Booze, Boys, and Buses

“Okay, just tell us what it is, we have a home emergency.” I said, starting to get up.

The doctor handed me some photos from the ultra sound and smiled at me. “It’s a boy.”

“Oh thank you!” I clenched my hands together and looked at the sky.

“Alright babe, we gotta go so I can kill Jimmy and the rest of the idiots that we let do this.” He said, placing a hand on the small of my back.

“The idiots that we let do this? Matt, you’re the one that said, ‘the guys can do it.’!” I shouted, storming up to the receptionist. “I need to schedule a follow up appointment.”

“Okay, how does June eighteenth sound?” She asked, already writing it in her book.

“I guess fine.” I said, holding my hand out as she handed me a card.

I sat down in the car and Matt got into the seat next to mine. He sighed when he sat down.

“We’re not even stopping at your parent’s house, we’ll get Max later. I’m not going to let him see me kill Jimmy. Fucking a! He’s such an idiot!” I shouted, kicking the dashboard.’

“Honey relax, you’re going to break my fucking car.” Matt said, resting his hand on my leg.

“Matt! I’m even more pissed off at you! If you had listened to me in the first place, none of this would have happened! I told you we should have hired a fucking exterminator!” I yelled, crossing my arms and staring out the window.

“Cass…”

“Matt just shut the fuck up and drive!”

Home

“Jimmy!” I shouted, walking through the door.

I looked to my right and covered my mouth. Around the curtain was all black. The walls around the window were scarred with a charcoal color.

“Oh you fucking asshole! We ask you to do one little fucking thing and you messed it up! What’s with the torch? Why the hell did you need a fucking torch? Why didn’t you just use some poison spray or something?” I was backing him up while I said this. “Someone hand me a torch I’m going to light a fire under this guys ass!”

“Cass, I didn’t mean to!” He shouted, continuing to back up.

“Get the fuck out of my house! You and your stupid ass just get the fuck out of my house!” I yelled, pointing to the door.

He didn’t hesitate to run out and drag Liana with him. Kacie put a hand on my shoulder.

“Get out!” I yelled at her, walking to the kitchen.

I don’t know what came over me, but I grabbed the curtains from the dining room and ripped them off of the wall. They fell all around me. Matt was standing in the archway watching me do all this. I began to sob and fell to the floor. Matt helped me up and held me there. This is why I loved him. I could be going completely insane and he would pull me out of it quickly.

“Matt, this house is a disaster now. We’ve got a baby coming in four months Matt. Does September fifteenth make you think that we should possibly keep this house in check?” I asked as he rocked me back and forth.

“Cassie, I know how you feel right now, but I can’t do anything about it. We’ll have someone fix the walls and everything and it will all be okay. Then we’ll call a real exterminator okay?” He asked, pulling me back and looking at me.

I sniffled and nodded, “okay.”

Matt and I had to stay with his parents again for quite a while. I knew this was going to happen. That was the last time I would ever give in to his hazel puppy-dog eyes. That was Rayden’s job; he was the dog in the family. Of course, we didn’t go back home until a month later. With having new paint work done and extermination work, we had to be out of the house during all of it. I still hadn’t spoken to Jimmy since the whole mess, and I didn’t plan on it either. He completely ruined the house as if I don’t already have enough to stress about. He just added to my already seemingly large pile of things to do before the baby.

“Cass, you’re going to have to talk to him at some point.” Kacie said to me from the foot of me and Matt’s bed.

“I don’t have to do shit Kace! I’m not going to go and be nice to him when he nearly ruined my house! What if he’d burned the whole house down? Would I have to be all buddy buddy with him then?” I stood up to go find some clothes to wear.

Kacie, Zack, Matt and I were all going out to eat and then to a club. I pulled a shirt over my head and tried to get it to go over my stomach. No such luck. I’d been wearing Matt’s clothes for quite a while now so it was a surprise to me when my clothes weren’t fitting.

“Now I’m getting fat on top of everything else!” I whined, struggling to stretch the shirt over my growing tummy.

