Ch 11 - The Dinner
He jumped when she smacked his hands. "Did you just smack my hands?"
"I keep telling you that you're ruining your shirt. You're more nervous than I am, and I'm the one who looks like a house," she snapped.
He chuckled. "You do not look like a house Lise. Calm down."
"Ok, so maybe not a house, but I'm bigger than I think I should be," she admitted.
"You're carrying triplets Mama Bear. Dr Graham did say that you'd get big quickly, and just for the record, I think you look absolutely stunning like this," he complimented, wrapping his arms around her.
"Just look! You almost can't get your arms completely around me," she whined, her head falling onto his chest.
He laughed and kissed her forehead. "You're just nervous about seeing your friends again."
"How come you're not nervous about meeting them?" she asked, looking up at him.
"I don't know. I've just never been afraid to meet people. You either like me or you don't. I accepted a long time ago that I'm not for everyone, and that that's ok," he replied.
"Yeah ok, but these are the most important people to me after you and our babies. I kinda need you to get along with them," she pointed out.
"I'm not going to makeanyone like me Lise. It's not the way I'm wired," he argued.
"Neither is it the way that I'm wired, but I'm going to at least make the effort. I already know that Duke and Margot don't like me. I'm nervous about meeting your mom and sister as is," she countered.
"I'm starting to think you're nervous about everything," he said amusedly.
Her eyes widened as the doorbell went. "Oh my God! Is it that obvious?"
He pulled her in for a deep kiss and she got lost in it. All her worries washed away as her hands got lost in his hair. He pulled her even closer, his hands moving to squeeze her butt. She moaned before they pulled apart, breathless.
"You've got this Mama Bear. I'm right here the whole way," he whispered.
She didn't say anything and instead settled for a nod. He kissed her one more time before taking her hand in his as they headed towards the door, where the doorbell had just rung a second time.
Astrid was surprised to find that the first person to arrive was Yuna, who ambushed her with a hug. "Oh my God! You're alive! You're ok!"
"I'm ok," she smiled, hugging her friend back.
Yuna's eyes landed on her bulging stomach. "You're pregnant!"
Astrid laughed a little. "I'm pregnant."
"I'm so confused. I thought you'd disappeared. Raymond has been going crazy over your sudden disappearance. I have so many questions," Yuna rambled.
"How about you come in and we'll explain everything once everyone is here?" Thor suggested.
"Mr Wentworth, what an honour to meet you. I saw you on the cover of multiple magazines," Yuna commented as she walked into the apartment.
"I'm flattered that you think it's an honour to meet me," Thor replied.
"As you already know, this is Thor Wentworth. Thor, this is my friend and Raymond's housekeeper Yuna," Astrid introduced.
"I've heard a lot about you. It's definitely lovely to meet you," Thor charmed just as there was a knock at the door.
He went to get it while Astrid and Yuna caught up, and it was Margot and Duke at the door. "We brought wine."
"You always bring the good stuff," Thor beamed.
"It's a pity the Mrs can't have any," Scott commented behind them.
"We'll get her a bottle and save it until she can," Margot smiled.
Thor opened the door wider to let them in. "I'm sure she'd like that."
"Is she still mad?" Duke asked.
"I doubt it, but then again these pregnancy hormones are a tricky thing," Thor replied as they walked over to the two ladies.
Introductions were made and Margot apologized to Astrid on behalf of herself and her husband. Thor wasn't all that surprised to find that Astrid really was over the whole thing. She just wanted everyone to get along.
"Heads up!" Kylie shouted as she ran into the apartment.
Everyone was confused as to why, until Ms Wentworth appeared, visibly pissed off. "Thor Gage Wentworth."
He turned to his little sister. "What did you do?"
"She wouldn't stop asking why you were suddenly inviting us over for dinner, and then she refused to leave the house until I told her, so I may have told her," Kylie quickly explained.
Thor sighed before nervously turning to face his mother. "Mom, I can explain."
