Epilogue
Fiona
Four Months Later
We were back in the city in Doctor Sanchez’s office. It was the first ultrasound of the baby, and we were finding out the gender. Laird and I sat in the chairs opposite Doctor Sanchez, and I was beaming. She glanced at Laird before smiling at me.
She asked me a few questions that I answered. Laird didn’t let go of my hand, once. I could tell he was as nervous as he was excited.
The past four months had gone by so fast. It had taken a while for us to merge our households, to get everything taken care of. It had taken me almost a month to switch fully to working remotely. I had slowly switched over, working from home some days and going into the office on others. Charlene was satisfied now that I could do it, and she didn’t bug me as much anymore. I went into the office every other week, which suited me fine.
It was getting harder to travel into the city. At twenty weeks I was showing, and I was getting exhausted quickly. I had switched over to working remotely for Laird’s sake, but I was relieved I had done it.
It had taken time to get rid of all the furniture in my apartment I wouldn’t need and to finally give the place up. I rented it out. I hadn’t wanted to sell. It wasn’t that I didn’t think it would work out between us, but Laird and I had decided together that keeping it as an extra income would be a good idea.
Besides, it was good to have a place in the city, if it was ever necessary for us to move back there. For now, I was happy on the mountain. I loved being with Laird and having so much peace and quiet around us.
I hadn’t seen Randy again since I had had my say in the conference room. Jamie and I were still good friends but we didn’t see each other as often anymore. I wasn’t sure if she was dating Randy or not. They seemed to be on and off. It was so typical of him. And apparently, of her. It still didn’t bother me. The moment I had found my happily-ever-after, I had realized I want in love with Randy. I hadn’t been for a long time.
I didn’t miss him at all. I hardly ever looked back at our life together. The only time I thought about him was when I thought about his comment that I was too boring for him. Those words were what had started my journey to the mountain where I had found my Viking.
I glanced at Laird, nervous and excited next to me. I loved him so much.
“You can go through to the examination room and get undressed,” Dr. Sanchez said.
I walked through, putting on the thin paper robe. I lay on the examination table, and Doctor Sanchez put the jelly on my stomach. I gasped. She pressed the probe against my body, and Laird took my hand as we watched the images of our baby appear on the screen.
“Your baby is healthy and growing well,” the doctor said. “Do you want to know the gender?”
We both nodded.
Dr. Sanchez moved the probe slightly before she smiled.
“You’re going to have a baby girl.”
I looked at Laird. I had wondered how he would react if he would rather have had a boy. But he had a silly grin on his face, and the pride in his eyes told me that he was happy with what he had heard. That he would love the baby no matter what the gender.
“I’ll give you two a moment alone,” Dr. Sanchez said with a smile. “Join me in the office when you’re ready.”
When she left, Laird kissed me.
“I can’t believe it. Seeing her on the monitor makes it all feel so real.”
“I know,” I said. “I love her so much already.”
“We should call her Fake Ankle Twist. That’s how this happened.”
I laughed and swatted Laird on the arm. “You’re incorrigible.”
“You always say that.”
“I was thinking we should call her Destiny.”
Laird smiled. “Because that’s how this happened.”
I nodded, and he kissed me again.
“Get dressed,” he said. “Or I’ll want to take you right here.”
I laughed. I had felt self-conscious about my baby bump when I had started showing but if anything, it had made Laird want me more. He kept telling me that knowing I was carrying his child and that he had planted his seed in me made me the hottest thing he had ever seen. It made me feel great about being pregnant and about our relationship.
It worked like we had always been together.
When I was dressed, and we sat in the office again, we booked our next appointment. Finally, we left. We headed back to our cabin in the mountains where we would be alone. I knew exactly what we would do.
Halfway home, we stopped.
“What are you doing?” I asked Laird.
“Wait here,” he said, getting out. He jogged away, and I noticed his limp had nearly gone. He had struggled with it after the cast had come off, but he had never complained. Having his memories and his life was more important, he’d said.
I wondered what he was up to. He had stopped at a center that didn’t have many shops. There was a convenience store, a hairdresser, a jeweler and a hardware store.
When Laird returned, he climbed into the truck with a silly grin on his face.
“What are you up to?” I asked.
Laird took my hand and slid a ring onto my finger. I blinked at the diamond, surprised.
“Now it’s official,” Laird said.
“You didn’t even ask,” I said, even though I knew I would have said yes.
“Sweetheart, you were mine since the moment you undid that first button on your blouse five months ago.”
I laughed because Laird was right. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.
“Well, just for the record: yes!”
Laird chuckled and put the truck into gear, pulling into the road again.
“We’ll have to tell my parents,” I said.
“They’ll be so happy,” Laird said and I knew he was right.
I had done the right thing and contacted them after Laird and I had finalized our plans together. It had been wrong not to speak to them for so long. They had been right about Randy and I hadn’t wanted to admit it. I had been too caught up in my puppy love for him and I had rebelled against anything anyone would tell me that didn’t agree with my plans for a future with him.
But they had been right and I’d had to let them know.
When I had gone to see them, my mom had cried. I had arrived on their doorstep without letting them know I was on the way. I had been terrified that they would turn me away but my mom had grabbed me and held onto me and my dad had told me that he had always known I would find my way back home.
When I told them about the baby, they had been shocked. I hadn’t expected anything else. My mom had asked if it was Randy’s baby. When I had said no, they had both seemed relieved. I had been a fool not to listen to them about who Randy was.
They had been worried about the tattoos and the hairstyle, about my wild side that was showing. But my mom had commented on how happy I looked, and for the first time ever I was able to agree with them. I could tell my mom she was right, I was happy. Delirious.
My dad had been skeptical about Laird at first. What kind of a man slept with a stranger and got her pregnant? But I had taken Laird to meet them a month later and they loved him.
My mom had told me that he was the man for me, that destiny had found it’s way. And I agreed.
“They’ll be thrilled that we’re getting married,” I agreed, thinking back to how my mom had told me I should hold onto a good man when I found him. I had told her there was no rush, we had our baby together. But now that we were engaged, even though it was only five month down the line, I wanted to get married as soon as possible.
“Do you know you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, sitting on the ground that day I found you on the trail, pouting like a child?” Laird said.
I swatted at him with my hand. “I was not pouting.”
“You were,” Laird laughed. “But it was the sexiest pout I’ve ever seen.”
I smiled and turned my head toward the window, watching the scenery slide by.
We drove to the cabin together where Laird was already working on the room for the baby, as he had received permission.
Everything working out the way it should, as if it was all meant to be. I put my hand on my belly and looked out of the window.
Destiny, I thought.
THE END
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