Page 44 of Stuck with You
Epilogue
“Oh my God, he’s so adorable,” Kayla squeals as she plays with Sebastian’s tiny feet.
He is so cute; a sweet little mouth, caramel skin and gorgeous brown curls. He’s only two months old and so small. I can’t believe I’ll be having one of my own in about a month — I’m practically bursting with excitement. Maeve looks pretty good, tired but happy. Her hair is worn natural and curly and her nails are bare. She’s wearing a long tunic over leggings and comfy riding boots. This is a far stretch from the Maeve we all used to know; sleek hair, nails done, heels and cute tailored outfits — this new version suits her.
“Don’t hog him too long,” Gabbie chimes in. “I want a turn.” Little Charlotte, who is sitting up in her stroller, is absolutely transfixed by the little creature in Kayla’s arms.
“I want a turn too,” I say. “If I can work out a way to hold him over my huge stomach.”
“I can’t wait to see what yours will look like,” Maeve says, all smiles. “I bet it’s a boy. I have a feeling.”
“I don’t care, as long as he or she is healthy.” It’s true, after trying so hard, we, who have lived with infertility, are not too picky.
Little Sebastian does the rounds. After being held captive in Gabbie’s hold for what seems like an eternity, he is finally passed on to me. He feels strange in my arms, and I marvel at his tiny hands. He’s so amazing. My eyes are welling at the sight of him, and I tell myself it must be the hormones. “Look at all of us,” I say. “Moms.”
The three of them smile up at me. “Well, not me,” Kayla says. “Not yet, anyway. But I’m open to the idea. This is all very contagious.”
I laugh. “Well, at least you’ve set the wedding date now… that’s a first step.”
“Oscar is going to make a great dad,” Gabbie chimes in.
We all know he will. And Kayla will be a fantastic mom too. “I can’t wait for the summer. Hopefully, I’ll fit into my bridesmaid dress.”
Kayla laughs. “Well, they’re empire style so we’ve got room to work with. Will you be bringing the little one along?”
“For sure…” I tell her. “If that’s okay?”
She laughs. “Definitely. I can already picture Jacob in his suit and his Baby Bjorn.”
I look down at Sebastian again. “I can’t let him go. He’s too cute.”
“Give him back,” Maeve jokes. “You’ve got your own coming.”
I smile. I certainly do.
* * *
Jacob has a surprise for me.It’s kind of cruel — he’s been talking about it for a few days, and when I begged him to just tell me, he refused. Really, one should probably not get an eight-month pregnant woman too excited. Although, that said, we’re still having sex. More than ever. Pregnancy makes me kind of horny, and Jacob is more than happy to addressallmy needs.
He’s been so amazing these past five months, completely on the ball. He’s readWhat to Expect When You’re Expectingcover to cover. He feeds me, rubs my feet, and goes out and buys me ice cream at all hours of the day — he says it’s the least he can do since I’m doing all the ‘baby work’. He’s even made a list of everything we’ll need, and we’ve gone out and stocked the baby room.
We painted it together last month, shades of butter yellow and green, a nature theme; birds and a decal tree on the wall. It’s very pretty and soothing. We don’t know the sex of the baby — we both want it to be a surprise.
I’m stretched out on a special massage table designed for pregnant women. The massage therapist’s touch is just perfect. I silently thank Jacob for setting up this appointment. At first I thought this was the big surprise, but apparently it’s not.
I still wonder what it could be. I close my eyes and tell myself to just enjoy this hour, just for me. I know when the baby comes, life will get crazy. And these past months have been crazy enough.
As I step out of the spa, I’m scrolling through my Facebook feed, and I smile at the sight of Alex with his girlfriend, Sandra. They’re back together, and engaged now. I have no clue what happened because despite the fact that we’re Facebook friends, we don’t chat or message each other. I’m so happy for him.
I’m all smiles when I get home — our home. Jacob moved back into our condo a few weeks after I told him I was pregnant. We took it easy at first, slowly getting reacquainted, putting everything behind us and starting afresh.
Jacob greets me with a huge grin. I kiss him on the cheek.
“How was the massage?”
I slip off my ballet flats. “Amazing. Thank you so much. I needed that.”
His face lights up when he asks, “So, are you ready for your surprise?”
