Author's Chapter Notes:
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December 22 - January 19
The tenth sign of the zodiac is concerned with:
* practicality, realism, hard work, accomplishments
* planning, determination, persistence, success
* high status, good quality, reputation
* responsibility, difficulties, problems
* paternalism, authority, discipline
* money, wealth, long-term projects
* wisdom, loyalty, sensitivity to beauty
*
As soon as she came, she was taken from her to get cleaned up. Her mother hugged her as she cried and then ran out to get her father. "Wait mom, can you give us a minute?"Adena asked her and she nodded and ran out. She looked at Craig and he smiled with tears in his eyes,"Are you crying?"she asked as the tears welled up in her eyes again
He nodded,"Don't tell anyone"he said with a laugh,"I'm just happy shes here"he said to her as he came over and kissed her. "You look beautiful. You did so good"he said
"Thanks, I thought I was going to die"she said with a laugh as he wiped her face with a towel.
"Would you do it again?"he asked as he held her hand.
"Yes"she said surprisingly,"Just not anytime soon"she said,"Thank you for everything. For being here tonight...for always being there"she said,"I love you Craig"she said and really meant it this time
"I love you too"Craig said to her and kissed her as the nurse brought her beautiful baby girl back into the room. All clean and wrapped up in a blanket. "Damn she's beautiful"he said as he looked at her
"You wanna hold her?"she asked him. He nodded and he picked her up and bounced her a little. The baby was fascinated at what she saw and her little arm reached up toward him,"She likes you"
"You think so?"he asked her
"She always has. Whenever you were gone, she kicked more"she said with a laugh. He laughed too. She then decided to ask him. Now was the best time, with the three of them together. "Craig-"she began to say when there was a knock on the door and then a nurse escorted someone in. She gasped.
It was Taye.
*
Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign of the zodiac. It can be likened to the oldest and most valuable tree in the forest.
*
Craig tensed up as Taye walked in the room with a bouquet of flowers. The baby seemed to feel him tense up and started to whimper. Adena reached for her and he gave her back carefully.
"What do you want Taye?"she finally asked him,"How did they let you pass everyone?"
"I told her I was the father of the baby"he said
Adena sighed. She looked at Craig. He didn't look too good. "Craig, I'm sorry, can you give us-"
"Fine"he said quickly, feeling angry. He quickly walked out. He couldn't help but feel jealous. He was the one that was around who bought the baby clothes, took care of both of them. He kinda felt like he was the father, not Taye. He was never around. Then he got scared, what if he asked her to take him back? What if she accepted it for the baby?
"These are for you"he said as he walked toward her
"Thanks"she said,"Taye-"
"Wait, can I hold him?"he asked her
"Its a she"she said
"Can I hold her?"he asked her. She hesitated but gave in and handed her over. He held her and for a second she thought that he was about to cry. "Your probably wondering why I'm here aren't you?"he asked her
"Yeah. This past year you have shown me that you don't give a damn about me or the baby. You cheated on me and you deny everything even after the tests proved you were the father. So yeah I'm confused and I want to know what you want"
"I wanted to say I'm sorry. I don't know how to explain it-"
"Are you and Kim still together?"Adena asked
"Kinda, its complicated"he said quietly. "Ive been thinking a lot about you lately. I wanted to call but was scared. The bottom line is....I wanna be able to see her, if that's possible"he said. "I'm her biological father. And even though things didn't work out between us, I don't want to screw up when it comes to our daughter"he said to her
"Craig and I are happy together-"
"That's great"he interjected,"I figured that you were. I don't want to come between the two of you. And I don't want it to be confusing for her either"he said indicating the baby,"I don't know.....will he be known as daddy?"he asked her
"I don't know yet. I thought so...."she said. "But if you really want to see her...I don't want to take that away from you"she said and then she reached out her arms and he gave the baby back to her,"I'll call you, we can figure out a schedule or something?"she asked him
Taye nodded and then leaned over and kissed her on her cheek,"Call me anytime"he said to her,"Congratulations"he said
"Thank you, congratulations to you too"she said. He nodded and then walked out. He walked past Craig and Craig had the urge to punch him and then he rushed back into the room.
"What did he want?"he demanded as he came in
Adena was sitting there, holding the baby close. She looked up and he saw confusion in her eyes but she was smiling. "He wants to see her. He apologized about everything but didn't want what we don't have anymore to come between him and the baby. I agree I don't want her to suffer because of our mistakes"
"So what does that mean?"he asked her
"You mean about us?"she asked and he nodded. "It doesn't change anything. I'm in love with you Craig and if you want to be around, we wont complain"she said
"I sure as hell wanna be around"he said,"Its gonna be hard to share"he admitted
"I know"she said. "Um...I wanted to ask you"she said as she grabbed his hand,"I wanted to know if you wanted to move in with me?"she asked him
Craig stared at her in shock,"Seriously?"he asked her. She nodded. He gave her a huge kiss and held her and the baby close,"Of course. I've always wanted to ask you"
"Really?"she asked him
"I was planning to ask you on your birthday actually. Ron tried to talk me out of it, said I was moving too fast. But then you know how that night went"he said and she laughed,"When?"he asked her
"As soon as you want. The baby's room is finished and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the other one"she said
"We'll figure something out"he said and then kissed her again,he then kissed the baby's nose. She was fast asleep now. "Wait....what are you going to name her?"he asked her
"Dayna"she said with a smile
"That's pretty"he said
"I actually wanted to ask you...if her middle name could be Amanda?"she asked her. She never could forget about the dream she had had when Amanda was there and trying to convince her not to get rid of the baby. That babies were innocent and they only came when she was ready. She was right, she was glad she hadn't made the appointment and she was ready to be a mother. She felt complete and content.
