I laughed. “You got it. I’ll run to the store.”
“Thank you.”
I got her comfortable on the living room couch with blankets, and I set up a romantic comedy for her to watch.
“Call me if you need anything else from the store,” I told her, giving her a forehead kiss.
“Thank you.”
“Always.” I began to walk away, and Stella peeked over the edge of the couch and called out my name. “Yes?”
“Maybe some tacos, too?”
“You got it.”
“Okay, thank you.” She slipped back down on the couch, then popped up again. “Oh, and Damian?”
“Yes?”
“I’m so grateful for you.”
I didn’t know if grown men could get butterflies, but if we could, they showed up every time she gave me any kind of compliments or words of affirmation. “I’ll be right back.”
When I returned home, I was shocked to see Jeff’s car parked outside of our house. The front door was wide open and alarm hit me instantly as I rushed into the house at the sound of him shouting.
“You’re drunk, Jeff,” Stella said shakily as she stood in the foyer, backed up against the staircase.
“What’s going on?” I asked, shooting my stare toward Jeff, who was clearly blasted out of his mind. He was standing in front of Stella, looking insane. Within seconds, I stepped between the two of them and tossed him to the side. He stumbled backward, wasted out of his mind.
“Screw you, dude. I’m here talking about my child with Stella. This has nothing to do with you,” he slurred.
“It does when you get in her face.”
“I’m not here for drama.” He shrugged, reminding me of the person he was when I first met him all those months prior. “All I’m saying is, I deserve a chunk of Stella’s money if she’s going to have this baby. The kid deserves the same quality of life when they stay with me.”
“There’s no way the baby is going to stay with you if you’re this drunk, Jeff. You need help,” Stella calmly stated even though I could see the fear in her eyes.
“Fuck off, Stella. This kid is mine, too.”
“I know, and we can work with lawyers to—”
“Screw your lawyers!” he shouted. “You think you get a right to tell me what I can do with my kid? You already took my last one away when you killed it, and now you’re trying to keep this one from me. Damn, Stella! After everything I did for you! I took out those loans for us. I borrowed all of this money for our future, and now you’re trying to start a new life with this dickhead with my kid!”
“That’s not it at all, Jeff. You’re not thinking clearly,” Stella said, still trying to talk sense to his nonsense.
“You’re not better than me, Stella,” he told her.
She frowned. “That’s not what this is, Jeff. Listen, maybe you should rest and sober up a bit. I can get you water—” As she started for the kitchen, Jeff lunged toward her as if he was going to grab her. Before he could, I reacted without thought and slammed my fist into his face. He hit the ground and was knocked out.
“Oh, my goodness!” Stella gasped with tears in her eyes.
“Shit,” I muttered. I shook my head, staring down at Jeff. “I’m sorry, Stella. I just thought he was going to hurt you, and I reacted…”
“It’s fine. Maybe we can put him in the back room for him to sober up. I didn’t want him to drive in that state anyway.”
She was so caring even to those who didn’t deserve her gentleness.
I carried Jeff to a back room and tossed him into the bed. He began to snore, which was a good enough sign of life for me.
When I headed back to the living room to check on Stella, she was standing, filled with nerves as her hands moved up and down her forearms.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“What Jeff said about my previous pregnancy… I mean, I know you probably have all these thoughts about me and whatnot. But let me—”
“Stella—”
She held up a hand. “Wait. Please, let me explain myself. Jeff has wanted me to get pregnant for years. I’ve had trouble carrying to term and I have suffered many miscarriages. With my last one, there were clear signs of complications, and terminating the pregnancy was the best option. It still eats at me to this day, but I truly do believe I made the best choice I could at that time. I know you probably think the worst of me, but…” She stuttered over her words as her body began to shake.
I walked over to her and took her hands in mine to calm her nerves. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I made the choice to do it and—”
“No. I mean, I’m sorry I gave you the impression that you’d ever have to explain your life choices to me. Whatever you did, you did it because you made a choice, which was yours to make. I would never judge you for that. I would never judge you for anything you’ve ever done, and I am sorry that you thought I would. I’m sorry you believed I was a man who would do that to you. Stella, you could do no wrong in my mind. I will do better in making that clear to you. I will be better for you.”