Against the Odds A Love Story

Chapter 23

Old annoyances never disappear but tend to strike when you least expect.

Twenty-three

For the next couple of months, the morning sickness was almost unbearable at times. I spent more time lying in bed than I did doing anything else. I took Caroline's suggestion and tried to eat more small meals during the day, but it didn't really help because I could never keep anything down. I was miserable almost every waking moment.

Caroline helped out a lot by bringing in dinner so Hayden wouldn't go hungry, even though he told us both he was perfectly capable of fixing his own meals. He did, however, make his own breakfast in the mornings, and mine as well. If he knew he was going to be too busy to come home for lunch, he would make a couple of sandwiches to take with him. Each morning before he left, he brought a breakfast tray to me in bed. Then he would grab his own plate and come to the bedroom and eat with me. He felt terrible about having to leave, but I always assured him I would be all right.

After Hayden left in the mornings, I usually managed to take a shower and straighten the house a little. If I lay down in between, I could even get a couple of loads of laundry done. But by noon, I was always too sick again to do much else.

When Hayden came home in the evenings, he usually took a quick shower and we would have the dinner Caroline brought in. Afterward, he would climb into bed and hold me, and we'd talk until I fell asleep, which usually didn't take long. He made me feel so safe, and so loved. And I loved him and our unborn child more than I could say.

~ ~ ~

After another month, I started feeling better and was able to take care of my home and my husband again, and I really began to enjoy being pregnant.

Right after I had found out I was pregnant, I had gone into town that following day and purchased some maternity clothes, anticipating the day when I could finally start wearing them. And now that the day was here, I was glad that I bought them early. My clothes were now too tight to even button. I found that pretty amusing when I thought about all the times I had wished I could gain a few pounds.

To celebrate my freedom from being confined to the house, Hayden offered to take me shopping for baby clothes and things for the nursery. Since the baby's furniture had been ordered and delivered a couple of weeks before, I was excited about decorating it.

I put on a pair of slim fitting denim capris and a pink v-neck maternity shirt made with a stretchy material that accentuated my growing abdomen. Both pieces of clothing, as well as the rest of the maternity clothes, I had had to buy in the smallest size, so they fit pretty well. And I loved the way the pregnancy was already adding a little more curve to my figure. Hayden told me I looked beautiful, and I actually felt beautiful.

Later, I sat at the kitchen table with a cup of herbal tea and waited for Hayden. He was out on another part of the property checking the fence, but I expected him back soon. He was excited about taking me shopping and getting me out for a while. I really missed going out with him, too.

By the time I finished my tea, I had made up my mind to drive out to where Hayden was, but the telephone rang, stalling my plan.

“Raine, it's me.”

“Hi,” I said, immediately hearing the strain in Caroline's voice. “What's going on?”

“You're not going to believe this, but your ex is sitting downstairs in my living room.”

“What?” I said in disbelief. “Jerome?”

“I know. I couldn't believe it either when I opened the front door and found him standing there like he was posing for the cover of GQ or something. He came struttin' in here as vain as a peacock.”

“I don't believe this! What does he want?”

“Why, to see you, of course. He said he's on his way to Los Angeles for some business and just stopped by to say hello.” Caroline's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Humph, just stopped by, huh?” I snorted. “Just stopped by my eye! Jerome has a motive for everything he does. And I don't know what makes him think I would want to see him anyway.”

“Well,” Caroline replied, “if truth be told, I think he just wants to check out his replacement, maybe stir up some trouble.”

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. The last thing I needed or wanted was to see Jerome, and it really bothered me that he couldn't seem to stay out of my life.

This has got to stop. “I'm on my way down.”