Chapter 3 31 страница

“This afternoon. I was talking to him about some last minute details on the new house, and I said I could walk a few things over, since I was living right next door now.”

Kylie chuckled and asked, “Did he wonder how that came to be?”

“Didn’t say so, if he did. You know how people in Hollywood are. You never know who’s living with whom. Anyway, he noticed I was pregnant, and he asked if I wanted the furniture. I sure as heck wasn’t going to say no to a whole set of hardwood cherry furniture, so he had his gardeners bring it over.”

Looking disappointed, Kylie said, “But I was looking forward to buying our own stuff.”

“Honey,” Blair soothed, taking her hand, “this stuff is really nice, but Mackenzie will only use it for a few years. You and I can buy him something cool when he’s old enough to appreciate what he has. Maybe we can get him one of those race car beds.”

“I want one of those,” Kylie said. “I wish they made them in a king-size.”

“Don’t feel left out,” Blair begged. “I would normally have checked with you first, but he’s very hard to say no to. He really would have been insulted if I’d refused.”

Kylie nodded, then said, “I wouldn’t have said no. I don’t like to feel left out of decision-making. This was a little bit of a shock — that’s all.”

“Well, do you like the thought of using this room? I thought it made sense since it’s the closest to our room. I can keep my clothes in this closet until we start filling it up with baby things. Then we can shuffle things around, maybe store some clothes in the office.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s fine,” Kylie said, still a touch irritated. She walked around the room, looking at the furniture carefully. A smile began to grow, and she said, “Hey, I guess it’s official now. You don’t have your own bedroom anymore.”

Blair looked slightly startled, then smiled and said, “No, but if either of us needs some space, we’ve still got the guest bedroom.”

“Yeah, I guess we do,” Kylie said, her smile now departed.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Blair said, seeing that the doctor was still perturbed. “There’s one extravagance I’d really like. This crib is great, but I’ve been thinking it would be nice to have a cradle, too. That way we could have him sleep right next to us. Why don’t we buy a nice one? We could give it to Mackenzie when he has a family.”

A pleased smile started to bloom again on Kylie’s face. “Okay,” she said. “Can I buy it?”

“Sure, if you want to.”

“I do. I want it to be a special gift from me.” She wrapped her arms around Blair. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to think of having our baby in his cradle, sleeping right next to us. It makes my heart nearly burst.”

“You have a sweet heart,” Blair said, holding Kylie close. “You’re gonna be such a good mom.” She gave her a squeeze and said, “Now we only have to have the room painted or papered, and we’ll be set.”

“Ya wanna go look at colors this weekend?”

“No. Let’s wait a while. I accepted the furniture because it was too good to pass up, but I feel a little funny about finishing the room. Let’s wait until I’m at least in my thirty-second week. I won’t feel like I’m tempting fate.”

“Whatever you want. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“You must be uncomfortable still in your dress. Let’s get you into your jammies.”

“I have a better idea,” Kylie said, giving Blair a decidedly lecherous look. “Let’s skip the jammies tonight. I have a compelling need to feel those pouty pink lips on all of the spots my jammies usually cover.”

Blinking up at her with a faux-innocent look, Blair asked, “Why, Doctor Mackenzie, are you propositioning me?”

“You said you wanted me to tell you when I needed some lovin’,” Kylie reminded her. “I warned you that you’d live to regret it.”

“If you tried, you couldn’t be more mistaken,” Blair scoffed. “There’s nothing I love more than a woman who can ask for what she needs.”

“Then it’s no wonder that you love me,” Kylie said. “I need it bad, and you’re the only one I want to give it to me.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Doc. Let’s hit the sheets!”

„G

On Saturday morning, Kylie had been up for four hours before Blair made an appearance in the den. “Hey, sweetheart,” she said, getting up to offer a hug. “Are you feeling okay? I was starting to worry about you.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she mumbled into the cotton of Kylie’s blouse. “I decided yesterday that I’m going to tell David today if I can get hold of him. I think I was subconsciously trying to sleep the whole day so I didn’t have to do it.”

“This is really hard for you, isn’t it?” Kylie asked sympathetically.

“Yeah, it is. I’d be hurt if he were engaged already,” she admitted. “It’s awfully quick.”

“It is.” The doctor placed a kiss on Blair’s mussed hair. “Want some breakfast?”

“Sure. I’ll take whatever’s easy.”

Kylie grinned wickedly. “Well, I’m the easiest thing around here, but you had me thoroughly last night.”

