CHAPTER 25
Ainsleigh
We’d been in wedded bliss for the past four weeks. I couldn’t believe that I was already four months pregnant. The last doctor’s appointment went great. The heartbeat was nice and strong. Gentry and I had talked and we’d decided that we didn’t want to find out the sex of the baby. We wanted to be surprised. Of course, everyone in my family hated the idea. They wanted to plan. My mom wanted to shop gender specific. Aspen just wanted to know because she hated the idea of waiting another five months. But we’d made the decision and we were sticking to it. I loved the idea of waiting with bated breath for the doctor to tell us what we had after we heard the first cry.
Today I was alone in the house, and I wanted to get something done so I felt like we were prepared to bring the baby home. Five months may sound like a long time, but in reality, it would pass by before we knew it. Gentry was helping with a last-minute tour since one of the weekenders had a family emergency. Aspen and Dylan were out having a couple’s day. And I took a deep breath as I gained the courage to walk down the hall to the room that remained sealed with a shut door.
It was time to pack up everything and get ready for this new baby. We’d never forget our precious Arabella, but it was well past time to remove these items. I went into the kitchen and poured a glass of water and pulled my hair back into a high ponytail, ready to get started. Gentry would have a fit that I began doing this by myself, but I wasn’t going to lift or move anything heavy. I grabbed some of the boxes that I’d gotten from the office and went down the hall. Once I reached the end, I turned to the right and placed my shaking hand onto the door handle. With a push of my wrist, the handle clicked and I pushed the wooden door open.
To my surprise, all of the furniture was in the center of the room and covered with sheets. All of the memento’s that were pink for a little girl were gone. A note was folded on the shelf that was still on the wall.
I picked up the piece of paper and opened the letter.
Ainsleigh,
I worked on this over the past few weeks. I hope you aren’t mad. All of Arabella’s things are in the attic for you to see whenever you feel the need. I have a painter coming by today and she will paint the mural you’ve been dying to get done. I wanted you to get everything you wanted for this nursery without shedding tears.
I can’t wait to bring this new baby into the world with you. He or she will be the luckiest baby alive to have you as their mother.
I love you.
Your husband,
Gentry
He didn’t succeed on me not shedding tears.
They flowed freely down my cheeks.
He was the kindest, most thoughtful man I knew.
He did this for me.
Part of me felt sad that I didn’t get to do it myself.
But he knew me better than I knew myself most days.
He knew this task would break my heart, and he did this so I wouldn’t have to get stressed.
Sometimes I thought he was too good to be true.
This moment would be one of those times.
Just as I went to wipe away the wetness from my face, a knock sounded at the door.
I took some deep breaths and collected myself before I went to answer.
Whoever was there knocked again just as I was about to reach the front door.
I peeked through the peephole and saw a woman whom had on overalls and paint splotches in her hand and opened the door.
“Hello. You must be the painter my husband told me about,” I greeted the guest.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Willow, and I heard you wanted a mural painted in your nursery.”
“Did my husband tell you what exactly I wanted?”
“He did, but then again he didn’t. He wanted you to give me the specifics.”
“I’ll show you to the room and tell you what I want when we get into the space,” I told her as I started toward the nursery.
She followed as she looked over the pictures on the walls.
“You have a beautiful little girl,” she said as she passed the pictures of Arabella.
“We did. Thank you,” was all I could say. I didn’t want to get choked up.
When we got to the nursery, I turned to face her and I could tell she wanted to ask or say something else, but she refrained. And I was thankful.
I went over with her the backstory of my family, only because I wanted her to understand the importance of this mural and the meaning behind it.
“I want to have horses grazing in a field during the sunset. I was going to go with a traditional storybook theme, but then I thought about it and I wanted something that he or she could grow up loving and possibly not want to change. That’s when the idea hit me. My whole family, including my husband, loves horses. And I thought this would be a great way to honor that love.”
“I love that story. And this mural will be beautiful. It’ll take me a few days to get it all done, but I can’t wait to get started. I’m going to go to the paint store in town and get all the colors I need. I can start today and work around any schedule you have in order to get it finished.”
She was a dream come true.
