Marrying Mr Write (Mr Write Trilogy) (18 page)

“Oh really? You’re more than welcome to stay as long as you like you know.”
I hope that I haven’t made them feel unwelcome by shutting myself away in the office.

“Oh I know son, but we have a lot to do, and Rosie has things under control here.”

With Bernie’s last comment I suspect she means that Rosie has found her dress, but I don’t push the issue, I just smile and head back into the living room with a bottle of beer and a glass of wine for Rosie.

The risotto, as with all of Joaquin’s cooking, was incredible. I need to get him to teach me some of his recipes soon; my repertoire is becoming a little dated.

We sat for a while, drinking and playing cards around the dining table. Rosie decided to stick to water after the first glass of wine, saying that it hadn’t gone down too well. Bernie then seemed to remember that Rosie had been sick earlier in the day and demanded that Rosie get an early night.

“I think I’ll call it a night too guys, thanks for dinner and everything.”

I head into the bedroom and turn on the bedside lamps as Rosie comes out of the en suite in her floral cotton shorts pyjamas. I smile, it always amuses me that she refuses to sleep naked in her parents’ house, or with them in ours.
‘What if there’s a fire and we have to run outside?’
is her common response to my pleading to get her to take them off.

“You should have called when you were sick, I’d have come
to get you.”

I peel of
f my t-shirt and drop my jeans to the floor as Rosie climbs into her side of the bed and looks me up and down. I know I look after myself but it always gives me a thrill to see her reaction to me.

“No it’s fine.
I just had a crazy morning and didn’t eat breakfast, and then when I finally sat down for some food it turned my stomach that’s all.”

“What did you order?” I’m interested to know why her food had that reaction, Rosie loves food,

“Tuna melt,” my eyes widen, “I know, I know…my favourite. It was just hectic and hot in the shops, that’s all!”

“What about yesterday though?”
Rosie looks at me confused, “Yesterday when you were drying your hair you said you felt like you might pass out, remember?” I am worried that Rosie has picked up a bug, at this time of year there’s always so much going around.

“Oh, I forgot. Again I think I was just too hot babe.”

I climb into bed and Rosie immediately moves in close to my side, resting her head against my chest and her arm across my stomach.

“I just hope you’re not getting sick this close to the wedding. You’ve been complaining of headaches and feeling dodgy for a few weeks on and off, it’s not like you.” 
Rosie takes a deep breath but doesn’t say anything, “If you carry on you’ll have people thinking you’re pregnant!”

I laugh and Rosie giggles against my
chest before becoming quiet and rolling onto her back.

“Hmm!”
Rosie looks at the ceiling and twists her mouth in the same way that she does when she’s writing down her ideas. Within a moment Rosie rolls over to her bedside table and picks up her phone.

“What are you doing?” I ask, amused at the puzzled look on her face.

“Jackson, do you remember when I last had a period?”

My mood changes as I watch her flick through her phone and presume
she’s looking at the calendar. I sit up,

“What? Erm,
Rosie I don’t know.” I try to think, Rosie always makes me buy her Galaxy chocolate when she’s on her period, it’s easier for me to lay low and do what I’m told for those few days a month
‘Never piss off a hormonal red head!’
But right now, as I try to think about it, I really can’t remember when Rosie last sent me on a late night munchies trip. Oh my god!

“Gretna, I was on my period when we went to Gretna Jackson. That’s 3 months, how the hell have I not realised that I haven’t had a period for 3 months?
”

Rosie looks mortified as she stands and starts to pace, her voice is low and I suspect she is trying not to alert her parents.

“Rosie, calm down. We’ll get a test in the morning.” I can’t help but feel quite excited at the prospect of her being pregnant. How times have changed.

“Jackson, I
can’t wait until tomorrow, I need to know. Can you go and get a test now? There’ll be a twenty four hour shop somewhere surely!”

I’m surprised at how desperate
Rosie looks, I thought she’d be excited but she appears actually frightened.

“Rosie, if I go out now, your parents are going to wonder what the hell is going on. I’ll go first thing in the morning. Relax baby, if you’re pregnant, then we’ll just get on with it. Please don’t stress!”

Rosie takes in a deep breath through her nose and looks up at the ceiling before briefly returning her gaze to me. She moves over to her chest of drawers and starts ferreting away at the back of the bottom drawer.

“Aha!”
Rosie holds up a white packet and stands to make her way to the bathroom.

“
Why do you have a pregnancy test in your drawer?” I am puzzled but slightly amused by the crazy look in her eyes at the discovery of the tester stick.

“Because last time, I bought a pack of two and only did one.”
Rosie calls in from the en suite while she starts to pee on the stick.

“Ok then!”
My voice is quieter now as I sit on the edge of the bed and the realisation of what is happening sinks in. Rosie really might be pregnant.

We anxiously wait the two minutes required for the true result to develop, before Rosie makes me stand and retrieve the test.

There’s no reading of pink or blue lines on this one and as I turn it over, the word ‘Pregnant’ is clearly displayed in the window. My
heart starts to beat a little faster as I look up into Rosie’s anxious eyes.

“We’re having a baby!”

How the hell has this happened? I’m on the pill. I haven’t missed any as far as I’m aware, but I’ve obviously not been paying much attention. I didn’t even notice that I hadn’
t had a period since the summer.

I don’t know how I feel about it, I’m so confused. Jackson seems excited which has thrown me, but
I’m scared. Of course I want children, but I can’t help but think that something is going to go wrong.

We’ve agreed to keep this just between the two of us until after the wedding. There’s so much going on right now and I don’t want anyone faffing around me anymore than they already are.
I’m regretting the decision already though. I desperately need someone level headed to discuss this with, I need my brother.

“Oh Rosie it was so good, you have to try it.”

