Booby Trapped and Baby Proofed Read online

  “Welcome to my world,” Harrison said.

  “Maybe I should let him help me decorate the nursery. You know, so he can feel a part of this whole pregnancy thing.”

  “I think we better re-decorate both rooms or we might have a fight on our hands.”

  “The baby isn’t even born yet. How can they have a sibling rivalry already?” Angel asked.

  Harrison shrugged. “Maybe the baby talks to him when Ethan lays his head on your stomach.”

  Angel shook her head. “Now you’re just being silly.”

  “Relax,” Harrison told her. “Ethan’s never been around another baby before. It’s something he has to learn to deal with. You’ll see. He’ll love Sweet Pea.”

  Angel eyed Ethan. The child just smiled innocently at her. “I’m not falling for those dimples or those blue eyes, young man. You have to share me.”

  Ethan shook his head.

  “I think he does understand me,” Angel said.

  “I told you,” Harrison said. “Spooky, isn’t it?”

  “Do you think Sweet Pea will be this intelligent? They’ll be plotting on us.”

  “Now you’re just being silly,” Harrison said. “They won’t do that.” He turned to Ethan. “You and Sweet Pea are going to be good kids, aren’t you?”

  “No,” Ethan said. “This is my chair.”

  ****

  “Sit down,” Daria told Angel “Your ankles are swollen.”

  “They’ve been like this for a while,” Angel told her older sister as she maneuvered herself into a chair at a table in one of the spare rooms at the dojo.

  “Are you eating salt?”

  “I was for a while, but Harrison got rid of anything with salt and locked up the cabinets so I can’t get at the junk food.”

  Daria laughed. “He’s a smart man.”

  The kids were in the gym area of the dojo having the time of their lives at the Halloween party, and Harrison had sent her to the back to rest.

  “Ethan looks real cute as SpongeBob,” Daria said.

  “Spongie is his idol.”

  “Lord, I hope not,” Daria said. “Have you ever watched an episode?”

  Angel nodded. “I think I’ve seen all of them, plus a couple of the movies.”

  “It’s i Carly, at my house. Consuela’s all into it.”

  Consuela was Daria’s seven-year-old daughter.

  “I like that show too,” Angel said. “They’re funny.”

  “But you can’t get Ethan to watch it?”

  Angel shook her head. “The only other shows he watches are the news and sports with Harrison. It’s a bonding ritual every night between the two of them.”

  “Does he read books?”

  Angel nodded. “His vocabulary is extensive when he chooses to talk, but he’s been reverting back to baby talk when it suits him.”

  “Sounds to me like you have your hands full with him.”

  “He has his moments,” Angel said. “But I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”

  “So how’s married life?” Daria asked.

  Daria had been married to the same man for twenty years and could be considered an expert on the subject.

  “It is better than the first in most ways, and quiet different from the first marriage in others,” Angel said.

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “Good,” Angel said. “I know Harrison loves me, but sometimes I think he believes I’m perfect. And both you and I know that I’m not. So when I do something out of the norm, he gets frustrated.”

  “What have you done now?”

  Angel rolled her eyes at her sister. “I had these odd cravings for things like pretzels and sardines at the beginning of my pregnancy. He’s never seen me eat any snacks other than ice cream. So instead of telling me that it was a stupid combination of things to eat, he let me eat it and then told me I shouldn’t be eating stuff like that after I got sick. And then he fusses at me if I don’t put a scarf on when I go outside, and he doesn’t want me to pick Ethan up.”

  Daria chuckled. “Honey, that’s not a problem, that’s concern. Harrison just wants to make sure you’re safe. You should stay away from salt. You should dress warmly when you go out, and you should not be picking Ethan up because he’s too heavy right now. Maybe he might not say it right, or maybe he treats you like one of his troops, but he loves you. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. So if these are your only problems, I foresee a loving and happy marriage ahead of you.”

  Angel nodded. Daria is right, as always.

