MayaI watched as Jess unwrapped the gifts, cheerful and happy as my mind continued to whirl dangerously, full of doubts and fears. Nate was not far from me, holding Axel eating a piece of chocolate with his face all dirty.I didn’t know what to do. This morning everything was normal. Nate came to pick me up at the hospital, we had a quickie in the car, and then we went home. We slept together, but when I woke up, he was acting weird. He barely looked at me or talked to me, got in his car, and by the time he got there, he was holed up in the office with his dad and Jess.I didn’t know what to think anymore. I thought everything was fine between us, it was the only certainty I had, but apparently, it wasn’t.Was he tired of me? Did he have doubts about us and about the step we had taken?Yet, with Axel, nothing had changed, on the contrary. He held him tight and left him to no one as if he was terrified that he would
NateI had everything ready. Devon had made the sacrifice and had taken care of running from one side of the city to the other to get necessary for the small and intimate ceremony that Jess and I had decided to do for Maya and me.Jess didn’t complain much; she knew Maya never wanted a big wedding, and that was the perfect opportunity. Though it came from a time of need, that surprise was what I wanted most in the world. I didn’t care about the rest.Devon had gone to get a bouquet of flowers for Maya and then went home to get me a suit, but first, he stopped at the jewelry store and took two wedding rings. Mom had pulled out some Christmas lights to decorate the garden, making it lit and special. Lights covered the gazebo, and the table on which the documents Lucas had obtained with the license to marry us were placed. Maya’s mother had gone to the bakery she trusted and had taken a cake to celebrate, while my sister
MayaWhen that day started, I never thought that would be the day I would become Maya Dare, that I would say the fateful yes on that day. I didn’t even realize when they had time to set it up.All I know is, after the ceremony, Nate and I cut a little cake, threw my bouquet at Lucas, and we danced. I danced with Dad and Nate’s dad, while my husband danced with his mom and then mine.Even though it was just us, I’ve never felt happier in my whole life. I couldn’t help but look at Nate with what I thought was a fish-eyed look, my heart filled with joy and happiness that seemed to want to blow my body.At that moment, I had my arms around Nate’s neck as I devoured him with my mouth while he had his hands on my hips and let me do what I wanted with his mouth.We were in the elevator to get to the apartment. We had left Axel with my parents because that was our first night as a married couple, and
MayaI sat at the table while I read the paperwork that Nate had brought. If I’d signed with him, Nate would have become Axel’s father, he would have brought his last name, and half the custody would have gone to him and half to me. No one could ever challenge anything because it was a full-blown adoption.But all this made me doubt. When did he have it all prepared? Everything that was happening over the last few days seemed very sudden, but I couldn’t think that it wasn’t something that Nate had studied.I looked at Axel in the table chair.He loved Nate like crazy, and Nate loved Axel like crazy, it didn’t surprise me that he wanted to make it official, that he wanted everyone to know that Axel was his son, so it was possible that he had thought of everything for a long time.When he proposed, he asked me if I would accept Axel’s change of name, but we never really talked about it, it
NateI pushed the cart between the lanes while Axel tried to take off from my hand the phone where I was looking for the list Maya had made for me.That day I was off work and I went to pick up Axel at my mother’s house. Maya had class late, so I would take care of the dinner, and since we didn’t have anything in the fridge, I had to go and do the same.That had been our routine for weeks.Axel spent a day at home with my parents and one with Maya’s parents, he certainly didn’t stay alone for long. Sometimes he even stayed with Jess, who was on forced maternity leave, not that she complained or anything. She was complaining all the time about bombing everyone in the office who handled her open cases. She was a fucking control freak who could blow anyone away.After our wedding, Maya and I were living in what looked like a bubble. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my li
BradThree months beforeI put the key in the lock and turned, opening the door to the apartment I had taken for the moment.The space was dark, and I sighed as I entered with one box in hand and the suitcase in the other while pushing the other box with my foot. I had the rest of my stuff in the car, but I didn't want to take it after a far from an easy trip.On the other hand, it was late at night, and I could very well start unpacking from the day after I would not have started the new job until the next week.It made me so weird to be in this new city after spending most of my life in New York. However, after the various hospital cuts and knowing that I would be next on the list, this offer was what I needed.The oncology department at the hospital was running out of nurses, and when I sent my résumé around, they were the first to respond. Of course, I had to
BradI went into the supermarket yawning, after a shift and a hell of a week, I was completely shattered, and destroyed.I’ve been fighting with Sheila for over three weeks. We weren’t moving forward on good terms, and it wasn’t what I was hoping for in peace, not that she cared.According to Sheila’s mind, her pregnancy wasn’t important to her and her career. She didn’t want to miss any opportunity, she didn’t want to interrupt her career for our daughter, she didn’t want to pause her life for our daughter, so she’d rather give her up for adoption than raise her, and when I said I’d take full responsibility, she refused.For three weeks, all I had done was talk to my lawyer and the social workers that Sheila had put in the middle of the adoption because, without my consent, she had sought a family to entrust my daughter to.Last night, during the break, I called
MayaI turned my back, trying to hide all the emotions that were going through my face. I knew if I even looked him in the eye for a second, I’d burst into tears.So was it all a lie? Was everything that happened a lie? Was it his fear? Was it his not trusting me?"You only married me because you didn’t trust me," I said in a whisper, "Everything you said was bullshit? Wanting to not waste time, wanting to spend the rest of your life with me, wanting to build a family, that was all bullshit to tie me to you? For fear that Brad would come along and there was a chance that I would choose him over you? Do you really believe so little in my feelings for you?""No!" Nate immediately replied "Not so, I was afraid yes, but not that you could choose him, I was afraid that he could get in the middle of us!""Because you don’t trust me!" I turned and squeezed."I trust you! I don’t trust him!" Nate replied, holding Axel to himself.I had a bitter laugh."Him? He has nothing to do with it! It’s