â**Chapter 19**â
Madison
"We will now take your ultrasound to know what the baby's gender is. Tell me when you're ready, my nurse will assist you to the room." The doctor said, making me look at Zane.
Ace should be here, but he has work.
"Should we call Ace?" I feel like Zane reads my mind when he asks me that.
"Can we?" I asked, sounding concerned.
"Why not?
"Nevermind, Don't bother him, he's busy. Maybe we can just have it now. I really want to finish it quickly. I'll just tell him later."
"Are you sure?"
Giving him a reassuring smile, I nodded to the doctor and she led me to the room.
After I settle down, I lay comfortably on the chair and look at my baby bump.
This baby isn't born yet. I already love with my whole heart. Maybe that's what really every mother feels when they are having a baby.
In four months, I'll finally be able to embrace our child. Even now, I still can't believe what just happened to us. It's too unbelievable, just like a fairytale.
When the Doctor came, I was a little confused because she's still not wearing her gown. And I think she notice it as she smiled and said, "Give us 10 minutes, We're still waiting for someone."
Giving her a nod, I closed my eyes for a moment while waiting for them. It's too quiet.
I'm thinking about Ace. I'm thinking about what he felt when he found out that he's the father. Is he happy? I guess. When I suddenly remember what he said to Dada, that he dreamed of starting a family before he turned 30. Even though he's already 30 now, he still fulfilled his dream.
Minutes passed, the door swung open again. Before I even looked to see who it was, A familiar voice filled the room.
"Madison?"
"Ace?"
"I called him." Zane appeared behind Ace.
I couldn't even pay attention to Zane when Ace walked next to me. Before he even asked why I didn't call him, I said "I thought you had a meeting?"
"And you really think I'll choose a meeting over you?"
I'm speechless. How did he come this quick? The company was 45 minutes away.
"Should we start now?" The doctor asked while putting on her medical gloves.
Ace took the seat next to me and held my hand, while the doctor turned on the screen and took her things.
When she put the cold paste on my stomach, Ace's full attention was on my stomach. Same as Zane, who's standing on my other side.
****
"Congratulations, You're having a Baby Boy." The doctor smiles at us while still looking at the monitor. All of us were looking at the monitor.
I still can't believe that I'm having a baby now, it all feels new. Watching the baby move makes my heart want to jump from happiness.
My son.
Our son.
I look over to Ace who's looking at the screen with love in his eyes. The way he looks at it is different from the way he looks at me. Same love but different look in his eyes. When he looked at me and caught me staring at him, he smiled at me and pressed a kiss on the back of my hand that he's holding right now.
"Son." He mouthed, making me smile even more.
"I can't wait to see my nephew." Zane said, making me look at him who's still watching the baby.
Two of the most important men in my life are now beside me, looking at the baby who will be the most important man in my life. Now I know that the love you feel for your lover is different from the love that you feel for your child. It's much stronger, but I usedon't doubt Ace.
Before we even find out about my pregnancy, I already love him.
"Let me take a picture of him." Ace let go of my hand and took his phone to take a picture of the monitor.
"Me too, I'll send it to Liam." Zane said excitedly as he walked next to Ace and they both took a picture of it making me and the doctor smile at their cuteness.
"I'm pretty sure you guys know that they're going to give us a printed copy of that, do you?" I asked both of us to look at me like I just killed their happiness.
"If you want, I can give you guys a copy of it." The Doctor added, making me chuckle at them as they again took their seats while clearing their throat.
"Could you please give us a copy, thank you."
She smiled at me before giving wipes as we're already done. Ace helped me to sit up as he held my arms.
I took the wipes next to me and started wiping my stomach. He sat next to me and wrapped his arms on shoulder with a smirk on his face as he kissed my shoulder.
"You ungrateful man, you should at least thank me for calling you. Or else you would have missed that." Zane took the chair where Ace was sitting earlier and rest his hands on my lap
"Btw, would you mind explaining why you did not call me?" He waited for the doctor to leave before asking.