Craig nodded as tears fell down his cheeks at the mention of his little sister. "Dayna Amanda"he said,"Beautiful name"he said as he kissed her.
Later, Dayna's grandparents came to greet her as well as Ron and Missy. Ron had a video camera and videotaped everyone holding her. He smiled as he looked into the camera,"September 30th, 2008- little Dayna Amanda is being welcomed into the world"he said
*
Surefooted and thoroughly practical, in the end the Capricorn goat always reaches the heights, beating others who are faster but less determined.
*
Three days later, Dayna and Adena were released from the hospital and she was introduced to her new home. Dayna was Adena's pride and joy. Craig's too. He treated her like she was his own flesh and blood and Dayna was Amanda reincarnated.
Adena had a few months of maternity leave but she always came by when Donatella and Lloyd freaked out. Which was a lot. But she didn't mind as long as she could bring Dayna with her.
Craig was doing well at the restaurant and by January 2009, he and a fellow co worker quit and opened up their own restaurant. Adena helped by decorating the interior with the best artwork she could find. The restaurant was named Amanda's. By then he was moved out of the apartment he shared with Ron and moved in with Adena and they couldn't be happier. They barely fought but there were a few times when it got difficult. But what relationship isn't? Ron leased the room to another intern and Missy continued to "live" there.
Taye and Adena were on speaking terms again. They agreed on a schedule for him to see her. Things between him and Kim were already rocky and when he was on speaking terms with Adena again, the relationship started to fizzle. They soon broke up. Taye is focused on having fun and being single and seeing his daughter. Craig tries his best to be friends with Taye and behaves himself but that may be a long time coming before they become buddies.
Dayna's grandparents spoiled her as well as her godmother, Missy. Dayna's room was soon packed with toys and odds and ends for babies.
Dayna soon celebrated her first birthday, she was already walking and trying to talk. However, she was calling both Craig and Taye 'daddy'. But they didn't mind. But every time she called him daddy, Craig would feel an ache inside him as well as joy. The three of them were happy together. The gallery and the restaurant were doing well and he soon threw caution to the wind.
"Happy birthday baby"Craig said as he kissed Adena softly. She smiled widely and kissed him back.
"I thought you had to work"she said in surprise
"I'm my own boss. I can take tonight off"he said as he took off her coat and led her to the kitchen. Dinner was prepared and Dayna was seated in her high chair
"Mama!"she said excitedly and Adena picked her up and held her close
"How's my angel?"she asked her as she kissed her all over and Dayna laughed.
"Come on, let's eat your birthday dinner before it gets cold"he said anxiously
"Ok"Adena said with a laugh and she whispered to Dayna."Whats his deal?"she asked her
"I heard that"Craig said and Adena laughed as she put Dayna back in her high chair. She sat down and Craig served her his fabulous four cheese lasagna just like she liked it. He poured her a glass of champagne and set it in front of her and she didn't notice it as she dug into the lasagna.
Before Craig could say anything, Dayna started saying,"Mama, mama!" very impatiently
"Dayna? What is it?"Adena asked her and Dayna pointed to her glass of champagne and Craig laughed. Adena stared in shock when she saw an engagement ring sitting at the bottom of her glass and she squealed in surprise.
"She ruined it!"Craig said with a laugh as he got on his knee as Adena laughed through the tears rolling down her cheeks. He smiled as he held her hand in his,"Well...now I forgot...I had this speech prepared"he said with a laugh, he was about to cry too. "Adena, I love you with all my heart. Who would have thought that I would meet my future bride in a bar over shots of scotch?"he asked her and she laughed,"2 years ago I said that I wanted to keep getting to know you. Its gonna be difficult but I wanna be with you, for always. Will you be my wife Adena? Will you marry me?"he asked her
In the middle of his speech, she was already nodding and kept on nodding,"Yes"she whispered and then hugged and kissed him passionately
"Mama, mama!"Dayna said impatiently again. The ring was still in the glass and she wanted it. They laughed and soon it was fished out and on Adena's finger.
"Its beautiful"she said,"I love you Craig"she said
"And I you"he said
*
The cardinal signs must put their resources to good use. Earth resources represent practical skills: material, financial, and social resources that can be used to further an ambition.
*
The two had a small wedding at her parent's house on Long Island. Only close family and friends were invited and the two kissed as a perfect breeze blew around them. It was the last day of summer but it was still warm. Her parents hired a band and they all partied and danced til the sun went down.
