Ana
I wake up to Christian kissing me softly on the forehead. A smile grazes my lips as I rouse from a deep sleep. I have slept peacefully all night long. Another beautiful dream about the baby. My smile widens when I find my hand cupping my belly protectively.
I look up, and Christian smiles down at me and places his hand on mine. Both of our hands rub gentle circles on my exposed stomach. He leans down and kisses me softly under my belly button.
"Good dream?" he asks lovingly.
"The best," I smile.
He rubs his thumb over the spot he kissed previously, and beams at me.
"Good baby. Let's get up and get some breakfast. Our child needs to eat," he says sternly.
I roll my eyes and take off my blanket.
Christian has been so protective of the baby and me. He makes sure I eat regularly, and he makes sure I eat healthier. Here at the shelter has good food, but sometimes it is not the best quality. Who are we to complain?
We are not taking anything for granted. We have a roof over our heads, and food in our stomachs every day. The way things are going right now, I believe everything is going to be alright. I know for sure that everything is going in the right direction for us. We are looking up, and no longer just surviving for us, but we are surviving for our child.
I get up off my cot, stand up and stretch my muscles. People are also getting up from their beds and walking towards the kitchen for breakfast.
I lean down and grab my clothes and shoes from under my bed.
Christian does the same and grabs my hand, and he leads me to the restrooms so we can get changed into our clothes. Christian kisses me and walks into the male bathroom while I walk into the female one and get dressed.
When I walk out of the bathroom, he is waiting for me by the water fountain. He takes my hand again and leads me into the kitchen. The waiting line is long, and the kitchen area is filled with people.
Children are running around the tables, chasing each other. Single mothers are feeding their kids at the table, and older individuals are sitting down, waiting for the line to shorten before they get up and get their food.
We both grab plates and silverware and wait in line. I see Jason walk towards us. He nods and gets his utensils and gets in line in the back of us.
I smile up at him warmly. He is his usual impassive self. He is looking all around him, observing his surroundings. I decide to make conversation.
"How are you doing Jason?" I ask politely.
He turns his eyes towards me and blinks.
"I'm fine. How are you?" he says impassively.
"Pregnant," I say proudly.
His eyes widen for a second and then he frowns.
"You're pregnant?"
"Yes," I nod.
He just stands there and stares at me like I am crazy. Christian sighs heavily and shakes his head.
"Well…Congratulations," he grumbles.
I bite my lip and nod. I shift on my feet and look down embarrassed. My eyes start to water at his facial expression. He looks disappointed. He has always been like an uncle to me. I don't like to disappoint him. He means a lot to me, and I want his support. I want him to become the baby's godfather.
I have been thinking about it a lot here lately, and I decided to talk to Christian about it the other day. He was, of course, supportive and stood by my decision. He likes Jason, and I can tell that Christian wanted his approval as well.
We didn't have a father growing up, so I believe he looks up to Jason as more of a father figure.
I look up, and he is staring at me blankly. I decide to ask him to be our baby's godfather.
"Would you be the baby's godfather? I really look up to you, and I would love for you to be in the baby's life," I murmur.
He pales and his mouth drops open. He stands there frozen and just stares at me. I stand there nervously. My hands are sweating, causing the silverware to slip slightly from my hands. We move up the line as the people in front of us continue to fill their plates with food.
I see Mia, Ethan, and the kids get in line about ten feet back. She sees me and waves enthusiastically. I smile weakly and wave back at her. Christian moves beside me and puts his arm around my shoulder.
"Jason?" he pushes.
He snaps out of his trance and turns to his impassive self.
"I would like that very much. It would be an honor," he murmurs.
My mouth drops open at him agreeing to become our child's godfather. He suddenly jumps and is immediately on high alert when someone drops their silverware on the floor somewhere in the room.
I beam at him and throw my arms around his neck. He freezes and suddenly stiffens when I kiss him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Jason!" I gush.
He coughs and straightens his posture when I let go of him.
Christian chuckles at my public displays of affection.
"The line is moving," he blurts out.