"Because you said last night that you have a meeting." I repeated.
"That's not an excuse, come on. Let's have lunch before I go back."
"That's a good idea. We probably should go now." Without wasting any second, I get up from the bed and get my purse.
"How did you manage to live alone? I think all of your money just goes to food." Zane stands next to me and touches my back.
"I have money, is it obvious that I've had so much food?" I asked, looking at my body.
"Not really, but you've gained weight." He said while opening the door for me.
"That's normal when you're pregnant, don't mind him." Ace said reassuringly as he placed his hand on the small of my back and we walked to the parking lot.
"I'll go first, I'll tell Dada you'll come later. Oh, btw, how will you go th-"
"I'll drop her there." Ace butted in while starting the engine. We're now sitting in the car and Zane is standing just next to the car.
"Mind to bring some food too..."
"Get off, we need to go now." I said, making him chuckle. He takes a step back and Ace gives him a nod before driving out of the parking lot.
****
"What time do you want to go to your Dada?" He asked as he wiped his mouth with the tissue while looking at his watch.
As far as I remember, His lunch usually ends at 2 pm. As I look at my watch, it's already 1:44.
"You have work, maybe you should go back now, I'll just take a cab." I shovel a spoonful of ice cream as I again eat some salad.
"I'll wait for you, You wouldn't take too lo-" he halted on his words when the waiter with the cheese double patty burger, 2 slices of cakes, large fries, lasagna and tacos. "Uhmm- You ordered that too?" He looks at me weirdly while pointing at the lasagna that's already in front of me.
"Uh-uh, have some '' I brought my spoon with lasagna in front of him but he just looked at it. When he didn't eat it and just looked at me weirdly, that weird pregnancy gene suddenly ran in my head making me feel that maybe he doesn't want it, making me somehow sad.
Fuck this mood swing.
My lips pouted a little as I brought the spoon back to me and just it myself. "You should go back now, I can manage myself."
Him, knowing exactly what's happening to me, chuckled and brought his thumb to my lips, wiping the sauce and putting it in his mouth, tasting it. "You're cute when you pout, but it's tempting me to kiss you here."
"I wonder how many girls have already heard that-" I look at him with realization. "I forgot, sorry."
"No need to say sorry with small things. Just enjoy food."
"Do you know, when I was back in Uniondale, Matt once told me that he was a lawyer, but now he's just staying there taking care of his Mom."
"Was? He was a lawyer?"
"Uh-huh, he used to help me review but that's not what I'm trying to say. I just wanna know if you can somehow help him get his license back. I just kinda feel sorry for him."
"You got too close with him, didn't you?"
"No, it's because he told me that he got a powerful client competitor, and they took revenge on him because he won the case. Don't you think it's unfair that they did that just because they were angry at him? And he can't fight them because he has no money, he has no chance of winning against whoever that is."
"Honey, Don't mind his business, whatever happened to him, it's because of him too. I prefer you not to think of anything that will make you stressed."
"Just tell me if you can't help him or you don't want to help him." I drop my fork on my plate and look at him.
"Madi, if I can help him, I will. But we can't interfere with his business, he didn't even mind losing it to them so why would it bother you?"
"Ace-"
"No, just eat your meal so we can go to your Dada now." He took my spoon and fed me again to shut me up. "What do you want to drink? Iced Tea?"
I know he's just changing the topic but I do really feel thirsty, "Yes, please."
"Wait here, I'll go get it for you." He stood from his seat and went to have my drink.
Ever since I got back home last night, I always feel needy. Not the needy one for sex but for his presence. I just realized that I've been longing for him in the last 4 months. I'm just telling myself that I don't miss him but I miss everything about him. His smell, his eyes, his embrace especially his lips.