“You’re not getting fat; you just have a baby on the way. I have an idea, let’s go shopping. I need to get some new clothes too. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m getting a little bigger too.” She rubbed her stomach and stood up next to me.

“What do you say?” She asked, putting an arm around me.

“Sure, that sounds great.” I smiled back at her and went back into my drawer to find something decent.

I found a stretchy shirt that fit me fine. The only thing that bothered me was my outie belly-button showing through the shirt. I was never an outie, but the pregnancy turned me into one.

“Matt!” I shouted while Kacie and I made our way down the stairs.

“Hi babe.” He said, kissing me on the top of the head.

“Kacie and I are going shopping, so I’ll be back later. I need some new clothes. Unless you want me showing up to the restaurant wearing your clothes.” I said, kissing him on the lips.

“If I had a say in what you were wearing, I’d say…” He began.

I covered over his mouth. “We all know exactly what you’d say.”

I kissed him again and then Kacie pulled me toward the door. “Bye!” I shouted, waving to him.

Kacie and I both got into my car and I pulled out of the driveway. We decided to just go to Wal-Mart. I know what one would be thinking though. What are wealthy girls doing going to Wal-Mart? Honestly, I didn’t care where I went, clothes are clothes. We showed up in no time at all and then went inside. Kacie dragged me right over to the maternity section.

Matt’s POV

“So Zack, what have you been up to these days?” I asked, patting Rayden on the head.

“What do you think? I have a kid on the way. I’m nervous as hell. I can’t imagine how you feel right now man.” He said, shaking his head.

“Well, I’m nervous too, but excited as well. I’m going to have a son. I’m so excited.” I grinned from ear to ear.

“Well, Max is your son too you know.” He said, looking at the child sleeping on the couch.

“I know, but you know what I mean.” I said, now feeling guilty about excluding Max.

“Yeah I know, but don’t you ever let Max hear you say something like that. You need to treat them equally or there’s going to be some issues. Not only with him, but with you and Cass too.” He pointed out, nodding.

“Thank you mother for tips on parenting. You were going to skip out on your girl just two months ago and now you’re giving me tips? I get it.” There was an awkward silence between us. “So what are the names you guys have picked out?”

“Well, for a girl we’ve decided on Tevan, and for a boy we were thinking Vann.” He said, getting into the fridge. “Mind if I have a beer?”

“No go ahead. Tevan and Vann?” I raised my eyebrow.

“Yeah, why not?” He cracked it open and started chugging.

“Nothing, they sound great. They just both end in van.” I pointed out, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a beer as well.

“So what? Who decided that Travis was so great?”

“Cass did, because that was her father’s name.” Another silence passed between us.

“Oh. Sorry.” He said, finishing his beer.

“I just wouldn’t talk about it in front of her. It doesn’t bother me any.” I shrugged and took a sip of mine. I wasn’t in the mood to get drunk tonight.

“Do you think I’ll be a good father?” Zack tossed the can into the recycling can we had under the sink.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I think you’ll make a great father.”

Cassandra’s POV

I finished my shopping, as did Kacie, and we both were heading home. It didn’t take long to get there. I could hear Rayden barking inside already. He was a loud little dog.

“We’re home!” I exclaimed, walking in through the door.

I patted Rayden on the head so he would calm down and then walked over to the couch. I kissed the now waking Max on the head and set all my bags down on the floor.

“Hi girls.” Matt said, walking over to the bags. “Get anything good?”

“Yes.” I said, picking up one bag in particular. “I’m saving this one for later.”

I ran upstairs and tossed it in the guest bedroom and then ran back down. Matt pulled me into a big hug. I knew he was excited about what I got.

“So what does it look like? Red, black? Is it blue?” He asked, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

“You get to see it later.” I said, shoving him.

Matt helped me bring all of my clothes upstairs and get them put away. I picked out something to wear that night and put it on.

“Did Kacie tell you what she wanted for baby names?” Matt asked while I was putting on some nylons.

“Yeah, I think they’re such cute names, don’t you?” I asked, smiling at him.

He nodded unsurely. I scrunched my brow at him. “You don’t like them do you?”

