The coffee table in front of the couch is littered with half empty glasses and paper plates with traces of chocolate cake and vanilla frosting. I stretch my legs out in front of me, resting my feet on a wad of tissue paper from Tara’s gift.

“You said you wanted a low key birthday. I hope this was okay.” Jeff kisses my temple and sits down next to me, draping his arm across the back of the couch.

“It was perfect. Thank you, baby.” I lean my head against him and relax for the first time all day. He invited Tara and Cameron over for dinner and hired a chef to come in and cook so the four of us could simply relax and catch up.

“I still can’t believe she bought you leather pants and a sex swing.”

I should have raised a red flag when she kept insisting I open my birthday gifts in front of them throughout dinner. I mean, this is the girl who publicly announced she was hosting a panty intervention for me in the middle of Victoria’s Secret when she realized I didn’t own a single thong. I don’t care what anybody says, but dental floss permanently lodged in the crack of your ass simply is not sexy. Maybe helpful if I had some food lodged back there that needed extraction. But ew — no. “I know. That’s Tara for you, though. She has no shame. And no limits either.”

“What’d her card say?” he asks as he runs his fingers through my hair.

I sit up and move some of the paper on the table looking for the card she included with the gift. Jeff inspects the front of it and raises an eyebrow.

“Um … this is a Bat Mitzvah card,” he observes.

“Read the inside,” I deadpan.

Jeff slowly opens the card and clears his throat before reading aloud in an overly-perky voice that rivals Tara’s. “Henley, you’ve finally become a woman! So I thought you’d enjoy some womanly things. The leather pants are for when you regain your rockin’ ass after you deliver le bebe. And the sex swing is for … well, the truth is the sex swing was accidentally sent to us twice from Adam and Eve, you know the discreet adult toy store? And it seemed like a waste to return a perfectly good sex swing when I can share the gift of kinky acrobatics with my best friend. So consider this birthday gift as a way to help get the spark back into the sack after the wee one arrives. Just be sure to stretch first—trust me. Love you, Giggle Tits! Tara.” He laughs and tosses the card down on the table. “Giggle Tits? Is this a pet name you’ve had for a while?”

I nudge him with my shoulder. There aren’t many people who I let get away with pet names, let alone pet names like Giggle Tits, but she’s one of them.

Beyond the sex toys and pants that won’t fit for the next year or two, my mother had the foresight to drop off a few gifts before I got home from the office. I am now the proud new owner of a Martha Stewart wedding planning book and waffle iron. Turns out her silent treatment wasn’t so silent after all. She ended up calling and congratulating us the very next day, but not without the accompaniment of some passive aggressive jabs about marriage coming before the baby in the baby carriage.

Jeff, however, proved that he is the best gift giver between the two of us as he completely spoiled me rotten. I didn’t even give him a hint on what I wanted for my birthday, but he hit a home run. For starters, I unwrapped a luxurious ballerina pink maternity nightgown. It is softer than most of the baby blankets I’ve felt, and I had to fight the urge to wrap myself up in it immediately. Then he gave me a gift card for a full day of pampering — prenatal massage, mani, pedi, and a facial. And not the kind of facial that would require his assistance, though he did make that offer under his breath after I unwrapped the gift certificate.

But the most thoughtful gift of all was a jewelry box he made with his own two hands using photos of the two of us and a bottle of Modge Podge. Inside was a delicate silver bracelet with charms of a heart, an airplane, and a rattle.

“For the day we met, for the day I realized I was in love with you, and for our future,” he told me with a nervous smile playing on his lips. “And I plan on adding to it throughout the years.”

“Tell me that story.”

“Which one?”

I touch the elegant silver heart. “When you knew you were in love with me. I don’t think I’ve heard this one before.”

He reaches out and threads his fingers through mine. “It’s not really exciting. I knew when I first met you that I was going to marry you someday, but I’ve told you that already.” He squeezes my fingers gingerly. “But when I realized just how deep I was in love with you, it was like I had been struck by lightning and … and I just knew.”

“And when was that?”

He smiles at me knowingly. “Do you remember the night we went bowling with some of my coworkers down at the Power and Light district?”

“Yeah…” And how could I forget? We had only been dating a little over two months at that point, but in a moment of intoxication, Jeff released the twelve-pound bowling ball behind him and nearly took out Doug from accounting.

“Well, when we got home, you escaped into my room to get ready for bed. After brushing my teeth, I went to grab a glass of water and when I came back in you were snoring like a jackhammer.”

“I WAS NOT!” I snatch a pillow and try to smack him with it, but he deftly leans out of the way and laughs at me.

“You were! And it was cute! It was at that precise moment that I knew I could never give my heart to anybody else. I knew I wanted to listen to you saw logs every night from then until eternity.”

There is nothing love-worthy or endearing or cute about snoring. “You’re so weird.”

