Evelyn
“Babe,” I heard Nathan mutter behind me. My eyes widened, and slowly, I lowered the cookie in my hand. “Babe?”
“Hm?” I chewed on the piece of cookie in my mouth in silence. He’d caught me again. It was time to let both his parents and Carter know we were having a baby, but the cookies were too good.
“I mean, if you want, eat them all, but you need to leave at least three, love. Is that possible?” he asked. I rolled my eyes, sensing his amusement. He pressed a kiss behind my ear, making me giggle. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”
Though I was nearing my twelfth week of pregnancy, the nausea would disappear and then come back full force. It was horrible. The last two days I hadn’t been able to keep anything down, but today, I was hungry and ready to eat everything in my way.
Including the cookies we were supposed to use for the pregnancy announcement.
“Are they almost here?” I asked Nathan, turning around and wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Yes, almost.” He smiled. “Are you going to FaceTime Poison and Jenna?”
“I will after we tell our families. They will be gathered at Tessa’s,” I said.
The excitement I felt in my heart was almost overwhelming. I never thought I’d form a family of my own, never thought I would even find the right person to be with, but as always, life has a plan of its own.
We’d been through so much, it was time for us to enjoy the blessing we were to receive.
Nathan wasn’t much different. Sometimes days were crazy for him at the gallery, so we wouldn’t see much of each other during the day, but every night, he would lie down with me and tell me all about his day and then speak to our baby about everything.
I could already tell he was going to be the best father in the world; I never had a doubt.
Shortly after hiding the cookies, there was a knock at the door. I beamed at my boyfriend, and he smiled back at me, not without first kissing me deeply.
“I love you,” he murmured against my lips.
“Me too.”
I knew very well that Nathan’s parents would be thrilled at the idea of being grandparents, yet Carter’s reaction…I didn’t know what to expect from him. I would always have his support, but his heart would break knowing that Nana wouldn’t be here to share the special moment.
“You’re going to be very loved,” I whispered, stroking my small belly.
Soon I heard the voices of Nathan’s parents and Carter invading our small home. I exhaled, walking up to the door. Deborah grinned when she saw me, extending her arms.
“How are you, Evie?” She smiled.
“Good,” I replied. Frank also opened his arms for me and greeted me with a tender embrace.
“Hi, Frank.”
He squeezed my cheek, grinning at me. “How’s my future daughter-in-law doing?”
Deborah shoved him gently, and he chuckled, taking his wife’s hand in his. “It’s only a matter of time before he proposes.” He shrugged.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Nathan nod in agreement.
Only a matter of time.
Finally, I hugged Carter, who held me tightly just as he did every time he saw me.
“How are you doing, Carter?” I asked him, placing a kiss on his cheek.
“Very well, Evie.” He looked around the house briefly, eyes settling on the bottle of champagne Nathan had set with the various glasses. “What are we celebrating?”
“Family,” I replied, squeezing his arm. “Let’s eat.”
A knowing Carter narrowed his eyes at me, studying me for a moment. In the end, he didn’t say a thing until we sat at the table.
Homemade hamburgers were the best, especially when made by Nathan. The only thing he wasn’t fond of was adding pickle juice to mine, but other than that, he didn’t mind.
He made sweet potato fries just for me, catching Carter off guard.
I never liked sweet potato before.
“You have to expand your horizons,” I explained, chewing a fry.
For the rest of the meal, I was silent, enjoying the smiles of the people surrounding me. I knew this was a day I would look back on fondly, the day we announced to the people we love we were forming our own family.
This was it.
They were my family, the ones who would stand next to me through thick and thin.
The family my baby deserved.
Nana would have been proud; I had no doubt about that.
Maybe I didn’t get the best example from my mother or my sister, but Nana…if I could be half the woman she was, I knew I could raise my baby right. I leaned my head on Nathan’s shoulder, thinking back to the craziness that brought us together: the different circumstances, the heartbreak.
It was all over.
Our lives weren’t perfect, but we had each other, and that was all that mattered. We knew what was important to us; we’d lived, we’d learned.
“Are you ready?” Nathan’s soft whisper brought me back to the present. I nodded, smiling back at him. His warm gaze bore onto my own, making no attempt to hide his happiness.
