Mending (4 page)

"Camille, I'm running late. My car is in some sort of traffic, but I'll meet you soon." An unfamiliar voice crackled through the phone.

"Camille?" Stella's eyebrows raised.

"What?" Millie asked defiantly. "Adults call me Camille, because it’s my name."

"Okay, Camille. I'm having a baby, so I think that solidifies my position as an adult."

"Um, no. Haven't you ever seen Teen Mom?"

"Wait...are you really comparing me to the people on that show?"

"I'm just saying." She laughed and took another sip of her wine. "So, have you talked to Patrick? Asked him to be best man?" Millie didn't look at Stella.

Stella slumped in her chair. "He's not talking to me. Still."

"Why?"

Stella shrugged; she didn't want to get into it with Millie. Millie knew something bad happened between them when Patrick confessed his feelings, but she had no idea what had gone down.

"El?" Millie put her glass down and narrowed her eyes at Stella.

"You know, it’s really rude to drink in front of a pregnant lady? Rude."

"Okay, subject changer, but..."

"Camille!" Millie was interrupted by the tallest, skinniest man that Stella had ever seen. His blond hair was creatively styled, in a sort of swoosh design, and the pink gingham shirt under his light grey suit was expertly pressed. Millie stood up and Stella followed.

"Fred!" Millie clapped her hands together and it took all Stella could not to laugh.

"This must be the difficult client you warned me about," he said and smiled conspiratorially at Millie.

"I'm not difficult,” Stella protested. “I promise. I just have no idea about these things or where to start."

"You know, the pictures of you don't do you justice. You’re much hotter in person." He commented as he shook her hand.

Millie rolled her eyes. Stella looked down at her short beige sweater dress, brown tights, and worn brown riding boots. She had a turquoise scarf loosely draped around her neck and looked like a wreck compared to Millie's crisp navy suit and Fred’s ensemble.

"Thanks," Stella said as she sat back down.

"Okay, so I did some research and I have a ton of great ideas already." Fred sat down and pulled out his iPad, tapping on the screen. A Pinterest board popped up called Stella Murphy Finnegan.

Stella unconsciously rubbed her belly while he was showing her all of his ideas for "her dream wedding." Without this miracle baby, she was pretty sure George would have easily moved on from her. She looked down at the ginormous emerald ring on her finger and thanked God for her baby that gave her George back.

Fred told her where to go for dresses, but other than that, he assured her that he would plan everything. She sighed in relief and as he got up to leave, she jumped up and hugged his neck, which was very unlike her. A little surprised by herself, she giggled.

"Fred, you are a life saver,” she gushed. “Thank you so much. You call and tell me anything you need me to do anytime."

Fred looked at Millie in question; Millie shrugged and giggled. Stella was getting harder and harder to read. Millie was used to the old surly, hard edged Stella, but since Stella had gotten pregnant she cried at least twice a day and was sometimes…nice. It was baffling.

"Okay, team," Fred said and pulled both girls in for a hug before exiting and leaving them in a whirlwind.

"Wow, Millie,” Stella began after Fred was gone. “I think that besides letting me live with you, that’s the greatest thing you've ever done for me."

"Right?" Millie agreed.

"How did you find him?"

"He did the Mt. Vernon wedding."

"Oh," Stella said, nodding. "He's expensive."

"Like, crazy expensive."

"Great," Stella muttered.

"You want to plan it yourself? In two months?"

"No. No, I don't." Stella shook her head. She punched the number that Fred had given her to this boutique in Georgetown for wedding dresses. "Hi, this is Stella Murphy..."

She was interrupted with a very informative person telling her when her appointment was and for how long and how many people could go with her. "Okay" was all Stella could mutter before the woman hung up.

"Well, okay," Stella said to Millie.

"What did they say?"

"My appointment is next Thursday and I can only bring two people. They can use the web camera to send images to others not attending the session."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Can you come? I need to call my mom. She told me she'd disown me if I pick the dress without her."

"Oh, I’ll be there. This ought to be interesting."

Stella waved their server down for the check. "It should be something."

Chapter Four

I Don't See a Penis

Millie parallel parked her car and she, Stella's mother and Stella got out and walked up to an inconspicuous townhome located just off Dupont Circle. Millie buzzed the doorbell. A blonde woman answered the door wearing all black, her hair pulled back in chignon.

"Stella Murphy?" she said, examining Millie.

Millie smiled broadly and stifled a giggle. "No." She stepped aside and let Stella be seen.

"Hi," Stella said, holding her hand out.

"Come in." She ushered the women in quickly.

Stella took a look around and thought Fred must've lost his mind sending her here. It was too frumpy and perfect, she wasn’t either. Then she walked into the townhouse and was open-mouth shocked. Everything in the entire house was white; white walls, couches, flowers, and artwork. "Wow," she whispered.

"That is the normal reaction," the woman in black said. She showed them to a white couch and made them sit. "I'm Charlotte. I'll be showing you your dress today," she said, then promptly turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

"Presumptuous much?" Stella muttered.

"Shhhh," Millie urged.

"What? Do you think the room is bugged?" Stella stage-whispered.

Stella's mother slapped her arm.

Charlotte came back into the room with a rack of four dresses. "Okay, Stella here you go. I know which dress is yours, but I put three more in here for you to think that you have a choice." She smiled tightly.

Stella rolled her eyes and looked at her mother, who was staring at the dresses. They were all gorgeous. Millie had her hand over her mouth. Stella was taken aback by the entire ten minutes being in this bizarre dress store, she couldn’t even come up with something snarky to say.

