A Life Unplanned (15 page)

Chapter 19 – Small Town Low-down

Friday night couldn't come fast enough. I heard Trent using his key to open the front door and quickly got up to greet him. Tyler must have heard him, too, because he came running out of his room carrying a backpack.

As soon as Trent stepped inside, he was nearly tackled by me. I hugged him, squishing little Katie between us, and she didn't mind at all. I felt Trent shift and looked down to see that Tyler was hugging his leg. "I'm ready," he announced showing Trent his backpack.

He picked up Tyler and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm happy you're ready. I missed you." He kept his arm wrapped around me, and I snuggled into his side, as he walked us to Tyler's room. "I've had a long drive, so I need to take a nap, and then we can head to my house in the morning."

"You can't leave without me," Tyler worried.

"I promise I won't. We're all going to sleep, and when you wake up, you can come into bed and snuggle with me until I wake up all the way, but you have to be careful not to wake up mommy or Katie, alright?"

I didn't want to leave Trent, but Katie needed a diaper change. I left him with Tyler and smiled when I came back to get him for bed. He was reading to Tyler, who had Trent's car keys clutched to his chest. It didn't take long for Tyler to fall asleep with his daddy home.

Home.

I had to figure something out. This being apart was not good for our family. I wasn't sure how Trent felt about everything, though. He might have enjoyed his quiet week without us.

He came into the bedroom and took Katie from me once Tyler was asleep. He sat down in the rocking chair, letting out a contented sigh.

"We missed you," I spoke quietly, since Katie was almost asleep. Being in daddy's arms was her best relaxant.

"I missed you guys, too." He leaned down and kissed her head.

Once he put Katie to bed, he climbed into mine, and it was finally my turn to have him. He pulled me into his arms and held me tight, letting me hide my face in his chest and snuggle as close to him as possible.

"I missed you," I whispered bashfully against his chest, feeling a little ashamed for being so weak.

"I missed you, too. Come up here," he said, prying me up for a kiss. Our cuddling turned into making out pretty heavily.

"I'm nearly six weeks. I say we go for it."

He chuckled and kissed me lightly, pulling away. That wasn't a good sign. "We say to wait six weeks, so you don't risk infection. Besides, you're not on birth control right now."

My shoulders sagged, defeated. "What about condoms?" I asked suddenly excited again. "They'd protect me against infections, too, wouldn't they?"

"Do you have a condom?" he asked, like he didn't plan on giving in even if I did have one.

"No," I grumped.

He laughed and kissed my pout. "I'll make sure McKenna gets you in first thing on Monday morning, alright? Have you thought about what kind of birth control you want to use?"

I flopped back on my bed. "I was on the pill before, but I've felt so scatterbrained lately, I'm thinking I should do something else. I don't want to forget and mess things up."

"There are a lot of options out there."

"Care to enlighten me, Dr. Carrington?"

He chuckled and kissed my shoulder. "It really depends on what you're comfortable using and how much effort you want to put into it."

"How about none, but I still want to have sex and not get pregnant. Do you have something for that?" I teased.

"I think an implant would be a good idea, if that's what you're looking for. They're good for up to five years and easy to have removed."

I rolled over and looked at him, really interested in what he was saying. "So basically, I'll be baby and worry-free?"

"Well, you'll still have Katie," he joked, and I pushed him back on the bed and straddled him.

"How soon could we get together after I get it?"

"Have you had a period since Katie was born?"

"No, I don't have them while I'm nursing."

He started kissing on me again. This was a good sign. "None at all?" he asked nibbling my ear.

"Not with Tyler, either, until I weaned him to night and naptime at fifteen months. After that, I started taking the pill."

He kissed over my collarbone.

"Trent," I whined, he was driving me crazy. "How soon?"

"Depending on the implant, as soon as the day after. I'd want to wait if you had spotting after it's implanted. That’d put you at risk for infection again. I can't have my hot baby momma being sick."

I giggled at his silly name. It sounded completely ridiculous coming from him, a highly educated doctor. He silenced my giggles with another kiss. I had always been fine going without sex. I didn't know what was wrong with me. For some reason, having it available yet unavailable at the same time made me want it badly. His hands started to wander, and I was quick to encourage it. I needed something!

The next morning, I woke to a foot in my back. When I rolled over, I found Tyler wedged between Trent and I. He was sound asleep, both of them snoring softly. I heard Katie start to fuss and quickly picked her up before she woke up my boys. It was a little after six o'clock, which was Katie's regular feeding time. I usually fed her in the bed, but there wasn't room at the moment, so I moved to the rocking chair.

I held back my giggles, as I watched Tyler flop around. Trent must have been exhausted, because he was sleeping like a log and didn’t even flinch, when Tyler kicked him in the head.

Once I fed Katie and was able to get her back to bed, I decided to move Tyler back into his, so I could sleep a while longer. It was easier to reach over Trent to lift Tyler, than to crawl across my bed to get him out from Trent's side.

I was leaning over Trent and scooting Tyler closer to his side. I almost had him to where I could get a better grip on him, before I tried to lift him, but then I felt a hand on my butt. "What are you doing?" Trent whispered sleepily.

"I'm going to put Tyler back to bed. Go back to sleep, I can carry him in there."

His eyes opened wider, and he sat up quickly. "No, no, you're not supposed to be lifting anything heavier than the baby. Have you been lifting him while I was gone?"

I wanted to roll my eyes at him, but I didn't, because I knew he was just worried about me. "I think I've mostly just lifted him to my lap when I'm sitting."

Tyler chose that moment to kick Trent in the kidney. Now that he was awake, Trent felt it. "I see why you wanted to move him. I've got him, babe. You go back to sleep. I'll be right back." He scooped Tyler up with ease and carried him out of the room. I plopped down in the bed and sprawled out.

