Sixteen
SIXTEEN
Mia
I felt like I’d been in a perpetual state of happiness all day.
Technically, it had been days I’d been feeling so good, and it would have been difficult not to be so happy when I’d just had the best weekend of my life.
It was all thanks to one man.
The constant state of joy began on Saturday when Brock came over to my house to have lunch, build a crib, eat dinner, and watch movies with me. He had gone well beyond the call of duty that day, giving me far more than just a built crib in the end.
The good vibes continued when I woke in my bed the next morning, knowing I hadn’t walked there myself. Of course, it was possible that pregnancy brain was impacting me, but that seemed a bit too far-fetched. And fortunately, I realized I wasn’t losing my mind entirely when I descended the stairs for breakfast yesterday morning and saw Brock’s sweet note waiting there for me.
I thought I’d get a reprieve on Sunday afternoon from the utter bliss I’d been feeling and have some time to try to settle down, but apparently, I wasn’t done receiving all that I was meant to have. Because once I walked over to Brock’s to get my key after I ate breakfast yesterday, we had a chat about the movie I’d fallen asleep during. That discussion led to Brock reminding me he didn’t have any side work that needed to be done that day and ultimately asking if I’d like to spend the day with him.
It didn’t seem to bother Brock that I needed to get some grocery shopping done, quickly volunteering to be my chauffeur, and taking me wherever I needed to go.
So, that’s what we did.
We also had lunch together while we were out, went for a walk around the neighborhood when we got back, enjoyed dinner on my deck afterward, and closed out the evening by watching one of Brock’s favorite movies, which was a clear departure from the romantic comedies from the night before.
The entire day had been unbelievably fun, and best of all, it was casual between us. I hadn’t felt one ounce of awkward tension between us, and I really did my best to just lean into how great it felt to have someone in my life with whom I enjoyed spending my time.
And now, it was Monday, and I’d just turned onto my street after leaving work. Even without having seen Brock all day today, I hadn’t managed to come down from the high of the weekend.
Maybe that was the result of the weekend being just that good, or it could have been the prospect of seeing Brock when I got home. It was entirely possible it was a combination of both, but I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Brock was responsible for the way I’d been feeling lately.
As I made my way down my street, I saw Brock’s truck at the end of his driveway. My heart started beating a little faster, and the smile on my face grew.
When I pulled my car to a stop at the end of my own driveway and got out, I was even happier that Brock seemed just as thrilled to see me as I was him.
“Hey, Mia. How was work today?”
“Great. Very productive. How was your day?”
As I made it to my mailbox, where Brock had also stepped closer to, he answered, “That’s a great word to describe it. Productive.”
I smiled brightly at him. “Can’t complain about that, am I right?”
“Absolutely. Are you still up for a walk today?”
Even if I wasn’t physically up to going for a walk, which thankfully, wasn’t the case, there wasn’t a chance I was going to turn him down. I wanted to spend as much time with Brock as I could.
Nodding, I confirmed, “Yep. I’ll just need to get myself a snack, and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Perfect. Hey, by the way, I wanted to ask you about something,” he said.
I tipped my head to the side, eyeing him with curiosity. “Sure. What’s up?”
“We can talk about it on the walk, but Izzy finishes school this week. I talked to her and my brother while I was on my way home from work, and when I asked her if and how she wanted to celebrate it with me, she said she wanted to take a trip to the beach this weekend. Of course, she asked if you would be free to go with us, so I told her I’d find out. Do you happen to have any plans for Saturday? And if not, would you like to join Izzy and me on a trip to the beach?”
“Yes. Yes, I’d love to go,” I bubbled, the excitement spilling out of me before I could contain any of it.
Brock laughed, and I wondered if he thought I was being silly, or if he thought I was too eager. He never indicated either way. Instead, he returned, “Izzy is going to be thrilled when I call back to let her know.”
“Well, you tell her that I’m just as excited as she is,” I urged him.
“I will.”
I inclined my head, grabbed my mail out of the box, and said, “I just need five minutes to get inside, get changed, and grab a snack. Then we can go for this walk and plan the fun for this weekend.”
“Sounds good.”
Without another word, Brock and I returned to our vehicles and did what we had to do to get ourselves ready for our walk together. Five minutes later, we met outside and took off.
And by the time we returned to our homes, it had been determined.
