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Alex loved the thought of being pregnant at the same time as her best friend. She wished Mona could stay on tour and keep her company, but she had contractual obligations she couldn’t get out of, pregnant or not. Mona stayed for a few weeks then set off to work on her film with the promise to return as soon as she was finished. She would be gone for only three months. Chris, much more laid back as a father-to-be than Slater, wished her well, but knew he would miss the hell out of her. Alex prayed Mona’s movie would wrap up sooner than the projected time. She was starting to find herself bored with so much time on her hands. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the time spent with Slater. The travel was getting to her and she was stressing out about not being home to get the house ready for their baby boys. She tried to bring up that fact to Slater more than once, but more than once, he would divert the conversation. Alex knew it was because he didn’t want to miss any of her pregnancy, but it was wearing thin on her.
In her eyes, her patience was the only thing thin on her. The bigger she got, the more fatigue she felt. Alex wondered where the hell this burst of energy was that she kept reading about that most women got when they were pregnant. She was at the beginning of her seventh month of pregnancy and at this point, she was convinced she was going to be pregnant for the rest of her life.
Alex was tired. She fell asleep in the most random places and found comfort in the oddest positions. To add insult to injury, the bigger and more tired she became, the worse her snoring became. Gone was America’s Sweetheart. In her place was a very pregnant, very real woman who was tired as hell, felt ugly as sin, and just wanted to see her damn feet again.
––––––––
“Allie.” Slater knocked on the bathroom door. He wondered what was taking her so long. Once he had returned to the hotel from tonight’s concert, he had woken her up from a deep sleep. He spent a little time with her updating her about the night and told her he would wait for her while she took a bath. Nearly an hour had gone by. “Allie?” he questioned again. Concern was on his face when he thought he heard her crying. “Honey, are you ok?”
Her voice was muffled through the door. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine. Are you crying?”
“I’ll be out in a minute,” Alex answered.
“Allie, let me in.”
“No,” she sobbed.
“Why?” he demanded.
“Because,” Alex cried. Her voice went off on a tangent that he couldn’t understand because her volume took on an incredibly high pitch in her tirade.
When her voice was back to normal, he knocked harder on the door. “Let me in, Allie.” He could see the shadows of her feet under the door as she approached, listened as she slowly turned the lock, and walked away from the door. He opened the door and found her sitting at the vanity, her hands in her lap, her head lowered. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she whispered.
“Bullshit. What’s been taking you so long?” Alex’s only answer was a shake of her head and a sniffle. “Allie?”
“I had a little trouble getting out of the tub,” she admitted, her voice so quiet.
“Why didn’t you call for me? I would have helped you,” he said sincerely.
“I don’t want help!” Alex’s head snapped up, her jaw clenched. “I don’t like needing help!”
Understanding her hatred of feeling fragile, he walked to her and hunched down in front of her so he could look her in the eye. “Baby,” he said carefully. “Now isn’t the time for you to be stubborn-”
“Easy for you to say,” she interrupted him.
“Ok,” he agreed. He was going through the pregnancy with her, but she had all the physical changes. Changing gears, he tried to get onto a better topic. “Did you enjoy your bath?”
“No,” she pouted.
“Why not?”
“I barely fit in the tub.”
Alex said the words so quietly, Slater could barely make them out. He suppressed a smile when he finally understood what she said but knew this wasn’t the time to find humor in the situation.
“I’m fat,” she whispered. Her chin trembled as she looked at him with such sadness and frustration in her eyes.
“You’re pregnant,” Slater pointed out.
“I’m ugly.”
“Don’t say that,” Slater said firmly. “Do not talk about yourself like that. You’re beautiful, Allie.”
She shook her head as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m so ugly.”
“Allie, stop.”
“Look at me!” she snapped. She stood up suddenly, picked up a brush off the vanity, and threw it across the room. Turning sideways, she looked at her profile in the mirror as she molded her bathrobe over her belly. “I could walk backward and look just as pregnant, my ass has gotten so huge! And look at this.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond as she went on to her next grievance. “My nose has gotten wider!” She ran her fingers over her chin and up near her ears, shaking her head with agitation. “And my jaw has gotten wider! I didn’t know my face was going to look pregnant, too! The only thing I like about the way I look is that my hair looks pretty damn good, but what good is that when the rest of me looks like shit?” She started to pace in her anger, Slater took her place on the vanity stool while he let her get it out. “My back hurts so much,” Alex ranted. “All I want is a hot bath, a cold glass of wine, and to be able to lay on my stomach!”
Slater tried for reassurance. “It’s almost over, Allie.”
“No it’s not!” she yelled and glared at him.
“You have two months.”
“Three!” She held up as many fingers.
“You’re in your seventh month.”
“I just started my seventh month! I have all of this month, all of my eighth month, and ALL of my ninth month to go.” She ticked off on her fingers. “So three full months, not two. There are things people don’t tell you, Slater.” She shook her head quickly with her knowledge. “Nobody tells you your face is going to get fat along with the rest of you. Nobody tells you pregnancy is nine full months! And nobody tells you when you’re walking around with two different shoes because you can’t see your damn feet! No! I had to find that out when I squeezed my ass into the tub and looked at the floor.” She turned her anger on him. “Why didn’t you tell me I had two different colored slippers on?”
