Chapter 27: Plaid.
"Good morning." I say as I roll over to the other side of the bed.
"Zachary?" I call out when I don't see him.
He's not in here.
I smell fresh coffee and I relax in the bed. Zachary is making coffee. I was scared he left me here alone. He doesn't have practice today, but he has a big game tomorrow.
As for Sabrina, her funeral was held yesterday. Zachary was in attendance, even though her family didn't want him to be there. He said he had to pay his last respects. Stephanie is in jail. She got twenty five years in prison.
And for the first time in a long time, I actually feel like nothing can go wrong. I know this feeling is tricky because as soon as you get comfortable life always shows you why you should always be on your toes.
But the thing is, I've been "on my toes" since High School. Being scared of who I was. Obsessed with being this golden child and failed to realize that whether I was a golden child or not, I'd be loved regardless because I was the only child. There was no one to compare me to.
Wondering if I would ever find love. And when I did find love, it didn't stay. So, I went out searching again and I still didn't find it. In college I realized that the greatest person you can love is yourself. Putting yourself first in every aspect of your life will give you peace of mind.
Or so I thought.
Now, as I am about to bring a baby into this world, I've realized that love isn't about you. It's about how you treat the people around you. It is selfless. And I feel like I finally understand it. When my baby kicks me, I feel it in my soul.
That love.
That unconditional love that we all yearn for is inside of us. Sometimes you physically create it in the form of another human being. Other times you find it when you're not looking for it. But it's there.
Life is pointless if you don't get to go out there and love somebody. Love something. Your futile efforts to do it all alone will fail you when you wake up one day and realize that you spent all your life trying to impress a bunch of fucktards...that you forgot to feel.
"Babe, are you awake?" Zachary asks and I yawn.
"Yeah." I tell him.
"Would you like breakfast in bed or on the table?" He asks me.
"The former." I reply and he nods before he walks out of the room.
This man is everything.
I know you're fed up with my incessant talking, but you have to understand that I have never seen this side of him before.
"Yes, you have." My subconscious quips.
This time it's different.
He's different.
I'm telling you.
"Here you go." Zachary says, placing a tray on my lap.
"Babe." I whine.
"You better finish it." He says and I smile at him.
"Thank you." I tell him and he smiles at me.
I cut into the waffles with my fork and I dip it into the melted white chocolate by the side.
"It's like heaven in my mouth, Zach." I tell him.
"That's what she said." He says, cockily.
"Just shut the fuck up." I tell him and he laughs.
"I'm taking you out today. We're going to the park." He tells me.
"Central Park?" I ask him and he nods.
I haven't been to Central Park in months. I'm always working and when I have time to spare, I just take a nap or binge watch movies on HBO.
"Okay. I'll take a shower when I'm done eating." I tell him and he nods.
"I'm gonna go clean up the kitchen." He says before he leaves the room.
Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I open it and I see a message from Riley. I open it and it's a picture of a positive pregnancy test.
Damn.
The devil works hard, but Tobias' sperm works harder apparently.
I FaceTime her and she answers on the third ring.
"Don't judge me." She says as she answers.
"Why would I?" I ask her, chucking.
"I have a five month old and I'm having another baby." She says feeling guilty.
"It's your fucking body and marriage. Who gives a fuck? You can do whatever you want. Congratulations." I tell her.
"That lingerie set got me pregnant." She says and I laugh.
"You and Tobias need help because if you keep going at this rate. You'll have three kids under three very soon." I say, laughing.
"Where's Tobe anyway." I ask her, eating a strawberry from my plate.
"He's mowing the lawn. I haven't even told him yet." She tells me.
"Aww, you're planning a surprise?" I ask her.
"No, I literally just found out five minutes ago." She tells me, panicking.
"Don't freak out, I'm sure he'll be overjoyed. And if he isn't you can always call me and I'll fly over there and talk some sense into him." I assure her.
"Okay, I think he's coming inside. Wish me luck." She says, crossing her fingers.
"Alright, I'm gonna hang up now. But keep me posted." I tell her before I end the call.
I eat my food in silence as I scroll through Instagram. When I'm done, I leave the tray on the bed and I head into the shower.
***
"We're almost there." Zachary says, leading me in a blindfold.
The last time he had me blindfolded he showed me fireworks that had my face on them.
I step on something hard and I almost trip.
"I'm sorry that was my fault." Zachary says as he guides me. His movements stop and he takes the blindfold off and I'm staring at a rose garden.
