The Commitment (21 page)

“I’m just fuckin’ with you, Baby,” he laughs. “Who else is in it?”

“What?” I ask, whipping my head around.

“Who else is in the movie?”

“Nobody,” I blurt out, causing him to chuckle.

“No one else is in the movie?”

“No… wait, what?”

“You know, it’s perfectly normal to find other people attractive, Sophie. Especially celebrities,” he offers. “If you think the guys hot, it’s not a big deal. Just admit that you were lying before and we’ll forget the whole thing.”

This feels like a trap.

“I wasn’t lying, Chase,” I lie, seemingly outraged before I glare back at him. “I don’t think he’s hot!”

“Okay,” he chuckles, putting his hands up in mock surrender.

“Oh, God,” Jack groans as he enters the room, sandwich in one hand, beer in the other as he plops onto the couch across from us. “Are you still hung up on this guy, Soph?”

His words and my likely ridiculous expression cause Chase to let out a loud, booming laugh.

“What?” I blurt in shock. “I’ve never been hung up on him! Why are you lying to people who aren’t even talking to you, Jack?”

“You know what? You aren’t doing me any naked favors, so I don’t have to keep lying for you,” he says causing me to stare at him in shock as Chase continues to laugh. “Don’t let her bullshit you, dude. She’s totally fuckin’ in love with that guy.”

“No, I’m not!” I tell Chase before glaring passed him at Jack. “Would you shut the hell up?”

“She made me watch the movie 300 like eighty times because she said she felt bad for the guy’s wife,” he tells Chase, ignoring me completely as they continue laughing at my embarrassment.

“I did feel bad for his wife! Shut up!”

“You are so full of crap!” Jack laughs. “You probably didn’t even know he was married the first ten times you watched it! You probably just called her ‘the annoying girl who was interrupting your time with Gerard.’”

“Why are you in here? No one believes you anyway.”

“Okay,” he chuckles as he polishes off his sandwich and leans back against the couch.

“And when did I ever have you lie for me?”

“Are you kidding me?” he asks, his beer hovering in front of his mouth. “I always had to lie for you! You suck so bad at it, we never would have gotten away with shit if it wasn’t for me!”

“You must not be very good at it either because we got in trouble all the time.”

“Yep,” he laughs. “So if we’re both shitty liars and I’m the only one not trippin’ all over my own ass right now, that’s gotta mean something.”

“Oh shut up. You don’t win anything. Nobody believes you,” I huff, turning my attention back to Gerard, only to find the interview is over. “Great! I missed the whole thing! Now I’m gonna have to YouTube it!”

I reach for my phone to find it’s not out here and immediately reach for Chase’s on the coffee table.

“Hell no,” Chase chuckles as he pulls the phone from my hand. “You’re not YouTubing Gerard Butler’s one man Russian mafia movie interview from my phone, Baby.”

“Jack!” I groan out irritably. “Look what you did! Whatever, I’ll go get my own phone, jerks.”

Huffing into the other room and grabbing my cell from my purse, I pull up YouTube and fall back onto the cushions beside Chase, shaking my head.

“Are you seriously looking that up?”

“Yes,” I admit. “I told you I really want to watch this movie. I want to know when it comes out.”

“Right, because you’re really into Russian mafia shit,” he smirks in disbelief.

“Mmhmm,” I hum, biting my lip in a failed attempt to hide my blush.

“Whatever,” he smirks, cutting his eyes at me suspiciously. “I bet you’re not even Russian.”

“She told you she was Russian?” Jack laughs, nearly spitting his beer out.

“What’s so funny? I could be Russian!”

“Yeah, you could be, but you’re not!”

“You lied to me about your
heritage
? Really, Baby?”

“I… um… I didn’t…”

“I was going to teach the baby Russian, but you can forget it now,” Chase says, feigning offense. “You can kiss that shit paka, Princess.”

“Chase,” I start.

