He Saved Me, Loved Me, Wanted Me

“What are you thinking about?” Brian asked with one hand on the steering wheel, the other stopping all ring twisting motions from my left hand.

“Huh?” I asked absent mindedly, looking up at him.

“I asked what you were thinking about,” he said, looking at me shortly, then back to the road.

“Just… stuff.” I shrugged. “You know, things like names, what he’s going to look like, if you’d still want to marry me if he’s not yours… normal things.”

“What?” Brian pulled over to the shoulder of the highway and parked the car.

“Yeah…”

“Babe,” he said, twisting in his seat so he could face me. His lips pressed on my forehead as I continued to look down at my hands. “Look at me.” I did. “If that baby isn’t mine,” he said, cupping my cheek in one hand while the other lay on my stomach. “I wouldn’t care. I’d still be there for him. Even if he isn’t genetically mine. As for the marriage part, I want you to decide that.”

I weakly smiled at him. “It’s just as much your wedding as mine,” I told him.

“It’s both of ours. It’ll be our big day, kay?” I nodded. “When we get home, I’ll call a wedding planner.”

“Aren’t they a bit expensive?”

Brian shrugged and turned back in his seat, situating his seatbelt. “So? Money isn’t an object in this wedding.”

----

“What are you doing?” Brian asked while laughing, leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed. Hey, I would do the same in his position, seeing a naked girl wrapped in a towel, poking at her boobs. I watched him in my mirror.

“They hurt,” I said, almost like a small child.

“Then why are you poking them?” He walked up behind me, pulling my towel closed.

“Because it feels weird.”

Brian laughed again and put a kiss to my neck. “I called the wedding planner.”

“You did?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Another kiss to my neck. His chin rested on my shoulder. “We have an appointment tomorrow.” I saw him look into the mirror at me.

I smiled. “I’m nervous.”

“Nothing to be nervous about. By the way, Jimmy and Leana are here.”

“Why?”

“Leana wanted to see you.”

“Of course,” I said with a giggle.

“So… as much as I’d hate to see it happen, go ahead and get dressed and I’ll see you down there.”

“Okay.”

Brian pecked me on the lips and left, closing the door behind him. I removed my towel, throwing it in the hamper nearby. I turned to the side and examined my growing bump.

“Hi baby…,” I cooed, gently caressing the visible bump. I sighed happily and walked over to my dresser, getting a bra, a pair of underwear, a pair of sweatpants and one of my light grey tank tops.

After dressing, I walked downstairs. Everyone was sitting in the living room and Leana had her head on Jimmy’s shoulder, as Jimmy and Brian talked music. Leana’s head popped up and looked at me.

“Ana!” she happily screamed and tackled me in a hug.

I laughed. “I just saw you a couple days ago, Leana.”

“I know but I missed you. Your personality is addictive,” she said, stepping back so Jimmy could greet me in a hug also.

“Among other things, right Gates?” Jimmy asked, winking at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leana and I asked at the same time.

“Woah… creepy,” Brian said, almost singing the last word.

“Brian, what’s he mean?” I asked sweetly.

“He’s being Jimmy…,” Brian said. This made me laugh.

“Jimmy, babe,” Leana said, “What’s the alternate meaning to that? Ana’s curious.”

“Oh you know,” Jimmy said with a shrug. “Syn just said Ana’s sex is addictive.”

Leana and I laughed. “Is that so?” I asked.

“Eh. You know…,” Brian said like he was embarrassed. I hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“So how did the doctor’s appointment go today?” Leana asked as I sat down on the extra long couch. Pinkly jumped up into my lap and I started to pet her white fur.

“It went really good,” I told her. She sat next to me and pet Pinkly’s little tiny head also.

“Did you find out what it is?” She looked up me, hope in her eyes to find out.

“Yes,” I said after a tiny laugh to myself.

“And?”

“It’s a boy,” Brian said happily, beer in hand as he sat on my other side.

“Baby, please,” I started softly. Jimmy didn’t hear me so he said his bit.

“Lock up all your girls, booze and guitars! Something evil is on it way!” Jimmy laughed, as did Leana and Brian.