I smile and turn around and skip forward and accept the food that is offered to me.
The menu this morning is scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and toast with your choice of jam or butter. I get some extra helpings of eggs since many of the kitchen staff know that I am expecting. I choose strawberry jam for my toast.
I skip to an empty table and sit next to Christian. Jason walks past us and sits on the opposite side of the room. I sigh. I know he is not used to affection, so he is distancing himself from us. He needs a break from all the emotions. I don't blame him.
I open my carton of milk and drink it all in a couple of gulps. Christian has kindly brought me one white milk and one chocolate.
He chuckles and shoves his food into his mouth. I stick my tongue out at him and start on my eggs.
"Hi!" Mia squeals.
"Hey," I beam up at her.
She comes over to our table and sits down. Ethan gives us an embarrassed wave and sits down next to Mia. Liam comes around the table and gives me a big hug. I smile and kiss his cheek. He blushes and runs to back his mother's side. Mia giggles and starts to break up Lola's food for her. She smiles cheekily at her and shoves the food into her mouth with both hands.
"Happy Anniversary you two," I smile.
Mia jumps up and down in her seat and beams back at me.
"Thank you! I am so excited for today. I am glad you both can come with us. It's going to be so much fun!" she giggles.
I laugh and nod at her enthusiasm. I am excited to be able to join them today.
"So, where did you want to go today?" I ask.
I grab my toast and spread the strawberry jam over it. I chew it and continue to listen to our plans for the day.
"We decided we wanted to do something for the kids, so we are going to New Center Park and listen to a live band, and watch a free movie screening…oh and a picnic!" she says.
My eyes widen at the plans for the day. I smile and also start to jump up and down in my seat in excitement. We have never done anything like that before, and I cannot wait.
Christian smirks at me while biting into his toast.
"Excited baby?" he winks.
"I am," I laugh.
He shakes his head, and we continue to talk while eating breakfast.
We all walk to the bus stop a couple of hours later. We have changed our clothes into something more appropriate for the day at the park. The shelter had a new shipment of donated clothes that arrived yesterday morning. I am wearing a pair of pale blue jean shorts over black leggings. A fluffy black sweater and black lace-up ankle boots. I decided to die my hair back to my original hair color; brown. I have it down today with minimal makeup on my face, courtesy of Mia.
Christian is wearing a pair of loose dark blue jeans, a blue silk shirt, and an unbuttoned dark blue cardigan. Mia looks stunning with her light brown hair up in a messy bun, a brown knitted sweater and black leggings that are ripped at one knee. Ethan is dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a black shirt with a loose cream sweater.
The kids look adorable. Liam is wearing jeans, a white sweater, and brown boots. Lola is wearing a long blue knitted sweater, jeans and a pair of baby moccasins.
So adorable!
We all walk across the street when the bus stops in front of us. We all get on the bus and sit down at the back. The ride to the park takes about forty-five minutes. Since it's Friday, the park is crowded with people, starting the weekend off with a family outing.
We all walk off the bus and walk onto the sidewalk that leads to the park. I smile and look all around me. The park holds a huge stage in front, with tall city buildings in the back. Groups of people and their families are all seated in the grass under picnic blankets. We brought us a couple of blankets of our own to sit on. We also brought a picnic basket that the shelter packed for us. I am thankful that they provided us our lunch.
I squeeze Christian's hand and beam up at him in excitement once again. He smiles and leans down and kisses me. Mia walks over to me and drags me forward. We giggle as we all make our way to the grass. We find a space that is not already occupied and spread the blankets on the ground.
The kids fall onto their bottoms and stare at the park in wonder. Poor things have never been to anything like this.
The park holds this once a year, and it closes in a week, so I am excited to experience the last weekend of the festivities. We all begin to unpack the food, and we start eating. The food consists of bologna sandwiches and two kinds of potato chips; barbecue and regular. We also have bottled water for us, and juice boxes for the kids. We eat and chat amongst each other. I smile as I see many children enjoying the various types of music. They dance around the stage and jump up and down in absolute joy.
