Work Hard, Love Harder

Zoe bit her lip. She didn’t know if she really wanted to get into it right now, but with all of the other silly things they’d fought over in the past, this one seemed the most foolish. “Honestly, I just really wish you and my mom would stop talking about the wedding so much,” Zoe admitted as she glanced down at her toes in the magenta heels she’d worn today.

“I didn’t realize it bothered you so much,” Femi softly replied as he took a half step closer. “But I’ll do it since it’s you asking. I just don’t understand why.”

Silence enveloped them for several long drawn out moments as Zoe tried to figure out why it bothered her so much. She had thought about it, yes, but voicing her reasons seemed like a terrible idea, especially when they seemed so selfish and petty. “I don’t know,” she breathed.

“I think I do,” Femi offered, closing the distance between them once and for all as his arms wrapped around her tiny waist and he pulled her into the warm expanse of his chest. “You feel left out, don’t you?” he murmured into her hair.

And just like always, he’d guessed right. Zoe buried her face in the soft cotton of his shirt and nodded.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispered, nuzzling his face against the top of her head. His hands stroked up and down her back, keeping her pressed closely against his chest. “I didn’t even realize I was leaving you out until now.”

“It’s not just you,” Zoe mumbled into his shirt. “It’s my mom, too.”

“I promise, next time I think about anything related to our wedding, I’ll make sure we talk about it before I start making plans.”

“I wanna make plans too,” she protested, glancing up at him with a pout on her face.

“Okay, we’ll make them together,” Femi replied, giving her a warm smile before leaning down to peck a kiss to her pouted lips. “Right now, why don’t we go home so I can apologize to you properly?”

“Mm, I would like that,” Zoe purred. Standing on the tips of her toes, she kissed him again, this time letting it linger and deepen. When they pulled apart, a mischievous grin had appeared on her lips. She could see the wheels turning in Femi’s mind and before he could say anything, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the door. “Let’s go,” she said. “Time’s a-wasting!”

*****

They had to travel back to Nashville to pick Zack up. He was a mixture of excited and bashful to be moving to Boston with Zoe.

“Are you sure I won’t be in the way? What with the baby and all?”

“Hey. This baby is gonna need his uncle Zack around to show him how to be cool and sh*t. Counteract all his daddy’s geekiness, y’know?”

Zack leaned to the side, surveying Femi as he talked to the doctor down the hall, arms crossed, face serious.

“That’s the buffest geek I’ve ever seen,” he said sounding impressed.

Zoe turned to study her fiancé. “Yeah,” she said thoughtfully, “it’s almost not fair, is it? That he has beauty and brains?”

“You really do love him, huh?” Zack asked, and Zoe turned back to find him watching her thoughtfully. She sighed.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m afraid I do.”

“Does he love you too?” Zack asked, protective brother shining through in his eyes.

Zoe smiled. “I think he does. I mean… he takes care of me. Of us. He’s even polite to mama even after seeing what a mess she is. And he didn’t so much as demur when I asked him to help me get custody of you.”

“Yeah. He sounds like good people. Does he know about…” Zack trailed off hesitantly.

Zoe shrugged. “He knows I hustle. He knows that, sometimes, I don’t get money by honest means. I haven’t really done it since the baby. Not much anyway. And he, um, well, I kinda stole a bunch of cash from him, so he definitely knows I’m a shady criminal.”

“And…?”

“And he told me to keep the cash and he got me medical insurance for the baby. So, I guess he does feel something for me. Or for the baby at least. He’s good people.”

“I won’t fu*k it up for you, I promise. Best behavior.”

Zoe turned to her brother with a smile. “Hey, no need for that. You’re the good one in the family. It’s me and mom gonna fu*k things up. Trust.”

“I think it’ll work out,” Zack said.

“I kinda hope so.”

Zack reached out to hug her, and she held on to him, tight.

“So… you ready to spend Christmases in Abijan?” she asked.

Zack huffed a laugh, “Sure. I’ve always wanted to visit the motherland.”

*****

In between all the upheaval, Femi had somehow managed to get a three-bedroom apartment in Boston for them to stay in. It was ten minutes away from Harvard and twenty minutes away from Femi’s internship. The apartment was roomy and on the ground floor, which was great since Zack was in a wheelchair. It opened out into a tiny garden that had a swing already installed. Zoe got a job as a hostess at a swanky restaurant, which led to her and Femi’s first big fight.

“Why are you working in that place? You don’t need to work. I have enough money to take care of you.”

“I don’t want to be a kept woman, Femi. I want to earn my own money.”

“What about the baby, huh? You think it’s good for the baby to have you on your feet for hours in heels every day?”

“I’m fine, Femi.”

“You’re not fine. You need to let me take care of you.”

“I can take care of myself!”

“Yes. But you don’t have to anymore.”

*****

Zoe held her breath as the days ticked over from the third month into the fourth month, and then edged toward the fifth. She spent a lot of time in bed or on the couch – bored out of her ever-lovin’ mind – and felt her heart skip anxiously any time her back so much as twinged.

Being pregnant was nerve wracking, and if it wasn’t for Zack keeping her company most days, she didn’t know how she would manage, what with her enforced idleness and Femi working every hour of the day.

Her hands cupped the rounding swell of her stomach, fingers pressing restlessly until she felt the baby kick or push back against them.