“Edith, can I get you some more tea?” Grover asked my mom.

My mom. I hadn’t seen her face-to-face in so long, I hardly dared believe it was real. Between Mark and then hiding from Mark and then her health… it had been next to impossible. But when the Greaves men surprised me with a baby shower, they surprised me with the best thing of all, my mom.

Grover had said he was going on one of his “overnight fishing trips,” packed up the truck and everything, and then the next evening, he came pulling in with my mom on the bench seat next to him, with a box full of baby presents.

Mom stepped out of the car, and I reached over to grab her hand and steady her as she thanked Grover. My eyes brimmed with tears. Again. I was such a cry baby this pregnancy. Crying over every little thing, happy or sad.

At least Mom’s eyes were wet too. You sit around with as stoic a crew as the Greaves men day in and day out, you start to think you’re a wet mess of snotty tissues.

“When do you have to go back, Mom?”

Mom was retired, and she didn’t do much, but I knew she had doctor’s appointments and friends… I wanted to know how long I had her so I could relish every last second.

“Well…” Mom gave Grover a side look. “It’s up to you, really. Grover’s offered me one of the spare rooms for as long as you all can put up with me.”

“Really?” My voice cracked. “Does that mean you can be here when the b-b-baby comes?”

Ah, damnit. There went the waterworks again.

Jeremy came up and wrapped his arms around me from behind, pressing his rough-whiskered cheek comfortingly against mine.

“As long as you want me,” Mom said.

“We’d love for you to stick around for the baby,” Jeremy rumbled, since I couldn’t get anything but blubbers out.

“What do you say we open some of these presents?” Mom asked.

“I forgot about the presents!” The reminder seemed to vacuum all my tears away. “Jeremy, you sit next to me. This is your baby shower too.”

Jeremy settled next to me, wrapping his strong arm around me, anchoring me, and I had a moment of pure joy, that so many good things were coming to my life. I had my mom, my kid was safe, and I had another baby on the way with a man who loved me more than the world. Today, nothing bad could happen.

“Here’s my present,” Darius said. “I’m fairly certain it’s the prettiest.”

“If you made it, there’s no question,” Grover said.

Mom had a spark in her eye as she straightened her back and crossed her arms. “I may just take you up on that challenge, young man.”

Darius started to back down from his challenge, but he paused, then a devilish grin crossed his lips. “Alright, then. It’s been a minute since I’ve had a good challenge. You’re on, Ms. Edith.”

Mom laughed, a lighthearted twinkle of a sound that I hadn’t heard since I was a kid.

“You okay?” Jeremy murmured.

“Just got something in my eye.” I sniffed, and rubbed the wetness that was definitely not tears away. Jeremy squeezed my side.

I opened Darius’s gift carefully, cutting just at the tape, savoring every moment.

“You know you can just rip it right off, right?” Jeremy said.

“I know.” But still I carefully peeled each piece of tape away from the paper, slowly unwrapping the nondescript cardboard box. Inside was a small, beautiful painting of a brilliant galaxy. Whether it was true to life, I had no idea, but it was gorgeous.

“Come on now,” Mom said. “Show it to us.”

I turned it around so everyone could see, and they oohed appropriately. Well, Mom oohed. Grover nodded, and Jeremy gave Darius a gruff, “Thanks.”

As I held the canvas out, I realized Darius had written something on the back. Always reach for the stars.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

Darius ducked his head with a smile.

“You boys didn’t warn me I was taking on a professional,” Mom fussed playfully. “He’s schooling me.”

“Now, Edith, the first thing any artist learns is to not disparage your work in front of the clients. You take that back right now.”

Mom pantomimed zipping her lips and Darius nodded in approval.

“Next present,” Darius said, grabbing a bag off our little pile and handing it to me.

“This one is from…” I found the little tag. “Your dad.” I smiled up at Grover, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

At first, I thought the bag was empty, but then I looked inside and saw a small piece of blue paper. I grabbed the paper and pulled it out.

“Look in Darius’s old room,” I read aloud, looking at Jeremy in confusion.

