Underestimated (76 page)

need two plates for dinner. That will help you remember

you need two N’s as well.”

“Oh,” Caroline relied, liking his instructions.

“I have good news,” Jason called, walking in to

join us.

“Our newlywed couple just got into a fight and

left. It looks like your friends just got a room for the

weekend.”

“It’s good news that someone had a fight, Dad?”

Caroline asked.

“No, simple Simon. It’s good news that we have

an extra room for Morgan and Drew’s friends.”

“Oh,” she smiled.

We were just sitting down to eat when Celeste,

Alicia and Vincent arrived. I swear I have never seen such

a cute kid in all my life. I was surprised to see Celeste in

jeans. I had never seen her in anything but expensive pant

suits and fancy skirts. Her girlfriend, Alicia, was just as

beautiful, but with light brown hair, also in jeans. I

assumed that Celeste had been the one to give birth to

Vincent by the blonde hair, but he could have been

adopted. I found myself curious about the couple, and

wanted to ask Celeste about their relationship.

Vincent was shy at first, but my busy little sister

didn’t let that last too long. She insisted on him coming out

of his shell. She was explaining sea glass to him, and they

were both scarfing their plates, ready to head to the beach.

“Can I go now, Mom?” Vincent asked, leaving a

little on his plate.

Celeste told him to let Drew eat first. Alicia told

him to eat two more bites.

“Wait, which one is your mom?” nosey little

Caroline asked.

“I have two moms,” he replied proudly.

“Oh,” she replied.

I just knew she was going to have a million

questions with that one. I did. I had never had a gay friend.

She didn’t though. I was more inquisitive about it than she

was. I was under the assumption that one always played

the male role. That wasn’t the case at all. Alicia was just

as feminine as Celeste was. Her hair was perfect, her

nails were manicured, and she was just as pretty as

Celeste.

“My friend, Marissa has two moms too,” Caroline

explained.

“Let’s go munchkins,” Drew said, probably

wanting to stop the conversation, as well.

We all made our way out to the massive deck once

Drew, and Jason took off with the two little ones.

It was nice in North Carolina, not summer nice, but

a lot warmer than it was when we had left Maine. We all

had on thin jackets or sweatshirts. I smiled when I

watched Vincent reach up and take Drew’s hand.

“Mom, come here,” I exclaimed.

I placed her hand right on the side of my belly. Her

face lit up. Of course Celeste and Alicia had to feel it too.

“It seems like so long ago when Vincent was doing

this,” Alicia remarked. I couldn’t help it. I had to ask.

“Did you carry him?”

“No. Celeste did. Can’t you tell by the blonde

hair?” she added. “She was not the most pleasant person

to be around when she was pregnant. I swear I have never

seen anyone cry as much as she did. I was ready to kill

her.”

I laughed. I couldn’t see Celeste crying over

anything. She was too, strong, powerful and full of herself.

“Alicia gets to carry the next one,” Celeste assured

us.

“Are you trying?” I asked a little too excited.

“We’re always trying,” Celeste teased. They

really were just like a normal couple.

“Shut up,” Alicia badgered back.

Celeste laughed. “She starts her first round of in

vitro the week after Thanksgiving.”

“We are still talking about that,” Alicia stated with

a stern look right to her mate. “Celeste seems to want to

do nothing but work all the time now. I’m not interested in

doing this alone.”

“I have a feeling my husband has something to do

with that,” I confessed. “But don’t you worry, I will make

sure you are spending the time with your family that you

should be. You start the process Alicia. I promise she will

be home more.”

“Yeah because he fired me,” Celeste said not

entirely joking.

“He would never fire you. You should hear how he

talks about you. He is overly impressed.”

“He is?” Celeste asked, hopeful.

“Absolutely, but I’m not going to let you neglect

your family to please Drew,” I assured her.

My mom and Alicia got to talking about crocheting

of all things. Before we knew it Celeste and I were alone

on the deck while they were off looking at the new baby

blanket that my mom was working on for the baby.

“I can’t thank you enough for this, Morgan,”

Celeste said, sipping her hot tea.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m glad you’re here,

and I love Alicia.”

“Me too,” she smiled. “We really did need this.”

“How long have you two been together?”

“Nine years in March. How long have you been

with Drew?”

“On and off for about ten years, on again for a

day,” I smiled.

“You are coming back to Vegas for good?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “We never really talked

about it, but I am sure that is his plan. I told him that I

needed to live by the beach, but he went and did all the

new remodeling and the baby’s room and all. I hate to

disappoint him now.”

Celeste laughed. “You should have seen him trying

to do all of that. I couldn’t help but be amused by him. He

handpicked every piece of clothing in that room.”

“He did?” I asked surprised. “I figured he had you

do all of that.”

“He had me going in every store in New York City

with him, but he did all of the shopping.”

I smiled out at the four figures, searching through

sand and pebbles.

“I hope you know how much he loves you,

Morgan,” Celeste said.

I turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. “What

has he told you?” I asked. I would be so embarrassed if

she knew everything.

“He doesn’t have to say anything. Nothing exists in

his eyes when you are around. He will walk out of an

important meeting to answer your call, and I have never

seen any man more excited about this baby than he is.”

