One Hundred Fifty-Seven

“So you call your mom, Ava and Jon?  I’ll take care of my dad, Dot and David?” 

They were standing on the sidewalk in front of the professional building, grinning at each other like they had just won the lottery.  Bug had been pleasantly cooperative during the ultrasound and the news was all good. 

Well, except for the argument Richie almost got into over repeating the amniocentesis.  Dr. Shively leaned toward being pushy, almost insisting, but Richie had planted his feet and politely but firmly said the same thing he’d been saying all along.  No.  Hell no.

Allegra strongly agreed with him, so Dr. Shively conceded the point and moved onto the more pleasant business of the ultrasound. 

They got to hear Bug’s heart beating like a hummingbird and see those little legs and arms stretching out as though waking from a nap.  Richie even decided through the shadows and blurriness that Bug looked like him.  Of course, Allegra told him it was just his imagination even as she secretly hoped Bug would resemble Daddy more so than Ava did.

Remembering those blurry digital images sent another thrill through her, and she was ready to burst in her eagerness to share the news with their family and friends.

“Let’s at least get in the car first,” Richie laughed, lacing his fingers with hers.  Their ride idled patiently at the curb, the driver holding the door open for them with a smile, obviously amused by her animated excitement.

“Oh yeah, now you become all patience and common sense.  Whatever.”  Her sarcasm was tempered by a playful wink as she slid past him and across the seat.

Once they were shut in and the car began to roll, she slid her phone from its usual spot in her pocket only to have him pluck it from her hand.

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself,” he mimicked, dropping the phone on the other end of the seat.  “Can I have a hug and a kiss before we start spreading the news?  We haven’t gotten a chance to revel in our news.”

How could she argue with that?  Without a moment’s hesitation, she slid close, bumping her hip against his before turning in his arms. 

“I’ve got butterflies in my stomach,” she confessed, granting him a kiss as light as those butterflies’ wings.  “Bug’s a real person, Richie.”

One hand clamped firmly on each hip, he hauled Allegra into his lap.  A muscular arm circled around her back, while the opposite hand slid up under her t-shirt.  Bug was about the size of a grapefruit now and fit perfectly into his palm.

“Bug’s very real.  Our living, breathing baby,” he agreed, subtly reiterating the baby’s paternity yet again.  Every time he got the chance, he staked his claim to the baby as though Allegra needed the reminder. 

And maybe she did. 

Cerebrally, she understood the baby was ‘theirs’.  They were going to be married and he was accepting that responsibility, if nothing else.  She even knew the odds were fifty-fifty that it really was theirs, in a biological sense. 

Her heart was the only thing still held reservations.  It sometimes gave her a twinge, reminding her that fifty-fifty went both ways. 

But that was only sometimes. 

Occasionally. 

Rarely.

Not today.

“A baby with little fingers and toes and a teeny tiny nose,” she recited with wonder.  “So tiny, yet so perfect.  I feel incredibly blessed.”

“We are blessed.”  Soft lips grazed her temple.  “I’m  blessed.  I’d gotten to the point of thinking that I wouldn’t have another kid.”

We’re not 100% sure you have another one now.

Allegra stuffed down the instant reaction to his statement and folded her legs up onto the seat, snuggling her nose into the crook of Richie’s neck.  “I love you.”

“Same here, baby.  Same here.”

She was still for a time, contentedly inhaling the masculine scent and absorbing his heat.  Sometimes she was ashamed of how… girly she was.  His nearness often was enough to make her sigh with happiness, like some lovesick fan.

Pushing away the foolishness, she bent forward to reach her phone.  “Can I call now?”

He chuckled, releasing her with a squeeze so that she could scooch over to the other side of the seat.  “Yes, call already.”

Her brows drew together in a frown as soon as the touch screen lit up, prompting him to ask, “Is something wrong?”

“Kristofer called and left me a message.”

They’d deliberately avoided contacting the flamboyant event planner again until they had more information on Lexi’s background with him. 

Allegra tried to be open-minded about him and his ideas, but he was pushy and a bit mean.   The last time they’d spoken, he talked down to her for not ‘theeing the bigger picture’ when she vetoed a Wizard of Oz theme.  Her lack of vision in not wanting ‘a life thized Emerald Thity with a catht of theventy-theven authentic munchkinth’ was unfathomable to him.

She had enough reservations about spending Richie’s money.  She certainly wasn’t going to be bullied by a spiteful little man into spending it on an over-the-top reception that wasn’t even close to what she wanted. 

Nope. 

It wasn’t going to happen, even if she wasn’t able to mend the invisible rift that was still there between she and Lexi.  David swore Lexi knew nothing happened between them, nor would it ever, but ever since Allegra had returned from the cloister, Lexi hadn’t been nearly as friendly as she was in Hawaii.

Except when it came to touting Kristofer.

“Don’t listen to it.  Not today.” 

