Chapter 53
CHAPTER 53
NORA
I chew on the end of my pen and stretch my back from side to side as I read over my latest diary entry.
This one is all about my last ultrasound—Scarlet convinced Dr. Snider to do a few extra, given the trauma I went through.
James is absolutely perfect—from his heart rate to his measurements.
Scarlet says he’s a wiggler and that I should feel him move any day now.
Which is annoying, since my pregnancy book says most first-time moms feel their baby by twenty weeks, and here I am a whole two weeks past that, and haven’t felt a thing.
Wait a minute…
I freeze in place, focusing all of my attention on my belly.
No way…
I toss my diary to the side and hold my breath, hoping like hell this isn’t just wishful thinking.
Minutes that feel like hours pass, but then, sure enough, my belly ripples like someone’s popping popcorn inside of it.
“Atlas!” I grab his hand and place it on my belly.
“What?” he asks, still halfway asleep.
“The baby!” Excitement and disbelief pulse through me in equal measure.
“What about the baby?” he asks, panic edging the sleep out of his voice.
“I can feel him!” I literally feel like I’m floating, I’m so happy.
“He's moving.”
His focus lasers in on where I placed his hand. “I don't...”
“Shh. Just wait.”
We both sit in silence, holding our breath as we wait for James to move again.
“There!” I glance his way. “Did you feel it?”
“Holy shit!” His voice is tinged with awe. “That's—that's our baby?”
“Yeah.” I nod as tears fill my eyes.
“Fuck.” That single word somehow encompasses every single emotion rocketing through me.
“I know.” I rub the space our sweet jellybean was just kicking. “It's so surreal to feel him... I can't even describe it.”
Atlas abruptly rolls away from me, grabbing something from his nightstand. “I can.”
He rolls back toward me with a small velvet ring box in his hand. “It feels like the start of forever. Like the rest of our lives. Like every good thing that ever was or ever will be. I love you, Nora. I love you more than I can put into words.”
“Atlas,” I whimper, already knowing but somehow not daring to believe where this is going.
“Shh, Pip. Let me try.” He flips open the box revealing a sparkling oval cut diamond on a gold band. It’s simple, yet perfect. “Marry me, Pip. Let's make this thing between us official.”
I don't mean to laugh at him, but I do. “We’re official no matter what. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” He grins as he plucks the ring from the box. “I know. Doesn't mean I don't wanna see this on your finger, though.”
I hold my left hand out to him. “Then make it official .”
“Are you saying yes?”
I roll my eyes.
“C'mon, Nora. Put me out of my misery. You know I need your words, pretty girl.”
“Yes, Atlas. Yes. A million times over, in this life and the next. Yes. I'd be honored to be your wife and to spend forever with you by my side.”
He slides the ring onto my finger, and we both take a minute to admire it. “You've made me the happiest man on this planet. You know that, right?”
“If you're the happiest man, I'm the happiest woman. You've given me a life I never thought I'd have. I'm... God. ” I use the sleeves of his hoodie to wipe away my tears. “I'm so thankful for you, for your persistence. Your patience. The way you love me is what dreams are made of.”
He darts forward and presses his lips to mine, sealing his proposal with a kiss.
“I love you,” he murmurs again before pulling away. “And now that you’re wearing my ring, there’s something else I want to talk to you about.”
“Okay…” I hedge, suddenly unsure. What could he possibly want to talk about? We should be celebrating.
He suddenly looks nervous—like he's not sure how whatever he's about to say is going to go over. “I've just... I've been thinking about my last name.”
I blink at him and then slowly nod. “What about it?”
Atlas reaches forward and takes both of my hands in his, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing over the band of my ring. “I don't want you to take my last name.”
“What?” Surely I heard him wrong. Not that I think a woman has to take her partner's last name; I think people should do whatever works for them. But he's definitely thrown me for a loop. “I... I don't understand.”
He sighs. “I guess this might fall into the me acting like an overbearing ass category, so please know if you're not into it, I won't mind.”
“I can't tell you how I feel, because you still haven't actually told me anything.”
His lips curve up into the smallest of smiles. “I think I should take your last name instead. The Wallace name isn't something I want to pass down to our son. My dad's legacy should end with him.”
“I...” A fresh round of tears blurs my vision as I try to find the right words. “Do you mean that?”
“With all of my heart. My father put you through hell, and he doesn't deserve the honor of having any part of our family or our future, even in name. I know it's unorthodox, but...”
I launch myself at him. “I love you, Atlas Morgan .”
He catches me easily, positioning us so we both lie on our sides, forehead to forehead. “Sounds good, am I right?”
“It sounds perfect. Like it was meant to be.”
“Fitting.” He darts forward and kisses the tip of my nose. “Seeing as we're meant to be. You really are my whole heart, Nora. Without you, there is no me.”
“Well, that's a little dramatic.” I giggle, but Atlas is as serious as I've ever seen him.
“It's not dramatic, Pip. Before you, I wasn't living—I was merely existing. But you, you've given me a purpose. Now I know why I'm on this earth. Loving you is my entire reason for being. Do you believe me?”
I can feel my heart knocking against my ribs, a steady thump-thump-thump, as I take in the man before me. His face is open and honest—he truly means every word he's saying. And that's absolutely enough for me.
“I do.”
He groans. “Can't wait to hear you say those two words for real. Maybe wearing a white dress, in front of our friends.”
“Name the date and place, and I'll be there,” I say with a wink.
“Depends. Do we want to get married before or after James is born?”
I tap my index finger against my chin as I mull it over. “Both.”
He lifts his brows. “Both? What does that mean?”
“It means I want us to do the legal stuff before he's born so he can come into this world with us all sharing the same last name, but I want to hold off on the ceremony until he's born. I know it's dumb, but I want him to be a part of it, even if he'll only be a baby.”
“It's not weird.” Atlas cups my cheek, and I can't help but nuzzle into his warm calloused palm. “It's perfect.”
“You mean it?” I ask, even though I already know he does. He's honest to a fault.
“Yeah, Pip. I mean it. Now, let's go tell Ellis the big news.”
“Are you going to ask him to be your best man?”
“I was thinking flower girl.”
Laughter explodes out of me. “He'd so do it. He's been showing me these videos of guys doing just that. Says they're called flower dudes.”
“Oh, shit.” Atlas releases a deep chuckle. “Maybe we better stick to best man then. You gonna ask Scarlet?”
“Yup.” Who else would I ask?
“Here's to hoping those two can get along long enough for us to say our vows.”
“I think they might surprise you.” It's like I tried saying to Ellis the other day, the line between love and hate is razor thin, after all.