House on a Hill

Anita stared at the setting sun while a million thoughts swirled through her mind. He was her fiance` so telling him was inevitable. Sugizo may of been a musician but he wasn`t stupid. Far from it actually. He`d notice when her belly started to grow. But would he leave her? Even after everything they`ve been through? He already had one daughter. And she was an adult now. Why would he want to raise another child in his forties? Perhaps J was right in his teasing of "no glove, no love". She winced at that thought.

"Here you go, my love."

Anita looked up to see the man in question offering her a glass of wine. She slowly took it with a weak smile and he carefully climbed into the hammock behind her. Sugizo had convinced her to spend the rest of the day with him when he had come home from rehearsal and found her still in bed at three in the afternoon. So after a long warm bath together and a very late brunch in the backyard, the pair sat almost at the end of their property, watching the sunset in a hammock strung up between two big oak trees.

Sugizo let out a happy sigh as the sweet and bitter drink rushed through his senses. He glanced down at his fiance` and smiled. Buying another house in America was the best thing he ever did. Well, second best. The best thing he did was walk into that little coffee shop. If it wasn`t for either of those decisions he wouldnt of met Anita.

"You seem happy," Anita commented.

"And you don`t," He murmured. He glanced down at the full wine glass in her hands and sighed. She had done nothing but stare at it. "You don`t want?"

"I can`t," She whispered.

"And why not?" He inquired teasingly as he gently took her glass and carefully sat it on the ground beside them along with his own.

Better late then never, Anita thought as she took a deep breath. "I`m pregnant." She took another deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut when she was met with silence. "I...I know it..it probably doesn`t suit your plans. Raising another child probably isn`t how you imagined spending your forties. But um..." She trailed off with a sigh.

"Anita," Sugizo breathed. "What is going through that young mind of yours?"

She sat up straight and her frown deepened. He never called her young or mentioned the ten year age difference between them unless something was wrong. "What...what do you mean?"

"If I was not sitting I would be jumping for joy," Sugizo answered with a soft chuckle. "I thought you knew of my fondness for children."

Anita let out a sigh of relief and sagged against his chest. "You aren`t mad?"

He snorted, "Why would I be? No, raising a child so late in my life was not part of the plan. But neither was meeting you. And look how happy we are together."

"So you`re really happy?"

"Ecstatic."

"Good, good. But um...you do realize we`re going to have to reset the wedding date or I won`t be fitting into my dress.

Sugizo laughed and nodded. "I`ll be sure to tell Yoshiki in the morning."