Booby Trapped and Baby Proofed Read online

  “No problem,” Frank said. “I do have a black belt.”

  “You’re going to need it,” Harrison told him. “Some of those little old ladies like to pinch butt.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” Frank said with a chuckle.

  Harrison bowed to him and went to his classroom. He felt like a rabbit during hunting season. Most of the women tried to get his attention, and most of them wanted personal attention. He didn’t think there was enough of him to go around.

  “You’re cute,” a seventy-year-old student told him later.

  “Thanks,” Harrison said as the rest of the women laughed.

  “I have a granddaughter that would be just perfect for you,” she went on the say.

  Harrison just smiled and went on teaching the class. Maybe he should display some rules of classroom conduct. The first would no hitting on the teacher.

  ****

  “How was your day?” Angel asked Harrison as he entered the house with fried chicken, smothered potatoes, and snap beans.

  “Delightful,” he said, taking some of the food from her. He managed to give her a kiss in the process. “I had a class of giggling, eyelash-fluttering young women.”

  Angel chuckled. “Don’t tell me they are still flirting with you?”

  “Okay, I won’t tell you,” Harrison said as they walked into the kitchen. “So how was your day? And how are you feeling?”

  “Fine on both the questions,” she answered. “I only tossed my cookies twice today, and luckily, I was home both times.”

  “Poor baby,” he said, pulling her into his arms and giving her a real kiss. “I wish I could change places with you, but it’s biologically impossible.”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” she told him. “Men say this, but they don’t really mean it.” She looked around him. “Where’s the rocket scientist?”

  “Where else? He and Bunny are in front of the television.”

  “Watching SpongeBob?”

  “What else? I swear I hear SpongeBob’s laugh in my sleep.”

  Angel rubbed her stomach. “Just think you get to live the nightmare all over again in a couple of years.”

  “Let’s just hope it’s off the television by then.”

  “I doubt it,” she said. “He’s very popular.”

  They set the table. Instead of tea or soda, Angel got to drink milk along with Ethan, who they finally coaxed out of the den for dinner.

  Harrison watched the two of them interact, making milk mustaches and just basically bonding. Angel didn’t have to work too hard for this. Ethan already loved her and thought of her as his mother. He wondered how he would adjust to the new baby.

  They hadn’t discussed marriage yet. Harrison wanted something small and intimate, but he suspected that Angel might want a big church wedding like she had the first time she got married. He didn’t want to wait too long and wanted to be married to her now.

  “What do you think about going house hunting Sunday after church?” he asked.

  “Why do we have to get a new house when we have two perfectly good houses right here?” Angel asked. “I don’t have a problem selling mine and moving in here with you and Ethan.”

  Decision made. Now on to the next topic…sex. They hadn’t been together in a while since finding out about the pregnancy and he was at his limit. “I want you to stay with me tonight.”

  Angel stopped playing with Ethan and looked over at him. “That can be arranged,” she said with a smile. “What’s on the agenda?”

  “I have a very serious problem below the belt that needs attending too.”

  Angel tried to hide her chagrin. “I think I can help you with your problem, after the young prince of the palace and his rabbit go to sleep.”

  ****

  Harrison tried to be careful not to hurt her, but Angel just got frustrated and assured him that she wouldn’t break if he just made love to her like he normally did.

  “I don’t want to hurt the baby,” he said, lifting his weight off her and pulling out slightly.

  “The baby is the size of a pea and protected,” Angel assured him. “I have a prenatal class tomorrow morning. Maybe you should come with me.”

  Harrison continued to make love to her.

  It felt good, but not as good as he usually gave her.

  “Maybe,” Harrison said as he slid back inside her slowly. He kept this up, despite what she told him. He came five minutes later before she had a chance to. “Sorry,” he told her. “I’ll try to do better next time.”

  He sounded like a sixteen-year-old who just had experienced intercourse for the first time and came prematurely.

  Angel rolled over on her side and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. She propped herself back up on the pillow, frustrated and very horny. “What’s wrong?” she asked him.

  “What do you mean?” Harrison asked, rolling over on his back.

  “Are you having second thoughts about the baby?”

  “No, I want our baby very much. It’s just like I said earlier. I’m afraid to hurt you.”

  “You won’t hurt me,” Angel told him. “Sexual intercourse is okay throughout a pregnancy. The doctor will tell us when we have to stop. But until then, I insist that you do me good.”

  Harrison chuckled weakly. “I guess you’re right. I’m just being silly. I wasn’t around when Olivia carried Ethan because she came back to Daytona while I remained in North Carolina. But I want to be involved this time and go with you to your prenatal visits. I want this baby to feel loved and secured. I still feel bad that I couldn’t be there for Ethan.”

  “Do you regret leaving him with Trudy?” Angel asked.

  “Yes,” Harrison said. “I know I had no other choice at the time, but yes, I do regret not being there for him after his mother died. I feel like I deserted him.”

  “But you’re here with him now. And he knows you’re his daddy.”

  “Does he? Because sometimes I feel like our roles are reversed, like he’s teaching me instead of me teaching him.”

