Three of Spades (25 page)

“Look, I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just going to say it.” Squeezing his eyes shut one last time, he swallowed hard. Opening his eyes, he confessed one of the worst mistakes of his life.

“Natalie, if I had just taken you without a condom I would have been a bastard. Not because I made a selfish choice, but rather, because it would have been the third time I’ve taken you like that.” Watching as the words settled over her, Dylan felt like the biggest scumbag in the world. “I am so sorry for the potential outcome I’ve cursed us both with.”

Well,
wasn’t
that
just
the
best
news
she
has
heard
in
a
long
time!
The fact that she might be carrying Dylan’s child, right now, made her feel like it was Christmas morning. Granted the timing wasn’t right, but to be given such a gift would make the agony that was her reality almost bearable. However, she seemed to be the only one in this equation that was thinking of the potential as a good thing. Not wanting to show her excitement over the possibility, she said the best thing she could think of.

“Well, if it happens, I’ll deal with it. No sense in fretting over it until we know definitively.”

God
you
are
such
a
stupid
ass,
Cross!
If
she
didn’t
have
enough
to
worry
about,
she
now
has
to
worry
that
she
is
carrying
your
seed.

“Natalie, I want you to know, if you are pregnant, we will deal with it together. I take care of what’s mine. We will figure it out together, but I guess you’re right, worrying about it right now is only going to cause both of us to go crazy. But, you have to promise me, when you know, you’ll tell me. Either way, good or bad.”

Either
way,
good
or
bad.
Goodness, how Natalie wished they were on the same side of the good or bad opinion.

~FIFTEEN~

T
he next several days flew by. After two days, Gloria was discharged and able to return to her apartment at the assisted living facility. Natalie juggled her time between school, being at her mother’s side and spending the nights in Dylan’s arms. When she was with her mother, she felt as if Gloria was trying to tell her something, but each time she would either grow mute or ask for something insignificant. However, their relationship was almost back to how she remembered. There was no animosity and her mother inquired about her time with Dylan. This subject was easier to swallow, because even though it started out as a relationship of convenience, it was now truth, well at least what Natalie shared.

Each morning that she woke in Dylan’s bed, the more she clung to the passing days of her cycle. The subject of her possibly being pregnant had remained unspoken, but with each cross off of days on the calendar, Natalie prayed that life was growing inside her. Natalie was staring off into space, thinking such a thought as the water ran from the faucet.

“Natalie? I’ve been calling for you, are you alright?” Gloria asked, from where she sat on her couch waiting for Natalie to return to their ongoing game of gin.

Blushing from being caught daydreaming, Natalie finished filling the teakettle and placed it on the burner to boil. She took her seat and played, losing to her mother six hands to four. When it was time to leave, Gloria surprised her by asking if she and Dylan would come for dinner in a few days. Natalie agreed and headed toward Dylan’s house with the news.

When she pulled up the driveway, she was surprised that CeCe’s mustang was in the drive. Parking in the designated spot Dylan reserved for her, she entered through the interior door to the living area. There, Dylan and CeCe sat on opposite ends of the sofa, yelling at the television when the Bruins were unable to score off their power play.

“Hey Babe, how’s your mom doing today?” Dylan asked, letting his attention change directions looking to Natalie as she entered.

“Better. Still tough, but she had a little bit of an appetite today.” Throwing her keys into her bag, she let it drop to the floor and took a seat intending to join them watching the game.

“So, Natalie, the dress is upstairs in the garment bag. Mr. Nosey over here has been trying to take a peek at it, but I have managed to swat him away. The shoes and clutch from Mae are in there as well. Plus, she wanted me to remind you that us girls will be checking into one of the suites to get beautified before the event. While the men do, whatever men do when left to their own devices.”

The
Gala!
Oh dear, she had plum forgot with everything going on with her mother.

At the blush and the deer in the headlights look, CeCe chuckled and said, “You forgot, huh?”

Feeling terrible that she had done so, she gently nodded her head indicating her guilt. She was relieved when Dylan said, “So glad an evening out with me is so worthy of remembering, Babe.”

“I’m so sorry, I want to go, it just slipped my mind.”

Dylan walked over to her and pulled her upright, so she stood in his arms. “Then I’ll forgive you, this one time, but next time I’ll have to swat your ass.” And the look in his suddenly smoldering eyes sent a shiver of arousal down her spine.

“Oh please, keep the kinky talk for when I’m out of ear shot.” CeCe exaggerated her aversion as she walked toward the kitchen, effectively leaving them alone.

“You sure you are up to going, Natalie? It is not a big deal if you’d rather not,” he said against her lips, as his hands rubbed a blood warming rhythm up and down her back.

“I am, truly,” she answered with a touch of her lips against his, and then one placed lightly on his scar for good measure.

CeCe reentered the room and took Natalie upstairs to where the dress was; with strict instructions, Dylan was to stay put. Once upstairs and with the door closed, CeCe helped Natalie into the dress, and, if possible, it looked even better than it did in the store. The fabric hugged Natalie’s lines highlighting her beautiful physique. The blush color complimented her natural coloring while remaining understated. Once Mae’s shoes were on, which did go perfectly, Natalie looked as if she was about to walk out on a runway.
Perhaps
her
dream
of
designing
fulltime,
would
come
to
fruition
someday,
CeCe thought.

“So, how does it feel?” CeCe asked, as she paced a small circle around Natalie examining every angle.

“It feels like royalty should be wearing it, not me. CeCe, are you sure?”

Taking her friends hand in her own, she gave it an encouraging squeeze and said with all sincerity, “Am I sure that it would mean the world to me if my friend wore my design to the Gala? Absolutely! Am I sure that my dress was intended to be worn by your beautiful compact little body? Absolutely! Am I sure you look breathtaking? Absolutely! Am I sure that Dylan’s tongue is going to roll out of his mouth when he sees you? Abso-fucking-lutely!”