“I thought it was cute,” he said with a grin.
“It’s not cute! Nothing about this is cute anymore!” Her tears started again, her shoulders jerked with sobs while she paced. “Backstage the other night, I heard someone comment that I waddle and they think it’s cute. I don’t waddle!” she cried. Her face broke with emotion.
“Who said that? I’ll have them fired,” he stated decisively.
Waving his comment away, she faced him, her shoulders hunched in defeat. “I’m over it, Slater,” she said tiredly. “I’m over it.”
“What can I do, baby?”
She held up her hands, shook her head, and shrugged her shoulders as she tried to think of what would help her at the moment. “Give me a night off? You carry these two for a while, let me lay on my stomach and drink wine.”
He walked to her and kissed her forehead. “What can I do, that’s humanly possible, to help?”
“I don’t know.” She arched her back for a stretch. “If I knew, I’d tell you.”
Slater placed his hands on her shoulders, slid them down her arms, and held her hands. “Take a deep breath.”
“I can’t,” Alex said simply. “One of your sons is digging a foot into my lungs.”
He smiled at her comment as an idea came to him suddenly. “Come with me.”
Alex followed him into the living room and watched as he took the cushions off the couch and began to stack them in a small circle on the floor, leaving an opening in the middle. Rubbing her stomach, she watched with confusion, then narrowed her eyes when a thought hit her. “Is this some set up for sex? Because if it is, I’m finally not in the mood.”
“No,” Slater laughed as he got the cushions and pillows just right. “Take off your robe,” he instructed.
“What, why?” Alex’s movements over her tummy stopped, while she shook her head. “No.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “I saw you naked this morning.”
“Yeah,” she muttered. “And I’ve probably gained fourteen pounds since then.”
Slater knelt on the floor and looked up at her expectantly. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Don’t see why I should,” she replied flippantly. “You knocked me up with twins.”
He held out his hand. “Come here.” She walked to him and took his hand. “Kneel next to me.” He waited patiently while she did as instructed. “Now take off the robe.”
Alex hesitated a moment before she untied the belt on her robe. Understanding suddenly dawned on her as Slater helped her lean forward. The hollow area of the pillows made a place to put her belly so she could lay face down. “Oh, my God!” she sighed, and let out a happy laugh. “Oh, this feels so good!”
He was proud of his cleverness. “See, baby?” he said smugly. “It doesn’t take sex for me to get you to praise me this way.”
“Oh,” she giggled, then sighed with relief. “Oh, my back. I can breathe. Oh!”
Slater rubbed her back for a minute, so happy he could finally do something for her. “You enjoy this for a few minutes, I’m going to make a phone call.”
“Mm.” Alex melted into the pillows. She closed her eyes at the immense relief she felt in her back, the ability to take a deep breath and the satisfaction of laying on her stomach. She wasn’t sure how much time had gone by, but she was pretty sure she could stay like this forever.
“How ya doin’?” Slater asked as he sat on the floor near her shoulders and resumed the back rub.
“This might be better than sex,” Alex sighed.
“Let’s not get insulting. Does this feel ok?”
“It feels better than ok. You’re the best husband, ever,” Alex praised.
“I’m trying,” he said sincerely. “I know this is hard on you. Everything you’re feeling right now is completely normal. The awkwardness, the aches and pains, the mood swings, the fatigue.”
“Wow, I’ve become the most annoying person ever, haven’t I?”
“You’re making twins. I think it’s safe to say you’re working overtime.”
Alex lifted her head to look at him. Her hair was messy around her face. “When did you become such an expert on the subject?”
“I’ve been reading your pregnancy bible.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to know what’s happening to you and how our babies are developing.” He shook his head in awe. “There’s a lot of crazy shit going on in your body right now.”
“You’re telling me,” Alex muttered.
“It’s fascinating.”
“Yes, it is,” she agreed. “When it’s not frustrating the hell out of me.”
“I’m anxious to meet the little critters,” Slater said with a grin.
Alex let out a small snort. “Critters?”
Slater took her hand in his and gently caressed the tops of her knuckles with his fingers as he smiled at her. “Are you happy, Allie?”
She nodded and rested her cheek on the pillow as they searched each other’s eyes. “I’m anxious though. There’s so much to do at home. I know Kathleen is helping on her end, but I feel like I’m missing that part of it.”
“You’re not missing it,” he pointed out. “You’ll just do it when we get home.”
“Slater,” Alex said with patience. “Even if I give birth away from home, I need to get back there once the babies are born.”
“Allie, we’ll-”
“If you tell me we’ll figure it out, I’m going to kill you,” she warned.
They both turned their heads at the chime of the doorbell. Slater winked at her with a cocky grin. “Saved by the bell.”
