Yes, having a baby was an absolute blessing. I was making a life inside of me, and it was actually crazy to think that just having sex could do that. That the meeting of a man and woman’s bodies acted in such a way that created another human life.

But with that life, came a lot of moving parts. Getting the right car seat and crib, having them set up correctly. Buying the right clothing and washing it all before the baby came. Reading about labor and setting up a birthing plan, what was going to happen if there was an emergency or if things didn’t go according to schedule. Thinking about going back to work and when, and who would cover my clients in my absence.

One of my biggest projects was the nursery, and right now, I simply couldn’t get it done. Because some of the other miracles of pregnancy were nausea, exhaustion, the frequent need to pee, and forgetfulness. When I could even muster the energy to work on the nursery, I found that I was tired within five minutes, and I gave up to go lay on the couch.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved being pregnant. I loved knowing that in just a short month and a half, we’d have our baby girl here and life would be completely different than what we knew of it now. But it bummed me out that she was going to be here so soon and I had nothing ready.

“Carson, can you bring me a glass of iced tea?” I yelled from the couch, my new home base.

My boyfriend had been a saint, fetching me whatever I needed and putting up with my requests for late night foot rubs.

He walked into the room, and even swollen and tired like I was, it amazed me that I could still feel those familiar stirrings in my core looking at his handsome face.

“Actually, you’re going out for a little.” His smile held something suspicious in it.

“What are you up to, Cole?” I didn’t move from my spot on the couch.

“Well, I know you’ve been tired and feeling kind of um … weighted down, so I thought you might like a nice spa day. My mom is coming over to take you.”

While it was very nice, I was still suspicious of his motives. “Well, I would like a nice pedicure, but I’ve got my eye on you.”

To be honest, I didn’t really feel like moving off of this piece of furniture, but a pampering day would be kind of nice. Maybe Jaclyn would spring for facials …

* * *

Three hour later, Jaclyn navigates the road back to our house.

“Thank you so much for this, I didn’t realize how much I needed a pedicure until I couldn’t reach my toes anymore.” I laughed at how swollen my belly was.

She placed a hand on my own that laid in my lap. “You don’t need to thank me, honey, you needed it. And I am happy to have some bonding time with my girls.”

Her endearment makes me a little weepy; she’s been extremely supportive and motherly during my pregnancy. She has turned into the parent I no longer have, and I’m eternally grateful for it. She’s answered every question I’ve had, no matter the intimacy, and has dropped by with dinner or to take me somewhere to get out of the house.

“I can’t wait for this girl to be here.” I rubbed my belly like it was a magic genie lamp.

I couldn’t wait to meet her, but right now, I also kind of liked having her all to myself. Like it was a secret we shared, me and her against the world.

“We can’t either. You should see the little nursery room Mickey has set up at our house, he’s going to love on that child like no other.” She chuckled, and I knew she was still so smitten with her husband.

I only hoped that Carson and I could be that in love when we were their age.

Getting out of the car was a struggle, and so were the steps up to the front door. I loved this little girl, but man was she getting heavy. I couldn’t imagine waiting another month or so to bring her into the world.

“Before we go in, Blake, I just wanted to say …” Jaclyn paused, and her eyes went soft. “I didn’t know if it was a good idea when Carson first came home, you two together. I was worried for my boy, and for how much he still loved you. You have to know that it was only ever you for him.”

I cut her off, because I needed to. “And even with all of my anger, he was always it for me.”

She nodded. “I’m glad he didn’t heed my warnings. You two … the stars collided when they put you together and I don’t know two more well matched people. It’s fate, Blake … I know you see that. I’m just glad the past is behind you, that you can focus on the future together and find love in a place that most thought it didn’t grow anymore.”

Tears clogged my throat and I powered through them. “You’re going to make me a crier and I was never a crier.”

We both laughed and I opened the door, excited to see both of my boys. One handsome, the other hairy.

Rhett came scrambling towards me, careful not to jump up on my belly. He seemed intrigued by my growing size, and I couldn’t wait to see how funny he was with the baby when she got here. I had a feeling he was going to be a great big brother.

“Hmm, maybe Carson went out?” I didn’t hear anything inside the house, which was odd because on Sunday he was typically lounging around watching sports.

“Maybe he’s upstairs.” Jaclyn shrugged and walked ahead of me, towards the hallway that housed the bedrooms.

I have no idea why she’d suspect he was there, actually … I don’t think she’d ever been to this part of our house. But here she was, pushing open the door to the nursery and walking inside.

“Jaclyn what …”

The sentence dies on my lips as I take in the room. And complete shock rockets through my body.

Where there used to be white walls littered with paint samples, there is now a design. Where there were boxes filled with crib and changing table parts, there are now pieces of beautiful off-white furniture assembled as if our baby girl were going to sleep in here tonight. Pictures hung from the walls, and a small bookcase filled with children’s classics sat at the far end. A plush white glider that my body was begging to go to sat in the other corner, and a rug adorned with the alphabet filled the floor.

“What in the world?” Shock still buzzed through me as I turned to see Carson and Melissa standing at one end of the nursery, beaming.

Carson moves toward me, his hands reaching my arms and rubbing up and down. “You work so hard at everything you do, and I know you’ve been struggling to get this done. I wanted to give you the perfect gift, give our child the most perfect room. I hope you like it.”

Looking at the crib with a silly grin on my face, I noticed another detail that I hadn’t when I’d entered the room. The walls were pale pink, one of the shades I’d picked out. But on the entire back wall, the one that the crib rested against, there were white stenciled horses from the ceiling to the floor.

Horses that I’d designed.

“Melissa …” I’d breathed, pointing to the wall as tears streamed down my face.

She held her hands up. “Guilty … I am so guilty. Those cartoon horses I asked you to design were never for our kid’s brochures or coloring books. Carson asked me to sneakily have you mock them up so we could do this special feature wall for you.”

The cartoon horses that my daughter would look up at did me in, and I couldn’t help but burst into tears. These people were really making me a crier.

“How did you,” I had to pause to hiccup, “get this done so quickly?”

Carson’s arms wrapped around my shoulders. “I admit, it was more than just the two of us. I may owe the guys at the office some favors. And it turns out that my dad is a whiz with a paint roller.”

All of these people had come together to give me and our family such a special gift, and I kind of couldn’t believe it. I’d gone from a recluse, a lonely woman trying to make it by herself, to someone who had an entire family of friends that cared and wanted to help. It still got overwhelming from time to time, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Plopping down in the plush white glider, which was really as comfortable as I expected, I sighed. “This is so perfect, I can’t imagine her nursery looking any different than this.”

Jaclyn walked the room, pointing out different things to me that I hadn’t inspected. The Harry Potter quote posters on the wall, designed like pages torn out of a book. The record player with a few choice records sitting next to it.

She picked one up and put it on, and Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland” began to play.

“I’m going to spend all of my time in here.” I closed my eyes and nodded along with the melody.

“But I’ll miss you in bed.” Carson swoops low to my ear and says this for only me to hear. I shiver in anticipation of the present I’ll give him tonight.

“Thank you. Both of you. All of you. You will never know how much I love it.”

Suddenly, two little feet began excitedly kicking at the walls of my stomach.

“And apparently, this little one says thank you too!” I laughed, pointing to my stomach.

Three pairs of hands all reached for me, eager to feel their favorite new person move.