“That sounds perfect. I’m going to head into town too after I change to go shopping. Now that I don’t have to pack up the nursery, I’m excited to get started with finding the pieces that will go perfectly with the room. I’ll give you my number and you can meet me back here when you’re done.”
I changed into jeans and a fitted blue shirt to show off my small baby bump. I loved seeing myself grow with this little human being inside of me. Some women hated it or so I heard, but I embraced it. For now, that is.
The next three hours flew by. I couldn’t believe all the things that I found to fit the nursery. The cutest little mobile with farm animals. Wicker baskets with gold painted horseshoes. An antique wooden rocking horse. Farm animal sheets and bumper for the crib that matched the mobile perfectly. Tears filled my eyes when I envisioned how wonderful this nursery would turn out. Thank goodness, I had the Jeep with me because the backseat and the back were filled to the hilt with everything I purchased. I could barely contain my excitement as I got inside the vehicle and drove home.
Willow hadn’t called yet, and I began to wonder if she’d gotten caught up in the paint store that long.
Thirty minutes later, I arrived home to see that Gentry was home from the tour earlier than I thought he would’ve been, and Willow’s truck was in the driveway. The sneaky man probably had her call him so she could get started before I got back.
I shook my head at the thought and laughed to myself at the lengths this man would go to in order to keep me happy.
All the items remained in the Jeep as I walked inside the house. I didn’t want him to see me carrying anything overly heavy because he’d go all protective on me.
“I hope you’re ready to carry a boatload of stuff inside,” I called out as I kicked off my flip flops at the door.
He walked down the hallway and greeted me with a kiss.
“You went shopping?”
Like he didn’t know that already.
“I sure did. I couldn’t wait to get started on decorating. Plus, someone decided to pack up the nursery so I didn’t have to do it.”
“I’m sorry…” he started to say, but I cut him off with a tender kiss that I placed on his lips.
“Don’t apologize. I’m not mad. Thank you for doing that for me. I know it had to be hard for you to do alone,” I told him as I went to walk out the door to show him how full my Jeep really was.
I opened the back hatch and the back doors to the Jeep and stepped aside so he could see all the bags and items.
“You weren’t kidding, were you? I hope you didn’t load all of this up yourself?”
And there it was.
Mr. Protective.
“No, I didn’t. I had the store associates help me.”
“Good. I’d hate to have to punish you,” he said with a wink.
I’d like to see him try.
Without another word, he carried armful after armful into the house.
He sat everything in the living room floor until he brought the last item into the house.
“I think you’ve got it all covered with just this one load, from what I can tell by the number of bags,” he joked.
Not quite. He just didn’t need to know that.
I’d finish the final touches once everything was in place and the mural was done.
“The room is going to be perfect. I’m glad you went with the theme you did. It’ll fit for either a boy or a girl,” he said as we sat down on the couch.
I wanted to peek at the mural, but I refrained. I could wait to see the final product. Maybe.
I leaned into him and rested my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my forehead.
“What are you hoping to have?”
“A healthy, beautiful baby,” he replied immediately.
“No preference?”
I didn’t have one. A healthy baby would be perfect.
“Not at all.”
I wasn’t shocked at his answer. Most men wanted a son, but with our first pregnancy he wanted a little girl. He wanted to spoil her rotten and be wrapped around her little finger. Secretly, I wanted him to have that. But a son would be just as perfect as a daughter would be.
I rubbed my stomach as we laid there in silence on the couch.
For the past few weeks, I wanted to ask him something, but didn’t want to burst the happiness bubble that surrounded us.
“Do your parents know we’re married?”
“I don’t care if they do or don’t.”
He added nothing more, but I knew he spoke the truth.
“What about the baby?”
“Whether they do or they don’t doesn’t matter. The people who need to know were there and are in our lives. What they think or feel is irrelevant. I don’t want you to worry your pretty little head about them or what they think or know. I don’t miss them. I don’t want them anywhere near you or our baby. And if I have it my way, they never will be,” he answered.
Part of me wanted him to have his family back because they were his family. But they made their decision, and he’d made his. He wouldn’t back down with them, and they wouldn’t compromise for him. It was sad, but he didn’t seem bothered. His mother was vicious, but she was still his mother. But he was right about one thing. I didn’t want them around our baby any more than he did. I’d never forget the hateful words that woman spoke to me for the rest of my life. And I would never forgive her for them either.