Alex turned her face into the cushions as Slater covered her body with her robe and answered the door. His voice trailed into the room as he spoke quietly to whoever was there, thanked them, and closed the door behind him. When she heard the sounds of a cart being wheeled into the room, Alex lifted her head in curiosity. “What’s that?”
“A little something for you.” He stopped the cart by the couch, helped Alex out of her cocoon, and replaced the cushions on the sofa while she belted her robe.
“Please remember how you had that set up. I want to do that again.”
“I will,” he promised, patting the couch cushion. “Come sit.” While she sat, he took an item off the room service cart and placed a charcuterie tray on the coffee table, complete with meats and cheeses with fancy crackers, olives, and fruit. “I know you’re hungry all the time, but the boys don’t give you much room for a full meal, so I thought you would like this.”
“Thank you,” Alex said and smiled at him with love.
“Also, I called Dr. Green while you were taking a load off. Sorry,” he said at her glare. “Bad choice of words. I told her how I had the pillows and she suggested a prenatal massage. Apparently, there’s a massage bed with a place for your stomach so you can be facedown.” He paused while Alex sighed. “I’ll talk with Ben about arranging that for you as often as possible.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“I have two more things for you. With Dr. Green’s ok, I went ahead and ordered this to go with your snack.” He pulled a high silver lid off a plate to reveal a chilled glass of chardonnay.
“Oh!” Alex gasped, tears of happiness stung her eyes. “Dr. Green said I could have that?”
“She said one glass wouldn’t hurt, but not to make it a habit. I have mixed feelings about it, but I haven’t had to give up alcohol this whole time. Take it slow, Allie.”
“I will.” She sighed on the first taste, helped herself to some cheese off the plate, and smiled at Slater as he sat down across from her. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you all over again.”
“I’m just happy to see you smile. I hate it when you get down on yourself.”
“It’s hard. One minute I’m happy as can be. The next minute, I’m so frustrated and ready for this to be over. I feel so fat and awkward and-”
“You call yourself ugly one more time,” Slater interrupted with a warning. “I’m going to have a serious problem with it.”
“Well, I certainly don’t feel pretty.”
“I think you’re beautiful,” he stated. “I’m going to ask you to not talk about my wife that way.”
“I’ll try,” Alex promised. She closed her eyes and took another small, refreshing drink of wine. She let out another sigh when Slater slid one of her legs onto his lap and massaged her foot. “Oh, that feels good, too. You’re spoiling me.”
“Well,” he replied with a playful grin. “Don’t get used to it. Once these two arrive.” He pointed at her tummy. “I’m going to forget all about you.”
“Good to know.” Alex stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ll be sure to remember that when you want to get me pregnant again.”
He gave her foot a little pat and stood up to get something from under the room service tray. “This is also for you.”
“What’s this?” Alex asked while she accepted the box from him with curiosity. “A laptop?”
“Yeah.” He resumed his spot on the couch with her again. “I know you have one at home, but this one is brand new. I know you’ve been bored at times, so I figure you can use this to keep in touch with Kathleen while you’re looking through catalogs. She can place orders for you and have things delivered home.” He waited while Alex reached for another bite of food and he gave her other foot the same attention. “You’ve been talking about writing, either a cookbook or your life story. You’ve got plenty of time. Maybe you should give that a whirl and get your mind off everything baby-related for a bit.”
“Thank you, Slater,” Alex said with sincerity. She was amazed he even remembered that she toyed with the idea of writing with all that was going on in their lives right now.
“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” he admitted. “Ben and I thought of it together. I had him go ahead and get it all set up with a writing program and your email. Go for it, baby,” he encouraged her when he saw the hesitation on her face. “What do you have to lose?”
“Maybe I will.” Alex set the laptop aside and sat back with her wine. She savored every taste.
“Will you share your writing with me?”
She popped an olive into her mouth. “Maybe I will.”
He slid his hand up her leg and massaged the sensitive spot behind her knee. “Will you let me set up those cushions again and let me get creative with sex?”
With her emotions settled and her mood shifted, she set her wine aside as he leaned in to kiss her. The two of them shared a laugh when he had to adjust his body next to hers to get around little babies. Alex sighed as he opened her robe and looked at her expectantly. “Maybe I will.”
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Alex spent the next week shopping like a madwoman through catalogs. She was in touch with Kathleen daily. They communicated back and forth as baby furniture arrived, and kept on top of the progress of Kathleen’s newly added unit to the house. The ease of communication made things smoother for Alex and lessened her anxiety about not being home.
Alex hadn’t taken a shot at writing. She hadn’t even opened the writing program for any other reason than to get to know it and see how it worked. It was simple enough, simply open up a new document and write. It wasn’t like she didn’t have the time this evening to delve in. Her husband had left for tonight’s concert only twenty minutes ago. She had hours to kill. But she wasn’t sure what to write.
She sat at the table of the hotel suite in... well it didn’t matter what city they were in, because she didn’t remember. She shook her head over that phenomenon and wondered how one lived on the road for so many years as Slater had. She took a moment to appreciate the spacious suite. She was thankful for the opportunities life had given them, even if they had come with a good dose of drama.