  “Any other problems?”

  “Just one,” Angel said. “Harrison is too gentle during lovemaking now. He’s afraid he’s going to hurt the baby. He goes with me to prenatal classes, and did relax a little in the beginning, but now he’s back to being too gentle again.”

  Daria smirked. “Well, just be thankful you’re still getting some. My husband stayed away from me while I was pregnant. Men are strange when it comes to this because they just don’t understand the female reproductive system.” She patted Angel’s hand. “Don’t worry. He’ll be back to his old self once the obstetrician gives you the green light after you have the baby.”

  “Two months is a very long time to wait,” Angel said with a little pout.

  “It will all be over before you know it. Have your started on the nursery yet?”

  Angel nodded. “Harrison has painted the room and the furniture is scheduled to be delivered for both the nursery and Ethan’s room.”

  “Ethan is getting new stuff?”

  “Oh yeah. We don’t want him to feel left out when the baby comes. So he’s getting an all new SpongeBob room with his own television and DVD player, since he knows how to use them.”

  “He’s three,” Daria said. “How does he know how to use a DVD player?”

  Angel shrugged. “We haven’t figured that out yet. We’re also buying him his first computer, since he’s taken an interest in playing with Harrison’s laptop. He also likes to paint, so he’s getting a desk so he can be creative.”

  Daria looked at her like she was crazy. “Have you had Ethan tested yet?”

  “Yes. He’s gifted and shrewd.”

  “Does he still play with Bunny?”

  Angel smiled. “Not as much as he used to. He doesn’t need Bunny to fall asleep with any more. Ethan likes to put his head on my stomach when he gets sleepy. He’s a big boy now and he doesn’t wet the bed any more either. He can dress himself and put on his own shoes. The only thing we haven’t managed to do is get him to give up the high chair because he says it is his.”

  “He sounds like he’s turning into quite a young man,” Daria said.

  “Yes, he is, but he can be stubborn at times, which I think he inherited from Harrison. He still doesn’t like to get his hair washed and he competes with Harrison for my attention.” She chuckled. “He calls me My Angel.”

  “He doesn’t call you Mama yet?”

  “Not all the time.”

  “My Angel is cute though,” Daria said. “As for the hair thing, he’ll grow out of that as soon as he gets interested in girls.”

  Angel leaned toward her sister. “Personally, I like his curls, but Harrison has been trying to cut them off since I met him. He says they make him look like a girl.”

  “I think that’s more Harrison’s problem than yours. I bet he was teased as a child because he had curly hair.”

  “Probably, but no one would tease him now. He’s six feet tall and sporting some serious muscles.”

  “You have your own personal GI Joe action figure.”

  Angel nodded. “He wants me to stop working and stay home with the baby.”

  Daria scowled. “Has he ever stayed home with a squalling infant twenty-four-seven?”

  “Hell no,” Angel said. “I know we don’t need the money, but I like to work.”

  “Have you sold your house yet?”

  “Not yet. An older couple has been looking at it. They want
to retire in Florida. They love the area and want to be close to the beach.”

  “I have my fingers cross that they buy it. I’d rather have a retired couple move in next to me than someone with teenagers.” She paused. “The less noise, the better.”

  “True,” Angel said. “We better get back into the gym and see what’s going on. Harrison and the other teachers are supposed to put on a martial arts demonstration for the kids.” She rose slowly, stretching.

  Daria looked down at her ankles again. “I think you’re retaining fluid. You need to prop up your feet when you sit down and when you’re in bed. You don’t want to get toxemia. That happened to me with my first child, if you can remember.”

  Angel looked down at her ankles. “You think so?”

  Daria nodded. “You need to make sure you drink water and stay away from salt. Don’t eat food from cans or frozen food either.”

  “I’ll try to remember that,” Angel said. “Now let’s go check on the kids.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  November came in cold and blustery, and despite Angel’s protests, the doctor put her on bed rest. Harrison didn’t make matters any easier because he refused to let her out of bed except to use the toilet.

