Proposition (22 page)

“Jake, son, of course she’s got a reason.” Stacy’s tone was almost soothing.

“Well, if she does I don’t get it,” he said, his voice again turning irritable. “She and the baby are fine. She has a husband who... well, who adores her. She has no financial worries. I can buy her anything she wants.”

Stacy glanced at him skeptically. “Haven’t you noticed yet that she isn’t exactly the buying type?”

“Of course, I’ve noticed,” he murmured grudgingly. “It’s one of the reasons I married her.”

“Jake, honey, I suppose I could explain to you what’s happening to her right now,” Stacy began patiently. “But these are things rather difficult to understand for a man.”

“Is that all I’m going to hear?” He sounded even more irritated now.

“Darling, it has nothing to do with you.” Stacy tried to appease him. “We women are simply just slightly more complicated than men. Don’t glare at me like that. We are,” she insisted. “The undeniable fact is that we see the world on different, more complex levels. Amy’s emotional, because her body’s changing and her whole life is changing. She’s not herself. It’s her first child so she’s full of apprehension and fears. She has no one to talk with about what’s going on.”

He scowled. “She’s got me.”

“I mean a woman, dear. She hasn’t got a mother or sister with whom she could confide.”

His shoulders lifted in a helpless shrug. “I just want to help her.”

“I know, Jake.” Stacy reached out and stroked his cheek. “And I’m sure she knows she’s got your support.”

They didn’t speak more until they pulled into the driveway in front of the house.

“Lovely house,” Stacy exclaimed sincerely, climbing out of the car.

“Amy will be happy to hear you say it,” Jake said, walking to the back of the car to retrieve his mother’s bags.

Stacy admired the house and its surroundings. “Very stylish.”

“Amy picked it.”

Stacy gave him an amused look. “I gathered as much.” She walked straight to the house, leaving him with all the bags.

Amy appeared on the porch and both women fell into each other arms. Soon they disappeared and the door to the house closed with a loud bang. He had a feeling that this would be long couple of weeks.

When he eventually got into the house with all of his mother’s baggage, the women were standing in the hallway, talking in soft voices. Amy looked as if she had been crying again. To his astonishment, they hugged again. He personally thought that it was rather strange for two women who barely knew each other to behave in such an unreserved way.

“Jake, here you are.” His mother turned to him at last, acknowledging his presence.

“Stacy will stay in the guest room,” Amy said with a smile.

Already, his wife looked better. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and she wore fitted jeans and a pretty pink shirt.

“I’ve already prepared everything. Jake, please take the bags upstairs.”

He did as he was told. His mother went to refresh herself and Amy rushed to the kitchen. When he returned downstairs, lunch was ready on the table in the dining room next to the kitchen.

He raised his eyebrows. “You cooked?”

“Sure, we have a guest after all,” she answered, twirling around the table, putting on the finishing touches.

He sat down and stared sadly at the plate in front him.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, pouring him freshly made tea into a mug.

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

Stacy returned and they started eating. Amy and Stacy ate little, finished quickly, and excused themselves, ordering him to do the dishes. They disappeared upstairs for the rest of the afternoon and he was left to clean the kitchen.

When they walked down, he was watching football. He turned the TV off the moment they stood together in front of him.

“Everything’s all right?” he asked worriedly, standing up, looking searchingly from his mother to his wife. It couldn’t be that bad because both of them were smiling.

To his surprise, Amy’s face broke into a big smile and she walked to him and lifted onto her toes to kiss him on the cheek, snuggling against him. Slowly, he wound his arm around her waist and held her close.

“Just, fine.” she said and smiled sweetly at him. “Your mum agreed to stay with us for a couple of weeks and help me put the house in order.”

“And later, I invited Amy to stay with me in Florida for some time,” Stacy announced. “We’ve been discussing starting the maternity leave earlier too.”

Jake’s eyes widened apprehensively as he stared down at his wife. “You want to leave me alone?”

