The Bad Boy And The Mermaid

Hunter
Turns out Hannah wasn't lying.
I did win four million dollars. At first I couldn't believe my luck; how was it even possible that I earned so much money with
nothing but pure luck.
When I asked Blue if she had anything to do with it, she shrugged and declined, and that only added to my suspicions. I called
her my lucky charm, but she didn't think that was true. I couldn't remember my life being gloomy since the time Blue had come
into my life. All I remembered was love and a lot of laughter, getting married to her was adding a cherry on the top.
When I imagined my life without Blue, it just appeared to be empty. If Blue was taken out of the equation, my life was nothing
better than death itself.
I loved her a million times more than I already did.
With the amount I had won in the lottery, I could provide her everything she wanted. The first thing that I did after receiving the
money was that I bought my red Maserati from my dad, he took pity on me and sold it at a half price—which was fantastic! After
that I bought a nice little cozy six bedroom and five bathroom Villa in the outskirts of the town, because why the hell not? The
house even had a lavish garden and a swimming pool with an amazing lake view.
Blue loved the place and had started to buy toys for a baby that wasn't even there yet. She even made me buy a custom-
designed crib, that she stacked with pillows and plush toys, the top of the crib had stars and little toy animals hanging from it.
She would sit in the room for hours and stare at the crib. We were living a blissful and a happy married life.
Well, until...
Six months passed, and each time Blue would get excited about getting pregnant until she told me that she'd gotten her periods.
Then she would spend the next couple of days sulking and upset.
And there was just one question she kept bugging me with.
Where is my baby?
I'd turned one room into an art studio where I worked on my passion. I was also a part-time artist now, I painted and sold
paintings on commissions, and I'd be kidding if I said the money wasn't good.

The richer the clients, the better.
I continued to go to college, because if being a full time artist didn't work out, I would still have a degree.
While I worked on my paintings, Blue would either sit and watch me draw or she was usually in the courtyard of the house,
seated under the trees.
It's not like I didn't see the yearning she had for a child, I did but there was nothing more I can do than try my best to give her
what she wanted.
One time after two a.m in the morning when I had finished up a painting and decided to go to bed, I noticed Blue wasn't sleeping
in our bed like she usually was. She always waited for me in our bedroom, but today the covers were neatly done and there was
no sign that anyone had even slept in it.
There was only one place that I knew I would find her. I made my way to the baby room at the end of the passageway. I placed
my hand on the knob and turned it.
As expected Blue was seated beside the crib, staring longingly at it. Her long slender fingers slowly pushing the dream catcher
suspended from the top of it. She was holding a plush toy in her other hand. Leslie nudging his nose to her side.
"Blue...sweetheart...it's late."
It took me a while to realize her eyes were swimming with tears. She sniffled but made no attempt to answer me.
Leslie barked as if telling me what was wrong.
"Sit, Leslie. Sit down, boy." I had to give him a treat to make him obey.
"Blue?"
She turned around, and her gaze met mine. The look she had there completely shattered my heart. "Hunter..."
I knew something was wrong. I'd never seen Blue looking completely helpless like she looked right now. I quickly closed the
distance between us and kneeled down in front of her. "You're crying, what's wrong? Talk to me."
When I married her, I'd vowed to keep her happy and it physically pained me to see her cry like this. I'd unintentionally neglected
her and never realized that she was sad all along.

