We discovered that his favorite fast food at home is frozen burritos and pizza, whereas I prefer to make nachos. And if I’m going to have comfort food, it will always be a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. We smiled as we learned these things about one another as we meandered up and down every single aisle of the grocery store, picking out our favorite produce—he likes apples; I like green grapes—and enjoying the process.
Every aisle meant a new way to discover what we both preferred and wanted and needed. I needed some razors, and he was needing melatonin to help him go to bed, though I teased him. He might not need much help with that these days, considering I moved in and have been fucking him every night before we go to sleep.
Moving in four weeks ago, it's felt like forever, but in the best, most perfect kind of way because it hasn’t been four weeks of misery. It has been pure joy. Every minute with Mike Major has made me happier, healthier—the best version of me.
And when we went through an aisle of the grocery store and we passed the pregnancy tests and condoms, we laughed at one another, knowing neither of us wanted the protection. What we were after was a positive.
We bought half a dozen tests, knowing we weren't going to need them for a while, but thinking maybe, hoping really, that soon enough we would. And now, as I stand here in our master bathroom, I realize I need one badly.
My hands shake as I open the package, reading the directions, and then I sit on the toilet and I pee. Yes, maybe it's TMI, but it's what I'm doing. I need an answer because suddenly I realize, "Oh my God, Major and I, we might..."
I swallow, tears in my eyes. I set the test on the counter, blinking with hope and fear. I groan out loud, unable to bear the three minutes I have to wait. I practically bounce around in the bedroom, considering the house, our home, with a baby in it? I try to not get my hopes up too high, and as I go back into the bathroom, I pick up the test and I look and I see two pink pluses. A positive.
"Honey?" I hear Mike coming in the front door. I drop the test in the bathroom sink, so overwhelmed with emotion. "Honey? Sorry I didn’t call. I was going to, but..."
I walk out into the living room, trying to take a deep breath, one step after the other, my smile so big, so fucking huge, he knows right away something's up.
"What?" he says. "Ah, fuck. Did you check the mail?"
"Yeah, I did. Why?"
"That's why you're smiling. You know what I'm up to, huh?"
"What?" I say. "No, I don't know what you're up to. I just..." I remember the box on the kitchen table from the jeweler. "Oh. I was wondering, but..."
He groans. "They called me. That's why I didn't call you. On the way home, they called and they said they messed up, that somebody had sent it in the mail instead of calling me to come pick it up like they were supposed to. And I guess the guy, he's on thin ice now with his job because you can't exactly mail a diamond like that in the fucking post, but..."
"A diamond?" I say.
"See, I went and blew it again. I figured you'd know the moment you saw. We've been talking about this and..."
I wrap my arms around Mike's neck. "Oh baby," I say. "You didn't have to get me a diamond."
He kisses me hard. He pulls back. My whole belly flip-flops and my body shakes. My heart pounds. "Baby." Tears are falling down my cheeks. "I didn't realize how much this meant to you. I would've bought you a diamond that very first day, but I knew you wanted something special and..."
"No, no. I'm just so happy," I tell him. "It's not about the diamond. It's..." I follow him as he's walking into the kitchen. He grabs the box and rips open the tape. Inside, there's a small black jewelry box.
"It was supposed to be more romantic than this," he says. "I can wait. We can do this another day."
"Do what?" I say, but he's already down on one knee. He's opening the box, offering me everything. Little does he know he's already given me everything I want.
"I love you, Molly. I have since the day I fucking met you, carrying your mattress to another man's house." He laughs, and so do I.
"That sounds so wrong."
"I know, I'm just... Listen, Molly. We've talked about this a hundred times since then. I love you and you love me, and we're going to have a family together."