The Perfect Storm 3

Chapter 292

How did we not think about this? Of course, how could we have been so naive?

Despite my legs being tired beyond comprehension, I run quickly downstairs and heat water until it's boiling to pour over all of the baby bottles that were meant for the baby that is still inside me, but that is now going to be for its big sister.

Miles walks downstairs and I quickly turn to him expecting to see him still holding Becky, but he's empty-handed and for a second my eyes go wide.

"She's fine," he smiles and then adds, "She's finally asleep again," he finishes explaining and I smile, letting out a small breath of relief.

I quickly turn back to the hot water, finishing what I started as I feel Miles's hands wrap around me from behind, making me feel so at ease.

It's almost six am and it's still pitch black outside as I look out the large mirrors on my right side. The sink is black and satisfying as everything looks so plain and peaceful all the time.

"I guess we'll have to go baby shopping again," Miles says and I can sense a tinge of a chuckle in his voice which makes me smile up to my cheeks.

"Our lives have changed so much, Chrissy, Jacob . . . I feel like I don't know them anymore . . . I feel like I never did,"

"You're right," Miles speaks through the quietness that follows each of our words.

"You never did really know them and I didn't really know myself until now." his tone is soft and peaceful, keeping the ease in my body still. I know how much Miles has changed, he almost seems unrecognizable, and looking back; I have no idea how we got here, how we got to this indescribable peace that just follows us wherever we seem to go. Because it seems that not so long ago, the terror and pain were following us, and now, as if out of nowhere, peace has shifted into its place and I can't even remember it happening.

"I didn't even know Stephanie back then and now she's my best friend . . . she's pregnant with Elijah now," I breathe and feel the way the words seem to ever weigh differently out of my lips.

"And it's going to change so much more," Miles says, and I nod, looking down at my stomach.

And then, in the dark peace of the night, the lights turned off and nothing our eyes can truly make out except for the different shades of black of the apartment and the occasional white baby bottles or kitchen towels, Miles speaks, "Becky will stay with Stephanie and Elijah tomorrow, I've got it all covered. I'm taking you to Santa Monica, we leave in an hour."

I DON'T REMEMBER FALLING ASLEEP but when my eyelids feel heavy and I'm covered in Miles's cologne smelling sheets, I realize I somehow did, in between all of this, I somehow managed to fall asleep.

I cried yesterday after Miles told me our plans for today and I remember him carrying me up the stairs, knowing how tired I was after waking up to Becky at five am, and then somehow I fell asleep and lost his touch on the skin of my back.

As I manage to open my eyes in the dark almost eight am sunrise, I'm reminded of my first day at WSU, when I felt this kind of sun above me, shining and telling me that this day was magical somehow.

I smell something downstairs and for a second, even though the smell is nothing like it, my mind goes to burnt milk and I start to think weather we left the stove on and weather or not Becky is okay. But as I travel down the stairs slowly but surely, I realize Becky has been completely quiet after I fell asleep and that burnt milk doesn't smell this good.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I spot Miles in his black underwear, his tattoos clinging to his body.

"Goodmorning," I hear Miles's raspy voice turn to me.

"We don't have long," he says and I nod with a slow and quiet, "okay," before I give him a smile and head upstairs and into the bathroom.

I quickly grab fresh clothes from the dryer and step into the shower,  after having placed them by the sink.

I run shampoo through my hair and allow my tired eyes to wake up. My hair feels long and my stomach feels much puffier and I almost can't believe that after the trip we're about to take, I'll already turn two months pregnant. everything seems to have gone so fast after we got pregnant and after everything seemed to become stable, the days don't linger any longer on the fight for pain we have, it's much more freeing now, much more like a life together and I'm forever grateful for myself and Miles for always going back to another until finally with each time getting better and better, we're at the best place.

"Madison?" I hear a firm knock on the door and Miles's raspy voice rings in.

"I'm getting dressed," I quickly respond, turning off the water and placing my clothes over my wet body, I don't want to ruin this trip by being late and I know the California sun and even the Pullman air will dry me.

I put my favorite hoop earrings through the small hole in my ears before opening the door, my hands and towel still in my hair but Miles isn't there anymore.

I walk over to the window and see that he's placing something in the trunk and so I quickly spray perfume on my neck and body before rushing down the stairs, almost falling in the process but I quickly recover, and with Miles having packed my bags last night, I've got nothing to worry about but tie my shoes on.

"No I got you these," Miles says and I realize that he wasn't putting anything in the trunk, he was taking something out.

He hands me a long box and I look at him in wonder, my eyes shining into his as he smiles at my dirty white shoes which I all of a sudden feel self-conscious about.

"Vans . . . like yours," I speak, my voice comes out quiet but clear and he smiles.

"Yeah." he nods and I find myself smiling at him. Somehow Miles is acting oddly today and it makes me wonder if he feels okay with Becky in our lives or if he feels like his life is tumbling down on him with a second baby on the way because he hasn't mentioned that I'll be turning two months soon; something he was extremely excited about a week ago.

"Let's go," he says abruptly and I nod slowly, not sure why he's acting like this before slipping into my brand new shoes that now match his exactly, everything is black, before heading into the car with him.

But to my surprise the car ride is silent and as I watch Miles's fingers maneuvering the steering wheel to reverse out of the gravel parking lot.

I'm reminded of the first time I was in a car with him and the electricity the rearview mirror held pierced me completely, and in an odd way, I knew then that I wanted to be his and that maybe he also wanted to be mine.

"Miles," I speak but after seeing just how lazer focused his eyes are on the road, I realize that we probably won't be speaking and a part of me hopes that nothing is wrong while the other prays to god we won't be destroyed again.