“I think they’re okay.” He said shrugging. “They just both have van in them. It’s kinda weird, but it’s their baby.”

“You’re right, it is their baby, so don’t you ruin it for them.” I scolded, pulling a stretchy dress over my head.

There was really no way to make a dress look flattering on a pregnant woman, but this was going to have to do.

“You look beautiful honey.” Matt said, putting an arm around my waist.

“Why thank you.” I said as we walked out of the room and down the stairs. “Did Leana say she would baby sit?”

“Well, Leana was going out with some friends, but Jimmy was available.”

Just as he said that, Jimmy’s tall figure walked through the door. My heart fell from my chest and dropped into my feet. He had seriously called Jimmy to babysit my kid.

“Oh no. No, no, no, no. Jimmy is not babysitting Max. Not now, not ever!” I exclaimed, walking into the kitchen.

“What are you doing? Cassie, it’ll be fine!” Matt shouted after me.

“I’m calling someone else to come and babysit him. I refuse to have Jimmy babysit my kid.” I started to dial Johnny’s number.

Matt took the phone from me and slammed it on to the receiver. “You’re not calling Johnny.”

“Yes I am Matthew! He nearly burned down the house and now you want to trust him with our child?” I asked, opening my mouth in awe.

“Yes I do want to trust him. If we don’t let him do it now, how will we ever know that he can be trusted?” Matt made a valid point.

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t give in to you.” I pressed my face into his chest and took in his sweet scent.

“I’m telling you, it’s my good looks and charm.” He gave me a big toothy grin.

“Jerk, I wish it wasn’t for that or I would have no problem telling you to shut the fuck up.” I laughed and walked back into the living room.

“Cassie I’m so sorry about what happened before.” He said looking genuinely apologetic.

"Yeah well, we'll see how sorry you are tonight when I trust you with my child. I swear to God Jimmy, if anything happens to this boy, you're not going to be having any children yourself. Do you hear me?" I asked, sticking my index finger right in his face.

He held up his hands in defense. "Okay I won't let anything happen to him."

I gave him one last glare before huffing out into the warm California air. The night was dark, and it felt like almost forever before we arrived to the restaurant. Matt and I sat next to each other on one side, and Kacie and Zack on the other. We ordered our food and then sat quietly. At least until I broke the silence.

"So Kacie, what are you and Zack going to do tonight?" I asked, biting my lip seductively.

"Well, certainly not what you and Matt are doing. I think our Mr. Vengeance is going to be too done in for that. Besides, I'm way too tired to do anything." Kacie said, letting out a sigh.

"Oh I hear ya, I was so tired right around that time. Well, I'm still tired, but not as much as I was around three months." I took a sip of my water and saw Matt smile at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Man, can you even believe that in three months we're going to be parents?" Matt asked, stroking my unoccupied hand.

"Can you believe that in three months, I'm going to be an auntie!" Kacie clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Now now guys. Let's not rush things. I'd rather not be pushing this kid out too soon." I rubbed my stomach.

I'd always heard that the taller your man is, the bigger the baby. I never knew how true that was until now. It was becoming almost difficult to walk at this point. I suppose I'd be taking it easy between now and giving birth. August nineteenth was my due date, and I was so not even close to ready for it.

"Do you think that you could drop me off at home before you guys go to the bar?" I asked as our food was placed in front of us.

"Yeah of course." Matt picked his knife up off the table. "Are you sick or something?"

"No, I just thought about how irresponsible I would look being pregnant and going to a club is all. Kacie, you're not very far along yet, so it wouldn't matter. I'm huge now though. It would look a little awkward and I'm pretty sure I would get boring." I shrugged and ate some of my spaghetti.

"Okay, that's absolutely fine." Zack said, finally speaking up.

"Hey Kace?" Matt said, chewing on steak.

I rolled my eyes at his lack of proper etiquette. "Yeah?"

"Why did you pick both of your kids to have names ending in van?" He asked, cutting up more meat.

I dropped my fork and stared at her for a response. She was at that stage in her pregnancy where it was wrong to ask questions like that. Sometimes it was fatally so.