“Hmm … that’s a good idea,” Blair said, capturing her in a hug. “If we stay in bed all day, I’ll have a perfect excuse not to call David.”

“Go shower, sweetie,” Kylie said, patting her on the butt. “You’ll feel better when this is over.”

“All right,” she grumbled. “I doubt that, but I don’t have many options.”

„G

Blair walked back into the kitchen quite a while later, showered and dressed for the day. She was wearing Kylie’s favorite outfit: putty-colored corduroy overalls and a putty, black and brown striped turtleneck. “Oh, you look so cute!” Kylie said when she saw her.

“I found myself trying to look as non-pregnant as possible,” Blair said, “but then I reminded myself that it doesn’t matter what David thinks of me any longer. You’re the person I dress to please now.”

“That’s a good thing to remember,” Kylie said, urging Blair into a chair to eat her breakfast. “David doesn’t have any hold over you, honey.”

“I know that, but I'm still very nervous about doing this.”

“What are you planning?” Kylie asked. “Are you going over to his house?”

“Mmm … I guess so,” she said, looking unenthusiastic. “I don’t really want to, but I don’t want to cause a scene in a public place. I’m anticipating that he might raise his voice — at a minimum.”

Kylie watched her eat for a minute, a look of deep concern on her face. “Have him come here,” she said, making it sound more like an order than a suggestion.

“Why here?”

“Because I’ll be worried about you if you go anywhere else. I know this'll be upsetting for you, honey, and I don’t like for you to drive when you’re upset. If you insist on going to your old house, I’m gonna go with you and wait outside.”

“Oh, Kylie, I’ll be all right,” Blair said.

“I know you will, but you’ll probably also be a little emotional. Please, Blair,” she begged, looking at her intently.

“All right,” the smaller woman said. “I don’t want to worry you.”

Kylie looked down at the ground and shifted her weight. "I'm worried already."

"Already? Why? David won't be horrible about this. Really."

"That's not why I'm worried," Kylie said. "I'm really anxious that he'll change his mind and want to be involved with Mackenzie."

Blair put her arms around her and looked up. "Why does that worry you?"

"'Cause I'm afraid he'll take my place. If he's Mackenzie’s dad and you're his mom, that doesn't leave much room for me."

"That's where you're wrong," Blair said, her voice full of confidence. "Even if David has a complete turnabout and wants to be super dad, you and I are still gonna co-parent. I've never known a mother who didn't feel tired and stressed and overworked. Two of us should be just about right. I mean that, Kylie. I promise."

The doctor smiled, nodding her head, grateful for her partner's reassurance. “Okay. I believe you. Sorry for that little burst of insecurity."

"I have them every fifteen minutes. You were overdue."

"When he gets here, we’ll stay out of your way,” Kylie said. “I’ll keep the puppies outside with me.”

“Okay.” Blair looked at her for a moment and said, “To be honest, I’ll be much more comfortable here in our home. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. We’ll be right outside if you need us, ‘kay?”

“I always need you,” Blair said softly, watching Kylie pad across the kitchen and realizing as she said it how very true the statement was.

„G

Blair dawdled a bit over her breakfast, but finally felt ready to make the call to David. Her unconscious still managed a few last delays. She cleared her place at the table, went to the bathroom — though nature hadn’t called — and carefully rearranged the flowers in a vase on the breakfast counter.

Blair took a deep breath and granted that she felt a little shaky. Well, no way out but through. She went to the kitchen phone, glad that Kylie was busying herself in her office, and dialed her old number.

David answered after only one ring. “Hi, David, it’s me.” Blair could almost hear the man’s shock in the profound silence on the other end of the line. “David?”

“Blair. Oh … hi. Hi. I’m, uh —”

“David, I need to see you.”

“Okay. That’d be fine.”

“To talk,” she said, wanting to be clear with him. “We need to. Can you come over to Kylie’s at, say, 3:00?”

“Today? Sure! Sure, Blair.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you then. Bye.”

Blair put the cordless back in it’s base, her feelings of anxiety still calling the shots.

„G

Shortly before 3:00, when David was due, Kylie took the soft Frisbee and a few squeaky toys and headed for the back yard, two enthusiastic playmates making mad leaps for the toys that minutes before had elicited nothing but boredom. Blair came out as well and kissed her partner after she had thrown the Frisbee for the first time. “Thanks for staying home,” she said. “I’ll feel better knowing you’re here.”