I took his advice and pushed it to the back of my mind and settled further into his side. My eyes closed, and I enjoyed the peace and quiet that settled between us.
F ive days came and went, and Willow finally finished her masterpiece. She texted me earlier today that she’d made the final touches and locked up the house before she left. I was thankful that my day was almost done so I could rush home to see what she’d done with the room. I looked up pictures she’d posted of her prior work online, and they were stunning. I knew this nursery would be just the same.
To pass the time this week, I washed everything that needed to be washed and set it aside for when I could place them in their rightful place in the nursery. Every day I wanted to go in and peek, but I didn’t.
The moment the clock struck five, I closed down my computer and shut down the office for the evening. The minutes seemed to tick by since I’d gotten her message earlier in the day.
Gentry met me outside at my truck looking sexier than ever in just a pair of jeans that were covered in dust and his boots. His white t-shirt wasn’t white anymore, but nothing a good wash wouldn’t handle.
“Hey there, handsome,” I said as I greeted him before getting into my Jeep.
We rarely drove his truck anymore since we went to the same place every day.
“Hello there, beautiful,” he replied with a laugh as he climbed into the driver’s side.
“You in a rush to get home?” he asked as he backed out of the parking spot.
“Don’t play with my emotions, Gentry Parkhurst. You know why I want to get home,” I warned as I turned and gave him a stern look to let him know I meant business.
“I’d do no such thing,” he laughed as he ever so slowly drove down the driveway.
“You can go faster, and you know it.”
“I don’t want to hit a bump and shake you and the baby.” He tried to sound concerned with a hint of laughter in his tone.
“Horseshit. You’re being mean, and you know it.” I glanced over to the speedometer to see that he was only going eight miles per hour.
“You’re going slow on purpose. Eight miles per hour. Really, Gentry? Not funny at all,” I huffed as I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Alright. Alright. Miss Impatient. I’ll stop playing around.”
I knew he’d see it my way.
Finally, we made it home. I opened the door of the Jeep, not caring if it shut behind me, and raced inside.
“Wait for me,” I heard from behind me, but I didn’t slow down until I reached the nursery room door. Willow had shut it before she left so when we opened it we could take in the room all at once.
Gentry appeared behind me with a huge smile on his face as he nodded for me to go inside. His hands were placed in his back pockets, and I wondered if she’d already sent him pictures of the room.
I opened the door and gasped at the sight.
I noticed the ceiling first.
White, fluffy clouds covered the whole top of the room.
She’d painted the wall opposite of the door and the wall to the left entirely. More than I thought she would do. I was only expecting her to paint the wall the crib would be placed on. Not both walls.
Pastel colors covered both walls. A tree was painted in the corner of the room. The branches spread out on both walls. The top branch ended just above the window. She’d given me just what I asked and then some. The tree had a swing on the wall to the left of the space.
Chickens, cows, ducks, and horses filled walls along with a barn that was painted right above the crib. The barn door was open with a horse peering out looking like it was watching over the baby that would sit inside the crib. Horses grazed in the field along with a couple of cows just like I’d asked. A pond where ducks swam was on the other side of the window. She’d done so much more than I asked.
She even situated the furniture just where I’d pictured it would go.
“This is more beautiful than I imagined it would be,” I said as Gentry came around to kneel in front of me.
He lifted my blouse and kissed the tight skin of my stomach.
“Your room is so perfect. It’ll be even more perfect once you’re inside of it. I can’t wait to meet you, little one,” he whispered to my stomach.
He rested his head on my stomach, and I caressed his scalp as I tried to picture this room filled with toys and our little one.
Moments later he stood and pulled me into his arms.
“Thank you for giving me this. Thank you for loving me. I can’t wait until this baby is born,” he said as he rested his forehead against mine.
Damn hormones had me crying in no time.
Especially when he said such sweet things like what he just did.
“No tears. This is a happy day,” he said as he wiped them away.
“They’re happy tears. I never thought I’d have this again, and I can’t picture my life any different than it is right now,” I told him honestly.
“You deserve this. We both do. Never doubt that.”
With him by my side, it was hard for me to doubt anything. My fears had lessened, but they were still there. Day by day they faded a little more.