A Special Summer(52)

Joan admired Summer for keeping her baby in spite of being young, single and alone. She wished many a days she had done the same. Joan wished she hadn’t listened to that good for nothing Sam Waters. He promised to marry her if she had the abortion telling her, “Joanie, we’re too young to have a baby. Let’s wait until I finish my pharmacy training then we’ll get married and start a family.” That was until he found out she was “damaged goods” as he put it. Joan was devastated when Sam ran off and married her best friend Alice.

No, she would not judge Summer. She would support and give Summer guidance as if she were her own daughter. No one was there to do that for her when she was a young woman facing a life altering decision. A decision that came with years of pain and loneliness because she had listened to a man whom obviously never loved her.

Joan and Summer enjoyed each other’s company as they ate their dinner. The food was so delicious Summer ignored the faint twinges in the lower part of her abdomen. The faint twinges felt nowhere as painful as the other contractions that sent her running to the hospital almost two and a half weeks ago. The rest of the evening slight discomfort poked and prodded in intervals every hour or so. Summer ignored them thinking they would pass if she retired early to bed. “I must’ve been on my feet too long after dinner,” she told herself as she gingerly stepped out of the tub toweling off. “I’ll go lie down, that should stop them before they get too bad.”



♥♥♥

Somewhere around midnight she heard Nick come into the room.

“Summer, are you awake?”

Summer pretended to be asleep. She didn’t want to deal with Nick or his mess. He didn’t want to hear what she had to say anyway, so why was he bothering her? He believed what he wanted; nothing she said to him would change that.

Not getting a response he left the room. He was sure she was awake; he’d just heard her turn off the television not more than ten minutes before he walked into the room. Since the night of their confrontation Summer kept to herself. She spent her time mostly in the guestroom reading and watching television or talking on the phone. If she was in the den relaxing when he came home, the second she heard him go into his bedroom to change she’d retreat to the guestroom. Every time he looked into her eyes she’d shift her gaze as if trying to hide something. Summer’s efforts were futile; Nick saw the pain each and every time. He had hurt her, wounded her. Even in his anger that night he witnessed how her face contorted in pain when he called her a whore. His anger consumed him to the point he had resorted to being downright cruel. Nick wanted so badly to go back in the room and make Summer acknowledge his presence. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for hurting her.

Yeah, that’s what he would do. Heading back to Summer, Nick was stilled by a tiny voice. She doesn’t want to be bothered with you. His arrogance ignored the voice as he took another step and then stopped. You went too far this time.

Summer had never outright ignored him. She had always been accommodating, at his beck and call. Nick had taken it for granted, expected it; not recognizing she had only done those things because she loved him. All of that was changing. Summer was letting go and he could feel it.





Chapter 22




Between the hours of five and five-thirty the next morning Summer was awaken by a contraction a bit more intense than the previous night. She groaned, “Not now baby,” to the tiny life within her as if it would obey.

As anxious as she was to have her baby, she was in no way prepared for its arrival. Mulling over in her mind all the things she had for the baby, she came to the conclusion she wasn’t quite ready yet. Seven undershirts, three gowns in yellow, pastel green and white, five bibs and a box of newborn pampers. That was it. Her brain was preoccupied with so much drama she’d put off shopping. Always telling herself, I’ll get to it.

“Trifling, just trifling.” Summer mumbled to herself letting out a disgusted sigh. Once again the magnificent Nicholas had turned her world upside down.

Pushing herself up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and standing up slowly to keep the blood from rushing to her head, Summer made her way to the bathroom. “I’ll go online and order some things this morning.” With overnight express mail she would have just about everything she needed by tomorrow this time.

Within two steps of entering the bathroom, she encountered Nick coming out of his office. He was already dressed in a business suit that was tailored made to fit his very masculine physique. Summer was angry with herself as she admired how good he looked. She had to get out of his environment as soon as possible if she was serious about letting him go.