Chapter 57
Gabriella
“Let me help you with those,” offered Juliet as she held out her hand, her fingers wiggling as if to say “gimme.” I handed her the several pink, blue, and floral bags I had accumulated on our morning of shopping for baby girl. She strung them up her arm like Christmas lights.
“Thanks,” I said, feeling the relief of not having the extra weight of clothes and toys.
It felt like I had grown even bigger since last weekend at Sandy and Greg’s wedding.
Everything felt heavy and uncomfortable, but it was all worth it.
I rubbed my bump tenderly, reminding myself I was in the home stretch.
Just a few more weeks until our daughter was born.
“You okay?” asked Juliet cautiously, stopping mid-stride and running her eyes over me like some sort of visual doctor’s checkup.
I waved her off and nodded. “I’m fine. I promise.”
I knew, since the emergency trip to the hospital, she worried about me.
She had been there through the whole thing.
It felt so long ago though, and I hadn’t felt the dizziness or weakness again.
A lot had changed since then. I didn’t have my entire life to stress over.
Everything had worked out, though that part was hard to believe.
I had to convince myself that people had happy endings, instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Well, let’s head back to your place anyway,” suggested Juliet, looking both ways as we crossed the street toward Central Park. “I think you’ve bought out the whole city.”
I laughed. I had maybe gone a little overboard. I wasn’t the only one though. Chandler had been doing a bit of online shopping. It seemed like we had a delivery a day. I playfully accused him of shopping and not working while he was in the office, which he laughed off in denial.
As Juliet and I entered the park, the trees hung tall, brown, red, and orange leaves falling in clusters and floating to the ground below.
I bundled up my knit cardigan tightly as a cool breeze blew toward us.
We were well into fall, and soon winter would be upon us with its snow flurries and chill.
Another reminder of just how quickly time was moving.
I had insisted on walking home after our morning of shopping, knowing a little exercise was good for me and the baby. We cut through my usual corner of the park near a stone bridge and emerged just across the street from the tall glass building I now called home. I stared up at it as we approached.
“A far cry from our little brownstone,” said Juliet, her gaze following mine up the several stories to the top where I now resided.
“You could say that again.” I laughed softly.
We entered the expansive lobby and strode for the elevators, our shoes echoing on the dark marble floors. Juliet readjusted the bags on her arms as we stepped inside the gold doors that had slid open at the press of a button. Here she was, helping me again.
“Thanks again.” I smiled at her and nodded toward the proof of our shopping spree hanging on her. The way I said it, it was about more than just carrying a few shopping bags.
“Of course.” She nodded knowingly before cracking a smile. “Besides, this is my workout for the day!” She lifted her arms and struggled to flex, which made us both laugh.
As the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, I did a double-take before stepping off the elevator.
The place was covered in pale pink roses.
Vases adorned every table and lined the walls and pillars.
There were matching balloons hanging from the ceiling with curled white ribbon hanging down like rain falling.
I looked at Juliet, who stood back and smiled coyly, before nudging me forward.
As soon as I stepped into the entryway, my ears filled with the sound of “Surprise!” as Chandler popped out of the kitchen, followed by all of my loved ones appearing out of various spaces of the apartment.
It was like a game of Wack-O-Mole, as more familiar faces peeped out and smiled at me excitedly.
Juliet strode past me and set the shopping bags aside, joining Chandler.
The two of them proudly smiled at each other and then back at me.
They were triumphant in the surprise they had pulled off for me.
It all made sense now. Juliet had insisted we go shopping this morning, stopping at my favorite tea house first and then hitting all the baby boutiques she could think of.
We had been gone for a few hours, giving Chandler time to transform the apartment into a pink dream.
I pointed between the two of them and shook my head.
Chandler laughed out loud and strode toward me, pulling me into his arms, which always felt like home.
I nuzzled into his chest and breathed him in, the familiar scent of his sandalwood bodywash entering my nose, making the rest of the party temporarily disappear.
“Welcome to your baby shower,” he whispered into my hair.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, tearing my face away from his chest and taking another look around the room.
Servers in white, crisp uniforms had emerged from the kitchen holding silver trays of delicate pastries and charcuterie bites, as guests began to mingle.
To the left of the couch stood a table draped with a pale pink tablecloth and a large number of presents stacked on top, overflowing with delicate tissue paper and colorful bows.
Against the back window was another larger table in the same tablecloth, adorned with a beautiful cake decorated in frosted pink roses and pearl sprinkles.
Tiered trays of desserts accompanied it on either side.
“You really outdid yourself,” I said, looking up at Chandler’s handsome face that looked down at me expectantly.
