Here's chapter nine of "I Turn To You"
Thanks again to my cheering section- much love for y'all. ;-)
On with the story...
(The Scott Household)
(First week of November- Saturday morning)
Kimberly awoke that morning to the wonderful smell of breakfast. She yawned, then, looked around the bedroom. Jason'd brought her bed in for them during the move because both he and Kim'd felt uncomfortable and tripped out by sleeping in a bed he'd shared with another woman. Yeah, they were sleeping together, but, not sleeping together.
One other thing, she and Jason'd found out a few weeks earlier that Kim was carrying twins. Yes. Not one, but, two babies. Unbelievable. She'd kinda freaked out since she'd barely gotten used to the idea of one. But, Jason- being the amazing guy he was- had managed to ease her fears in a way that only he always could. She was still kinda overwhelmed, but, no longer scared.
Kim- who was now nearly four months pregnant, but, looked slightly further along than that- sat up and stretched just as Jade came running in. Kim grinned as the little girl hopped into the bed.
"Good morning!" Jade said cheerfully.
"Now that you're here," Kim said, hugging her.
"Daddy's cooking breakfast," Jade said, rubbing Kim's belly. She just loved to do that and was ecstatic she'd be a big sister to two babies instead of one.
"Yeah, I know and it smells delicious," Kim said, stroking Jade's hair.
"I wanna go to the park today," Jade said.
"Sounds like a good idea. I hope your dad's up for it. If not, it'll just be us girls," Kim said.
"And can we go to the mall?" Jade asked eagerly.
Kim laughed. "Now, I know we'll be on our own. Sure, sweetie. The mall it is," she said. "Now, let's go join Daddy," she said, bringing her feet to the floor.
"But we can't," Jade protested.
"Why not?" Kim asked with a frown.
Jade grinned at her. "I can't tell you," she said.
Kim laughed. "Cute. Jade, can we play, like, after I've had some of your father's awesome cooking in me?" she said, then, started to stand.
"But, Daddy said-" Jade began, then, stopped and placed her hands over her mouth.
"So, you and your dad are keeping a secret from me, huh?" Kim said with a grin.
"Not anymore, Hart," a deep voice said.
Kim looked up to see Jason standing in the doorway, holding a tray with a steaming plate of breakast, napkins, and a glass of orange juice on it. Her spine went to tingling at the sight and the gesture.
'Breakfast in bed. Just when I start to think this man can't get any more terrific, he proves me dead wrong,' she thought as she swung her legs back into bed and sat back to receive the gift properly. She grinned as he approached her.
Jason smiled and sat the tray in front of her. It had some of her favorite breakfast foods on there. Jason sat on the bed and smiled at Jade.
"Great job keeping her in here, munchkin," he said.
"Thanks! Can I watch cartoons now?" Jade asked.
"Sure, baby girl," he said. Jade kissed Kim's cheek, then, got off the bed and ran outta the room.
Kim watched her go with a smile and powerful maternal feelings coursing through her. She looked at Jason. "Leave it to you to go off and make the world's sweetest little girl," she said.
He laughed. "Yep. I don't think there's anything I can't do. How can you guys stand to be around a guy as perfect as me all the time?" he said jokingly.
"Good question. You're a lot to live up to," she quipped. They laughed and she started in on her food.
Jason looked at her and just grinned, unable to help it. She just looked so beautiful. And she had that glow.
"What's up?" Kim asked, noticing his expression.
"Nothing, it's just... you look so... well, you know," he said, feeling a little shy for some reason.
Kim grinned. "Thanks, Rex. But I'll be looking like a mansion in a couple months, so, enjoy it while it lasts," she said with a little giggle.
"You'll always look great no matter what," he said quietly, seriously.
An odd, hard-to-describe feeling washed over Kim. She ruffled his hair a little, then, quickly refocused on her food. His physical closeness was making her pulse run kinda wild now. She was feeling the way she had the night they'd... created the twins.
She cleared her throat. "So, I'm sure you're hoping at least one of these babies will be a boy," she said.
"That'd be cool. But, it doesn't really matter to me, actually," he said with a shrug.
"Liar," she teased. "You know three girls would drive you nuts."
He laughed. "Yeah. I'd be totally bald before I hit forty," he said. But they both knew he'd be happy with whatever. "What about you, Pinky? What're you hoping for?"
"A boy and girl. Definitely. I mean, I'd be happy regardless, but, I definitely want a boy and girl. Actually, I think that's whatwe're gonna have," she said, nodding.
"Tell ya what. Since you're so sure of yourself, Firebird, let's make it interesting. Let's bet. I say we're gonna have two girls," he said.
"And I say a boy and girl. What's the winner gonna get?" Kim asked eagerly.
"The winner gets to name the babies- first and middle names," he said.
She held out her hand. "You're on, Red Dragon," she said as they shook hands.
(Sacramento, California)
(Saturday night)
Chad and Gina- who'd been casually seeing each other for a few weeks-were sitting on her couch, watching TV. Well, Gina was staring off into space.
Chad looked over at her. "Are you all right?" he asked.
She blinked and looked at him blankly."Huh?" she said.