Alex opened a new document and stared at the white screen while the computer cursor blinked at her. It beckoned her to begin to create. With her chin in one hand, the fingers of her other hand tapped the table lazily, she pondered out loud.
“Cookbook or life story?” She crossed her arms over her chest. Her forearms rested against her belly while she chewed on her bottom lip. “What if?” she whispered, and looked over her shoulder as if someone might be listening. “What if?” she mused once more. “What if I write the story of Alexandra Lorraine and Slater Heart?” She reached for her mug of tea. “What if I write it like fiction, characters with movement and dialogue and feeling, but it’s everything that happened in our lives?” She let out a small snort of laughter. “Slater would probably think I’m crazy. So what?” She sat up straight. “Do it for you, Alex. Don’t do it for anyone but you, then see if you want to share it.”
She hovered her fingers over the keyboard and fluidly typed, ‘Once upon a time’. “No.” She hit backspace to delete the phrase. “That’s dumb.” She stood up from the table as quickly as she could, and walked back and forth while she thought out loud. “What was I doing before I met Slater?” She rubbed her tummy while her sons moved within her. They seemed to ponder along with her. “I was nervous that Matt was coming over with two strange men, so there’s the emotion, but what was I doing immediately before he came into my life?” She stopped suddenly, her laughter trickled into the room. “I was doing what I always do when I’m nervous or have too much energy. Exactly what I’m doing now.” She rushed to the table and sat down at her computer once more, put her hands on the keys, and started the first sentence to their story.
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Pacing was soothing, pacing helped...
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The floodgates opened. Once she started to write, she couldn’t stop. In the three weeks following her writing journey, Alex often opted to stay behind from concerts, their story consumed her thoughts. Slater wasn’t sure what had gotten into his wife. He suggested that she start to write and once she had, he soon found out that if she wasn’t shopping for everything baby, or sleeping, she was writing. He honestly didn’t remember when the last time was that she had seen them in concert. His ego was only slightly bruised because if her writing had her so engrossed, she wasn’t thinking about going home. A topic she hadn’t brought up since she started to write. He was curious, more than curious what swirled through her mind as she hadn’t shared anything with him yet, simply said she wasn’t ready. He understood that and often kept lyrics to a song under wraps, even from her, until he was good and ready for anyone to hear them. The only hint she gave him was she had put both her cookbook idea and life story on the back burner. She wanted to give something else a try.
Sharing a quiet night in and a rare night off, Slater worked on a new song at the piano in their suite. He stopped to make notes on lyrics, the sound of rhythmic keyboard tapping interrupted his thoughts. He turned to watch Alex, so deep in thought as her fingers flew over the keys. A slight line appeared between her brows as her mouth moved faintly to the words she was typing. He turned fully to watch her, leaned against the piano, and smiled as she laughed to herself while she proofed her words.
His work forgotten, he soaked up the sight of her. Her stomach was overly swollen with their twin boys. He was amazed that she could sit cross-legged on the desk chair with how big she was, but he knew better than to voice that observation. She looked beautiful with her dark brown hair piled on top of her head in a bun, in black shorts and a light pink tank top, her shirt stretched to the hilt over her belly. A smile crossed his face when he watched her tilt her neck for relief and reach for a plate with a generous piece of chocolate cream pie on it. The dessert had become an evening staple for her.
Alex heaped up a portion of the decadent dessert and somehow managed to get the entire forkful into her mouth. Sighing on the flavor of the pie, she smiled as the babies moved within her and rubbed her hand over her stomach. She took another large bite of the dessert and looked down at her tummy as one of the boys turned and the other one stretched out a foot. Glancing up, she noticed Slater smiling at her from across the room. “What are you looking at?” she asked playfully.
“I was watching you type like a madwoman. Now I’m watching you eat chocolate cream pie.”
“Mm,” Alex sighed as she helped herself to a third bite.
“Where did you learn to type?” Slater asked.
Alex glanced at the screen and made a quick change in punctuation. “High school. Fastest typist in my class,” she said proudly, then rolled her eyes with a grin. “Probably because my classmates were busy having social lives, but it was kind of nice to hold that little honor. I like typing.”
“Never learned,” Slater admitted.
“Dropped out?” Alex teased.
“Cut class too many times. Got an F.”
“In typing?” Alex asked, shocked. “Who gets an F in typing?”
“The boy who would become the-”
“Biggest rock star in the world,” Alex finished the thought for him with a giggle.
“You enjoying that pie?” He gestured toward the plate as she took another bite.
“Uh-uh.” Alex shook her head and tapped her belly with the fork. “These two are. Little babies wanted chocolate cream pie.”
“Yeah?” he asked playfully. He stood up from the piano bench and walked toward her. “I think it’s my baby who wants the chocolate cream pie.”
“Um, I don’t know.” Alex shrugged and took another bite. “It’s only ok. I’m just the delivery system for them.”
“Yeah, right.” Slater pulled her out of the chair and sat in her place, guiding her to sit on his lap.
“Want a bite?” Alex held up another forkful and glanced at the computer. “Don’t read what I’m working on!”