“Oh, don’t pout,” his mother patted his cheek. “Isn’t he cute when he does that?” she asked Amy. “It will be just a couple of weeks,” she continued. “Amy and the baby need a change of climate. It’s so cold here this time of the year.”

“Well, if it’s good for her and the baby,” he agreed grudgingly.

“You mentioned that deal in California.” Amy’s sweet voice caught his attention. “I know that you would like to be there to have an eye on everything, but you don’t want to leave me on my own here. So perhaps while I’m in Florida with Stacy, you could go to California. Then, after you finish with your business there you could meet us in Florida.”

“That sounds to be a reasonable plan,” Jake agreed, relieved, kissing the top of her head. He decided that his mother’s visit was not that bad after all.

Chapter Twenty

“We went shopping today,” Amy said from the bathroom.

“What a surprise,” Jake murmured under his breath, not lifting his eyes from his laptop. It was nearly ten in the evening, but he was still working, sitting in bed. He needed to get a lot of work done before leaving for California.

Amy walked into the bedroom. “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” he said, still frowning over the data on the screen. Stacy and Amy went shopping almost every single day. And, contrary to his wife, his mother had no qualms whatsoever about spending his money. She reached down and pulled his laptop off his lap.

“Enough work for today,” Amy announced, saving his last document and putting his laptop aside.

“You know, I think that bonding with my mother has gone a little too far,” he murmured dryly. “You’re acting exactly like her. I’m not sure whether I like it.”

Amy gave him a pointed look, her hand on her rounded hip. “Well, I don’t care. The fact is that she’s right that you work too much.”

He wanted to answer something to that, to say that she was turning really bossy, but he didn’t. He much preferred to simply stare appreciatively at her. He couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked this evening. The night attire she chose tonight was definitely on the small side, exactly the way he liked it. It was a nice change, because lately she seemed to prefer shapeless, neck buttoned, tent like pajamas or ankle length nightgowns. He much preferred her like this, in shorts like knickers and pink top with thin straps. The top was well-fitted and it hugged her midsection nicely. He could already see that her waist had definitely thickened.

Amy slipped under the covers and went straight into his arms. It was a nice change as well.

“We saw the most perfect furniture for the baby’s room today,” she informed him with enthusiasm, snuggling closer.

“Really?” he asked absently. It felt good to have her perched on his chest, her face buried trustingly into his throat.

“Yes, you’ll like it.” Her small hand started stroking his stomach through the t-shirt. “It’s a bit in a French style but not too feminine. The crib is just perfect, really beautiful. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. We’ve already ordered it but it’ll take a few days before it’s delivered.”

“Good.” He kissed the top of her head.

She lifted on his chest, looking into his eyes. “But I still cannot decide on the wall color until I know if it’s going to be a girl or a boy.”

He pushed her onto her back, and lifting her top up, bared her belly. “And when are we going to know?” He put his head to her tummy.

“Soon,” she answered, her hand combing through his hair. “Around twenty weeks.”

He counted quickly, realizing it was only three weeks away. “So, you’ll be in Florida then.” He couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“Yes, but I’ll phone you the moment I know,” she promised.

He looked up at her from her tummy. “I don’t like this idea of being separated from you.”

“It’s just a couple of weeks,” she reasoned gently. “You seemed so excited about that LA deal.”

“Yeah, I still am,” he admitted reluctantly. “But I am afraid that something will happen during that time.”

“But what could happen?” she asked. “I’m fine, my doctor says I am doing very well, and your mother will be with me. She’s been a maternity ward nurse, after all, for nearly twenty years. I couldn’t be in better hands.”

“I know,” Jake said, but her words didn’t calm him.

His fear was totally irrational. He knew that, still he could do little or rather nothing to prevent it. He was afraid that after returning from his trip she wouldn’t be here in their house waiting for him. He feared that all the wonderful things, which had happened in his life since last summer, would simply vanish. He sighed, knocking gently at her belly. “Hello there. You’ll be good to your mummy while I’m absent, do you hear me?”