Charlotte stepped forward and ushered Stella into a room off the back off the main room. "Take your clothes off and I'll get you in this one first."

Stella stepped into the dress and Charlotte clipped the back together. Tears pricked at her eyes and she shook her head, trying to rid herself of her pregnant emotions. This dress took her breath away—that bitch was right, it was hers.

"Oh. My. Shit," she breathed.

"Yes, I believe you're right." Charlotte nodded.

Stella walked out of the room holding her breath. She stood in front of Millie and her mother, her emotions all over the place. She barely held back tears because she actually felt, light and happy, which never happened. All of her dreams of getting married died when Jamie died the first time. Stella had never imagined to feel this…excited and at peace about another wedding.

Millie sniffled. "Oh, El…"

Stella's mother nodded, unable to speak.

"I told you, this one is your dress."

Stella felt like a bride. This entire episode had been so surreal, but with this dress on she felt like things would be alright. It was perfect.

"Stella Murphy!" The nurse called from the door in the perinatologist’s office. She and George stopped talking and followed the nurse through the hall into a room. It was time to find out the gender of the baby and to check all the fingers and toes to make sure everything was good. She'd never understood it when people said they didn't care what they had, that they just wanted a healthy baby. Now that was all she wanted—her baby had to be okay. She honestly didn't know if she'd live through something happening to the little Fucker.

She squeezed George's hand and hopped up on the table.

"Dr. Hicks will be in after I do the initial ultrasound," the technician said, her tone friendly.

Stella couldn't breathe, not about the gender, but about seeing a little person inside her.

George smoothed her hair back and whispered into her ear, "We're okay, he's okay."

Stella laughed. "Why do you think the baby's a boy?" She relaxed as George distracted her while the technician squirted jelly over her bump.

"I don't know. I just feel like he’ll change your entire life."

"He already has," she said, meaning it. She wouldn't have this wonderful man in her life if it hadn't been for this baby; that, she was sure of.

George kissed her knuckles.

The sound of her baby’s heartbeat surrounded her and she could breathe again. Every time she came in, she hoped and prayed her baby would still be alive. She could hear that sound every second of her pregnancy and it wouldn't be enough. All of her thoughts and fears for the past fell away the minute she'd learned she was pregnant; it was like this baby was sent to save her from herself. The only way Stella could get past the ugliness that she was, inside and out, was to make this perfect human and care for him or her like her entire life depended on it.

"You guys want to know my guess?" The technician smiled.

"Guess?"

"Well, can you tell or not?"

"Oh, yes," the technician smiled at them.

"Okay," Stella agreed.

"Your husband is right, it’s a boy."

Dimples were everywhere and George laughed out loud. "Really?"

A boy
. She would have a baby boy.

"Yes, see," she pointed at the screen. "You can see his penis."

"What? Where?" Stella didn't see anything.

"Right there." The nurse pointed at the screen again.

George nodded. "Yes, I see it."

"I'll go get Dr. Hicks."

As soon as the technician left, Stella glared at George, who was doing some sort of macho virility celebration dance. "You so did not see a penis."

"Nope." He grinned, adding crotch thrusting to his dance.

"I knew it.” Stella laughed. “How the hell are you supposed to see a penis on there?"

"I don't care if I see it, just as long as they do." George was slapping his own ass.

The doctor came in, stopping George mid-slap. He confirmed that the baby was healthy and everything was going perfectly. The baby was measuring big, but not abnormally so. George high fived the doctor as he was exiting the room as abruptly as he’d come in.

The nurse came back in and made sure Stella had the pictures from the ultra sound, complete with little captions of where the baby’s penis was, because Stella kept telling the nurse she couldn’t see it. Stella was cleaning off all the jelly from her stomach, George began looking through the things on the ultrasound cart as soon as the nurse left.

"What are you doing?" Stella asked.

"I'm getting some of that lube. They totally have enough and we're paying like $700 for fifteen minutes of that guy’s time. I'm stealing some."

"You're stupid. I don’t think it’s that kind of lube." Stella laughed, but George threw five tubes of lube in her bag anyway.

He smiled and pulled her up off the table. "El, you're going to have my baby."

Chapter Five

We Didn't Give Up

She, George, Millie, Fred and Billy were sitting in the posh plane that Jesse had sent to DC for them. His "wedding present" was flying everyone down and the best part of it was sitting at her feet. Cooper was clawing into the carpet on the plane as they traveled to Key West. Stella bent over and rubbed her hand along Cooper’s back over and over. Ever since she'd gotten pregnant, he'd been overly protective. She guessed it was true what that say about animals being able to sense things.

George leaned into her and kissed her cheek. "You good?"

She nodded. The elephant in the room, or plane, was that Patrick was not going to be at their wedding. Stella was trying to understand. She knew he loved her in a way she couldn’t return, but she hoped he would eventually keep his promise. He'd told her at the beach nothing would change, he’d whispered it in her ear. He’d sung it into her heart before they had sex and he lied, again. Everything changed, but she had hope that her person would come back.

Millie, Fred and Billy talked in hushed voices at another section of couches in the plane. Billy laughed at something Fred said and tipped back a Bloody Mary. Stella wished she could have a glass of wine, or an entire bottle.

They were getting married Saturday and tomorrow they were having a dinner for everyone at The Raw Bar in Key West. Her parents, some of her extended family and Jesse were all heading to Key West today as well. They'd planned around the possibility of Jesse going to the Super Bowl in the beginning of February, so they’d planned it at the end of the month. She was happy he was on board with the marriage.