The Perfect Storm 3

Chapter 284

Now that Stephanie has moved out of the dorm and in with Elijah and their new apartment together and I've moved in with Miles, and now that I'm going to be a month pregnant in a few days, there doesn't seem to be a reason for me to continue WSU.

As Miles takes a shower, I listen to the water run in a peaceful way, something about it calms me down and I can almost see the foam running down the drain which feels satisfying somehow.

I head downstairs, quickly letting my feet take me down the steps where I find my school bag by the couch and grab my laptop, placing it on the island and watching the two fruit in the fruit bow which reminds me that we need to go food shopping soon and when I open the fridge, I know we'll need to go today.

I open my laptop, not knowing how much time I have alone, but I want to do this. I press the space key and unlock it. And instantly as I log into the WSU website with my username and password which are both 'MadisonPierce' I'm reminded of the time when Miles gave me this laptop and the way I felt about him, the way I realized that for the first time I might have had feelings for him because for the first time he did something so selfless, he thought about me and my comfort and it made me see a side of him I had never noticed before.

I click on the school head's name and send her a message, letting her know that I'll be taking another course from home.

"What are you doing?" Miles asks, a towel wrapped around his abdomen and another in his hand as he brushed it through his hair.

"Cancelling my WSU attendance," I tell him and he gives me a small smile.

"We should go to the store . . . and maybe some more furniture shopping and then . . . out to dinner?" he says and I smile back at him, "Yes . . . we should."

EVERYTHING HAS FINALLY started to seem normal, everything that could possibly be chaotic feels to be either solved or removed from our lives and I feel as though for the first time I'm able to breathe and think of only Miles and I and the baby we have on the way.

"Where are we going?" I ask when I notice Miles taking a right turn and even though I have a very little sense of direction, I know this isn't on our way to the grocery store.

"I promised you we'd go buy baby stuff, didn't I?" Miles smiles at me. I completely forgot, I got so busy in Jace and the wedding and how Jace felt about me that I completely . . . forgot about something so special in my life.

Miles stops the car kind of abruptly and I find myself staring at him, wondering what's wrong so all of a sudden.

"He was five minutes away from death, did you know that, Madison?" he asks and my eyes turn slightly wide.

"You know and I . . . I find myself just not--" he stops, rubbing his hair with his fingers, "I find myself just not caring."

I press my hand on his and his eyes dart up to mine, "You don't have to care . . . you don't have to do anything you don't feel in your heart, Miles and you've known that . . . you thought me that,"

"And . . . I never knew just how true that is, Miles." I tell him, my voice steady, watching him.

"You're right," he says, giving me a small smile.

"He doesn't deserve my care--he never has, especially not this time." He clenches his jaw and then with a quick smile at me, I know he finally feels okay with everything.

AS SOON AS I STEP inside the store, I feel overwhelmed with what I see. Everything seems to be either pink or blue, strollers, toys, beds, feeding bottles, and things I've never seen before or understand the use for.