“I’ll always be there when you need me, Blair. That’s what partners do.”

“Good partners,” Blair said. She checked her watch. “I’ll go keep an eye out so he doesn’t ring the bell. I don’t want the pups to get frustrated when they can’t run to the door.”

“Turn on the stereo in the kitchen when you go by. That drowns out a lot of noise.”

“Okay. Classical music calms both me and the baby. Good idea.”

Kylie wrapped her in a warm hug and promised, “You’ll do fine, babe. I’m certain of it.”

“Thanks,” Blair said, her voice rather thin. “See you later.” Her shoulders were slightly slumped as she went into the house, and Kylie desperately wished she could talk to David for her lover, but Blair was an adult, and she was sure she could handle the situation.

A few minutes after 3:00, David pulled up, and Blair opened the gate to the property before he could roll his window down to buzz. Walking out to meet him, she found herself enveloped in an all-encompassing embrace that seemed to last for a very long time. They were both crying when they pulled apart, and she accepted his handkerchief to dab at her eyes and nose. “Seeing you again is so hard,” she said wearily. "I never would have believed that this could happen to us."

He draped his arm across her shoulders, and she felt her head drop to rest against him. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured, kissing her temple.

She didn’t return the sentiment, unwilling to admit to how

infrequently she thought of him, especially now that she had Kylie. She started to head toward the house, and he stayed right with her.

When they got inside, he looked around and asked, “Are those dog toys?”

“Oh. Kylie adopted a couple of Norwich terriers.”

“Cool! Where are they? You know how I love dogs.”

“Oh, they’re outside,” she said. “I didn’t want them to disturb us.”

He looked a little puzzled and said, “I’ve never seen Norwich terriers. Can’t I take a peek?”

“No. Kylie’s outside playing with them, and they’ll never leave us alone if they get to meet you. They’re crazy for new faces.”

He shrugged and stood there, looking a little uncomfortable. “Can I have something to drink? Anything’s fine.”

She nodded and went into the kitchen where she chose orange juice, one of his favorites, and poured a glass for each of them. “This is such a nice house,” he said, looking around. “I didn’t get to see much of it the last time I was here. Wanna take me on a tour?”

“Uhm … maybe later,” she said, not in the mood to start off by explaining why there was only a crib in her room. “Have a seat.”

He sat down and looked at her expectantly, a small smile on his face. “How've you been? You look really healthy.”

“I am,” she said. “We’re doing very well.”

“That’s good to hear.” His smile was stiff and reflected his growing unease. “Uhm … did you want to talk about anything in particular? I don't remember your mentioning why you wanted to see me.”

“That's because I didn't,” she said.

Now a warm, familiar smile settled on his handsome face, and he said, “I know. I just hate to admit that I'm clueless.”

She looked to the floor and fidgeted for a moment, unsure of where to start. “I have to talk to you about something that’s making me very uncomfortable, and I can’t seem to make myself start.”

“Hey,” he said softly, causing her to look into his eyes. “It’s only me. You can tell me anything.” His expression warmed even further, reminding her of the depths of the empathy and trust they had once shared.

She started to cry again, and he got up to sit by her, but she shook her head and put a hand up, warning him off. He sat down and looked at her with a bemused expression. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," she said. "Nothing's wrong. This is just hard." She took a breath and let it out slowly, then looked him in the eye and said, "I’ve fallen in love, David. I wanted to tell you myself so you didn’t hear it from someone else.”

He looked as though he had been punched in the gut, actually leaning over a little as he tried to get a breath. Finally, after waiting for what seemed like the better part of the afternoon, he gasped, “You’ve fallen in love? Already?”

“Yes,” she replied. "I know it's awfully quick, but it happened."

"Wow." He ran his hand through his short hair and then shook his head roughly. He looked very confused, and when he met Blair's eyes, he said, "How did it happen? Is it that guy I saw you with?"

"No. Nick's my friend, but that's all."

He nodded again. "Well, I guess I should come clean and tell you that I've been dating the woman you saw me with."

"I thought as much," Blair said. "You've never been the kind of guy who likes to have women friends."

He gave her a melancholy look through half-lidded eyes. "I was lonely," he said. "I missed you so much, but I knew you'd never come back."

She was on the verge of arguing with him, but knew it was a waste of effort. "I hope you're happy, David."

"I was happier with you," he said, looking right into her eyes. "I wish we'd never tried to have a baby."