“He won’t respond. I think it’s a bit too soon to feel him moving. Though sometimes I think that I feel something, but I’m not sure whether it’s my stomach or the baby.”

“You said he.” He looked up at her. “You think it’s a boy?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you want a boy?”

He thought for a moment before answering. “I’m not sure. A son would be great. But a cute little girl would be nice, too.”

They lay silently for a moment, Jake’s attention concentrated on her belly. “You don’t show much.”

“It’s only the beginning of the fifth month,” she reminded him. “I read that some women don’t show at all almost to the third trimester.

“I can feel something here.” Jake palmed her lower tummy carefully. “It’s firmer to the touch.”

“Jake?” She tugged at his hair, making him tear his eyes from her tummy. “I wanted to apologize to you.”

He gaped at her. “Apologize? For what?”

She sighed. “You know very well for what, for ignoring you for the last several weeks. I shouldn’t have. I know that you wanted to make love and I kept pushing you away...”

“Amy, I understand.” He shifted up, bringing her to him. “It’s been hard on you with all that nausea,” he murmured as he rubbed her back.

“Well, actually, I don’t feel that sick anymore,” she murmured.

“You don’t?”

“Nope.” She lifted on him, supporting her hands on his chest. “I want to make it up to you.” She smiled, biting on her lower lip. “And I’ve got a surprise for you,” her eyes twinkled.

“A surprise?” he asked.

Her expression turned from cheeky to shy. “Yes, but now I’m not so sure  whether you’ll like it.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “What did you do?”

“Well, it was quite radical, I must admit.”

“Radical?” he repeated, staring at her.

“Yes,” she said hesitantly and then frowned. “Well, maybe not really, because lots of women do it on a regular basis. But I have never done it before.”

“Amy, you’re getting me worried.”

“Oh, you have nothing to be worried about,” she assured him quickly. “It’s nothing permanent. You see, I read about this thing in a magazine. There was an article about how to revive sex in a marriage, with some great tips about what a wife could do on her part.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad with us,” he grunted with a frown, wondering whether he should be offended or not. “We’re not exactly like one of those couples celebrating their twentieth anniversary or something like that.”

“Oh, I know, baby, I know,” she murmured soothingly, hugging him to her and kissing his head. “But some of the tips in this article were really very interesting. I thought to put into practice one of them. The article assured that a man will appreciate...the effort.””

Jake decided that it started to sound interesting. “It? What exactly?”

“ This...” Amy moved onto her back, and pushed her tiny knickers down.

“Oh, God...” he gasped, gaping at her bare mound. His eyes widened. “You waxed yourself?” he croaked.

She shook her head. “No, just shaved. I thought about waxing because it’s more permanent, but I found out that it is extra painful during pregnancy.”

Frantically he pushed her underwear completely down. She helped him, kicking it off her feet. Swiftly, he spread her legs and shifted between her thighs, his eyes glued to her pussy.

“So what do you think?” she asked after a moment, obviously still unsure of his reaction.

“Wow!” he cried.

She smiled. “I gather it’s a nice surprise.”

“Mmhmm...” he murmured only, his eyes steadily fixed on the exact spot between her legs.

“Are you going to stare at it the entire night or do something more about it?” she asked when after a few moments of his not making a move to do anything.

“Oh, I’m going to eventually eat you alive, but for now I cannot tear my eyes away.” His finger grazed along her mound gently, making her shiver involuntarily. “You’re so pretty.”

“I’m happy you approve,” she whispered unsteadily, reaching down to stroke his cheek.

He grinned at her and soon she could feel his warm breath and then his lips on her tender tissues.

* * * *

When Amy woke the next morning, she still felt totally unglued between her legs. Her husband was orally fixated, it was decided—an undeniable fact. She lost count of how many times he’d gone down on her last night. She wondered how she would manage to wear her panties today, as she still felt hypersensitive down there after being feasted upon all evening.

