EPILOGUE
Skylar left the bathroom and sank down on the edge of the bed. She still had to make it, but there was something more pressing on her mind at the moment.
A glance at her phone revealed she had one minute and thirty-eight seconds left to wait. She set her phone on the nightstand next to her side of the bed. Her gaze went to the large, framed photo that stood there beside her glass of water, and a small stack of books that included her Bible and a notebook, along with her tablet.
The photo reflected one of the happiest days of her life. The day she and Aiden had gotten married. The smile on her face reflected the joy she’d felt on that early spring afternoon when they’d said their vows in front of a small gathering of friends and family.
They’d gotten married just eight months after they’d decided to give their relationship a second chance that day at the truck stop.
Aiden had known from the start of their relationship that they would end up married, so he’d proposed on Valentine’s Day with a beautiful ring. Two and a half months later, they were standing in front of Pastor Kennedy, pledging their love and lives to each other.
Teenage Skylar would have been appalled by the brief engagement and the modest wedding that followed. Back in those days, whenever she’d envisioned her wedding—which was often—she’d pictured a grand event with all her friends serving as bridesmaids, and Layla and Amelia as her flower girls.
Her dress was going to be breathtaking, made of satin and adorned with lace. Aiden, along with his friends, would look dashing in tuxedos.
When they’d decided not to wait the year it would have taken to plan a big wedding, Skylar realized it wasn’t all that important. She was at the point in her life where she was more eager to begin her life with Aiden than she was to have an extravagant wedding.
Even though the wedding had ended up being quite simple, Skylar wouldn't change a single detail.
Charli had been her matron of honor, while Cole had been Aiden’s best man. And of course, Shiloh and Willow had been flower girls. Charli and Blake’s two sons had been the ring and Bible bearers.
Looking down at her hand, Skylar smiled, remembering the moment Aiden had slid each of the rings onto her finger. First, to make her his fiancée. Then, to make her his wife.
Her gaze drifted in the direction of the bathroom. Would she soon discover that, just six months after their wedding, he might have made her a mother?
Her stomach was in knots at the thought. She hadn’t told Aiden she suspected she might be pregnant, even though she was confident she was. Her period was almost two weeks late, which was not usual for her at all.
Though they had used birth control, they hadn’t exactly been overly careful with it. So would she be surprised to see a positive on the test that was sitting face down on the bathroom counter? No. She wouldn’t be.
What did surprise her was the knot of anxiety that had immediately taken up residence in her stomach when she’d first allowed herself to consider that she might be pregnant. Even now, her mind said she should be thrilled, but she wasn’t.
She wouldn’t be un happy if she was pregnant. She was just… worried. Anxious. Scared.
When the timer on her phone went off, Skylar snatched it up and turned it off. She stared into the bathroom, reluctant to go and see if her suspicions were correct. Maybe she should have told Aiden what she suspected, so he could have been there with her.
But she wasn’t sure she was ready to tell him how she was feeling. It probably wouldn’t make sense to him, because, honestly, it didn’t make sense to her.
“Just do it,” she muttered, clutching her phone in her hands. “Get up, march your butt in there, and look at it.”
When her butt stayed firmly seated on the bed, Skylar let out a sigh as her shoulders slumped. She just couldn’t seem to motivate herself to face the news head-on.
Sitting there and not knowing wouldn’t make her less pregnant if the test was positive. It was just putting off the inevitable.
“You can do it,” she told herself. “And you’re not going to be alone this time. Even if it’s positive, Aiden’s not going anywhere. Not this time.”
Still, this moment was dragging her back to the last time she’d taken a pregnancy test. The emotions of that time had come roaring back with a vengeance, catching her completely off-guard.
Given how well things were going for her and Aiden, she hadn’t thought that memories of that time would still impact her. Or at least not to the extent that they were.
Getting up, she put the phone back on the nightstand and began to pull the bedding into place. She did her side, then Aiden’s. Taking her time, going from side to side. Sometimes he helped her, but he’d gone in for half a day’s work, while she’d taken the whole day off so she could have a slow morning before the upcoming busy weekend.