I was going to take care of packing sandwiches for the beach trip, and Brock would be responsible for the snacks. And together, we decided that we’d use this trip to reveal the news of my pregnancy to Izzy.
It was safe to say, I might have been more excited about Izzy’s final week of school than she was, because I couldn’t wait for another weekend of fun.
When the knock came at my door early Saturday morning, I was practically bursting with giddiness.
I darted from the kitchen to the front door as quickly as I could and pulled it open to reveal two faces I adored smiling back at me.
“Are you ready for the beach, Mia?” Izzy asked, her jubilance unmatched.
I beamed at her. “I can’t wait. I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since your uncle asked me to go with you.”
“Uncle Brock and I got everything packed in the car, so we’re ready to go,” she informed me.
“Well, I don’t want to delay us any longer,” I replied. “Do you want to come in and help me carry the things I packed to the car, so we can get out of here and get our toes in the sand as soon as possible?”
Izzy didn’t hesitate. She stepped inside and moved right past me. I lifted my gaze to Brock’s and found him looking as happy as Izzy and I felt.
“Good morning, Mia.”
There was something sweet and slightly seductive about the way he said those three words. I could feel the flush creep over my skin.
“Good morning, Brock.”
Before he had the chance to say anything, Izzy’s hand reached for mine and gave it a tug. Brock and I sprang into action, and before I knew it, we were on the road and heading out for a day of fun.
We’d barely departed from the neighborhood when I turned in my seat, looked back at Izzy, and said, “Congratulations on finishing school. Are you excited for your summer break, or are you already missing your friends?”
“Hmm. Well, I’m really excited about summer, because Daddy said he has a lot of fun things planned for us. And I know Uncle Brock will do fun things with me, too. But I am a little bit sad about not being able to see my friends, especially Billy.”
Brock growled his displeasure at his niece’s response. I glanced at him and felt a jolt of sympathy for him. He adored this girl, and she was certainly testing him, even if she didn’t realize it.
Returning my attention to Izzy, I insisted, “I’m sure the summer is going to fly by, and before you know it, you’ll be back at school with all of your friends again.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Oh, can you turn this song up? It’s one of my favorites.”
As I turned around in my seat again, Brock turned up the radio. And for the next few minutes, we drove along listening to the music and the sweet tender sounds of Izzy’s singing.
And it was during those moments when it hit me.
I wanted this.
I wanted what this day represented.
Sure, I was merely on a friendly day trip with my neighbor and his niece, but I liked how it felt.
My mind drifted, and I quickly found myself dreaming of a future with Brock, imagining what it could be like. Would we have this? Would we have impromptu days of fun at home like we did last weekend, or would we plan trips out to places like the beach like this?
The sense of longing that washed over me was almost enough to have me bursting into tears. At one point, Brock looked over at me, and there was a clear look of concern in his expression. Whether it was because Izzy was there or he already knew what was going through my mind, he didn’t ask me to elaborate on what I was feeling.
Instead, he sent a sweet smile my way as he reached across the center console, curled his fingers around my forearm, and offered a gentle and reassuring squeeze.
I had no verbal confirmation that Brock understood what was happening inside my head, but his physical gestures indicated he knew enough to know I needed something. And he didn’t hesitate to give it to me.
Yeah.
It was no surprise I longed for this.
For a man like him.
Or maybe, just him.
Someone who cared more about the person they were with than themselves. I’d made a lot of choices in my life. Many of them were good, some were great. And I’d made some not-so-great choices, too. I didn’t like to think about having regrets in my life. Things happened the way they did, and overall, I believed I was precisely where I was supposed to be. But if there was one thing I could unequivocally say I had no regrets about, it was Brock. My life was much richer having him in it, even if I’d never have him in all the ways I wished I could.
My thoughts, Izzy’s singing, and a few fun conversations later, we’d arrived at the beach. It was a gorgeous day—not too hot, but still too cold to find ourselves needing to cool off in the water. Plus, being right on the coast, there was a nice breeze, which made it feel like the perfect spring day.
For the first two hours after we stepped onto the sand, the three of us simply relished being where we were. Izzy was keen on finding shells and running toward the water. We all stood in the wet sand, allowing the waves to crash at our ankles before the water drifted back from the shore. Izzy got the biggest kick over our feet sinking into the wet sand.