She flipped her eyes from the screen, twisting her head to look at Richie.  He was watching her with concern in the chocolaty brown of eyes. 

“Don’t spoil this moment, this once-in-a-lifetime moment, with that petty aggravation.  Bug deserves our joy today.”

The tension eked out of her shoulders and a gentle hand cradled his cheek.  “You’re right.  Tomorrow is soon enough to be irritated,” she agreed as his lips found her soft palm.  “Who are you calling first?”

Richie snorted.  “Ma.  She’d kill me otherwise.  You?”

“Umm…”  If he was calling his mother, she should call her dad.  David was the one she really wanted to talk to, but it wouldn’t be fair to tell him and risk his blabbing it to Jon before Richie got a chance to call.  “Daddy, I guess.”

So they called their respective parents.   Both grandparents were equally pleased at the outcome of the ultrasound, though  Michael hinted that maybe next time it would work out so that they ended up with one of each. 

“Daddy!  For someone who didn’t want me to date a rock star, you sure aren’t having trouble planning a house full of children for that rock star,” she teased him.

“I’ve seen his protectiveness of you first hand on a couple of occasions,” he reminded.  “And met his daughter. He’s a good man, despite his slightly unconventional occupation.  I’m confident that you’ll have a very happy family, and the bigger the better.”

Those words warmed her from the inside out.  No matter how hold you got, it was nice to have parental approval. 

Richie waited for her to finish talking to her father, then raised his eyebrow.  “Ava’s next on my list, how about you?”

“Dot.”

With a nod, they both tapped their contact list.

“Allegra, that’s great!  And I love the name and thought that Ava put into it.”

“I know, me too.  That just goes to show Jon that a twelve year old is perfectly capable of living up to the responsibility of naming a child.”

“Yeah, you can pretend he’ll get that out of it,” Dot laughed.  “But regardless, we’re going shopping, woman.  Skip Winnipeg and stay with me so we can do some serious damage on your nursery decorations.  You can catch back up with them in Toronto.”

Shopping for baby things sounded like a lot of fun, actually – despite the fact that she had no idea where the baby’s nursery would actually BE.  They were still having trouble coming to a solution to the living arrangements.  The way it was going now, they’d be living in Jon’s guest house until Bug was a teenager.

The again, maybe shopping didn’t sound quite so much fun, considering the little bit of money that was in her checking account at the moment.  The low rumble of Richie’s laughter and a quick glance confirmed that he was still engrossed in his conversation with Ava.

“Um.  I don’t think I can swing shopping right now,” she said quietly. 

Dot was immediately suspicious.  “Why?  Can’t you stand to be away from him for two days?”

“No, it’s not that.  My resources are a little limited right now.”

“You’re talking money, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Bullshit.  Your resources are limited by your damn pride.   Let me put this in perspective for you.  You’re having his baby, you’ll be taking care of his home, shopping for him, keeping him grounded and a million other things every day.  Those things require finances that he has no trouble providing.  And if that doesn’t convince you, I’m told you were the inspiration for two of the new songs.  Consider it royalties.”

Inspiration for new songs?  She cut a glance toward Richie, finding him smiling and laughing with his daughter.  He’d never told her that.

“You cannot start and spend this entire marriage keeping a ledger book.   What you’re giving him is priceless.  The least he can do is provide for the needs of you and the baby.  He may not be there every single day, because of his job, but let him take care of you the best way he can.  Besides, it’s not like you’re going out to buy diamond crusted rattles.  Nobody begrudges a baby its socks and sleepers, Allegra.  Don’t begrudge them to your baby.”

As usual, Dot had cut straight to the heart of the matter in that no-nonsense way that she had, making Allegra briefly empathize with Jon.  She now knew how Jon felt when he was on the receiving end of his wife’s blunt astuteness – petty and stupid. 

She sighed.  Once again, self-sufficient had morphed into selfish. 

The only defense she could come up with was the difficulty she was having changing her mindset - from single to part of a couple, from self-imposed poverty to having the world at her fingertips.  It was feeble, but it was all she had.

If she was marrying a man of means, she had to get used to the idea of having money.  Even with access to money, Allegra wouldn’t be an extravagant woman.  It wasn’t her nature.  But she shouldn’t be uptight about reasonable purchases like baby clothes and furniture.

“You’re right.  I’ll talk to Richie about it and let you know about shopping.  Tonight I think we’re staying at the condo in Philly since it’s closer to the airport.  If it works out, we can hook up here in town or I can come to you.  Either way, I’ll call you tonight.”

She said her goodbyes and tapped the screen, sinking back in the seat with a thoughtful smirk on her face.  Baby socks.  Little stuffed animals.  Diapers.  Tiny t-shirts.  Sleepers with feet in them. 

“Richie?” she asked when he disconnected with Ava.  “Can I have some money?”

He clutched at his chest and widened his eyes in exaggerated shock.  “Be still my fuckin’ heart.  You asked me for money?  What’s it for?  An organ transplant?  Because I know it has to be life or death for those words to come outta your mouth.”