He stood up and picked up the tray of cookies while I remained at the table with our family. The tension built up as Nate set the tray in at the center of the table. His mom frowned, looking up at him.
“What is this?”
“Dessert.” He smiled, taking my hand in his. “Open it.”
Curiously, Deborah uncovered the tray, a crease forming at her forehead as she saw the stork-decorated cookies. Frank stood up behind her, widening his eyes when he took in the image. Carter stood up last, glancing over at me when he saw them.
“What is this?” Deb asked softly, her eyes shining with tears.
Nathan grinned, loving eyes roaming my face in wonder. “Your wish is coming true. You’re going to be a grandma.”
“Oh my God.” She covered her mouth as she gasped before rushing over to me and pulling me into her arms. “Oh my God, Evelyn.”
I laughed softly, returning the hug and closing my eyes. Such a sweet hug, heartfelt and full of love. When she pulled back, she raised her hand hesitantly. “Can I?”
I took her hand in mine and placed it over my small bump. Frank followed behind her and placed it over her hand, the couple smiling.
“You already have a little bump,” Frank said, grinning. “How far along are you?”
“Almost twelve weeks,” I replied.
My eyes met Carter’s, who still stood staring at the cookies. There was something about his posture that made my chest constrict with pain. “Give me a minute, please?”
Nathan’s parents nodded, embracing their son quickly as I walked over to Carter. I placed a hand on his arm. “Are you mad I’m pregnant out of wedlock?” I asked with a hesitant smile.
“Oh, of course not, Evelyn,” Carter said. Though his lips tilted up, the smile didn’t meet his eyes. He cleared his throat, sighing before he pulled me into his arms. “I’m so, so happy for you. You will be a wonderful mother.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Really?”
“I have no doubt,” he murmured, cupping my face in his hands. “Your grandmother…I just wish she could see be here to see this.”
Lip quivering, I hugged him again.
Late into the evening, Carter and Nathan’s parents were still at the condo. While I didn’t mind and enjoyed the company, I was getting tired. I yawned, leaning my head on Nathan’s shoulder while the movie played, my eyes fluttering close.
“Go to bed,” he murmured.
I hummed, standing up groggily. After saying goodnight to everyone, I went to bed, falling into deep sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
***
My eyes fluttered open early in the morning. The light from outside was barely coming in, illuminating the perfect man sleeping next to me. I bit my lip, running my hand over his stubble-covered cheek and slowly running my thumb over his bottom lip.
He was my anchor.
I was his light in the darkness.
He didn’t have to say it, didn’t have to do anything. Just the way Nathan looked at me, I knew that he needed me to breathe. It’s the type of love that never goes away, the type of love that both strengthens you and makes you weak. The one that is stronger than its obstacles, stronger than anything surrounding you.
Regardless of the pain we had been through and the ways we had almost drifted apart, we were together now, and that was all that mattered.
A sleepy smile formed on Nathan’s handsome face as he opened a single eye.
“You’re staring at me,” he mumbled, placing a kiss on my forehead. “How did you sleep?”
“Good, I didn’t even feel you come into bed last night.” I ran my hand through his hair, watching how his eyes closed again. He relaxed under my touch, sighing as he laid his head back on the pillow. ”At what time are you going to the gallery?” I asked him, nuzzling his neck.
“Noon, when Jesse goes out to eat.”
I ran my hand down his chest. I didn’t want to spend the day alone at the apartment thinking about the situation with Hannah, but I knew I couldn’t follow along behind Nathan if he was going to be busy.
“Do you want to join?” I glanced up, surprised. It was as if he’d read my mind. “I know you,” Nate murmured, brushing away my hair.
He did know me.
When we arrived at the gallery, it was relatively calm even with the people that were there. Nathan placed a kiss on my temple before going back to the office to see if Jesse was there.
I looked around the gallery as I waited for Nathan to come back around, always mesmerized with the various paintings in sight.
However, I jumped back, startled when someone placed a warm hand over my shoulder.
Green eyes sparkled in amusement while a genuine smile adorned Derek’s face. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“How about that coffee?”