Then the limo arrived and Craig and Adena were whisked away while Dayna stayed with her grandparents. Hours later, Craig was carrying Adena over the threshold of their hotel room in Italy. They were going to spend a few days there and then fly to Vegas and then back to New York. "Oh the room is gorgeous!"Adena said excitedly. The suite was huge and filled with the best artwork.
"I knew you would like it"he said as he kissed her hungrily. He still had on his tux and she had on her simple white dress, she didn't want to go overboard the second time around. She wore a simple white tube topped dress that went down to her knees, it was made of silk and very lightweight. They both had a lot of champagne and soon her dress dropped to the floor and they made love for hours and they were still going as the sun rose in Italy.
"I love you Craig"she said to him blissfully as she laid next to him
"And I you"he said as he held her in his arms.
*
Capricorn's spiritual goal: To learn to understand the feelings and needs of other people.
*
THE END
*
Next
The second book
in the Zodiac series
AQUARIUS
~~~~~~~~~~
Nadia shook her head,"Don't like her. She gives me a Paris Hilton vibe"she whispered to Aquarius as a blond walked in and stood before them
"She hasn't even shown us what she can do yet"Aquarius whispered back and smiled at the blond. "Hi, thank you for showing interest in our audition. My name is Aquarius and this is Nadia"she said introducing themselves. Nadia waved lazily. "And your name?"she asked her
"Paris Milan"the blond said. Nadia snorted with laughter and Aquarius swatted her.
"Can you be mature?"Aquarius hissed,"Sorry, pretty name"
"Its not really my name, its my stage name"Paris replied
"Oh ok, so um...this audition as you know is to fill two slots in our all girl rock band that we want to start"she said as she nodded at Nadia. "Before you show us, tell us what you can bring to the table"
"Well I'm a singer and I'm a natural performer. Many friends say that I'm better than Britney so I can really draw a crowd"Paris said with a flip of her blond hair
"Oh so you sing?"Nadia asked. She glanced at Aquarius and gave her a knowing look. Aquarius wanted to be the lead singer and Nadia was fine with that as long as she was the lead guitarist and had her freedom to write.
"Ok well why don't you just sing for us"Aquarius butted in.
"K. I'm gonna sing 'I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman' by Britney of course"Paris said. Aquarius smiled and nodded as she wrote more stuff down, Nadia just sat there with a scowl on her face, arms crossed and her left leg on the table in front of them. Paris moved over an inch, as if the slight change in location would make her better and smoothed down her daisy dukes. Then she started to......they didn't know what she was doing....but she wasn't singing. Nadia rolled her eyes and started banging her head on the table. Aquarius swatted her and Paris stopped,"Uh....what?"
"Please make it stop!"Nadia said as she started to laugh,"Oh God......oh fuck"she said between laughs
"Uh....excuse me?"Paris asked, obviously offended.
"I'm sorry, Nadia can be.....Nadia......"Aquarius said
"A bitch is more like it. What? I cant sing or some shit?"Paris said angrily
"Oh I'm a bitch now? I'm actually being a friend. Here's a tip Paris, get new friends cuz they all lying to you"Nadia said
"Bitch!"Paris said as she stomped outside,"Who would wanna be in your fucking dyke band anyways?"she said on her way out as Nadia laughed.
"Nadia-"
"What the fuck? This is a fucking joke! It seems like there is no talent on this fucking island"Nadia said. "Every bitch in here either looks like Paris, sounds like Britney or is clueless like Lindsay. What the fuck? We aren't auditioning to be the next fucking Pussycat Dolls, shaking our asses and shit. We are looking for girls with actual talent! How long are we going to sit here and be tortured by our very own version of Bermuda Idol?!"Nadia said,and then she got her stuff"I'm out of here, you can sit here and write stupid little notes on your stupid little notepad about bitches that aren't even gonna make it. I didn't like her the moment she walked her fake tits in here!"
"Excuse me?"came a small voice and they turned to see a blond standing at the entrance of the garage. "Is this the auditions for the girl band?"she asked
"Yeah but when we mean girl band, we don't mean the Pussycat Dolls or the Spice Girls, we mean an all girl version of Queen, Joan Jett.....the Donna's....so if you just wanna shake your ass, get out"Nadia said
"Nadia, shut the fuck up. Give her a chance"Aquarius said. Nadia just groaned and stood outside the garage as she smoked a cigarette. "I'm sorry-"
"Its fine. I'm Amethyst Levine"she said as she got out her guitar and Aquarius smiled, finally someone who knew how to play an instrument! "I'm gonna play um.....'The 1st Cut is the Deepest' by Sheryl Crow"she said and Aquarius nodded and eagerly wrote, hoping this girl wasn't bullshitting like the others. And she sure didn't. Her voice was soft, yet beautiful but got stronger in her high register. Her guitar skills was like someone who was married to it, kept it by her side at all times. Aquarius didn't let her finish, she clapped and stood up.
"You got it if you want it"Aquarius said excitedly. Amethyst was what she was looking for in a guitarist!
~~~~~~~~~
Stay tuned! Story will be posted soon!!
And thanks again for reading/reviewing 'Capricorn'!