Chapter Five
I awoke that next morning with my head on Jacob's warm chest and him stroking my hair. I was completely on cloud nine and was swimming in bliss. So far, this honeymoon had started off fantastic. I tried not to move and indicate I was awake, so cuddled slowly closer to his body and pretended to fall back to sleep. I was so comfortable, when he gently moved off the bed, I was miserably unhappy. I watched him through my squinted eyes as he went to put clothes on. He began walking to my side of the bed again, so I quickly shut my eyes. He stopped at the edge of the bed and bent down to my eye level.
"Hey Nessie, you can stop faking now. I know your awake," He whispered in my ear. Shoot. I opened my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him. "I'm going to fix you breakfast. What do you want? Some animal guts or normal food." Alright. His sarcasm was unnecessary.
I slowly rolled on my back and sat up. "I prefer some animal guts, but hey, if you want to cook so badly, fry up some eggs and French toast. That's fine too."
He smiled and headed off towards the kitchen. I decided to take a shower and put some clothes on. I gathered all my toiletries and strode for the bathroom. I hopped in the shower and let the hot water pound my head. I began to think about my family back in Washington. Oh my father would have killed me if he knew what Jacob and I did last night. I grinned and finished up. I turned the nozzle to "off" and pulled the curtain back. I slipped a light sundress on and walked out of the humid bathroom.
As soon as I entered the bedroom, I was completely enveloped in the mouth-watering aroma of eggs, cinnamon, and toast. I let my nose guide me to the center of the sweet smells. Now, Jacob usually couldn't cook, but I guess he watched the Food Network before we left. I took my seat at an empty barstool.
"Well, I have to say. I'm impressed! When did you learn to cook?" Jacob wiped his hands and set the steaming food in front of me.
"Your dad told me I better feed you well if nothing else, so he taught me a few things. You know, I don't think he hates me so much anymore." Jacob took a seat next to me on a neighbor barstool.
"Jacob, he never hated you. He just couldn't bare to watch me grow up. Give him some slack here," I said, mouth full of food.
"Yeah, maybe your right," He replied staring at the countertop. I tried to relieve him by changing the subject.
"So, how long are we here for?" I was almost finished with my meal by now.
"Well, I would like to stay a lot longer, but your parents said we had to come home on Sunday. Today is Monday, so I plan to make this week the best of your life." He had my face cradled in one of his big hands.
"Jacob, we could go home right now and I would still think that this was the best trip of my life."
He kissed me lightly on the forehead and replied, "Same here."
***
The next week flew by. Jacob really did try hard to make this all worth while. Of course, it was worth while the first night we came here. Every minute we were doing something. Whether it was snorkeling, parasailing (which by the way, is a guaranteed heart-attack), shopping in the city (my idea), or just laying on the beach. Sunday came way too fast. Jacob and I were just packing the last few items and making last minute preparations.
"So you have the plane tickets?" I had to make sure before we go there and made complete fools of ourselves. Not like we already hadn't at the Colorado airport.
"Yes, they're in my pocket," He pulled them out to prove himself. I nodded once, and kept packing.
"When is the taxi going to be here?" I asked, still quickly stuffing items into the suitcase.
"About two-thirty," He promptly answered. Well, I had to give him props. He didn't forget anything. Snaps for Jacob.
We finished packing and set all our things by the door. I took whatever time I had left to relax and plopped on the living room sofa. Once Jacob scanned the place once more to make sure everything was remembered, he entered the living room and plopped next to me. He held my hand and then brought it to his face and kissed it gently.
"I love you," He earnestly told me.
"I love you, too," I answered in the same tone.
Just then we heard a loud honk coming from outside. We both stood up in unison and rushed for the door. I grabbed a bag and Jacob carried the rest. He locked the house, while I carried my load to the cab. I unloaded and took my seat while Jacob loaded his portion. Finally he came to his side of the cab and slid in.
"All ready," He said, indicating the driver could take off. We drove down the familiar road back towards the airport. I had fun on this vacation, but I thought it was time for home.
The entire drive to the airportI held Jacob's hand and watched out the window. I wanted to take it all in before I entered lockdown at our house again. I suddenly realized we missed a very crucial point for our return home. Where would we live?
"Jacob! We don't have a house!" I suddenly exclaimed. I heard the driver laugh to himself.
"Nessie, relax. It's all probably taken care of. Your family loves you too much to put you out on the streets." He was reassuring me now. I calmed down. I began to think. Of course we have a home. Esme probably built it herself. What was I thinking? I just shook my head and gathered myself as we pulled into the airport. The car came to a stop and I paid the driver once again while Jacob got the bags. I took some of the load and Jacob pulled out the tickets.
