Princely Passions 2(164)

I come out of the bathroom, a smile firmly plastered on my face, to find Anders waiting for me in the hallway. “I have a surprise for you…” he says in a happy voice. His face is lit up with excitement and despite the knowledge that our world is about to be turned upside down, I can’t help but smile in response to the happiness on his face.

“Hi babe,” I say, and we kiss, but I can tell Anders isn’t into it. He wants to show me the surprise. “C’mon, c’mon,” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hallway and up to the front door.

He stops me and says, “Close your eyes and I’ll guide you. Should I get a blindfold? I should probably tie a tie around your eyes so you don’t peek.”

“I won’t peek,” I promise with a laugh. I have no idea what is outside, but for the moment, his excitement is helping me ignore The News, and that’s a feeling I’m rather enjoying, thankyouverymuch.

I obediently close my eyes and he guides me out of the front door and down the steps carefully. We moved to a townhouse not too long ago, and it still amazes me how…immediate the outside world is. No more riding down an elevator or taking three flights of stairs just to get outside. I can feel the light evening breeze on my face, and cars honking as they pass by.

Just as I start to wonder if we’re ever going to get to wherever we’re supposed to be going, Anders stops me. “Okay, darlin’, open your eyes,” he says, and I just know that if he’d been able to arrange for fireworks to go off at this very moment, he would have.

I slowly open my eyes, and...

An Aston Martin? A Vanquish Zagato Coupe?! I stagger a little, the shock hitting me like a tidal wave. “Oh my god, Anders!!!!” I squeal, throwing my arms around his neck. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!!!”

I move a little closer, almost afraid to touch it, listening as he tells me all of the many amazing features. What I notice is the dark eggplant purple that it’s been painted – my favorite color. My favorite car maker. My dream car.

Then I see. And then I realize. And then I put it together.

Oh god.

It’s a coupe! I can’t drive a fucking coupe! I’m pregnant! Where is the baby going to go??

My tears of joy quickly turn into tears of panic. “Anderssssssss!!” I wail in panic. “I can’t drive thiisssssss!!!” I’m blubbering now, I really am, and all of the people who’d stopped by on the street to take pictures of the Aston, which really, who could blame them, are now staring at me.

Funsies.

Anders wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him, tilting my head up to look him in the eye. “Now darlin’, you know I have enough money to buy this for you. I could buy a hundred for you if you wanted them. So don’t worry about it. It’s my gift to you.”

“It’s not the money,” I snuffle out. I look up and around at everyone passing by us. There is no way I’m blurting this news out on the street corner. “Let’s go inside for a minute.”

“You don’t want to go for a ride in the Aston?” he asks, shocked, and I think this is when it finally hits him that I wasn’t just crying happy tears. He’s suitably incredulous, as he should be. He knows how long I’ve drooled over Astons. He knows how much I wanted the Zagato in particular. He knows that my favorite color is eggplant. He knows all of that and that’s exactly why he surprised me with this perfect car.

He is so thoughtful.

I can only hope that his thoughtfulness extends to surprise children!

“I will. In a minute. Let’s just go inside and talk.”

He follows me inside, and I can tell he’s hesitant. Confused. Even a little hurt. I hate that I’ve caused him to feel like that, but even more, I hate what I’m about to tell him. I feel like I’ve let him down – birth control was on me, and I totally fucked it up.

I settle down on the couch but Anders goes over to the wet bar, muttering, “I have a feeling I’m going to need this.” I can’t help the small smile that touches my lips at that comment, but it falls away just as quickly. “You want a drink?” he asks, pouring a whiskey on the rocks for himself.

Which tells me that whatever Anders thinks this conversation is going to be about, he hasn’t guessed pregnancy. He wouldn’t be offering me an alcoholic drink if he had. Which makes me realize that he could be freaking out hardcore that I’m about to break up with him or something.

Oh god.

I have to tell him the truth now, before he can conjure up even more awful scenarios. Although for all I know, maybe me being pregnant is a worse scenario than me breaking things off with him.