When her phone chimed with an incoming text, she tossed the navy blue throw pillow she’d been holding onto the burgundy bedspread and went back to pick up the phone.
Aiden: Just checking in. Are you up? I tried not to wake you before I left.
Yep! I’m up and just made the bed, so no crawling back into it for me.
Aiden: I’m glad you got to sleep in a little. I’ll be home around twelve-thirty, then we can head to Serenity for the program.
Did you want me to make you a sandwich or something to eat before we go?
Aiden: A sandwich would be great, love. Thank you. See you soon. 3
Love you.
So now the clock was ticking. She either had to check the test, or put it away to check later.
She tossed the phone on the bed and turned toward the bathroom. Check the test, take a shower, get ready for the day, then make sandwiches for their lunch.
Taking a deep breath, Skylar headed to the bathroom. She’d left the lights on, so there was no way to avoid seeing the test on the counter.
She hesitated in the doorway, but then made herself step up to the bathroom vanity. The test lay exactly where she had left it, taunting her and causing her anxiety.
She reached out and picked it up. Then, without giving herself time to hesitate, she turned it over and stared down at the little screen that proclaimed that she was pregnant.
The air was sucked from her lungs, and her heart seemed to completely stop for a solid two seconds before it began to race.
She was pregnant.
They were going to be parents… again.
Only this time, they would keep the baby.
“Okay. It’s positive.”
Skylar stared at it for a long moment before she turned and stripped off her clothes and climbed into the shower.
Tears fell unchecked as she struggled to not be angry with herself for not being over the moon with the news. As warm water spilled over her shoulders, she rested her hand on her belly and tried to focus on the fact that within her body was a new life.
A precious new life.
That was what she needed to focus on.
Please, God, help me with my emotions.
By the time she got out of the shower, Skylar felt marginally better. Rather than dwell on the pregnancy test, she turned her attention to choosing her outfit, then doing her hair and makeup.
She settled on a pair of camel colored pants with a tapered leg and paired them with a turtleneck, which was a couple of shades lighter than her pants, and she planned to wear a burgundy blazer to top off the outfit, along with a fall colored scarf.
They were going to Serenity early because it was the fall festival weekend for the town. They planned to help the church set up for their part of the festival, and then have a family dinner at her parents’ place.
But first, she had to decide what to do about her new knowledge. Tell him now, or tell him later?
She had just put the finishing touches on their sandwiches when Aiden arrived home from his half day at work, but she hadn’t figured out what to do yet.
“Hello, babe,” Aiden said as he came to give her a kiss.
Skylar leaned into him, prolonging the kiss for just a moment. As they stepped apart, Aiden gave her a smile. “You look gorgeous. I think I need to change into something to match you.”
“You have a sweater that would work,” Skylar said as she filled a couple of glasses with water. “But you look just fine the way you are.”
He carried the glasses to the dining table where the plates with their sandwiches and some chips waited. Once they’d both sat down, Aiden held out his hands for her to take, then said a prayer of thanks for their food.
“Are you okay, babe?” Aiden asked as he finished his sandwich.
“What?”
“You seem a little distracted,” he said. “I know my meeting isn’t exactly the most interesting news.”
“Oh no, it’s not that.” Skylar reached out and took his hand. “You know I enjoy hearing about your projects.”
“Then what is it?” Aiden asked. “I feel like there’s something bothering you.”
Over the months they’d been together for the second time, he’d proven to have an acute sense of her moods. She usually appreciated it, but right then, she wished he’d been a little less in tune with her.
His blue gaze held hers, filled with concern that reminded her that he loved her and would do anything in his power to make things right for her. She needed him to know because he would help her come to grips with the news and the emotions that it had stirred up.
Standing up from the table, she said, “I’ll be right back.”
Aiden’s brow furrowed. “Okaaay.”
