Odeletta
I sit on the back porch, staring at the garage.
I could do it so fast, he would never know.
I glance down at my baby bump.
There's no harm in just simply hearing her engine.
I open the back door and slip in the house, moving quietly. I feel the familiar fluttering of the baby moving as I open the drawer in the kitchen and grab the keys to Lucia.
My eyes glance at the clock.
6:23AM
Harper is still sleep and I'm doing nothing wrong.
I haven't touched Lucia in three months.
I've been married for two months.
I'm just going to turn her on, that's it.
I slip out of the back door again, walking around and into the garage. I rub my swollen belly as I walk up to Lucia, running my finger along her seat.
I do the tickle and turn on her choke and slam down on the kickstart.
Her engine roars to life, unsettling the Chicago air.
I put my hand on her vibrating seat.
I can just take her around the block...
What's the harm in taking her around the block, right? I grab the throttle and rev her engine loudly, grinning when I hear her scream.
Nathan
I'm ripped from sleep when I hear a motorcycle engine.
Odeletta isn't in bed.
What the fuck?
I launch out of bed, tripping into my basketball shorts.
Just as I emergece from the bedroom, I see Gabe and Harper doing the same.
"What the hell is she doing?" Gabe asks angrily. "She's five months pregnant!"
We go downstairs, sprinting down the hall to the door that leads outside, Mason and Annalise joining us from downstairs. We rush outside, getting in the garage in just enough time to see Odeletta raising her leg to get on Lucia.
I walk up to the bike and rip the key out of her ignition.
"Put it back!" Odette snaps.
"No! You're five months pregnant!"
"Just around the block!" She pouts. "Please? Please Nathan?"
"No." I say.
She glares at me, turning around and stomping back in the house.
A moment later, she comes back.
"Your take her around the block. She deserves some fucking attention and you won't let me give her a harmless trip around the block!"
"You are growing our child." I reply.
"Please take Lucia around the block." She says. "Please?"
"I'll do it." Gabe says.
"No." Odette says. "Nathan will do it."
"Oh, I will?" I ask.
"Yes, because I'm your wife and I said so. Take Lucia around the block."
She turns around and walks out.
She pulled the wife card.
Letting out a grunt, I start Lucia back up.
That woman is going to be the death of me, I swear.
_____
The twenty week appointment later that day went incredible. Odeletta doesn't want to do a gender reveal so she just told us the gender. We have the whole family on FaceTime and they're all waiting impatiently for us to tell them if the baby is a boy or a girl.
"Nathan, tell her to hurry up." Peyton pleads. I ignore my sister, relaxed as I scroll through my phone.
Odeletta walks into the room in leggings and a white tank top.
"Aww! Look at her bump you guys!" Aunt Clara exclaims.
Odette looks at me, and then at the screen.
"It's a boy and his name is Raylen Joseph-Ignance Reed."
Just like that they all start cheering, overjoyed to get a new baby in the family. She looks so exahusted.
The baby was up all night, kicking around and keeping her awake. I stand up and walk over to her.
"You should go get some rest." I say softly.
"I do not want to."
"Yes you do." I say when I see the look on her face. "What's the matter?"
"Let's talk about this later." She says quietly. She looks really upset. My eyebrows crease in worry. She turns around and walks out.
"Where is she going?" Adelaide asks over the phone. "We have a baby shower to plan!"
"She's tired today you guys. Can we plan tomorrow?" I ask.
"Of course." She nods.
"I'll text you guys the ultrasound." I say. They all nod and we get off the phone.
The second the phone silences, I walk upstairs, leaving Gwen and our excited roommates downstairs.
The upstairs to this house is narrow but the bedrooms are the largest. There's two rooms and a bathroom and each room is really narrow with slanted ceilings and you can only stand up without crouching in the center of the room.
Still, standing in the center of the room, I can raise my hand and touch the ceiling.
Odette is laying in the middle fo the bed staring at the ceiling.
I close the door quietly and walk over to the edge of the bed, leaning forward so i don't hit my head on the ceiling.
She looks at me for a moment and then rolls to her side, the left side, her back facing me.
I drop in bed next to her, pulling the covers over her body.
"You need to get some rest." I murmur, scooting under the covers.
"No." She sniffles.
"Are you crying?" I ask.
"Yes."
"Why?"
She doesn't respond, she just keeps herself away from me.
"Mon amour." I scoot closer to her, winding my arm around her to nestle between her breasts and her baby bump. Her body tenses slightly, and then she rolls over to face me, out faces inches apart. Her belly pokes my stomach and I reach out to brush some tears off her cheeks. "What's wrong darling?"
"We're married, Nathan. You are my husband. I walked down the aisle to you, and I said I do."
"Okay..." I trail.
She sits up, hitting her head on the ceiling. She rubs the spot she it and scoots to the center of the bed.
