Danny
Delightful dreams accompanied by slumber through the night as my mind reveled in the possibility that Gigi was now carrying my child. Our child.
I awoke with a smile on my face to find that my wife, once again, had risen before me and went downstairs. As I stepped into the shower, I imagined what our life would be with another baby.
The family I had always dreamed of.
Life at the ranch was starting to feel calm once more, with serenity becoming the new normal now that Rita was gone. As I let the water wash over me, dripping from my hair and onto my face, I wondered if Matt would really show up.
It didn’t matter. He didn’t matter.
Gigi loved me deeply and wasn’t willing to go anywhere with him. Of that, I was sure.
At breakfast, we enjoyed our meal as flashbacks of the night before filled my mind with a heady kind of pleasure. My wife and Billy were all that mattered, in addition to the baby we were yet to be sure was joining our little family.
Billy was, as usual, busying himself with carefully cutting his omelet into little squares. He was excited to be using the plastic knife we had bought for him because it made him feel like an adult.
“Would you like to see the doc today?” I suggested.
“Yeah.” She quickly nodded, picking up a piece of bread.
“I’ll call him and make an appointment, then.”
“I can do it if you’re busy.”
“Nah, I wanna check up on him anyway.” I paused, an idea brewing in my mind. “Why don’t you visit the folks while you’re at it?”
I wasn’t sure if Billy would want to tag along, but letting him see his grandparents would be nice.
“Huh.” She tilted her head, contemplating.
“That way, they don’t have to come all the way here.”
“Who’s folks?” Billy asked before biting into a roll.
“You’re right, that’s actually a great idea.” She then turned to him. “Billy, would you like to see Grandma and Grandpa today?”
“Yay!” He excitedly bounced off the chair.
She giggled. “Okay, yeah. I guess we’re doin’ that, then!”
Because I had a lot of work and meetings that I couldn’t get out of that day, I resigned to the fact that Michael was the next best option.
After relieving him of his ranch duties for the day, I instructed him to drive Gigi and Billy into town and bring them back home when they were done. We agreed that she would first go to the clinic, where Billy would stay with him in the car and play with his toys, after which they would stop at the hotel.
And if she felt the need to go to the market or any other place, he was to drive her there as well.
The most important matter was that he would wait for her in the car and not let her or Billy be out and about all alone. A part of me still worried that obsessed Matt would make an unwelcome appearance and upset them…or worse, attack them and try to take Billy away.
Once I arrived at my shed, I called the doctor’s office to confirm that my wife was going for an appointment. I also requested that they’d call me if anything unusual came up.
I was beyond happy and couldn’t wait to hear the news.
As I spent the hours trying to concentrate on my work, a section of my brain remained fixated on my Gigi’s little town tour. I was concerned because something else might be wrong with her. Or because Rita could try to poison her mind once again. Or both.
Shaking the worry out of my head, I urged myself to focus. With a glass of whiskey in one hand and a pen in the other, I jotted down my to-do list for the day and pushed myself forward.
Yes, I drank on stressful mornings, and this one had suddenly become one of them. I knew I needed to get used to Rita’s presence in town, and the fact that Gigi and Billy would always visit them from time to time—it was their right.
But right now, it was still a difficult pill to swallow. The woman’s insults were still fresh in my mind, and my anger was still raw.
Before I knew it, time had passed as I was absorbed in my work. When the phone began to ring, I hoped it would be Gigi coming out of the clinic.
“Hey, Danny Boy.” I was wrong. It was Tanner.
“Hey, Tan, what’s up?”
“We set the date, Man. We’re gettin’ married in September.”
“That’s awesome news. Congratulations!”
“Thank you, thank you. Obviously, you’re gonna be there. Is Gigi home? Mandy wanted to invite her.”
“She went to town, but should be back before dinnertime.”
“Great, I’ll tell ‘er, then.”
“Congrats, man, bless you both.”
“Thanks, Bro. See ya soon.”
Not wanting to get sucked back into another whirlpool of worry, I immediately dove back into the tasks ahead.
Powering through, I successfully made it through the workday without letting my mind become clouded, striking off one task after the other while the list shrunk as the hours passed.
Around four-thirty, I heard a knock on the door before it cracked open, and Michael walked in.
“Howdy, Boss.” He grinned victoriously.
“My man, how did it go?”
“Smoothly.” He shrugged as he relaxed on the chair across. “Everything went fine. But Gigi did seem a little pissed walkin’ outta that hotel.” He paused, shaking his head in dismay. “Guessin’ Rita pulled a number on ‘er.”
“Alright.” I mirrored his emotion as I pushed myself up. “My next meeting was postponed anyway. Why don’t you finish up here and close down? I’m gonna call it a day.”
“You got it, Boss.”
“Thank you, Mike.”
I gave him an appreciative pat on the back before stepping out and into my car. I couldn’t wait to hear all about Gigi’s day and know what the hell Rita had gone and done this time.
