paint the nursery tomorrow?"
The abrupt change of subject threw him for a moment. "I don't know," he answered, once he regained his composure. With everything else going on, he'd forgotten their plan to fix up the baby's room that weekend. "What does your mom say?"
"I haven't asked her." There was a moment of silence, then the youngster added, "she's spent most of the last few days crying in her room. She thinks I can't hear her but. . . But I can."
Walter hung his head. Not only had he hurt Paige, but he was hurting Ralph as well. And he didn't know how to make it stop.
"I'm sorry, buddy," he said. "I want to. . . But. . ." She'd made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with him until he was divorced.
"But what? He's your son too," snapped Ralph, who then heaved a sad sigh. "Maybe if she sees you keeping your promises and committing yourself to being part of our family. . . Maybe she'll. . .maybe she'll let you come. . .come home."
Home. He closed his eyes. Something he once thought he could never have. He knew now it was with her. She was his home.
The rest of what Ralph said sounded a lot like something straight out of Toby's mouth. Which made him wonder if Paige had been talking to the shrink. He'd been AWOL for the past four days too. Walter knew better than to ask Happy if the behaviorist had contacted her. He was in enough pain.
Who knew a logical and expedient solution to an urgent problem six years ago would threaten to destroy the safe haven he'd created for himself and his friends. That it would threaten the family he'd thought he'd never have with the woman he loved and the boy he considered his own.
And even if he did all those things to regain Paige's trust, there was still one obstacle to overcome. . .
"I'd still be married to someone else," he pointed out.
"I don't think she cares anymore." Walter heard the frustration in the younger genius's voice. "Just come over tomorrow morning. What's the worst that could happen?"
She could banish him for good. But Ralph was right, that would only be slightly worse than being stuck in state of uncertainty he was in now. And if she was as miserable as he was, maybe she'd consider giving him another chance?
"Okay," he agreed. "I, uh, I need to come over and get more clothes anyway. I only have a few things here at the garage, plus I need a suit for Monday."
"Yes," said Ralph enthusiastically, "that's perfect." He lowered his voice. "Just don't blow it this time, okay?"
"Okay." Walter stared down at his phone after they said their goodbyes. Hope and happiness warred with anxiety and anguish, making his stomach roil and his chest constrict.
Just don't blow it. Easier said than done.
ooooo
Apprehension battled with optimism as Walter approached Paige's apartment at eight o'clock the next morning. The former was handily crushing the latter as he teetered on the edge of hyperventilation and spewing his guts all over the hallway carpet. Swallowing nervously, he came to a halt in front of her door.
Glancing down at his stained jeans and shirt, he wondered if he should have dressed up instead of appearing in an outfit he usually wore while performing messier aspects of his experiments. He worried it might appear presumptuous expecting to be allowed to stay to paint the nursery. But then again, his clothing options were severely limited as almost everything he owned was currently on the other side of the door.
There was only one way to find out. With a shaky hand, he knocked softly. He mentally counted the seconds, his anticipation growing as the numbers rose higher. After five minutes, his brain began pumping out worst case scenarios; she'd gone into labor, she'd taken Ralph and absconded, they'd been overcome by carbon monoxide, they'd been kidnapped. . .
Walter fished his keys from his pocket and let himself inside. He'd barely stepped into the small foyer when he stopped in his tracks by the unmistakable sound of Paige singing.
". . .I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying
I love you. . ."
He crept closer until he could see her sitting in the recliner, her feet propped up as she rubbed her pregnant belly. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, and he futilely swiped at them as Ralph entered the room. The boy sat on the arm of her chair and she wrapped her arms around him as she continued to sing.
"I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll never know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world."
"You used to sing that to me when I was little," the youngster said when she had finished.
Paige gave him a hug before letting him go. "If you don't want me to sing it to the baby. . ."
"No, it's okay." Ralph put his hand on her stomach. "I'm sure he'll enjoy it as much as I did."
"You know," she said, placing her hand atop his, "I'm going to have to spend a lot of time with the baby after he's born." She sighed. "I know everything's changed since it was just you and me. But I still love you just as much." She booped his nose.
"I know, and it's all right, Mom," the boy genius replied, his face reddening. "I'm not jealous. I know you have enough love to share with everyone; me, Walter, the baby. . .even the rest of the team." He took a deep breath. "It's like what Walter said. . . That he always thought love was an imaginary construct. . .until he met you. He told me he thinks you're love personified."
Walter watched as Paige wiped at her cheeks before drawing Ralph into another embrace. Tentatively he inched into the room, torn between not intruding on the mother-son moment yet desperately wanting to be included.
He must have made a noise of some kind because Paige turned her head, the surprise on her face quickly replaced by a smile. She gestured for him to come closer. Somehow he covered the short distance despite his unsteady legs, kneeling next to her recliner.
"Uh, I'll let you guys. . . I'll just go masking tape around the window,"Ralph suggested, "in the nursery." He kissed Paige on the cheek, then shot Walter a look that clearly meant 'don't screw it up' before heading toward the spare room.
"So, your checkup. . ." Walter began after the youngster was out of earshot. "Is everything okay? I'm. . .I'm sorry I missed it."
"Everything's fine," she replied, "I'm fine, the baby's fine."
"Uh, good." He stared down at the arm rest. "Paige, I'm so sorry."
"Walter, it's all right. It was just one appointment. . ."
"No, not that." He raised his head, looking her in the eye. "I mean, I'm glad you're okay, the baby's okay." Rubbing his hand over his face, he continued, "I had no idea six years ago I'd ever meet someone like you. I'm sorry. Please. . ."