Eventually, we made our way back to the area where Brock had set up a chair for me and a big beach blanket for him and Izzy. They played in the sand for a while, building castles and using the beach toys he’d brought along for her. And when lunch time had arrived, we were all eager to fill our bellies.
“So, what do you think, buttercup? Has this been a fun day so far?” Brock asked her as I worked on pulling out the sandwiches I’d prepared.
“The most fun. I wish we could come to the beach every day,” Izzy declared.
Brock chuckled. “I can’t say I disagree with you on that. We’ll have to plan another trip here later this summer.”
“I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself here, Izzy. I hope I can make this day even more fun with some surprises I’ve got for you,” I said, joining the conversation.
“I love surprises!”
Pulling the sandwiches out of the bag I’d packed, I held them up and said, “I made special peanut butter sandwiches. There’s no jelly on them, but I did add something special. I hope you like it, but if you don’t, I packed a regular one for you just in case.”
“Did you cut it into a shape, too?” Izzy asked.
“I did. I knew how much you liked that, so I got some cookie cutters earlier in the week. I didn’t find any butterflies, though.”
Izzy took the sandwich from me, while Brock took the other. She inspected it and announced, “It’s a seashell.”
I smiled brightly at her.
“What about yours, Uncle Brock? What shape did you get?”
Although I didn’t doubt Brock knew exactly what it was the moment he saw it, I loved the response he gave to his niece. “I’m not sure. What do you think it is?”
Izzy didn’t need much time to figure it out. “Those are sunglasses.”
“Oh, you’re right. How could I have missed that?”
“And here’s mine,” I said, holding it out for Izzy to see.
With a bright smile on her face, she said, “It’s the sun. These are perfect for our day on the beach.”
“I’m glad you think so. Now, tell me what you think about what’s on the inside,” I urged her.
Izzy didn’t hesitate to lift her sandwich to her mouth to take a bite. It was clear to see she immediately recognized there were slices of banana in her sandwich, but it took a few extra seconds for her to realize there was something else there. The moment it happened, her eyes widened in disbelief. “It’s peanut butter and bananas and chocolate.”
“That’s right. Do you like it?”
Izzy answered by eagerly taking another bite.
Brock and I laughed. “They’re sweet, but not the same kind of sweet as you get with jelly.”
“I love it.”
For the next few minutes, the three of us ate our sandwiches in a comfortable silence. We exchanged several sweet smiles and watched as the waves crashed along the shore.
Izzy was nearly finished with her sandwich when she asked, “What’s the other one?”
“The other what?”
“Surprise.”
Right.
I had mentioned I had a couple of surprises for her. Since I’d already given her the sandwich, there was only one thing left to share. “Okay, well, this surprise is one that you’ll have to wait a bit for. I hope I can make another trip here to the beach with you and your Uncle Brock before the summer is over and you have to go back to school, but depending on when that’s planned for, I might not be able to come.”
Concern washed over Izzy’s sweet face. “Why not?”
My eyes slid to Brock’s briefly. All I could see staring back at me was warmth and encouragement. So, I returned my attention to Izzy and shared, “There’s a baby in my belly, and he or she is supposed to be here at the end of August, right before you’d start school again.”
Concern turned to curiosity, which turned to understanding. That realization turned to excitement in a matter of one or two seconds. “There’s a baby in your belly?”
Nodding, I confirmed, “There is. And if the baby comes early, I might not be able to make another trip here with you.”
Izzy took a few beats to consider the possibility and quickly came up with a resolution. “Uncle Brock and I can come to your house to help you take care of the baby instead of coming to the beach.”
My heart was instantly full to bursting at her declaration. “I would love for you to come over to do that. Don’t you think you’ll miss the beach, though?”
She shrugged. “We can come back next summer with the baby.”
It was that simple.
Izzy might have been five years old, but she was such a smart, well-adjusted kid. Her logic and reasoning skills amazed me.
“I think the baby would love that,” I told her.
“And we’ll do our best to make another trip here before it gets too late in the summer, so we don’t have to worry about Mia missing out,” Brock added.
Izzy seemed to be more than satisfied with that option, and I couldn’t say I was upset about it, either. I loved that Brock was willing to plan another trip here earlier in the summer, so Izzy wouldn’t miss out and I could join them.
After Izzy finished her sandwich, Brock pulled out some snacks he’d packed. And while we finished eating, Izzy asked no less than half a dozen questions about the baby—whether it was going to be a boy or girl and if I knew what I was going to name him or her yet. She offered up some suggestions of her own, which were adorable.
