Talania - a Trip Down Memory Lane... (24 page)

Oh my God. We are pregnant. Evelyn is fighting cancer. We are having a baby.

Our baby! All these thought just keep circling around in my head. I am excited. I am terrified. Excited to be a father. Excited to be having a child with my infinity. Scared at what this means for Evelyn’s body. She is already going through so much. I wonder how much more of this her body, mind, and soul can actually handle.
God! We are going to be parents!

I have had Evelyn back for a little over two months and we are already having a baby. My mind is reeling. I pray that we can get through this; I pray that my infinity can fight cancer while carrying a child.

I look over at my infinity. Our hands are tangled together while we drive home. She looks so elated. There is not one ounce of worry on her beautiful face.

She made me call an emergency dinner with all our family and friends. She is also making the band resume our gigs. I am not thrilled, but she looked at me with that stern Evelyn face and made me bow down at her feet.

“You will start working full time again Tristan. The band needs to start up again. Your agent is already mad enough.”

“No!”

“Tristan, don’t push me on this,” she spits out. “I won’t be the reason you and the band don’t get signed. I will not be the reason you stop playing. We took a year off school so I could heal. What more are you going to give up for me? It’s time for music again babe,” she whispers.

“But—”

She holds up her beautiful, frail hand while we walk back to the Jeep.

“No buts babe, music—just music,” she says.

I sigh. I have lost this one; there is no reasoning with her. Just Evelyn’s own brand of logic and things are set in stone.

I pull up in front of our condo, noticing the cars parked outside. It would appear that Adella and the band are already inside, waiting for us. Once our families get here, we can share our amazing news.

“So, let’s see. What does our baby wants to eat?” She giggles and rubs her stomach as we walk toward the house.

There is nothing to do but grin as she slowly contemplates what to feed our miracle child. “Oh! The baby wants mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and a big fat tender steak!”

As soon as we close the door, I call mom, asking her to stop and pick up everything for dinner. I don’t even get to breathe before we are bombarded with questions.

“Tell me what’s so important that we need to have a meeting the two nights in a row.” My brother grins playfully at us.

“Wait for the parents bro.” I gesture with my hand, walking into the kitchen to grab a beer.

“Evelyn is hungry tonight, so I think we will just throw some steaks on the grill.”

They all look at Ev, who just shrugs her shoulders and grins. “What? My body is handling the chemo better, and I’m starved.” She shrugs again, playing it off.

While we all sit around in the living room, Ev starts flipping through DVDs. I guess she wants to show the group how crazy we were. Either that or she wants to learn more of the past.

“Let’s see,” she sighs, flipping through them.

“Oh, look at this! ‘Pissed Tristan’,” she laughs, holding the DVD up for everyone to see. “What’s this babe?” She giggles.

I roll my eyes, screaming
damn it
in my head.

“Oh, we have to watch this one Sunshine.” Drake takes it from her, throwing a sly grin at me.

“Well, what’s it about?” she asks, leaning between my legs as she squirms on the floor, trying to get comfortable.

“It’s our first Thanksgiving one baby,” I groan.

I rub my hands over my face. She really pissed me off the first Thanksgiving we were together.

Drake pushes play and sits on the floor right next to us.

Drake and Ev are in his bedroom, and with a grin, she turns the camera on and turns it so that I can film them.

“Drake and I are going to play a very nasty trick on Tristan.”

Drake chuckles in the background.

“You see, we’ve been apart for three months and Tristan misses me,” Evelyn’s sweet voice answers.

“Yes, my brother is hooked on some Sunshine,” Drake grumbles.

“Shut up Drake! He loves me!” She has the cutest scowl on her face.

“I love you too Sunshine, but damn. He’s a damn idiot if he thinks you really wouldn’t come back.” Drake’s amusement comes over loud and clear.

“Shut up! He’s coming,” she whispers in a stern voice.

“Drake, where the hell are you? Evelyn isn’t fucking coming! She just fucking texted me. I’m so fucking mad at her.” My voice booms loudly through the speakers.

“Dude, go the hell away! I’m with a special girl right now. I’m naked dude!” Drake answers while holding back a laugh.

Adella loses it. She leans into Kyle and lets her laughter loose. Kyle sheds his normal quiet and laughs right along with her.

“Drake,” Evelyn hisses, “we are SO NOT NAKED!”

“I don’t care if you’re screwing a fucking princess; get the fuck out here now! We’re driving to their house! I fucking need to see her. This is bullshit man!” I yell through the door.

