“It’s high.” The doctor took a seat on the stool opposite from the two of them. She levelled a look at Margot that made Eddie feel immediately confirmed in his worry. “Much higher than I’d like it to be.”
“Oh.” Margot’s eyebrows drew together in bewilderment. “That’s strange. I’ve really been trying to take it easy recently.”
You’ve been working even longer and harder hours than usual at the firm, Eddie corrected her privately, but he had the presence of mind to keep his thoughts to himself for the moment. He could discuss his concerns with Margot once they were alone.
“Wonderful,” the doctor said. “I would advise you to step up your efforts even more. I’ll have my nurse leave you with a list of activities you might consider pursuing – and staying away from.” She rose to finish typing in one last note. “Overall I’m encouraged by our checkup, Miss Daley. The baby is healthy. That being said, do be sure to take steps to monitor your pressure and destress your life even more. I look forward to seeing you a few weeks from now.”
“Understood,” Margot cut in before Eddie could comment. She pulled her shirt down and maneuvered herself toward his side of the table; he was on his feet in an instant with a free hand to cradle her elbow, the other her waist. She slipped down to the floor and smiled up at him. “Ready to go?” she beamed.
Once they had collected their sonograms and confirmed the details of Margot’s next appointment, they reconvened on the sidewalk outside of the clinic. They looked at one another.
“Wow,” Margot said.
“Wow,” Eddie agreed. “Is it just me, or is it all so…?”
“So much more real now?” she offered.
“I’m glad to hear you say it,” he replied seriously. “Margot, I think we really need to take the doctor’s instructions to heart. You’re pushing yourself too hard, the same way you always have. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for the baby.”
Margot waved him off. “I’ll be fine, Eddie. Really. I’m going with the flow of things, and that’s exactly what the doctor prescribed. In fact, I bet my blood pressure is better than usual since I stopped worrying about what the future holds.” She smiled, and Eddie couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her hair. He had never looked at Margot as someone who was fragile before, but now he couldn’t help it. It was like carrying his baby had reframed her, somehow, into someone more precious and breakable than he could have ever imagined the old Margot Daley being.
“I admire your new lease on life, Margot, especially after everything that’s happened to us these past few months. Please don’t think that I don’t,” he said. “But what if ‘going with the flow’ isn’t enough? We have to plan these things out.”
“Plan for the worst, you mean,” she said. She drew back a little from his touch. “You don’t think I can take care of myself on my own. Is that it?”
Eddie shook his head in exasperation. “That’s not it. That’s not it at all!” He wanted to shout his denial to the rooftops, but shouting was probably the last thing he needed to be doing right now. If Margot was going to accept her environment as it was, then Eddie was going to do his best to control for anything that might go wrong. Whether she knew it or not, he was going to make certain that she lived in a safe, comfortable bubble for the duration of this pregnancy. It’s what a good man, a responsible man, was meant to do. And he was certain it’s what her father would want to see.
Margot's eyes narrowed. "You know, Eddie, this controlling side of you is really starting to wear on me. It's like the moment I got pregnant you got it into your head that I'm completely helpless without you. I'm not. And I resent being treated like a child when I'm expecting a child of my own."
Margot might as well have pulled a whip out of her purse and administered thirty lashes, right then and there. Eddie actually felt the blood drain out of his face, as if it was rushing to some other part of his body that required attention… or as if it just didn't feel like sticking around to witness his humiliation.
For a moment, Margot looked as if she wanted to add something else. Eddie leaned forward, hoping for an opening to ingratiate himself once more—but she whirled on her heel and stalked down the sidewalk to hail a car. He didn't follow. After hearing her words, he knew better than to attempt to try. Margot wanted to be heard, not reconciled with.
As the cab pulled away, with her in it, Eddie was left standing on the curb alone to contemplate his options. He felt like he was constantly navigating a maze these days, coming up against wall after wall of outside expectations. Margot wanted him to go with the flow, but how could he? This was the test that had been placed before him, and he had to prove himself now more than ever. It was sink or swim for Eddie Jameson. It was time to finally earn the esteem of those closest to him by any means necessary.
And if that meant stepping in to guide Margot’s flow, then he was prepared to do whatever was necessary to keep them both above water.
Chapter Nine
Margot
Margot never thought she'd say it, but she had liked "new Eddie" better when they were actually planning the wedding together. What had once seemed like a scary series of meetings to plan her future now seemed lighthearted, even fun, compared to the excessive worrying he spent all his time doing now.
"I swear, if he asks me about my blood pressure one more time…" she muttered to herself as she approached the door to his new apartment. Then again, maybe she wasn't just talking to herself. She touched her stomach, feeling as she so often did for the growing bump and the baby that lay beneath. She had mostly maintained her figure so far—probably owing to the fact that she could only keep down half of the food she ate anymore. Only her boobs seemed to have gotten significantly larger, and Margot wasn't complaining on that front. She was filling out her T-shirts and dresses in a way her slender frame had never allowed her to do before, and she could tell from the appreciative glances she was getting on the street that she looked good.
But there was only one pair of eyes she wanted looking at her that way. And it was the thought of seeing them again that kept drawing her back in. All it had taken was a text of invitation from Eddie to get her out the door. She could endure his poking and prodding, she decided, if he would just keep looking at her like he had in recent days.
It was a beautiful evening in New York; warm, almost muggy. She thought she had arrived at the right address in the complex, but checked her texts from Eddie to be sure. She had only ever visited him at his brownstone before. When she was satisfied that she had the right place—and after checking her lipstick off the reflection in her phone—Margot breathed in a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Eddie pulled it open almost as soon as she had retracted her fist. Margot blinked rapidly in surprise. He looked...not at all how she had expected him to look. His auburn hair was damp and slicked-back, and he was wearing a white fluffy robe. Had he really just gotten out of
the shower this late in the evening? Had he forgotten she was coming over? He was the one who had extended the invitation! Maybe some of the old Eddie still existed beneath this new responsible exterior after all. She didn’t know whether to run for the hills or breathe a much-needed sigh of relief.
"How's your blood pressure?" His handsome face hovered so close she thought he would kiss her hello, and was sorely disappointed when he didn’t. “Did you find the place okay? Want to sit down?”
"I'm fine.” Margot brushed past him, keeping her wrists out of the way of his hands. He had made it a habit in recent days of seizing hold of her and checking her pulse against his watch, the way the doctor had taught him, and she didn’t want him to alarm himself needlessly. Her heart always beat too rapidly when he was around. “This new place is amazing! What happened to the brownstone?"
“I'm renting both to test things out. I always wanted a bit more space.” Eddie crossed his arms, something he usually did when he wanted to emphasize his biceps, but the robe made him look like a benevolent wizard. Margot’s eyebrows shot up at his answer, and he gestured for her to continue into the apartment. “Come on! I’ll give you the tour.”