"Oh, you're going to explain alright, but not right now. I am beyond pissed off at you, but I also want to meet the angel that is going to give me my first grandchild," Leila Wentworth said calmly.
"Grandchildren," Astrid corrected shyly.
While she didn't know what to expect, Astrid was shocked by the woman before them for two reasons; one, she'd seen the woman at Thor's birthday ball but would've never guessed her to be Thor's mother, and two, the woman didn't look a day over forty-five.
She looked stylish in a simple navy dress with a thin tan belt. She wore matching shoes, with the only other accessories she had on being a pair of simple gold earrings. Her hair was styled to perfection and everything about her exuded class.
"Children? As in more than one?" Kylie was the one to ask.
"Triplets," Thor confirmed.
"Wow," Yuna and Kylie said in awe, while Astrid kept her eyes trained on her children's grandmother.
Leila was aware of Astrid's scrutiny, and she could only imagine how nervous the young woman was, so she opened up her arms. "I'm mad at my son, but in my books, you have a clean slate. Come here and let me give you a hug."
Astrid welcomed the hug for a number of reasons, but mainly because it was the first time in a long time that she was getting any kind of acceptance from an older woman in her life. With her rocky relationship with her mother in law, she was afraid of history repeating herself in this area too.
Leila and Thor both unknowingly picked up on Astrid's relief at the gesture. It wasn't hard for either of them to figure out that the mother figure thing is a soft spot for Astrid, something that had them both curious about her past.
The moment was broken by a knock at the door, and Thor looked to Astrid. "You should probably get that."
She nodded and let go of Leila before heading for the door. She was most nervous about seeing her best friends again, especially with how things had gone down when they were last together.
She opened the door and sure as day, CJ, Cree and Joe were on the other side. All three of their eyes widened at the sight of her bulging belly, and she shot them a nervous smile before moving aside to let them in.
"Miss Thang..." Joe trailed off after she'd closed the door.
Astrid laughed apprehensively. "So, I'm pregnant after all."
"You don't say!" Cree commented, which CJ smacked her for.
"Do you nowknow who the father is?" CJ instead asked.
Thor walked up to them. "I believe that's my cue. Thor Wentworth."
"Hold on! You're her baby daddy?" Joe asked unsurely.
"It's a really long story," Astrid sighed.
"Were you at the club?" CJ questioned Thor.
"Wow, jumping straight to it," Scott chuckled.
Thor threw him a glare before turning back to face CJ. "Yes, I was, and before you ask, I was in Palm Springs too."
"You're the mystery! I knew that there was a possibility she was pregnant just from how shady she was being about the whole thing in Palm Springs," Cree smirked.
Thor was confused, while Astrid sighed. "That's why you bought the pregnancy test, despite knowing that I couldn't have kids."
"When Yuna called and said that you were throwing up, I figured it was a likelihood. Raymond is evil personified Astrid. I don't care how you feel about him, but that much is the truth. The fact that he had them lie to you about your capability to have kids when he's the sterile one just confirmed everything for me," Cree explained.
"Who's Raymond?" Leila questioned.
"My husband," Astrid replied, concurrently confusing Leila.
Thor let out a deep sigh. "We should probably head to the lounge and talk before we have dinner. We need to explain some things to you."
Everyone moved off in the direction of the lounge, and Kylie and Yuna moved some chairs from the dining room to the lounge so that they could all have seats. Astrid and Thor sat on the two-seater couch, with Thor automatically taking her hand in his.
Something that wasn't missed by anyone in the room.
"So, I guess we should get right to it. As it's probably clear now, Astrid is pregnant with our kids. We're having triplets, but in order to get through this pregnancy, we're going to need all of your help," Thor started off.
Astrid squeezed his hand before taking over. "Five years ago, I married a man who at the time, I was sure I would spend the rest of my life with. Shortly into our marriage, we'd been trying to have kids, when he suggested that we go to the doctor and see if there are any problems. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was freaking out, waiting for our results, when he came home. He looked at me with such disdain before telling me that he was going on vacation. It was the first time he cheated on me."
