Hey everyone! Enjoy this next installment and leave me a little something something in the reviews to let me know how you liked this. Also, very big shoutout and thank you to MysticalForces! She's been sweet enough to share her words of praise with me through the messages and I'm very flattered for the compliments. If you haven't checked out her Normero story, A Sky Full of Lighters...please do, you won't regret it! Anyway, enjoy! - MJ123 :)
On the ride home from the ultrasound, Norma held the little copy of the sonogram clasped in the palm of her hand, she couldn't stop from looking at it. Despite the distaste she was feeling for her husband because of their situation, she couldn't stop smiling. There was a little peanut slowly growing into a human being in the pit of her stomach. Were the baby butterflies slowly coming alive already? She felt the pit pat of gentle wings brush against the inner walls of her stomach and she knew she was pregnant. She could feel it.
As her thumb pad brushed over the image of the baby, Alex was staring ahead at the road trying to get home and, at the same time, piece together his feelings about the ultrasound. It was a beautiful thing to see the baby coming to life, yes. But fear still remained, he felt so bad because he really believed that Norma wouldn't understand. It hurt to have to explain but he knew it had to come sometime. Before he could say anything, she was the one to break the silence.
"I texted Emma and Dylan," she began, slipping the sonogram safely away in her purse, "Told them to meet us at the house, they were up in Portland earlier today. I want all of us together when we do this."
He felt his heart beat rich in the pit of his chest as he tore his eyes off the road gently to eye her from his peripheral vision, "Do this? Do what? What are we doing, Norma?"
She looked back at him like he was the stupidest man in the world, like he should've known exactly what she was talking about when she brought it up, "The weather. We are going to sit both of my children and Emma down to tell them all about how we are expecting a light rainfall around noontime."
"Don't smartass me," he said gruffly, twisting the wheel in his hands to ease around the curve of the upcoming bending road. The motel was coming closer and she was getting on his last nerve.
"The baby, Alex. We are going to tell them about the baby. How I'm already six weeks along and I didn't know for a while. We could open it with something hilarious and tell them how you knew before me," she offered, her voice oozing in sarcasm
"So, you've just made this decision now? We aren't gonna agree on a time to tell them because you already planned the whole thing out on your own time? You know this is my kid as well, right?" he asked, pulling up into the gravely parking lot and shutting the engine off.
"Yeah, Alex. I know it's your's too. You're sure as hell not acting like it, though. And until you do, I am going to be the one making the hard choices and decisions here," she said, unbuckling and leaning to get out of the car before her husband lightly clutched onto her arm.
"Wait," he said, pulling the keys out of the ignition, "We can't go in there fighting. We are in a rough patch right now, no doubt. But if we go in there and bring tension with us, they are gonna think this was some stupid mistake. That how you wanna look at our kid?"
"Absolutely not. Never. But that's how you see it. A complete and utter mistake," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
His eyes locked down to the ground before looking into her blue pools of acceptance, "Hey. It'd be a mistake and a regret if I was expecting with a woman I didn't really know and wasn't really in love with. I'm in love with you. I am. I'm still coming around to the surprise is all."
She nodded, "There's more to the story, isn't there?"
"Yeah."
"Wanna talk about it now?"
He shook his head and took her hand in his own, walking them towards the stairs of the house. She just kept her lips sealed and followed in his lead. Silently, she was trying to piece together what everyone would say about the news. Dylan wouldn't give a shit, Emma would be thrilled, Norman...well, Norman would need some time? Time to get around to the idea of his mother having another little one, yeah that sounded right.
They entered the house and upon Norma's request, everyone was seated in the living room talking casually. Dylan and Emma were holding hands on the couch talking to a seemingly reserved Norman about a movie they had gone to see and how epic it was. They all halted conversation once the two paced into the living room and stood before everyone.
"Hello everybody," Norma smiled, interlacing Alex's hands with her own tighter. Deep down she really was nervous about the reveal, she was sweating bullets. She really wished she'd had a practice round with Alex and told him but that opportunity was already shattered.
"Mother," Norman began speaking, "Why have you called us all here? Is something the matter? Does this concern Steven again? Because I thought that he was in jai-"
"No, sweetheart. This has nothing to do with Steven and there is nothing wrong with me, with either of us," she began feeling her heart start to pound and her palm start to sweat profusely. "But I have some big news for everyone."
Emma motioned for her to continue, "What's up, Norma?"
"Well um…" she wanted to say it but couldn't fish the words out of her brain. Slowly, Alex gripped her hand a little to hurry up her momentum, "I'm uh- I'm kind of … I'm pregnant."
Dylan's eyes went wide as he slowly stood from the couch to hug his mother, "Hey, that's wonderful, mom. Congratulations. And um," he slowed to pull away and look at Alex, "Congrats to you too, man."
He smiled and shook his son in law's hand, "Thanks, Dylan. It came as a pretty big surprise, we didn't see it coming at all."
Emma popped up next, holding the most spirit of them all, "Yay! Norma! Sheriff Romero! Are you two excited about this?"
Norma nodded, "Yes. I am absolutely elated. I mean, I get to be a mommy again, I never really thought that would happen. I am so, so, so excited. And I'm already about six weeks along, too."
Alex responded to what she said with a small motion to agree, "We are both super excited. I've never got to be a parent before so I'm pretty thrilled. I'm ready to see what it's like."
All the while, Norman sat on the sofa, no words but clenched fists. Marriage and rings to show it was one thing, but a baby was permanent. Now she would have no time for him and the things he needed from her, he hated the fact that she was pregnant, hated that there was gonna be another distraction avaliable for her to play with while he sat neglected from her love. He stood and went to his room immediately, not able to stand the happiness being passed around the room.
When Norma saw her son walk up the stairs, she didn't chase after him. For once, she let him go. All she could think about was the baby and the happiness and support she was getting from her eldest and his girlfriend. She really didn't want anymore negativity around her baby or herself, it was already bad enough that Alex was fighting to get away.
X
Upon her son and Emma leaving, Norma sat on the couch with her hand resting on a flat tummy. She wished the bump would hurry up and arrive, then she'd have something to hold onto throughout the nine months to come. That was her favorite part of pregnancy, the belly. It was the most beautiful thing in the world really, to be able to feel a little life kicking from the inside.
As she thought, Alex came to sit next to her.
"I've been thinking," he began, reaching over to take her hand and rest it amongst his own.
"Oh you have?" she asked, turning to look at him, "About what?"
"Honeymooning."
She scoffed, "You wanna get away now? With me in my disgusting condition?"
"Stop it. I never said you were disgusting. But I wanna take you away somewhere for a few days."
"And the reason for that would be…?"
"Because I love you," he said playing with her fingers, "I love you and we never got to get away. I wanna have time to talk to you about this. The future, what is gonna happen from here on out."
"Is it gonna be bad?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice almost frightened. Frightened sprinkled with baby shards of anger.
"Trust me."
Thank you for reading and please leave me a review if you have a chance - MJ XO
