Curtis (22 page)

chapter THIRTY-THREE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1973

I’m late. My menstrual cycle has always been regular, but now I’m late. At least a week. I’m scared to tell Curtis only because I fear by doing so I’ll jinx it, and I won’t really be pregnant. I’m going to schedule an appointment with the doctor next week to find out for sure before I tell him.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1973

Tomorrow is my doctor’s appointment. I’m so nervous. I wonder if I should tell Curtis. I don’t want to get his hopes up, though. And this way, I can surprise him when I know for sure. More tomorrow.

chapter THIRTY-FOUR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1973

I’m shaking as I write this. I’m so excited. The doctor confirmed it! We’re pregnant!

By the time Curtis came home at the end of the day, he was exhausted, which happened to be the case most days. The only thing he wanted to do was take a shower, eat dinner, and spend some time with Lorrie before crashing for the night.

The instant he stepped foot in the house, he knew something was different. For one, there were flowers on the kitchen table, a bright bouquet in one of the glass vases that Lorrie kept. The table was set, the heavenly scent of fried chicken wafted past his nose, but his wife was nowhere in sight.

“Hey, darlin’?” he called out. “Where’re you at?”

“In the bedroom,” she hollered back.

Wanting to take a shower anyway, Curtis headed for the bedroom, only to encounter Lorrie in the hallway. She was smiling. A radiant, beautiful grin that pulled a smile from him in return.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “You can take a shower. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”

Planting a kiss on her mouth, he then watched her as she practically skipped down the hall toward the kitchen. He turned to go to the bathroom, but before he made it two feet, she was calling his name.

He spun around to see her running toward him.

“I can’t do it! I can’t wait! We’re pregnant!” she squealed as she practically jumped into his arms.

He processed the words, his entire body stilling.

Pregnant.

That meant … baby, right?

Not sure he’d heard correctly, he cocked his head and said, “What?”

Lorrie was nodding, her smile even wider. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

“Baby? We’re… Holy shit. We’re gonna have a baby?” He couldn’t believe his ears.

More nodding from her, but he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight before realizing what he was doing. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay,” she said, giggling. “You won’t hurt me.” Her grin widened. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

“How do you know?” he asked, still wrapping his head around the idea. They’d been trying for so long he’d started to wonder if there was a medical reason she hadn’t gotten pregnant already. For some reason, he’d thought they would’ve had kids long before now. They were going on ten years of marriage in August—although in his defense, they hadn’t been trying for that long.

“I went to the doctor today,” she said, her words tumbling out rapidly. “I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for sure. The only way I could do that was go to the doctor.”

Curtis cupped her face in his hands, then pressed his mouth to hers. This was the best news ever.

“How far along?” he asked when he released her.

“Based on my cycle, the doctor says I’m almost five weeks.”

It dawned on him that he didn’t know exactly how long a pregnancy was even though his mother had popped out eight kids. Obviously Lorrie sensed that he was trying to figure out the timeline in his head.

“If the doctor’s right, that means the baby’ll be born in mid-November.”

He couldn’t resist picking her up off her feet and twirling her around. When he set her back down, she was still laughing, though tears were now dripping down her cheeks, which worried him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she answered quickly. “Nothing at all. I’m just really happy.”

“Me, too, baby. Me, too.”

“Now go take a shower,” she insisted. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

As though someone else was in control of his body, Curtis headed for the bathroom, stripped out of his dirty clothes along the way, and managed to make it through a five-minute shower. When he emerged, he was still in a daze.

A baby.

They were having a baby.

The news was so overwhelming and so welcome he found himself sitting on the edge of their bed, his head in his hands while he cried. It probably wasn’t the manly thing to do, but his tears didn’t seem to care.

“Curtis?” Lorrie’s voice was soft.

He lifted his head and smiled.

“Are you okay?” She frowned. “Are you … upset?”

He reached for her, pulling her to him. “God, no. This is…” Unable to control his emotions, he pressed his face against her chest, his arms wrapped around her as more tears fell. “This is the best news.”

He had never thought that there could be anything better than being Lorrie’s husband. But being the father of her children… Likely the best possible thing in the world.

Lorrie pressed a kiss to his forehead, cradling his head in her hands. “I don’t want you to be upset.”

“I’m not, baby.” He lifted his head to look at her. “I’m really not. It just caught me off guard a little. But it’s good. I swear it.”

Her smile returned instantly. “You ready for dinner?” she asked.

“No,” he said, reaching for the hem of her dress. “Not yet.”

Her eyes clouded as she watched him, not trying to stop him as he lifted her dress over her head and tossed it to the floor.

“This is okay, right?” he asked, suddenly realizing he didn’t even know if they could make love. He was going to have to find a way to get some information on pregnancies. Did they make books for that?

Lorrie nodded. “Yes, it’s okay.”

He’d worry about reading material later. At the moment, the only thing that mattered was the beautiful woman standing before him. He unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor before cupping her breasts in his hands, lifting them to his mouth, her hands sliding over his shoulders.

He laved her with his tongue while working her panties down her hips, then pulling her onto the bed with him. Without much fanfare, he crawled between her legs, aligned their bodies, and sank into her. Her warmth consumed him, and as was always the case, he felt whole once again.

He needed to be one with her right now. He needed to feel every part of her against every part of him. She was what held him together, and when he felt as though he might fly apart in a million pieces, he needed her to anchor him.

Lorrie held on to Curtis while he made love to her slowly, his hips rolling as he screwed into her deep. He was being so gentle, so sweet, it made her eyes sting. The love she felt emanating from him stole her breath.

She loved this man.

More so, she loved that this man could get so emotional because they were having a baby together. She hadn’t considered the fact that she’d had some time to process the information and she’d simply thrown the news at him without warning.

“God, I love you,” he whispered, his forehead resting against hers. “I love you so damn much.”

“I love you, too.” More than he would ever know.

Cradling his hips with her thighs, Lorrie kept a tight grip on him as he continued to penetrate her over and over. She didn’t know how long it lasted, nor did she care. He seemed content to be making love to her, and she didn’t want him to stop. This connection between them… It had never been more prevalent than right then.

Curtis lifted his head, peered down at her, then crushed his mouth to hers. She kissed him deeply, holding him to her, meeting him thrust for thrust. She willed him to feel how deep her love for him was. This was a new beginning for them, the next chapter.

And she was looking forward to every single second spent with this man.

chapter THIRTY-FIVE

FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1973

I don’t know what it is about being pregnant, but I feel fantastic. Maybe it’s that all my dreams seem to be coming true. Curtis is here with me every single day and we’re going to be parents. I feel like the wait has been worth it.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1973

Today, Curtis and I went to Mitch and Janice’s house. I helped Janice cook dinner, and we all enjoyed a fantastic meal. Before we went over there, Curtis and I decided we would keep the news about the baby to ourselves for now. We decided that we would have a party to celebrate when we’re ready for everyone to know. Right now, the only person who knows other than us is Mrs. Walker. I’m ready for the world to know, but I know it’s early and we have many weeks ahead of us. I’m just so excited.

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 1973

I stayed in bed a little longer than usual today. I’m not feeling well. I’m wondering if I’m coming down with something. I know the pregnancy will make me tired, but my stomach has been hurting a little. Maybe it was something I ate. I’ll have to be more careful about that in the future.

MONDAY, MARCH 19, 1973

I haven’t been feeling well and I’m scared to tell Curtis. My insides are cramping and I’ve been spotting a little. I don’t think this is normal, and I definitely don’t think it’s from something I ate. I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do.