When flames blossom from embers
ch. 22
Every time she saw him naked she felt like she had stolen some priceless artifact. He stood there smiling at her because she was like a deer caught in the head lights. She blushed and looked back at her book.
“ Reading something interesting?” he teased. He turned around and dropped the towel and searched for some jeans.
Keep reading, don’t stare at his butt don’t look at his butt she thought. But like in the old bible stories she had to look one last time and she got caught. He was looking at her wearing jeans smiling. “ Oh yeah. Really interesting.” She lied her cheeks turning red.
He sat down next to her, “ You are so lying. Your ears are turning red.” He laughed brushing her hair behind her ears.
She ducked her head, she was a horrible liar but what made it worse was that her cheeks and ears turned dark red every time she tried. She peeked up between her curls, “ Okay so it’s not that intreseting. But you shouldn’t dazzle me. It’s unfair advantage.”
He brushed her curls from her face and looked at her smiling, “ Unfair? You take my breathe away every time I look at you.” He kissed her nose and hugged her tight.
She laughed, “ Oh you are such a bull shitter. Let’s go see what everyone else is doing.”
She got up and walked to the living room where Gabe, Justin and Liz were looking at old pictures laughing. She jumped on the couch next to Liz and looked at the picture. It was of a kid wearing an army uniform, except the uniform engulfed the kid. She looked harder at the picture, it was Chad!
She laughed and began to flip through the pictures. There were pictures of him playing baseball, outside playing with a horse and then pictures down there was one of him in a uniform again. Except this time it fit him. She looked at Chad with a surprised smile, “ You were in the military?”
Chad nodded looking at the picture, “ I was in the Navy, a medic. Stationed in Hawaii, had some good times there.” He looked at the picture of him smiling at the camera surrounded by his buddies. “ I got out to go back to school, my friends stayed in and went to Iraq. Most are still there.”
She looked at him talking about his military times with a soft smile. He looked almost sad though talking about it. But she let it go. It was around ten when everyone else went to bed or there rooms. Chad and her stayed on the couch talking.
“ why does it seem like you’re sad when you talk about your military times?” she asked laying against him. Her fingers tracing the lines in his hand. She liked the way his hands were big on her, how they felt strong and rough.
He looked down at her, she was so comfy there lying in his lap. He took a deep breath, “ I had a girlfriend once, Michelle. I went into the military to pay for school, I had always planned on it. Well one time on leave I came back and well we –“ he gave he a knowing look. And she nodded. “ well two months later she called and told me she was pregnant. I was the happy, we had been dating for three years, though high school. I proposed to her. “ he paused and looked out the window. “ She got an abortion, told me she wasn’t ready to end her life. That she needed time to think. Turns out she needed time to fall for my good friend.” He turned back to look at her kissed her cheek.
She looked at him with sad eyes, “ Sorry that it didn’t work out.”
He shrugged, “ I’m sorry but life happens. You move on the best you can. And hope that life gives you a second chance at love.”
She leaned up to kiss him. “ Come on sugar it’s time for bed. I’m beat”.
They walked back to his room together, hand in hand like two love struck high schoolers. She jumped into bed and curled up next to him. She felt instantly warm with his arms around her, she could her the beating of his heart. But secretly deep down she was wondering if the reason he wanted her to keep the baby was because of what had happened with Michelle. It was only for a moment , a moment of doubt, but that was all it took to plant the seed inside her brain. She shook the thought out of her head and closed her eyes to sleep.
Dawn was barely breaking against the curtains, her shoulders felt stick and hard. She rolled off of Chad to lay on her side and let out a sigh. It was too early to be waking up. She felt Chad shifting positions to hold her, even in his sleep he tried to protect her. She smiled and scooted backwards so he could hold her. She touched her stomach and wondered if she could really do this. If she could be a mom. She sighed and let the thought was over her.
The midnight wake ups, getting milk, the instant stressing over money. The worrying if the baby had enough diapers or who would watch the baby while she was at class. She thought about every single thing she’d be giving up. Then she thought of everything she’d be gaining. The baby’s first smile, the baby’s first laugh and the look in her baby’s eyes when she first came into the world. The warmth that her baby would have in her arms. She sighed. Life sucked at making choices. But she had to make one. And soon.
