A Little Bit of Us (20 page)

     I feel him tense and then his warm breath on my neck as he sighs, “That was me being a male prick.”

    “Well you certainly had a male prick that’s for sure.”

     “Not funny, James still hasn’t forgiven me for that.”

     I giggle and pat his thigh with my hand, “It was hilarious. If I’d have known the three of us were going to be sharing a bed I may have taken advantage of that situation.”

     “Shut up,” he buries his face in my hair as his body shakes with laughter. “It’s so embarrassing. I saw your posters by the way. Care to elaborate?”

     Oops. I didn’t realize Lucas had seen them too, “It was just a joke. I went to
o far.”

     “I thought it was funny.” So did I.

     “AHHHHHH!” I scream and jump onto the sexiest movie star I’d ever care to know. He catches me with ease, despite my extra weight and hugs me back. “God dammit, Jacob Stone. You look absolutely dashing.” I appraise him in light blue jeans with a white button up that is literally straining against his toned upper body.

     
He holds me at arm’s length and quirks a brow when he sees my pudgy, “Looking good Johnson. Looking good.”

     I link my arm through his, “Looking fat more like. I can’t believe you made it. Amelia is going to be thrilled.”

     I love how things work out sometimes, especially this particular time when Amelia starts screaming when she sees him and jumps at him pretty much the same way I just did. He leads us back into the room and we sit down. I can’t believe he’s actually made it. On New Year’s Eve of all nights.

     “Where’s Lucas?”

     I shrug, “Out for New Year’s Eve with the rest of them. I said I’d babysit. You should go out with your friends.”

     “Fuck that,” he laughs whilst shaking his head. “I did that last year, couldn’t even make it through a door without being mugged! Seriously. I was surrounded
, they took my phone, my wallet and even my car keys. Vultures.”

     I do not envy his life at all. “Well we were going to listen to some music, dance, eat, play, and order lots of food.” Bump. “She says hi.”

     “She?” he starts looking around. Oh my god, I never told him about the sonogram.

     “We went for a three D or four D
scan and turns out she’s a girl.” I grin broadly. “I was so relieved.”

     He pats my belly and rolls his eyes, “I told you it’d all turn out ok. I’m still routing for you and James though.”

     “So is everybody, it’s over Jacob. Completely, one hundred percent over.”

     “For now.”

    
Jacob’s face goes shockingly serious for a moment, what’s up with him? “So I was just wondering. When the baby’s born…” Go on… “Can I like, use her to pick up chicks.”

    I burst out laughing, “You have a problem picking up chicks?”

    “Not in particular but you tend to attract the more sensitive types with a baby.”

    “You sound like you’ve tried this.” My hands go to my hips and my foot taps. My body is saying, tell me now or I will bite you.

    “My character did it in my last movie.” He winks at me. “Works like a charm.”

    “You’re incorrigible. Oh, look what I have,” I rush into my bedroom and return with his presents. He, he. “You’re going to love them so much.”

     He smiles and cracks his knuckles before tearing through the paper, he loves his tops. Now for the moment of truth. “Umm… this is… great,” he holds up the neon green wrist watch and cringes a little.

     “It’s great isn’t it, aren’t you going to put it on,” this is priceless.

     For a superstar
actor he’s not hiding his terror and disgust very well. “Of course,” he whips his rather expensive watch off and replaces it with the bright green one. He looks like he wants to cry, I knew he’d be too polite to turn it down. “Hmm… it’s different.”

     “Oh my god, you
so have to wear it always. Look, I even got it inscribed on the underside,” He takes it off again and flips it open. His eyes close for a moment before he replaces it on his wrist. “See, I knew you’d love it.”The inscription reads
:
Maya & Jacob 4ever friend
s
. Personally, I think it’s stunning. Not.

     “Yeah,” his voice is barely above a whisper. “I’m speechless.”

     He, he. I wonder if he’ll wear it whenever he comes down. Or will he stop coming down so he doesn’t have to. That would suck.