“Paka is bye-bye in Russian, just so you know.”

“Oh whatever! I should have known putting the two of you together would come back and bite me in the ass,” I joke, rolling my eyes at their laughter as I rise from the couch. “You can kiss my ass paka. I’m going to find Ana, you jerks.”

Chase

The following morning is that last somewhat normal day I have with Sophie all week. After we get our fix in the shower, I dress and leave for work, enjoying the quick drive from Drake’s. That night when I walk into our house, it looks like a bomb hit our living room, leaving a trail of baby supplies in its wake.

“Baby?” I call out, stepping over the fifteen bags that only made it a few feet into the space before they were abandoned.

“Yeah,” she calls back, her voice audibly exhausted. “I’m in here.”

When my eyes finally find her, she’s sitting on the floor with her head resting on the couch behind her. The massive coffee table that’s usually bare is covered in craft supplies. In her lap, there’s a box of Kleenex and a bag of marshmallows and she’s tearfully nibbling on one as JT sits quietly on the couch watching cartoons behind her.

“What’s the matter?” I ask her, concern filling my voice as I step over the mess to make my way to her.

“I don’t want to tell you,” she sniffs, letting out a loud wail.

“Sophie,” I start quietly, sweeping the hair from her face once I see that she’s physically okay. “Sweetheart, you can tell me anything, you know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” she cries, nodding her head against my chest.

“Okay, so why are you crying?”

“Because… Because…” she tries, sobbing much too hard to get the words out on the first try.

“Shh,” I whisper, holding her gorgeous emerald gaze as my heart squeezes tightly in my chest. “Take a breath, Baby. Whatever it is, I’ve got you. Just tell me what happened.”

After taking a deep cleansing breath, she settles herself down enough to try again and holds my eyes.

“I came home and I figured since Ana’s helping me with the wedding, I could start on some things I wanted to do for the nursery,” she starts.

“Is that what’s bothering you?” I ask her. “It’s going to be okay. I know we only have a few weeks left, but I’ll help you.”

“That’s not it,” she shakes her head, her eyes starting to tear again. “Right after I started, your mom called asking about the shower again. She said that she needed me to send out the invitations, so I came in here to write out them out…”

“Yeah?”

“And now I can’t get up,” she admits, letting out another high-pitched sob. “My belly’s too big.”

“Aww, Baby,” I say, unable to keep my lips from curling up as I press them to her forehead. “Is that all?”

“What do you mean is that all?” she asks in disbelief. “Chase, I’ve been down here for
two hours!
I tried pushing the coffee table with my feet, but it’s too heavy so I’ve just been sitting here like a loser.”

“Sophie,” I start, hugging her to my chest and trying desperately to silence the chuckle from leaving me.

“It’s not funny,” she says, lightly swatting my arm. “You wouldn’t believe how bad I have to pee, I’m starving… JT and I have been eating these for the past twenty minutes because that’s all he could reach in the kitchen,” she admits, her eyes tearing up again as she raises the bag of marshmallows up in tearful frustration.

“Hi Uncle Chase,” he says, seemingly unaffected by her unique dilemma.

“Hey buddy,” I smile back at him, reaching over to muss his hair and making him chuckle.

“I was going to order a pizza,” my girl continues. “But I didn’t want the guy to get here before you. Even if I was okay with JT answering the door, which I’m not, my cell is in my purse and I don’t know where it is.”

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart. Come here,” I say softly, kissing her on the tip of her nose and helping her to her feet. “I’ve got you.”

“Thank you,” she sniffs, pecking me on the lips before making her way to the bathroom. “Please don’t tell anyone I got stuck. Especially not Drake, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I won’t,” I smile, watching her go.

By the time she’s made her way back out, her face is dry and I’ve ordered a pizza.