The music consists of blues, country, and soft rock music. A weird combination, but very entertaining. The free movie doesn't start until five, so we are going to stay here and play at the park with the kids until it starts. There is a big projector in the back of the park and a huge screen that stretches out on the center stage. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.
We haven't watched TV in a long time. The shelter has a television in the family room, but the only thing that they play is Cartoon Network; mainly for the kids. It will be a nice change. Christian and I usually play cards and board games that the shelter provides. That is the only entertainment that we are used too. Sex is also on that list.
I bite my lip at the thought of last night. I look over at Christian, and he is eating and enjoying the music. He bobs his head to the soft rock song that they are currently playing. I chuckle and put my head on his shoulder. He kisses my forehead and continues to eat his food.
I finish my sandwich and start on my barbecue chips. Just as we are about to pack up the picnic basket, Ethan suddenly gasps. I frown and look over at him, and he is deathly pale. He is staring at something in the distance, and I follow his gaze.
I see a tall blonde girl around my age standing about twenty feet in front of us. An immaculately dressed older couple is standing beside her holding hands. They are all standing there with shocked faces. My frown deepens when I see Mia freeze and her mouth widely pops open when she sees them looking over here. The kids are oblivious to the tension that is now suddenly surrounding us. They are looking over at the stage, dancing to the now country music.
I turn to Christian, and he is equally perplexed. He looks at me and mouth who are they?
I shrug and look over at the mystery people once more. The girl that is my age is scowling at Ethan now. Who the hell are they?
She suddenly storms over in our direction. Christian stiffens and blocks me with half of his body when the mystery girl gets to our blanket.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Her lips turn into a sneer when she stares at the kids.
Mia snaps out of her trance and shoots up off the ground and scoops up Liam and Lola. She turns to me, and her eyes are glistening with tears. What the hell? I frown and try to get up off the ground.
Christian gently pushes me back down onto the grass.
"Stay here," he hisses.
"Christian, I have to see if Mia and the kids are alright," I grit.
I see Mia walk off quickly with the kids. She is heading towards the play area.
"I don't want you out of my sight. Please, just stay here," he demands.
I sigh exasperatedly and look over at the girl who is now fuming. Her face is turning red, and she has her arms across her chest. The girl is tall with long wavy strawberry blonde hair. She is wearing a long blue maxi dress with a jean jacket over her shoulders. She is also wearing a pair of expensive black ankle boots. She looks familiar. Have I seen her before?
Ethan leaps up to his feet as the older couple stands beside the blonde girl. They are also scowling at us. They look like they are both dressed in designer clothes. They are immaculately dressed in black jeans, designer shoes and cream cashmere sweaters. The older women are carrying a tan designer bag like the one the girl has, but hers is dark blue.
The couple is now staring at us in disgust.
"Well, hello there, Ethan," The women sneers.
"What the hell do you want?" Ethan hissed.
Christian pulls me up to my feet and takes my hand. I put my other hand protectively over my belly. These people are giving me the creeps.
The blonde girl looks over at me in judgment. She looks me up and down, grimacing at me.
We lock eyes and her green eyes look oddly familiar. It hits me suddenly.
Holy Shit!
It's Ethan's sister; Kate.
It's his parents.
My mouth drops open, and my eyes widen. Christian figures it out as well, and now he is scowling at them. I come out of my trance and glare at the blonde bitch. She is now locking eyes with Christian and is staring at him with lust.
Oh, hell no!
AN: Thank you all for reviewing and following.
I have finished the outline for the next ten chapters, so updating should be frequent (I hope).
The drama and the story is now going to start up from here. Be ready because there will be a lot of twists coming soon that I am excited to start writing, so again, be ready for the angst and drama. Some of them are the questions that I have been frequently asked in reviews ;)
Thank you all for the support and also the readers who have started to read and enjoy my husband's new story; Christifornication. I am his beta and I am also co-writing some of the later chapters, so please, check it out if you are interested. :D
Till next time.