Jenny: I guess.
Isabel: Don‘t worry, I’m sure she‘s wonderful. I’ll call as soon as she leaves.
“What’s with the smile?” Micah asked as he walked up to her with his hands full.
“Jenny, she’s worried about Sofia.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That she’s probably wonderful.”
“I wouldn’t bring her into our lives if she wasn’t.”
He took a seat on the couch and handed Isabel one of her pills and a bottle of water. She took them and looked over at him on his phone. Everything about Micah kept her on edge lately. Every night her dreams were consumed with the thoughts of forever with him. She was desperate to bring it up and see if he felt the same, but the fear that he didn’t was too overwhelming. So instead, she kept making strange comments and trying to drop hints. He never picked up on them, which wasn’t surprising, but she still wasn’t willing to give up. When Micah talked, it was as if they would be together forever. When the official invitation to Luca and Bella’s wedding came, he had spoken as if they would go together even though it was months away. She had a doctor’s appointment recently, and he asked to go. At first she thought it was strange, but he told her he had questions for her doctor about her diagnosis, so she agreed. He sat through the whole thing holding her hand, and asking things a loving partner would want to know. Questions about long-term effects of her medications, therapy options, signs things weren’t working anymore. All of it turned her to mush and left her desperate for a partner like him to spend her life with. The Morales Family had moved their estate to the firm, and the dust had settled from her confession about her past. There really wasn’t a reason they were still together, other than that neither of them had broken it off yet.
“You spoil me. When this whole thing is over, I’m going to have to get used to taking care of myself again.”
Micah slowly looked up from his phone and turned toward her on the couch. “You know, I’ve been meaning to...”
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Isabel jumped from the noise. Whatever he was going to say would have to wait. “She’s here!”
Isabel jumped up from the couch and nearly ran to the front door. Looking back quickly, she saw Micah standing slowly with a smirk on his face as he made his way over to her.
“You need to relax,” he said again before placing a quick kiss on her lips that made her insides flip. With his hand at her back, he reached forward and pulled the door open.
Standing before them was one of the most beautiful women Isabel had ever seen. She had short black hair styled perfectly, and light blue eyes that looked like ice. Instantly Isabel felt inadequate, but the second Sofia smiled, she stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, pushing aside any concerns she had.
“You must be Izzy. I’m so happy to finally meet you,” she said, tightening her arms even more when she said her name, “I’m sorry! I’m a hugger.”
“No, it’s fine, really,” Isabel said when she stepped back. She gave a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek to Micah.
“I hope it’s okay, I just came straight up. I’m not used to such fancy places. The security downstairs told me I was okay to come up and the man in the elevator just pushed the buttons and pointed at the door. Rather grumpy fellow, however, if my only job was to push buttons in an elevator all day, then I’d probably be grumpy too.” Sofia’s eyes ran over Isabel again. “I’m so sorry. I’m rambling, aren’t I? I always do that when I’m nervous.”
Suddenly, Isabel started laughing. “You’re nervous? You should have seen how many times I cleaned the kitchen today. At one point I had it stuck in my head that you would judge me because my oven wasn’t clean. Like you would even look in my oven.”
“She’s not kidding about that,” Micah said, smiling as he open the door wider, “Why don’t you actually come in rather than just stand in the doorway?”
Micah couldn’t believe how quickly the two women had hit it off. Sofia hadn’t been there five minutes before they were chatting as if they had known each other for years.
“Sofia, a drink?” he asked, holding up a bottle of wine.
“Yes, please.”
Micah poured a glass for the both of them and brought Isabel a fresh bottle of water.
“Oh, my gosh! Are you pregnant?”
Micah nearly spit out the sip of wine he had just taken. It may have been better than the alternative because he was currently choking and gasping for air. Isabel jumped up and came around his side of the counter, rubbing his back as he tried to wave her away.
Once he had gained his composure, he still couldn’t talk. Thankfully, Isabel swooped in and saved him as his thoughts raced to the night at the springs and the fact that she hadn’t started her cycle yet. They had stopped using condoms after that night, but she was on the pill. Things could happen, couldn’t they? The idea of Isabel pregnant with his child was terrifying and exciting at the same time. He never thought he wanted children, but in a matter of seconds, his mind was changed and the picture in his mind of his beautiful woman swollen with his child was the best fantasy he ever had. He looked in her direction as he began processing her words.
“No, I’m... I’m not pregnant. I have a medication I take some days and when I do, I prefer not to drink.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed anything. Half the time I don't have a filter and the other half I'm fighting to say what I really think. My mind can be a jumbled mess sometimes.”
“It’s okay, really it is. Don’t worry,” Isabel said, taking her seat at the counter now that the possibility of him choking to death was no longer a concern.
“Listen, I know I say I’m sorry a lot… it’s a terrible habit, but before we go any further, I want to apologize about the confusion a few weeks ago. I had no idea that the media would be even slightly concerned with who I am, let alone make up some story about me and Micah. When he told me what happened, it devastated me. I couldn’t bear the thought of being something that came between the two of you. I know we hadn’t even met, but I’m not like that. I guess I underestimated the popularity of my new bro over there. Dante explained a bit about him and Luca, so I knew some things, but it’s clear I’m out of my element with all of this. I mean, I’ve never even seen a reporter in person until that night. What normal person does?”