Returning to the bathroom, Skylar picked up the test. After a moment of wondering if it really was the right time, she decided it was.
Back in the kitchen, she found that Aiden had cleared their plates from the table and was putting them in the dishwasher. He straightened and turned toward her as Skylar neared him.
She came to a stop in front of him, then reached for his hand. Aiden didn’t resist her action, which made it easy for her to press the pregnancy test into his palm.
“What’s…” Aiden stared down at the test, his eyes going wide as he saw the message in the display window. He looked up at her, shock on his face. “You’re pregnant?”
Skylar nodded. “Yes. I took the test this morning.”
A smile grew to take over his entire face. “This is amazing!”
He stepped forward and took her into his arms, lifting her off the floor as he spun in a circle before setting her down. “Oh, Sky, I love you so much, and I can’t wait to raise this baby with you.”
The words helped settle something inside her. His excitement was in direct contrast to how she’d felt, but she was glad he’d reacted the way he had.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he cupped her face in his hands. “Aren’t you happy?”
She blinked rapidly, willing herself not to cry. “I’m… not sure how I feel.”
“This is a good thing, babe,” Aiden said. “A wonderful thing. I’ve wanted to have a family with you. A child that we could raise.”
“I just feel… guilty?”
Aiden frowned. “Why?”
“It seems unfair that we’re together now, and able to give this baby what we couldn’t give Shiloh. What if she gets upset because her biological sibling will have us as parents, but she doesn’t?”
“I think she’ll be excited,” Aiden told her. “She’s asked when we’re going to have a baby, and I’ve never gotten the feeling that she was upset by the idea. The opposite, in fact.”
Skylar knew he was right. But would Shiloh still feel that way once the baby was there?
“And even if she does have feelings about it and even if she’s upset, we’ll work through it. She’s a strong little girl who is confident in Charli and Blake’s love, and in ours as well. We’ll talk to Charli and Blake about it before we tell her so we can approach it in the best way possible.”
Aiden pulled her into his arms and wrapped them tightly around her, grounding her and reminding Skylar that this time around, she wasn’t on her own.
“Everyone is going to be thrilled, babe,” he murmured. “And I’ll be with you through this, every step of the way. This won’t be like Shiloh’s pregnancy. You’re not going to be alone.”
She knew that. Had known from the moment she suspected she was pregnant. And yet, hearing him say the words finally broke the knot of anxiety she’d been carrying.
“You’re entitled to how you feel, and I don’t blame you at all,” Aiden said.
Skylar moved back enough so that she could look up into his face. “I want you to know that I’m not mad that I’m pregnant. I don’t even wish I wasn’t. If you had asked me a month ago how I’d feel about this news, I would have told you I’d be ecstatic.”
“So what happened?”
“I don’t really know,” she said. “When I first suspected I was pregnant, I started to feel kind of anxious, and then, when I took the test today, all sorts of emotions took over.”
“I’m sure it was hard to not remember the last time you took a test and the months that followed.”
“I guess that must be what happened,” Skylar said with a frown. “But I don’t like how I’m feeling. I want to just be happy about this baby.”
“You will be,” Aiden assured her with a gentle smile. “Just give it a little time. Since we probably won’t be telling anyone right away, you’ll have some time to work through it all. And I’ll be right there with you.”
“Thank you,” Skylar said as she leaned into him. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” He bent down to press a kiss to her lips. “And you’re going to be a wonderful mother. I just know it.”
Some of his excitement had rubbed off on her already because for the first time since realizing the possibility that she might be pregnant, she also felt a small spark of excitement. And she was confident that it would grow.
~*~
Aiden bent down close to Skylar as the doctor finally lifted the baby and laid him on Skylar’s chest. “You did such a great job, babe. You’re amazing.”
It had been a long labor, but Skylar had been a trooper, never issuing a word of complaint even when she’d clearly been flagging.
“He’s here.” Skylar looked up at Aiden. “We did it.”
