It was two months before I saw Lester again. He found me puking in the toilet. "I went to your apartment, but it was empty. Beautiful, are you okay?" he asked. Lester grabbed a washcloth to clean my face. He helped me stand to brush my teeth and rinse my mouth.
"I'm fine," I mumbled. "It should go away soon."
"Do you have the flu?" Lester asked. His eyes displayed concern for my well-being. He didn't like when I got sick.
"No. We're having a baby," I whispered. "I know we never discussed having children, but I want to keep it. The apartment in town isn't big enough for raising a child." I moved to our house in Hamilton Township when the pregnancy test displayed a positive result. Lester wanted me to live in the house since we got married.
He gently turned me to look into his eyes. Lester's lips pressed against mine in the tenderest of kisses. "I can't wait to see our baby," he whispered.
"You're not mad?" I asked, searching his face for the truth. Love and affection shone brightly from his green eyes. Lester had dark circles beneath them, betraying the exhaustion from his latest deployment.
"Nope, not even a little," he replied. "I'm glad you're living here. You make our house feel like a home. How far along are you?" Lester moved his hand to my belly, where our baby was growing. It was still flat.
"The doctor said I was ten weeks. Before you get your nose out of joint, pregnancy weeks get determined from the first date of the last period. You got me pregnant before you got deployed," I explained. A tear slipped down my cheek when I thought about Valerie. I felt guilty about my news when she had lost another fetus.
"Hey, hey, hey," Lester said. "What's with the waterworks?"
"Valerie miscarried another baby. She doesn't know why. The doctors can't explain it either," I replied. Lester used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the tears. He gently kissed me. I loved my husband.
While holding my face tenderly between his hands, Lester asked, "Doesn't she have two girls?"
"Yes, and they were textbook pregnancies, which is why miscarrying the others is concerning," I replied. "We should tell your mom the news." Lester grabbed his phone to call. "In person," I added.
"I just want to spend the next few weeks alone with you," he whispered. Me, too, sexy. Me too.
"Come on, sexy. Mama's expecting me for dinner. I promised to visit her today," I said. Lester reluctantly released me. I wanted to get lost in his arms, but cancelling dinner with his family was not the right decision.
"Fine," he grumbled. Lester opened my duffel and shoved his clean clothes inside. I constantly spent the night whenever I visited and stayed for dinner. He zipped the bag closed and tossed it over his shoulder.
I pointed to my laptop. Lester grinned and tucked it safely into my messenger bag. He knew I had worked on the plans to get the security company ready to open. The guys would be surprised when they learned we could open the Miami and Atlanta branches within the following year. All they needed was the staff.
When we arrived at his mom's house, I bolted from the car and ran to the closest bathroom. "Are you feeling okay, dear?" Mama asked through the closed door. I recognized her concerned tone.
"I'm good," I said. I grabbed a cloth from the drawer below the sink to wash my face. Lester opened the door to pass me a toothbrush. "Thanks." I wrung out the facecloth and hung it over the tub edge to dry, as ordered by Mama the last time I stayed the night. Mama washed laundry daily but hated reaching into the hamper to touch wet, cold cloths.
"What's wrong with Steph?" Mama asked Lester. "Is she pregnant?" It was a logical question. Mama deserved an answer.
Lester wisely remained silent. He wanted us to make the announcement together. Thank goodness he was home, or I would've spilled the beans without him. The daddy deserved to learn the news before notifying the extended family. I brushed my teeth and washed my hands. Lester, Mama and I went to the living room to sit.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Mama demanded. I could tell various thoughts went through her mind. She was afraid I had cancer.
"I'm pregnant," I quickly replied to put her mind at ease.
Mama squealed. I had to cover my ears when her pitch threatened to rupture my eardrums. "Sorry, dear. I'm excited to become a grandma," Mama said. She hugged me tighter than ever. I could barely breathe. It was a relief when she released me from the bear hug to embrace Lester.
Piper bounded into the living room and sat on the couch. She passed me a plate with a slice of pumpkin pie. "That's a lot of whipped cream," I said. Piper knew how much I loved whipped cream on my desserts.
Lester groaned. I saw the stormy look in his eyes. He loved eating whipped cream off my body. It made a sticky mess of the sheets, but the shower after our fun was erotic.
"Don't eat that," Mama shouted when I raised the fork to my lips. "It contains nutmeg." She quickly snatched the plate and fork from my hands.
"What's wrong with eating nutmeg?" I asked, curious about her overreaction to the spice. I was disappointed to lose my dessert.