The only thing that was holding me back from sending her all the way across the country was Gigi and Billy.
Driving back to the house, I braced myself as I slowed down and pulled over. When I stepped inside, I smelled the beginnings of something delicious.
Was she cooking my favorite meal?
I was baffled.
“Baby, I’m home.” I announced.
“Danny!” She turned around before launching toward me, her face beaming with happiness I didn’t expect. “I was right!” she squealed, her hands clasped together and her legs barely standing still. “I’m pregnant!”
Feeling as though a heavy weight had just been lifted off my chest, I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her up, kissing her neck and chin and cheeks before finally letting my lips land on hers, locking in a deep, long kiss.
“I couldn’t wait to come home and tell you!” She pulled back to declare it as I put her back down. “But then I remembered I had to go see my parents first.”
“Oh my God,” I exhaled, feeling high on the news. “Billy would be so psyched to have someone to play with!”
“Right?” She held both my hands up to her lips, kissing my fingers. “Gosh, I’m so happy I could fly.”
Realizing that the food was still stewing on the stove, she cheerfully pulled me by the hand as we made our way into the kitchen. She walked over to the boiling pot and lowered the flame.
“How was it?” I watched her lift the lid and stir.
“Well,” she sighed, “it started out alright. Daddy was happy to see us and took Billy to show him a new train he bought him.”
“That’s nice.” I turned to see how I could help. She hadn’t yet prepared the salad, so I picked up a knife and started chopping the vegetables she had laid out on the counter.
“Mom and I got to talking about how they were settling in and all. She told me that Mandy showed them a house this morning, but Dad didn’t seem quite convinced,” she chuckled. “It didn’t have a nice view, he said.”
“Oh, we can’t have that,” I agreed. “Your father has a few simple pleasures, and he deserves to get ‘em.”
“Yeah, but then—” She pulled the mittens off her hands as she turned around to look at me, her face revealing a tinge of shame. “I couldn’t contain my excitement…and I told her.” Grimacing with embarrassment, her dimple shyly greeted me.
Disappointed as I was that she couldn’t keep the secret for long, I pushed my happiness to the forefront of my mind, shrugging as I forced a reassuring smile. “And what did she say?”
“Honestly, that’s where it got ugly, and I immediately regretted telling her at all. I saw your point.” Frustration filled her tone. “I thought she’d be happy for me. But instead? She went ballistic.”
Furrowing my eyebrows, I put the knife down and crossed my arms as I leaned back against the counter, listening.
“She was all like, ‘What were you thinking?’ Like I got knocked up out of wedlock or something.” She paused, her eyes widening as she recalled. “She kept telling me that I should get rid of the baby. That it was gonna ruin my life...honestly, she sounded like a crazy person.”
“Oh, Baby, I’m sorry.” I took a step closer, touching her arm as I did.
She shook her head. “Then Dad came running, telling her to lower her voice because Billy was right in the next room. The look on her face scared me. Frankly, it was like I couldn’t even recognize my own mother.”
Gritting my teeth, I refrained from saying what was on my mind. I wanted her to finish and get it all off her chest.
Still shaking her head in disappointment, she whispered, “What’s gotten into her? I don’t understand.” She sighed, turning back to the pot. “Anyway, I realized it was a bad idea. I called Billy and got up to leave. When I opened the door and let Billy out, I heard her yell from behind me, reminding me that Matt was going to receive her letter if he hadn’t already and that he was gonna be in town any day now.”
She shrugged and scoffed before continuing sarcastically, “She thinks her precious Matty wouldn’t like you putting his child’s life in danger. Unbelievable.”
I saw her head tilt downward and didn’t know if she was silently crying. Taking the few steps that separated us, I hugged her from behind. As my arms encircled her waist, she threw her head back, resting it against my shoulder. I inhaled, unable to resist the flowery smell of her hair.
“Do you think my mother’s insane?” she whispered.
I kissed her behind the ear before mirroring her tone. “I just think she loves you too much to believe that I’m good enough for you.”
“Well,” she turned, wrapping her arms around my neck as she gazed into my eyes, “you’re better than anything I’d ever dreamed of. And if that makes her angry, so be it.”
Even in her frustration and disappointment, she wanted to reassure me. My angel was far too kind for her own good. I expected her to yell, to scream, to stomp her feet in anger, and rue the day. But instead, she was keeping her cool, smiling sweetly at me and cooking my favorite dinner.
I wanted to help her and change the subject. “Have you told Billy yet?”
“No.” She tilted her head. “I wanted us to do it together.”
“Where is he now?”
“Playing in his room.”
“Shall we, then?”
“Let’s do it!”
Turning off the stove, Gigi enthusiastically followed me as we made our way upstairs. At the child’s room door, I took her hand in mine, and we stepped inside together, grinning as we saw him sitting down on the rug, playing with his new train.
“My man,” I began, descending to sit down across from him.
Gigi followed, “Billy, we have some news.”
His bright, innocent eyes regarded us, slightly lost since he hadn’t really heard the word ‘news’ in context before.