    We do the count down, Amelia is fast off by this point. She gave it a good try.
Happy New Year.

     We stay in the next day. Lucas came to collect Amelia at lunch time, he looked hung over to fuck. No sympathy whatsoever. Although maybe shouting everything I said and banging pots together wasn’t the nicest of things to do. Jacob thought it was funny though. Lucas promised to come see me soon, seeing as I haven’t seen him since Boxing Day was it? Or the day after.

    
I’m starting to think everyone has forgotten my birthday. Nobodies mentioned it, just Marie who’s coming round for obvious reasons and is bringing Summer with her.

    
It’s in two days.

James:
Do you want me to pick you up for the doctors on Thursday?

    Oh my god. He’s texted me! It’s very formal though.

Stop fussing. Reply.

Maya:
Marie is taking me. I’ll meet you there?

James:
I was hoping to take you out for lunch first? I’d like to check on your progress.

 
    What do I say to that? I’ve already made plans. I want to see him. Dammit I want to kiss him and touch him and lose myself in that intoxicating scent but I can’t. Not yet. My phone rings, it’s Marie, I’ll ask her for advice.

     “James just texted me and asked me to cancel with you so he could take you to lunch,” she starts cackling. “I told him off.”

     “What an ass,” I sigh and drop onto the couch. “Don’t cancel. I’ll see you Thursday.”

     “I need to talk to you too. It’s kind of important.”

     “Sure, what’s up?”

     She pauses for a moment, “I’ll tell you Thursday.”

     Beep. She hung up. Huh. I wonder what that’s all about.

Maya:
I’ve made plans. I’ll see you at our appointment.

James:
Fine. Forget I asked. Shut me out.

     Why doesn’t he understand? I’m not shutting him out. I’m just taking a breather. Isn’t that ok for me to do? He’s too damn sensitive sometimes. It’s not like he offered a different day instead.

Tell him that then.

Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not telling him shit, he can figure it out on his own. The sulky ass.

    
“Birthday breakfast for the birthday girl,” Jacob grins and places a full plate of my favorite foods in front of me. Then he slides over a wrapped box. “It’s a joint Christmas present seeing as I left your Christmas gift back in LA.”

     I squeal and rip the pink foil paper off. It’s a necklace, a stunning necklace at that. With a gorgeous deep gold garnet set in the center of a gorgeous gold net
hanging from a thin gold chain. It’s unusual, it’s perfect. I love it. I instantly put it on. “Thank you. This is my birthstone right?”

     “Yeah, the garnet is for January. I’m glad you like it.”

     “That’s an understatement. I’ll never take it off,” I eye his bare wrist. “Where’s my watch?”

     “I took a shower, I took it off.”

     Narrowing my eyes I dig into my food. “Its water proof you know.”

     “Oh.”

     “And it has a compass on it if you lift the face. Bet you didn’t know that. The little arrow glows in the dark.”

     “The entire watch glows in the dark.” Yes, yes it does. Muhaha.

    
Marie comes round, followed by Lucas and Summer and of course little Amelia. She’s my favorite person of the day, Amelia I mean. Mainly because she not only burst into my home and started singing happy birthday but because she also told me I’m the most beautiful fat lady she’s ever seen. That made me howl.

     “Happy birthday,” Lucas says, still laughing at his daughter. Of course he chastised her, even though I told him not too.
Bump. Ouch, that was a hard one. “It’s not much, I really didn’t know what to get you.” Then he turns to Jacob. “Umm… nice watch.”

     “Maya got me it.”

     “You know my motto, what do you buy for somebody who has everything they want?” I wink at Jacob. “Something you know they’ll hate.” His mouth drops open. Cue Marie and Summer cackling.

