The Eternity that Follows (38 page)

On the terrace, Joey placed an oversized cutout to see the
back grounds and the lake. Joey made sure the cutout started at
above waist level, to avoid the potential of someone falling down
five stories. Joey assured Gabriella, who could already see the
lake, during the summer, the sun set on this side of the house. Joey
and Gabriella were still outside on the terrace.
“Do you like the house?” Joey asked Gabriella while she was
looking through the cut out onto the lake.
“Like it? I love it! Your amazing I can’t believe you designed it.”
Gabriella said, turning around and kissing Joey with passion.
“I had you in mind the whole time.”
“It’s perfect for a big family.”
“Yeah? Yes!” Joey said, while Gabriella giggled
Gabriella spent the rest of the day, arranging her china
cabinet while Joey helped her, handing off the pieces she needed
next. When everything in the china cabinet was in order, Joey led
Gabriella into the family room to cuddle on the couch. Joey
cradled Gabriella in his arms as he finally asked,
“so you want to go do our first food shopping?” Joey was hungry
and couldn’t wait for Gabriella to start cooking.
“You mean, we’re going to be living here now?”
“Yes, tonight.”
“But what about your company, Joe? We can’t just move in. We
can’t afford to.”
“I have three contracts already signed to rebuild the house.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gabriella asked, suspicious.
“I didn’t want you to know I was showing the house around before
I let you see it. I had to. The walk through started on Monday and
pictures were being taken as I was finishing up the final touches on
the master bedroom.” Joey said, snuggling his lips into Gabriella’s
neck and gently kissing her.
“Oh. Did you buy the house without me too?”
“Nope. I was planning on going Monday. I figured we’d use the
savings account in your name for a down payment.”
“And how are you expecting to pay the mortgage?” Gabriella
asked, feeling they really couldn’t afford the house.
“Well at the moment my business owns the house. I buy it from
my business, put down a down payment, take out a mortgage, and
then my company gets the price we'll buy it for that it was accessed
at. And then we make monthly payments till the house is paid off”
“Is that legal? And I still don’t see how your paying the mortgage
if your company needs the money to build the three contracts you
signed.”
“Yes it’s legal. Gabriella people have to pay for their own houses
to be built. They already put down a down payment and signed a
loan at the bank. They’re having me build it for them. They
already own the land.”
“Well, if you’re sure you can afford it.”
“We, Gabriella.” Joey said, hopping off the couch.

Joey and Gabriella didn’t see a need to go food shopping,
since they didn’t have the necessities of a working kitchen yet.
Joey took Gabriella out for dinner, and after they went to
Gabriella’s house so Joey could get ready for his bachelors party.
Joey complained when he got out of the shower, that he just
wanted to spend their first night together in the house, and skip his
party. Gabriella admitted to Joey, she was too scared to sleep in
such a big house alone. Joey told her she will be fine, and
mentioned the house came equipped with an alarm. Joey was
really looking forward to coming home tonight, and getting into
bed with his almost wife, in their new bedroom. Gabriella
reluctantly agreed, after Joey pleaded with his cute puppy dog face.
When Joey got out of the shower, Gabriella was beginning to pack
their clothes into garbage bags.
“Check your calendar yet?” Joey asked, handing Gabriella her
calendar. Joey and Gabriella had discussed when her last period
were over dinner.
“Fine.”
Gabriella said, going from the kneeling position she was
in to pack the clothes to a sitting position on the floor. Gabriella
went to the last date she marked off on her calendar, and counted
the average days of her cycle. When she was done, her finger was
placed on the expected date of her period. Joey was watching over
her shoulder.
“You’re almost two weeks late.” Joey said, annoyed that Gabriella
hadn’t picked up that she was late.

“Oh no.” Gabriella said, as she felt suddenly sick.
“Oh no?” Joey questioned, while he was beaming check to check.
“Yes, oh no.” Gabriella said, with a puss on her face.

Joey had never seen Gabriella’s with a puss before. Her
pouting lips were one thing he couldn’t resist, but this puss was so
adorable, Gabriella had Joey eating out of the palm of her hand.
“You’re so adorable.” Joey said, unable to help say while he stared
in her eyes. “Our baby’s going to be so adorable too.” Joey said,
unable to avoid kissing Gabriella’s puss away.
“Thanks.” Gabriella said, giving a slight smile.

