“Baby? There’s someone at the door for you.”
I peek my head out of our bedroom, before glaring down at my soon to be, within hours husband.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss loudly, before ducking back into our bedroom so that he can’t see me.
I swear, he has been hit in the head one too many times, because I clearly told him to stay away today, because seeing the bride before the ceremony is bad luck.
He, per usual Jake fashion laughed it off, and told me that there was no way to wreck us, and that if fate tried, he would gladly beat her down.
Which of course, had made me smile.
But this? He’s supposed to be gone, and he knows it. Yet here he is, telling me that I have a visitor.
“You really need to come down.”
“You really need to leave, Jake!”
He’s quiet for a second, before I hear him take the stairs two at a time.
“Listen.” He tells me, pulling me close. “I only can’t see you once your dress is on. I looked it up online, ok? And this?” He nods his head towards the stairs.
“I really think that I should be here for this.”
“Ok.” I throw my arms up, before sliding out of his arms and stomping towards the stairs. I stop dead in my tracks about halfway down, feeling all the color drain from my face.
“Dad.” I stare at the man at the front door, who looks far different than the last time that I saw him. He’s aged a bit, but that’s not what is so different.
This man, who was always so sure of himself, looks about ready to pass out.
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s my baby girls wedding day.” I watch his Adams apple bob as he swallows hard, before glancing back up to Jake.
“Did you?”
“Hear him out, baby. Please. Just hear him out.”
My dad takes a few steps towards me, as I slowly make my way down the rest of the staircase.
“I think this moment is hard for any dad, but Laci, honey I have to tell you. I feel so much better knowing that you will be with Jake. He’s a good man. He will take good care of you.”
“He is a good man. Unlike you.”
“I deserve that.” He nods, before nodding up to Jake.
“Can I have a few minutes alone with her?”
“She has a voice of her own.” I glare between the two of them, as Jake replies “Definitely,” and walks down the rest of the staircase, pressing a kiss to my cheek before turning and heading down the hallway.
“I have to admit, I was a little bit surprised when that young man approached me.” He attempts a smile, but I don’t return it, keeping my mouth in a firm line.
“I wasn’t sure if he was going to attack me, or talk to me. I don’t think that he really knew either. But that man of yours was ready to avenge me for you. That’s pretty damn noble.”
“Again, something that you are not.”
“I’m so sorry, Laci. For the way that things turned out with your mom and me. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you after the divorce, not like I should have been. Things got complicated, and it was just so damn hard for me back then. It’s not an excuse for my behavior, but, it’s the truth. Then time passed, and I felt like it was too late. I’d already let you down. There was no going back.”
“Is that all? Because I have a wedding to get ready for.”
“I’m not expecting you to understand. Hell, I don’t even understand it half of the time myself. But I need you to know, that DNA test? It didn’t change a damn thing about the way I felt about you. Feel about you.” He corrects, before taking a step closer. “Blood or not, you always have been, and you always will be my daughter. Your mom asked me to stay away, and I was so damn broken hearted over all of it that I agreed. But there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought about you.”
I swallow hard, trying to grasp his words. “Mom asked you to?”
“She only asked me to for a while. But then, when I tried to reach out to you, it was too late. You were already so angry at me, and at your mom. I’m not expecting you to run into my arms, but I want to try to start over. I want to be a part of your life. I want to be a grandpa to the grandkids that you will have. I want a redo.”
“If you showed up here, hoping to walk me down the aisle, you’re crazy.”
“Laci.” I hear Jake’s voice as he comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. “Baby, don’t do something here that you will regret.”
I swallow hard and nod, before focusing back on my dad.
“I just don’t know what to say to you right now. This is all just so sudden, and I need some time to think.”
“Of course, honey. I didn’t show up expecting you to meet me with open arms and ask me to walk you down the aisle. But I would really like it if I could stay for the ceremony.”
I’m not answering, but I feel Jake nod behind me. “Yes, of course you can stay.”
“Thank you.” He does a chin lift to Jake, before turning his eyes back to mine. “Maybe once things settle down for you, we could meet for coffee or something.”
“Yes, maybe.” I agree, feeling Jake’s warmth surrounding me.
My dad leaves, and as the door closes, my breathing turns ragged.
I spin around, as Jake engulfs me, squeezing me tightly.
“I’m sorry for not warning you, but, I kind of figured you would say no.”
“You’re kind of right.”
I tilt my eyes up towards his, before sighing.
“But thank you, Jake. Even though that wasn’t what I was expecting to happen today, thank you for doing that for me.”