"What's this?" I ask him.
"We're gonna have a picnic." He tells me.
"Where? On top the thorns? Because there's nowhere to sit. And I gotta pee." I tell him.
"Here." He says, turning me around.
There's a plaid cloth on the freshly cut grass. A brown basket sits in the middle with a bucket of wine and ice beside it.
"It's just fruit wine of course." He clarifies and I smile at him.
"You did all this?" I ask him.
"Yup. It's literally nothing." He says and I roll my eyes.
"I love it." I tell him before I walk to the set up and sit down. "And it's not nothing."
"I'm glad you like it." He tells me and I smile at him.
I open the basket and I take out a burger. I take a bite without hesitation and I don't regret it. It tastes amazing.
"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Zachary says as he hands me a glass of the fruit wine.
"Oh, I am." I tell him before I wash down the burger with the wine.
"Um...I've been. I wanted to..." Zachary says, struggling to form a sentence.
"What's wrong?" I ask him with my stuffed mouth.
"Even with mayonnaise dripping from your lips, you're still the most beautiful woman on earth." He says before he wipes the mayo off my face.
"You know, I never told you this, but you're the first person I've ever loved. Genuinely." He tells me.
"Likewise." I reply.
"I wanted this moment to be special and not like the other times I asked you to be mine. But being here with you is enough special I need. So, will you be my girlfriend?" He asks and I freeze.
"Yes." I tell him without thinking.
That's the thing with me when I'm with Zachary, I don't think. I just act.
"I love you." Zachary says, kissing my hand.
"I love you too." I say, blushing.
My baby kicks me hard and I let out a scream.
"Are you okay?" Zachary asks me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. The baby just kicked me." I tell him, holding my stomach.
He places his hand on top of mine and he looks at me.
"You guys are what I'm living for now. Don't forget that." He tells me.
I lean into him and plant a kiss on his soft lips. He cups my face with his other hand and we make out in the company of the chirping birds in the afternoon sky.
***
"Your campaign for Pepsi went live this morning. Congratulations, Val." Sarah tells me and I smile at her.
She insisted on visiting me today because she claims that she misses me. But I don't believe her.
"Thank you for getting me this deal." I tell her.
"It's not my doing. They reached out to me and I agreed on your behalf." She tells me, shrugging.
"This campaign is the reason Zachary and I are together right now." I point out.
"Isn't that a good thing?" She asks me, popping a stick of Extra gum in her mouth.
"I mean, it is. But I'm still kinda sad that Sabrina's dead. I feel like it's my fault." I tell her.
"No one thinks it's your fault. Everyone's blaming Zachary for having crazy ex-girlfriends." She tells me.
"That doesn't make me feel better though." I tell her.
"So, you'd rather be in that grave and have Sabrina and Zachary together?" She asks me and I shake my head.
"So, what are you going on about? And the police said that Stephanie wanted to kill you first. She broke into your apartment, but luckily you were at Zachary's house. So, she went after Sabrina and took her out." She tells me.
"I guess you're right. I still feel like Sabrina deserved better." I tell her.
"That's because you're an empath. For the cold blooded business tycoon the New York Times paints you out to be, you actually have feelings." Sarah says and I shove her.
"For the first time in a long time, my life is actually drama free and I feel like nothing can go wrong." I tell her.
"And nothing is going to go wrong." She says, staring at me.
"I'm thinking of selling this house." I tell her.
"Why?" She asks, popping the gum in her mouth.
"I'm moving in with Zachary." I tell her.
"Wow. That was not the answer I was expecting." She says, chuckling.
"What? I'm in love. Let me live." I say, laughing.
"Hey, it's your life." Sarah says, raising her hands in fake surrender. "Do you want me to list it on Zillow?" She asks.
"Yeah." I tell her, standing up from the sofa. "Would you like a drink?" I ask her as I walk to the kitchen.
"I want a whole meal. I'm coming with you." She says, I hear her footsteps behind me.
"You can barely walk straight. That baby is whooping your ass. You remind me of myself when I was pregnant with Bethany." She says, teasing me.
"Considering the fact that this baby is resting on my spine, I'm lucky to even be walking at all." I tell her and she laughs.
"I have some ceviche. Is that okay?" I ask her and she nods. I dish out the ceviche and I add a side of tortilla chips. I hand her the plate and she thanks me.
"Damn, you should have your own cooking show because this is bussin'." She says and I let out a loud laugh.