  Harrison didn’t have to worry about her eating junk food anymore, because lately she didn’t feel like putting anything in her stomach that would disagree with her. She had developed toxemia, like everyone had told her, and she had no one to blame for this but herself. “Stupid salt,” she mumbled as she adjusted her feet upon two pillows. The doctor wanted her to keep her legs elevated and for her to stay off her feet as much as possible. She missed getting Ethan ready for day care and preparing Harrison’s lunch. Her life had been reduced to watching soap operas and talk shows, both which she despised.

  Her sisters called at least once a day to talk to her and to cheer her up. Trudy called at least once a week. As things were going, she hoped she’d be able to attend Thanksgiving dinner with her and Jeb. And she had been looking forward to seeing the new baby again.

  After three weeks of being flat on her back, Angel was going stir-crazy. She’d turned off the soaps and the talk shows and watched the travel and cooking shows.

  Ethan would come up to the room every evening when he got home from day care to spend some time with her. Sometimes he brought Bunny along for comfort.

  “My baby,” he now said, placing his hand on her stomach.

  “Yes, your baby.”

  Today, the baby moved beneath his hand. “Ooh,” he said, chuckling. “My baby kicks.”

  Angel chuckled. “I can’t wait to see the two of you together. Are you going to help me with the baby?”

  “Yes,” Ethan answered.

  So he did know the difference between the two words. “Did you play with Roy today?” she asked, testing him.

  Ethan nodded. “We played with trucks.”

  Angel ruffled her fingers through his hair. “Do you want to watch television with me?”

  Ethan kicked out of his shoes and climbed up on one of the pillows beside her. He used the remote control to set the channel. SpongeBob danced across the screen.

  “This is much better than anything I’ve watched all day,” she told him.

  “SpongeBob and Patrick are having fun,” he told her.

  The aroma of dinner made it to the bedroom around a half hour later. An hour after that, her husband finally put in an appearance. She and Ethan were deeply engrossed in the cartoon.

  “Isn’t this the sweetest thing?” he said, taking their picture with his cell phone.

  Angel frowned at him. “Why do you insist on taking my picture when my hair is a hot mess?” She had pulled it to the top of her head in one gigantic afro puff since she couldn’t move around comfortably to comb it, nor could she visit a hair dresser.

  “I’m making memories,” Harrison told her. “We’ll look back on these times and laugh.”

  Sure, he’d laugh. He wasn’t the one on the bed looking like a beached whale.

  Ethan hadn’t even bothered to look his way. Apparently, SpongeBob still took precedence over his father. Harrison only got his attention once the cartoon ended. “Hey, Daddy,” he said. “Me and my Angel are watching SpongeBob.”

  “I see,” Harrison said, still taking pictures. “Are you ready to eat?”

  Harrison came home every evening he didn’t have to teach and prepared dinner. On the nights he had to work, he brought home take-out for him and Ethan, and stopped at the store to get fresh salads and vegetables for her.

  “What’s for dinner?” Angel asked.

  “Homemade vegetable soup,”

  “You made soup?” she asked. “From scratch?”

  “Yes,” Harrison said proudly. “Daria gave me the recipe since you can’t have anything from the can.”

  “Can I at least get up and sit at the table with you guys to eat dinner? I promise I won’t over do it.”

  “Just this once,” Harrison said.

  Angel removed her feet from the pillows and turned slowly until she found the edge of the bed. She tried to get to her feet.

  Harrison must have sensed her dilemma and came to assist. She actually ended up in his arms. He tightened them around her.

  “I have to pee,” she told him.

  Harrison released her.

  Angel waddled into the master backroom and re-entered a few minutes later. She couldn’t help but notice the look in his eyes as she tried stretching her gown around her hips and breasts. Everything had grown in size. Did he not find her desirable anymore?

  “You look simply edible,” he told her.

