EIGHT MONTHS LATER
I hate him for doing this to me. He's the worst man ever. I wish I never met him.
Nurses are moving around me in a strange calm state, while all I'm doing is panicking. This hurts more than I could have ever imagined. I wish I could channel some of the pain into him so that I wouldn't have to bear it on my own. My nails dig into his hand. I'm purposely trying to injure him. It's a hateful thing to do, but I don't feel too loving right now.
“Push.” The doctor is standing between my legs, and I barely even notice he's there.
“You're doing great, baby,” Anders tells me, though his voice is filled with stress. He's beside me, playing the good boyfriend, but it doesn't please me.
“I hate you. You're such an asshole for doing this to me,” I scream as another contraction literally rips through me.
“Don't worry. They all say that,” one of the nurses says to him with a wink. The fucking bitch is flirting with him right in front of me. In the delivery room. While I'm having his baby. If I could climb off the delivery table and claw her eyes out, I would. All I can really do though is lay here and cry and push and pray for it to be over.
“Almost there,” the doctor encourages me. “I see the head. Just give me another good push.”
“You're doing great, baby,” Anders repeats like a broken record.
“You said that already,” I yell at him. He doesn't cower away. I doubt he's even paying attention to me. His eyes are glued to my vagina and the baby trying to come out of it.
I scream in pain as I push with all of my might, slamming my head against the pillow as if it will make things easier. It doesn't. This is the hardest thing I've ever done before.
Anders' hand goes limp in mine, and I turn my head just in time to see him faint. Oh geez. You'd think he's the one having the baby.
One more push, and the room is filled with the sound of an infant crying. Relief washes over me, and the pain dies down into a dull numbness. I lay back and breath, listening to the sweet music of our child crying. An intense warmth is taking over me. Love. Love the likes of which I've never felt before. And when the doctor places our daughter into my arms, all I see is her. The pain and stress and anguish were all worth it for this one moment in time. I just wish Anders was conscious to share it with me. But even he doesn't matter much right now. Everything in my world revolves around this one tiny little girl.
***
It takes a while for the nurses to get Anders up and moving again. Watching the birth was just too much for him. Now we're in my hospital room, and he's sitting next to me while little Blair Ann wraps her hand around my finger.
“She's so tiny.” I'm still lost in a state of surreal bliss. It completely blows my mind that the two of us brought this precious life into the world.
“She's got your gray eyes.” Anders smiles, rubbing the top of her hand.
“And your nose.” I would poke at it if she didn't have such a good grip on my finger.
A knock at the door startles us, and we both turn and see Evelyn peak inside. She squeals when her eyes land on the baby, barging in with Martin on her tail. Anders is forced to retreat to a chair as she comes to fawn over the baby. I allow her to hold Blair while Martin gives Anders a congratulatory pat on the back.
“She's so beautiful. I hope our little girl is just as precious.” Evelyn looks through Blair down at her bulging tummy. She ended up getting pregnant only three months after I did. It's nice to know that our kids will grow up together. Hopefully, they'll be just as good of friends as we are.
“Are you looking forward to all the sleepless nights and diaper changing?” Martin asks Anders sarcastically. He doesn't exactly seem thrilled about it. Perhaps seeing our baby reminds him of how close that time is for him.
“I think I can handle it,” Anders lets out a short laugh. I hope he can handle it. He doesn't have any choice.
“Did you guys stick with Blair?” Evelyn asks.
“Mhm.” I nod. “Blair Ann.”
“What a beautiful name. You don't mind if I steal her from you for a little while, do you?” She casts a backwards glance at the chair in the corner. I can't help but smirk. Her maternal instincts must really be kicking in. She's always loved kids though.
“I guess a few minutes wouldn't hurt.” In truth, it feels weird being separated from Blair. Even though I've only know her for a few short hours, it feels wrong handing her over to someone else. This is something I'm just going to have to get used to. My parents are on their way, and I'm sure they'll want to hold her a lot too.
“She'll be fine,” Anders reassures me. He stands up, and I expect him to come kiss me, especially since he's been so affectionate lately. Instead, he drops down to one knee beside my hospital bed and pulls out a large black box from his pocket. I think I'm going to have a heart attack when I see it, though my mind quickly flips back to reason when I realize it's too big to be a ring box.
Evelyn has a similar reaction, gasping and then looking confused. She pushes herself to the edge of her seat to watch what's going on. Only Martin is grinning, staring over Anders' shoulder.
He opens the box, and inside is two pieces of jewelry. The first thing I notice is what appears to be a small silver cuff bracelet. Laying in the center of it is a gorgeous engagement ring with a huge round diamond. As I realize that he's about to propose, a knot forms in my throat.
“Tessa.” He looks up at me. “I haven't always been the best man to you. We had a rocky beginning, but I wouldn't have wanted to go through it with anyone else but you. There are things that I'll always regret, and I'm hoping that you'll let me make it up to you for the rest of my life.
“I love you. I love Blair. And I want us to be a family. Will you marry me?”
I try to fan the tears away from my face, but they're coming anyway. The thought that he planned this out is just overwhelming. “Yes,” I practically choke.
As he climbs back up onto his feet and takes the ring from the box, Evelyn asks, “What's the bracelet for?”
He doesn't even look at her, too busy sliding the ring on my finger. “It's for Blair. I had the ring custom made, and I decided to have a bracelet made for her out of the same metal used for the ring. That way, this day would always be linked for both of them through the jewelry. Of course, she won't be able to wear it until she's older.”
“I love it,” I gush, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him to me for a passionate kiss.
“Aww, that's so sweet,” Evelyn chirps at us before turning her attention to Martin. “You should be taking some notes from Flash Lightning.”
“Flash Lightning?” Anders straightens himself and cocks a brow at her.
Evelyn and I both laugh at the same time. We've all known each other for so long, and he's never heard of the pet name. There's no point in disclosing it to him now.
“It's an inside joke.” Evelyn saves me from having to explain.
“And I'm the butt of it, I guess.” He rolls his eyes, though I can tell he's taking everything with a light heart.
I smile contently up at him. Thinking about where we started, I honestly never imagined we'd end up like this. Being with Anders was a pipe dream, a fantasy made reality, and it certainly wasn't all rainbows and butterflies.
Stephanie was right. He destroyed me for a time, but we rebuilt each other, and now I think we're better than ever. Ever since I moved in with him, things have been almost perfect. He finished his contract at The Billionaires Club and wiped his hands clean of it. I quit my job at the mall, and instead of finding employment at a library, Anders hired me to do office work for him. Our offices are only one room apart, so now I don't worry about him anymore. We spend almost all of our time together, except for the occasional evening when he goes out with his friends, or I go out with Evelyn. Over these past several months, we've really learned to communicate better and trust each other. I couldn't be happier.
And now we're getting married. It's a staggering thought. A baby and a proposal all on the same day. Maybe fairytale endings do exist.