(Ok Candice. You can do it.)
The tall man gets out of the car, walks around to the back seat, and holds the door open to me.
"Mrs. Redgrave..."
The man is barely looking at me. My heart is racing, I'm very anxious. Everything can go wrong right now.
"Samuel..."
My voice is a bit shaky, but I slide to the back seat.
When Samuel gets back inside to the driver's seat I take a deep breath, I think I made it so far.
"Thanks, Samuel... and I'm sorry, I came back later than what I planned. I had to see my hairdresser."
I make up the first thing I thought Amanda would say.
"No problem Mrs...uh!"
He's looking at me through the mirror with a shocked face. He manages to fix his face and start to drive.
(I have to stop saying thanks and I'm sorry to people if I want them to believe I'm Amanda.)
We drive for 45min or so, with no one single word. I think it's better this way.
We finally go through a huge gate for an even more big house.
"Holy sh..."
I whisper to myself but cover my mouth before Samuel can notice how shocked I am with this house.
Again he holds the door open to me. I get out of the car, someone has the entrance door open. I think I'm shaking, I don't say anything this time. Better don't push my luck further, I just head inside the house.
"Welcome home Mrs. Redgrave. When you want the dinner to be set?"
"Huh... I'm not hungry."
"Ok..."
"I... I'm going to my bedroom."
"Mrs. Redgrave..."
"Yes?..."
"Josie will be back with baby Jax soon, so you want me to tell you when they arrive?"
"Yes, of course."
The maid looks at me for a moment, my voice was a bit too loud.
"Thanks..."
I forgot her name. I walk away, then I remember I don't know the way to Amanda's bedroom.
(Fuck...)
I just enter the first room I find.
I shut the door behind me and take a deep breath.
"That was terrible."
After a moment I'm a bit calmer, I start to walk around the room.
"Wow..."
"This bedroom is bigger than my entire apartment"
The bedroom is huge, well furnished but very impersonal. No pictures or any personal details.
"I'm in the guest bedroom?"
I don't have much time to inspect the room, someone is knocking on the door.
"Come in."
"Excuse me, Mrs. Redgrave. Josie just got back with baby Jax."
"Uh! Oh... ok, thanks."
She keeps looking at me as she is waiting for me to say something, but I don't know what else.
"...Do you want to see him, Ma'am?"
"Yes, of course"
We walk outside the bedroom, I follow the sound of a crying baby. I find a young woman trying to calm down the baby boy.
(Oh my God... this is my nephew.)
"I'm sorry Mrs. Redgrave, I'm making him calm down soon."
The young woman looks terrified to see me.
"What happened?"
"Don't worry, Ma'am. He's just a bit tired."
"Give him to me."
I hang my arms, she looks surprised for a moment then hands me the baby boy.
"Come here baby boy... don't cry baby... shhh shhh... don't cry"
Jackson is a nine months old baby. He cries a little more before he calms down and snuggles to me.
I feel warm inside, he smells so good, baby smell. I smile when he finally stops crying.
"Well done, baby boy."
When I look up both of the women are looking at me shocked.
(Oh God... what I did wrong now?)
"Did he eat something?"
"Uh! Yes. He's ready for bed I'm taking him to his bedroom now."
"No, it's ok. I'll handle this."
I leave the faster I can, I still don't know what I did wrong. I have no idea if I did something a mother wouldn't do.
Again, I don't know the way to baby Jax's bedroom, so I take him with me to the bedroom.
"I should have asked Amanda for a map of this place."
When I get to the room baby Jax is almost sleeping in my arms, I lay him down on the bed, laying by his side. I watch him sleep for a while, he looks like Papa Danny. It melts my heart, he would love to meet
His little grandson.
Soon we fall asleep together.
I wake up suddenly when the lights on the bedroom turn on.
"Uh!" I adjust my eyes trying to see who is in the bedroom.
"Hey! I'm sorry, I didn't..." He answers also surprised.
"Shhh! He's sleeping." I tell him before the noise wakes the baby.
"Sorry..." *whispering*
I look up to the tall handsome man standing in the middle of the room. I never saw him before, is he Amanda's husband?
We're staring at each other, I have no idea what to say. My brain crashed, I freeze.
"I'm sorry, I was not expecting you to be here.*Whispering*
(Where his wife should be at night?)
The man is already undressing while he talks with me. He looks surprised but not uncomfortable. I think he's Jackson, Amanda's husband.
(Good lord... he is so handsome.)
I look down avoiding the amazing man in front of me. I feel shy and self-conscious, I try to smooth my hair with my hands.
(What the hell is he doing here? This was not part of the plan. Amanda told me Jax would be out the whole weekend, now he's here only in his boxers.)
"Wh-at are you doing here?" I finally find my voice.
"I know you don't enjoy my presence, Amanda. But I still live here." He doesn't even look at me.
"Uh! Sure. I'm not... I mean... I thought you wouldn't be here this weekend."
"The meeting was canceled."
"Oh, I see..."
Jackson lay down on the bed, he place a kiss on baby Jax's forehead, running his hand through the little head.
"I'm taking him to his bedroom." He says.
"Nooo!" *whispering*
"Uh?" He's confused.
(No no no... I'm not spending the night alone with Jackson.)
"He can stay," I tell him barely hiding my panic.
"Really? I thought you were against him sleeping here."
"Yeh, but he was upset today. I took him to sleep with me. I think he can stay tonight."
"You put him to sleep?" Jackson speaks raising one eyebrow at me.
Now I'm starting to understand why everyone here looks so surprised. They're not used to Amanda taking care of her baby.
"Yeh... are you ok with him staying?" I ask.
"Yes, I miss him."
Jackson lay down and sleep. He didn't say goodnight or anything. I feel some kind of relief, but this is not how I thought a married couple would be.
(What kind of marriage is this?)
I lay down again, but I can't sleep. Only when the sun is almost rising do I feel so tired. I finally sleep next to the baby and his father.