"Things would have been different," she agreed. She saw no need to tell him she was very glad things had turned out as they had, since she didn't want to intentionally hurt him.

He looked very uncomfortable, obviously not knowing what to do with his hands, self-consciously drumming his fingers on his thighs. "So, are you moving?"

"No. Why would I …" She winced, realizing why he'd asked. "I'm staying here, David. This is my home."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"This is the part that I've been uncomfortable about," she said. "I'm staying here because I've fallen in love with Kylie."

She paused, watching his face as the information finally reached his brain. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "You what?"

"I've fallen in love with Kylie," she said quietly.

"You're not gay!" He said this loudly, but he didn't seem upset, he seemed absolutely flabbergasted.

"I don't know what I am, David. All I know is that I'm in love with Kylie, and she loves me, too."

"Is she gay?" he asked.

"Yes. She's known she was a lesbian since she was a girl."

His brow furrowed, and he cocked his head. "Did you know that?"

"Yes, I knew that."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Now his tone was angry, and his face was turning a deep rose.

"I didn't think it was important," she said.

"Not important? Your best friend — your confidant — the woman you spend all of your free time with — is a lesbian? And that's not important enough to mention to your husband?" He was shouting now, and Blair heard the sliding glass door in the den open very quietly. She knew Kylie was in the house, and she prayed she wouldn't interfere.

Blair could tell that David wouldn't be able to hear another word she said. All of their years together had made her very attuned to his moods, and when he was angry, he became as good as deaf. Nonetheless, she answered his question. "I didn't tell you because I thought you'd react exactly like you are reacting. I thought you'd assume she wanted something from me."

He jumped to his feet. "She did! And she got it! Jesus fucking Christ, Blair! How stupid can you be? You let some woman talk you into getting divorced! Can't you see she wanted this all along?"

Blair stood up, having a little trouble getting her balance as she often did these days. She walked right up to David and stared into his eyes. "If you want to know about my life, I'll answer any questions you have. But you have to go home and calm down first. You haven't called me once in the last couple of months, and it's too late now for you to play the wronged spouse. I want you to leave. Now."

He looked like he wanted to argue, and for a fleeting moment, she felt a flash of fear. His hands were balled into fists, and his eyes were burning with such rage that she was afraid he might hit her. But he turned around and kicked the chair he'd been sitting in, then stormed out of the house, leaving the front door wide open.

She followed behind him, shut the door and leaned against it heavily for a few moments, feeling numb. Wearily, she forced herself to begin to move, her natural instinct compelling her to head for the guest room to be alone. But halfway there, she stopped abruptly and headed outside. After she slid the door open, both dogs ran for her full-tilt, nearly crashing into her. “It’s nice to see some friendly faces.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her partner, leaning against the house — her hands in her pockets.

“You heard me, didn’t you?” Kylie asked.

“Yeah.”

"Thanks for not coming into the room," she said softly. "I would have hated that."

"I'm sorry I came in," Kylie said, "but when I could hear him even with the doors closed, I got worried."

"I understand," Blair said. "I probably would have done the same." Kylie took her hand, and they walked over to a chaise. The doctor sat down first, her feet on the ground. Then Blair sat between her legs and shifted around, trying to get comfortable.

"Let me lower the back a little. That'll give us more room." She did, and Blair snuggled a little closer, rubbing her head against Kylie's chest and neck.

“I don’t want to talk,” Blair warned, “but I need to be close to you.”

“You don’t have to say a word,” Kylie said. “Lie here and relax.” She started to run her fingers through Blair’s hair, moving down to deeply massage the tense muscles in her neck and shoulders. Moving back to her head, she lightened the touch, continuing to slide her fingers along Blair’s scalp until the smaller woman’s breathing evened out and she fell asleep on Kylie’s chest. Even though Blair was clearly asleep, Kylie continued to stroke her gently, trying to soothe her even when she was not consciously aware of her touch.

„G

Later that evening, they lay in bed together, Blair still clinging to Kylie like a lifeline. She had not said a word about the events of the afternoon, and even though Kylie wanted to know what was going on in her lover’s head, she was loath to press her to speak. They’d been in bed about twenty minutes, and though Kylie would normally have been asleep in seconds, she fought her drowsiness in order to stay awake with Blair.

Despite her efforts, Kylie nodded off, waking with a start when she heard her lover sniffling. "Baby?" she asked. "You okay?"

