A/N: Sorry about this. I uploaded it, and then realized I had to fix a couple of things for it to flow better. Here's the real chapter. I should be working on a few others this week. :)
Accidentally Expecting
Lacey took a moment to close her eyes to let the nausea wash over her. She had been up several times throughout the night throwing up, and it seemed that there was no end line in sight, even at 11:48 in the morning. It had been about a month since she went to New York City to talk to Randy, and the two stayed true to their word. They had yet to speak to one another as Randy searched for a new place to live close to Lacey. In the meantime, she had started to work on the sequel to The Modern Day Women's Guide to Divorce (And the Joys of Staying Single) with her co-author, and one of her closer friends in Texas, Candice Michelle Beckham as well as deal with the ever popular morning sickness, which she liked to call "all-day sickness".
Maria Kanellis, Lacey's best friend and neighbor in the cul-de-sac of Fort Worth, Texas walked into the living room of Lacey's condo with a plate of saltine crackers and a glass of ginger ale for the pregnant brunette. "Eat, Lace."
"Ria, I can't." Squinting through the sunlight peering through the front window, she accepted the plate and drink from her best friend with a weak smile.
Maria took a seat on the loveseat in front of the window facing the street, and took a moment to look out onto their usually quiet street. "The house across the street has moving trucks in front of it." Lacey smirked and rolled her eyes at Maria. Lacey loved the neighborhood. It was mainly well established families and singles, some of whom had children, with the perfect park at the end of the street. Maria loved the gossip that the neighborhood had to share. "There's this tall brunette guy getting out of a very nice car. And a blonde woman."
"He's probably married. Give it up, Ria." Lacey took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes yet again.
"Oh shush, woman." Lacey rested the plate on her somewhat flat stomach and flipped Maria off. "The movers are bringing in baby stuff. They must be married. However, he's still a major beefcake."
Feeling her stomach doing back flips at the word, Lacey wished her nausea away. "Please don't say that again."
Maria let out a giggle to which Lacey groaned in reply to. "Doll, you love me."
"Sometimes I wonder why." Opening her eyes to squint at Maria, she saw the light brunette's eyes light up. "What's up, Ria?"
"The major beefcake is walking over here." Rolling her eyes again, Lacey pushed the end of the recliner down and stood from the plush chair and started towards the kitchen to rid of her plate knowing Maria was too into watching the scene across the street. The ringing of the doorbell made Lacey sigh. She wasn't exactly in the mood to befriend her new neighbors at the moment -- she was too busy keeping her breakfast down to be truly concerned. "I'll get it, Lace."
"Thanks, M."
A moment later, Lacey felt just a tad bit better than she a few minutes ago, so she swallowed her pride, knowing full well she looked like absolute hell and started through the family room on the way to the front living room when she heard an all too familiar voice, "Can you tell her it's Randy."
Oh fuck me.
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After rushing to the bathroom attached to the kitchen, she looked into the mirror above the sink as she brushed her teeth. Was he seriously living directly across the street from her? And who in the hell was the blonde woman Maria referred to earlier. "Lacey!"
Lacey rinsed her mouth out and ran a wet face cloth over her features in hopes to put some color back in her cheeks.
"Lace!" Mumbling a 'yeah' in reply, Maria popped up in the doorway of the bathroom with a smile on her face. "The cute guy from across the street, whom I think is shackin' it up with the hot blonde, just stopped over. Seems like he already knows you. Said the name is Sandy or Randy, Norton or Morton or somethin'. I don't know. He's just good eye candy to have across the street, if ya know what I mean."
Grabbing the edges of the free standing ceramic sink, Lacey thought she was going to pass out. It really was him. She wasn't just hearing things. "Give me a minute, yeah?"
Maria nodded and as she was just about to walk away from the bathroom, she added, "I'm just gunna head home. Maybe head down to the gym or go shopping or something. Maybe stop at Starbucks. I'll grab you somethin', though." Lacey feigned a smile as her bubbly best friend bounded through the kitchen.
You can do it, kiddo. It can't be as hard as that oh so lovely day in New York City..
Flipping the light switch, she headed out into the kitchen and started towards the living room, her stomach flip flopping the entire time. "Lacey, hey."
The bright smile on his face caused confusion on her part. She offered a smile in return, hugging the tank top she was sporting closer to her body, and tried to focus on something other than his failure of a disguise. The leather jacket, baseball cap pulled low and the designer sunglasses hanging on his dress shirt didn't really hide him all that well. If anything, it drew more attention to his 6'4" stature. "I wasn't expecting you, Randy. Well, I was.. In time. But not, ya know, across the street."
He smiled at her babbling. It was a nervous trait that he came to adore about her. She did it during their radio interview, until she felt she had to stand up for herself and pushed all nerves away. "Told you I'd be close."
A little too close for my liking. "You don't say?" Glancing at the hot pink polish on her toenails, slightly hidden under a pair of thin light purple pajama pants she was sporting, she stopped to think of something to say. With the weather in the high sixties and mid-seventies, she was curious how Randy was not dehydrating in his leather jacket. "Right across the street. Wow. I figured somewhere in town. I mean, Fort Worth isn't the smallest of places."
"The condo across the street is perfect. Not as well decorated as yours, but still nice." He took a moment to check out the warm light brown color adorning the walls of the living room, and the darker brown brick fireplace decorated with pictures of her friends and family. An older picture of Lacey, with her around the age of 18 at what he was guessing was her high school Graduation with two older guys, probably around 20 or so, caught his eye.
Offering Randy a smile, she still tried to think of an excuse for the blonde. Pushing it from her mind for the time being, she took a seat in her recliner. Showing him the loveseat across the room from her, she thought that way she wouldn't have to see him through the thick sunlight. "So, um, you met Maria."
Nodding, he smiled. "She's--"
"Bubbly?" Lacey quipped to which Randy laughed and nodded again. "She's my best friend. Closest to sisters you can get without a bloodline in common, ya know?"
A smirk took over Randy's face, thinking about his brother's wife. "So, getting married? I still think it would be our best option, Lacey."
"Is that why you stopped over?" When Randy shrugged, she smirked. "My answer is still no." Standing from her seat and starting towards the stairs, she turned over her shoulder, her ponytail flipping behind her, "You can show yourself the way out."
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