"I hate our life right now."
I roll onto my back and she sits to the left of me, looking down at me.
"We are married and it feels like you're my boyfriend. I feel like a teenager who got pregnant by mistake. It doesn't feel like my husband and I are having a baby. I don't feel married. None of this feels the way it should. We live with four other people. I know we agreed to wait until the baby was strong enough to go out to think about moving, to wait until next May, but I don't want to. I want to get a house, with you, as husband and wife, and I want to do it before the baby is born. Chicago is dangerous and loud and I want to live in a neighborhood and have to rake the yard. I want to have a swing set in the backyard and to sit in our living room while our child sleeps upstairs. None of this house is ours, this is everyone's house, not our house. I want to move, Nathan. I want to paint the nursery with you and go to babies R us and have a baby shower at one of our parents houses, in Ohio, with your family. I don't want my Maman and Papa to have to get on a plane every time they want to see their petit fils. I-I want to sit up and bed and now hit my head on the fucking ceiling. I want a big bedroom and a big walk in closet and a big bathroom. Our baby, Nathan, Raylen is going to have to be downstairs. Our newborn is going to be downstairs by the front door. I want to be able to go to the gas station without feeling like I'm going to get murdered."
She lets out a harsh breath. I put both my arms behind my head, clasping my hands together thoughtfully as I peer at her.
"How long have you felt this way?"
"Since we got back from our honeymoon in Colorado." She mumbles.
"And why are you just now saying something?"
She looks at me.
"We weren't supposed to be married for another year." She says. "I know we didn't plan on having a baby so soon, but-"
"Sweetheart," I sit up, scooting so I don't hit my head. "I don't regret this. I don't. I have wanted to live the married life for a while. Baby, I was ready to live alone with you last summer, but we were having fun in New York with everyone. I've been ready to settle down for over a year now, darling."
"You have?" She whispers.
"Yes, why do you think I proposed? I love you, amour, and I want to settle down."
"Really?"
"Yes." I nod my head. "Now come here and lay down. You need to get some rest."
She shakes her head and scoots back a little bit.
She scoots back too far and starts to fall off the bed. My eyes widen and I shoot out, grabbing her hands and pulling her back to the bed. She shifts her position and pulls her phone from the pocket of her jacket. She lays down on my left and tugs at my arm. I put it out and she nestles into the crook of my arm. I pull the covers over her. She goes onto her phone and opens some app called realtor.com.
"I've been looking at houses in Columbus. Unless you want to live in Millersport?"
I hesitate.
"I want to live in Columbus." I say. "I grew up there...but your Dad is from Millersport."
She hits a thing on the bottom that says my listings and clicks on one.
"This one is so perfect Nathan, I have been watching this house for a month and a half. I want it so badly. It's in Columbus.
"It's 3D so you can go through the house on the app." She says. "I know it's expensive but we can afford it. I've done all the financials for it." She stands up and walks over to the dresser, digging around in there for something. She comes back with a stapled piece of paper. "I know we would have to find new jobs but the money wouldn't change much." She says as she hands me the paper. I rest it on my stomach and put my arm out as she lays back down, looking at her phone. It timed out so I press the home button and unlock it again.
The first thing I see is a long tile hallway at the front door which is solid wood and has stain glass windows on either side of it. There's a staircase on the right of it and it looks to be made of real wood. To the left of the front door is an opening into a living room with a window that has a ledge you can sit on. To the right of the front door is a dining room large enough for ten people. Each room has the same real oak wood as the stairs. There is a closet on the left in the middle of the hallway. The end of the hall opens into a breakfast area. There's a door to a screened lanai that has outside furniture and a door to the back yard. There's a hill in the yard. I push the camera over to the door.
"Why can't I go out in the yard?" I wonder. She's watching me scroll through it.
"There's photos of that." She says. "Keep going!"
I turn my head and kiss the top of hers as I turn the camera back to the breakfast area.
If you're facing the breakfast area, to the left of it is a living room with a real stone fireplace. It's not electric and that makes me excited.
Each room has large windows in it and I notice something I don't like but I don't say anything as I go to further into the breakfast area. There's a staircase that goes down to the basement. I save that for later as I inch into the kitchen.
The kitchen is large with dark granite countertops. There's a window above the metal two sided sink, a stainless steel dishwasher, and a stovetop. It's gas, too. The counters and cabinets are real wood. Oak, probably. There is a built in oven in the cabinet, which has two doors. The side of the bar that doesn't face the cabinets has three barstools at it. The fridge is two doors with an ice maker and it has a drawer on the bottom. There's a built in desk and I like that. When Raylen gets older he can do his homework there and we can watch him to make sure he isn't slacking off.
