Everything I've Never Had (COMPLETE)

EINH chapter 3*

"You almost did get your ass beat," I laughed.

"No cussing in my store, Miss Holmes," Mr. Houston, Johnny's dad, warned me lightly from behind a shelf.

"Sorry, Mr. Houston," I apologized in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, get to work, Preggers," Johnny joked, poking my stomach. Preggers was his new nickname for me ever since I told basically the whole town that I was pregnant. No one knew who the father was, but I knew they all suspected it was Preston.

I stuck my tongue out at him before turning on my heel and making my way to check stand seven.

~EINH~

When I got home that afternoon, there was a letter from Preston addressed to me on the kitchen table. They were coming every Saturday now and this was the fourth one since the one I had received after I first found out I was pregnant.

No one else was home, so I went straight to my room and stripped all my clothes off. I set the letter down on my desk as I retrieved my towel, iPod and dock. I stood sideways in front of my mirror and examined my stomach. It was amazing how fast I was growing, how fast the baby/babies were growing.

The lower part of my abdomen protruded a few inches past the rest of my used-to-be abs and the flat plane of my pelvis. I sighed as I ran my hand over the little lump with the soft slopes. Just thinking about what was growing inside me made me smile and stare down in love. I didn't know how many or what kind yet, but I loved hims or hers nonetheless.

I wrapped myself in my towel and grabbed the letter and music stuff before trekking across the hall to the bathroom I usually shared with my sister. We had a small three bedroom, two and a half bathroom house with a back yard that faded into trees that separated us from our neighbors. We lived on a small street in a small town in a small neighborhood. Brooks, Georgia was just all together a small place.

I started the bath and waited until the water was warm before I put the plug in the drain. Once I did and the bath started filling, I turned to my iPod and set it into the dock. Quickly, I found my playlist made specially for my bath time and let the soft music of Secondhand Serenade flow through the room. I opened the letter from Preston neatly since I had decided that I was keeping the letters and envelopes forever. I figure it'd be cute to show the little ones when they got older or to put in a scrapbook.

I stopped the faucet and slipped into the bath after pulling my long brown hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head. I grabbed the letter from where I put it on the toilet seat and started reading.

Dear O'Reilly,

Everyday is monotonous, and I miss your spontaneity. Yesterday I learned that I won't be able to go home until early June. And even then I'll only be home for a year until I'll be stationed and then deployed if the war continues. Hopefully, I won't be stationed or deployed for long. I'm already missing you and the rest of my family a lot. A lot more than I thought I would in the first few months.

I talked to my brother, sister and parents yesterday. I asked them all how they were doing and how you were doing. For some reason, they all sounded a bit off when I asked about you. Is everything alright, Riles? I know you don't write back, but if you could this time, that'd be awesome. I'm kind of worried since I called my parents and siblings. No one would tell me anything or they'd say it was nothing and I was being weird. I know it was something, though. Next week, I'm going to try to call and write. Please write back, though. It can be like that stupid romance story that you love so much.

I laughed at his mention of one of my favorite books, 'Dear John,'.

Anyway, enough of the heavy. How is everything there? Do you still have your job at Houston's? Are you excited for college next month? I know you decided to spend your first year in a community college and then go to University of Washington. I hope your still determined to do that. I know how much you want to be a nurse.