I felt Trent sneak in next to me, pulling me into his side. "I know where he gets his crazy sleeping from now." He chuckled and kissed my head. I snuggled closer. Man…I missed him so much.

The next time I woke up, I heard Tyler whispering, "We're not supposed to wake mommy."

Tyler was standing on a diaper box, trying to quiet his sister. Katie wasn't crying, but I could tell she was trying to make some noise and talk back to her brother. I felt Trent's arms tighten around me and looked over my shoulder to see him smiling and watching Tyler with me. When he saw I was awake, he leaned down and kissed me softly.

"You're awake!" Tyler cheered loudly, startling Katie and making her cry. "I didn't do it, she was already up!"

I laughed and went to sit up to get the baby, but Trent jumped out of the bed. "Let me." He picked up his daughter, cuddling her. "Good morning, sunshine." She settled down as soon as she heard his voice. I knew then that there was no way we could live apart. I had to find a way to fix things so we could be together.

As we loaded the cars, I wondered if I was bringing too much or not enough. Was I assuming too much by packing a full week's worth of everything for me and the kids? We had barely discussed us visiting and never touched on how long we would stay.

I caught sight of Trent frowning, as he put two boxes of diapers in the trunk of my car. Did he think I was bringing too many and didn’t want us to stay that long? I hated not knowing, and I was too afraid to ask, not sure I would want to hear his answer.

"Just so you're aware and ready for it, word had gotten around town that you were coming for a visit, so don't be surprised if you have a welcoming committee made up of the bridge club," Trent warned.

I nodded, climbing in my car silently. Tyler would be riding in his car and Katie in mine. I had fed her just before we left, but knew I'd likely have to stop at some point to feed her again. Trent suggested I drive in front of him, so he could keep an eye on my car. He didn't like that I drove a much older, less reliable vehicle.

Katie fell asleep soon after I made it to the highway. The steady hum of the car and blur of the trees put her right to sleep. I was happy she settled in so quickly. Every once in a while, I would look in my rearview mirror to see how Trent was doing. Several times, I could see little Tyler's arms waving animatedly, as he told Trent some exciting story. Trent was wearing a huge grin the whole time. Eventually, Tyler fell asleep, too.

It looked like we were going to make it to his house without stopping, and I was happy for it. I didn't want to drag out the drive any longer than I had to.

When we pulled up to his house, Vera was on her porch and waved to us. Trent was quick to take Katie's car seat from me. "You shouldn't be lifting this," he scolded, and once again, I held back my eye roll. We had just finished bringing in the last of our things, when there was a knock on the door.

It was Ms. Vera with all her friends in tow. They wanted to see the baby, but Katie was hungry after her long ride.

"You go ahead and fill her up and then hand her over to me to burp," Vera ordered.

"I like to burp her," Trent whined, and they all burst into a fit of giggles. They gave his cheek a pat and called him a sweet man. He really was.

Tyler was in a good mood after his car ride nap and happily entertained the women by showing them his room. Trent had redecorated the guestroom for Tyler, and he was very excited about his new Elmo room, which was a lot like at Maymay's, only better, because it was at his daddy's house.

The ladies had brought lunch with them, and so we ate and chatted with them. Tyler did his best to dominate the conversation.

Ms. June asked a loaded question, and the room fell silent. "So, are you here for good?" she had asked looking at me expectantly.

My eyes darted to Trent, half hoping he'd read my mind and answer for me. Thankfully, he noticed my uncomfortable expression.

"She has a job back in Waco, so she'll need to get back to it. I plan on transferring up there eventually. I have a few things I need to take care of first." He grimaced at the last bit.

"Is someone harassing you again, honey?" Vera pried.

"Yes, but I have my lawyer on it already. Hopefully, we can get this under control before it gets out of hand." I was surprised he answered them so honestly, but then I remembered that he'd gone through that mess once before in Livingston, and they had rallied behind him. I knew they would once more.

Not long after they left, Maylene called to invite us over for dinner. Roger was home and was able to see Katie for the first time. He made some funny faces at her, which made us all laugh, startling her and making her cry. Over all, it was a fun evening.

We were exhausted by the time we made it back to Trent's house. He helped Tyler get settled in bed, and I fed Katie. I wondered if Katie wasn't breastfed, would Trent keep me around. I'd like to think he would.

I expected Trent to come get Katie to burp her, but I heard his phone ring. I didn't plan on eavesdropping, but his angry tone of voice drew me in. I didn't hear much, just the end. "Damn it, Brian, just take care of it. It can't be that hard to dismiss! You have my records, they're open for the board, just handle it already!" He was quiet for a bit, obviously listening to someone speaking. "I know, and I'm sorry, thank you. Thanks for keeping me updated," he said, before he hung up.

When he turned around, he saw me standing there with a wide-eyed Katie. "Did you want to burp her?" I asked.

His tense face broke into a relaxed smile. "I'd loved to, thank you for bringing her to me." He quickly cuddled our daughter.

I took advantage of my free time and took a shower and readied for bed. When I came out of the bathroom to get dressed, I saw Katie was asleep in her bassinette, and Trent was out of the room. I knew he had a baby monitor, so I wasn't worried about her. I was worried about him, though, because he usually liked to sit with the children while they were sleeping. Maybe the novelty of having children was wearing off.

I found him sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands.

"Are you alright?" I asked worried.

"Yeah, just work stuff."

"Are their complaints causing you trouble?"

"No, not yet, but I have to appear before the hospital board on Monday and explain to them what's going on."

"They won't be upset, will they? They can't be. It's not your fault."