She wiped away some tears before continuing. "I was beyond furious, and when he came home, I went off at him. He simply stood there and laughed at me before telling me that there would never come a day where he would listen to the words of someone who fails at being the one thing she was born to be, a woman. I was obviously confused and that's when he told me that I was the reason that we couldn't have kids, and that he would never forgive me for it. I asked him if he was then leaving me, and he laughed once more before telling me that my purpose in life is to be an obedient wife to him and to never question him. I was to help him wherever he needed my help, and be the perfect trophy wife."
"I'm confused. Are you pregnant with my son's children but you're married to another man?" Leila asked.
Thor was the one who nodded. "I met Astrid in a club and at the time I didn't know what had pushed her over the edge, but she ended up telling me her life story and I listened. I don't know why I listened, but I felt connected to her in a way. Anyway, one thing led to another and we slept together. She left the following morning, and I let her be, until Scott informed me about who she really is. She hadn't told me her last name, and she'd only mentioned Raymond by name. We'd just signed Raymond as a client, so once the pieces fit completely, I knew that she was bound to get herself into trouble."
"Which is when you then followed her to Palm Springs," Joe realized.
Thor nodded once more. "It wasn't planned, and Scott tried to stop me, but I had to see her again. I wanted to warn her against doing anything stupid."
"Except that's not exactly what happened," Kylie commented slyly, making her brother glare at her.
"It isn't. We slept together again before we both realized that going down this path was dangerous. We agreed that we wouldn't see each other again, but fate had other plans. Raymond found out about Palm Springs and out of panic, he came home to try and fix things with me. I decided to give it a shot, simultaneously driving a wedge between Thor and I. It didn't take long for me to realize that I no longer feel anything for Raymond in any regard though," Astrid summarized.
"So, what? This is a rebound thing for you?" Duke questioned.
"Duke," Thor said in warning.
Astrid smiled a little, squeezing his hand. "It's ok. No, this isn't a rebound thing for me. While what happened between Thor and I wasn't supposed to happen at the time, it helped me to see not only that I was drowning, but also that I truly deserve better. Falling for Thor wasn't a part of the plan because there was never really a plan. When I told him that I'm pregnant, he took me to the lake house, and even then, he refused to really let me in until I admitted to him that he makes me feel alive. The last time I was this happy, I was nine years old."
"Nine? That's a long ass time Miss Thang," Joe commented.
"I know, which is why I'm adamant in trying to make you understand where I'm coming from here. Was I wrong to sleep with Thor even though I'm married? By all means, and I'll own up to that, but I regret nothing. I've found a man who makes me truly happy and I'm having children with him. He pointed out something out to me, even if it's taking me a while to accept it, but I deserve to be happy too," she replied.
"And to add onto that, I went into this knowing exactly what I was doing. I don't regret anything either, except maybe letting her go back to Raymond even when I knew that it wouldn't work out. She makes me happy, and knowing that she's pregnant with our kids just makes me that much happier because I now have everything I've ever wanted in life. I know that this probably isn't easy to digest, but we need your help. Raymond is looking for her," Thor informed.
"We know. He came by the salon earlier," CJ said.
"He did?" Astrid and Thor asked concurrently.
Scott nodded. "I was there. It was just before I could deliver my message."
"What did he say?" Astrid asked her best friends.
"He wanted to know your whereabouts, and once we made it clear that we had no idea, he proceeded to ask us if we knew about you having an affair and we said no. The man looks genuinely torn at not being able to find you," Joe told her.
"That much is true. Even when he came to see me I picked up on the same thing," Duke added.
"If you have such a caring husband, why are you with my son?" Leila asked.
"Mom," Thor said in warning.
