30. epilogue
epilogue
Nora
Two years later…
I stare down at the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter in disbelief. I try closing my eyes and peeking at the test again to see if I’m imagining things, but that only seems to make the lines deepen.
“Brooks?” I call out. When he doesn’t immediately answer, I assume he’s still out in the front yard, loading boxes of my ceramics onto the shelves we’ve set up outside. We’re having a tent sale this afternoon to clear out my inventory.
I take the pregnancy test with me and wander with slow, dazed steps into my studio. Our house is half-packed already, and I have to sidle past boxes of our things set to be loaded onto a moving truck and taken to a storage unit in a few days.
After five great seasons with the Seattle Stormbreakers, Brooks’ agent negotiated a killer contract with the Utah Archers. We talked about it for weeks, weighing the pros and cons of moving our family to a new state and all that would entail. It was a moment of bravery for both of us when we said yes to a new adventure. A fresh start for all of us. It feels like leaping into the frigid ocean all over again: a little bit crazy, but oddly refreshing at the same time.
I’ve got the window in my studio open so the brisk breeze can draft into the space while we pack things. The soft morning light is filtering through the curtains as they flutter, dappling across the prints of photos Brooks has taken since we’ve been married. There are candid captures of me and Ollie, cityscapes and landscapes, and even a few shots of our garden and the trees lining our backyard that I found to be too beautiful not to display.
I love this room. It’s where we had our (second) first kiss and where I started my now-thriving business. After we got married, I was glad that Brooks agreed that we should keep my home in Kitt’s Harbor. We bought a second small home in Seattle so we could be close for home games at Boeing Park. Both homes are stamped with proof that we live and love well, and knowing that our family is growing makes me sit in wistful nostalgia of the happy life we’re living right now.
But things are about to change for us. Big time.
“Did you need something?” Brooks sweeps into the room, his steel-blue eyes making my already nervous stomach flip. He’s got his hat turned backwards on his head and a week’s-worth of stubble growing on his cheeks. We’ll be married for two years in April, and I still never tire of calling him my husband.
“Yes,” I say slowly, hiding the pregnancy test behind my back. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
His eyes pinch, and he frowns with concern. “What’s going on? Are you still feeling sick? You can go lay down and I’ll get the rest of the stuff set up.”
“You’re very sweet,” I say, beckoning for him to come closer. “I need to show you something.”
He takes three strides to close the gap between us, looking worried. “Did Ollie break something again? I’ll have a talk with him when he gets back from–”
“Brooks,” I say softly, slipping the pregnancy test around so he can see it. “Honey…I’m pregnant.”
“ What? ”
He takes the pregnancy test from me and stares down at it, open-mouthed.
“Are you sure?” he asks in awed disbelief.
“Those lines are clear as day,” I laugh. “We’re having a baby, honey.”
He kisses me, and I melt into him. I meet his gaze as he pulls away, and watch the corners of his eyes wrinkle as he grins. Then he kneels down, right there on the studio floor, and tugs me towards him by my hips before pressing a soft kiss to my belly.
“I can’t believe this,” he says, rising to his feet and kissing me again. “We’re having a baby.”
I can already picture Brooks cradling a tiny baby in his arms. My heart swells at the knowledge that this time, I won’t be carrying, delivering, and caring for my child all by myself. I’ll have Brooks beside me every step of the way. I cling to him even tighter.
We both stare down at the pregnancy test again. Proof that I’m carrying new life. Proof that Brooks and I are as crazy about each other now as we were when we were seventeen.
Proof that with a little time, a lot of patience, and a lot of mistakes, even the most fragile hearts can heal.
“Good thing our new house has a third bedroom,” he says into my ear, sounding shocked. “I never would have thought I’d be playing for the team that caused me so much grief, let alone having a child in Utah.”
“I never thought I’d be married to the sexiest baseball player in the sport and carrying his baby, but here we are,” I say, linking my hands behind his neck and kissing him again.
I hear the creak of the front door as it opens. It must be Ollie, back from playing with some of the kids in the neighborhood.
“Let me help you finish packing up your studio, and then, I’ll take Ollie to grab some lunch for you so you can rest,” he says. “Roman owes me a free meal at the diner, anyway.”
Roman runs a tight ship, but he always makes sure Booth Six is available for us when we come in to visit.
“I won’t say no to that,” I sigh, letting him hold me.
“Hey, you,” he says, tipping my chin up so I meet his gaze. He’s practically quivering with happiness. “I’ve never been more excited in my life.”
“I’m going to remind you of that when you’re holding my hair back while I’m puking.”
“Bring it on, girl,” he grins. “I’m ready.”
Brooks answers the door and brings Ollie into the studio to see me.
“I’ve got something to show you, Ollie,” I say, kneeling down in front of him. Brooks goes down on one knee, too, propping Ollie up on his leg. Both boys look at me in expectation, their blue eyes and dark hair giving them an uncanny resemblance, despite their lack of shared blood. My throat knots as I look between them.
“So…you know how I’ve been feeling sick the past little bit?” Ollie nods. “Well, I thought it was some kind of stomach bug, but just to be sure, I took a pregnancy test this morning.”
“A what test?” Ollie asks.
“I’ll show you,” I say, lifting the pregnancy test up to his line of sight. “See these two pink lines right here?” he nods. “Those lines mean that I’m pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” he asks, looking confused.
“I have a baby in my belly,” I explain, feeling a flutter in my gut at the realization that another tiny human is already growing inside me. It’s the most profound kind of miracle.
“It means you’re going to be a big brother,” Brooks adds.
Ollie gasps, his mouth dropping open and eyes glimmering with excitement.
“You’re gonna have a baby?” Ollie asks, pressing his palms to his cheeks.
“That’s right,” I say. “You’ll be the best big brother ever!”
And he will. I know it.
Ollie stands and flings his arms around my neck. Brooks wraps his arms around the both of us, and we stay there, kneeling on the floor in a family hug that makes tears streak down my cheeks.
“I love you, boys,” I say, kissing them each in turn.
Ollie starts chattering about whether or not the baby will be a girl or a boy, and how he’ll be a big helper when the baby comes. I have no doubt that he will.
Brooks enlists Ollie’s help to carry the rest of the boxes out to the front yard for the tent sale with a pep in his step and a light-filled smile on his face. I’ll give him ten more babies if it means I get to see him happy like this again.
The afternoon passes in a silvery haze. I greet our friends and neighbors who come by to stock up on their favorite Noli goods in person for the last time. I carefully wrap plates, mugs, cups, paint palettes, and vases, knowing my hand-crafted treasures are going to be well taken care of. Every time Brooks catches my eye, we share a secret smile. Elated at the private knowledge that our family is growing.
Knowing that we would soon be saying goodbye to Seattle, living in Florida for spring training, and then moving to Utah for the start of baseball season was already filling me with a mixture of emotions. Adding pregnancy on top of all of these changes fits the bill for my life since I met Brooks. He continually eases me out of my comfort zone and helps me embrace change. It all somehow feels manageable with him by my side.
After the sale is over, I pause in the doorway at the front of the house, watching my two boys working together to take everything down. I place a hand over my belly and rub my thumb absently back and forth.
This is it. All I ever wanted is right here within my reach. I’ve got my own little house (well, two technically, but soon it will be one again). I’ve turned my passion into a successful business so I could do honest work I’m proud of. And above all else, I’ve got a beautiful family of my own to love and learn from.
And a secret shelf in our bedroom closet stocked with Fruit by the Foot and Bubblicious bubblegum.
THE END