3D – And Then There Were…

After Jonathan and Skyla saw Maya off, they went to the hospital to assess their situation. To both of their delights, she was only carrying one baby. The doctor told them adult pregnancies were usually different from young adult pregnancies. Many times they were harsher on the body because of the natural changes that went on during that time. Skyla wondered if Jonathan had recognized those changes. The way he looked at her sometimes made her feel like she still looked like her teenage self, but she was far from it. Her waist wasn’t as narrow as it once was, and her rear end and boobs weren’t as perky. And, she felt like her cheeks sagged a little lower every day. The doctor said the muscles soften during that time of life, and it was quite natural for the abdomen to protrude a bit more as its trying to find a place to settle. That’s why she looked so pregnant. He asked if they wanted to know the sex. They didn’t find out for the girls and loved the surprise. This baby was a surprise all by itself. They almost wanted to know just to prepare themselves and have some sense of control. But, in the end, they declined. Not knowing added an extra layer of mystery to the pregnancy days, and that mystery made it so much more fun with all the speculations everyone had. Because this baby was going to bring about some change, it may as well give them some fun too.

Back at home, they settled on the couch to discuss things further. They had some heavy decisions to make. One in particular.

“Are you happy there’s only one?” he asked.

She moaned in satisfaction as his fingers massaged her shoulder blades. “Oh yes. I don’t know what I would do with two babies.”

“Seriously.” He continued working her tense muscles. “I mean, we don’t even have room for one baby.”

Her mind briefly went back to her first pregnancy when they had no money, no hope, and no room for a child. Maya slept in their room until she was old enough to sleep in a bed. They didn’t have room for her then either and created a space in the living room behind a room divider for her. Those times were hard, but they were good times too. In the face of impossible situations, they always found a way to make things work.

“I think we should move,” he said.

“Move?” She turned around to face him.

That seemed like a huge hassle for no reason. She spent so much energy into making her childhood home their home. It seemed a shame just to leave it all behind for someone else to enjoy. She was comfortable there in that beautiful trailer and wasn’t ready to start over somewhere else.

“Why not?”

“Couldn’t we just add another bedroom like we did before? It would be less expensive…”

He sighed heavily.

She knew he already made up his mind about this and was going to sell it to her quite passionately. She didn’t want to be sold. She wanted to stay in her house. But, just like she told him yesterday, she recognized her own selfish behavior.

“But, that was different, Sky. We had two small children. We didn’t need much space then, but now we have basically four adults living here.”

That was true. Aubrey was just as tall as her sister and had acquired so much stuff. She was still sleeping the same single bed she slept in as a child because a double bed wouldn’t fit in the room. She never complained, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t appreciate a bigger room.

“And, I don’t think Maya will be moving out anytime soon, so we still have to consider her needs. They’re both grown up and need more space, and I’m sure all of us would love to have more privacy.”

She couldn’t deny that. She would never tell him, but being intimate in the house freaked her out. It brought back memories of hearing her parents when she was a child even though she didn’t know what they were doing. She knew the girls could hear. It was embarrassing.

“I do like the sounds of more privacy,” she admitted. “But, Jonathan, you’re talking about buying a house twice as big or maybe three times the size as this one. We can’t really afford that now. What about saving for the next restaurant?”

He sighed heavily again and looked away from her. That was probably the first moment he ever considered the money. She watched the wheels spinning in his head as she awaited his reply.

“Sky…. If we have to start all over, so be it!”

That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. “But, Jona–”

“Shhhhh.” He pressed his index finger against her lips and scooted closer. “Listen to me.” His voice was drenched in tenderness. “I freakin love how you support my dream. I can’t even…” His eyes got puffy like he was going to tear up. “I can’t properly express to you how grateful I am. I know this is going to disappoint you, but hear me. I have one successful restaurant that I am proud of. I know I wanted there to be others, but things have changed. If Viviana’s is the only one I get to open, I’m ok with that now.”

She was disappointed to hear that, but oddly proud too. It took a certain level of sacrifice to come to that conclusion.

“I love what you’ve done with this house. I love what this house has done for us. But, this house no longer suits our needs.”

She nodded.

“We’ve worked very hard for what we have. I think we deserve a comfortable place to lay our heads every night and raise our family in. The alternative is to be cramped up for the rest of our lives trying to save every simoleon we can for some dream I may not even get to see.”

She had been so focused on the short-term future she never considered the long-term. Aubrey had gone through three life stages at Viviana’s. If that much time passed, and they still had one restaurant, how long would it take for him to build all five? Probably more time than the Watcher allotted for them.

“Besides…” He scooted even closer. “I want to be able to make love to you without you being skittish all the time.”

She gasped and her mouth flew open.

“I know you, Sky.”

“Why, you cheeky devil.”