Tough Love

CHAPTER ONE

ISABELLE.

Ecstatic didn't describe the feeling inside me right now. Nervous? Yes. Frightened? Hell yes. Over the moon, freaking happy? Yes! Yes! Yes!

The smile plastered across my face wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Seeing that small heartbeat flickering on the monitor, as I lay on an uncomfortable bed with my legs spread in the sterile doctor's office, just made everything set in, and become real. This was happening. The sound filling my ears, it was just magical. Pure happiness. This was happening.

Of course, I knew it was a huge possibility that I could be pregnant. We weren't trying to get pregnant, but we weren't too worried about birth control either. I had the signs. Sore breasts, feeling utterly exhausted and morning sickness. Every damn morning, I was throwing up. The biggest sign of all, was a missed period. That's when the reality set in of what may be happening. My first words when that second symbol appeared were, Oh shit.

Ashton had no idea, as I wanted to be sure before I told him that he'd put a baby in me and going to have a baby born around Christmas time. Coming here, I had just been expecting a blood test, but the doctor wanted to do an ultrasound. I went to lift my shirt, when he told me to take my bottoms off. It was uncomfortable, and could put most men to shame. Internal examination? Heck, I hadn't heard of those before.

"Everything looks well. You're measuring at Nine weeks." Dr Nicholls pointed out, his calm voice eased the fact he was moving a giant wand around my vagina. "This is your first pregnancy, correct?"

"Yes." I answered. "It is."

"I'll print a couple of images for you to take and share with your husband." The wand was slowly removed, as he passed over a handful of tissues for me to clean myself up. Giving me a warming smile as he left the room, allowing for me to change, and sit back down.

Although Ash and I were still together, we weren't married. Not going to lie, after almost 8 years of dating, I was hoping he would hurry up and put a ring on it soon.

Leaving the hospital, I headed straight to school, needing to pick Jenna up from year 8. She was now our 14-year-old headache who obviously had her father wrapped around her little fingers. Anything she wanted, she got. Anything she said, he believed.

Even her word over mine at times.

Waiting in the car park until it turned 3PM. I sat, holding the photograph of my ultrasound, and stared at the little image of our baby, with one hand placed against my flat stomach. I couldn't wait to have a belly, for the world to know we were having a child together.

Another thing I couldn't wait for, was to see Ashton's reaction when I told him I was pregnant. Hopefully he didn't freak out too much. I really wanted to YouTube it, but that video would never be surfaced to light of day if he had his way.

I spotted Jenna walking out with her friends. She had grown up to be a pretty girl, with long blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She looked like her mother. Putting the photo away before she noticed, I smiled as she opened the back door, tossing her back on the seat then slid into the front.

"Hi, did you have a good day at school?" I asked, pulling out onto the road. It was the same question each day, asking because I wanted to know about her day. She however, ignored me. "Did you learn anything new?" I tried, trying to ask her things that forced her to answer me. Again, no response but a heavy sigh as her arms crossed over her chest. This time, I sighed after her, keeping my voice calm. "It would be nice if you could answer when you're spoken to Jenna."

Never once had I raised my voice at her. Yes, she frustrated the hell out of me at times, causing me to either walk away, or bite the insides of my cheeks, but I hardly ever found the need to yell or scream. She knew however, that I found ignoring someone when spoken to, very disrespectful.