Wanting CeCe’s words to be so very true, Natalie could feel her eyes filling up; all the feelings that had been swirling through her lately, she knew her limit had been reached. Every thought heightened to the point of sensory overload. Feelings concerning both Dylan and her mother, not to mention her newfound education and understanding of her bodily desires, and the pleasure she craved. Lastly, the possibility that her most private of all dreams could be true and she could be carrying Dylan’s child right now. The tears fell and Natalie was so overcome with emotion that she took a seat in one of the room’s chairs and let the waterworks run their course.

CeCe kneeled in front of her, concerned for her friend. Like Dylan, CeCe did not do well with emotions, especially sadness, so as she tried to soothe Natalie her own sense of anxiety rose.

“Natalie, what’s wrong? If you don’t like it, it’s ok, you don’t have to wear it.” Grasping at straws, hoping she was reading the signs correctly. Unfortunately, that just made Natalie cry all the harder. Feeling completely at a loss, CeCe said, “If you don’t stop or at least tell me what you are crying about you’re not going to be the only one guilty of flooding Dylan’s room. Now talk!”

Looking up at her friend, someone else that had grown to mean so much to her in the short time, Natalie looked at CeCe through wet eyes and began to laugh uncontrollably.

Concerned that her friend had cannonballed off the deep end, CeCe watched as Natalie held her middle trying to contain the hysterics caused aches that were now radiating throughout her body.

When Natalie finally felt calm enough to talk, she grabbed a hold of CeCe’s face and kissed her on the cheek followed by saying, “Thank you for being a wonderful friend to me and showing me what I’ve been missing out on. Your dress is exquisite and I’m truly honored to wear it. Thank you CeCe, and promise me no matter what occurs, you and I will continue to be friends.”

Feeling her own limit about to be breached, CeCe looked at her friend through squinted eyes. She wondered why Natalie would say such a thing, again, concerning a timeline. She watched as Natalie stood and removed the dress from her body and went about hanging it back up. After adding the shoes and the clutch to the garment bag, Natalie closed the zipper concealing the dress from vision. Not being able to hold in her curiosity any longer, CeCe asked Natalie, as she watched her redress into her jeans and sweater, “Natalie, why do you keep mentioning a deadline concerning you and Dylan? Things seem to be going well from what I can see. I mean it’s not like you propositioned him to have sex with you. So what gives?”

Natalie’s heart skipped a few beats as she pulled the soft argyle sweater over her head.
Did
CeCe
know?
Turning back around to face her friend, Natalie noticed how CeCe stood with the beautiful scenery from the window giving her presence a wonderful background.

Her jeans hugged her legs, emphasizing her womanly curves. The black top with the shiny silver rivets accentuating the low scoop neck design was casual, yet extremely sexy on CeCe. Natalie envied her ability to be able to pull off something like that effortlessly. With her eyebrows downward, her hands on her hips, and the toe of her black cowboy boots tapping, she reminded Natalie of Dylan, very much. Even though they were not blood kin, their idiosyncrasies were identical.

Natalie decided to confess, partially. “CeCe, I’ve gone and done something terrible. So very terrible, I’m not sure if I can live through the stupidity of it, and or, eventual obviousness of the outcome.”

“What are you talking about?”

Squeezing her eyes shut and taking a deep breath, Natalie reopened her eyes and with a small smile on her face she said, “I have gone ahead and fallen completely in love with Dylan.”

Wow,
was
that
all?
CeCe had to admit how concerned she was there for a moment. Finding relief she asked sarcastically, “So?”

“So . . . I know that in the end, it is just going to be me with a broken heart without him,” Natalie said voicing her fear. She refused to use the word alone, there was still a chance she could be carrying Dylan’s child.

Taking the seat that Natalie had vacated, CeCe sat in a perpetually well-bred fashion with one leg thrown over the arm of the chair and leaning on her elbow on the other arm. “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. It is as evident as that scar on his chin that he is crazy about you. It’s true I haven’t heard him say the L-word, but I know Dylan, sometimes a little better than he knows himself. I have seen him with other woman, he has fun and enjoys himself, but there is something different about him with you. He is constantly aware of you. You two seem to communicate on a subliminal level. Honestly Natalie, he actually seems genuinely happy. That is something, if you really knew Dylan he has not been deep down inside with those other woman. Almost like, he was just passing the time until his match came along.” Afraid that she may have said too much but certain in her heart that her words were true, CeCe watched as hope spread across her friends face.

After they descended the stairs, she said her goodbyes to her pair of friends. She watched, as she headed toward the front door, Dylan pull Natalie down onto his lap and heard Natalie’s quiet laugh. When she closed the door behind her, she headed toward her car and knew she would be having a private conversation with Dylan, soon. This particular conversation would contain, as most of them do, some bluntness, vulgarity and always honesty. Dylan needed to tell Natalie what was plainly evident to CeCe; he was equally as much in love with Natalie as she was with him.

Natalie chose to spend the evening before the Gala in her own home, especially since CeCe was picking her up early to head down to the Hawthorne. The ladies were going to have brunch before checking in, then the ritual of hair and makeup would begin. The plan was to meet their men at the bottom of the lobby’s grand staircase at 6:30pm. Realizing she had not checked the phone messages in a few days, she was surprised to find three were from RJ. Each time, asking her if luck was on his side and her no good man dumped her to give him his opening. After listening to them all, Natalie smiled as she walked back to her room. RJ sounded nice and perhaps if her heart had not already belonged to Dylan, she may have even taken his interest as positive. However, with her grip on CeCe’s words and her own hearts desperate plea, Natalie fell asleep believing tomorrow may be the day Dylan would tell her he loved her.