Chapter Twenty Four

Stephen

~Six months later…~

Life’s been good.

Married life suits us, and we’ve even started house hunting.

We’ve been trying for a baby every chance we get. Trinity’s doctor said our chances should be better now that she’s been off the pill for a while.

Mia’s seven and a half months pregnant, so we’re eager to find a new house. We want to give them some privacy as a new family, and hopefully start our own soon.

The cops are still lurking around. They’re just trying to rattle us.

If they had anything solid, we would’ve been hauled in for questioning by now.

They’re trying to mess with Trinity’s head, thinking I wouldn’t have told her about my past.

They were hoping that would be enough to drive a wedge between us. But they never had anything on me, so it’s all just rumors.

Work’s been good for both of us. My amazing wife is up for an award; real estate agent of the year at the annual Illinois awards, which is next Thursday night.

She’s incredible at what she does, and I’m a proud husband. She took today off, so we’re going to look at more houses, hoping to find our forever home.

Clint and I opened Montague four months ago and it’s been just as popular as Capulet.

We’ve even thought about opening a third club, maybe in another city so we aren’t cannibalizing our own revenue.

I woke up early today. Trinity’s been having trouble sleeping lately, complaining of fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. As much as I love her, there’s only so much sleep deprivation a man can handle.

I let her sleep in while I make some coffee and catch up with Clint if he’s around.

He’s been busy with Montague and preparing for their baby's arrival with Mia, while I’ve been at Capulet, house hunting, and trying to get Trinity pregnant.

I’ve just finished making coffee when I hear Clint come into the kitchen.

“Hey bro, coffee?” I ask.

“Yes mate,” he replies sleepily. “Add some extra shots of espresso, too.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You got a blunt ready or do I need to roll?” he asks.

“I'll fill you in over coffee outside, I don't want Mia to overhear and stress herself out. She only has about six weeks to go so I need her to take it easy,” he explains.

“Got it,” I nod. “There’s one on the counter there, mate.”

I finish making our coffees and head outside with him. He lights up and we share a blunt and coffee.

“So, what’s up?” I ask.

He scratches the back of his neck and takes a big draw on the blunt. “The cops dragged me in the other night.”

“For what?”

“Mike, our old operation, Chad’s whereabouts, where’s the stock in your name…” he sighs. “The usual crap, mate.”

“What else?”

“They asked about Mike and I said ~Mike who?~ They danced around and still wouldn't answer directly. I said, ~Mike and Chad were buddies, right? Ask them where they are, I’m busy with my family right now~.”

“As for the rest, I told them I run a bar and nightclub, I’ve no idea what stock they are referring to. If it’s the club's, then I’m happy for them to come and check the books.”

We share a smile.

“I wonder how long they plan on playing this game before they finally give up and stop dancing around the question they really want to ask,” I ponder.

“Trin had them parked across from her work a few times over the last two months.”

“Yeah?” Clint asks. “And how is she handling that?”

“She’s good now, mate. She’s much stronger than she was at first. Luke said she even walked over to them last week and asked if they needed anything, and offered them tea, coffee, and water.”

Clint laughs. “That’s our girl.”

“How’s Mia doing?” I ask.

“Really good mate, the girls had a blast at the baby shower last week and we were very spoiled. But honestly, I can't wait now.”

“It’s driving me crazy that Mia won't let me find out the sex. I want to know what my child is so I can start spoiling them.”

I smile at my best friend, I get what he’s saying. I’m just excited to see my girl carrying my child.

“How are things with you two?” Clint asks.

“Really good,” I say. “Well…”

“Well, what?”

“We’ve started trying for a family, too. Trinity stopped taking her pill a few months ago, and we had a check-up a few weeks ago and got the all-clear it should be out of her system.”

“The doctor said everything is good with us both and we should have a good chance of conceiving.”

“Congrats, man!” Clint smiles. “I’m thrilled for you both.”

“Thanks, bro.” I notice him smiling to himself and wonder what he's thinking. “What?”

“What?”

“What’s that smile about?”

“Ah,” he says. “I was just thinking how great it would be if our kids grew up together like we did.”

“Yeah, I know, I’ve had the same thoughts, too.”

We had just finished our smoke when Mia came out.

“Woah! Look at you, how's my little niece or nephew treating you?”

“Ugh! I feel like a blimp,” she complains.

“Well, you look perfect,” Clint says.

Mia sits down next to Clint who rubs her belly. I can't help but smile at them. I can't wait to see my wife like that.

I need to wake Trin up soon or we’ll miss the house inspection.

“I’ll be back. I need to wake Trin. We’re checking out another house this morning.”

“Sure thing, mate,” Clint replies. “I’m about to make more coffee. You want another?”

“Please. Make enough for all of us,” I say.

I dash up the stairs to our room and find her still in bed, deep in sleep.

I gently lay across the bed and start kissing her neck. I feel her stirring, and then she starts to make those adorable purring sounds she makes when she’s sleepy.

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

“Mm, go away,” she mumbles sleepily. I kiss up her neck to her chin and jaw as she tries to swat me away. “Leave me alone.”