“Well?” Grover pointed his chin down the hallway. “Go on and see.”

Jeremy helped me to my feet, and I waddled in front of him. What in the world had Grover gone and done? He hadn’t had time to do any renovations or anything. I was here most days.

He hadn’t done anything to the room, but it was simply filled with furniture. The convertible crib I’d been yammering on about a few weeks ago. A baby changing station. A glider chair. A baby swing. My eyes darted back and forth—there was too much to take in.

I backed out and waddled my little butt straight back out to Grover, bent down and gave him the best back-breaking hug I could manage.

“Jeremy wouldn’t let me do any work until after the baby gets here, because he doesn’t want paint fumes and sawdust everywhere, but your little girl is going to have a home no matter where you lay your head.”

That may have been the most words I’d ever heard out of Grover’s mouth at one time.

Grover gave me a gentle push. “Now go on. Open your mama’s presents.”

I felt an uncomfortable twinge in my abdomen as I sat down, and winced.

“Something wrong?”

I shook my head. “I think the baby’s just situated wrong.” I pushed a little, trying to nudge little girl from jabbing her feet in my tendons or whatever she was making go tight. I settled down with an oomph, took a moment to breathe, and then motioned for Mom to hand her presents over.

Mom had crocheted the tiniest, most adorable variegated purple booties with matching afghan. Unsurprisingly, it brought me to tears.

“Now what did I say, Edith,” Darius said in a teasing tone. “Anyone can clearly see your gift is prettier than mine. Now I better not hear you disparaging yourself again, you hear me?”

Mom blushed and swatted at Darius.

“Thank you so much, everyone,” I said, sniffing and choking on my words. Simon leaned against me and I pulled him into a hug, kissing him on the cheek, so grateful he didn’t pull away and think it was gross like most boys his age. Of course, most boys his age hadn’t been through what he had. “I just don’t know what we would have done without ya’ll these past few months.”

“Well you probably wouldn’t be having a baby,” Darius said.

“Darius!” Grover barked, but I laughed. It was true. I wouldn’t have a baby without them, without Jeremy. I also wouldn’t feel half as stable and loved and confident.

“Oh, looks like we have one more present,” Jeremy said, bending down and seeming to pick something off the floor. I turned to look, and in one smooth motion, Jeremy took a knee and opened a ring box in front of my face. Two plain silver rings rested on blue velvet, and if I hadn’t been crying before, I certainly was now.

“Alan, I know you said you want to move slow. And I know legally, things are complicated. But I want to make a promise to you. Not because you’re carrying my baby or because you need protecting, but because I need you. I don’t know how I can face the world without you by my side. Will you marry me?”

I couldn’t even say yes. I just nodded my head and stuck out my hand. My finger had been bare for almost two years now since I sold Mark’s ring on Simon and my escape. I hadn’t missed it, though the indent remained. But as Jeremy slid the elegant ring on my finger, it felt more right than Mark’s over-bejeweled claim ever had.

“And I don’t want our family split when the baby comes,” Jeremy said quietly. “I want us to live like the family we already are. I want you and Simon with me. I want us all together.”

I nodded again, waving a hand in front of my face like a diva, just trying to calm down enough to say a single word, whatever word I could get out, whether it was yes, or love, or dammit, Jeremy.

“Daddy?” Simon asked quietly. “Does this mean I can call Jeremy Papa now?”

A few months ago, Simon had told me he wanted to stop calling Mark Papa. I told him that he had to do what he felt was right. I hadn’t realized he’d been waiting for this. Just like me, Simon had to clear away the old and bad to make way for the new.

I had to swallow several times before I could say, “That’s up to Jeremy.”

I hated to spring this on him in front of everyone like this, with no preparation, but Jeremy was already nodding. “Of course,” he said, his voice raspy, and as Simon launched at him, wrapping his new Papa in the biggest bear hug ever, a single tear fell from Jeremy’s eye.

Hell, we were all in tears at this point. Darius and Mom were freely sharing a box of tissues between them, and there was a suspicious amount of throat clearing and grunting coming from Grover’s side of the room.

This was what family was supposed to be. And I finally had one.