“To my perfect Angel. And to a hopefully perfect partnership. Salut.”
They all chimed in their cheers, in unison. I patted my lap and Angel, who was standing beside my chair, sat down. I passed her my glass and she finished the bourbon that was in it.
The lights went low and they started playing.
My angel and me? We simply watched for a little while until we could slip away and go to bed. It didn’t affect me this time. These people were scumbags but they were gonna get their due. Soon, if I had my way.
We didn’t make love. We just held one another, nude, the sheets over our heads, as if that thin Egyptian cotton shield would shield us from the evil around us.
When I’d asked her name and she gave it instantly, I felt a prickle of fear that she’d have a meltdown. But the looks on their faces told me what I needed to know. They wanted to know she was 100% obedient to me, that yes, their training stuck, but the key part of their training, the part that mattered the most, was that she would obey her master, whoever that master was. That meant that they’d trained her successfully. My asking her name overwrote what they’d taught about keeping the name secret.
This could be good for her road to healing, too.
Tia
“But we can’t wait to have your shower. I’ve already bought like six footie pajamas in all different colors!” Ruby said. We were on the phone.
I giggled. “Don’t they usually have the shower when the mom-to-be is as big as a house?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“So, we’ve got months and months to go. I’m not even showing yet. Well… I had to suck in to button up my jeans this morning.”
The girls had been over-the-moon excited when we’d had our sleepover. Initially they thought we were gonna booze it up, but I’d broken the news and they forgot about cocktails and instead we talked baby names.
I had a platter of baby vegetables. We had baby bottle pop lollipops. No one got the hints so I finally put on
a maternity top I’d bought that had a graphic of an oven with a little happy face bun in it and they finally “ohhhhh’d” in unison and then we did a girlie group hug with laughing and jumping.
Ruby made me call Rose, who was kind of fake-excited. She tried to sound supportive but I’m sure she thought I was too young, that we’d been married too short of a time. She was still being Rose, still being supportive.
The only one who wasn’t 100% supportive was Mia. Little jabs kind of pissed me off and I let her know and she apologized.
Final straw? The selection of pregnancy-themed movies I put out on the coffee table for them to pick from.
“Where’s Rosemary’s Baby?” Mia asked.
Bethany gasped, “Are you comparing this baby’s father to Satan?”
Mia snickered. That was when I lost it a little.
Okay, I lost it a lot.
We cleared the air. It was good.
I was in the kitchen, talking to Ruby on the phone about how my boobs were spilling out of my bra when I heard the distinct sound of paws hitting the tiles. Marley was running for me. He was so excited to see me that he peed.
“For fuck sakes,” Tommy grumbled, coming in behind him.
“Gotta go, Rubes. Call you back. Sorry.” I ended the call.
“Aw, it’s okay,” I said and reached for a paper towel roll, throwing a bunch of squares on the puddle and scooting Marley out the side door to the yard so he would know that peeing needed to happen outside.
I stood in the doorway. He wanted all over me but I encouraged, “Go pee, Mar.”
“That bullshit can’t happen, Tia.” Tommy growled from behind me.
“He’s just a puppy. He’ll learn.”