Slipping carefully out of his arms, she padded to the bathroom. She was in dire need of a refreshing shower. She adjusted the temperature and stepped into the spacious cubicle. She actually winced when she reached between her legs to wash herself.

“Life is cruel,” she heard the deep familiar voice above her ear. She didn’t even notice that he’d joined her in the shower and it startled her.

She turned to him. “Is it?”

“Sure. It’s so cruel that I have to leave you and my new sweet plaything and fly to California to do boring business there.”

She raised her eyebrow, fainting innocence. “Your plaything?”

“Yes.” His hand reached down her belly between her legs. But she stopped it, wrapping her hand around his thick wrist.

“I’m really sensitive there today,” she admitted reluctantly. “I’m afraid I cannot bear more playing this morning.”

“So sorry, sweetheart.” He hugged her to him, palming her backside. “I am a beast.”

“No harm done.” She said and smiled up at him. “I really didn’t mind if you didn’t notice. I’m happy you enjoyed the surprise.”

They washed each other, after which they stepped out of the shower. Then they snuggled on the bed for a few minutes, before starting the new day, shrugging into two identical thick bathrobes Amy had recently purchased.

“I’m going to miss you,” Jake whispered into her still damp hair.

“Me too,” she murmured lazily but then adding more sharply. “Just keep your eyes away from those LA beauties.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” She lifted onto her elbows, frowning at him. “You should have branded on your forehead, ‘Married and expectant father-to-be.’”

“You know I don’t see other women,” he assured her. “I rather should be worried about you.” He stroked her face, “That someone will try to steal you away from me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right,” she snorted.

His expression turned serious. “Someone already tried.”

Amy almost flinched, feeling suddenly cold and sick again as she recalled the last encounter with Michael.

“Please, do not remind me of that,” she said weakly.

Jake hugged her to him. “Sorry.” He kissed her forehead. “Just promise you will take good care of yourself in Florida.”

She snuggled closer. “I promise.”

* * * *

“Amy, you’re going to the beach today?” Stacy asked. Amy stood in the hallway, packing her things into a large beach bag.

Amy smiled at the older woman. “Yes, I want to take advantage of my last days here.”

Stacy walked to her. “It will be sad and lonely without you.”

“But you have so many friends here.” During her few weeks stay, Stacy had introduced Amy to her many friends. They were all pleasant, engaging people, all retired, who had, like her mother-in-law, decided to move to the warmer climate.

“I know and I do enjoy their company. But you are my family. You, Jake, and the baby.”

Amy looked at the other woman thoughtfully. “Would you consider moving back to Minnesota?”

After a moment of hesitation, Stacy shook her head. “I don’t think so. I like my life here. I will come, of course, when the baby’s born and later to visit my grandson regularly, and any time you need me. But I must admit that I’m used to living here, especially to the warmer climate. I hate the thought of spending any more freezing winters in the north.”

“I see your point. It’s like heaven here.” Amy smiled. “I watched the news yesterday, there was a blizzard in our town, and it’s the end of March. Can you believe that?”

“Sure, I remember when Jake was nine or ten, we had a very heavy snowfall in the middle of May. They had to close the school for a few days. You must be happy Jake’s coming in two days,” she guessed.

Amy grinned. “You bet. I can’t wait for him to see this.” She gestured proudly to her baby bump.

She hadn’t shown much up to almost the end of her fifth month, but now she could walk proudly with her well rounded tummy.

Stacy smiled. “It popped out so suddenly.”

Amy laughed. “You’re telling me. I wake one day and wow, there it is.”

Amy wished her mother-in-law a nice day, promised to take care of herself and walked out of the house, directing herself to the beach, which was situated less than half a mile from Stacy’s house. She planned to sit in her favorite spot and read a book until lunch.

It was a pleasantly warm day, but still not too hot, around 80 degrees, plus there was a cool breeze coming from the ocean. She wore comfortable loose shorts, white sneakers, and a fitted tank top, proudly exhibiting her six-month pregnancy.