The Hamptons' House

2000: Part 4

Tony lay back in his hammock drinking a Bloody Mary and enjoying the last little bit of time he had left in the week. It was different from the last few times the two of you had done this, but not as different as he had expected given you were pregnant. The first big difference was that you weren't drinking with him at all, which was fine, whether other people wanted to imbibe or not, never stopped him from doing it, and in the past, you never bothered attempting to keep up with him anyway. The other was that there was a little less morning sex because you often just didn't feel up for it until midday. He did miss that, but he mostly just enjoyed that feeling of vacationing with his family that he got when he spent these weeks with you and Rhodey. There was never any judgment or pressure to be some caricatured version of himself. If you said to him you couldn't do the sex part of the relationship ever again, he'd accept it as long as he still got to spend these weeks here with you.

He also felt weirdly protective of you now. He was afraid he'd do something to hurt the baby and while he didn't like admitting it, even to himself, he liked running his fingers over your stomach and thinking about the life that was growing inside you. He'd imagine you as a parent. You were such a loving person he had no doubt you'd be a good parent. All the things his parents weren't and everything he didn't believe about himself too. Sometimes he'd have little daydreams about what it would be like if it was his. Even his imagination seemed to have as low expectations as his father ever did though. He just kept picturing being absent and the kid growing up resenting him.

He was happy you were getting the things that he couldn't give you. That you were living the life that suited you and not trying to squeeze into the public spectacle that he was living.

"The morning sickness must be bad this morning," Rhodey said, looking at his watch. "She's normally down by now."

"Yeah, she woke up earlier, puked her guts out and crawled back into bed, and fell asleep," Tony said. "Obie isn't expecting me back to work until tomorrow, so I've got time."

Rhodey looked at his watch again. "Not me," he said. "I wanted to say goodbye but if she doesn't come down soon I'm gonna have to head out without seeing her."

"You can always go and wake her, she's in pajamas and I know she wouldn't want you to leave without saying anything," Tony said.

"I'll give it another twenty ..."

Rhodey was cut off by the sliding door opening and you dragging your travel bag out. You'd showered and dressed, but you still looked a little bleary-eyed and green around the gills.

"Morning," you grumbled, leaving your bag by the door and coming over to the remnants of the breakfast food on the table.

"That baby is kicking your ass, hey?" Rhodey said.

"Yeah," you said. "I took something. Finally think I can eat."

"Can't believe you're going to be a mother the next time I see you," Rhodey said. "You guys will keep doing this, I assume?"

"That's the plan," you said as you started to eat some toast. "But it is crazy to think about."

"If it's a boy you can name it after me," Rhodey joked.

"Yeah, Honey Bear is a great name for a baby," Tony teased and both you and Rhodey laughed.

"You better keep in touch," Rhodey said. "I wanna see baby photos."

"Of course," you said. "Are you leaving?"

Rhodey checked his watch. "Yeah. I better. I'll get declared AWOL if I don't head home." He got up and kissed your cheek. "It was good seeing you."