“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard… did it work?”
“Nope, and she was pissed,” he said, laughing harder. “So, have you given any more thought to what gender you’re hoping the baby will be when you deliver?”
“A human,” I said jokingly. “A sweet, squishy-faced human.”
“If it wasn’t a human, we would have a whole new discussion,” he replied, laughing.
“I have honestly tried not to think about it,” I said, rubbing my belly. “It just makes me anxious to meet him or her, and I want it to stay in and bake as long as it can. I have to admit, beyond the difficulty in movement, the nausea at the beginning, and the fact that my ass looks like a pancake now, I kind of like having my little human all curled up, safe and sound in my belly. It might sound weird to you, but it’s like the only time I’ll be able to protect them fully from the world.”
“I never thought of it that way,” he said, shaking his head. “You really are something special; you know that?”
“Why?” I asked, laughing. “I’m just me.”
“And you are perfect,” he replied.
“I really like that we decided to make it a surprise,” I said excitedly. “Kayla can’t stop talking about it. I told her there were only two options, boy or girl, so it couldn’t be that hard to figure out.”
“Hey, you never know. It could be a whole new genetic makeup, taking the world into the future.” He smiled. “We would be the parents of the newest generation ever to grace the surface of the earth.”
“Um, yeah, that would be interesting, but I’ll be happy with just a plain old baby.” I laughed.
“An old baby? Like Benjamin Button? That would be so strange,” he said, scrunching his nose.
“You know what I meant,” I said, slapping him in the gut.
“I know what you are saying, and I really want a healthy, happy baby so we can coddle it, love it, and teach it all kinds of bad jokes and bad habits,” he said with a nod.
“I agree, like leaving the toilet seat up not down,” I said seriously.
“Yep, or slamming doors in old people’s faces,” he said back, trying to hide a smile.
“I like that one. Oh, what about flipping the bird to your grandmother?”
“Nice,” he said, laughing. “No, I know that this child will be just as amazing as Kayla, especially with you as it’s mother.”
“Aww,” I cooed, leaning my head on his shoulder. “I think in the back of my mind, I am hoping for a little boy.”
“Oh, yeah? I would like to not be outnumbered.” He chuckled.
“I think that a boy would be perfect because I already love Kayla as if she were my biological daughter, so I don’t need another girl.”
He turned his head and looked at me, his eyes shimmering and his mouth twitching slightly. He looked as if he were going to burst into tears right then and there. He took in a deep breath and hung his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close and kissing my forehead. I closed my eyes and took a deep whiff of his scent, feeling like I was in the perfect place.
“How did I get so lucky?”
“Thank your dad.” I smiled. “He made it possible when he decided to hit on my mom.”
“Oh, yeah.” Ryan laughed. “I’ll have to send him a thank you card. Do they make, ‘Thank you for hitting on my wife’s mother so many years ago,’ cards?”
“If not, you should totally make your own because it’s brilliant,” I joked. “Or better yet, have it engraved on like a big piece of wood for them to hang in their house.”
“If I thought my father would see the humor, I would, but knowing him, he wouldn’t get the joke and really hang it on the wall,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Not really what I want hanging there when they have company over.”
“Oh, come on, that would at least be a conversation starter.” I laughed.
“You are so cute,” he said, pulling me in again. “I am just so happy to have you in my life.”
“And I’m happy to be here,” I replied. “I was being serious about Kayla, though. I want you to know that. I love Kayla with all of my heart and would do anything in the world for that girl. She has crawled inside of my heart and made a home there, a place she will never leave.”