Page 66 of Surrendering to You
“You and Nyla leading a round of Christmas carols was one of the highlights of the day,” Cree said. Her sister had a beautiful singing voice and had sat next to Tristan on the piano bench while he played one song after another. Tristan’s musical talent on the piano never ceased to amaze Cree, and she could listen to him play all day every day.
Tristan drained his glass and said, “Are you ready to head up to bed?”
Cree nodded. “Yes. I’m wiped out, but there’s something I need your help with in the bedroom.”
Tristan laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I do love the way you think, and I’m always willing to help fulfill your needs.”
Cree laughed and stood.
After tidying up downstairs and making sure the house was locked up for the night, they headed upstairs hand in hand. When they reached the bedroom, Tristan started undressing, and Cree went into the bathroom.
Her heart started beating double-time and anxiousness swirled within her like a flock of birds taking flight inside her gut. She grabbed the small paper bag from under her sink that she had placed there a few days ago and returned to the bedroom.
“Something else I was…” Tristan started but stopped when he spotted her standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Cree wasn’t sure what he saw on her face, but in two steps, he was in front of her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in a rush, cupping her face between his large hands. “Are you feeling okay?”
Cree released a long breath and held up the paper bag before holding it out to him.
His eyebrows dipped into a frown as he took the bag. “What’s this?” When he looked inside, he started to say more but froze. Seconds ticked by before he glanced at her. “Are you… Does this mean… umm…” he stuttered, and Cree laughed.
“I don’t know for sure, but I thought tonight we can see if we’re pregnant.”
Tristan just stared at her, his chest heaving and a range of emotions flashed across his face. They both had agreed they wanted to start trying for a baby right away, even though they both held concerns. After Cree’s miscarriage, the doctor had assured her that there was no reason why she shouldn’t be able to carry future babies to full term. But of course, she couldn’t stop the fear of losing another child from creeping into her mind.
The other day, when she realized she was two weeks late when normally her cycle was like clockwork, she decided to buy a pregnancy test. Her problem was, she hadn’t decided when to tell Tristan. At first, she considered taking the test and only mentioning it to him if it turned up positive, but she quickly shot that idea down. He had missed out on everything centered around her previous pregnancy, and she vowed to never let that happen again.
“That’s why you’ve been turning down alcohol this past week,” Tristan said more to himself, still looking a little dazed.
“Yeah, I figured I’d better be safe than sorry. Okay, so I’m going in here to do my part,” she said pointing to the bathroom, “but I’ll need you when it’s time to look at the results.”
Tristan nodded, then cupped her face between his hands again and kissed her. “I’ll be right here. Whatever the results, just remember we’re in this together… forever.”
Cree nodded, struggling to keep her emotions in check. Part of her was excited about the possibility, but the other part of her didn’t want to be disappointed. Not with the results and not with the chance of another miscarriage. More than anything, she didn’t want to disappoint Tristan. He wanted a family just as much as she did.
A few minutes later, Cree exited the bathroom, her hands shaking. They had to wait a few minutes before they’d know, and her nerves were on edge.
“Come here,” Tristan said, pulling her into one of his famous bear hugs. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know. I’m excited and nervous, while also being scared to death. But if I’m being honest, I want the test to be positive. What about you?”
“I feel the exact same way.” He leaned back without releasing her and gave her a dimpled smile. “I have a feeling it’s going to be positive, and I also think we’re going to have a boy.”
Cree burst out laughing and swatted him away. “Of course you do, and I’m sure you’ve already decided what NFL team he’ll play on. However, it might be a girl, and instead of us buying football gear, we’ll be buying volleyballs and knee pads because we already know our kid is going to be tall.”
For the next few minutes, they laughed and came up with one scenario after another on what it was going to be like to have a baby. Cree’s nervousness from moments ago quickly turned into hope. She wanted the test to be positive, and she sent up a silent prayer.
“I guess we should go check,” Tristan said.
When they returned to the bathroom, Cree was too nervous to look. So, Tristan did the honors. He stood there for a solid minute looking down at the white stick. When he looked up, his face was expressionless, until he broke out into a huge grin.
“Yes! We’re having a baby!” He whooped and picked her up and started swinging her around but stopped abruptly. “Shit, I shouldn’t be doing that. You okay? How do you feel? Did I hurt you?”
He rattled off one anxious question after another, and Cree couldn’t help but laugh. His excitement was contagious, and she was happier than she’d ever been.
“Oh my God, Cree… We’re having a baby!”
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