“Don’t you get it by now baby? I would do anything for you. Anything.”
One year, and nine months later…
“It’s a boy. I can totally feel it.” Jake rubs my belly, before grinning wickedly at me. “I can pretty much feel his giant manhood through your stomach. He takes after his daddy.”
I swat his hand away, before shaking my head. “You cannot feel anything. And way to dig for compliments, hot shot. It could very well be a little girl, and that’s something that you need to start wrapping your head around.”
“I don’t want a little girl.” Jake pouts, before frowning. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t, but I don’t think that I’m built for all of that. I have a hard enough time dealing with men checking you out. If we have a daughter? She’s going to look just like you, the boys are going to go nuts over her, and I’m going to end up in prison. That’s a fact.”
“No, you won’t.” I roll my eyes before snuggling against his chest. “You will be just fine.”
“Doubt it. But we don’t need to worry about it. Because Jake Jr.?” he rubs my stomach again, before smirking at me. “He’s doing just fine in there.”
Outwardly, I’m rolling my eyes. But on the inside? I’m pretty much on cloud nine, and I know that Jake is too, regardless of whether or not this baby comes out with a penis.
We had debated for at least two months after finding out that we were pregnant, as to whether or not to find out the sex of the baby.
I had wanted to, but Jake didn’t. So, we opted against it. But for the last nine months, the anticipation has been killing me, and my husband?
Has been driving me insane with all of his little boy talk.
But, in all honesty, Jake has been incredible throughout this whole pregnancy. Actually, throughout our whole marriage.
He has shown that he is a loving and doting husband, even more so now, if that’s even possible, since I’ve been pregnant.
After our engagement, we married pretty fast, tying the knot only four weeks after Jake professed his undying love for me on television.
I quickly sold my townhome and moved in with him, since his house was a little bit larger than mine, and directly on the ocean, with more space for Daisy and Beatrice to run around.
They are both doing fine, by the way.
Jake ended up staying with the Rays, and signing another two-year contract, which is now again, just about up.
We haven’t fully decided where we will be next year, but with baby number one on the way, Georgia might just be where we end up.
And I’m totally ok with that.
As for my dad, I never did let him walk me down the aisle. But, I did take him up on his offer of coffee, and slowly, over the last year or so, we have begun trying to rebuild our relationship.
We’ve started small, of course, but it has been going ok.
Well enough that last month, when I was still able to travel, I went to Cleveland with Jake for a series, and actually spent a little bit of time after the games with my dad.
I haven’t gotten to know my siblings very well yet, but while we were in Cleveland, Jake and I had dinner with them both.
It was awkward at first of course, but Jake made it a point to try to break the ice between us, and held my hand the entire time.
I swear to god, somedays I wonder what I ever did to deserve such a good man.
“I don’t know if I’ve told you this yet today,” Jake murmurs into my hair as he pulls me tight against his body. “But you are hands down, the sexiest pregnant woman that I have ever seen in my entire life.”
I grin as I snuggle into him. “Thanks, hotshot, you’re not so bad yourself.”
Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots across my stomach, making me cry out. Jake jumps back, before looking at me with a panic-stricken look.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“I don’t…” and then, I feel it. The sudden gush of fluid that my doctor had told me would be coming…I guess I just wasn’t anticipating it today.
“Oh my god…my water.”
“Holy shit!” Jake jumps off the bed, before pacing for a second. “Oh my god. Ok, ok. We learned about this, right?”
He stares down at me, before shaking his head to clear it. With sudden adrenaline, he rushes over to the closet where our suitcases are packed.
He grabs them out, before turning and running towards the door. I watch in shock as he takes off, out of our bedroom and thunders down the stairs.
As if he realizes that he forgot the most important thing, his footsteps clamber back up, before he stands in the doorway, his face pale and sweaty.
“Oh my god.” He shakes his head, staring at me with wide eyes. “I’m going to be a horrible father. I just forgot you! You have the baby, and I just left you!”
“It’s ok, just, come and get me now.”
He nods, not moving a muscle.
“Jake? Like, now, please.”
I’m met with a blank stare as I start to roll myself towards the edge of the bed. He continues to stand there, in the doorway, staring at me like a deer in the headlights. Pain shoots through me, causing me to cry out as my feet hit the ground, making him finally snap out of his trance.
“Shit.” He runs to my side before scooping me up. “Fuck.” He mutters, as he jogs out of our bedroom and down the stairs, stopping only for a second to grab our bags.