Aside from the tearful greeting, the rest of our week is much of the same. Even the two days she joins me at the office, Sophie dives head first into getting everything ready for the baby. Since we still didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl, she’d had a hard time deciding on what she wanted to do about the purple paint covering Emily’s old bedroom. Tuesday afternoon when I pick her up at the office, she excitedly announces she’s found the perfect thing. After a not-so-quick stop at Lowe’s, we bring our purchases inside and she kicks me out of the room.

While I get an occasional quick glimpse of the color scheme on the oversized shirt she’d nabbed from my side of the closet, she’d stayed mum on what she’s doing in there.

Friday when I come home, she’s following Heather out of the room, wide smiles in place.

“Hey Sweet Cheeks,” Heather chuckles as she sweeps her pink bangs off her brow.

“Hey,” I smile, giving her a quick sideways hug before leaning down to meet Sophie’s lips. “Hi, Princess.”

“Hi, Baby,” she smiles.

“Hi Peanut,” I bend to kiss her very pregnant belly.

“How was your day?” she asks, running her fingers through my hair before I stand to face her again.

“Better now, Gorgeous,” I admit with a wink as I playfully tug the blonde braid resting over her shoulder. “Where’s JT?”

“He’s in his…”

“Uncle Chase!” he calls, running out to greet me.

“Room,” she finishes with a chuckle.

“Hey man!” I reply, his excited reaction to seeing me keeping me grinning.

This kid is just too awesome.

“The baby’s room is done!” he announces.

“It is?” I ask, unable to hide my excitement as I give Sophie a questioning look.

“Yep! Heather came over to help me move the furniture and we just finished. Well, she did. I just finished telling her where to put everything,” she grins, hugging Heather. “Thank you, by the way.”

“Yes, thank you,” I tell her. “I would have done it.”

“You’re welcome,” Heather says smiling at me over Sophie’s shoulder. “I know, but she wanted to be able to show you it once it was all done.”

“So can I see it?” I ask Sophie.

“Yes,” she nods, taking my hand.

“I’m gonna go,” Heather announces, halting our movement.

“You don’t want to stay for the big reveal?” my girl asks.

“No, thanks,” she starts. “It’s kind of a personal moment and Jamie’s taking me to dinner tonight, so I need to take off.”

“Okay,” she smiles, hugging her again. “Thanks so much for your help.”

“You’re welcome,” she says. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye Sweet Cheeks, catch ya later, Little Dude.”

“Bye!” JT calls out as I hug her goodbye and watch her pull the door shut.

“You ready?” Sophie asks, looking up at me.

“Can’t wait,” I smile, kissing her hair and letting her lead me to the nursery.

On the door, there’s a small, grey sign that reads,
‘For this child I prayed’ 1 Samuel 1:27
in white hand-painted letter hanging from a yellow ribbon.

As the words resonate, I swallow the small lump in my throat and watch her twist the doorknob and push the door open.

Naively, I’d thought she’d pick something simple like yellow and add her own unique, Sophie flair. However, as I walk into the room and see what she’s managed to do with the small space, I’m absolutely blown away.

Aside from the small, white chandelier she’d asked me to help her hang last week, the room is completely unrecognizable.

The wall that holds the dark crib we’d picked out is covered in wide white and pale grey stripes. In the center is a large canvas with the words ‘
you are loved’
painted across it in beautiful black script. Two walls are painted pale grey and while one holds the large closet, on the other she’s painted a large white tree in one corner with leaves somehow gently falling and cascading down the wall. On the window in the center, bright yellow curtains add a pop of color from their spot beside the mahogany rocking chair and cream colored ottoman in the corner. The last wall is striped again to match the first, a bright yellow canvas on each side of the window above the infamous changing table. Stepping closer, I see a quote about forever from A.A. Milne on one and the words
‘your first breath took ours away’
on the other.

