JACKIE

“Mom,” Ty says, coming into the kitchen. “Is Will going to wear his Batman costume to the wedding?”

I close the dishwasher, hitting the on button. It starts so quietly I feel like I’m in an ad for Maytag or something. Everything about this place makes me feel like I’m in ad in a luxury magazine. I can never get quite over it.

“No, sweetie,” I tell him, turning around. “He’s going to wear a tuxedo.”

“Batman is usually in a tuxedo. He wore one in The Dark Knight Rises.”

I raise my brow. “Who let you watch that movie?”

“Will,” he says. “Because he’s Batman.”

I roll my eyes. “Well Will shouldn’t let you watch those movies, you know the rules.”

“But Will is always breaking the rules.”

I sigh. That he is.

I watch as Ty runs out to the terrace to play with the dogs, but now we’ve got extra high railings so that Ty can’t get over them.

There’s been a few changes to Will’s place in the last while.

Especially now that it’s our place.

About five months after Will and I officially got together, Ty and I moved into Will’s lavish apartment. Originally I was looking to live in a basement suite somewhere, but even with my salary at Mad Men (I’m still Will’s assistant believe it or not, but that’s not all I do) and the option money from Warner Brothers (more on that later), making ends meet wasn’t easy.

Naturally, both Will and my parents wanted to help out, but me being me, I wanted to do it on my own.

I’m a stubborn little bitch.

Until Will asked me to move in.

I knew he would eventually, but he was waiting until it felt right to me. I’m not sure how he could tell but he was right.

And living here felt more than right.

Then a month after that, he proposed.

Got down on one knee on Christmas morning at my parent’s house where everyone was gathered and opened up that blue Tiffany’s box with the most gorgeous ring you ever saw.

Underneath the band there were two words inscribed: “All in.”

And we are all in.

The wedding is next month, which means I’m a barrel of nerves. Will, as usual, is cool as a cucumber. He’s already been married before so he knows the ropes, plus he’s the groom and he doesn’t have to do much more than look pretty. And of course he’s going to look pretty in that tux of his.

But for me? This is my fairy-tale come true. Will is the fairy-tale I never knew I needed to happen. When I was a teenager, the idea of Prince Charming was a pipe dream. When I was with Jeff, I learned the hard way that there were no happy endings. I thought that life was a straight-line, fixed on the path you chose and once you chose it, there were no detours, no turning back.

It’s not that at all. You can change direction anytime you want. You can go forward, backward or stay still. You can do anything you want because you’re in the driver’s seat, controlling this ride. And yes, you have permission to grow.

What happened to me was awful. It was seven long years of abuse, not just physical but emotional. The emotional part is the one that really wears you down, gets under your skin, into your bones. It tells you you’re not worth anything and that you’re stuck in the life you chose for yourself. No way out.

But no one is stuck. Everyone can get out. It took me a long time to realize that, but I’m glad I did when I did.

And I’m glad that when I finally opened my eyes, not only in finding Will but finding myself, that I took that chance. I changed direction. I let myself be the person I knew I wanted to be, but was always too afraid to try.

Of course I can’t take all the credit for my good fortune. It was Will who sent my half-finished script to Warner Brothers. I’m sure he would have encouraged me to do so at some point, but who knows if I would have followed through. It was just another thing I didn’t think I needed or deserved.

But Michelle Thompson at Warner Brothers fell in love with the script. Or at least the concept. They paid me a nice amount for the option rights to the completed screenplay. Now they’ve got other writers working on it, trying to make it as good as it can be. I still have a lot to learn about the craft, and even then it’s not a guarantee that the movie will actually get off the ground.

It doesn’t matter though. I feel like my life is off to a running start.

And that’s not all.

Of course, the latest development is something I’ve been keeping very close to my chest. Very close.

It was a surprise. A shock, actually.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.

WILL

“Hey Dream Girl,” I say to Jackie as I walk into the apartment. “Hey guys.”

It’s funny how something so simple can become the best part of your day. For me, turning the key and coming inside is like being born all over again.

Not only do Sprocket and Joan of Bark come to greet me with their tails wagging, but Ty does too, flying up into my arms. And, as usual, behind them all, is Jackie.

Usually with a glass of wine in hand for her and an old-fashioned for me. The sweetest, sauciest smile on her face.

Jackie is still working at Mad Men of course, assisting me when she’s not working on her screenplays, but she’s only there a few days a week, and only in the mornings. What can I say? I don’t really need that much extra help in the end, plus this means she gets to spend more time with Ty, picking him up from school, which is still all the way down by her parent’s place. We could have put him in another school closer to us but he likes it there, and this way he gets to see his grandparents more often.