“It’s ok.” I tell him, trying to calm us both down, even though inside, I am totally freaking out.
We’re ready for this…we’ve planned for this. Everything is going to be ok, right?
Except, I’m totally filled with anxiety, and excitement, all wrapped into one.
Jake nearly tosses me into the car, before speeding out of our driveway, heading for the hospital.
Jake
“It’s a girl.” I barely hear the words from the doctor, as alarm bells clang inside of my head.
“No, it’s not.” I stare at the little baby that just made his way out of my wife’s womb, before looking back up at the doctor. “Check again.”
“Jake!” Laci exclaims, before cutting her eyes at me hard. “Look for yourself!” She grins widely down at the baby that has been plopped down on top of her, as I feel all the blood drain from my face.
“She is most definitely female.” The doctor tells me, chuckling. “I assume you were planning on a boy?”
“We were planning on a healthy baby.” Laci tells him, but stares directly at me, her eyes cutting me like a knife.
“Right. Yes, of course.” I nod my head, but in all honesty? I’m totally freaking out, because I was planning on a boy.
“Oh my god.” Laci coo’s, staring down at our daughter. “She’s perfect, Jake. Look at her.”
And then, I do.
And, for the record, let me tell you that the second that I lay eyes on my daughter? I am a complete and total goner.
She is absolutely perfect, all pink and soft, with ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes.
Her eyes are clenched shut and her tiny rosebud lips form the cutest pout that I have ever seen.
And I suddenly realize, that my world?
Well, it’s just never going to be the same.
My heart squeezes right before it expands, bigger than I ever imagined that it could, and I fall so in love with the tiny little bundle in my wife’s arms, that I nearly cry with joy.
She’s quickly whisked away by the nurses, where she is poked and prodded, stripped of her blanket and weighed.
I follow right behind them, hovering over them like the very protective father that I have instantly become, feeling my heart break as her tiny cry fills up the room.
“Do you really need to make her cry like that?” I question, trying to move in between the nurses, coming to my baby’s aid.
“Jake!” Laci exclaims from across the room, and I don’t even need to look at her to know that she is shaking her head at me. “Let them do their job!”
“They’re making her cry!” I turn, exasperated, as all the staff in the room crack up.
“Now I see why you were hoping for a boy.” The doctor tells me, before patting me on the back. “It doesn’t get any easier, I can tell you that for certain. I have four girls of my own. Just wait until she starts dating.”
My face pales again.
“Oh my god.”
I’m so screwed.
“Daddy is always going to be your only man.” I whisper to my daughter, as I rock her to sleep in her nursery.
Ok, so actually, she fell asleep about an hour ago, but I just can’t seem to make myself put her down.
“You are never going to date, and you will never, ever be in love with a boy. Boys are stupid, and they smell bad. I guess it would be ok if you became a lesbian. Women are way more sensitive than stupid boys are, anyway.”
Baby Lucy makes some little sound, before parting her tiny lips ever so slightly.
“Is that your way of telling daddy that you agree? I think so.” I whisper to her, before pressing my lips to the top of her baby soft head of hair.
“I think that’s her way of telling you that she thinks you might be off your rocker.” Laci laughs softly, from the doorway where she stands, leaning up against it and watching us.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to know that you are going to give her a complex before she’s even old enough to talk.” She takes a few steps towards us, before kneeling in front of us.
“But that’s ok. At least she will always know that her daddy loves her. Even if he is a little bit crazy.”
I blow out my breath, before leaning in to kiss Laci’s cheek.
“I never imagined that I could love two people so much.” I tell her, meaning ever single word. “And it scares me that now I have two beautiful women to look after.”
“You will be just fine, baby.” She rises, before reaching over and taking Lucy in her arms.
“I’m going to put her in her crib now, daddy. And then I’m going to let you carry me to the bedroom, and show me exactly how much you love me.”
“Oh yeah?” I grin wickedly at her. “I can definitely do that.”
I wait until the baby is securely in her crib before jumping up and lifting my wife over my shoulder.
“I’m gonna show you alright. And while I’m at it, I’m going to work on putting that boy inside of you, so that I can have some help protecting the women in my life.”
“Not so fast, hot shot. Let me lose this baby weight first before you put another one in me.”
“I don’t think so.” I tell her, before carrying her into our bedroom and flopping her onto the bed.
“My only goal in life right now is to keep you barefoot and pregnant. So, you better just get used to that.”
She doesn’t argue with me. Instead, she stares up at me with that killer smile of hers, and lets me slide home, exactly where I belong.
The End