“What?” she gasps, not taking her eyes off the ring.

  “Marry me, Maggie,” I say, as I start to stand. I grab her cheeks and gently lift her face to get her to look into my eyes. “Marry me and have our baby.” I place my hand on her stomach. “Make me the happiest man in the world. I’ll give you both the best life you can imagine and everything your heart desires if it’s the last thing I do, I promise you.”

  “Everything?” she asks.

  “Just say the word, and the world is yours, sweetheart. You just have to say you’ll be my wife and have this baby.”

  “If I do this... after I have this thing, I want plastic surgery to repair any damage to my body. I want a trainer to get me back into my perfect body, I want a new car, mine is dated and I want some- thing nicer, something more expensive and classy. Oh, and while you’re at it, I want a new credit card. I’d like to have a variety instead of just using the same one every time I shop. I want to be able to travel wherever and whenever I want. I want it all Carter. Are you really saying you’ll give all that to me?” she asks.

  “Anything, baby. Just say you’ll have my baby and that you’ll marry me,” I tell her again. Right now, I’ll agree to anything. I really want to start my family, and now we’ve jump started it without even intentionally doing so.

  “I don’t want to have any more kids after this thing is out of me, you understand that right? This is your one and done. You won’t have the huge family you want. I don’t want this thing, and you’re going to make me do it, but there’s no way I’ll ever do this again. I want everything taken care of as soon as this demon is out of me to ensure that it can never happen. Do you promise me that, Carter? Are you willing to not have your so-called dream just to have this one creature ruin my body?”

  I realize at that moment she really does hate this baby right now, but I don’t. I’m already in love with our child she’s carrying. I’m sure, in time, she’ll love him or her as much as I already do. I’m going to agree to her conditions because as sure as the sky is blue, I’m sure she will grow to love this life we created together. There’s no way a mother doesn’t grow to love her children. She’s just scared, I’m sure of it.

  “Anything and everything, my love. Anything,” I tell her with newfound confidence.

  “Fine, have it your way,” she replies. “But remember everything you’ve promised me. I’m going to hold you to it.”

  With that, she grabs her coat, keys and purse, and walks to the door. Before she leaves, however, she walks back to me and snatches the ring out of my hand. She looks back to me, then at the ring and says, “I’m sure this cost upwards of ten grand, so I’m sure once the time comes, I can get a pretty penny for it.”

  What the hell does she mean she’ll get a pretty penny for it? I really hope that was an offhanded comment and she didn’t realize what she was saying. I paid a small fortune for it and can’t imagine she’d ever want to get rid of something so beautiful. Never mind the meaning behind it and the commitment I’m showing her I want to make by giving it to her.

  I’ll give her time. This has to work out, I think to myself.

 

 

  Jennifer Foor, Displaced

 

 

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