We handed them to the gate attendant and boarded the plane. We packed the carry-on in the space over head and took our assigned seats. I waited patiently as other travelers took their seats. Finally, the pilot came over the loudspeaker.
"Hello and welcome to Delta Airlines. In order to make this trip as pleasant as possible for everyone, we ask that you remain seated throughout the flight unless it is an emergency. Now, I would like to ask you all to fasten your seatbelts. A diagram is provided on the screen. Thank you, and enjoy your flight." I did exactly as I was told and then watched Jacob follow suit.
As I quietly sat in my seat, I began to feel drowsy again. What was it with these plane rides that made me so tired? My eyelids started to feel heavier and heavier. Before I knew it, I had conked out on Jacob's shoulder.
***
This time, Jacob woke me up when the flight ended. "Nessie. Nessie, sweetie, time to get up. Let's go home." I woke up smiling.
"Alright," I answered, still half-asleep. I'm guessing Jacob took the bags again and then grabbed my hand and drug me along. The last part I vividly remember was Jacob lifting me into the passenger seat of his car. He buckled me while I absent-mindedly watched. By the time he loaded all our cargo in the trunk, I was fully aware. He walked around to the driver's side of his car and got in. He started the car and began down the highway, headed for home.
"Are we almost home?" I asked, sounding so much like a small innocent child.
"Yes. Are you still tired? You can sleep more if you want," he offered.
"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry. I don't know why I am so sleepy here lately. It's gotten worse since the honeymoon."
"It's fine. So, now that you are awake, what do you want to talk about?" Alright. I'm game for a nice conversation.
"Hmm…I don't know. You pick."
"Alright. Have you had fun on vacation, Mrs. Black?" I loved the way he said my new name. It was perfect.
"Of course. It was the best vacation ever." I replied, fully content.
"Well, Nessie, it's the only vacation you've ever had," I smiled at the truth. Honestly, I was kind of excited to see my over-protective parents. They only mean to do what's right, after all. My thought came to a stop with a sharp pain in my abdomen. All at once, my head started spinning and nausea filled my body.
"Pull over!" I yelled to Jacob. Before he even stopped the car, I jumped out and heaved out this morning's breakfast. Jacob was right behind me, holding my hair back. I spit many times in an effort to wash away the awful taste of vomit. "Eww…"
Jacob let out one chuckle, then went back to the car to get napkins. I had stood up straight slowly to make sure the abrupt feeling was gone. It was, and Jacob proceeded with cleaning my face.
"There you go," he mumbled, finishing the dirty job.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled weakly.
"Nessie don't worry about it. Now let's go." He took my hand, and I followed him back to the car.
Once I got in, I made myself comfortable again. Jacob took his position and started the car.
"So Nessie, do you think you just ate something bad, or are you sick?" He sounded concerned,
"I don't know. I didn't feel sick before. It was so sudden," I answered truthfully. I felt a wave of drowsiness hit again and in minutes fell back asleep.
***
"Hey Mom! Hey Daddy!" I nearly leaped out of the car to greet my parents. "Hey everyone else!" I handed out hugs and kisses like valentine's day cards.
"So, how was your trip?" Mom inquired.
"Fantastic." Jacob and I replied.
"Now be honest. Did you tear down the house?" Emmett asked with a booming laugh.
"No! Now leave me alone or so help me Emmett I'll-" I was chewing him out when Jacob told me it wasn't worth it. I gave Emmett a mean face and walked inside with the rest of my family.
They asked all sorts of questions about the trip, and we answered them all easily. They heard all our funny stories and experiences. Well, not all of them. I was laughing and having fun when the sharp pains, nauseating feelings, and dizziness overtook me. I hurriedly stood up and bounded for the nearest bathroom. Again, I heaved all my stomach's contents. This was getting old already. Jacob was there once more holding my hair. We cleaned up again, and Mom walked down the hallway to the bathroom.
"Honey, are you alright?" She was deeply concerned.
"I'm fine, I think I've just got a little bug. No big deal. Tell everyone I'm fine." Yet, she still had a furrowed brow.
"Honey, I have to ask you something. When are you due for you next period?" Her question surprised me, but I knew the answer.
"March 6...which was Thursday. I'm four days late." I looked back t her for a response.
"Okay. I have to ask you something else. A little more, um, personal. When you and Jacob…you know…were you protected?"
I understood then. And the answer was no. I knew exactly where she was going with this. I gulped hard. I was pregnant.