But I don't really feel the need to kiss him because I'll just feel horny if I did. I know it because last night, when I was watching him sleep, I felt it.
Knowing the truth brought such a relief in me, relief that I hadn't felt for 4 months.
Ace
When we got to Richard's house, Madison was so excited but before she even told him the news about our son, he already scolded her for running away. Though we all know he's just scared for her. In the end, he still hugged her.
I called Lisa in the office and told her to cancel all of my meetings because I don't want to go back. I'll stay with her.
While Zane is with Madison at the garden, I walk in Richard's office and notice the picture on the wall. He said he's looking for something so he came here.
"Wasn't Madison cute when she was still a kid?" He said full of admiration in his voice.
"That's her parents?"
"Yeah, they died when she was 9. Depression." He said, making me look at him confused. As he noticed it, he chuckled and continued. "They suicide. And her Mom had a drug overdose."
Something's wrong here.
Madison said her parents died because someone murdered them. She was there.
One of them wasn't telling the truth. Or maybe hiding the truth.
My eyes narrowed as I looked at the picture of her parents. She looks like her mother, except for her eyes. She got her eyes from her Dad.
"Her Mom was an addict?"
"She was, That's why I don't understand why my son chose her. She was a slut, giving her body to everyone. I know she was only with them because of his money and I warned him. If he just listened to me then he would have been alive by now." Disappointment rose in his voice as he got up from his seat.
"If her Mom was drug overdose, what happened to their father?"
"Suicide too, when she died, he also became depressed, chose to be dumb and follow his wife. What a tragic love story it is." He makes it sounds like he's all sympathy but I know there's something wrong.
A knock was heard from the door and it opened revealing her. She peeked her head first before chuckling and went inside, beside me.
"When is Liam coming here?" She asked Richard as she held her tummy before looking around the room.
"He was about to come here, but I guess something happened. His flight got moved next month."
"So he won't be here on my birthday? Again." She lets out a sigh before rolling her eyes. "Nevermind, Let's go to my room, I want to sleep." She wraps her arms around mine and slowly drags me.
"Please excuse us." I apologized to her Dada as we went to her room.
As I closed the door, I turned to her only to see her already sitting on the bed with her phone in her hands.
"I thought you're going to sleep?"
She gave me a sweet chuckle before putting her phone down on the nightstand, "Come here." She tapped the space next to her.
It's just afternoon and she already wants to sleep.
"How did your parents die again?" I asked her as she lay on her bed. I sat next to her and just leaned my back on the headboard.
"I thought you're listening to me when I told you that."
"No- I know- I mean, you were there when it happened right? When they were murdered."
"Ace, do we really need to talk about that right now?" I can hear from her tone that she doesn't want to talk about it.
"No, we don't- go on, get some sleep." I finally lay beside her and she wrapped her arms on my waist cuddling me.
"Let's talk about it some other time, I'm just really tired now, hmm?" She cupped my cheeks and pecked my lips before snuggling in my arms.
I'm really curious though. Why do the two of them have different stories? I'm not doubting my wife and as she said she was there when it happened, and I'll definitely believe her more than Richard.
As I looked at her, her eyes were already closed while her hands on my waist, her baby bump in between us. Putting my hands on her tummy, I close my eyes and try to feel our baby.
"I can't wait to see him." I know she wanted to sleep but I want to say it.
"Hmmm" she just hummed and I noticed her lips tipping up as she pecked my chin.
"I hope he gets your eyes. I'll never get tired looking into them."
She just smiled again and pecked my chin. She looks like she really wants to sleep now which made me chuckle. "Okay, sleep now, I'll order you something to eat later after you wake up." I kiss her forehead before embracing her.
As we're about to fall asleep, Zane suddenly barges into the room. Though she didn't look at him, she flinched.
"Don't you know how to knock?" I give him a death glare as he walks to us.
"Sorry for disturbing your beauty rest but I really n3ed to talk to you Ace... It's an emergency..."