     I ignore his curses and the tossing of the hideous watch and rip open my gift. It’s a gorgeous wooden frame with beautiful carvings of flowers and leaves wrap
ping around the edges. The picture is of me holding Amelia, my nose is against hers, her face is scrunched up and her eyes are smiling. I’m beaming at her. This was taken a few weeks ago. I remember the outfit I’m wearing, I just don’t remember Jacob taking the picture. My eyes burn, it’s perfect.

     “I love it,” I say and show a bouncing Amelia. “Go put it on my nightstand.” She rushes off into my room. Marie thrusts a wrapped box into my hand, “Open it now while the kid
’s out of the room.”

     Giddy like a child I rip open the wrapping paper and find a clear box holding a brand new gold vibrator.

     “It’s from both of us, we saw the outdated one you shoved on the snowman and figured you’d need a new one,” Summer giggles a little. My face heats. I quickly hide it behind my back but the damage is done. Jacob and Lucas both saw and are finding it pretty darn amusing. Then Amelia comes back through, I throw the box behind the couch, still red faced with embarrassment and glare at my cackling friends. Fucking witches. “It’s silent too.”

     “So she could be… tonight and I wouldn’t know?” Jacob’s mouth drops open. I’m about to say I wouldn’t do it with him in the house when he suddenly says, “That’s so unfair! Why do they make such contraptions?”

     Cue Lucas and Marie cackling. I slap him round the head, Summer tells Amelia a joke so she doesn’t feel left out. Good idea.

     “What do you want to do for the day?” Jacob throws his arm around my shoulders and smiles down at me. “Anything you want. We’re at your disposal.”

    
Clearly I pick everything I’m not allowed to do before giving in. Can’t go ice skating, can’t go Go-karting, can’t go paintballing or even to laser quest. I’m banned from the only decent movie theatre in this damn city. I can’t do anything remotely interesting. I’m this close to stomping to my room and going back to bed, instead we watch a movie. Snore. Then we went for lunch, that wasn’t so bad. The food was really bad though. Lucas’ burger was under cooked. Then we had to run because Jacob caught the eyes of one fan and soon we were swarmed. That part was also fun because Marie slipped on her ass and into a slushy puddle. So we went to hers so she could get changed.

     Now I’m sat on the couch whilst they all drink themselves stupid.

James:
Happy birthday

     That’s it? Happy birthday? No smiley face or kiss or… I’m not even going to think about it. It’s not worth it. Even though it sure brings my mood down a notch. He may as well have not sent anything at all.

     “Come on Amelia,” I say to the almost sleeping girl. “Let’s get you to bed.” Feeling a little tender I put on my pajamas and slide into my bed beside her. She s
nuggles right up to my chest, I fall asleep with my arms wrapped around her and I don’t even think the others have noticed me gone, not that I mind, I hate my birthday’s anyway. They are more fun when you can drink and do normal human things. As I’ve said before, being pregnant sucks, but now I have no doubts it’ll be worth every second.

Finally! Hallelujah! The skies have opened, hell has frozen over!

     Shut it. I’m sleeping.

     They didn’t mind that I vanished, I woke up the next day with them all crashed in my spare rooms and living rooms. Amelia and I made as much noise as possible. That was fun. It reminds me of when I was little and my nanny used to tell me to go jump on my dad whilst he was sleeping. I’d bounce and bounce and bounce on his back until he flipped over and started tickling me to the point of peeing. After a while he just started trapping me to his chest or to the bed with his legs until he properly woke. I wizened up after that and stopped doing it.

    
I’m going to see James today, I can’t believe it. I’m so nervous. Marie and Jacob are coming along. Jacob because he wants to see a sonogram as apparently it has always interested him and Marie because she needs to talk to me but has said we’ll talk after the scan.

    
“Oh dear god,” Marie hisses, the three of us look up at once.

Hello baby!

     Wow, I think I just creamed a little. That’s so vulgar but seriously. My new doctor is hot. Oh, he’s going to distract me that’s for sure. I watch him brush his fingers through his thick shoulder length locks of brilliant gold. Then his grey eyes meet mine, glance down to my stomach and back up again.