“I’m not,” he reassured her. “I don’t want a bite of pie, but I’ll taste it. You have a little right here.” He leaned in and gently licked a spot of cream off her bottom lip.
Alex bit her lip softly. She ran her thumb along her mouth where his tongue had just been and felt slightly breathless. Setting the pie aside, she ran her hands into his hair and met his mouth as he leaned toward her. “I’m going to go take a bath. I’d ask you to join me, but I don’t think you’d fit in there with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, take your time.” He kissed her once more. “Want to get creative when you’re done?”
Alex laughed over the words ‘get creative’. It had become their code for sex, and with how awkward she was becoming, their intimate life had gotten creative. “I’ll think about it,” she said coyly and glanced to the side when the phone rang. “I’ll get it.”
Slater stood up and perused the room service cart, he shook his head over the randomness that he made sure was constantly available to her and their sons. He remembered not so long ago that it took a village to get a meal in her, now she was eating enough for a village. “Care if I have something off your tray?” he asked, then chuckled when she flipped him off.
“You know you can.” Alex reached for the phone. “Just don’t have the quiche or the baked potato, and save me some stuffed mushrooms.” She nodded her permission when he reached for a club sandwich. “Hello?” Alex asked into the phone. “Oh, hi, Mona!” she said with excitement.
Mona jumped right into Hollywood gossip. “Have you been watching any TV?”
“No,” she groaned. “Please tell me we’re not making headlines still?”
“Of course you are. Everyone thinks you’ve disappeared.”
“I haven’t disappeared, I’ve been on tour with my husband.” She said the last part of her answer tiredly. She was more than ready to be home and stay in place for a while and shook off the slight irritation she felt whenever Slater finagled his way out of that topic.
“There’s tons of speculation about why you haven’t been seen in public since right after the world found out you were pregnant.”
“I’ve been seen in public,” Alex defended her solitude. “They have plenty of pictures of my ‘baby bump’ as they like to call it.”
“Yeah, from a few months ago, but now as your due date approaches, the world wants to know where you are. Some are even saying Slater won’t let you be seen in public.”
“Are you joking?” Alex refused to let random Hollywood gossip get to her anymore.
“Nope, and I have a stack of tabloids to show you to prove it,” Mona said, but she was curious. “Why haven’t you been seen in public?”
“I don’t want to be seen in public,” Alex admitted, as she snagged a French fry out of Slater’s hand. “I’m huge, and I don’t want to be photographed right now. If they were so mean to me when I got too thin, I can’t imagine how awful they would be to me now. I’m hard enough on myself, I don’t need that thrown into my world.”
Knowing Alex as well as she knew her, Mona could feel the forced happiness in her voice, knew there was an underlying frustration at her situation. She understood why Slater wanted Alex with him, but she could imagine Alex wanted to get home. “Alex...” Mona tried to gauge the situation. “Are you ok?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m tired and I’m ready to see my feet again. How are you feeling, Mona?”
“I’m feeling fine,” Mona deflected the topic of her pregnancy, her eyes narrowed as a thought hit her. “He’s in the room with you, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” Alex nodded, not looking at Slater. If he knew Mona had brought him up, he would want to know why.
“Why won’t he let you come home?” Mona asked, her voice took on a slight edge of irritation for Alex.
“What’s going on, Mona?” Alex evaded the question. She didn’t want to feel frustrated.
Mona got the hint. “Ok, we’ll talk about that later. I have some good news for you,” she continued to speak before Alex could ask her about the news. “I’m going to be there in two weeks, with Kathleen and Annette. Kathleen wants to see Heart & Soul live. Annette wants to see Ben. I want to see you and Chris, but mostly, I want to do what all best friends do for their pregnant best friend. I want to throw you a shower!”
“You do?” Alex asked, tears stung her eyes. She wasn’t sure if they were happy tears or frustrated tears at the thought of having a baby shower. On the road. Because her husband didn’t want her to go home.
“Yes,” Mona replied. “It’ll be small of course, and I’ll invite Dr. Green. I thought we could all have a spa day brought into the suite followed by dinner. We’ll include the guys at dinner. Once life settles down, I want to do things properly and throw you a monster party, but this will have to do for now.”
“Oh, that sounds great!” Alex gushed with sincerity. “I can’t wait to see you!”
“And I can’t wait to see you! Hey, Alex.” Mona’s voice became serious. “Call me next time you’re alone, let’s talk about your situation. I can feel your frustration through the phone.”
“Love you, Mona.” Alex cut the conversation short. She hung up the phone and turned to Slater to tell him the news. “Mona’s going to be here in two weeks with Annette and Kathleen-” She stopped talking when he nodded. “You knew about this? Was this your idea?”
“No.” Slater shook his head. He walked toward the piano and took his sandwich with him. “It was Mona’s idea. She mentioned it to Chris, he told me, you know how it works.”
