Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“All right,” Jacob calls out coming back into the kitchen his eyes on me. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah.” I walk over to kiss Betsy’s cheek then tell Barrett goodnight before we leave the two of them in a standoff in the kitchen. On the way home, I call Franny to let her know that we have company and the smile in her voice is clear. It took a while after Barrett’s surgery for Jacob to come back around, and all of us were relieved when he finally did.
A couple of hours later, with our empty dinner plates still on the table, I sit back with my beer and Franny’s hand wrapped around mine on my thigh. I listen to her and her brother laugh about some vacation they went on as kids.
Their childhood was vastly different from mine, they had a home with two parents who put them first and everything from money to opportunities at their disposal. But it’s obvious listening to them that one thing their parents instilled in them is that happiness is not something that can be bought and that family is the most important thing you’ll ever have. I didn’t learn that until later in life, but our son or daughter will grow up with that being a core value, and that is something I didn’t know was important to me until now. And it’s one more reason I’m lucky to have Franny as the mother of my child. One more reason that I’m lucky to have her as mine.
CHAPTER 22
Francisca
Lying in the dark with Dayton’s hand wrapped around mine and the sound of our baby's heartbeat filling the quiet of the room, I’m catapulted back in time to a few months ago when he came to my first ultrasound appointment with me. So much has changed since then, and not just my body, but our relationship is so different now. We are no longer just two strangers who are having a baby, and although I learn something new about him every single day, I feel like I know him better than anyone.
“Where is it?” Dr. Bride asks no one in particular as he moves the ultrasound wand over my stomach, and I turn my head focus on the screen. Unlike my first appointment, you can clearly make out the tiniest details of our baby including the nose and lips, and even the outline of one tiny ear. “Okay you two, are you sure you just want me to tell you what you’re having and that you don’t want to do some fancy reveal?”
“I’m sure,” I laugh. My mom tried to get me to just have Dr. Bride send her an e-mail with the sex of the baby so that she could throw us a party and make it a big deal when we announced the sex, but honestly, that sounded like a nightmare, so I turned her down. I just want the moment to be between Dayton and I. We can share it with everyone else later.
“Dad, are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Dayton tells him while squeezing my hand.
“Alright then, Mom and Dad, you are going to be the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy in just a few more months.”
“It’s a boy?” I whisper, tipping my head back towards Dayton, and I find a look of awe on his face. “You were right.”
“Yeah.” He smooths his hand over the top of my head, then leans down to brush his lips across mine. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve gone back and forth on what we might be having but he’s held firm in his belief that we were having a boy. “I guess in a couple years, we’re going to need to get you an SUV to haul around soccer gear.”
“I guess so.” I laugh, remembering the conversation we had the night we met.
“Congratulations, you two.” Dr. Bride tells us
“Thanks.” I smile at him while Dayton asks.
“Is everything else okay?”
“He looks perfect.” He assures him before he focuses back on the screen to finish taking measurements while talking to me about what I might experience over the next few weeks. I have been lucky in my pregnancy so far. Besides morning sickness in the beginning and having to pee much more often, I haven’t had any strange side effects. Okay, that’s not exactly true. The hairy thing has started, so I’ve had to shave more often than I did before, but even that isn’t a big deal. Though I might feel differently in a couple months when shaving becomes difficult for me to do on my own.
A few minutes later, Dr. Bride leaves the room after reminding us to schedule our next appointment at the front desk, and I get off the bed with Dayton’s help. As I adjust my dress and slip on my sandals, I hold onto him, afraid I’ll tip over from the bump I’m now carrying around. Where before you would have to be paying close attention to see that I was pregnant, now there is no hiding it. Even hidden under my loose summer dress, you can make out the roundness of my stomach nowadays. And my belly is Dayton’s new obsession. He’s constantly touching it or talking to it in an attempt to get the baby to move. It's sweet and even sweeter to see his reaction when he gets a response.