Gabriella was wondering how she hadn’t noticed how late
her period way, while Joey was still grinning with excitement.
“You’re not excited?” Joey asked, remembering their night on
Lake Romantica, and how the baby growing in her stomach was
convinced.

Joey started to rub Gabriella’s stomach, wanting her to
know how much he loved her.
“We don’t know I’m pregnant yet.” Gabriella’s said, as her puss
came back. Joey kissed her lips right away. He had no restraint to
them.
“Are you usually two weeks late?”
“No.”
“So you’re pregnant.”
“Well don’t get too excited until I take a pregnancy test.”
Gabriella said, beginning to pack again.

Joey stopped her from packing, and knelt on the floor with
her.
“Gabriella. I feel like the luckiest man on earth right now. You are
so beautiful, I hope our children look just like you.” Joey said,
moving his knees closer to Gabriella, and wrapping his arms
around her. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Joey’s neck, and
pulled him close. She held him tight, thankful he would never
leave her through her present situation.

Joey held Gabriella until she was ready to let go.
“You’re the good-looking one.” Gabriella said, letting out a
giggle, followed by a brighter smile then she had before.
“Thanks. I’m so happy.”
“I guess I am too, a perfect way to remember just how beautiful
our love making is.” Gabriella said, thinking back to the night on
Lake Romantica. “Plus our baby,” Gabriella said, holding onto her
stomach, “Was conceived right on the Lake where you and I will
be growing old together.” Gabriella said, finding that both ironic
and special at the same time.

Joey and Gabriella loaded into Joey’s work truck the stuff
Gabriella had packed for them, along with a few other items Joey
thought to grab. They planned to have everything out of
Gabriella’s old room, and into their new home within the next few
days.

Joey stopped at the drugstore on the way back to their new
home. He wanted to buy a pregnancy test to confirm Gabriella
was indeed pregnant, and Gabriella made sure to pick up some
items for the new home.

Gabriella took the pregnancy test in the master bathroom,
using the bathroom for the first time, while Joey was there from
the moment Gabriella pulled down her pants to pee on the stick, to
the moment the results came up. Gabriella asked for some privacy,
but Joey was too eager to give her any.

Gabriella was indeed pregnant. Joey made her promise to
make sure she went to a doctor appointment in the upcoming week
before they went on their honeymoon.
Joey warned her if she
didn’t, then there would be no honeymoon. Gabriella smiled over
how protective Joey already was of her, and their little one
growing inside.

Gabriella laid down in ther new bed, and Joey set up the
television from Gabriella’s old room he had brought over with the
clothes Gabriella packed. Joey thought that was an imperative
thing to do for Gabriella before he went out. Joey instructed her to
do nothing but lie in bed, and wait for him to get home. Gabriella
fussed, if she wanted to get out of bed, she very well could. Joey
asked her please not to, scared she would fall down the unfamiliar
steps. Joey wanted Gabriella to get used to walking up the down
the steps in the new home, before she was able to roam around
them without him. Gabriella deemed him insane again, and agreed
she wouldn’t be walking around the house unless she was dying of
thirst, hunger or really had to use the bathroom.

Gavin arrived to pick Joey up for the bachelors party at ten,
and Joey gave him a quick tour of the house. When Joey reached
the master bedroom, where Gabriella was lying in bed watching
TV, Joey had to bite his tongue. Joey was instructed, he wasn’t
allowed to tell anyone Gabriella was pregnant until her third
month. Gabriella felt bad for Joey while she explained, babies
were mostly lost in the first trimester, and it was to protect the
couple from having to share their loss with others. Joey grew
nervous over the thought of losing the baby but knew that it wasn’t
likely, being Gabriella was young and very healthy.

When Joey got to Timber Tavern for his bachelors party, he
soon realized, the boys had rented the bar out and it was shut down
to the public. Joey felt special walking in, when all his old football
teammates made a fuss over him.

Besides Gavin, and the teammates Josh and Tie were also
there. Joey noticed a few other guys he didn’t know. He was
introduced to those people by the ones that brought them along
with them, feeling the more the merrier.