“And you wouldn’t have me any other way.”

I adjust the way I’m sitting on the couch to try and give the baby a little more space as it’s currently doing summersaults. I’m only in the middle of my second trimester, and there is a noticeable belly pop happening. The good news is I’m past the is she pregnant or is she just eating too many cheeseburgers phase of my pregnancy, and I no longer have to try and suck in my gut.

My stomach flutters and I’m convinced it’s not a feeling I’ll ever get used to. “I think I ate too much cake. This kid is in sugar shock.” There is, no doubt, a foot trying to wedge itself in the space between two of my left ribs and an elbow using my bladder as a trampoline. “Here … feel.” I reach for his hand and bring his palm to my side. It’s only a matter of moments before the baby kicks again. Jeff’s face lights up with an awe and wonder that I’ve never seen before.

“Wow,” he whispers, his face beaming. It’s the first time he’s actually felt it kick. He keeps his hand there until the baby finally settles.

“You know, it’s pretty amazing. You used to give me butterflies. You still do, in fact. But now I actually feel the fluttering of little feet inside of me, and that’s something else.”

Jeff gently grabs my chin and turns my face to his. “I love you, Henley.”

He looks at me like he’s about to swallow me whole. And before I have a chance to tell him that I love him too, his lips are on mine, and his hands are in my hair. It’s the kind of kiss that leaves you restless, breathless, and senseless.

When we finally pull away from each other, I know that this man, that this moment, is exactly where I am supposed to be … home.

“Oh! Before I forget, I have one more present for you.”

“You’ve already done so much, Jeff. You didn’t need to get me anything to begin with. I wanted a low key birthday so we could put money aside for the baby.” And you already spent too much money on this ice skating rink on my left ring finger.

“I know, but I wanted to do this. This one was important … for us.” He lays on the floor, flat on his stomach and extends his hand all the way underneath the couch.

“Oh! You got me a dust bunny? You shouldn’t have,” I say with a laugh.

“Hold on … I almost … have it!” His words are strained, and his face turns cherry red as it contorts.

I watch him struggle for a few moments before finally suggesting we simply move the couch. It seems like the obvious solution for whatever he has hidden. I stand up so he can rearrange the furniture and once he’s found the envelope he was searching for, he gestures me down on the middle cushion and then sits on the wooden coffee table in front of me, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Open it!” He’s practically jumping out of his skin in excitement. His knee is bouncing, and he can hardly contain his smile.

I rip open the envelope, pull out the slip of paper and scan the words across the page. “We’re going to San Diego?”

“Yeah!”

“We’re going tomorrow? I’ve got things I need to do!” I try to hide the panic in my voice. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now and can’t afford to take a vacation with all of the lesson plans I’m working on.

I look back at Jeff, and he’s absolutely glowing with pride at this little stunt he’s pulled. “Don’t you even stress about all that. You’re all mine for the next few days. I thought it was important for us to take a babymoon before our son comes.”

I give him a pointed look at the word “son.” Admittedly, I’m a little nervous that if this is a girl, he’ll be somewhat disappointed. “A babymoon?”

“Yeah! I was reading in one of your pregnancy books—”

“Wait? You’re reading my pregnancy books?” Oh God. Does he know I may poop in labor?

Shit.

Literally.

“Of course I’m reading your pregnancy books. I’ve told you a thousand times, woman, we’re in this together. Where you walk, I walk, remember? Anyway, one of the books said a babymoon is a great way to connect as a couple before the baby arrives. And I know we haven’t even had a honeymoon yet — hell, we’ve never even really been on vacation together. And no, I don’t count a family affair like my brother’s wedding as vacation, no matter how extravagant the weekend was. So I just thought this would be a good idea. And I know you love Southern California. And I found a really great deal. And—”

I grab his face and kiss him hard and fast. The kiss takes him by surprise, and he moans into my mouth. After a few moments, I can feel him smiling against my lips. It’s impossible not to smile back. This is hands down one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever given me.

“Oh!” I abruptly pull away at the feel of this kid clawing at my insides. I look down at my stomach and then laugh softly at the interruption. We both watch what I can only assume is an elbow or knee pushing out from my abdomen. It definitely looks freaky.

“It seems as if this kid is embarrassed by its parents kissing.”

“Well, he better get used to the PDA because I have no intentions to ever stop my public displays of affection when it comes to my beautiful … sexy … kindhearted … wife to be.”

He softly kisses my lips in between each word. I love how he has the power to make me feel beautiful. I wish all women could be this lucky. When I pull away after his last kiss, there’s nothing but sheer adoration for me illuminating his eyes.

“Thank you, Jeff. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect birthday.” I lean over and give him the biggest bear hug that my belly allows.

Whoever said it was impossible to throw your arms around the world never hugged their one true love.