“Yeah, I do. It will be good to see everyone.” She was quiet for a moment, suddenly eager to be able to call Mona when she was alone just so she could vent her annoyances. While a part of her understood Slater’s need to have her with him, a bigger part of her hoped he would wake up, take a good look at how exhausting this was getting to be on her, and tell her to go home. She silently demanded her frustrations to sit down and shut up. “I can’t wait to see Kathleen’s reaction to seeing you live!”
“Does this mean you’ll come to a concert soon?” he teased.
“I hope you understand why I haven’t been coming. I’ve been enjoying writing, but mostly I’m so tired and I feel so awkward.”
“I do understand. But I would be lying if I said you weren’t missed. There’s a lot to be said about performing for a crowd and looking offstage to see your wife dancing and singing to your music.”
And that eagerness, Alex thought, is exactly why I don’t want to fight him on this. She kissed him. “I’m going to take my bath now. See you in a bit.”
He watched her walk off and let the grin spread across his face because he knew she couldn’t see him as she did, in fact, waddle to the bathroom. He was thoughtful as he chewed a bite of his sandwich, turned to the piano, and was curious what Mona was trying to talk to Alex about. He recognized that she deflected questions, he knew her too well and was certain the moment she was alone she would call Mona back and discuss what she wanted to talk about. Letting the topic slide, he shrugged to himself and gave his music his attention.
Mid-song, Slater stopped playing and reached for his pencil to make a change on lyrics. His brow furrowed in confusion when it wasn’t there. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted it at the desk where Alex had set up shop. The screensaver on her computer danced across the laptop screen. He walked over, the half-eaten chocolate cream pie grabbed his attention and he decided to indulge in a bite. Enjoying the dessert as it melted on his tongue, he reached for his pencil when his elbow hit the space bar on the computer just enough to bring it to life. He respected her privacy, just like she did with his work, so he looked away from the words, only to look back again quickly when he saw his name. Alex’s bathing routine had become long these days, so he knew he had time to peek. He felt like an ass for doing it but since she was writing about him, his curiosity got the best of him. A quick glance at the paragraph in the works intrigued him. He knew he was crossing a line but he took a chance and clicked open her files. He started at her first document and smiled at her opening line about her pacing.
By the end of the first paragraph, he knew she was writing her memoir in the form of fiction. By the end of the second chapter, he knew by the notes in the margins, she was considering drafting it into a screenplay. By the end of the third chapter, he was hooked.
––––––––
“Mm,” Alex sighed as she dried off from her bath. She indulged in a good soak for nearly an hour. The current hotel where they were staying had a massive bathtub, something Slater had Ben on the lookout for since she struggled to get out of one a month ago. When the hotels didn’t have one that gave her room to not only move but to remove herself independently, she took long showers. This particular hotel had a tub that could easily fit four. Since she was a family of three all on her own, it was plenty of room to pamper herself and it was easy to get out of. She took her time applying scented lotion and body oil to keep those stretch marks from appearing. So far, only a few had shown up on her lower abdomen. After complaining relentlessly to Dr. Green about that fact, she grudgingly accepted that it was part of the experience. A part she didn’t like and was determined to see either a medical esthetician or a plastic surgeon when all was said and done to see how she could remove them. She didn’t think vanity ran too deeply within her, but being pregnant with twins showed her how much it was there and she would make no apologies for that fact. She shook her head in awe at the size of her stomach as she belted her robe around her body. She stuck her tongue out at herself in the mirror and suppressed a snide comment or two about herself, only because she remembered Slater’s request to not say mean things about his wife.
“Slater,” she sighed as she emerged from the bathroom. “I would kill for a glass of wine right now. I’ll have to ask Dr. Green if it’s ok to have one at my shower in two weeks.” She looked over at the piano, confusion crossed her face when he wasn’t there, and glanced over her shoulder at the sound of his hushed voice.
“Shit,” Slater hissed. He desperately tapped keys and clicked on boxes to exit when her voice jolted him back to reality. “Shit, shit!” He gave up when the files wouldn’t close and turned to her, he knew he was caught red-handed. “Allie.” He stood up as she stood frozen and stared at him in horror.
“No!” Alex cried and rushed toward him as fast as she could.
“Don’t run, honey,” Slater cautioned.
“No!” Alex yelled. Ignoring his warning, she shoved him away and slammed her computer closed. “No, no! You’re not supposed to be reading that! How could you?” She turned to him, shock, anger, and embarrassment on her face. “I wasn’t ready for anyone to see that.”
“I’m sorry, baby, I couldn’t help myself. I was looking for my pencil... then the pie... and my arm hit the keyboard...” he stammered, then stumbled to the side when she shoved at him once more.
“I don’t read your music!” she yelled. “Even when you’re not around and I walk by it and I’m so curious, I don’t do that to you!”
“I know you don’t,” he agreed. “I’m a dick, I’m sorry.”
“Slater!” Alex stomped her foot in frustration. “I’m so mad at you!”
“I’m sorry, honey. Please don’t be mad,” he pleaded. “I saw my name and then I got curious, I-”
“What would you do if I rummaged through your songwriting?” she demanded. “And you rummaged!” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “I saw how many documents you had open! You snooped, you jerk!”