Which is extremely handy when I like to take Jackie away for date nights and weekends. It doesn’t matter one bit that we live together or we’re getting married next month, I know that you have to work to keep the love alive. I spend as much time as I can with Jackie, just the two of us, making sure we’re getting all we need from each other. We might have Ty, especially as I’ll be officially adopting him soon, but there’s a world out there for just the two of us that’s borderline sacred and I’ll fight to keep it that way.

“How was work?” she asks me, handing me my drink.

I kiss Ty on the cheek and set him back down on the ground with an oof. The boy is getting heavier by the day.

He runs over to the couch and flops down on it, back to watching whatever show he’s addicted to now on Netflix. I have been encouraging him to draw lately, but like most boys here he’s more hung up on hockey. I still have my hopes though, that he might become an award-winning animator one day.

“Work was work,” I tell her, kissing her softly on the lips, taking a moment to take her all in. I smile. “I think Patty has a boyfriend because she’s getting all these mysterious phone calls.”

“I know, Tiffany told me,” she says. “I’m not sure it’s much of a secret.” A strange look comes across face, her lips twisting impishly.

“What is it?” I ask. “Don’t tell me you have a secret boyfriend too.”

“No,” she says softly, glancing at Ty then back to me. “But I do have a secret.”

I cock my head, studying her. This woman surprises me more and more each day. “Can you tell me the secret?”

She nods. “I can. But you won’t believe it.”

“Okay . . .”

She hesitates then grabs my hand, leading me over to the bedroom. “You better sit down,” she says, closing the door behind her halfway.

“Is this a bad secret or a sexy secret?”

“It’s neither.”

Now I’m really confused. And a bit worried. I put my drink on the dresser, sit down at the edge of the bed and fold my hands in my lap, looking up at her expectantly. “Okay. Lay it on me, kid.”

She grins at that and takes in a deep breath. She’s almost shaking but at least the news is good.

I think.

“Will . . .” she says slowly. “I went to the doctor’s this morning. I haven’t been feeling well the last three weeks and I wasn’t sure why. It sure felt familiar but anyway. Here it goes . . . and please don’t freak out but . . . I’m pregnant.”

Oh no. Oh god. Oh fuck.

I’m going to fucking die.

“It’s yours,” she says quickly, putting her hand on my shoulder to make sure I don’t keel over. My heart rate barely slows, even though I’m beyond relieved. “It’s one hundred percent yours. I took a few pregnancy tests and they were all positive. I didn’t think that was possible so I went to the doctors and they tested me twice. I explained that you had a vasectomy but they told me—”

“One in a thousand chance,” I say absently, unable to absorb any of this.

“Yeah. Something like that. And I know you trust me because you damn well know I’ve been faithful to you, but just in case, we have a paternity test all ready to go.”

I wave that away. I don’t need that at all. I trust her completely.

It’s just . . .

I slowly fall sideways onto the bed, my face pressed into the cool duvet.

This can’t be happening.

It can’t.

Life just isn’t that good to you.

Or maybe it is, after it fucks around with you for a bit.

“Are you happy?” Jackie asks quietly.

“Am I happy? Jackie. I’m in shock. I am in . . . how is it possible?”

“Well you fuck me a lot and we don’t use protection and apparently vasectomies aren’t the answer to everything. That’s how it’s possible.”

“Oh my god,” I say softly as it all hits me. I straighten back up. “Jesus. Jackie, are you happy?”

She beams at me, her face absolutely glowing. “Of course I am. Obviously it wasn’t planned but Will . . . this is us. This is our baby. This is . . . I never realized I wanted something so bad until I had it. I never even entertained the idea but now that it’s happening . . . it’s a dream.”

I shake my head. I feel like it’s going to explode.

The joy inside, the shock, the awe, it’s indescribable.

“I’m going to be a father . . .”

“You’re already a father to Ty. But now he’s going to be a brother.”

“Holy . . .” I stare at her, my woman, my beautiful dream girl who is now going to be the mother of my child. I’m unable to form words.

There’s just love.

Love and gratefulness, so much gratefulness.

“Oh, come here,” I tell her, grabbing her arm and pulling her into me. I run my hands through her hair, kiss her chin, her cheek, her lips. “You . . . Jackie. Me and you. And Ty. And now the baby. This is everything.”

“We’re all in.”

I grin at her, a tear rolling down my cheek, my heart bursting again and again and again.

“We’re all in.”