With renting out the bar also came free drinks from the bar.
Joey was given shot after shot for what felt like, every time he
turned around. Within the first hour of being there, Joey did seven
shots, and was on his third beer, as he needing the beer to chase the
shots with. Joey pulled Gavin to the side and told him, he couldn’t
drink any more tonight. Joey was starting to feel dizzy, and
wanted to enjoy his party. Gavin kept to Joey’s side for the next
half hour, helping him refuse the shots being handed to Joey.
When Joey was feeling all right again, he got another beer, and did
a few more shots.

The boys in the bar were being rowdy, loud and wild.
There were a few drinking games going on, while the rest of the
party goers were laughing and having a good time.
Joey himself
was enjoying the party until the boys started joking around, and
kidding around over how big a mistake Joey was making getting
married. Joey remembered his sweet Gabriella, laying in bed at
home with their little one growing inside, and started to feel
homesick. He looked at his watch, taking a minute to adjust his
eyesight to see clearly, and saw it was one in the morning. When
Joey looked back up from his watch, he noticed two strippers
walking into the bar.

Before Joey had the chance to refuse, he was being forced
into a seat. The jukebox started playing a song for the girls to
dance too. Joey tried getting up, but was forced back down by
Kyle and Todd. The girls started dancing on Joey, giving him a lap
dance. Joey was uncomfortable and closed his eyes, but when the
girls started putting their hands up his shirts, and pulling on his
belt, he pushed them off with force and stood up.
“I told you I didn’t want strippers.” Joey screamed at Kyle and
Todd, while he straightened his clothes out, and Kyle and Todd
were helping the strippers off the floor.
“You used to love going to the strip club before Gabriella.” Kyle
called out in his defense.

Joey stormed out of the bar letting the door slam behind
him.
“Keep dancing girls, come on take some clothes off.” Todd said to
the girls after Joey left. Gavin heard the remark and uttered he was
disgusted, and went to meet Joey outside the bar.

Joey was standing up against the wall smoking a cigarette
he had gotten off of someone who had just walked back inside, to
get a chance to see the strippers. Joey threw the cigarette away,
just as Gavin was walking over.
“Come on man, I’ll take you home.” Gavin said, throwing his arm
around Joey’s shoulder. “I knew you didn’t want strippers. If I
knew they had hired them, I would have told you about it.”
“I have Gabriella to dance and strip for me.”
“Man. I know that. I get that.”
“Man can you just get me home.”
“Yeah man. That’s why I’m out here.”

When Joey got home, he stumbled up the main staircase of
the house, then stumbling up the steps to the master bedroom.
Joey paused, standing a few feet away from the bed. He had joy
overcome him, when he saw Gabriella lying in bed with her arms
wrapped around the front of her. Joey assumed she must have had
a hard time falling asleep without him being there. Joey thought,
she must be so used to them holding each other tight, every night
she wrapped her arms around her so she was able to fall asleep.

Joey felt nausea for a moment, and ran up the stairs to the
master bath, tripping up the stairs, making a loud thud. The thud
had woken Gabriella up, and she followed where the loud thud
was, assuming it must be Joey getting in from his bachelors’ party.
Gabriella found Joey on the bathroom floor throwing up into the
toilet bowl.

Gabriella went over to him right away, after she grabbed a
power towel that she placed in the bathroom from the roll they had
purchased at the drug store.
“You okay.” Gabriella asked, when Joey went from his kneeling
position to sitting on the floor. Gabriella wiped his mouth for him.
“No. They made me drink too much.”
“They made you?”
“Yes.”
“I find that hard to believe.” Gabriella said, helping Joey up, and
over to the sink. Gabriella put toothpaste onto his toothbrush she
had also purchased at the drugstore.
“Yes.” Joey said, after spitting out the toothpaste. Gabriella then
handed Joey mouth wash. “They were pushing drinks down my
throat all night.” Joey said, giving his cute puppy dog face.
“Aww.” Gabriella said, to Joey’s puppy dog face. “I’m sorry. I
guess that’s how guys are at a bachelor party.”
“Guess so.” Joey said, grabbing Gabriella’s hand to lead her out of
the bathroom and back to bed. Once Joey and Gabriella were lying
in bed, Joey waited for Gabriella to cuddle up in his chest before
he told her about the strippers. “They also had strippers.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. I told them no strippers. They rented out the bar for the
night so they could have them.”
“And?”
“And they forced me into a chair and when I tried getting up they
pushed me back down by my shoulders. So I closed my eyes as
the girls started to dance.” Joey said, pausing for a moment to
gather Gabriella’s reaction.