  “I do not,” Angel said, wiggling out his arms. She waddled toward the bedroom door while Harrison scooped up Ethan.

  “Look at that ass,” Harrison said, following behind her to the kitchen.

  “Are you flirting with me?” she asked.

  “Yes. I think we need some alone time together after Ethan goes to sleep.”

  Angel smirked. The doctor had put her on bed rest and gave her till the end of the week to end all sexual activities. Then poor Harrison would have to wait almost two months before they could resume intercourse again. “I’ll pencil you onto my schedule,” she said when they finally reached the kitchen.

  Harrison had removed the high chair and a booster seat sat in its place. She looked at Ethan prepared for him to have a fit, but the child surprised her by getting into the new seat without a complaint.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Harrison told her. “We are the parents around here, not him.”

  He must have been like this with the younger Marines. Make a suggestion and then take action when they failed to cooperate. She suspected Ethan might still be too young to toss into the brig, but she wasn’t going to test the theory.

  Harrison spooned up the bowls with soup, making sure Ethan had more vegetables than beef and broth so he could feed himself. He took the crackers out of the cabinet and the butter from the refrigerator and placed them before her.

  Angel buttered up a couple of crackers while Ethan watched. She handed one to him.

  Ethan sampled the butter with his tongue, and then bit a piece of the cracker. He smiled.

  “He likes crackers,” Angel informed Harrison while he fixed iced tea for the adults and water for Ethan.

  “I’m glad. They go good with soup.” He finally sat down and began to eat.

  Angel noticed how tired he looked. Harrison had dark circles under his eyes. His original plan was to teach karate once or twice a week. Now he taught four days.

  “Why don’t you hire another instructor to take over a couple of your classes?” Angel suggested.

  “Why are you suggesting this all of a sudden?”

  “Because you have dark circles under your eyes. You must be tired after working, and then coming home to take care of us.”

  “Funny you should mention it. I have taken an ad out for another instructor. But it has nothing to do with me being tired. I want
to be home to help with the baby, and taking care of you guys is my number one priority. I hired good instructors and I have no problem running a business from home.”

  She knew he meant her with that last statement. She wondered how long he would last being home with Sweet Pea.

  Angel went back to eating her soup.

  “Do you think you’ll be up to spending Thanksgiving with Trudy and Jeb?” Harrison asked.

  “I won’t know until Thursday morning. I really want to spend some time with them, but I have to make sure I don’t overdo it.”

  Harrison looked over toward her. “Haven’t you been feeling well?”

  “I have my good days and my bad days. Today is a good day. The swelling has gone down some. Sweet Pea has moved in position, so now it’s just a waiting game.” Her due date was just a couple of weeks away. Angel noticed the concerned looked on Harrison’s face. “We’ll take it nice and slow tonight, because we have to savor it,” she said.

  He nodded. “We’ll just have to be more created and less invasive.” He ran his tongue over his lips.

  “Bad boy,” Angel said to him.

  Ethan looked at her. “Not you baby, Daddy. Put Daddy in time out,” he suggested, going back to his food.

  Harrison chuckled. “After tonight, Daddy will be in time out.”

  ****

  Angel woke up having a good day on Thanksgiving morning. Harrison dressed Ethan while she got ready. They went to church first, and then drove past the beach to Trudy and Jeb’s house.

  “Ooh, look at you,” Jeb said to Angel after Harrison helped her out of the car and to the door. “You look like you’re ready to pop.”

  “I feel like it too,” Angel said, stepping inside the house and allowing Jeb to help her out of her coat.

  Harrison got Ethan out of his coat and Ethan ran off to find Trudy. He helped Angel to the sofa so she could rest. Earlier, he’d helped her with her hair, taking sheer delight in picking out her killer afro. A few minutes later, Trudy came down the stairs carrying baby Marsha with Ethan bringing up the rear. Trudy had lost most of the baby weight, but her stomach still appeared to be swollen.

  “Let me see the baby,” Angel said excitedly.