Blair nodded, then curled herself into a ball, crying just enough to make a soft sound.

"Tell me what's wrong," Kylie soothed. "You'll feel better if you talk about it."

"No," Blair whimpered. "Not tonight. Please."

“Okay, okay,” Kylie said, kissing her forehead. She started to gently rub her lower back, and in a few minutes, Blair was asleep. It took Kylie quite a while to relax enough to join her — her mind unable to erase the look of abject sorrow that had been on her partner’s face after David left or the tears that lingered on her pale cheeks.

„G

The next day, Blair left the house at noon, her afternoon and evening completely booked. Kylie hated to see her go since she knew how tired and drained she was from the emotional scene with David the day before, but Blair rarely let her personal life get in the way of work, and today was no exception.

She had dinner with a pair of gay men whom she'd worked with before. They were looking to buy a bigger house and sell the one they currently owned. They were a very pleasant pair, and they had been very easy to work with before, so she could relax and enjoy dinner instead of trying to impress them. Her mood was good when she drove up her street, but it soured immediately when she saw Sadie's car in the drive. "God damn! Am I gonna have to throw her out of the house now?" She got out of the car and slammed the door, knowing she'd have a fight on her hands.

The dogs ran to greet her, and she spoke to them, too tired to get down to their level. She heard quiet voices coming from the den, and she kicked off her shoes and walked to the room, anxious to kick some ass and get it over with.

Sadie and Kylie were sitting in the den, both of them looking up rather idly when Blair walked in. "Hi, honey," Kylie called out, putting up her hand to give a poorly formed wave. "Come on in."

Blair stared at her partner, then looked at Sadie.

"You're so lucky you weren't home when I first got here," Sadie said, giggling like a little girl. "I was sooo mad at you!" She thought this statement was extremely funny, and Kylie was also caught by an attack of the giggles.

"You've never seen a woman so mad," the doctor chortled. "I thought she was gonna have a stroke!" She paused, then nearly went into hysterics when she said, "I'm a doctor! I coulda saved her!"

"What have you two been doing?" Blair demanded. She looked at the coffee table and saw an empty bottle of Scotch. She picked it up and pointed the neck of the bottle at Kylie. "This was half-full the last time I made you a drink!"

"Not anymore!" Kylie laughed so hard, she started to choke, and Blair pounded her on the back a few times.

"Kylie, I've never seen you drunk!" She turned to her mother-in-law and said, "Sadie, you don't drink!"

"I do now," she said, then looked at Kylie and laughed.

Blair flopped down onto the sofa. "Nothing better than coming home at the end of a long day and having a pair of drunken women in your living room. What am I supposed to do with the two of you?"

"You could take me to bed," Kylie helpfully suggested. "I'm tired." She rubbed her eyes like a small child, and Blair couldn't help but find her behavior adorable.

"I should make you sleep on the couch," she said, "but you'd probably fall off it."

“I could — I could fall off the floor, honey.” Kylie seemed determined to help.

“I would, too! I would, couldn’t I?” Sadie asked the doctor, excitedly grabbing her hand. This selfless offer from Sadie sent the pair into a frenzy of helpless laughter.

Blair waited — somewhat in wonder, she realized — for this little episode to end, then snapped her fingers a couple of times, and Sadie, wheezing to recover, blinked at her. "Yes?"

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, I have my car here. I drove it." She said, just to be clear.

"You can't drive home, Sadie. I'll drive you, or I'll have David come get you."

"Oh, no!" Sadie said, her eyes wide. "He doesn't wanna see you anymore. He's mad!" She waggled her finger at her daughter-in-law for emphasis.

"Fine. Then I'll drive you." She got up to put her shoes back on, muttering, "I get to haul your ass all the way to Glendale because my lover decided to play bartender tonight. That's an hour I could use for sleep, for the record. There’d better be a really good explanation for this!"

Blair walked back into the room, and Kylie was lying on her side, her feet still on the floor. “Pssht, pssht, pssht,” Sadie said, mangling what was probably supposed to be “Shh,” pointing at the now-snoring doctor. "She's tired."

"Yeah. I can tell," Blair said. "I've made an executive decision. You're staying here tonight."

"Really?" Sadie asked. "Here? I don't have any pajamas." She looked around the room as if she expected her things to appear.

"I have something you can sleep in," Blair said. "I think we all need to go to bed now, or at least one of us is going to be very grouchy in the morning."

Дата добавления: 2015-09-04