When Sophie had asked me a couple of months ago what ideas I had for the baby’s nursery, I had no idea what to say. Although fatherhood was always something I wanted, I just never thought about what their nursery would look like. As I glance around the room and take in the all the details, every leaf on the wall meticulously painted, the dresser filled with perfectly folded laundry she’s spent the last two weeks on, the soft blanket resting just so over the side of the crib, I’m speechless. My eyes fall on a framed collage with pictures of me and Sophie, my parents, her father, Drake and Ana, JT and Jack, Emily and Brad, all perfectly surrounding one of her most recent ultrasounds and my chest clenches.

“I think the fluffy white rug was a frivolous choice,” she says in a soft voice, breaking my thoughts. “I know it’ll probably be ruined in no time, but it just fit so perfectly, I had to get it.”

As I turn to gaze at her, she’s giving me a soft smile as she runs her hand lovingly over her stomach. Her braid is frayed and messy, the white T-shirt she’d confiscated from my side of the closet completely ruined. I can tell with just one look she’s tired and her nails are stained with paint. She’s been working non-stop all week, but somehow still wears a smile as she picks apart every amazing detail of this room, searching for anyway to make its perfection even better.

“Do you think we should change the…”

“No,” I manage, my throat thick with emotion.

“You didn’t even let me finish,” she blushes, smiling wide as she meets my eyes.

“Don’t change a thing, Sophie,” I whisper, not caring about the tears rimming my eyes. “This is perfect. This is absolutely beautiful, Baby.”

“You really like it?” she asks, her voice soft and unsure.

“I love it,” I tell her, pulling her to my chest and nuzzling into her neck. “You did so good, Baby. It’s amazing.”

“Thank you,” she says, melting into me and holding my eyes as I pull away. “I love you.”

“I love you so much.”

Sophie

When the weekend comes, we spend it at the ball field at JT’s game and running errands, trying desperately to get everything done. Drake, Ana and Jack have all driven down for JT and follow us to the house afterwards. In addition to a cookout, Ana’s going to help me finish up a few things for the wedding.

It’s hard to believe only two weeks stand between Chase and I becoming man and wife, but even harder to believe our baby is due in only four. My future in-laws will be here at the end of next week and although I’m happy to see them, there’s still so much to do.

“Have you booked the rooms yet?” Ana asks me, breaking my thoughts.

“Yes,” I tell her. “Actually, Chase took care of that a while back, so we’re set there. If Matty’s staying at your place, we’ll only need seven or eight, but we’ve reserved a block of ten rooms just to be safe. We just may need help picking people up from the airport.”

“Well, don’t worry about that,” she says. “Between all of us, we’ll make sure everyone gets picked up. Even if you go into labor early…”

“Don’t say that!” I cut her off.

“Soph, you were just saying how sick you are of being pregnant,” she smirks.

“I am,” I admit. “But I still want to try and get as close as I can to full-term. Not only is it better for Peanut, labor scares the hell out of me.”

“Can’t say I blame you there,” she says. “You’ll be okay, though. Women have babies every day and yes, it’s painful, but they survive.”

“Yeah,” I say, nodding nervously as I look down at my enormous belly. “I just don’t see how it’s possible that
this
is going to come out of
that
. I know your body supposedly does a lot of the work for you, but mine can’t even regulate my metabolism. How the hell is it going to pull this shit off?”

“I don’t know, Honey,” she smiles, giving me a sympathetic look. “But it does. You’re going to be okay. Just think of how awesome that baby’s going to be when it’s all over.”

“I know,” I say immediately. “I know that no matter how bad it hurts, it’s totally going to be worth it. I can’t wait to meet him I just hope the first thing he hears out of me isn’t profanity. The kids got a lifetime of that to look forward to around the five of us,” I laugh. “We need to ease him into it.”

***

“Baby, are you ready?” Chase calls from across the house. “We need to get going soon.”

“I’m trying,” I shout across the house in a huff.

“What are you doing?” he asks, sticking his head into the closet where I’m rummaging and running his eyes over me. “I thought you were dressed, Babe.”