Dirty Little Secret

I stepped out into the garage where Tate was working on his truck. It was nice seeing him back to where he loved to be, even if it was only go to be for ten days.

"Hey, I'm going to pick up some lunch do you want anything?"

Tate looked up from the engine. "You're wearing that?"

I look down at my outfit, my heels may have been a bit much but I would only be able to wear them for a few more weeks until my feet began to swell up. "I only have a few more weeks of high heel, let me enjoy it."

"Fine, fine. Get me a burger."

"Okay, and just a reminder that we have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow at three."

Tate nodded and I left.

I had taken a liking to a small little restaurant that was located in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't sure how I found it but I was glad I did. I stopped in for their burgers at least three times a week. I knew it wasn't healthy but I craved them.

The guy that the counter and I were on a first name basis now. I smiled kindly at him. "I was wondering when I'd see that pretty face again."

"Keep selling me food Casey and you'll see it more often."

"Have you found out what you're having?" He said asking about the baby.

"I find out at three tomorrow. I'm really excited."

"Is the boyfriend excited?" He smiles.

"Not my boyfriend but yes he's excited too."

"Oh so you're single," Casey smirks.

"Yes," I smile at him.

"Well then there is no reason for you to say no to going out with me tomorrow night."

Just as I was about to say no Melissa's perky face popped up into my head. Since Tate's been home they're talked on the phone twice but skyped almost every night. On a few occasions I had walked in on one of their flirty talks. Melissa always managed to give me an evil glare as Tate turned to talk to me. Once I apologized and left the room I would always hear her say something smart about how I looked or that I should be grateful because if Tate's family didn't take me in, I'd be homeless.

"I'd love to," I smile viciously.

"Can I pick you up at like five? I know pregnant women like to go to bed early so I won't keep you up long."

"How thoughtful."

"One of my many qualities. You'll see," Casey gave me a playful wink as I walked out of the small shop.

**

The technician told me to lift my shirt to expose my pooched out stomach. "Let's see if the baby wants to show us it's goods, shall we?"

I nodded my head and extended my hand for Tate to take. The lady ran the transducer monitor over the lower part of my stomach. Our baby flashed onto the screen. It was beginning to take shape of an actual baby. We were able to clearly see the head apart from the body as well as the legs and arms. What got me the most was the silhouette of the little round nose that was just beginning to form in the middle of the head.

"Let's see if we can get it to move a bit," the technician pushed on my stomach slightly and you can see the baby start to move. Tate clutched my hand tighter. "The baby isn't cooperating the way we want. Let me try again."

The ultrasound technician pushed on different parts of my stomach but the baby was stubborn. With thirty minutes of trying we gave up. I saw the disappointment on Tate's face. This would be the only appointment he would go to until after he gets back from School of Infantry and he would be gone for a total of eight weeks and after that he would only be home for one short weekend before being shipped to a base.

In the car ride home I take Tate's hand. "Let's not find out what the sex of the baby is."

Tate looks at me curiously from behind the wheel of his old truck. "You wanted to know so badly, why the sudden change?"

"I want to find out the same time you do and the only way that will happen is during the birth."

"I'm not even sure if I'll be there for the birth," I look at him with panic in my eyes. "I know, I feel the same way but I don't know where I'll be stationed after school and if it's not the U.S. and even if I was I still might not be able to come back home. It all depends on the commanding officers."

"I didn't think about that, wow. I hope you'll be able to be there but if you can't you have to remember that the baby will still love you."

"I hope," Tate mutters and we pull into the driveway.

**

I didn't have time to change into anything nice before I heard Casey pull into the driveway. I rushed outside hopefully to avoid Tate and him speaking but it was too late. By the time I reached the backyard Tate and Casey were standing by Casey's car. They looked up when they heard the glass door sliding shut.

"You didn't tell me you had a date," Tate said.

"I didn't think I had to."

"No you didn't, I just thought you'd go to bed early because you were upset."

"Why are you upset?" Casey asked.

"We didn't find out the sex of our baby," Tate said, putting emphasis on our.

I looked at the two of them. Tate and Casey looked nothing alike. Casey was shorter; less built and looked nerdy with his glasses and short spiky brown hair. He wasn't my type at all, but then again neither was Tate.

"You ready to go?" I ask Casey quickly.

Casey took me to a nice restaurant and was surprised by the fact I ordered a salad. But it wasn't up to me on what to eat. I ordered whatever I was craving and because greasy tacos weren't on the menu, I settled for what sounded like the next best thing. I drenched each piece of lettuce in Italian dressing before digging in.

"Have you always eaten a lot or is it because you're pregnant?" Casey chuckled.

"I've always ate like a pig. My friends were so grossed out about it because they were the types of girls to eat a fourth of a cracker and a sliver of cheese and call it a day, and I was always smaller than them. They love it now that I'm pregnant because now I can barely button my jeans."

"You still look good."

"So do you always ask pregnant girls out? Is it like some sort of fetish?" I asked half-jokingly, half seriously.

"No fetish, I just found you attractive and I thought I'd give it a shot. When I was in high school, I would never of had a shot with a girl as beautiful as you."

"Were you the nerdy outcast?"

"Oh yeah and my older brother was your ex-boyfriend. The macho football player."

"Tate wasn't a football player. He was actually called the freak of the school. At my high school there was a very certain image to live by and Tate took all of those requirements and shit on them basically."

"So how did you two start dating then, if you two are so different?"

"Opposites attract. He is fire and I'm gasoline. The two don't go together at all but on the occasion that they get together, everything exploded."

"You guys loved each other?"

"Yeah," I say simply, shoving my mouth with another forkful of lettuce.

"Then why did you break up, you two are having a baby?"

"I did something really dumb and the pregnancy happened like two months after the break up."

"Did you cheat?"

"Technically I was cheating throughout the whole relationship but Tate knew about that, but yeah to put it simply."

"If you were given a chance reverse time, would you?"

"Yeah, one hundred times over."

"So why are you here?"

"I need to move on sometime right?"

Both Casey and I knew that this would be the last date between the both of us. When he dropped me off Casey smiled and said something about seeing me at the diner whenever the baby craved a burger. I thanked him for dinner and watched him reverse from Tate's driveway.

Tate was bent over in a chair next to his motorcycle when I peeked my head through the door. He looked up at me; his lips were set in a firm line. I gulped loudly; I could tell that he wasn't happy.

"Your parents still aren't home?"

"No, Hank and my dad were trying to get some company on the phone in Asia the last time I talked to him and there was a car accident so my mom probably won't be home until morning."

"Oh well I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

As I was turning to leave, Tate stood and called after me. "We need to talk."