“She’s funding it?” Hailey asked.
“Have you not talked with Anna about any of this?” I asked.
“When she comes over, we have a strict ‘no work talk’ policy. It’s nice, but I don’t know much other than she got hired a few months ago there.”
“Far as I know, she’s doing well. We just approved one of her projects for the summer. She was wanting to offer a service where anything that requires a simple consultation and one court appearance, like juvie things and such, are offered free of charge. Ellen loved the idea, the board approved the funds, and I signed the paperwork a few weeks ago.”
“That’s awesome! I’m glad things are going so well for her. But don’t tell her I asked. If she thinks I’m interested, work is all she’ll talk about when she comes over.”
“My lips are sealed, gorgeous.”
“Can you set the table? The food’s almost ready.”
“One set table coming right up.”
Things with Hailey seemed effortless now. We were back from her European tour and settling into home nicely. Her skin was glowing from all the sun, her body stood taller than ever, and the tour had boosted her public profile in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Random people on the streets recognized her and wanted pictures and autographs. Even people at home wanted her signing their paintings they had already purchased. Ramon had sent us off with wonderful connections we had made in every country we touched down in, and he’d told us if we ever needed anything to give him a call.
He was ready to set up another tour for the books, but I told him to give us some time to settle in and have the baby.
I set the table as Hailey waddled between the fridge and the stove. I pulled out some drinks as she put the food on the table, watching her every move. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and how beautiful she looked carrying my child, the way her bosom had swelled and the way her thighs had thickened. It called to me in ways I couldn’t describe. Sometimes I would lie down beside her at night and dream about all the ways I could take her. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to me, and she was round with the life I had placed within her.
“Down boy. I recognize that look,” Hailey said.
“Maybe for dessert then,” I said with a wink.
“I think I’m going to have to hire someone else to run the gallery after I have this baby,” she said.
“What happened with the girl you hired while we were on tour?” I asked.
“She’s graduating, and she’s not staying in the area. Which is understandable. But that means I’ll have to hire someone else full-time, and that can be hard when you’re dealing with a student.”
“So, don’t deal with a student,” I said.
“I actually thought about asking one of the women who frequently showcases her paintings in the gallery. You know, the one who paints on her back porch for fun.”
“You think she’d do it?” I asked.
“If she won’t, I’ve got plenty of candidates from the first time I did this. I could call them up and see if they still want to set up an interview. I’m hoping to hire someone on in the next five weeks because once I hit thirty-seven weeks, labor won’t be stopped if it starts.”
“I bet your profile being raised in Europe will help with hiring, too,” I said.
“I want to start with the pool of people who applied before all that happened. Hiring someone because they’re a fan can run things into the ground sometimes. I want someone to care about the gallery and what I’ve done with it. I don’t want to hire someone who wants the job just because it’s me.”
“Ah, the struggles of the rich and famous.”
“I’m hardly rich,” she said, giggling.
“But you are famous.”
I leaned over to kiss Hailey, and the hairs on my neck stood on end. The sun was setting behind the trees, casting a warm glow all over the house. Her tan from her time in the sun was glowing, her face was radiant, and her body was fluid. I hated when she called herself things like “beached whale” and “bloated.” I knew part of it was a reinforcement by my mother, but I also knew part of her really believed it. She really looked in the mirror and believed she looked terrible. Her body was doing something mine never would, and that was a beautiful thing. She was giving me the greatest gift anyone could possibly give me, yet all she could see was what it was doing to her outside.
“You are the most intoxicating woman, Hailey,” I said.
“You’re just saying that so you can have dessert later,” she said, grinning.
I cupped her cheeks with my hands and forced her eyes to look at me.
“Your body is growing life. You’re growing another human being. And in a few weeks, I will watch that human being slide from the confines of your body. What is happening to you is magnificent. What is happening to you is something artists and authors have documented in paintings and books. I didn’t think it was possible for you to be any more beautiful to me until I watched your body swell with life.”
“I love it when you say things like that to me,” she said breathlessly.
“I don’t say them because you love them. I say them because they’re true.”
She brought her lips to mine, and our bodies melded together. I could feel our child pressing into my abdomen as my arms wrapped around her body. I could hardly contain myself. Talking about building the baby’s nursery furniture almost blew the surprise. I was grinning into her lips as she pulled back, and her eyes grew quizzical as I tried to bury it.
“What’s got you all smiling?” Hailey asked.
“I just love it when you kiss me.”
“No, this smile’s different. It’s ... mischievous. Bryan McBride, what have you done?” she asked.
“Not a damn thing,” I said.
Hailey started to protest before a familiar look crossed her face, that look she got when her insides were being used as a punching bag. I helped her sit down before I pressed my hands to her stomach so I could feel our child kicking out at us.
“She’s moving,” I said.
“Yes, he is,” Hailey said, grinning.
She groaned as our child kicked against my cheek.
“I feel you, little one,” I whispered. “I know you’re there.”
Our child kicked out again as Hailey slid down into her dinner chair. I rolled up her shirt so I could cradle my hands against her skin. Then, I pressed a kiss to her stomach. Our child was dancing, happy and full of life. Our child’s kick was strong, knocking against my lips as I pressed kisses into Hailey’s stomach. We finally had a chance at happiness. We finally had our chance at forever.
It pulled a smile across my face as I thought about my surprise for her.
I was building her a home. The home she had always dreamed of. Instead of moving the nursery furniture into this house, I was going to be moving it into that house. I knew Hailey would be upset because of the lengths she had gone to in order to paint the room she had, but now that she was finished, I could put the finishing touches on it. I could come in and have her artwork made into wallpaper I could use in the nursery in our new home, our new home that would have as many rooms as we needed.
It would symbolize the start of our new family and a fresh start for all of us. The house I was building wasn’t tainted with either of our pasts. The only thing that would touch it was our future. There were things that plagued us in this house. Arguments we’d had when we were dating and times that John had come in high as a kite. Moments when my parents had chanced to leave their decadence to descend onto my pathetic life and pick it apart.
I didn’t want to bring our child home to any of that. I wanted to usher in this new phase of our life with a clean slate.
The house I was building was going to have it all. Plenty of rooms, a built-in art studio for Hailey that had the best view of the entire place. Bathrooms with jet tubs that she found relaxing even now in the late stages of her pregnancy. There would be a massive kitchen for us to cook in and plenty of room to entertain guests. And it would have a massive backyard for our child to grow up running around in.
I was evening making plans to build him or her a custom playground set.
“I see that grin again,” Hailey said. “What in the world are you thinking about?”
“How nice dinner smells,” I said.
“Oh, no, no. You’re not getting out of this that easily,” she said. “What are you thinking about?”
I looked up into Hailey’s eyes and debated on whether to tell her. I wanted it to be a surprise, but the house was almost finished. I could tell her about it, and we could move in together. She could see the rest of the progress and make any changes she wanted to make.
But as I drew in a deep breath, I saw that twinkle in her eye. That anxious twinkle that always made it worth it to surprise her. She was terrible when it came to finding out surprises, and I knew I had her truly in the dark with this one.
No. I wanted to see her face when I put the entire house together. Just for her.
Just for us and our baby.
“My child is kicking out at me,” I said. “It’s ... a miracle what your body has done.”
I watched Hailey’s face soften as she ran her hand through my hair.