The One Night Stand Returns

The Middle

HER

“Mission Get the nursery done is underway.” I smiled as I looked over at Jillian as she helped pull in a part of a crib.

“I mostly have it all cleaned.” I was still working on a stubborn stain but if it doesn’t come out this time I know I will just have to settle with it being super clean.

“Nesting is a real thing huh?” I rolled my eyes before hearing others shuffling about. “Do they need-“

“No they don’t need help, they need you out of the way do they can get things done. Come on heifer.” I rolled my eyes as my cousin bent down to help heft me up.

“I’m not a cow.” I mumbled knowing it was a joke but my feelings were still hurt.

“I know. Just a momma. Let’s get out of Mark and Shelias way while they set up Charlie’s old crib.” She told me and then counted so we could both heft up my new body weight at the same time.

“I’ll be in my room, going through some onesies from the baby shower.” I told them and Jillian rubbed my shoulder on my way out. I watched her trot down the stairs to get more things to carry up and I was waddling to my bedroom. I pulled the clean laundry closer to the edge and tries to rest my bump on the side as I folded the onesies I bought the other day.

I folded them all up nice and even. Put them in the little basket I would use while still having him or her in the bassinet in my room. I had diapers and wipes set in the basket above it, and I’ll have the bottles and stuff on the top shelf for when I have to supplement my breast feeding with prepumped milk.

I was ready, my years of being a nanny to 3 infants and the years I’ve been around toddlers have prepared me for this.

Even while doing this alone and no other parents to hand the baby off to when my “shift” was up. There might not be a dad, but I had my cousins and I had Shelia and Mark 2 blocks away. I was going to set myself up for being a single parent. Whoever Mr. One Night Stand aka Mr. Grant was… he wasn’t going to be needed.

I was going to have my cousin in with me, she was going to get leave from her boss to stay with me for the first 3 weeks. I was going to rely on my savings until I was back to work.

And so far every project that I’ve been taking are from women who are so excited to meet my baby, they’re mostly older women above the age of 50 who are desperately craving grandchildren that their kids are giving them just yet so it will work out in my favor to bring him or her along.

I grabbed my belly as I felt him or her kick and smiled as they seemed to swirl around right after, just a few more weeks and I’ll have my baby, in front of me, in my arms… my baby.

“He moving around in there?” Shelia asked as she poked her head in to see me,

“She is, or he is.” I told her with a pointed look and she laughed. With Shelia have 2 of each she assumes that she knows what a baby boy belly looks like and hasn’t stopped saying how I’m having a boy because of how he’s growing out farther instead of growing more up and down like girls do.

It’s her science test and we would see if it was true or if I was just so much shorter than her a baby girl has to grow outwards, I found it fun to guess either way.

I already had names picked out. I liked Heather for a girl, and Jasper for a boy. Their middle names would be after my mother some how, since her name was Christina it would be easy to make it for a girl or boy.

I still had a couple weeks until I go into labor, so until then I’m working from home on mostly ideas and anything I might need to go into work for Jillian will take care of for me. I was in for a rough ride after she had to go back, but I will make it work.

…

“Yes contractions are 2 minutes apart!” I shouted at the ditz of a nurse who was just in here 5 minutes ago asking about an update. I was fuming at her, at Jillian, at whoever the f**k knocked me up. If I ever say Mr. Grants face I’ll slap him before turning and walking away.

The nurse has fled in less than 2 minutes later my doctor strolled in without a care in the world and I wanted to plant my foot in his face when he “checked” to see how far I’ve come.

“Melissa… I don’t want to worry you, but you’re still at 6cm. If you don’t progress any more we need to do a ceserian birth. Ok?” He seemed more worried after sticking his whole hand inside me and I knew that he was a doctor for a reason, he knew what to do.

“Ok.” I nodded slowly and he gave me a soft smile.

“I’ll be right out here ordering the OR, I’ll hear your next contraction and if there’s no progression we will move you as fast as we can.” He patted my knee and then made his way out as I leaned back and turned to Jillian.

“It’ll be ok. I’ll still be able to be in the room.” She tan her hand over my hair and smiled like she was still trying to comfort me.

“Damn right I’m not doing this without you.” I told her and took a deep breath. “I think it’s a boy.” I told her, after a little while and she laughed.

“I’ll have to tell Shelia you gave up.” She sat beside me and ran her hand over my belly. “Looks like I’m still going to look the best in a bikini.”

“Oh shut up.” I rolled my eyes and settled on my left a little more and she smiled softly as baby boy kicked hard at her hand.

“Your mom would have loved to been here.” She whispered and I nodded slowly. “She would have been yelling at that poor nurse worse than you.” She giggled and I laughed but felt the tear fall anyways and sniffled and wiped my face.

