“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? You’ve been crying,” I said as I wiped her eyes.
“I was on the way home and I heard a song that reminded me of Stephen, that’s all.”
I pulled her into an embrace and rubbed her back softly. “I’m sorry. I know it’s still hard.”
“Thank you,” she said as she pulled back and gave me a kiss. “How was your day?”
“I saw my dad.”
“What? Where?” she asked.
“Come on; I’ll pour us a glass of wine and we’ll talk about it.”
“Umm, no. I don’t want any.”
“Why?” I asked. “You love wine.”
“My stomach has been upset since lunch.”
“Oh. Something you ate?”
“Yeah. I think so.” She smiled.
“Okay, then, I’ll just have some. Anyway, he stopped by the office. When I saw him, I thought about our talk and the things you said. I told him that I didn’t hate him, but I was still angry for what he did. I said it was going to take some time, and I know he doesn’t have a lot of it, but just to be patient with me. As for my mom, she wants to have dinner with us. Just the three of us.”
“Are you okay with that?” she asked.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know. I guess we’ll never know unless we try it, right?”
She gave me a small smile and agreed.
“I got Connor’s property for his art gallery today. He was thrilled when I told him the news.”
“That’s wonderful, Ian.”
“It’s a multi-million dollar deal, sweetheart. Oh, I forgot to tell you. After Daniel and Adalynn’s wedding, we’re taking my dad’s plane and were flying to Walla Walla.”
“Walla what?” she asked.
“Walla Walla, Washington, sweetheart.”
“Oh. Why? What’s there?”
“There’s a company called Nocking Point Wines. As you can tell by the name, they make wine. They’re just starting out and I’m thinking about becoming an investor. From what I’ve heard and seen, they’re going to do very well and I want to be a part of that. Plus, I know how much you love wine. Maybe we can get a bottle named after you.” I winked at her. “It’s about a four-and a-half-hour flight from here, so we’ll get a hotel room and get some sleep before we take the tour.”
“Okay,” she said.
“That’s it? Okay? We’re talking fine wine here, sweetheart. You should be excited!”
“I am excited! I’m just a little tired. Had a long day and then with the crying and everything.”
I cupped her face in my hands. “You know what I was thinking?” I smiled.
“What?”
“I was thinking about taking a month off from work after Adalynn gets back from her honeymoon and taking you on a trip. We could visit a couple of different places. Just me and you, alone for an entire month.”
“That sounds great. I would love that,” she said.
“Consider it done, then. I want you to pick out where you want to go. I’m doing this all for you, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too, Ian,” she said as she hugged me.
Rory went upstairs to take a bath. Something was off with her. She seemed really sad and upset. I thought that taking her on a month-long trip was what we both needed to get away from the bullshit we’d had to deal with lately. First Stephen’s death, her dad, and now my parents. It was all too much to deal with at once. I was really looking forward to spending time with her alone. Just the two of us and no one else.
Chapter 29
Ian and Rory
It was finally Adalynn’s wedding day. I rolled over and found that Ian was still asleep. As I lay there and watched him, I couldn’t stop thinking about our baby. This should have been the happiest moment of my life, but it wasn’t. I should have been able to share the news with him, knowing that he’d be excited, but he wouldn’t be, so I couldn’t. I loved this man so much and I wanted him to be excited about our baby. Ian had grown so much as a boyfriend, lover, and best friend since I met him, and I honestly didn’t know what I would do without him. He opened his eyes and saw me staring at him.
“Good morning, sweetheart. Is something wrong?”
I wanted to tell him that everything was wrong, but I just smiled and said no.
“I was just watching you sleep. You looked so peaceful and sexy.”
He reached out his arms and pulled me on top of him. “Let’s have a good morning fuck.” He smiled. “You can tell that I’m already hard.”
“You’re always hard when you wake up.” I laughed.
“That’s because I spend the entire night dreaming that I’m fucking you.”
