The coffeehouse was packed tight. Busier than I had ever seen before. Stephanie and Beth were going crazy behind the counter to keep up with the orders. The tables were full, people sharing spots with one another. The walls filled. The windows filled. Probably beyond the capacity that made it safe.

All because of Foster.

The stage was dark, except for a single light that shined on a barstool. A guitar rested against it.

I saw Rhett sitting at the front of the crowd, a guitar case at his feet. He looked nervous as anything, legs bouncing, one hand holding a bottle of water, the other holding his girlfriend’s hand. When Foster told me what had happened with Rhett, I felt sick. My heart ached for Rhett, his girlfriend, and for Foster. I remembered what it was like seeing Foster go from house to house. Seeing the way his attitude changed, the times when he was in a different school and I wouldn’t see him for what felt like a lifetime.

I had a seat off to the side, the benefits of being so pregnant. My feet were flat on the floor and more or less just rested against the chair. Foster insisted that I stay home in bed, but there was no way I’d miss this show. Neither would our baby.

My hand gently patted my stomach as I smiled.

That’s when Foster appeared from the back room of the coffeehouse. He walked right to me and touched my chin. I had never seen him so alive and happy than when he saw me pregnant or stood on stage to play some songs.

He leaned down and kissed me. Then he crouched lower and kissed my stomach.

People started to take notice and clapped for him.

It was a little crazy to think that he was becoming something like a local celebrity. The songs he had worked on while he was gone were actually becoming big deals. One was on the radio at least fifteen times a day. While it wasn’t Foster singing, it was his lyrics, his music… and he got paid for it.

Foster got to the stage, grabbed his guitar, and gave a quick wave. He didn’t say a word. He just started playing a song.

He played the song from the radio. Everyone cheered and everyone sang with him.

I sat there, nodding away, watching the man I love do the one thing that made him happy. We were still so far away from perfect. Still in a mess. But we had each other. The only thing we ever truly wanted in life was each other. The rest was just noise. Vivian started dating some guy and was promising herself that she’d be with just him. That was breaking news. My father actually committed to his new diet and lifestyle and was getting better. My apartment looked like a baby store had gotten an order. Foster did all he could in his studio apartment to make it baby friendly, which was maybe the most adorable thing I ever saw. Last week he bought clamps and locks for all the cabinets and his TV stand so the baby couldn’t get into anything dangerous. I just smiled, not telling him that the baby wouldn’t be moving and crawling and walking for a long time.

That’s all I thought about as Foster played his gig. Memory after memory flowed through my mind.

Four songs into the set, Foster pointed to Rhett. He introduced Rhett as his brother and Rhett joined him on stage.

They then started to play together. Brother and brother. Meeting through music and finding a deeper connection through family.

A tightness swelled through my lower back and I had to stand up and stretch.

My hands stayed put at my belly as I watched Foster and Rhett finish their first song.

Then Foster looked right at me and said, “Hey Rose…”

He strummed the first chord.

To my surprise, half the place started to applaud. They knew the song. They knew it was Foster’s most popular song. The one he swore he’d never sell to anyone.

His eyes locked on mine, Foster sang me my song.

He sang most of it… because that tightness in my back started to get tighter.

I tried to smile but knew it was fake.

It hurt.

Really bad.

Really, really bad.

Foster stopped strumming his guitar and stared at me.

I mouthed to him sorry and started to nod.

The baby was about to come.

* * *

Three hours, twenty-three minutes. That was the timeframe from when that first crushing pain hit me to when I held my baby for the first time. Watching Foster drop his guitar and jump off the stage was something I’d never forget. He told everyone I was having a baby and that Rhett would finish the set. He held my hand and never let it go. He stared into my eyes when I told him I loved him. He stared into my eyes when the pain made me hate him. The only time he looked away from me was when he met his son.

We named him Wesley. Foster instantly started to call him Wes.

The only other time I fell in love that fast was when I met Foster for the first time.

Foster cradled our baby with one arm and sat next to the hospital bed and cradled me with the other. I wasn’t exactly comfortable in that position, but I was cuddling close to my family.

I looked up at Foster and for the first time ever, I saw a look of relief on his face. A look of peace.

There was so much that I gave him. My heart. My body. My present. My future. But out of everything I could have ever done, I realized exactly what had happened.

I gave him a family. The one thing he’d always wanted. The one thing he’d never had.

But now he had it. And he would have it forever.

Foster looked down at me. “You okay?”

“I’m perfect.”

“You did amazing, Rose.”

“You did amazing,” I whispered.

He smirked. He leaned down and stole a kiss from me. He kissed Wesley’s tiny head. Then he stared down at the baby.

“Rose, I think the amazing part is going to start right now,” he said. His grip became tighter on my shoulder as he hugged us both. “And I can’t wait to see where this all ends up.”