“Yes, I did,” he admitted. “I couldn’t help myself. Here.” He walked quickly to the piano and grabbed his music sheets. Knowing turnabout was fair play, he handed them to her. “Look at this, read this. I don’t want anyone to see it yet. It’s all yours.”
“That doesn’t get you out of this.” Alex shoved the music at him then snatched it out of his reach when he tried to take it back. Tears of frustration made an appearance as she whispered, “How could you?”
He walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Allie, it’s good.”
“Slater-”
“Baby, it’s so good,” he stressed. “You’re writing our story.”
“I am, but I didn’t want you to see it, not yet.”
“But it’s good!”
“Is it?” she asked, her voice small.
He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head in disbelief. “I was just at the part where we’re getting to know each other. You remember everything so vividly, it’s like I’m right there getting to know you and falling in love with you all over again.”
“You weren’t supposed to see it yet,” she pouted.
“I know, but it’s amazing.” He took her hand, let her sit down at the desk and pulled up an additional chair. “I saw in the margins you have notes for a screenplay. You’re thinking about making our story a movie?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, still embarrassed. “I wasn’t at first, but then I thought I may as well write it and outline a screenplay at the same time in case I want to go that direction. I wouldn’t do that without your approval, of course, but I was doing this for me. You weren’t supposed to see it yet.”
He took her hands in his and squeezed them with reassurance. “I know and I’ll apologize a million times, I couldn’t help myself. It’s really good, baby.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Can I read the rest of it?” He could see her hesitation and wanted to do everything he could to persuade her to let him continue. Even though he knew what happened next, he wanted to see it through her eyes. “I really want to read the rest of it, Allie. Please.”
Resigned, Alex rolled her eyes and huffed softly. “Fine,” she mumbled. “I may as well let you, you’ll probably just read it the next chance you get anyway.”
“I would never do that to you,” Slater replied, all innocence.
“Bullshit,” she scoffed. “You just did.”
Slater smiled proudly at her while she closed the documents he had open and showed him how she had everything saved so he could go on to the next chapter. Leaning close to her, he put his head down by her belly and spoke to their sons. “Guess what, little babies? Your mama is writing a bestseller and a blockbuster screenplay about our lives.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” Alex stated. “It could be years before anything comes of this. If I decide to even do anything with it.”
“You’ll do something with it,” Slater said confidently, then asked with enthusiasm, “Who do you think will play us in the movie?”
“I can’t let my head go there,” Alex replied. She took a moment to wonder who she could see playing them on the big screen. Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Whoever played us, this would definitely be the breakthrough role of their career.”
“I love it.” He kissed her on the mouth. “Talk about capitalizing on our situation. You’re awesome, Allie.” He helped her out of the chair and sat in her spot while she sat in his and waited a moment before he started to read. “Were you pacing right before you met me?”
“I was nervous,” she admitted. “I don’t know what made me agree to let Matt bring you guys over that night. I had a lot of anxiety.”
“Did you get breathless when you first saw me?”
She raised an eyebrow at him, unable to hold back the smile on her face. “Yes.”
He winked at her. “And you dug my long red hair and tattoos, huh?”
“I still do,” Alex giggled.
“Got a thing for my eyes, too, don’t you?”
“Ok ego-boy,” Alex muttered. “Bring it down a notch.”
“So...” He looked at the computer screen. “How far have you gotten into our story?”
“So far, up to the night my parents died. The night we first kissed.”
“Yeah?” He grinned as he thought about that moment and remembered the intensity.
“Yeah.” Alex gave him a playful shove. “You’re just full of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Sometimes,” he agreed. He glanced at the laptop, then at Alex expectantly. “I’m going to read now.”
“Ok.” She sat back and got comfortable.
“Go away.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I don’t want you hovering.”
“What am I supposed to do while you read?”
“Read my music?” he suggested.
“No.” Alex stood up, walked to the piano, and replaced the sheets. “I’m going to take the high road and respect your privacy.”
“Good.” Slater nodded. “I hate it when people snoop. Eat something or sleep,” he advised.
“I think I’ll watch some television. People are wondering where the hell I am.”
“You need to stay away from that shit!” Slater called out as Alex walked into the living room. She declined to answer as she kept moving and took a plate off the serving tray with her while he got down to business.
Slater always said he would love to be inside her mind for five minutes. Well, here it was in the form of writing. Having already gotten a taste of it with her first chapters, he was anxious to see what lie ahead. He tapped a few keys to get to the beginning of the next chapter and got comfortable in the chair while he read their story, told through her words.
Hours later, he was completely in awe of his wife. She remembered everything and some things he had even forgotten, she focused on pivotal moments of their beginning. He laughed at the funny memories. Teared up at the sad ones and stirred in his seat when his loins tugged with desire as she described the night they first kissed. He remembered the moment she practiced her belly dance for him a few days before filming her movie debut and wondered as he relived that chapter if she still had that costume somewhere. He smiled when she wrote about the boo-boo cream and the night of her birthday and how he joined her to go shopping and eat messy cheeseburgers. He enjoyed her take on the morning of her second screen test for A Step Ahead and how she woke him up. Her temptation to lift his sheet while he slept and peek at his butt made him laugh. He knew all along he made her nervous, but he never knew exactly how nervous she was around him until now. Alex had intertwined her memories with emotions he had written in his journal. He was amazed at how beautifully she could paint their picture. Maybe it was because he lived it with her that he could see it so clearly in his head, or maybe it was because she was just that good. She always said she had an overactive imagination and that helped her refine her acting skills. Well, after what he read, he was certain this would be the next phase of her life. She had a way with words that sucked him in.