I giggled as he tickled me and when he rolled me on my back and hovered over me. “Yes?” he asked.
“Yes.” I smiled.
We ended up making love twice. I didn’t want to get out of bed and, apparently, neither did he because he called Charles and had him bring us up breakfast in bed. I started to feel nauseous and I ran to the bathroom.
“Rory, what’s wrong?”
“Nerves, Ian.”
“You’re throwing up because you’re nervous about the wedding?”
“Yes. I’m very nervous about it.”
I wiped my mouth and climbed back in bed. Ian was eating his omelet. I was trying so hard not to throw up again. He handed me a piece of toast.
“Here, maybe this will make you feel better.”
“Thanks, honey.” I smiled as I took it from his hand. I took tiny bites and managed to keep it down. I got up from the bed and threw on some yoga pants and a t-shirt. I had to meet Adalynn and the other girls at the hair salon for hair and makeup. I leaned over and when I went to kiss Ian goodbye, he pulled back.
“What?”
“Did you brush your teeth?”
“Of course I brushed my teeth. You know what? You’re not getting a kiss. Goodbye, Ian.”
As I went to walk away, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me on the bed. “Get over here and kiss me.” He smiled as his mouth smashed into mine.
“I will see you later at the church.” I smiled.
“See you later, sweetheart.”
Ian
I stood next to Daniel at the altar. The church was filled with people: family, friends, and acquaintances.
“Are you nervous?” I asked him.
“Nah. I can’t wait to make Adalynn my wife.” He smiled.
The minister stepped onto the altar and asked Daniel if he was ready. He nodded and the music started to play. The first girl down the aisle was Rory. My God, did she look gorgeous. I felt myself getting hard just looking at her. Her hair was done in an elegant up-do with cascading curls. She smiled at me when she saw me looking at her. She took her place across from me and I winked at her. We watched as a couple of the other girls walked down the aisle and Adalynn followed behind. I looked at Daniel and he was beaming from ear to ear. Adalynn looked beautiful and so happy. I looked over at Rory as she watched her walk down the aisle. She didn’t look nervous anymore; she looked excited. Her eyes were full of light.
When the ceremony ended and we walked up the aisle, I kissed Rory’s cheek and told her how beautiful she looked.
“You look amazing and incredibly gorgeous.” I smiled.
“So do you in that tuxedo. In fact, I’m incredibly horny right now,” she whispered in my ear.
“Ugh, Rory, stop. Because I’m going to have to take you in the bathroom over there and fuck you right in this church.”
“Down boy.” She smiled.
After taking endless pictures in the courtyard, the bridal party gathered in the limo and we headed to the beach for more pictures before the reception started. When Rory and I were done being photographed, we climbed in the back of my limo and headed to the reception. I opened a bottle of champagne for us and poured some in a glass for Rory.
Rory
Ian handed me the glass of champagne and I didn’t know what to do. I had to think
of something quick. He held up his glass to mine.
“To a beautiful day, a beautiful woman, and the love of my life.”
Oh God, what am I going to do, I thought to myself. I smiled as we clanked our glasses. He took a drink. I didn’t.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you drinking your champagne?” he asked.
Shit. I was going to have to dodge these questions all night. “I haven’t eaten anything. Remember, I wasn’t feeling well this morning? I don’t want to drink and take the chance of becoming tipsy before we even make it to the reception. Once we get there and I eat, then I’ll have a couple of drinks.” I smiled.
“I don’t like you not eating, Rory. It’s not healthy.”
“I’m not doing it on purpose. I just wasn’t feeling well this morning. You know, I was really nervous.”
“Can I kiss you?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes. Why are you asking?”
“Because I don’t want to mess up your pretty lips.”
“Oh, well in that case, you can kiss right here,” I said as I point to the side of my neck.
“Even better.” He smiled.