"It increases your chance of miscarrying the baby in the first few trimesters," she explained. What the hell? Why didn't doctors warn their pregnant patients about it? I had no clue. Thank goodness Mama stopped me from eating the dessert. I wondered if nutmeg was the missing clue regarding Valerie's miscarriages.
"Valerie!" I exclaimed. I grabbed my purse to find my phone. Lester passed me his device when I realized mine was at home charging.
"Hey," Valerie said, snuffling. My sister was perfect in many ways. I was jealous of her ability to cry prettily. She never got the puffy eyes or red nose.
"I have a question for you. It will upset you, but I must know," I said.
"Go ahead. It can't be worse than losing another baby."
"That's my question, Val. While you were pregnant, did you eat anything containing pumpkin or nutmeg?" I asked. It was easier to give her the ingredient, most likely to get combined with the spice.
"Let me think. When I was pregnant after having Mary Alice, I ate pumpkin pie and drank eggnog. Steve's mom made them. I ate pumpkin muffins during my pregnancy with Spencer…"
I interrupted, "Who made those?" It was incredibly rude, but I needed the details. I was too impatient to listen to the whole story.
"I did," Valerie snapped, irritated by my interruption. "When I got pregnant again, I ate pumpkin tarts that Steve's mom made for us." Valerie got to the point and told me what I needed to hear. She didn't waste time filling in the gaps in the story.
"Valerie, did any of them contain nutmeg?" I asked again. Valerie had no clue. She excused herself to ask her mother-in-law, who was visiting after the latest miscarriage.
"Yes," Valerie replied when she returned. "Why are you focused on nutmeg?"
"Lucinda, my mother-in-law, said it increased your chances of miscarriage," I replied. I didn't share my pregnancy news because it didn't feel like the right moment, especially given the reason for my call. "Do you typically add nutmeg to your muffins?"
"Not usually, but Steve asked me to add the spice," Valerie replied. "He gave me the pie and tarts to eat," she whispered. "Do you think he knows the effects of nutmeg on pregnancy?"
"There's only one way to find out. Ask," I suggested. I wanted to know Steve's purpose in causing the miscarriages. Steve's actions were tantamount to assault. He should be held accountable for harming unborn babies. The miscarriages were potentially dangerous to Valerie's health.
"I'll talk to him after his mom leaves tomorrow," Valerie promised. I heard a child crying in the background. "I have to go. We'll talk soon."
I felt Lester wiping the tears off my cheeks. "Is your sister okay?" Lester asked, wondering what Valerie shared, causing me to cry.
"She will be," I replied. "Steve purposely gave Val the desserts with nutmeg."
"Are you suggesting Steve wanted her to miscarry the babies?" Lester asked, aghast. It was a dark thought but one I believed to be correct.
"Yes, but I need to know why," I replied. I rubbed my temples to release the tension I suddenly felt. What was Steve doing? "How could he hurt a woman he professed to love?"
"I don't know, Beautiful. I can get my buddy Ram to investigate. He lives in the area," Lester offered. I reluctantly agreed with Lester to keep Angie and Mary Alice safe.
"How long are you home?" I asked after Lester contacted Ram.
"Twenty days," he replied. I hoped he'd be home longer, but that wasn't possible. Lester would miss the ultrasound. It was the life of a soldier. I wouldn't dream of asking Lester to give up his military career. "What's with the look?" Lester quietly asked.
"You'll miss the ultrasound," I answered honestly.
"When is it?" Lester asked. I gave him the date and time. He called Carlos, making me roll my eyes. Lester relayed the message, then grinned. "Thanks, man," Lester said before ending the call. I patiently waited for him to explain. "I'll be there, Beautiful. We can postpone the departure by a few hours."
I cried and held him tightly. "Thank you," I whispered. "I didn't want you to miss it."
"Neither did I," Lester confessed.
Mama called us for dinner. She used the sniff test before assembling the ingredients for supper. I thought it was hilarious until the scent of salsa sent me running to the washroom. Specifically, it was the tomatoes.
"Do you have problems eating tomato sauce?" Papa asked.
I shrugged. "I've been eating the cream sauces over the tomato-based ones. I guess my aversion to marinara sauce went unnoticed until today."
Dinner was always a noisy affair. Christian and Paul visited for dinner. Mama invited them for supper whenever Lester came home. It was sweet and thoughtful. The boys were happy to get a home-cooked meal and an opportunity to tease Lester about being married.
Lester and I exchanged a silent conversation. He wanted his family to watch over me and his baby while he was away on missions. I permitted him to share the news. "Woah! You actually want to carry his spawn?" Christian teased. Piper smacked his arm.