"Tell me what's bothering you, sweetheart."
She gave me a tearful look, her lip trembling with her sobs. She was a woman-child through and through. And I loved her just the
way she was.
"Hunter, am I not fit to become a mother?" She asked.
I brushed my thumb across her cheek to wipe her tears, "you would make the most caring and loving mother. I have no doubt
about that."
"Then why?" She choked.
"Why what?"
"Why won't I get pregnant?" She demanded. "Are we not doing the right thing?"
"We are trying our best, Blue. We will have a baby when it's meant to be"
Her eyes became sad and distant, and I already knew that she was thinking hard with that little innocent mermaid head of hers.
"Do storks bring the babies?" She asked, and for a second I thought she was joking. Then she answered her own question,
"maybe they do, and you didn't know. We probably just didn't receive ours yet."
An image of a blue haired infant bundled up, hanging against a stork's beak floated in my imagination. I couldn't help but laugh.
I placed a hand on her stomach. "A baby will grow right here." I kissed her there. And when I looked up, her big expression eyes
were watching me, waiting for me to say all the right things, to make the sadness in her eye vanish. "A little baby we made with
our love for each other."
She sniffled again, and I stared at her wondering if I'd said the wrong thing.
"Hunter what if...what if we can't have a baby because of me?" She said with so much pain in her eyes I couldn't bear it.
"What do you mean because of you?"
"Even if I'm a human now, I'm still part mermaid. I turn when I'm underwater. Maybe we're not having a baby because my body
was never meant to be human. I have defied the rules of nature and this is...this is my punishment." She said and sobbed harder
flinging her face into the sofa. Her body shook with her sobs.

I sat beside her and carried her little body against mine. She crawled willingly into my embrace and circled her arms around my
neck. Every sob that racked from her body made my insides twist. I caressed her back softly.
A small voice in my mind said.
What if it's not because of Blue?
What if it's me?
What if I'm sterile?
The thought disturbed me. If it was Blue, I would understand. She wasn't someone who belonged here and she couldn't help it if
she couldn't have children. I would have loved to adopt a kid. But if it was my fault, certainly I couldn't suggest getting a kid when
Blue was so hell bent on producing one on her own.
If it was my fault that she wasn't getting pregnant than it was all over.
Even though Blue loved me, I knew that part of the reason she married me was because she was drawn to the human life. To
live here, get married, have a baby, she'd wanted those things and if I was sterile, then I was crushing her most treasured dream.
I wasn't even feeling sorry for myself, just despair.
Even though it had just been over six months, it just frightened me to think it could be my fault. We'd made love in every corner
of the house, over every surface and in every possible position. Blue's eagerness to have a child had made us go two or three
times a day.
If I could give Blue a baby, I would die happily right this moment.
"Blue, I think it's still early to come to any conclusion." I told her sincerely. "We can't just rule it out that it's not happening
because you're a mermaid. We still have time, sweetheart."
She brought her tear-stained face to look at me. "Really?"
I kissed her lips, they were warm and so delicate. "Yes."
Her mood lifted just like that. "I hope you're right." Her fingers ran through my hair, her eyes staring right at me. And I couldn't
help but wonder what she was thinking about.

And before I knew what I was doing, I voiced my concern. "What are you thinking right now?"
She smiled. "I was thinking that, if we have a baby, I really hope he has golden-brown hair just like yours." Her fingers traced my
bottom lip, "My cute tiny Hunter."
How I wished I could make her wish come true. Although secretly, I wanted a little girl with blue hair and blue eyes.
"In a few months time, I promise you, Blue." I assured her.
But what if I couldn't?
I wasn't entirely sure that if I couldn't give her a kid, Blue wouldn't go asking someone else.
Like Alec.
I could totally imagine her doing that.
'Hey Alec, since Hunter can't give me a baby, how about you give me one?'
I tightened my hold over Blue, and my grip on her was probably crushing because she turned to look at me in question. "Is
something wrong?"
Yes.
I shook my head. "Not really."
She knew I was lying. "If there was anything that was bothering you, you would talk to me, right?"
I gave her a nod. "Of course."
She smiled and I said, "it's past three. Let's go to bed."
She rubbed my back in soothing circles, "would you like me to heat up some milk, you know...to help you sleep better."
Blue was a wonderful, caring wife. She was just the kind of woman every man would want by his side.
"I'm good." I said. "Just come to bed with me. There's nothing that helps me sleep better at night than you do."
She giggled.

Now my mission in life was to get my wife pregnant.