He reread the last chapter she had completed and felt her sadness and her panic about the loss of her parents. He didn’t truly understand until right now how very much she needed him that night, and how happy he was to know that he helped her through a difficult time. He loved how she described the visit from her grandmother and smiled as he thought about the message on her fortune cookie, ‘Just Kiss Him’. He wondered if she still had it. If he knew her well, and he did, he was pretty sure she had it tucked away somewhere special.
“Wow.” Slater ran a hand down his face. “This is fucking awesome, Allie.” He stood up from the computer and walked into the living room, fully intending to tell her as much when he found her fast asleep on the couch. The television remote was propped on her belly. E! News was on the air and their images were being splashed all over the place.
He turned the TV off, set the remote aside, then sat on the coffee table across from her and watched her sleep, much as he had on her twenty-second birthday. Leaning forward, he placed a hand on her tummy and felt movement beneath his palm. That rolling feeling always filled him with love and happiness. He shifted to kneel before her and ran his fingers over her eyebrows, down her nose, as he traced her features. With his hand on her tummy once more, he laid his head against her and sang softly to their sons.
Alex stirred and opened her eyes to the sound of Slater’s voice. Her throat choked with emotion, she was so full of love. She reached out, placed her hand on his head, and ran her fingers through his hair as he turned and smiled at her.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Hi.” Alex sat up with his help and blinked the room into focus. “How long was I out?”
Slater resumed his spot on the coffee table in front of her and reached for her hands. “A few hours.”
“Are you done invading my privacy?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he answered with a nod and stared intently at her.
“What?” Alex shifted under his gaze. “You think it’s dumb, don’t you? That’s why I didn’t want to share it with anyone. It was a silly idea.” She suddenly felt so disappointed, she wanted him to love it as much as she did. Feeling uncomfortable under his stare, she pulled her hands out of his and linked her fingers together. “Say something.”
“I...” Slater’s voice cracked with emotion, his eyes filled. He reached for her hands once more. “I’m so fucking proud of you, baby.”
“You are?”
“Yes.” He shook his head, unable to find the words to tell her. “It’s amazing. You’re amazing.”
She smiled softly. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it. You’re going to keep writing?” he asked eagerly.
“Yes. I want to, but I’m not sure how motivated I’ll be once these two come into the world. That’s why this project could take a while.”
“Take all the time you need. Promise me you’ll share it with me as you write.”
“I will, just promise me you won’t snoop on my computer anymore.”
“I won’t,” he replied. “I want you to write more tonight-”
“Can’t force it,” she interrupted.
“I know. I understand that all too well.” He sat next to her on the sofa. “Is that really how I made you feel when I first kissed you or was that prettied up for your story?”
She lowered her eyes, feeling bashful. “You made me feel that way. You still do.”
“Good.” He leaned in and kissed her softly. “You make me feel that way, too.” Taking a page out of her book, he kept his mouth on hers, gently moved his lips back and forth over hers. He tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear as he searched her eyes. “I scared the shit out of you when I told you I was trying to figure out what it was going to take to get you naked, didn’t I?”
“You have no idea,” Alex whispered.
“If someone had told me that night you let us all into your house that the beautiful woman on the other side of the door would one day become my wife.” He put his hands over her stomach. “The mother of my children. I would have told them they were crazy.”
“And if someone had told me that the man with long red hair, tattoos, and glowing green eyes-”
“Feline, baby. You called them feline in your story,” he reminded her with a grin.
“The feline eyes,” she corrected herself. “Would someday be my husband and I would be sitting here pregnant with his twin baby boys. I would have told them they were crazy.”
“But here we are,” Slater said, his voice so quiet.
“Yeah, here we are,” Alex repeated. She wondered once more how she could even think of leaving him to go home, seeing how anxious he was to meet his sons. Maybe it would be ok, she thought to herself, maybe she could find it within and gather the strength to stay on tour with him, to bring their babies into the world with him by her side. Truth be told, she didn’t want to go through the delivery without him, and if she went home, there was a very solid possibility that would happen.
There was a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. The visit from Mona, Annette, and Kathleen was the most exciting. Continuing to write their story, and share it with her husband. She would give it two weeks and see how she felt. She decided to cherish every moment alone with him before their lives erupted into chaos with figuring out how to raise not one, but two, babies. She could handle two weeks of that she was sure. She was eight months pregnant, what was two more weeks? Taking her husband’s advice, she decided to shelve her departure for now and enjoy the moment for what it was. She looked forward to getting creative with him, in more ways than one.