"Stop it, Chris. Steph is carrying your niece or nephew," Piper scolded.
"Sorry, Steph. I didn't mean to offend you," Chris apologized. I giggled instead of letting him off the hook. Watch out, Chris, you're about to get pranked with the stinky diaper. I had eight months to prepare. Maybe I could get Lester involved. It would be hilarious. Lester caught my eye and winked. Yup. We were on the same page.
A few hours later, Lester's phone rang. Lester excused us from his family, and we retreated to his bedroom. He placed the call on speaker for me to hear. "I've got my wife, Stephanie, listening to this conversation." I rolled my eyes when Lester reminded Ram that he was married. He said it was a need-to-know situation. Ram needed to know why Lester called in a favour. I didn't mind his military friends knowing if they kept the intel to themselves.
"Hey, Les. I looked into Steve Sutton. He's been stashing money in another account," Ram explained. "It doesn't bode well for his wife."
I sensed Ram was leaving out a few details. Likely because he knew I was listening. "Spit it out, soldier," I demanded.
Ram chuckled. "I like you, Steph. Listen, the story I have to share isn't great. The woman took the young children to an appointment with the doctor. Her husband, Steve, let a young woman into the house. She appeared to be much too young for a man Steve's age," Ram explained. "I'm sorry about your sister-in-law, Les."
"Did you happen to take a photograph of the woman?" I asked.
"I did," Ram replied. I heard the amusement in his tone. The image appeared on Lester's phone a few seconds later. I gasped. Holy cannoli. Steve was screwing the babysitter.
"Ram, we need to do something. That woman is still a child. She's only fourteen," I said.
"How do you know?" Ram asked.
"It's their babysitter, Lola Smith. She lives around the corner," I replied.
"Damn," Ram said. "I have to report it."
"Let me," I offered. I used the landline to place the call. Lester got me to dial *67 before dialling the number for the precinct in LA. A woman answered the phone. I described the situation. She promised to dispatch a team immediately.
I felt guilty after hanging up the phone. "Your wife has balls," Ram said, making me smile. Ram promised to keep us updated, then hung up.
"Hopefully, Valerie doesn't hate me when she finds out I called the police," I replied. "They're sending a car. I should tell Dad. He needs to know."
I called Dad to tell him what happened. We had a close relationship, and I wanted him apprised of the situation. Dad would know how to get Valerie home because she didn't know anyone in LA. "I was afraid of that," Dad replied after I shared everything Ram uncovered.
"Did you know Steve was screwing the babysitter?" I asked.
"No. But I know Steve cheated on Valerie a few times while she was pregnant with Angie. I expected him to step out when she announced the pregnancy," Dad explained.
"She miscarried again, Daddy," I said. "We need to get her away from Steve. He's going to get arrested for statutory rape. And that's not all Steve's doing, Dad."
"Pumpkin? What else did that asshole do?"
"He's moving money from their joint bank account to another one Valerie can't access. I'm afraid Steve's stockpiling money to leave Valerie and the girls," I replied.
I heard Dad trying to calm himself. He cussed in Italian. "I'm going to kill your mother for encouraging Valerie to stay with him," Dad said, speaking Italian.
"Do you need help hiding the body?" I asked.
"I'll let you know," Dad replied. Lester found the conversation amusing. His grin was radiant. I loved seeing my husband smile.
"Daddy, I'm pregnant," I shared.
"Please, I'm begging for a grandson," Dad replied.
"Hopefully, we created a boy, sir," Lester said, speaking in English.
"Do you still have friends in LA?" Dad asked. I wondered how Daddy would know. Then I remembered he trained the Rangers group and met the various teams. Lester mentioned Ram was their sniper.
"Yes, sir," Lester replied. "Ram and his friends uncovered the affair and money trail. What are my orders?"
"Relax, soldier," Dad replied. Dad was silent for several minutes. I wondered if he was checking the service records of the men in LA. "Would Ram's friends happen to be Binkie, Cal and Vince?"
Smiling, Lester replied, "Yes, sir."
"Cal's a Navy man. Vince would be easy to get on our side," Dad said. I stifled a smile, making Lester narrow his eyes at me. He knew I was keeping a secret.
Lester raised an eyebrow and waited for me to talk. "Binkie is Ram's younger brother. I'm sure he'll help if Ram asks," Lester offered when I remained silent.
I mouthed, "Binkie," and tried to figure out why a grown man would have a nickname synonymous with a baby's soother. Lester tugged a curl.
"I'll contact Vince," Dad said before ending the call.