  Angel reached out and touched his cheek. “Ethan is a beautiful, precocious and inquisitive little boy with an exceptional I.Q. I think you’re doing okay and I can’t wait for our daughter to be born.”

  “A daughter, huh?”

  “Gives you something else to think about, doesn’t it?”

  “When will we be able to know the sex of the baby?”

  “On the day I deliver.”

  “Awe,” Harrison groaned.

  Angel laughed. “I’m an old fashioned girl. I want to be surprised.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “But you’ll be happy with a girl?”

  “No, I’ll be happy with a healthy baby. Now make love to me correctly.”

  Harrison released her. “Yes, Ms. Robbins.” He crawled beneath the covers, lifted her hips, placed his lips against her pussy, and did her right.

  ****

  Harrison stood outside the jewelry store the next day looking through the glass window at engagement rings. He hadn’t been able to buy Olivia an expensive one on a recruit’s salary, but he was going to do it correctly this time. Angel deserved to be swept off her feet and treated like a queen, with a fiancé who was going to be there for her. He entered the store and walked up to a counter.

  “Can I help you?” a male salesclerk asked.

  “I’m looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend. Something in gold.”

  The salesclerk walked him over to another counter. “What is your girlfriend like?” he asked.

  “Thirty and gorgeous,” Harrison said proudly.

  The salesclerk shook his head. “No, I mean is she a traditional lady, a high-maintenance diva, or a classy broad?”

  Harrison smiled at his sales approach. “She’s a traditional lady. She’s not frivolous or extravagant. Angel is the girl next door.” He laughed at his own joke, since she was the girl next door.

  The salesclerk picked out a plain gold band with a pear-shaped diamond.
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br />   Harrison glanced down on the simple and perfect ring. “I like this,” he said. He glanced at the rows of other rings. Some had clusters and other had bigger stones. Some were set in silver while others were set in platinum. He shook his head. No, he liked his original choice.

  “What size ring will she require?”

  Harrison beamed. He knew this because he’d snuck a look at one of her rings when she took it off to do some cleaning. “She wears a size six.”

  “And would you like something engraved inside the band?”

  Harrison thought about it for a moment. He was a traditionalist too, so it had to be something that expressed exactly what he felt. “I love you,” he said.

  The salesclerk smiled. “Not very original.”

  “Believe me, she’ll like it.”

  The salesclerk continued to smile at him.

  “What?”

  “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

  Harrison nodded. “How do you know that?”

  “You have that I’m the luckiest man in the world look in your eyes. Normally, men come in here scared to death, not sure they’re doing the right thing.”

  “I’m sure I’m doing the right thing. This is my second chance at happiness and I’m not going to blow it this time.”

  “Well, I think it’s perfect,” the salesclerk said. “You knew exactly what you wanted…something perfect to express your love for her.”

  Harrison chuckled. “Why are you working behind a counter? You should be a therapist.”

  “No, I like this job better. I’m a romantic at heart.” He paused. “Would you like this gift wrapped?”

  They had just gotten past the Fourth of July, so there wasn’t a holiday due for a couple of months. “No, just put it in a pretty black jeweler’s box. I want to give it to her tonight. I’m taking her out to dinner and dancing.”

  “A plan,” the salesclerk replied. “May I suggest Antonio’s Restaurant by the Beach? It’s a lovely little Italian restaurant where you can eat and dance and you don’t have to leave the building.”

  “Thank you,” Harrison told the younger man. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are working at the correct job. You’re very good at what you do.”

  “Thank you,” the man said. “Will this be cash or charge?”

  “Debit,” Harrison said, taking out his card.

  The salesclerk rang up his purchase, and handed the bag to him. “Good luck,” he said.

  “Thanks,” Harrison said. “But I already feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

  ****

  Ethan had gone off to stay with Trudy for the night, so he could spend some quiet time with Angel. He’d accompanied her to her prenatal class and learned more than he needed to know about the female reproductive system. And of course he also learned that he could continue to have sex with his sweetie for several months without fear of hurting the baby.

  He dressed up in his favorite black suit, white shirt, and black tie, got a fresh haircut and made reservations at Antonio’s for eight. He rang the doorbell and Angel appeared dressed in a black and turquoise dress, black heels, and displaying that wonderful afro that he had come to love. He did like the braids, but there was something about an afro that made her look exotic. Harrison presented her with a bouquet of summer flowers mixed with Baby’s Breath. The flowers assured him that Angel would love the arrangement.

  “They’re beautiful,” she said with a shy smile. “No one ever gave me flowers before.”

  What kind of loser had she been married to? “Then I will remedy that.” He waited while she found a vase to put the flowers in, and then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “You look lovely.”

  “Thank you. I hope you think that when I’m so fat I waddle.”

  “I will,” Harrison assured her as he held the door open for her. “More of you to love.”

  “Where are we going?” Angel asked as soon as he got into the car.

  “I’m taking you to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner and then dancing.”

  “Ooh, I like the sound of that. I haven’t gone dancing in years.”