“Mommy’s pregnant. Do you know what that means?”
He shrugged, and Gigi giggled, “You know how your friend Sally from the park has a baby brother?”
“Yeah?” He scratched his head.
“Well, Mommy’s gonna give you a baby brother or sister soon.”
His eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened. “Really? How big will it be?”
I chuckled. “At first, it’s gonna be a little baby like Sally’s brother. But then it will learn to walk and talk like you, and you can play together.”
“Woah!” He propped himself up on his knees with excitement, his smile widening into a grin from ear to ear. “What will you call it?”
Gigi smiled, quickly glancing at me. “That depends; we still don’t know if it’s gonna be a boy or a girl.”
“I want a boy!” he announced.
“We can’t really choose, Honey. Besides, Sally’s a girl, and you like her, don’t you?”
“Can a girl ride a pony?”
“Of course,” I reassured him. “A girl can do anything a boy can,” I scoffed, teasing Gigi. “Almost anything.”
“Hey!” she objected.
Leaning over, I whispered, “Well, you can’t pee standing up, can you?”
Stifling a laugh, she tittered, and her shoulders shook as she placed her palm over her face, faking a glare in my direction.
“Girls can do anything they want, Billy. And you’re gonna be the big brother, so you can teach them everything.”
“When will the baby get here?” He shuffled closer.
Gigi’s eyes rolled about pensively. “Mmm, in about eight months.”
“Will it sleep here with me?”
“Jesus, Boy, you sure have a lotta questions,” I chortled, remembering Gigi’s statement about the amount of inquiries he would have.
We spent some time explaining things to Billy, taking turns as we tried to make him understand that we were a team, a unit, a family, no matter what.
After our little session, we went back downstairs and finished preparing dinner. As we ate together, Billy began to obsess over names he would want for his expected sibling.
It was heartwarming and absolutely adorable.
When we were done, it was around nine o’clock. I wanted to help Gigi with the dishes, but she said she would much rather have me put Billy to bed.
“Daddy?” he said as I tucked him in. “Why’s Grandma always angry with Mommy?”
I sighed, figuring that he must have heard their little argument earlier at the hotel. “Old people sometimes don’t understand things like we do, Billy. They want us to do things their way.”
“But Grandpa’s old, and he never yells.”
“I said sometimes. They’re not all like that.”
“Will she yell at me and the baby, too?”
“Not as long as I’m here, Buddy. I’ll never let ‘er yell at you.”
“Will she come and live with us again when the baby comes?”
“I don’t think so. The house will be crowded then.”
“Good,” he smiled. “I love Grandma and Grandpa, but I don’t want anyone to yell at you and Mommy.”
“Do you love us?”
He quickly nodded.
“Both of us?”
He nodded again with a bigger smile.
“I love you too, Billy. Very much.” Leaning over, I kissed his forehead and secured the covers before getting up.
As I reached the door and flicked the light switch off, I heard him say, “I can’t wait to meet the baby.”
I smiled in the dark, knowing that he wouldn’t see the emotional expression on my face. “Sweet dreams, Buddy.”
“Sweet dreams, Daddy.”
As I walked down the hall towards the stairs, my eyes had welled up and I didn’t know what to do with all the sentiments that had suddenly emerged.
Billy wasn’t my biological son, but I loved him beyond words. And the fact that he was aware of his grandmother’s hostility was breaking my heart. Why would an innocent boy like him have to worry about the actions of a grown woman who didn’t know the first thing about respect?
I trod softly as I went downstairs, an idea storming in my mind. I wasn’t yet ready to share it with anyone, but it was beginning to make perfect sense to me now. I wanted to protect our son with all my heart and everything I owned. I didn’t want Rita or Matt or anyone to be able to hurt him or make him feel inferior or helpless.
And I knew just how to do it.
But now wasn’t the time.
I heard the clanking of dishes and pots being washed in the kitchen, and I hurried to assist. Gigi was already working on the last item when I arrived.
“Hey.” I stood beside her.
“Is he asleep?”
“Yup. Need help?”
“I’m done.”
“Want some chamomile tea?”
“Oh, boy. I can’t drink, can I?”
I shrugged. “You tell me.”
“Chamomile tea would do,” he sighed, forging a frown as her shoulders drooped.
Giggling, I wrapped my arms around her from the side and held her tightly. She bent her waist and playfully shoved me with her hip. “Get boilin’, Daddy!”
“Oh—” I drew it out. “That sounds naughty.” I made my way over to the boiler and proceeded to fill it.
“Yeah? Well, get used to it.” She softly came up to me, rubbing her chest against my arm. “Remember the effect those hormones had on me last time?” Her voice was suggestive.
“Mmm,” I recalled a few delicious encounters. “Now…do you think it matters if it’s a boy or a girl?”
She humorously slapped my shoulder with her palm. “That’s an old wives’ tale.”
Her giggle echoed in the air, somehow making anything seem possible.