"You've been on another planet all day. Everything cool?" he asked.
"Oh. Yeah, everything's great. I'm sorry I haven't been better company," she said with a sigh.
"Are you sure you're okay? Because if you're not up for company, I'll head and we can talk tomorrow or something," he said.
"No, no. I don't want you to leave. It's nothing really. Really. But, speaking of tomorrow, why don't we have lunch at that new Mexican restaurant?" she asked with a smile.
"Works for me. But changing the subject isn't gonna stop me from wondering what the deal is," Chad said, muting the TV.
She sighed and begen playing with the hem of her shirt. How could she just come right out and tell him what was really on her mind? It'd all been popping into her mind unexpectedly a lot lately.
'I can't tell him! He'll get all judgmental. He wouldn't understand... or maybe he would. Maybe he'll hear me out. Besides, who knows how far we'll go? If we're gonna be together, he might as well know now instead of years from now. It'll be easier to do it now. Yeah. Definitely,' she thought, nodding. She was already starting to believe Chad was the type of guy she needed to be with, so, it was best to be straight with him. To tell him about the life she'd had.
"Gina?" Chad prompted.
She looked at him. "Okay. I'll tell you the truth. But, before I do, you've gotta promise me something, Chad," she said, looking into his eyes.
"What's that?" he asked, a little cautiously.
"You've gotta promise you won't judge or criticize me," she said.
He just stared at her. What exactly was it she'd done? It couldn't have really been bad enough for her to worry about his reaction... could it? He wasn't so sure he even wanted to know now. He didn't want anything to change the way he saw her.
'But, maybe it won't. Hell, I don't think anything could change that. Whatever it is, I'm not turning away from her,' he decided silently. He wanted to see how far they could take it. He was already hoping this woman was it for him- despite what they'd said about committed relationships.
Gina took a deep breath. He was starting to change her mind about the whole anti-commitment issue as well. "Can you promise me that?" she asked.
"Gina, I've done some things in my lifetime that would probably make the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. Believe me, I'm in no position to judge anybody. So, don't worry about it. Just... tell me," he said, suddenly anxious now.
She looked away from him and focused on the wall. "I was married," she said.
Chad's eyebrows shot up. "You were ma- that's your earth-shattering secret?" he said with a laugh.
"No. I sent the divorce papers two months ago," she said softly.
"And that's the mind-blowing part?" he said.
"No. Here's the part you won't understand right off the bat... I have a three-year-old daughter," she said.
Now, that particular bit of news made his eyes bug out. Whoa! "You're yanking me," he said.
She looked at him. "Her name's Jade. I... left her and my husband and came here almost five months ago," she said tightly.
Chad was just flabbergasted. She'd really dropped a bomb. "You left- but, why?" he asked curiously.
Gina instantly hopped into her defensive mode. "You don't have to look at me like that. I know it sounds horrible, but, I had my reasons, you know. I wasn't cut out for motherhood. Leaving was the best thing I could do for her. It really was," she said.
"And... your husband?" he asked.
"I was no longer in love with him. I wanted out. So, I left. I wasn't happy with my life and knew I wouldn't be til I left Angel Grove," she said.
"Angel Grove? That's where they are?" Chad asked. Gina nodded. "Angel Grove. Isn't that the town where there were always crazy stories about monsters and aliens and all that?" Chad asked with a slight frown.
"Yeah," she said dully.
"Wow," he said, then, whistled softly.
She shook her head. "They're better off without me. They are. They really are. That's mainly why I left. They're better off," she said.
"Who are you tryin' to convince here, babe?" he asked.
"Look, I really am over him," she said honestly.
"What about the kid? Are you over her, too? 'Cause it seems to me you're feeling guilty," he said quietly.
"I'm not feeling guilty. I just- look, I carried her for nine months. Of course, she's gonna be on my mind sometimes. But I made the right decision," she said.
"Maybe. But she and her dad may never think so. She'll grow up resenting- and maybe even hating- you. Sure you're prepared for that?" he asked casually, sitting back. All this would take a little time to really sink into his mind. Whew!
"I... she'll understand when she's older. She, she may never forgive me, but, she'll understand. She will," she said, her stomach tightening.
"Would you?" he asked. She chose not to reply. He shook his head. "Look, baby, I'm not gonna tell you what to do. Because it really isn't any of my business. It's gonna take me a little while to get used to it, though."
Gina nodded, then, stood and headed for the bathroom. When she reached it, she closed the door, leaned against it and closed her eyes. Okay. So, at least Chad hadn't gotten up and left or anything. Good sign.
But he was wrong. She wasn't feeling guilty. Why would she be when she'd made the best choice for everyone?
'But was it really the best choice? Should I... go back?' she wondered. This wasn't the first time this had entered her mind. Should she really go back? And, if she did, would Jade wanna see her? Would Jason even let Gina see her? What exactly would she find if she went back?
I decided on twins 'cause a reviewer and I felt it was a good idea. I wasn't gonna go through with it til I found out someone felt the same way as me. Stay tuned. Hope it was interesting enough, if not, please accept my apologies. Cya. ;-)