“Brian… ew…,” I stated, closing my eyes against the oncoming feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Brian asked, sitting up more.

I covered my mouth and ran to the kitchen. Upon letting up my guts in the sink, everyone excluding Jimmy ran in. Leana lifted up my hair and rubbed my back.

“Your beer is smelly,” I said.

“I’m sorry babe.” He went to kiss my cheek but I turned.

“Not until you get that smell away,” I said, feeling my stomach lurch.

Jimmy just then walked into the kitchen. “Okay, so maybe I was wrong. Baby Haner no likey beer,” Jimmy said. I pouted.

“Guess not,” I told him after washing out my mouth and the sink with water.

“What’s wrong?” It was Brian’s turn again.

“Brian, babe, I love you, but can you please go near Jimmy right now?” I asked of him.

“Yeah, sure.” He walked over to Jimmy at the other end. They were both drinking.
“Beer?” I nodded. “So what’s wrong?”

I teared up. “What if it’s Baby Ricky?”

No one answered. Leana just hugged me. We were nearly the same height. I put my head on her shoulder and sobbed.

“I have a good guess that it’s Brian’s…,” she tried.

“But what if it’s not?!”

“Ana…,” Brian said. He ran out then came back, smelling of minty toothpaste and cologne. Leana let him embrace me. I buried my face in his chest, smelling the cologne he was wearing. “You don’t have to worry about this.”

“But I do,” I told him.

Another hand came on my shoulder, followed by another. They both rubbed my shoulders.

“Thank you Jimmy, but if you don’t get away I’m going to throw up all over Brian.”

“Dude, move!” Brian said. I laughed and sniffled.

“Ana, it doesn’t matter whose baby it is. If it’s not Brian’s you can try again.” I laughed at Leana.

“That may be true, Leana, but you know what happened with Ricky,” I started. I turned in Brian’s arms. He still kept hold of me. “If it’s Ricky’s… then I’m going to have to look at the face of the man who raped me several times for his own sick fucking pleasure. He almost killed me,” I told them softly.

“Almost killed you?” Brian’s voice said next to my ear. I nodded.

“He nearly overdosed me on whatever he used to knock me unconscious.”

Silence again. “You’re safe here. And he’s gone. You never have to worry about him again,” Brian told me as he kissed the top of my head. I held on to him for dear life. “All you need to worry about is this baby and helping with the plans of our wedding.”

“Wedding?!” Leana exclaimed. “I want to help!”

Brian laughed. “I think we have this one, Lee. We’re going to see a wedding planner tomorrow.”

“Aww, c’mon. Just let me help with some things… please?” Leana was begging now. It was cute.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Fine you can help with the dresses and tuxes.”

“Yes!” Leana jumped up and down.

“Just don’t make me look too hot. Brian might leave Ana for me,” Jimmy said with a laugh.

“You wish he would,” I told him, “but you can never have him. He’s all mine.” I looked up to Brian, smiling.

“It’s cool. Leana’s enough for me.” Leana and Jimmy embraced much like us.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

“I’m coming with you tomorrow, by the way,” Leana said.

“Okay. What time are we leaving, Bri?” I asked.

“About noon.” Leana and I nodded.

“I’ll be there,” she said. Brian looked at his watch and let go of me.

“I better go get the mail.” He kissed my forehead and left, and then came back in a few minutes later.

“Hey, Ana, you’ve got something,” Brian said from the living room. My eyebrows furrowed as I walked in. I never got mail. Unless it was from work, and I don’t work… currently.

I took the envelope from Brian and ripped it open. The letter was in French.

Dear Miss Anastasia Whitaker

I am Pierre Ames and I am the attorney for the country of France. I have word that you are a witness to a crime, as brought on by Al Whitaker. Please consider being a witness, it would help greatly in bringing him to justice. If you would like any further information, my number is 281-438-8327. Thank you.

Pierre Ames
Attorney for the country of France.

“What is it?” Brian asked. I handed him the letter and sat down.

“They want me to testify against Al.”

This was going to disrupt my wedding plans.