To the left of the stairs to the basement is a door that leads back into the dining room. There is a hallway on the other side of the kitchen. Right when you get into it, there's a door on the right that leads into a full sized bathroom with a stand up shower and no tub. Diagonal from it, on the left of the hall is a door that leads into a mud room with the laundry machines and a tub sink. There's a bar to fold clothes on and cabinets. There's an outside door in there that leads out to the patio that the camera doesn't go to. Diagonal from that hallway is another door.
"What's behind that door?" I ask.
"I'm not sure." She says. "I think it's the garage though."
"There's a garage?" I ask.
"Yes." She says.
That would be the perfect location for a garage door, especially with the mud room across the hall.
To the right of the mudroom door is a closet, and at the very end of the hall is a door that leads into an office with a large desk in front of a window. The shelves in the office are real wood.
Everything is real wood, but it doesn't look too woody or too country. The wood makes it feel really homey and the house reminds me of fall, when there's leaves in the yard and outside is cold, not cold enough to snow but cold enough to see your breath, and I can picture Raylen coming in the house with a pink nose from playing outside and I can see the fireplace lit and the turkey window clings and I can see the Christmas tree and the snow in the yard and Odeletta scolding Raylen for trekking snow all over the wood floors.
It feels like...like home.
I don't tell Odette that though, just Incase I find something that makes me hate the house.
There's a pocket door against the wall opposite the window in the office that leads to a set of stairs.
"Don't go in there yet." Odeletta says. "Do the basement and then go upstairs."
"Okay." I say. I leave the office, tapping the floor until I reach the stairs for the basement in the breakfast area. I tap the floor to go down the stairs.
To the left of the stairs is a built in entrainment center with a TV and a couch and a coffee table. Behind the couch is a pool table. There's a fridge in the corner of the room, along with a sink and a few counters. There is a door with a window in it, signing that it leads outside.
On the other side of the counter that has the sink is is a few bar stools. To the right of the stairs is a door and you can touch it while still on the stairs. It has a closet, and there's a door in the corner of that area with a another closet, and there is a closet next to the pool table.
Going to the other closet, on the same wall the one you can grab near the stairs is on is another door that opens to a large bedroom with a giant bed and corner desk.
"Is this the master bedroom?" I ask.
"No baby, keep looking."
This room is large and this isn't the master?
How big is the master?
In the corner of the room is a door that leads to a large bathroom with a standup shower and no bathtub.
"Sweetheart, how are we going to wash Raylen with no tub?"
"Just keep looking!" She whines adorably.
Sighing, I see another door in the bathroom, which wraps around to the room with the pool table.
I feel her shift against my arm as I make my way back up the stairs to the breakfast area. I go down the hall to the front door and up the oak stairs.
There's an opening that allows you to see the front door.
Right in front of the top stair is two bedroom doors facing each other and one in the middle.
I go into the one in the middle to see a large bathroom with two mirrors and a tub and shower combo. There is a closet across from the double sink.
I go to the bedroom to the left of that one and it takes me into a small bedroom with a closet in the corner. The room is a coffee color and the floors are the same oak.
I make a move to go into the bedroom across from the one I am currently in, to the right of the bathroom, but Odeletta shakes her head.
"Skip it."
I huff, pouting. She giggles as I go to the left of the staircase and across the landing that looks down to the front door.
There are two doors to the left of the stairs that are directly next to each other. There is also a door against the wall next to the one on the left that opens to a closet. It's just a simple bedroom with a slightly slanted ceiling on one side of the room that is high enough that you can't hit your head. There is a closet against the wall across from the window in there.
The next room is larger with a closet against the wall that the wall the other room is on. There is one large window in there too.
I cross the hall now to the bedroom across from the girls bedroom.
Next to the door on the left is a bathroom so I go in there first. I let out a low whistle at the sight of it.
The wood flooring is gone and there is white tile on the floor. There is a large jacuzzi hot tub bath with a giant window that overlooks a creek in the back yard. There are two sinks with blue tile that are all different colors. To the right of the tub is a large standup shower that doesn't have a curtain or a door but is big enough that it doesn't even need one. There is a bench in there too. To the right of the shower is a tiny room without a door that has the toilet in it. There's a window in there too.
The shower has foggy igloo glass facing the tub so the light from the giant window comes through it. There's curtains over the window so you can use the tub in peace. People could see straight in at night with the light on. The thought of somebody seeing Odette naked like that pisses me off and I clench her phone in my hand. She feels my bicep tighten in her head and she turns.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing baby." I kiss her head.
Between the sink and the shower is a door that leads into a walk in closet. It's the side of the girl's bedroom across the doorway with a slightly slanted ceiling on one part.
"Look at this closet." I say.
"I know." She says. "That's not the best part."
Confused, I go back to the bedroom.
It's large with two windows that have ledges you can sit on.
On the other side of the room, opposite the wall with the door to the landing, is a ledge with a railing and a half wall.