We arrived at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where the wedding reception was taking place. Our limo was amongst a line of limos at the curb. Ian climbed out first and then took my hand and helped me out. We walked arm in arm into the beautiful hotel and headed straight to the room where the reception was. The décor was beautiful. In fact, the entire room was stunning. This was where everyone’s wedding should be held.
“Wow. This is beautiful,” I said.
“Yeah. It is pretty nice.”
The way Ian said that was almost as if he was saying “Don’t get any ideas.” The wait staff was walking around with trays of appetizers. Ian grabbed a couple and handed them to me.
“Here, sweetheart, eat these. I’m going to go get us a couple of drinks.”
A few moments later, Ian came back with a glass of wine and handed it to me. I brought the glass to my lips and pretended to sip the wine. It went as far as my lips. Ian smiled and then we were interrupted by the announcer announcing that Adalynn and Daniel had arrived. Everyone clapped and cheered as they walked in. Adalynn walked over to me and took me by the arm.
“Excuse us, gentlemen, but I need to talk to Rory for a moment.” She smiled.
We stepped a few feet away so the guys couldn’t hear us.
“What are you doing with that drink?”
“Ian won’t stop pushing alcohol on me and I think he’s getting suspicious.”
“Just play along for now and when you get a chance, dump it somewhere. In fact, give me that glass.”
She drank more than half of it and handed it back to me. “There, now maybe he’ll stop.” She smiled.
We walked back to where they were engaging in conversation and Ian put his arm around me. Adalynn and Daniel went and greeted their guests while we took our place at the bridal table. After an amazing and delicious dinner, it was time for the dances to begin. First Adalynn and Daniel danced and then it was my and Ian’s turn.
“I love dancing with you,” he whispered in my ear.
“And I love dancing with you.” I smiled.
“Are you excited to go to Walla Walla?”
“Yes, I am. I can tell you’re excited too,” I replied.
“I sure am. I think it’s going to be an amazing business opportunity.”
“I bet it will be, honey,” I said.
The dance was over and I was feeling exhausted. I guess that’s what being pregnant does to you. A couple of hours later, Ian looked at his watch and asked me if I was ready to go. We kissed Adalynn and Daniel goodbye and headed to the airport. We were only going to be gone a couple of days because Ian had to get back to watch over Prim while Adalynn was on her honeymoon. We boarded the plane and I lay across Ian’s lap on the couch.
“What a beautiful wedding,” I said.
“I guess. If you get into that sort of thing.”
“What do you mean? It was perfect.”
“Yeah, it was nice, Rory,” he said as he played with a few strands of my hair. “Let’s not talk about the wedding anymore. You look really tired. Why don’t you try and get some sleep?”
I closed my eyes as he lightly rubbed my forehead. How was I going to tell him that we were going to have a baby? He didn’t want kids and he certainly didn’t want anything to do with marriage.
Ian
Our plane finally landed at the Walla Walla Regional Airport. I grabbed our bags and we climbed into the car that was waiting to take us to the hotel. Once we arrived, I set our bags down and we climbed into the king-sized bed to get some sleep before touring Nocking Point Wines in a few hours.
The buzzing alarm had Rory in an uproar.
“Ian, turn that damn thing off!” she exclaimed as she put the pillow over her head.
I reached over and shut it off and then turned back to Rory, who still had the pillow covering her.
“Sweetheart, why are you yelling?”
“Because I’m tired and that alarm was annoying me! Why do we have to set an alarm? Why can’t we just wake up when we want to?”
“Because people are expecting us. They’re waiting for us.”
She threw the pillow at me and got out of bed. “Well, you’re stupid for scheduling this right after Adalynn’s wedding. I’m tired.”
I looked at her and shook my head. I didn’t know where this was coming from. Rory never acted like this. “Sweetheart, calm down.”
“I’m sorry, Ian. I’m just tired,” she said as she stared out the window.
“You’ve been really tired lately. I hate to say this, but I think you may be depressed. I mean with everything that has happened over the past couple of months, it’s understandable. Maybe you should schedule an appointment with Dr. Neil when we get back.”