"Ms Wentworth, I understand where you're coming from as a mother, but Raymond is far from a caring man, let alone a caring husband. I've lived with him and Astrid for the five years of their marriage and I have only ever seen him be a loving husband in the first few months of their marriage. Once he found out, or as we know fabricated that Astrid couldn't have children, he shut her out. Everyone knows of his affairs, and he's controlled Astrid's life while allowing her to build nothing for herself. I've watched him beat her half to death and I had to threaten him to get him to stop. I'd like to believe that I'm the one person who has the most insight into that marriage, and I can guarantee you that Raymond Watson doesn't care about Astrid. No man would do the things that he's done to her if they cared in the least bit," Yuna defended.
Leila nodded before turning to her son. "I'm convinced by everything, so what exactly do you need our help with?"
"I've called in some favours from friends in the security and private investigations fields, which is why Raymond isn't getting anywhere with finding Astrid. However, him going to Duke means he's desperate and we need to come up with a plan to throw him off," Thor explained.
"What exactly was the plan before Raymond went to Duke?" Kylie asked.
"I was going to stay in hiding until after I give birth and was strong enough. We hadn't really thought it the whole way through," Astrid replied.
Joe sighed. "That sounds like the only plan though. How far along are you?"
"Twelve weeks now. My new doctor says I could give birth around thirty-five weeks, so I have about four to five months of hiding left to do," Astrid informed.
"Which means we have to throw Raymond off for six months since she needs time to recover as well," Thor added.
Cree scowled, confused. "Six months and then what? She goes back to him?"
"Well, that's what we need your help with. We need a plan to not only keep me hidden, but to also get me away from Raymond for good," Astrid responded.
"I'm sure we're all well aware that he won't let you go easily just based on everything you've just told us, so how do you expect us to achieve such a feat?" Margot questioned.
"It actually won't be that hard, legally that is," Kylie pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Thor asked her.
She turned to Astrid. "Do you have a copy of your wedding? Did you take any photos when he hit you?"
"The wedding video is somewhere in the house and Yuna took photos the second time he hit me," Astrid replied.
"I can get the wedding video if Astrid tells me where it is. I also have the surveillance video from when he hit her. My brother is on the security team at the house and he got it for me. I figured it would come in handy one day," Yuna added.
"Perfect! I'm sure the wedding video has your vows, and I'm sure he promises to love you and what not. Beating you and cheating on you go against his vows, which is grounds enough for divorce without you even have to come into contact with him. I can serve him with the legal papers myself. Any claim he had over you in the marriage jumped out the window when he went against his vows," Kylie explained.
"Will you represent her?" Thor asked.
Kylie nodded. "I don't mind, but the divorce won't be a quick one if he's an unwilling party. However, you'll eventually get what you want."
"That can only mean you'll have to deal with facing the man in public, which I can't imagine will be all too easy. You can't hide forever, which means sooner or later, he will find out about your kids," Leila pointed out.
"So, what do I do? Face him now while I'm pregnant?" Astrid questioned.
"No," was the resounding response from the men in the room, as well as Margot, CJ and Cree.
"I think what they mean is that we stick to the original plan. You'll give birth, and then recover and workout to get your body back to this, before facing Raymond again. He'll find out about your kids eventually, but definitely not while you're pregnant and vulnerable," Kylie said.
"If I may suggest something, how about relocating for a while?" Yuna asked.
"To where?" Thor asked.
"I don't know, but you could look into it. As much as I'm for Astrid being hidden for her safety, I don't think she should be a prisoner once more. Staying here means she's going to have to be imprisoned and limited to this apartment," Yuna pointed out.
"Yuna has a point, except it's also dangerous to have her just moving around in public," Cree argued.
"Not necessarily. We run a securities company and Thor and Duke have some military connections, so keeping tabs on what goes out in the press and what not should be pretty easy. I'm not saying that means that Astrid would be free to draw any attention to herself, but it would definitely give her some freedom in moving around," Scott countered.
"And how long would I be gone for? The rest of my pregnancy?" Astrid questioned.
