Chapter 16
Two hours later, after a shower, making love, and another shower, Mychal has gone to call Kenzie to see if they are home while I finish getting ready. My mind is working overtime.
I’m really pregnant! I will be nothing like my own mom. Can I really wait until Thanksgiving to tell Kenzie? How are we going to break the news to my dad? Mychal’s parents? How long will we have to wait for Dr. Mason to do an ultrasound? Will we get those little black and white pictures of the baby? Those ones where it’s hard to tell it’s really a baby? Will we get to hear the baby’s little heartbeat?
With my hands on my stomach, I’m brought back from my rambling thoughts when I hear my name.
“Piper? Baby, are you ready to go?” I hadn’t even heard him enter the room.
“Yeah, sorry… I was lost in my head. I’m ready when you are.”
“All good thoughts, I hope?” He circles his arms around me.
“Yes, all good things. I won’t lie, I’m scared shitless, but I’m also excited for this next chapter of our lives.”
“It’s okay to be scared, but we will work through everything, together. There is one thing I am worried about though.”
My brows are furrowed when I ask, “What?”
“How the hell are we supposed to keep this secret until Thanksgiving?”
“HA! I have no idea, but we are going to try.”
“Try being the key word.” He laughs. “Let’s get out of here.”
Once we arrive, we are greeted by Tyler who tells us. “Kenz will be right out. Can I talk to you guys real quick?” His voice drops to a mere whisper as he asks.
“Sure man, what’s up?” Mychal asks.
He looks over his shoulder, making sure Kenzie is not coming down the hall, then motions for us to follow him into the kitchen.
Now curious I cannot help but ask, “Tyler, why are you being weird?”
Rolling his eyes, he peaks around us again.
“Look, it’s obvious whatever you want to talk about, you want to do it before Kenzie comes out. So, how about instead of wasting time checking to see if she is coming, you spit it out.” Mychal says with humor in his tone.
“I know Kenzie and I have been together forever… I just want to do this right.” He pulls a box out of his pocket. I know what it is before he even opens it. When he reveals the princess-cut diamond solitaire, he continues. “I want to ask her to marry me. Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, I was thinking of asking her then. What do you guys think?”
“Oh my God!” I exclaim in an excited whisper with tears in my eyes. Throwing my arms around Tyler I tell him, “It’s perfect!”
“You really think so?” He says looking at Mychal. I’ve never heard him sound so nervous or unsure.
“I agree with Piper, it’s perfect. Kenz will love it.” He says pulling him into a man hug.
Hearing Kenzie coming down the hall, he quickly closes the box and shoves it into his pocket. “Thank you, I’m so nervous.”
“What’s everyone doing in the kitchen?” She says, joining us.
“Just grabbing some drinks.” He tells her while grabbing a couple of Mt. Dews for himself and Mychal. “What would you two like?”
“I’m going to make some more coffee. Piper?”
“Just a bottle of water. Thanks.”
"No coffee? Are you sick?” Kenzie teases.
“Ha-ha, you’re funny. No, I had a few cups already this morning.”
“So, the two of you… are you good?” She says looking back and forth between Mychal and me.
I look up at my man with a smile. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back against him. “We’re good.” He answers her.
“Good! Let’s go hangout!”
Hanging with Kenzie and Tyler was fun as usual. Pizza, a movie, followed up with playing cards. Kenzie and I kicked their butts at Euchre. That is our favorite game and we are always sure to be partners.
It was difficult to keep our secret from her, but I did it. Now, we are home and I am exhausted. As we settle in bed for the evening, I turn to him. “Were you surprised when Tyler showed us the ring and told us his plans?”
“Not really. I’ve been expecting it for a while now. I’m just surprised he took this long.”
“Me too.”
We lay there quietly for a while. My mind replaying the evening, Tyler’s nervousness, his excitement.
“Mychal?”
“Yeah?” He asks groggily.
“I’ve been thinking…”
“About?”
“Thanksgiving. We can’t break the news about the baby on Thanksgiving. After talking with Tyler, we need to let him and Kenz have that day. She won’t admit it, but she has been waiting for him to ask her… I can’t steal that spotlight from her.”
“I know, Baby. I’ve been thinking about it too. You’re right. I want the world to know you are having my baby, but we’ll just have to figure out a different time to tell them.”
“Well, it sucks waiting, but what about Christmas? If my calculation is correct, and it may not be, but that should put us at the end of our first trimester. A lot of people wait until then to tell people, or so I’ve read. Plus, we could somehow incorporate the news into gifts for our parents. I don’t know, just thinking out loud.”
“It sounds perfect. Yeah, it will be hard keeping it a secret for that long, but I love the idea of somehow turning sharing the news into a gift.”
“First thing is to get our appointment, find out our due date and make sure everything is going ok.”
Sunday is here, and I am just feeling exhausted. I have spent much of the day napping. By the time I roll over to check the time on my phone, it is after three in the afternoon. “Shit.”
I drag myself out of bed and out to the living room where I find Mychal on his laptop. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep all day. I have no idea why I’m so tired.” I say around a yawn.
He looks up at me, “It’s fine, when I looked in on you, you were sleeping so peacefully for a change, I couldn’t wake you. You must have needed it.” He says as I have a seat beside him.
“Yeah, but still, I hate sleeping all day. I haven’t done that since, well, since I was a teenager.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“What would you like? If it can’t be delivered, I will go get it for you.”
“Hmmm… tacos sound so good.”
For some reason he seems to find this hilarious. “I offer to get you any food you want, and you choose tacos?”
“Why is that so funny? It sounds good.” I join in on the laughter.
“I will go get you some tacos.” He kisses me and sets off.
By the time he returns with our food, I have dozed off again. “Hey sleepy head, your food is here.”
“Damn it, I don’t know why I can’t seem to stay awake today.”
“It’s fine. How about we get some food in you, and then you can climb back into bed?”
“Unfortunately, that sounds like a plan.”