I can’t help but laugh. I love her grumpy side in the mornings.

She’s usually an early riser, the type to jump out of bed the moment her alarm goes off. But when she doesn’t have to rush, my girl loves her sleep.

“If you laugh at me again, I’ll cut you off,” she threatens, her eyes still closed.

“You threaten me like that again, and I’ll just take you anyway,” I retort with a smirk, sliding my hand up the inside of her thigh.

“Mm, baby, please, just ten more minutes. I have such a headache this morning.”

“You know what’s good for a headache, right?”

“Yes… sleep,” she says. “Now go away.”

I laugh again and roll her onto her side, wrapping my arm around her.

“How about you get up for me, while I go make your coffee and get you some pain relievers? We have to leave in an hour, baby, for the house viewing.”

She strokes my chest softly and snuggles into me more. “I thought you said that was at 11:30 last night?”

“I did. It’s already ten AM.”

“Ugh, really? It feels earlier.”

I put my hand on her forehead to check her temperature. “You okay, babe? You look a bit flushed.”

“I’m just so tired, baby, and this headache is driving me crazy. It's not a bad headache, just a constant dull ache. I do feel a bit warm though, but nothing too bad.”

“Okay, my love, as long as you’re okay. Get up when you can. I’m going to head down and make your coffee and get you some tablets.”

“Thanks, baby,” she says. “I love you.”

I kiss her on the forehead and head out of the room back to the kitchen. I’m just finishing making her coffee when she walks in.

She doesn't look great, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried.

“Baby, do you want to skip the viewing if you aren't feeling well?” I ask.

“I think I’ll be okay after I eat something, babe. I just felt a little dizzy for a moment.”

She grabs a banana from the bowl on the counter and peels it. She takes it and her coffee and heads outside.

“Morning, guys.”

“Hey gorgeous, you okay?” Mia asks.

“I’m just tired today. It’s been a busy few weeks at work, I think I just really needed that sleep.”

We all chat for a while before we head up and get changed to go to the house viewing.

I get ready and head out to the car to warm it up, waiting for my girl to join me.

She’s taking a long time, so I’m about to head back inside to check on her when she walks out. She steps outside and I see her clutch her head again.

I rush over to her and steady her with my arm around her waist.

“Babe, are you sure you’re up for this?” I ask. “You’re worrying me a bit now.”

“I don't know what's wrong, babe. I just feel worn out. Might just be because I finally stopped after being so busy. You know how it is, you’re fine until you stop.”

“Alright then, let's get this over with so I can get you back home to bed.”

***

We make it to the inspection and the house is beautiful, but while we both like it, it doesn't have that wow factor yet.

We’re happy to wait until we find the one that really grabs us. There’s no rush.

***

We get back home, and I make sure my wife heads back to bed to rest. After about an hour, I go up to check on her and she’s fast asleep again.

I know she must be unwell because she’s never the type to waste a day away in bed. I climb onto the bed and turn on the TV in our room, keeping the volume low so as not to disturb her, and put on the hockey game.

If she’s sick, I don’t want to be too far away in case she needs something.

The game ends, and my girl is still fast asleep so I head downstairs to start on dinner.

“Clint, are you and Mia in for dinner tonight?” I call across the house.

“Yeah,” he calls back from the living room.

“Want to just do a barbecue, then? I was going to start getting stuff ready now before I wake Trinity up.”

“Yeah, bro, I’ll help while Mia rests.”

We grab a beer from the fridge and get some salad and meat ready for dinner.

Afterward, we both make calls to ensure everything is sorted at Capulet and Montague for tonight since Saturdays are usually the busiest.

“I'm going to start the coffee then head up and get Trinity,” I tell Clint.

“Yeah, mate, I said I’d wake Mia up if she wasn't up by four-thirty. She won’t sleep tonight properly otherwise, she reckons.”

I head upstairs and kneel next to my girl's side of the bed.

“Darling, wake up. It's late in the afternoon and dinner will be ready soon. I’ve got the coffee on for you too.”

“Mm, I'm sorry, baby,” she says, stretching. “I wasted the whole day sleeping. I feel exhausted.”

“Can you grab a bite to eat for me, then head back to bed?”

“Sure.”

Our evening was quiet, and not long after dinner, Trinity retreated upstairs to sleep.

***

Sunday was pretty much the same. By the time Monday rolled around and she was still feeling wiped out, I asked her to get checked out.

She woke up early and scheduled a doctor's appointment for that day, since she usually has Mondays off.

We got ready and headed to the doctor’s office for her ten-thirty appointment.

Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long before they called us in.

After we explained everything to the doctor, they decided to run some tests.

We also mentioned that we had been trying to conceive. Since fatigue is a common pregnancy symptom, the doctor thought it would be a good idea to do a pregnancy test.

They drew some blood and told us the results would be back in a couple of days. We also took a pregnancy test while we were there.

I waited as she went to the restroom and then brought the test back. Those few minutes felt like an eternity.

When the doctor finally turned the test around, the result was right there in front of us: positive.

Trinity was pregnant!