Untangle Me (37 page)

“Ms. Jackson you are sentenced to ten years in prison with the possibility of parole in three. Court is adjourned.” The gavel hammered down and the there was nothing more to be done. Kayden squeezed my hand, but I felt deflated by the legal system. Ten years seems unfair for almost killing the love of my life and the hell she put us both through.

The bailiff walked to Lisa and waited for her to stand. Lisa turned slowly as she stood to walk out and looked towards us. She grinned at Kayden and it caused my stomach to lurch and a lump to form in my throat. It was not an “I’m sorry grin”, but an “I’m not done with you yet” one. I’d be at every single parole hearing to make sure that conniving whore stays in prison.

“I fucking hate her,” Kayden said as we watched her walk out.

“She almost killed you and she only gets ten years? It’s unbelievable,” I said standing up.

Kayden wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his heat. “We’re free of her for a long time, baby doll. We’ll do everything we can to keep her behind bars. Don’t worry, Sophia.”

I nuzzled his neck, closed my eyes, and inhaled his smell, the scent of home. Kayden had become that to me, made me feel all things were possible, and as a team we could overcome any obstacle. His lips brushed against my temple with a whisper light kiss and calmed my stomach and making me believe everything would be okay.

“Let’s go home. You’re looking a little pale, sweetheart, are you okay?” he said.

I looked up into his big green eyes and smiled. There’s no place in the world I’d rather be in this moment than home wrapped in his arms the rest of the world shut out. “I haven’t felt myself lately. It’s just the stress of the trial; I’ll be okay now that it’s over.”

I stared at the calendar on my desk and tapped my pen against the paper. It had been seven weeks since I’ve had my period and I hadn’t even noticed. The craziness of the trial and the stress of seeing Lisa again made it slip my mind entirely. I dropped my pen on my desk, leaning back in my chair before exhaling and closing my eyes. Could I be pregnant or am I hitting menopause early? I rubbed the bridge of my nose trying to come to terms with either possibility. I’d given up on any chance of a child long ago; I thought age had stolen that dream.

I couldn’t wait to find out. I needed to know for my sanity and self-preservation. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door. Instead of heading to the local bagel shop for lunch, I’d make a stop at the nearest pharmacy to grab a pregnancy test.

My fingers felt sweaty against the faux leather steering wheel. My heart pounded feverishly in my chest and I could hear my blood flowing through my ears. Every thought I had was filled with images of a baby and Kayden… a little bundle of joy with green eyes and chubby limbs. My vision blurred from tears as I pulled into the parking lot to find out the cold hard truth. I sat a moment steady my breath and wiping my eyes.

My legs felt unsteady as I walked down the feminine products aisle. I want to be pregnant more than anything in the world right now. I thought I had made peace with being childless, but it always hurt deep down. Every new person I met would ask me if I had children, and my answer was always the same… no, life had other plans for me. Every time I gave that answer my heart felt like a tiny needle pierced it, and it had been turned into a pin cushion over the years.

I paid for the one that claimed to be the most accurate and easy to read. “Is there a bathroom here?” I asked the cashier. I couldn’t wait to get back to work to find out. I walked to the back of the store with the test in my purse, holding it tightly against my body as if it were precious cargo. I tore open the box as soon as I walked through the door and discarded the box minus the stick. I followed the directions and placed the cap back on, putting it in my purse for safe keeping.

I walked to my car feeling like I was awaiting a death sentence, not from pregnant, but the possibility that age had robbed me of a child for eternity. I sat in my car trying to stare at the stick. I placed it on the passenger seat and texted Kayden.

Me: Hey baby, how’s work?

Kayden: Good love, whatcha doin?

I couldn’t tell him. I didn’t want him to get excited or start planning in his mind if the test was negative. Kayden wanted a family and always felt it was a possibility.

Me: Having lunch, are you going to be late today?

Kayden: Nah, I’ll be home around five.

I wanted to tell him, wanted him to comfort me, but I thought it would be unfair to him. This was something so very personal for me… men could have children for their entire life, but at some point a woman loses that ability forever.

I held my breath as I reached over and gripped the pregnancy stick in my hand, scared to see the result. I slowly opened my fingers one at a time, dragging out my torture and any chance of bad news. My eyes grew wide as the blue plus sign filled the test strip window. My heart stopped as the realization of what I was staring at hit me. I’m pregnant, we’re pregnant. Large teardrops streamed down my cheeks plopping on my dress pants. A sob ripped through me and I allowed the sound to fill the interior of my car. I didn’t know until this moment how much I wanted a child, this child.

Kayden walked through the door shortly after five. I cleaned the entire apartment waiting for him to arrive. I couldn’t sit still and wanted to tell him, but wanted it to be in person. “Hey baby.” I said walking towards him as he kicked off his shoes.

“Hi love.” He kissed me on the lips and wrapped his arms around me. “Are you okay love, you’re sweating?”

“I’m fine, I’ve just been cleaning,” I said. “Come sit down for a minute.”

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong with you?” he asked as he sat down and I face him on the couch. I grabbed his hand, squeezing it before I spoke. “You’re scaring me, Sophia.”

“Oh sweetheart, don’t be scared,” I said. “I’m pregnant.” A grin crept across my face as I watched him for a reaction.

His beautiful eyes grew wide and his lips parted, his teeth shining from the smile. “Really?” he asked. I shook my head yes and his eyes glisten from newly formed tears. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it.” He reached out and placed his hand on my belly. “We’re going to have a baby.”

“I still need to make a doctor’s appointment, but I’m late and the pregnancy test I took today said I am.” I placed my hand upon his and leaned forward kissing his lips.

Kayden wrapped me in his arms smothering me with the kiss. His lips broke from mine as he held my face between his hands. “A baby, you’re giving me a baby. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world. I love you, Sophia.”

“I love you too, Kayden, you’ve given me the greatest gift in the world,” I said staring into his eyes. Kayden still had the ability to steal my breath like he did the first time he kissed me. Navy blue had been wiped out and replaced by a rainbow of colors. Kayden had filled my world with the color that I’d lacked and now a piece of us would be entwined forever in the form of a child.

Chelle Bliss has dedicated her life to education. She has been a teacher for over ten years and holds a Master of Education degree. Teaching has given her a creative outlet, but she yearned for something more. Writing has given her that, no longer about just creativity, it became a journey.

She’s an avid reader; consuming contemporary romance, dark reads, young adult, and all things erotica. Chelle wanted to create a book filled with characters that readers could relate to with real world problems and matching wallets.

She loves to travel and her favorite cities are New Orleans and Paris. She currently lives in Florida with her amazing boyfriend and two kittens, Nola and Peanut.

Her debut book
Untangle Me
will be followed with a book dedicated to Kayden and his life before Sophia changed his life.

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