Chapter 68
Sixty-Eight
Tedi
I had to get out of Tweetie’s condo, so I went to the coffee shop that everyone loves, got a tea, and people-watched for a few hours. Tweetie texted to tell me he was delayed after practice, so he wouldn’t be home for a while anyway.
I have no worries over whether Tweetie will be happy about this baby, but I wanted to be by myself to come to grips with it and what it all means.
What will our life be like with a baby? We don’t even know where we’re going to live at this point. And being pregnant and then a new mother is going to make it more difficult to get a new venture off the ground.
My hand falls to my stomach, and I rub my still-flat belly. I admire the families walking by the window, some looking a little frazzled or tired.
The longer I sit here, the more I feel ready to conquer this next step of my life. Especially with Tweetie. Sure, we haven’t had a lot of time on our own since we’ve gotten back together, but we have years behind us where we traveled and had time alone.
My phone dings on the table, and I pick it up, seeing a text from Tweetie.
Where are you? I’m home, and you’re not. :(
I laugh and type out a quick response.
Right around the corner. Do you want a coffee?
Just you.
My insides flutter.
On my way.
Hurry.
I take one last sip of my tea, dump it in the trash, and leave the coffee shop.
When I get to The Nest, I type in the security code, not even bothering to tear down the handwritten sign. Let those girls think they have a chance. What’s wrong with a little hope?
I climb the stairs, wondering what this will be like with a baby carrier. Probably not ideal.
I open the condo door and don’t see Tweetie in the main room. “For someone who says they missed me and wanted me to hurry, where are you?”
“In here. Sorry.” Tweetie steps out of the doorway of his bedroom, and he’s wearing that mischievous smirk I love.
My stomach drops as I wonder if he found the test. But I stashed it way in the back of the cabinet under the sink. There’s no way he found it.
“What’s going on?” I narrow my eyes.
“What? I can’t be excited to see my girlfriend?” He breaks the distance and hugs me, tucking his face in my neck and inhaling. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
He kisses the hollow of my neck and tugs me by my hand into the bedroom. “So I got you a gift,” he says, and I see a wrapped box on the bed.
“Oh, how nice.” I pick it up and sit on the bed. “Do you want me to open it now?”
“Yes.” His blue eyes are wide and expectant.
My head tilts. “You’re acting weird. Is this some prank or something?”
“No. It’s just something I’m excited to give you.”
I study him for a few seconds, then tear off the paper. “A journal.”
He grabs a similar one from the dresser. “It’s a matching one to mine. Brand-new ones to start our brand-new life together.” He hands me his, putting it on top of the one he got me. “I got you some fancy pens too.”
I smile. “I love them.” I go to hand his journal back, but he straightens and takes a step back from me.
“Flip through it, make sure you like mine before you rip open the cellophane on yours.”
“I’m sure I’m going to love it,” I say.
“Make sure.” He nods toward his, so I do what he says.
I thumb through it, but I notice writing on the first page, so I stop and open it fully.
It has today’s date on the page.
Today, I asked her to marry me…
I lift my eyes off the journal and find Tweetie on bended knee, a ring box in his hands.
“No,” I say, shaking my head.
He draws back, hurt flashing across his face. “What?”
“You found out?” I don’t know how he found the pregnancy test, but he doesn’t have to do this just because we’re having a baby.
He lowers the box and sits back on his heels. “Found out what?”
“Oh, you didn’t? You don’t know?” Excitement builds inside me, like fireflies sparking to life when it gets dark.
He blows out a breath, forehead creased. “Know what, Tedi?”
I wave my hand. “Nothing. Carry on.” I cross my legs and wait with a smile and joy in my heart, but Tweetie just stares at me. “Here, let’s start over.” I pick up the journal. “A journal, I love it. Oh, you want me to read yours. I’d love to.” I put my journal down and pick up his, opening it to the first page with his handwriting on it. “Oh, Tweetie, you didn’t…”
He doesn’t move, just staring at me.
“This is where you’re on bended knee with the ring.” I motion to him with my hand.
“This isn’t a play, Tedi. Tell me what’s going on.”
I rock my head back and my shoulders slump. “I just ruined your entire proposal.”
“You’re dodging. What piece of the puzzle am I missing?”
I cover my mouth and stand, overcome with excitement. “Hold on, let me get something.” I walk out of the room but come back and point at the bed. “You sit.”
“So now I’m a dog. Great.”
I go to the bathroom, and of course the pregnancy stick is still where I shoved it. He never saw it. I’m the worst girlfriend ever.
When I walk back into the room, Tweetie is sitting with the ring box clasped in his hands, his eyebrows raised all the way to his hairline.
“What is going on?” he asks with exasperation.
I walk up to him, and he opens his legs, letting me slip in between them. “Are you ready?”
“Tedi,” he seethes.
I bring the pregnancy stick out from around my back and put it right in front of him.
The ring box drops to the floor with a thud, and Tweetie looks from the stick to me, then back to the stick. “This is yours?”
I nod.
“How?”
I shrug.
“When?”
“I’m pretty sure it was that first time when you came to my apartment.”
“How long have you known?”
“A couple hours. I took the test today.”
He takes the stick from my hands and stares at it. “A baby?”
“Yeah.” Tears well in my eyes. “Which explains why I’ve been so emotional lately…”
He winds his arms around my waist and brings me toward him, hugging me hard and kissing my stomach.
I brush his hair away from his face. “You okay with it?”
He picks up his head and rests his chin on my stomach, those baby blues glittering with unshed tears. “Are you kidding? I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
“Good.” I kiss his forehead.
“You thought I knew this and that’s why I was proposing to you?”
I shrug. “Not the entire reason, but…”
He reaches between us, and I back up to allow him to pick up the ring box. “No reason to replay the scene.” He pats his lap, and I sit.
“It was really cute. I loved it.”
He shakes his head. “I had a whole speech about the first time I saw you, but honestly, I’m so thankful that you made that fuck-it bucket list because had you not, we might not be right here, together. So, please marry me because I really want to sit by your side when you tell our grandkids how you met their grandpa.”
“Tweetie!” I smack his shoulder, and he laughs, popping open the box.
“You still have to answer.”
“Yes!”
He chuckles. A beautiful cushion-cut diamond on a silver band sits in the middle of the black velvet box. “I was going to have my number engraved, but…”
I hold out my left ring finger, and he takes it out of the box. “I wouldn’t have minded.”
I hold up my hand and admire the way the ring sparkles under the lights.
“One last question,” he says.
“What?”
“What do you think of Chicago?”
I turn to him and tilt my head.
“Turns out Bud Caldron got fired and they still want your boy.”
“Really!”
He nods, and I squeal, tackling him to the bed. My lips fall to his, and I kiss the only man I’ve ever loved.
“Whoa, the baby.” He slides me off him.
Oh boy. It’s going to be a long nine months.
But I’d have it no other way.