It wasn’t long before we were back to enjoying the rest of our day on the beach together. We ate, laughed, played in the sand, and even went for a walk along the beach.
We had the best time.
In fact, we’d had so much fun, we got caught up and lost track of time.
Before we knew it, we were back in the car, heading back home, and Brock had called his brother to let him know we’d be arriving a few minutes past the time Chris had been planning to pick up Izzy.
Following a fun-filled drive home—one that made it impossible not to have the same thoughts I’d had on the way to the beach—we pulled into Brock’s driveway. Another vehicle was already there, waiting for us.
As we pulled around that vehicle, Izzy practically squealed from the back seat. “Daddy’s here!”
Though I loved it for her, my heart squeezed. The way things were now, my baby would never be able to say those words. It was devastating.
Doing my best to ignore that, I joined Brock and Izzy in their efforts to get out of the truck. And the next thing I knew, Izzy was reaching for my hand and leading me toward her dad.
“Daddy, look. This is Mia.”
He chuckled, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as Brock walked beside us with the laughter spilling out of him.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mia. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Chris.”
He extended his hand to me, so I lifted my free one to it. “It’s lovely to meet you as well. You’ve certainly come up in conversation a few times, too.”
Chris released my hand, diverted his attention to his daughter, and asked, “Did you have fun today, princess?”
“I had so much fun.”
Before Chris could respond, Brock chimed in. “Yeah, we got a little carried away with the fun today, and we lost track of time.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. As long as you all had a good time, I’m happy. But we do need to get going now, because I’ve got a surprise celebration for Izzy tomorrow that we need to make sure she’s had a good night’s sleep for.”
“Oh, that sounds exciting,” I said.
“I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do.”
“Well, then you better get home, so you can have some dinner, get a bath, and get ready for bed,” Brock told her. “How about a hug before you go, buttercup?”
God, the name he had for her melted my heart.
Brock crouched down and held his arms out to Izzy. She stepped close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“What do you say to Uncle Brock for taking you to the beach today?” Chris asked.
“Thank you for taking me to the beach.”
“You’re welcome, Izzy. We’ll plan another beach trip soon, okay?”
She pulled her face back from his neck and nodded. Once he let her go, Izzy turned and wrapped her arms around my thighs to hug me. I reached down, my hand landing on the middle of her back, and offered a gentle squeeze. “I had so much fun with you today, Izzy. I can’t wait for you to come back to your uncle’s house for another visit.”
“Me, too.”
As soon as Izzy loosened her hold on me and stepped back, her dad reached his arms out to her and lifted her. “Ready to go, princess?”
She yawned as she nodded.
The three adults laughed before Chris said, “Thanks for taking her out for a day of fun today.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Brock insisted. “We had a blast.”
Chris turned and moved to get Izzy strapped into her seat. Once he closed the door, I waved at her. She waved back, and Chris moved to the driver’s door. “It was nice meeting you, Mia.”
“You, too.”
His eyes slid to the side. “Brock, I’ll talk to you later.”
Brock dipped his chin. “Yeah. Later, Chris.”
Moments later, Chris was backing out of the driveway as Brock and I stood there watching. And it was no surprise I couldn’t stop my thoughts from drifting once more to what I wanted for my life.
I wanted to be able to stand beside a man I cared about, a man who cared about me, after a day at the beach together with his niece. I wanted to stand in the driveway of a home we shared together, watching and waving, as his niece was being taken home by her father. And I wanted to do all of that while knowing the man beside me would be having dinner with me before we curled up on the couch with a movie.
“I think she enjoyed herself,” Brock declared, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Oh, um, yeah, Izzy definitely had a great time.”
“What about you?”
I grinned at him. “I had a wonderful time. Thank you for inviting me to come along.”
He returned the smile. “Tired?”
Nodding, I answered, “A bit.”
“Hungry?”
“Yep.”
“How about we order something for dinner, so neither one of us has to think about cooking anything now?”
So, Brock might have been the man standing beside me. Maybe he wasn’t technically mine, but he was certainly making it impossible not to fall for him.
Whether too tired to decline the invitation or a glutton for punishment, I didn’t know. But I didn’t hesitate to respond. “That sounds magical.”
He laughed and urged me toward his house.
And I felt flutters in my belly that had nothing to do with the baby moving.