Chapter 32 #2
“I didn’t know what to expect. I went to your house prepared to pack my things and walk away forever, but also hoping we could figure things out.”
“And what if we had broken up? Would you have told me about the baby?”
“Not right away, but I would’ve told you. I would’ve let you be a father to our baby. This little peanut couldn’t ask for a better daddy and I’d never keep you from him or her.”
I lean down and press my forehead to hers. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze my eyes shut. I can't believe how much Oliver Sinn almost took away from me.
“Thank you for being so amazing. For taking care of my little girl like she’s your own, even when you were hurt so bad. Thank you for protecting our little peanut and giving me the opportunity to be a daddy again. I love you, Win.”
“I love you too.”
When we get home, Winnie brings me the little gift bag I got from her destroyed SUV. She holds it out between us and I carefully take it.
“Open it.” She motions towards it.
I tug out a picture frame with spots for two images. One is an ultrasound and the other is an image of Tali. Across the top of the frame it says ‘We have the world’s best daddy!’ engraved into the metal.
“You were going to tell me that night, weren’t you?” I whisper, letting my fingers trail over the image of our little baby.
“Yeah. I had been waiting for the frame to be engraved. I just had to pick it up before you got home. We were in the store for less than five minutes, Jamie. I really didn’t think it would be a big deal.” Her voice trails off and there’s so much remorse in her words.
“It wasn’t. None of it was your fault, sweetheart. Oliver Sinn’s the one who screwed up and now he’s going to pay for it.”
“What do you mean?”
She slowly lowers herself onto the couch next to me and waits for me to explain.
“I'm suing him. I'm tired of paparazzi pulling stuff like this and not being held liable. I'm waiting for my lawyer to call me back, but I have a feeling you being pregnant will make the charges a little more severe.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Yes, I do. It will make it clear to every slimeball in the world to stay away from you, Tali, and our baby. I refuse to stay quiet about this, Win. If I have to splash our family across every magazine in the country, I will. I’ll stop at nothing to protect my family.”
“Thank you.” She lays her head on my chest.
“I have something I want to show you. Do you want to see it now or later on? You just have to go down the hall and into Tali’s room.”
“Now. Then maybe we can take a nap?”
“That sounds like a great idea.” I kiss her knuckles before we both stand and we walk hand in hand down the hallway.
I push open Tali’s door and Winnie lets out a gasp.
There are three photos hanging on Tali’s walls.
One is a photo of the three of us from the picnic at Owen’s house.
Olivia did an amazing job at taking these photos.
I’ve been waiting for them to get printed and they were delivered the day after the accident.
I asked Smithy and Wheeler to come over and hang them up while I took Winnie to the doctors. They’re still in the backyard with Liliana and Tali. They were giving us some time to settle in since we got home.
Under the large canvas, Smithy painted the words ‘My Family’.
On one side of our family photo is one of Winnie with Tali in her arms. They look like mother and daughter.
It’s weird how many similarities they share in their features.
Smithy painted ‘Mommy and Me’. On the other is Tali and me with the words ‘Daddy and Me’ under it.
I love all of the photos and I’ve already texted Olivia telling her I want another photoshoot when the baby is born.
I plan to cover the walls of our home with pictures of our happy family.
“I have more photos to hang, but I wanted to see where you’d like them.”
“Jamie, I love this.” Winnie runs her fingers along the bottom of the canvas, her eyes watering as she takes in the words below them.
“She looks like your daughter,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around her from behind.
“She really does. I didn’t realize we looked so much alike.”
“Does she know about the baby?” I can’t imagine Winnie telling her before I found out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if something was said at the hospital in front of her.
“Not yet.”
“I think we should go tell her.”
“Really?” Winnie peeks up at me.
“Absolutely. She’ll be so excited.”
A big smile spreads across Winnie’s face and she interlaces our fingers as we head outside to meet our daughter and friends.
“Is everything ok?” Liliana asks as soon as she spots us. I'm not sure if she knows about the baby, but even if she found out first, I couldn’t blame Winnie.
“Everything is great.” I smile as I place my hand on her stomach. Liliana’s eyes go wide and she lets out a squeal. I motion for her to calm down and call Tali over.
“Guess what, Tali Girl.” I lift her into my arms so she can see both of us and Winnie doesn’t need to bend over or squat down.
“What?”
“You’re going to be a big sister. Mommy’s having a baby.”
Winnie holds out a picture from the ultrasound and Tali’s little forehead crinkles as she looks from the picture to Winnie and back.
“Baby?” She asks slowly.
“There’s a baby in Mommy’s belly.” I place my hand on Winnie’s stomach again, hoping Tali will understand.
We’ve never referred to Winnie as Mommy before, but I think it’s about time we start.
“Win-Win Mommy?” Tali glances at me.
“Yeah, Win-Win is your new mommy and she’s having a baby.”
“My baby?”
“Yes, sweetie. You’re going to have a baby brother or sister.” Winnie brushes the hair away from Tali’s face. I didn’t tell her I want Tali to refer to her as mommy from now on, this is all being sprung on her. A tear slips down her cheek, but she’s happier than I’ve ever seen her before.
“I love Mommy.” Tali leans forward and hugs Winnie.
“I love Tali,” Winnie whispers.
“I love Daddy and baby too.” Tali tries to put her hand on Winnie’s stomach. I'm not sure if she fully understands what’s going on, but she seems to.
“How far along are you?” Lils speaks up first.
“Ten weeks.” Winnie brushes the moisture from her cheeks and glances at our friends.
“Jeez, is the baby ok after the accident?” Smithy runs his hands through his hair.
“Yeah, we just had another checkup. Everything is ok right now.” I pull Winnie into my side and press a kiss to her head.
“Winnie was a rock star that day. She protected both of my kids even with her life on the line. I’ll forever be grateful for what she did.
She’s an amazing mom and I couldn’t ask for a better mother to my children. I couldn’t ask for a better wife.”
“You’re getting married?” Wheeler’s brows furrow as he watches us. I'm not sure if he thought he had a chance or if he just didn’t know yet. “And you’re pregnant?”
“Jamie proposed when I showed up on his doorstep to talk… Wait, how did you already have a ring?” She pulls away from me and stares up at me.
“Because I was planning on asking you the day after the accident. I had a romantic evening planned and Liliana was going to babysit Tali so we could have some time alone.”
Liliana nods her head, confirming I really was planning on proposing before all of this happened.
“It wasn’t just because you felt bad?” She blinks up at me.
“Is that really what you thought?” I arch a brow.
“I'm not sure what I thought. I just… I didn’t think about it.”
“Baby, I love you. I think I’ve loved you since the first day you watched Tali. She was so happy with you and I realized you were exactly what our family was missing.”
“You guys are exactly what my life was missing,” she whispers.
I lean down and press my lips to hers. I don’t care if we have an audience or if Tali’s in my arms. I'll show the woman I love how much she means to me whenever I want to.
Tali presses a kiss to my cheek, then to Winnie’s, making all of us chuckle.