Writing Lanie - Forbidden Heart Series

37| Dead Silence

I sank a little lower into my bathtub, letting the hot water sooth my body aches. After Jackson left, I was feeling nauseous again and decided to have some chicken noodle soup and saltine crackers. The add benefit of the ginger ale definitely help. After I enjoyed my meal, I decided to take a bath. I was currently flipping through one of the books he got me. What to Expect When You're Expecting.

The beginning of the book told me a few things I already knew, but then it also told me a lot of things I didn't know. It was very enlightening and I was grateful to Jackson for getting it for me. Not long after he left, Harper called me to give me a play-by-play of how it went with her mother. According to her, her mother was starting to actually make some progress in battering herself.

Harper said that her mom apologized for what she had done and actually showed remorse. She said she wanted to make an effort to be in her life and to know Jackson. I asked Harper if she believed her mother, and she said yes. I was happy for them. It sounded like they were actually making some progress.

Harper was also surprised and amused when I told her that Jackson had paid me a visit and dragged me out of the house. She was also extremely surprised when I told her he now knew that I was pregnant. I also confessed that he offered for me to come stay with them so I wasn't by myself, and she thought it was a good idea.

When I told her I wanted to think about it, she told me stop thinking that I would be imposing on them. Harper explained that they had plenty of room and it would help to keep her from worrying about me by myself. I swear, my best friend knew me better than I did sometimes.

The sound of my phone ringing had me quickly drying my hands before grabbed it. When the caller ID said UNKNOWN, I nearly squealed with happiness. It was either Ayden or Nate. I would be happy hearing from either one of them.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Baby."

Tears of joy streamed down my face when I heard Ayden's voice come through the line. "Hey." I said on a sob.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a low tone. "How's the baby?"

I smiled as I ran my hand over my belly. I wasn't showing yet, but I was excited to see what my baby bump would look like. "I'm good. We're both good." Next was the question I was dreading. "Are you and Nate safe?"

The silence before his answer told me what I needed to know. 
"We're okay. How was your day?"

I knew he was lying, but I couldn't think about that. Instead, I giggled as I shifted in the tub. "Well, Jackson came by to check on me and ended up hanging out for a few hours. He brought me some food and ended up taking me shopping. Get this," I quipped. "I thought Harper spilled the beans about me being pregnant and I ended up outing myself."

Ayden's laugh on the other end of the line made my entire night. "Well, I'm sure it was just a matter of time before he found out anyway. What did he take you shopping for?"

"He took me shopping for pregnancy stuff. It was so random. I guess he wanted to drag me out of the house since I've stayed in bed the past few days." As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted it.

"Why have you been in bed? Have you not gone to work? I thought you said you and the baby were okay."

His concern was one of the many reasons I loved him. "We are okay, Ayden. It's just normal pregnancy stuff. I was having really bad morning sickness so I decided to stay home and rest for a few days. My boss was nice enough to approve it." When he remained silent, I added, "Ayden, I promise you we are okay."

He let out what sounded like a relieved sigh. "Okay, good." He cleared his throat. "What stuff did you get when you went shopping?"

"He got me a body pillow, some pregnancy books, and a journal." I frowned when the other end of the line was completely silent. "Ayden?"