“Shit, Drake he’s really pissed!” Evelyn whispers and laughs. Still giggling, she hands the camera to Drake, giving him some instructions. “Focus the camera straight at the door; don’t miss his reaction. I mean it,” she whispers.

“Damn it Drake, I’m serious dude. Come on, you’re fucking going wi…,” my voice stops as Evelyn opens the door.

“Evelyn,” I whisper.

She leans her small figure against the frame, crossing her arms. “Miss me much handsome?” She grins at me.

For a minute, all I can do is stand there with my mouth open. Then my anger gets the best of me and I explode. “What the fuck is going on here? Why are you in my brother’s room?”

Evelyn drops her arms, standing straight in front of me. Uh oh, she is not smiling anymore. “Really Tristan? It was supposed to be a damn surprise, but apparently your mind goes straight to the gutter.”

She pushes past me with Drake scrambling behind us. He is still video tapping my idiocy.

“I’m sorry baby, I just thought that—”

She whirls around on me, causing me to swallow my words.

“You thought what Tristan? That I was with Drake now? Seriously, he helped me set this entire thing up. You’re a fucking idiot.”

“Drake, shut the damn camera off. I get it; I fucked up,” I hiss to the camera.

“Gotta go folks. The big bad wolf is pissed,” Drake laughs in the camera.

“Dude, you were pissed off,” Kyle laughs.

“You have no idea. She was mad at me almost the entire break too.”

Evelyn is giggling and looking at me. She has such a smug expression on her face.

“What’s so funny baby?” I tease her, lightly rubbing her sides.

“I just realized that I can probably just bat my eyelashes and get anything I want. Can’t I?”

Shit!
I groan. If only she knew how little it takes for me to give in to her.

“Oh Sunshine, you have no idea the things you could get away with,” Drake laughs, slapping his knee.

“Drake, you better shut up. She gets her way enough. Did you know she is making us start the band back up and take more gigs?

All eyes go to her to verify what I just said.

“Are you serious Ev?” Adella questions this in surprise.

Evelyn gets up, standing with her hands on her hips. “Don’t even try telling me no. My mind is made up. You have all given up enough for me already.”

They frown at her and she closes her eyes. That is not a good damn sign.

“Stop it right now and listen to me! You guys have already shaved your damn heads because of me. You do realize you all are sitting here with no hair trying to start an argument that you’re going to lose.”

She stalks away towards the kitchen just as both sets of parents come in.

“Shawn, can you start the grill, man?” I wave to the folks, and race to catch up with Evelyn.

“Can Tristan and I get y’all to all come into the living-room please? We will eat after the news. I’m still trying to work up a big appetite.”

She walks back to the couch, dropping slowly down next to Adella. She reaches one hand toward me while patting the spot she left open for me. I take her hand and let her draw me down onto the couch, where she snuggles into my side.

Shawn comes back in from lighting the grill. Everyone is sitting on the floor or the couches. “What’s going on? Did I miss the news, damn it?”

I laugh at him. I don’t know where his head is at.

“No man, sit down.” I gesture toward the floor.

I see a bunch of shiny baldheads and curious eyes that just stare at us and I can’t help but smile. They did this for my baby. They are really here for us.

“Babe, do you want to tell them?” she whispers.

I do. I really fucking do. “Can I?”

She nods her head, smiling at me and sliding onto my lap.

“We spent the morning at the hospital having some more tests run. Before we left, we got the results and we wanted to share them with you. The first great news is Evelyn’s chemotherapy is working. Her cancer numbers continue to come down, and the doctors are excited about the results. Our second great news shouldn’t even be called great, so I think we will call it our miracle news.” I take a deep breath to prepare myself to say this out loud. Wrapping my arms tightly around my infinity, I say the words that are going to shock everyone. “Evelyn and I are having a baby.”

The room goes so silent that I could hear every single breath that is taken. All eyes are opened wide in shock. I can see the tiny irises of each and every set.

“You’re pregnant?” Adella asks quietly, breaking the silence.

“Yes, we’re having a baby. Apparently miracles really do happen.” Evelyn smiles widely, the joy written plainly across her face.

“Either that or my brother has super sperm.” Leave it to Drake to crack a joke.

“Drake,” my father growls in exasperation.

“I’m just saying that it’s obvious the Monroe sperm are strong and can swim,” he says and shrugs.