“Are you aware that he might not be this baby’s

father?” I asked. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I did.

She smiled at me. “He never told me, but I had a

feeling something was up.”

“It’s going to make things a lot more difficult if he

turns out to be another man’s child. Please don’t tell him

that I told you,” I begged.

“Not a chance,” she smiled as my mother and

Alicia joined us again.

Jason was the only one to find any treasure, and of

course he gave it to Caroline to put in her lighted bottle.

We watched a movie with the two little ones on the big

screen with a few other guests. Drew and I slipped off and

went to our room around nine. We both showered and lay

down in the, oh so comfortable bed. I hadn’t realized I

was as tired as I was.

“Drew,” I whispered, lying in his arms.

“What, baby?”

“I’m very happy right now.”

I felt Drew smile on my ear. “That makes me very

happy. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

My mother walked out to the deck to a full blown

argument the following morning.

“No, Morgan. I want you home with me.”

I didn’t reply when I saw my mother; instead I

brought her in the middle.

“Would you tell my husband how important it is to

me for you to be there when this baby is born and that I

should just stay here and get established with a doctor?”

“No. I can’t tell him that. I think you need to be

home with him. This is your first baby. I have time to fly

out there.”

“I love you,” Drew said, kissing my mother smack

on the lips.

I crossed my arms, pouting. She was supposed to

take my side.

“You will be here in a couple of weeks for

Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas. I think you

should be with Drew,” my mother informed me while

standing behind me, playing with my hair.

Was I afraid of that? Was that I why I was so

insistent on only being with him for short periods of time?

We had never lived together as a couple, other than when I

didn’t know who I was.

“Let’s eat, I’m starving,” Drew said with a big

smile, rubbing in his victory. “I have a date with two little

kids. We’re going on a treasure hunt.”

“We’re going shopping,” I stated.

Drew and Jason kept the kids occupied hunting for

sea glass for the biggest part of the day. My mom, Celeste,

Alicia, and I spent the day shopping. We were home by

four and everyone dressed to go out for dinner. We had

seafood by the ocean and then visited an aquarium. Drew

and I couldn’t keep our hands or eyes off of each other. I

had fallen asleep on him the night before, and we spent the

evening flirting, and undressing each other with our eyes. I

had the best time ever with my family, my husband and our

new friends.

Drew and I went right to bed once we were home.

We were undressing each other as soon as the door was

closed. Damnit I wanted this baby out of me. I wanted all

of him. I wanted him to do everything that I had despised

at one time. It was a hopeless case. He wasn’t about to do

anything but make love to me. I knew. I had already tried.

All I got was a promise that once I wasn’t pregnant, he

would take care of all of my deep dark fantasies. That was

almost three months away.

The five of us flew out on the private jet the next

day, heading back to Las Vegas. I slept most of the way

and Drew and Celeste worked, making up for the last three

days.

We did fly back, all of us, for Thanksgiving and

Christmas. I loved Celeste and Alicia. I hated to admit it,

but Lauren had been replaced. Dawson called every week

to find out how his baby was doing. He was still calling

him his baby, and I didn’t stop him. I just prayed that it

wasn’t his.

We never did send for my car. Drew liked having

it there when we were at my mom’s. I didn’t really need it

anyway. He didn’t let me leave without him much.

Right after we had exchanged gifts on Christmas

morning, Drew insisted that we had to go somewhere. I

should have known that everyone was in on it. They all

insisted on going, and we piled into two different cars.

Drew couldn’t contain his excitement. I was going crazy,

trying to figure out what the hell he was up to. Celeste

wouldn’t tell me either. Caroline on the other hand was

made to go with her dad. She was dying to tell me.

We only drove maybe a mile up the shore and

pulled into a driveway. I knew. I knew exactly what he

was up to.

“You bought this house, didn’t you?” I accused.

“You told me that you needed to live by the beach.

I figured this way we could fly here when we wanted and

have our own space. If you look up that way, you can see

your mom’s house.”

“I freaking love you,” I exclaimed, getting out of

the car.

The house was perfect. It wasn’t anything

extravagant like the one in Vegas. It was simple. Four

bedrooms, two baths, an eat in kitchen and a magnificent

deck, overlooking the ocean.

“I thought maybe you would want to decorate this

nursery,” Drew said as I checked out the best Christmas

present I had ever received.

I loved the idea of decorating the nursery. Drew

and Celeste had to fly to Europe for over a week. The

newly pregnant Alicia, Vincent and I were staying at the

beach until Vincent had to be back to school after break.

I spent more money that week than I ever had in my

life, furnishing our new home. There were delivery trucks

coming and going for three days in a row. I even made

Alicia pick out the furnishing and décor for the two

bedrooms on the other side of the house. I figured they

would be the one using them anyway.

Vincent’s room was done in surf décor and his bed

was a floating bed in the shape of a surfboard. He was so

excited about it. He stood on it moving his legs and

holding out his arms, riding the waves painted on the wall

that Alicia had done for him. I didn’t know until that day

that she was the one that had painted the enchanted forest

in my baby’s room back home.

I chose subtle for this nursery. It was painted light