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Foggy pain shot from her temples down to her teeth and back up again as a headache awoke Jennifer. The sunlight from the window only made matters worse, and she held her hand up to fend off the unholy rays.
Her head flopped to the side as she thought about the night before. Wretched. She could only imagine how today was going to be. As she’d fallen asleep, Mark sat in the chair against the wall. She’d awoken the first time to the sound of him leaving. For a while she lay in bed, hoping he’d just gone to the car. An eternity passed without his return. That’s when she called Sally, who assured her she’d be by the next day.
She hazarded a glance past the sunlight long enough to see he wasn’t there. He must have gone home.
That thought left her aching.
God, she hated that he found out like that. She wished she could go back and make everything better, but some things in life just couldn’t be unbroken. She’d known firsthand what it felt like to be betrayed by someone. She just wished Mark would find a way to forgive her, over time.
Pushing back the blanket, she swung her feet over the side of the bed. Something felt off. Different. Wrong. For one, the apartment felt warm, and it was never warm in the mornings. She didn’t remember turning up the heat last night, but perhaps Mark had flipped the switch before he left.
Which brought her to the second thing. Tucking her feet into her slippers, she cocked her head at noises in her kitchen...the sounds of sizzling and the clanging of metal against metal. Cooking. And it smelled good!
“Sally?” Jennifer called out. Who else could it be? Unfortunately, the baby would not let her wait for an answer. She stepped into the bathroom adjacent, and then peeked her head toward the kitchen when she’d finished. No one around. She heard the front door shut and called out again.
After still no reply, she shuffled back into bed. Delicious smells filled the apartment. If Sally wanted to surprise her by bringing breakfast in bed, Jennifer didn’t want to kill the surprise. The front door shut again; this time she did not call out. In the middle of debating whether or not to feign sleep, the object of her curiosity came into the room carrying a tray of food.
“Good morning, Sunshine.”
Mark. All smiles and warmth. He wore the apron she’d bought when she moved into the apartment. The apron she never wore because she never had time to cook. The one that said, “I use my smoke detector as a kitchen timer.” She felt embarrassed he’d found it.
“Mark.”
Last night had been a terrible night, and in spite of the smiles and warmth, she wasn’t certain what to expect from him. “You made breakfast?”
“I did. Whole-grain pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, soy sausage, and fresh strawberries.” He placed the tray on her lap and took a step back.
“Mark,” Jennifer started again, saliva filling her mouth at the prospect of real food. “I didn’t have any groceries. Where did you find all of this?”
“I made a run home last night. I thought if I was going to stay with you during your bed rest, we would need some real food. I hope you don’t mind. Did you know the only thing in your refrigerator was a withered apple and green cheese?”
She nodded and then, dumbfounded, stared down at the tray. He’d even laid out a real linen napkin, and a rose. One beautiful orange rose. Perfect for her; she’d never really cared for the red ones. “Why?” She looked up at him, at a loss for words.
“I’m taking care of you. You are carrying our child. Had I known, I would have pampered you from the beginning.” He pulled a chair up alongside her bed. “That’s what I decided last night, at least. We can do this. Now don’t interrupt just yet...hear me out. You will be an amazing mother. I know this because I’ve never seen someone put so much effort into a baby she wasn’t planning to keep. I know you were trying to do the right thing for our baby. I wish you had told me, but we can’t change that now.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he put his finger up. “I’ll be an amazing dad. I love children and I’ve always wanted to be a dad. I’m great with the kids who come in to my practice. I know you’re scared, and I know you had your own reasons for not telling me, but now I’m here to do whatever I can to help you realize that I—”
Jennifer interrupted. “Okay.”
Mark closed his mouth mid-speech. “Okay?” He squinted at her. “I didn’t even get to the part of my being financially stable, and you say, ‘okay’? Are you sure?”
Jennifer smiled. “Are you trying to talk me out of this?”