Rafe is currently going on and on about the new ‘Soul Food’ restaurant that has opened just up the road from Rafael’s but I’ve hardly heard a word that he has said. I am desperately trying to bite my tongue and not tell him about the baby, but the more I concentrate on
keeping my mouth shut, the harder it is to actually do so.

“…Rosie, Earth to Rosie!” Rafe smiles as I tune back into his voice,

“Sorry Rafe, I’m all over the place.”

“It’s ok RoRo, there’s a lot going on. When are you travelling up to…”

“I’m pregnant!” I interrupt,

“
…What? Rafe looks at me, his eyes wide, shocked.

“I took a test, and then I took another, then one more. I’m pregnant Rafe. But you can’t tell a soul. We don’t know anything yet, we’ve been too busy with the wedding to go to the doctors. I just needed to talk to someone.” I am relieved to have said it but hope that Jackson isn’t mad with me for telling Rafe.

“Oh my gosh Rosie! I’m shocked. How does Jackson feel?” Jackson looks concerned as he asks, given our history.

“Oh, he’s bloody delirious. He’s over the moon about it Rafe, he won’t let me lift a finger at home!” I sit back and roll my eyes, Jackson is worse now than he was after my accident. Rafe laughs,

“Good to hear. Well, if you’re both happy, then so am I. If fact, I’m over the moon. I'm going to be an uncle!”

A wide grin spreads across Rafe’s face and it’s infectious, I laugh at his excitement as he stands and pulls me into a hug. When he finally releases me I try to appear serious for a moment,

“Not a word Rafael, please. Not yet!”

Rafe gestures that his lips are sealed and then grins again as he pulls me into an embrace. He’s going to spoil this baby rotten, I just know it.

“Your house is beautiful Peter, thank you for having us.”

Joaquin is standing admiring the view from Dad’s kitchen window as Matthew, Ben, Rafe and I sit around the dining table playing cards.
Dad is turning sausages on the grill while he softens down onions for the gravy. We’re having Bangers and Mash, Dad’s speciality.

We’
ve all come to Dad’s for a couple of nights to try and relax before the wedding. It’s only three days away now and relaxing is not that easy to do. Especially knowing that Rosie is pregnant and wondering if she’s getting enough rest.

One thing that I am pleased about though is that I have permission to tell our dad’s that they’re going to have a grandchild. Rosie, Pippa and Bernie took a spa day last weekend and Rosie was unable to hide her already quite noticeable bump and massive boobs. They’re not Pippa massive
, but they’re bloody great!

So Rosie told
Rafe, and her mam and Pippa found out. I told Matthew when we first found out, I needed a friend. It was quite hilarious when he got drunk at the meal that they cooked for us on Friday and told Rosie that he knew. She scolded Rafe for breaking her confidence and I had to fess up that it was me. A round of
‘you promised you wouldn’t tell’
followed by a barrage of ‘
I can’t believe you didn’t tell me’
flew around the dining table before we all erupted into fits of laughter. The pair congratulated us with hugs and kisses, and Matthew dedicated his rendition of Firework by Katy Perry on the karaoke game that he insisted on playing, and about six more terribly cheesy songs, to his unborn niece or nephew.

And so here we are, the only two people in our little circle that don’t know that we’re pregnant are the baby’s grandfathers. I need to find the right way to tell them so that they don’t realise they were the last to know, but I’m not exactly sure how to do that yet.

We’ve spent two brilliant days at Dad’s and I’ve even managed to sort out Rosie’s Christmas present, but it’s Sunday now, I get married on Tuesday and I still haven’t found the balls to break the news to ‘the Dad’s.’

I decided to take them for a pint and asked the others if they’d mind staying behind and maybe meeting us later on.

“Why didn’t the others want to come son? Do we bore them?” Dad laughs as he asks and Joaquin chuckles his agreement,

“No not at all, actually I erm, I asked them to give us some time, just us three. Do you mind?”

Joaquin looks at me with a mixture of warmth and suspicion in his eyes and Dad shakes his head as he swallows the swig of beer he’s just taken.

“The thing is, well… I don’t know how to say this. Right, well…” what the hell is wrong with me? I need to man up and spit it out. I take a breath, “Rosie’s, well Rosie and I, we’re pregnant.”

It takes a moment before both men start to laugh and man hug, shake hands and even tear up a little. I don’t know what I was so worried about.

“So little sis, it’s Christmas Eve Eve. You’re getting married in the morning! How do you feel?”

Rafe is already a
little giggly as he opens and starts to pour the second bottle of champagne of the evening, The more he drinks, the more I have to remind him that I can’t and so, the more he drinks.

Right now though, I’m glad for the excuse not to drink. I feel sick to my stomach at the prospect of turning up at the registry office tomorrow and being told that Jackson isn’t coming. Of course, I know that he wouldn’t e
ver do that to me, but right now all I can think of is the feeling of humiliation that I experienced on my wedding day to Michael. Add that to the fact that Jackson is everything to me and if he left me I’d be completely devastated, and it makes for one terrified Rosie.

“I feel tired Rafe. We need to get some sleep.
And you need water, pronto!” I take the champagne flute from my brother’s hand and give him my sternest ‘sister’ look. He understands and smiles as he leans in to kiss my forehead.

“You’re right, goodnight baby sis. I love you!”

As I crawl into bed with every intention of getting a full eight hours, I find myself staring at the white expanse of the ceiling. The moonlight is reflecting off the snow on the road outside and casting the light into the bedroom. I intend to get up and close the curtains but as I consider moving, my eyelids become heavy and my body weak. I am exhausted.

As I drift to sleep the image of an apologetic Pippa floats into my mind and I cast it out. ‘Please Jackson, don’t break my heart.’