“Holding a leg and all.” I whispered knowing she always said her and her sisters were in the delivery room when I was born and she couldn’t wait to be there for me.

Too bad this was 3 years past her death date.

“So, Jasper Christopher-“ she paused knowing I knew Grant would be the fathers last name and I’ve been back and forth with the idea of trying to figure out who he is… but after today, after all this pain and loneliness, he was just going to have to miss out on all the wonderful parts of my baby.

“Jasper Christopher Fells.” I nodded and she smiled.

“We finally have a male to carry on the name.” She challenged and I laughed.

“He’ll be a mommas boy.” I told her and she nodded as if saying “duh” and I hugged her hand just as the next contraction ripped through me.

45 minutes later, cut up, laying still and numb below the waist, I heard the small whimpers and crying as they cleaned up my little boy.

I cried hard as Jillian showed him to me, he was perfect. Dark hair, green eyes, my nose… his fathers lips, he was still perfect.

HIM

“Mr. Grant, phone call from Paris.” I turned hearing the secretary and nodded before going for the phone.

“This is Blake Grant.” I answered and listened as a scared voice on the other end started to describe in detail the “espionage” she’s seen in my Paris office and I rubbed my forehead as she seemed to look for her words in English. “I understand French… je comprendes le francais, continue.” I sat back and listened until it was absolutely clear our French office was going to stage a coo and try and become independent. “I will be there soon. Tell no one.” I told the woman in English and French and made sure to use all my personal credit cards for my trip.

I landed less than 2 days later with a shipment of my things. If I was going to hold onto my companies assets here… it was going to have to be a commitment for 6 months or more.

I rented a well known flat, got showered and dressed, and made sure to clean up my five o clock shadow. I walked into my office building before most were even showing up and ordered the first worker I saw to bring me every open file we were working on, and to have the bosses join me when they arrive.

I was sitting at the conference room table with 115 files when the last one walked in, and I got right down to business. I had already pulled the 75 files they were trying to take for themselves and I fired every single person on them.

I was down 16 almost irreplaceable people, and it was going to take more than 6 months to even think about regaining the trust and the power back for myself. They must have assumed because I was the new owner I wouldn’t expect or know how to deal with betrayal especially in foreign countries.

But enough was enough. I went to college, I worked my way through each job until I could do them all, and I would not let random men my father hired decades ago betray my family name.

…

“Blake, I just wish you would have said goodbye.” I felt the pain in my mothers words. She lost my father less than a year ago and my dipshit younger brother had no sympathy to hand over unless it was going to get him something to pawn for money.

“I know mom. I just didn’t have a choice. They were moving fast and I needed to come and stop it before it got too far.” I told her and sighed. “I will be here for a while.”

“A month or two-“

“More like… a year or two.” I cut her off and heard the deafening silence. “Mom… you know you’re welcome to visit any time you want, I have a hotel room at the moment but once I find a place to rent this weekend you can join me.” I offered knowing she needed someone close incase she went off her meds again.

“I might just do that. I do miss traveling.”

“You have all the money in the world father left you, travel all you want. Hell, throw all the parties you want too that dad hated so much. Find things to invest in, we don’t need to go over every little detail like he did.” God I hoped giving her ideas would cheer her up. She had a life to live after 40 years of needing to ask for everything under the sun. I wanted her happy… even if I had to work halfway across the world to make sure she was ok.

“You know what.. I think some mild traveling for now and then I’ll collect information on things I’ve always been interested in.” She was thinking now, and I relaxed a little knowing she would be ok if she kept herself busy doing fun things.

“I can’t wait to have you here, let me know I’ll take some days off, we can go around-“

“Oh Blake you’re there for work I remember how to get around Paris, just don’t fall in love while you’re there. Commuting for grand babies will be a pain.” I felt a punch to the guy for some reason when she spoke about kids. I wanted a bunch, just with the right woman.

I’ll be too busy in Paris to think about women so she’s safe from traveling for grandkids. I laughed at the thought. I haven’t even had s*x since I thought that random girl was Mel.

I shook my head and heard my desk phone beep meaning someone forwarded me a call.

“Ok mom, I love you, tell me when you book your ticket. I need to get this.” I told her quick and heard her tell me to be good and that she loved me back before I hung up and went for the desk phone.

No more holding her back from donating or parties or her friends. My father was rolling in his grave but the sick bastard had her under his thumb for long enough. She was barely 50 and had the rest of her life to live. It was time she loved her life and spent time making herself happy.

I’d get to that point when I found someone worth living with and loving enough to marry and reproduce with.

I can dream until then.