"The bedroom is a loft? Ew, is it open to the living room?"
She just nudges me and gestures to the phone.
The edge overlooks a private living room with a window ledge window. There is a closet to the left of the stairs at the bottom. It's not a full staircase though, it's a half staircase. The floor is raised, and there is another half staircase in the corner that leads back down to the pocket door study.
"Holy shit." I say.
This house is fucking incredible.
"Now look." She plucks her phone from my hand and X's out of the 3D tour. She scrolls through the photos of the house quickly until she reaches everything outside.
The outside of the house is a dark coffee colored paneling and the roof is slanted. The ground is paved with coffee colored bricks. There is a hill with a rock-made staircase that leads up to a small private playground with a swing, a bench, a slide, and a little ledge.
I swipe over again and see a treehouse made between three trees.
"There's a fucking treehouse, Odette!" I exclaim, sitting up. I slam my head on the ceiling. I press my hand into it, wincing.
"There's a waterfall somewhere on that property too, the description says so...and a three car garage which means Beast and Lucia and your Civic get a parking spot. The backyard is half an acre."
I want this house so bad it hurts.
"What if we can't afford it?"
"I did the math." She taps the paper that fell on my lap when I sat up.
"This is the mortgage, the taxes, the water, electricity, there's gas, groceries, wifi, cable, car payments, my hospital bills..." she trails off, pointing to things. "This is the total for each month, it's a rough estimate but we have roughly 17.5k a month and we are only paying around 14k a month for our house. And that's if they won't give us money off, which they probably will. I think we can get them down thirty thousand dollars, maybe more. Now, I know you might get mad but I have gotten lined up with a job there and I was emailing back and forth with a guy at a really nice psychology office and I gave him your resume and he would like to do an interview tomorrow at eight in the morning. I know you have not said yes, but Nathan, I want the married life, and we cannot have that here. I do not feel safe leaving Raylen downstairs. It will be easier for us with work when we have our aunts and uncle and parents and Julian and Peyton and Matthew a half hour away. I want the best for us, and for Raylen..." she trails off, looking at me hopefully.
"I love the house." I admit. "But there's two things I don't like."
She groans. "You're so picky!" She whines, grabbing my pillow and whacking me with it.
I laugh and climb on top of her, careful not to squish Raylen while I do so.
"You love me." I tease.
"I do love you." She grumbles. I lean down to peck her lips and then flop off of her.
"What do you not like?" She grumbles.
"I don't like that there is no door to the basement. There's just an open staircase. What happens when Raylen starts walking?"
"Well maybe we can put a door." She says. "What else?"
"The windows have no screens. That means bugs. Creepy crawlers."
"Oh come on!" She whines. "Are we not going to get it because of that? I'll kill all the bugs forever!"
"Really?"
"No, but I'll pretend to so you will get the house!"
I laugh quietly and flop down next to her.
"Can we Nathan? Please?"
"Depending on how the interview goes tomorrow...I'll let you know."
I kiss her softly.
"What about our roommates? We can't leave them stranded."
"I did the math for them too..." she trails.
"How?" I ask.
"I stole their W 4's..." she trails off.
I start laughing loudly.
"What?" She whines. "They can afford it!" Oh please can we go Nathan? Please? Doesn't that house just feel like home? Like the bed you come home to! Look at that master bedroom! Oh my gosh, please? Pleaseeeeee?"
I laugh, kissing her.
"We'll see."
She whines loudly and then stops suddenly, grabbing my hand and pressing it to her belly, using her other hand to start recording.
I've never gotten to feel Raylen kick. Every single time he moves and she feels it, she makes me touch his stomach and he stops.
We both hold out breath and I pray, hoping to feel him.
And then I feel a soft little nudge to my hand. I gasp loudly.
"Did you feel it!" I wait, and then I feel it again. "He's kicking!" I exclaim. "He kicked! I felt it!"
I feel a kick again and I grin. "Oh my god, do you think he knows who I am?"
"Of course." She laughs. "You talk to him every night, beau. He knows who you are."
He kicks my hand again and I smile.
"He's so cute. I can't wait to hold him."
"Me either." She smiles.
She stops the video and sends it. I peek at her phone to see her sending it to her Mom, my Mom, Peyton, Aunt Rosalie, and Aunt Clara.
"Nathan?" She asks after her phone makes a little swooshing sound from sending.
"Yes?"
"Are we moving to Ohio?"
I laugh.
"Baby, I told you I don't know."
She huffs, not liking my answer.
I kiss her softly.
"We'll see."
"Every time Maman says that, it means no."
_____
Hey all, so the house Nathan was talking about actually exists and it's in Ohio and if you want to see it, DM me and I'll message you the address so you can google it.
I'm really loving the love and happiness you can feel between Nathan and Odeletta.
Leave comments and vote you guys! Vote vote vote!
~Sam