His words were cut off when she rested her finger against his mouth. "Walter, it's okay. I've had time to. . . to, well, think things over. And while I still believe you should have told me. . . I understand why you. . .you didn't." Her voice hitched and he looked into her glistening eyes. "I don't want you to have to go back to Ireland. I need you here. . .with me. . .and our sons."
"I don't want to go back either," he said. "I want to be here for you. And. . .and I-I, uh, I do want to marry you. Do you want to marry me?"
She didn't reply right away, which worried him. And when she did finally speak, it wasn't exactly what he'd been hoping to hear.
"Walter, I would love to marry you. But. . ." She chewed her lip nervously. "I'm not thrilled you treated marriage so casually. . . Used it as a means to an end. And that. . .well, that you and Happy. . ."
"What I said before is the truth. . . That we never. . .ever. . ."
"I believe you," she said. "It guess it just bothers me neither of you even tried to be faithful to each other."
"We didn't try because it didn't matter," he said. "It was never like that between us. It would have been ludicrous to expect. . ."
She reached out and took his hand. "You're not helping your case there, Bub." She smiled as she said it, so he took it as a good sign. He knew she had issues with abandonment and fidelity, as she'd been badly burned by others before him. Only. . .
"I don't know how. . .how to convince you I-I won't leave you," he said, finishing his thought aloud. "Or that I'll be. . .be f-faithful to you." He paused to take a deep breath. "I can only tell you you're the first person I've ever loved this way in my entire thirty-three years, six months, two weeks, and two days on this planet. I can't imagine anything changing the way I feel in the next thirty-three years. Or the thirty-three years after that."
"Oh, God, Walter." She flung her arms around his neck, pulling him forward. "Ask me again," she murmured against his ear as she threaded her fingers through his hair.
Ask her. . . Oh. He got back down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"
Tears were streaking down her face as she nodded, "Yes, I'll marry you." She tugged him toward her again and kissed him.
He rested his forehead against hers after they came up for air. "So, does this mean. . .?"
"Yes, it means you can come back home," she replied before glancing downward and biting her lip. "So do you have any more secrets you'd like to get off your chest?"
There was only one other thing he could think of he needed to confess. And if it was a deal-breaker. . .so be it. Hopefully though, after the fiasco of not telling her he was married, it would seem mild in comparison.
"I have been keeping something else from you," he said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could rephrase them as Paige paled significantly.
"Oh?" He felt her retreat, steeling herself against what he was about to reveal.
Taking a deep breath, he forged ahead. "It's not. . . Uh, I, um, I get. . . Not all the time, but. . . You being. . .being pregnant. . ." He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I find it. . .you. . .quite arousing."
"Sweetie," she said, her lips twitching as she relaxed into his arms. "Sweetie, that's not much of a secret. I think even Sly and Cabe know."
The relief she didn't think he was a pervert was short-lived as his face grew hot over the fact everyone already knew. "Uh, speaking of, um, Cabe," he began, changing the subject. "He spoke to Deputy Director Cooper about expediting my petition for citizenship. And, um, Happy did some research, and a. . .a divorce takes six months to finalize. . .so. . ."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Paige said, running her hand over her swollen abdomen. "It's just as well we can't get married now. I would like to be less pregnant so I can wear a nice dress instead of a tent."
"You look stunning in anything," he said, staring at her with his eyes full of awe. The look which always made her melt into a big gooey puddle. Grasping the sides of his face, she pulled him into a kiss.
"Uh."
The sound of Ralph's voice startled her. Startled Walter too, judging by his uncomfortable expression.
"So, are you ready to start painting?" the boy genius asked.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Walter inhaled then exhaled before rising to his feet.
"You never did say what color paint," Paige said as she held out her hand.
Walter helped her up out of the chair. "We researched which colors and patterns to use for maximum infant brain stimulation."
"Yeah," said Ralph as they walked toward the nursery. "Light blue for the top half of the walls, then alternating green and beige stripes on the bottom."
"And the ceiling is going to be like the night sky," offered Walter, "from sunset to sunrise."
"That sounds beautiful."
"We're going to use glow-in-the-dark paint to add constellations," her son informed her as he bounced along beside her. Their enthusiasm brought tears to her eyes. And to think she almost threw it all away because of her misplaced pride.
"Hey, I just thought of some names for the baby." Wiping at her face, Paige turned to see Walter grinning. Oh, dear. . . "Orion?"
"No."
"Draco?"
"You've never read Harry Potter, have you?"
"No. Why?"
"Never mind," she said with a sigh. "No."
"How about Perseus?"
"Do you want him to get beat up on the playground?" Paige shook her head before Walter could reply.
Undaunted, he continued on, "Leo?"
She pursed her lips as she mulled it over. "Leo? I kinda like it."
"You do?" He seemed surprised.
"Yeah, the whole Leo/lion thing. It's a strong name." She smiled at him as another thought occurred to her. "Plus it's Leonardo DiCaprio's nickname."
"Who?"
She'd had a sneaking suspicion he'd never heard of the celebrity icon. "Leonardo DiCaprio. He's an actor I had a big crush on when I was a teenager. He's still kind of a hottie." She waggled her eyebrows.
Walter was already shaking his head as she suppressed her laughter. "No. I don't like it."
"I had a feeling you wouldn't." She giggled as she kissed him on the cheek.
ooooo
Lyrics from "What A Wonderful World" written by Bob Thiele (as George Douglas) and George David Weiss. Used without permission. Please don't sue.