“I had some help,” he said, looking up and nodding at Juliet, Sadie, and Erika, who approached with big smiles on their faces. They squealed as they pulled me into a big hug.
“You girls had something to do with this?” I asked, raising a playful brow, realizing I hadn’t introduced Chandler to Sadie or Erica yet, but it seemed like I didn’t have to. They had already met and come together to put this together for me.
“Of course we did!” They smiled back at me.
“We are so happy for you,” said Sadie with a beaming grin.
“He’s great,” said Erica, looking to Chandler who had wandered off to mingle with some guests.
“I’m glad you think so,” I said giddily, even though I was blinking back tears.
This whole thing was so special, but the fact that some of the most important people in my life had come together for me made me emotional.
I thought back to crying on my bathroom floor, thinking my life was over as three positive pregnancy tests stared back at me.
Little did I know, life was just beginning.
“Sweetheart,” gushed my mother, as she walked toward me with her arms wide open, tears already in her eyes.
There was no holding it together now. I let the tears fall as she pulled me into a hug.
My friends dispersed, leaving us to have this moment.
My father walked up behind her and pulled us both into his arms, which only made me cry harder.
He pulled away and looked down at us both, his eyes crinkling at the outer corners as he smiled. He wiped away our tears.
“My girls,” he said softly. “All my girls.” He placed his hand gently on my bump.
“Someone is here to see you,” my mother said excitedly as her eyes darted around the room. Finally, they landed on someone and my eyes followed. I sucked in a breath as I saw my grandmother slowly walking toward us as she gripped her cane, a huge smile on her wrinkled face.
“Mee-Ma!” I cried out, rushing toward her. I pulled her into a gentle embrace before pulling away to get a good look at her. She looked radiant, even in her old age.
“Surprise,” she said, her voice wavering.
“When did you…? How did you…?”
“Your father came to get me on his jet late last night,” she said.
I shook my head in disbelief. This day just kept getting more and more special. My feelings were overwhelming.
“I can’t believe it…” I shook my head, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I can’t believe you bagged that playboy over there,” she said with a coy smile.
“Mee-Ma!” I giggled. She was still cheeky at the ripe age of eighty-five.
She let out a hoarse laugh before making her way to a nearby server for a glass of prosecco and a flaky croissant that made my mouth water.
I grabbed one from a nearby tray, thanking the server, and looking around the room.
I took a bite, the buttery layers tasting heavenly as I took in everyone who had come to celebrate.
There was Erica, her husband, Marco, and their daughter, Josie, munching on desserts near the large window that overlooked the park.
There was Sadie, her husband, Jeremiah, and their daughter, Ayah, playing peekaboo on the plush rug of the living room.
Greg, Sandy, my mother, and father were laughing and sipping on cocktails near the bar.
It seemed like they had hit it off, which made me smile to myself.
“Sparkling cider?” asked Chandler, as he stepped up beside me holding a champagne glass of bubbles.
“Thank you,” I said, standing on tiptoe to give him a kiss. “For everything.”
“Of course, babe,” he said, stroking my cheek with his thumb.
I leaned my head against his shoulder and saw Juliet greeting someone at the door.
She looked nervous, tucking her long blonde hair behind her ears and straightening her flowy, floral dress.
I had never seen him before, so my curiosity was piqued.
If she had brought him to an event like this, then things must be getting serious.
I was surprised she hadn’t told me about him yet.
I didn’t want to pressure her when she already seemed nervous, so I stayed put. We would talk later.
The rest of the baby shower was filled with silly games of the men chugging beer through baby bottles.
Nathan won by a landslide, while Chandler looked ridiculous holding this tiny bottle in his big hands, trying to drink from it.
Everyone had to guess how big my bump was by cutting a strand of ribbon.
My mother came the closest, with Erica in a close second.
We looked at baby photos of Chandler and me that he had worked with my mother and his mother to get copies of.
It was the baby shower of my dreams. Completely unexpected and perfect in every way.
I hadn’t even thought about having one in the midst of my responsibilities of being co-CEO, moving in with Chandler, and Sandy and Greg’s wedding.
It had completely slipped my mind. But it hadn’t slipped Chandler’s and I loved him for it.
Once everyone had gone home, Chandler and I fell into a heap on the couch, completely exhausted from such a special afternoon. We looked around the apartment, still covered in roses and littered with tissue paper and gift tags.
“It looks like the baby fairy threw up in here,” he said.
I laughed and nuzzled into the crook of his neck.
“We can clean it up later…Right now, I have a better idea…”
“Oh?” asked Chandler, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
“Not that.” I laughed. As tired as I was, I stood from the couch and held out my hand. He looked up at me curiously, before placing his hand in mine.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“You’ll see.”