He told her but not the detailed version that Mia told him. “She was pretty graphic—detailed—about what happened. The constant was that she couldn’t believe how rough and unfeeling he was towards her. Shit, Allie, I kept thinking ‘Did he force her? Did that motherfucker force her?’ God, I can’t believe this is all happening.”
Glancing up at the clock on the wall, he saw it was half past eight. Time to go to work. He leaned down and placed his lips upon his wife’s brow. “I have to go to work, but I’ll try to be home early. Make sure she stays here tonight. I don’t want her driving off in her state. I’ll bring her bags up to her room. Tell her the boys can stay too.”
“Okay,” she said, a soft smile on her face as she looked up at him.
“You gonna be okay?”
Her smile turned sad. “Oh, I’m fine. My hurt feelings are nothing compared to what she’s going through. I just feel so let down.”
“Yeah, so do I. Not that god-like anymore, is he?”
She shook her head in agreement.
“I love you, Allie.”
“I love you too.”
He quickly kissed her lips and then ran up the stairs to get ready for work.
Mia
Mia woke up to find herself on a sofa, a blanket thrown over her body, her heart aching, and not a clue about how she got there. At least she knew she was at Luke and Allie’s house. She stretched and then sat up, wincing as her bruised muscles strained at being pulled. She checked her watch and saw that it was a little after three o’clock. She should get ready for her doctor’s appointment.
The house was so quiet, it had her wondering if she was all alone. With her ears on alert, she rose from the sofa and set about finding someone. She heard Allie’s voice travel from the other side of the house—her office—and Mia headed in that direction. Walking into the room, she found Allie on the phone, more than likely rearranging Mia’s schedule. Mia sat herself down on the sofa, like she had done so often lately now that Allie and Luke were married and Allie was living in Indianapolis.
“Hi,” Mia said once Allie hung up the phone.
“Hey, feel a little better? You were blah, blah, blah, then you were out.”
“Welcome to pregnancy, round two,” she said with a small smile. “Where’s Luke?”
“He went into the office for a little bit. And he said you’re staying here tonight. You’re jet lagged and pregnant. You need to rest, okay?”
She knew there was no saying no to this, so she nodded her head instead.
“He brought your suitcases up to your room.”
That made Mia smile. “My room. He still calls it that?”
“Of course! It will always be your room,” Allie said.
Mia rose from the comfy sofa. “I’m going to get ready. Leave around three-thirty?”
“Okay.”
“Thanks, Allie,” she added and went up to her room to get ready for her appointment with the doctor.
One of the few times when Mia didn’t feel like a celebrity was at the doctor’s office. She still had to get naked, put on the not-so-beautiful paper gown, and sit her bony ass on the crinkling white paper and freeze under the powerful AC. This was the third time she was in Dr. Kendall’s office for a pregnancy confirmation and she was very nervous. Her leg bounced incessantly, her thigh repeatedly hitting the white paper making a racket. Allie put her hand on her knee to stop her.
“Sorry. I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be.”
That’s easy for her to say, Mia thought. She needed this pregnancy to be okay.
The doctor came in a few minutes later, full of smiles. “Well, Mia, looks like you’re pregnant.”
The confirmation lit a grin on her face that threatened to combust. She was so happy. Finally pregnant. Two damn years.
He pulled over the rolling stool and sat in front of her. “So.”
She sighed. Trouble. She knew this was too good to be true. “So.”
“You’re what? Thirty-six?”
Mia nodded. Eek. That sounded old.
“With your medical history and your age, you realize this is considered a high-risk pregnancy?”
Mia exhaled loudly. Not what she wanted to hear.
“Hey,” Dr. Kendall said, grabbing on to her knee. “Just because you’re high-risk doesn’t mean you or your baby will have problems. It’s just our way of making sure you’re treated with special care. That’s all.”
She nodded, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. Of course this wouldn’t be easy, but if she required special