“ Reading something interesting?” he teased. He turned around and dropped the towel and searched for some jeans.
Keep reading, don’t stare at his butt don’t look at his butt she thought. But like in the old bible stories she had to look one last time and she got caught. He was looking at her wearing jeans smiling. “ Oh yeah. Really interesting.” She lied her cheeks turning red.
He sat down next to her, “ You are so lying. Your ears are turning red.” He laughed brushing her hair behind her ears.
She ducked her head, she was a horrible liar but what made it worse was that her cheeks and ears turned dark red every time she tried. She peeked up between her curls, “ Okay so it’s not that intreseting. But you shouldn’t dazzle me. It’s unfair advantage.”
He brushed her curls from her face and looked at her smiling, “ Unfair? You take my breathe away every time I look at you.” He kissed her nose and hugged her tight.
She laughed, “ Oh you are such a bull shitter. Let’s go see what everyone else is doing.”
She got up and walked to the living room where Gabe, Justin and Liz were looking at old pictures laughing. She jumped on the couch next to Liz and looked at the picture. It was of a kid wearing an army uniform, except the uniform engulfed the kid. She looked harder at the picture, it was Chad!
She laughed and began to flip through the pictures. There were pictures of him playing baseball, outside playing with a horse and then pictures down there was one of him in a uniform again. Except this time it fit him. She looked at Chad with a surprised smile, “ You were in the military?”
Chad nodded looking at the picture, “ I was in the Navy, a medic. Stationed in Hawaii, had some good times there.” He looked at the picture of him smiling at the camera surrounded by his buddies. “ I got out to go back to school, my friends stayed in and went to Iraq. Most are still there.”
She looked at him talking about his military times with a soft smile. He looked almost sad though talking about it. But she let it go. It was around ten when everyone else went to bed or there rooms. Chad and her stayed on the couch talking.
“ why does it seem like you’re sad when you talk about your military times?” she asked laying against him. Her fingers tracing the lines in his hand. She liked the way his hands were big on her, how they felt strong and rough.
He looked down at her, she was so comfy there lying in his lap. He took a deep breath, “ I had a girlfriend once, Michelle. I went into the military to pay for school, I had always planned on it. Well one time on leave I came back and well we –“ he gave he a knowing look. And she nodded. “ well two months later she called and told me she was pregnant. I was the happy, we had been dating for three years, though high school. I proposed to her. “ he paused and looked out the window. “ She got an abortion, told me she wasn’t ready to end her life. That she needed time to think. Turns out she needed time to fall for my good friend.” He turned back to look at her kissed her cheek.
She looked at him with sad eyes, “ Sorry that it didn’t work out.”
He shrugged, “ I’m sorry but life happens. You move on the best you can. And hope that life gives you a second chance at love.”
She leaned up to kiss him. “ Come on sugar it’s time for bed. I’m beat”.
They walked back to his room together, hand in hand like two love struck high schoolers. She jumped into bed and curled up next to him. She felt instantly warm with his arms around her, she could her the beating of his heart. But secretly deep down she was wondering if the reason he wanted her to keep the baby was because of what had happened with Michelle. It was only for a moment , a moment of doubt, but that was all it took to plant the seed inside her brain. She shook the thought out of her head and closed her eyes to sleep.
Dawn was barely breaking against the curtains, her shoulders felt stick and hard. She rolled off of Chad to lay on her side and let out a sigh. It was too early to be waking up. She felt Chad shifting positions to hold her, even in his sleep he tried to protect her. She smiled and scooted backwards so he could hold her. She touched her stomach and wondered if she could really do this. If she could be a mom. She sighed and let the thought was over her.
The midnight wake ups, getting milk, the instant stressing over money. The worrying if the baby had enough diapers or who would watch the baby while she was at class. She thought about every single thing she’d be giving up. Then she thought of everything she’d be gaining. The baby’s first smile, the baby’s first laugh and the look in her baby’s eyes when she first came into the world. The warmth that her baby would have in her arms. She sighed. Life sucked at making choices. But she had to make one. And soon.