"We; how long would webe gone for. There's no way you're leaving by yourself," Thor corrected, making her smile.
"It makes sense to be gone for the rest of her pregnancy though I don't know how that will work for business since six months is a long time," Scott commented.
Thor thought about it. "It could work. I don't always have to physically be there for meetings and stuff, but if need be, then I can always just buy a jet for travel."
"It's not like you can't afford it," Kylie said cheekily, making him mock glare at her.
"Well then, I'd like to come along," Leila stated.
"You would?" Astrid and Thor asked her.
She nodded. "Aside from wanting to bond with Astrid, she's going to need to someone to be with her when Thor isn't around. Besides, I know my son. Your work can overwhelm you at times, and the last thing that you need is to find yourself trying to juggle your priorities and causing unnecessary strife."
"Would you be ok with that?" Thor asked Astrid.
Astrid had tears in her eyes at the thoughtful gesture. "I'd love nothing more."
"We'll think of a place you can go to, but I'm pretty sure we're all on the same page now. The rest of us just have to keep living like we have no idea what's going on. In a month and a half's time, Duke will call Raymond in to tell him that his connections came back with nothing. I think we'll figure everything out once the kids are born," Scott concluded.
Everyone seemed to be on board, and Astrid seemed visibly relaxed. Thor stole a kiss from her, which made everyone else smile while she blushed. The connection between them was clear to them all.
They moved off to the dining room where Astrid and Thor had set the table, and took their seats. CJ said a short prayer of thanks before the conversations took off as they got to know one another.
The dinner ended up being surprisingly long, filled with laughter and different stories from both parties represented. Both Astrid and Thor were surprised by how well the people in the lives were getting along. Even Duke, who they knew wasn't all that easy to impress, was engaged in a lot of the conversation.
"This has been one of the best get-togethers I've been to in the longest time. We were brought together by babies, and I couldn't be more grateful," Leila said when they'd all finished their dessert.
"We were brought together by the craziest situation, but I've never seen Astrid this happy before. She's glowing, and in the two years I've known her, this has been all I ever wanted for her," CJ said, smiling.
"Which is why Thor has to know that we will not hesitate to kill him if he breaks her heart," Cree said seriously.
"I highly doubt your tiny self can inflict much damage on Thor of all people," Scott teased.
"I wouldn't test her," Joe commented. Cree smirked when she noticed the confusion on Scott's face.
"Well, I don't think I would want to test her either. I'm not perfect, but I can promise to not hurt her on purpose," Thor offered.
"Good enough for us," the three best friends said, making everyone else laugh.
By the time they left, it was almost two in the morning. Yuna, CJ and Cree had helped Astrid to clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwashing machine. Whatever was left behind, Thor told her they'd attend to in the morning.
"I'm so happy that went the way it did," she said as she got undressed.
"I told you that you had nothing to worry about," he pointed out.
"I had everything to worry about. I'm just lucky it all turned out the way it did," she argued.
He chuckled. "This isn't a fight I'm going to win, so I'll just agree with you and move on with my life."
She smacked him with a pillow, making him laugh harder. "You're a smart stupid man."
"I'll take that over dead man any day," he joked, making her laugh too.
"Do you have any idea about where we can relocate to for five months?" she questioned, getting into bed.
"Nope, but I don't think I want to think about it now. I just want to fall asleep next to my adorable Mama Bear and our bearlings," he said, joining her just as a notification came through on her phone.
"Bearlings isn't a word," she laughed, before her laughter was cut short by a slight gasp.
"What's wrong?" he questioned.
"It can't be," she whispered.
"What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said, slightly panicked.
"That's because you're right," she said lowly.
He took her phone and it was a story about one of his clients who had just recently gotten married. "I don't understand what would shock you about Xavier Kingston."
"He's not the one shocking me," she replied.
"I don't understand what's going on right now," he admitted.
"I know where we can stay for the next five months."
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