  He started up the car and drove toward the beach. “Olivia and I used to go dancing all the time before we got married.” He sighed. “We were so young, but we had fun together.”

  “I wished I could have met her,” Angel said. “I bet she was a fine woman.”

  He nodded. “But not perfect. We had our share of problems like everyone else. She didn’t like moving around so much, and sometimes I worked long hours and left her by herself.”

  “So what were your thoughts when she told you she was pregnant?”

  “I won’t lie,” Harrison said. “The thought frightened me. The only regret I have is that I’ve missed out on the first two years of Ethan’s life.”

  “Just think of it as you will be there for the next sixteen.”

  “I never thought of it that way.”

  They arrived at the restaurant.

  “I’ve heard about this place,” Angel said, stepping outside the car and looking around. “The food is supposed to be good.”

  Harrison could tell that by the amount of cars in the parking lot. He escorted her inside and waited to be seated.

  The restaurant had an old world charm. Each black table had two matching back chairs, a bright red tablecloth and two red tapered candles to set the mood for romance. The waiter sat them at a table by a window so they could watch the tide roll in on the beach. Soft violin music played in the background.

  The waiter took their order. He offered Harrison a wine list, but Harrison gave it back to him. “We’re expecting a baby,” he told the waiter. “We’d like sparkling red cider with our meal.”

  “A perfect choice,” the waiter told them. He went off to get their meal. He returned twenty minutes later with lasagna, buttery rolls, and a fresh green salad.

  “This is a lot of food,” Angel said.

  “Just eat what you can,” Harrison told her. He pointed behind her. “The bathroom is back there.”

  She kicked him playfully under the table. “I have been managing to keep some food in. It’s natural to lose some weight at first, and then you pile it on so fast you don’t remember the morning sickness.”

  Harrison sampled his food. The chef had used just the right amount of seasonings that did not overpower the taste of the cheese or the tomato sauce. “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked after the waiter took their dinner plates away later.

  “I’ll let you know after I taste this,” Angel said, digging into the Bavarois, a molded cold dessert made with whipped cream, crème anglaise, fruit puree, meringue, and chocolate. “Umm,” she moaned. “I’m enjoying this and myself very much.”

  Harrison dug into his pocket, pulled out the little black box, and placed it on the side of her dessert plate. “I hope you leave room for this.”

  “What have you done, Harrison?” Angel asked. She stopped eating and opened the box. She gasped. “It’s a ring.”

  “Please marry me. Ethan and I love you and need you in our lives.”

  Angel took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. “This is perfect,” she said.

  Harrison couldn’t help but notice her eyes filling with tears. “Don’t cry, darling. You don’t have to answer right now if you don’t want to.”

  Angel wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m so happy.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  She nodded, got out of her seat, and came around and hugged him. “Yes, I will marry you. I would hop up and down, but I don’t want to make a scene.”

  Harrison chuckled. “You can do anything you want when we get home tonight.”

  ****

  Angel felt good in his arms as he danced her around the floor. Several couples joined them to the slow big band music. And she surprised him with her sexy rendition of the Lindy Hop.

  “You’re not old enough to know that dance,” Harrison told her when they took a break and returned to t
heir seats.

  “I watched a lot of dance shows when I was a child, and my parents taught us as kids.”

  She’d spoken of her mother a couple of times, but never her father.

  “My father had a stroke when I was about ten. He had hypertension and never listened to his doctor. He liked to enjoy life and didn’t worry about the consequences.”

  He’d remember to watch what he ate from now on. He didn’t want to die needlessly and leave Angel to take care of both kids.

  They left the restaurant around ten and headed for home.

  Angel ran into the house because she had to pee.

  Harrison chuckled. She’d gone a couple of times at the restaurant too. They could keep their secret for a little while, but sooner or later, her body would give the secret away.

  “Could we go to the Justice of the Peace and get married?” Angel asked as they sat on the sofa enjoying a talk show. She had changed into one of his pajama tops to get comfortable.

  “You don’t want a big wedding?”

  Angel shook her head. “I had one of those last time. We spent a fortune, nothing went as planned, and in the end, he died.”

  Harrison put his arm around her shoulder. “Sure, anything you want. We can get married next week if you can manage to take a day off. I want us to be a family as soon as possible.”

  “Really?” Angel asked excitedly.

  Harrison nodded. “Really.” He ran his gaze over her bare legs and feet. All ten of her toes were painted garnet. Sexy. He kissed her on her head.

  “Don’t we have to apply for a marriage license first?”

  Harrison squeezed her shoulder and then ran his hand down her arm. “We can apply for a license during lunch time tomorrow.” He paused. “And we’re going to need two witnesses.”

  “I can get my sister Daria to be a witness,” she said. “Can you get Everett at such a short notice?”

  He chuckled. “He’s an independent realtor. He can take off any time he pleases.”

  “Oh my God, I have to get a dress,” Angel said as he cupped her breast. “There’s this cute little bridal boutique in the mall. I’m sure I can find something.”