She shoved at him playfully, the heat of embarrassment flooding her cheeks, mostly because he was right.    Instead of giving him the smart mouthed comment he was probably expecting, she simply laced their fingers together, shyly meeting his eyes.  “No, not an organ transplant.  Just some baby socks.”

Dark brows lifted, and she could see him fight the grin that was pulling on the corners of his mouth.  “Oh yeah?  Would this be enough socks to warrant that credit card I’ve been trying to shove down your throat?”

Her throat clenched as every fiber of her being resisted the idea.  She didn’t want charity.

But this wasn’t charity.  This was an almost-married couple merging their finances. 

Just keep telling yourself that, Allegra.  It will get easier.

“Probably so.”

He grinned and pulled out his wallet, a shiny black card appearing from its folds in an instant.

“You carry it with you?” she laughed incredulously, running a finger over the raised letters of her name on the American Express card.

“Call me optimistic.”

She nodded once, pushing the piece of plastic into her back pocket.  She wasn’t ready for him to gloat at her, needing a bit more time to make peace with herself over the whole thing.

“One more phone call?” she asked with a smile.  “To our best friends?  Or at least my other best friend, since I already talked to Dot.”

He studied her for a moment, the questions building in his eyes, but he chose not to push.  If he didn’t want Kristofer’s unpleasantness ruining the day, then it made sense that he wouldn’t start asking questions that would do the same thing.

“Sure thing, Sunshine.”

She listened to the phone ring in her ear two… three times before he answered. 

“Legs, baby!  What’s happenin’?”

“Hey you.”  The grin automatically plastered itself to her face.  She adored David.  “We just got finished at the doctor’s office.  Since you’re going to be an ‘uncle’ again, I thought you might want to know what the ultrasound showed.”

Richie was saying almost the same thing to Jon, and Allegra could hear Jon’s voice through her phone. 

“Are you in the same room with Jon?” she asked, before spilling the details.

“Yeah, he’s whining about his leg – or really just being a grouchy ass patient – and needed someone to take it out on.”  He sighed dramatically.  “You know how I’m always the scapegoat around here.”

“Yeah, right.  Poor baby.”  Allegra rolled her eyes as she pretended to believe a word of it.  She nudged Richie.  “They’re in the same room together.  Tell Jon to hang up and David and I will both put it on speaker.  We can tell them at the same time.”

He signaled his agreement and in a moment’s time, the four of them were sharing the same phone connection. 

Richie nodded for her to go ahead and she clutched his hand in appreciation. 

“Okay.  Bug was being cooperative so we now know that, come Christmas-time, you will be both be ‘uncles’ to a brand-new niece, all bundled in pink.  Her name is Faith Aurora.”

Continuing to hold Richie’s hand, she explained the story behind Faith’s middle name and their pleasure at Ava’s choice. 

The line was silent for a breath then, to her complete surprise, both men exploded with hysterical laughter.

“I told ya not to let a kid name your kid,” Jon wheezed once he caught his breath.

“Dayum, Legs, you gotta be kidding me.  You’re not seriously gonna name her that??”

“Listen here, jackasses.  What’s your friggin’ problem with our baby’s name?”  Richie sat upright in the seat, instinctively poised to defend their child.  “I happen to think it’s pretty amazing that Ava was so thoughtful when she picked it out.”

Allegra nodded at him with a squeeze.  “David, what the hell is so funny?”

“Oh come on Legs, didn’t you bother to say her whole name out loud?”

“Yeah,” Jon chimed in, snickering.  “Faith Aurora Sambora.”  Both men cackled in amusement from way too far north for Allegra to strangle them.  “Hell, if you’re gonna do that, then why not Dora Aurora Sambora?”

Richie and Allegra turned to one another, horrified. 

“Shit,” Richie mumbled quietly.  “I didn’t even think of that.  We’re gonna have to come up with something else.”

“Or Nora Aurora Sambora,” Dave tossed out between gales of laughter, as he and Jon lobbed names back and forth.

“Cora.”

“Lora.”

“Flora.”

“Ooo!” David practically squealed.  “A little Hebrew flavor for Uncle Dave… Torah!”

“And for Uncle Tico… si, si, senora!”

She nodded at Richie in assent before frowning ferociously.  These butt-heads were pissing her off by making fun of her baby.

“Okay, you two.  Shut up already.  Ava just told us a couple of hours ago.  Obviously, we were a little excited and hadn’t gotten around to piecing the whole picture together yet.  We’ll have to decide on a middle name later.”

But neither one of them were listening.  They were too busy playing the name game and laughing at one another’s attempts to top their outrageousness.  Snarling, Allegra cut off the phone call and swiveled toward Richie with a grimace.

 “Gee, I’m so glad we didn’t call Kristofer. It would’ve been a shame to get in a bad mood and ruin that special moment with our loved ones.”