My LOVE is Forever (Book 4-1st Alternate Ending)

Part 40

After a few days back in Tennessee, the whole Minnesota visit starts to feel like it was a daydream. I have settled back into my casual, daily routine of puttering around in my garden and growing a baby. I'm out in the garden when Tyka calls to let me know the furniture is being delivered at new house today. "I need to know how you want it arranged, no sense in having to move it later."

From memory, I direct her on placement of the bedroom sets, and the dressers, I can hear her jotting down notes. She also lets me know that she wasn't able to find anything out about a safety deposit box yet, but was given the name and unit number of the storage facility, I write this information down so I can put it with the keys for the next time I return. We only talk for a couple more minutes before the furniture delivery arrives, I thank her again before we hang up.

*******

August 9, my 22 week visit, Angel arrives early to pick me up, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I say, since I really hate doctor's visits.

Angel notices me carrying my shoes, "Barefoot and pregnant?" she laughs.

"They're tight," I grumble. "My clothes are tight, my pajamas are tight, my underwear is tight, now my damn shoes!" I huff as I get into the car.

"Well, you should have said something when we went shopping for the baby. Maybe it's time you bought some things for yourself," she suggests as she drives.

"It seems like such a waste, I'm not going to be pregnant forever. I wish I would have thought to tell Prince to keep some of my bigger clothes, but he just kept replacing my wardrobe as I lost the weight."

"After your appointment, we should go shopping," she eyes the shoes that I'm holding on my lap, "Shoes first."

"We'll see," I say with a sigh, knowing full well that Angel has me at a disadvantage since she's driving.

The appointment goes as expected, although somewhat mundane with all the repeated measuring, weighing, palpitating and blood work. At least the last visit was exciting with finding out the sex of the baby. As tedious as it seems, I am wise enough to know that this lack of excitement is something to be grateful for. It means our baby progressing as she should, and so far, no complications.

After the appointment, and against my will, Angel heads to the nearest mall. When I try to stare her down she puts on her best don't-mess-with-me look and gets out of the car, I guess we're going shopping.

We stop at Kohl's first, where I find a good pair of sneakers. Since they feel so good on my sore feet, I leave them on and hurry to pay for them before we go any further. I'm steered toward the maternity section and several of the cute selections I bring into the dressing room to try on look absolutely huge on me, "I swimming in these," I tell her, placing them on the rack outside the fitting room.

She pulls the dresses and blouses back off the discarded rack, "Trust me, they'll fit before long." I end up trying on some maternity pants, a dressier pair and some denim, they, too, get added to the cart before we head to lingerie and sleepwear. Angel steers me to the 'granny panties' with another, "Trust me," before I'm lead to an array of nursing bras. "Are you going to breastfeed?" she asks as she shuffles through the rack.

"Um, yeah, I guess, it's healthier and I have no reason not to try," I answer logically, I really need to get back to reading my pregnancy book, I think to myself as Angel pulls a few bras from the display.

"Pajamas," she says, and shows me to some unflattering choices. When I wrinkle my nose at them she looks me in the eye. "I know, they're not sexy like the ones Prince used to buy for you, neither is the lingerie, but, remember, I've been here." She pauses a second before she continues with her blatant honesty, "Alone and pregnant, there's no one to impress, it's just you and this baby. You just gotta deal, practically and comfort is what you need right now. I'm sorry, but it's true."

I feel foolish and her words sting, causing my heart to ache for Prince again. She's right, though, I muse, she has been here. Much younger, even, and most likely without the father's financial support that I have readily at my fingertips. I nod solemnly as I head back into the fitting room to try on the choices. We tweak the sizes on a couple things, then add them to the cart.

I'm quietly contemplative the remainder of the time were in the store, and I find pretty much everything I'll need for now, here, so we venture no further into the mall. When we make it back out to the car, Angel turns to me looking sympathetic. "I'm sorry for what I said back there, I didn't mean to upset you," she apologizes before she turns the key.

I shake my head, "No, you're fine, I needed to be reminded of my reality. Sometimes this all feels like a bad dream, but you're right, I am alone now."

She laughs, "Technically, you're not," she reaches out and places her hand on my rounding belly, "that's why you gotta deal. You think you knew love with Prince, just you wait until they hand you this baby girl," her eyes get misty, "This love will blow your mind."

I had always thought I had met Angel for a reason, and I thought that reason was for me to catch Prince's interest. Now I wonder if our fate is for her to get me through this pregnancy alone. Who else could help me better than someone who's already been through it?