This Hick?

Chapter 73

CHAPTER 73

KAREN

T he moment I saw dozens of familiar faces grinning at me, I was floored. I couldn’t believe it. I had no clue they were planning this.

The decorations alone were enough to take my breath away, but the sight of my friends, both old and new, filled me with so much joy that it practically bubbled over. My heart raced, my hands flew to my mouth, and tears sprang to my eyes as I took it all in. They had done all this for me, for our little one. I never felt so wrapped in love.

I was the kind of person who shied away from being the center of attention. I preferred to be the one organizing and taking care of the little details. But this felt different. This wasn’t about being looked at. This was about being seen .

For the first time, maybe ever, I let myself be the center of attention.

Cassidy stood to the side with a grin as he watched me greet all my friends. He walked up to me after I had been adorned with a white tiara that said “Mommy” on it.

“You have fun,” he said.

“Wait, where are you going?”

He laughed. “Baby, I love you, but this is not for me. You and your ladies do the baby shower thing.”

“Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome.”

He grabbed Kenny and the two of them walked out the door.

“Let’s put our queen on her throne,” Lauren said.

“Oh my gosh! A rocking chair!”

I looked at the sash across it and nearly cried. It was our first bit of furniture.

I sat down in the chair and was immediately given a plate filled with goodies.

“Alright, first game!” Lauren declared. “Ladies, take your seats.”

I heard a shrill whistle and turned to see Lauren standing at the front of the room holding up a small white bottle. “Alright, ladies,” she said, “It’s time to put your diaper changing skills to a test.”

We all surveyed the miniature dolls laid out on a table with tiny cloth diapers next to them. The game was simple: whoever could diaper their baby doll the fastest would be declared the winner and given a prize.

“Karen, for every doll that isn’t diapered properly, you have to eat a spoonful of baby food.”

My eyes widened. “How is that fair?” I laughed.

“It’s not,” Lauren said with a devilish grin. “But that’s the name of the game.”

The rest of the ladies all giggled, taking their places at the table. “Alright, on your marks… get set… diaper!”

The room erupted into chaos. Dolls and diapers flew haphazardly as each woman hurried to perfect their diapering skill.

Rylee of all people managed to win. She whooped with delight, hoisting her perfectly diapered doll into the air as if she had just won Gold at the Olympics. She was awarded with a prize, a little gift basket filled with bath bombs and scented candles.

“Who knew I was a natural?” Rylee said. I was staring at the assortment of baby food jars lined up on the table.

“Are you ready, Karen?” Lauren asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she handed me a spoon.

“No.”

“Good, because you’re not going to eat all of these. Ladies, our next game begins now. Everyone pair up. One of you will be blindfolded and the other is going to feed you a bite. Your job is to guess what the food is.”

We played a couple more games before they announced it was time for gifts. I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of presents. I posed for a couple of pictures before I started opening gifts.

The first one was from Lauren, a beautiful hand-knit baby blanket in hues of soft yellow and white. I held it up to my face, melting into its plush comfort.

“This is beautiful,” I said.

“There’s a woman that knits these,” Lauren said. “I wish I could knit like that.”

Next came a series of practical gifts. Diapers of all sizes, stacks of onesies, and an assortment of baby toiletries. Rylee gifted us a high-tech baby monitor that I knew must have cost her a fortune. My friends were spoiling me, and more than that, they were showering my unborn baby with love before it even arrived.

Suddenly, an enormous box adorned with shimmering bows and wrapping paper was rolled toward me. It was from Jenny.

I opened the gift and found a beautiful crib made from polished oak, with intricate designs etched into the woodwork.

“Jenny! This is incredible.”

“Believe it or not, Ward picked it out,” she said proudly.

“It’s stunning. I love it.”

I cried happy tears more than once. Our baby was set up for the first year at least. There was very little Cassidy and I needed to buy the baby. Although that wasn’t going to stop us. We already had a very full online shopping cart. We were waiting to buy until we had a place to put it all. We were going to have to trim it down with this haul.

“Are you ready for another plate of treats?” Mary Ellen asked.

“Absolutely!” I said with a laugh. “I’ve been eyeing that table full of goodies.”

I made my way over to the table and scanned the many offerings. There were cupcakes with baby booties piped on in frosting, cookies shaped like rattles, and the most perfect little cake adorned with pink and blue sprinkles. I didn’t even feel guilty about indulging. I loaded up my plate and even went for the healthier offerings, cucumber and dill sandwiches and some fresh fruit.

We took endless, silly pictures. Rylee, Jenny, Lauren, Mary Ellen, and I were all grinning like a bunch of schoolgirls. There were photos of me holding baby shoes to my belly, posing with stacks of gifts, and stuffing a cupcake into my face. It was the perfect day.