She walked over to the bed, climbed in, and snuggled against me. “Yeah, maybe I will.”
I kissed her head and told her to go back to sleep while I showered and got dressed. She didn’t have any problem with it as she rolled over and instantly fell asleep.
Chapter 30
Rory
Ian kept handing me little cups of wine to try on our tour. I would take it and, when he wasn’t looking, I’d pour it on the ground.
“What did you think of that one, sweetheart?”
“It was great!” I smiled.
“Really¸ Rory? Because it was very bitter. You didn’t taste it, did you? In fact, have you tasted any of the wine I gave you?”
Shit…shit…shit…What was I going to do? I couldn’t lie to him; he’d know. He was already suspicious.
“No, Ian. I didn’t taste it,” I replied as I walked away. There was nothing but orchards and open fields.
“Why not? You’ve been acting really strange the past few days. At first, I thought it was the wedding. But the wedding’s over and you’re acting crazier than ever. What the fuck is going on with you, Rory?” he yelled.
“Nothing is going on with me. I just don’t want any wine. Is that okay? Is it a sin not to want any? Jesus Christ, Ian, get off my back.”
“Don’t talk to me like that,” he said as he lightly took hold of my arm. Whatever you’re hiding, you better tell me right now.”
“You want me to tell you right here? In front of people? Okay, Ian. I’m pregnant!” I exclaimed as I threw my hands up in the air. He stood there and stared at me. His eyes went dead. “That’s right, you’re going to be a father. We’re having a baby.”
The blank look on his face scared me. “We’ll talk about this later,” he said as he turned away from me.
Why did I feel like this was the end of my life? I knew his reaction wasn’t going to be good, and I hadn’t even experienced his full reaction yet. A few moments later, he walked over to me and told me that we were leaving. I got into the car and he took off like a maniac. He wasn’t saying a word to me about it, so I guessed he was going to wait until we got back to the h
otel room. I was already a nervous wreck as it was and it intensified when we pulled into the hotel. Ian threw the car in park and got out. He just went right into the hotel. He didn’t open the door for me or even wait. Asshole. He was kind enough to hold the elevator doors open until I got in.
“Gee, thanks. You should’ve just gone up without me.”
He shot me a dirty look. He inserted the key card into the door and walked inside. As soon as the door shut, he put his hands on his hips and turned around and looked at me.
“How the fuck did this happen?” he instantly yelled.
“Gee, Ian. I wonder. When two people have sex—”
“Stop being a smart ass. I’m talking about your birth control. Did you just throw it away?”
Now I was angry. How dare he! “I forgot to take a pill here and there since Stephen died. I thought if I doubled up the next day, I’d be safe.”
“Well, you thought wrong, didn’t you? Fuck, Rory, I told you that I don’t want kids, period! How could you not be more careful!” he screamed.
That was it, the gloves were coming off now and I wasn’t holding back. There was no way in hell I was going to let him talk to and treat me that way.
“ME? What about you? You made this baby too. I didn’t do it by myself. I’m sorry that my brother passed away and I’m sorry that you found my father. I’m sorry that I had so much going on in my head that I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown that I didn’t remember my pill every day.”
He turned away from me and looked out the window. “Answer me one question. Did you get pregnant on purpose?”
“Fuck you, Ian,” I said as I grabbed my purse and stormed out the door. His question hurt me more than anything that was said. I couldn’t believe that he thought so little of me that he would think I would get pregnant on purpose. To be honest, a baby was the last thing I wanted right now. The timing was horrible, but it happened and I was dealing with it. I stormed out of the hotel and didn’t know where the fuck I was going. I sat down on a bench just outside the hotel. I pulled my phone from my purse and sent Adalynn a text message.
“He knows and he’s pissed as hell. We got into a huge fight and he accused me of getting pregnant on purpose.”