“ You did it,” Aiden told her. “You did all the hard work. I love you.”
He pressed a kiss to her temple, his love for her overwhelming him. Together, they gazed down at their little boy.
“Welcome to the world, Miles Albert,” Skylar whispered. “We’re so happy to have you here.” Her eyes drifted closed as she cupped his small head. “Thank you, God, for our precious baby.”
As he watched the woman he loved cuddle their son, Aiden could only thank God for the journey He’d brought them on to finally be at this moment. Together, and building a family of their own.
It hadn’t taken long for Skylar to sort through her emotions following the revelation that she was pregnant. And they’d had a few weeks to savor the news, just the two of them, before sharing it with the family.
As Aiden had told Skylar, Shiloh had been thrilled when she’d learned they were pregnant. He was sure people outside their close circle of friends and family would wonder how they made it work. Being so close to the daughter that had been given up for adoption.
He probably wouldn’t have been able to believe how they’d worked it out if he wasn’t living it himself. It hadn’t always been easy, but when everyone involved wanted what was best for Shiloh, it was easier to put aside their own wants.
Shiloh’s fight with cancer had brought another dimension into the situation, but thankfully, she’d been clear for the past year. But that had only come about after a stem cell transplant from Cole shortly after they’d gotten married, when they discovered that her cancer had come back.
He was so grateful that God had allowed the procedure to be a success, and he could only hope that she would stay in remission for the rest of her life.
“Should I send out the news?” Cathy asked.
Both their moms had been there for the duration of the labor, and Aiden was so thankful for their support. Willow was having a sleepover with Shiloh, and Charli and Blake had promised to bring them both to the hospital once the baby had arrived.
It was the middle of the night, however, so that visit would be a few hours later.
“Yes, please, Mom,” Skylar said as the nurse came to take the baby.
After giving Skylar another kiss, Aiden followed the nurse so that he could take some pictures of his son. It felt like he’d waited his whole life for this moment, and as he stood there, love filling his heart for Miles Albert, he felt such a sense of longing for his dad. He would have loved the little boy who was his namesake.
His mom joined him, and together they watched as the nurse weighed and measured the little boy before putting a diaper on him and wrapping him up.
“Here you go, Daddy.” The older nurse handed him the swaddled baby. “You can take him back to Mommy now.”
Aiden didn’t hesitate to return to Skylar’s side. He settled on a chair next to her bed, and the two of them began their lifetime of loving their son.
A few hours later, Charli and Blake showed up with the girls. They hadn’t brought anyone else, since that would have been a bit too much for her small hospital room.
“Where’s the baby?” Shiloh asked when she walked in with a stuffed animal in her hands. “I can’t wait to see him.”
“Right here, sweetie,” Skylar said, gesturing to the small hospital bassinet beside her bed. Aiden had had the chance to spend some time with his son while Skylar had taken a shower and had changed into the cozy pajama set she’d spent so much time trying to find.
Shiloh immediately scooted around the bed to where Aiden stood next to the bassinet. “Oh, he’s so cute!”
Willow joined Shiloh, while Charli went to Skylar and bent to give her a hug. Blake held out his hand to Aiden. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he said. “It’s been an amazing experience.”
Blake grinned. “The arrival of a child is truly a miracle.”
In Aiden’s mind, this moment was indeed a miracle. Given how he and Skylar had ended things all those years ago, he never would have seen a way for them to have a future together. Let alone a child.
And while it hadn’t all been easy, it had definitely been worth it. The grace Skylar had offered him after how he’d treated her never ceased to amaze him. He owed it to her—to both of them, actually—to do what he had to in order to be the husband she needed. And also the father that Miles would need.
Without his faith in God and the incredible support of their family, it might have seemed overwhelming. However, he was eager to embrace this new chapter in their lives and was hopeful that their small family would continue to expand.
And the best part of all of it was that he’d be doing it with Skylar, the woman who’d been strong enough and brave enough to give him a second chance at love with her.
~*~ The End ~*~