The only thing missing was Cassidy.

I knew he was trying to give us a little space, letting the girls take over and enjoy the moment, but this was his baby, too.

I was halfway through a second cupcake when Cassidy walked back into the house. He was holding a small, powder-blue gift bag with sparkly pink tissue paper peeking out the top.

“Look what I found,” he said, coming over to where I was sitting. “Someone must’ve dropped this on the road. Thought it was too pretty to just leave out there, so I grabbed it.”

The women all looked at each other with innocent faces, too innocent. It seemed just a little odd they would accidentally lose a gift.

“Oh?” I said, taking the bag. “Does anyone want to claim this?”

But all I got in return were shrugs and muffled giggles. “I guess you’ll just have to open it,” Cassidy said.

I glanced up at him where he was perched on the armrest of my chair, smiling just as innocently.

I wasn’t an idiot. I knew they were all up to something. Obviously, it wasn’t anything bad. I reached into the bag and pulled out the tissue paper first and then peeked inside.

There was a tiny box, smaller than any baby item I’d received. The sort of box that immediately made me think of… no, it couldn’t be. Could it?

My hand was shaking as I pulled it out. The room fell quiet, like everyone was holding their breath. I was so focused on the box that I didn’t even notice Cassidy slipping off the armrest and kneeling beside me. I slowly opened the lid, my breath catching as the most beautiful diamond ring sparkled up at me.

A gasp escaped me as I looked down, wide-eyed, then back up to Cassidy. My heart was pounding like I was on the verge of falling over a cliff.

Cassidy was smiling. He reached out and took my hand. My other hand held the box.

“Karen, I’ve spent a long time thinking about what it means to love and to be loved. I’ve spent even longer learning that sometimes love isn’t something you’re ready for. You don’t get ready to love someone. It’s something you grow into. And every day with you, I’ve grown. You’ve shown me what it means to be loved in ways I didn’t even know I needed. You are the first person to make me feel truly loved.”

I squeezed his hand, tears threatening to spill over.

“You’ve been patient with me, Karen. You taught me how to love back, how to be the kind of man I want to be for you. The kind of man I need to be for this little one we’re bringing into the world. And I know I’ll only get better with age. Both in the looks department and in figuring out this whole love thing. I’m probably going to stumble here and there, but I will always get back up and dust myself off. And believe it or not, I’ll be a little smarter every time.”

I laughed through my tears, unable to stop a shaky breath from slipping out. The women around us held their breaths, watching with tears in their own eyes.

“Karen, will you marry me?” Cassidy asked, his voice dropping to a soft murmur as he held my gaze.

For a second, I could only stare, everything else falling away as my mind wrapped around the words. All the little moments we’d shared flashed through my head. All the late-night talks, the gentle way he held me when I was feeling vulnerable, and the fierce protectiveness he had for us. This was the man I wanted to spend my life with, the one who would walk beside me when things got hard. He would always find a way to make me laugh and to love me unconditionally.

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “Yes, Cassidy. A thousand times, yes.”

Cheers erupted around us. Cassidy took the ring from the box, slipping it onto my finger with a tenderness that made my heart swell.

As soon as the ring settled into place, I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close. His mouth found mine in a kiss that was filled with promise and love. He was everything I ever wanted.

When we finally broke apart, everyone clapped and cheered. I looked down at my ring. It felt surreal, like a dream I hadn’t known I wanted until it came true.

“I can’t believe you pulled this off. I mean, all of this?” I gestured to the decorations, the friends who’d traveled from all over, the mountain of gifts.

He shrugged, looking a little sheepish. “You deserved a day that would remind you just how loved you are.”

“You’ve reminded me every day,” I replied, squeezing his hand. “And you’ll remind me every day after this, too.”

Cassidy grinned, a bit of a challenge in his eyes. “Damn straight. Now I’m out of here. I will let you guys get back to your party.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” I said as he walked out the door.

As soon as he was gone, my friends descended on me, demanding to see the ring while congratulating me.

As they held my hand, inspecting the ring, I thought about how good it felt to hear the words from Cassidy.

“That’s all of us,” Mary Ellen said. “We’re all going to be married ladies.”

“When do we get to start planning the wedding?” Jenny asked.

“Let me catch my breath first.” But the truth was, deep in my heart, I knew I couldn’t wait. The thought of being Cassidy’s wife, of starting our own family together, filled me with such joy and anticipation it was hard to contain. “I’m approaching the beached-whale status. I would prefer not to have a shotgun wedding.”