December 12th #2
“I feel like we have to have a porch. It would be a bit hot on summer afternoons. But I can picture warm evenings, a nightly cocktail hour, watching the sunset in brilliant glowing pinks and oranges.”
“You make it sound perfect,” he says. “So, I did good?”
“You did better than good, Damon. You don’t even realize how perfect this is.
The orientation of a home is everything.
Half the time, clients forget about it and end up with kitchens that are dark in the morning or living rooms that never get natural light.
But this”—I sweep my hand across the lot, already dreaming of designing the interior—“is quite dreamy.”
Damon stares into my eyes, emotion showing on his face as he places one hand on my belly and one hand on my neck. “We’re building our forever here.”
“We are. And speaking of forevers, I think we need to talk about the name our baby will have forever. This feels like the perfect spot to do so. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Believe it or not, I thought about it a lot when Dad and Jennifer were picking out names for Easton and Weston. I’ve always thought Landry would be a cool name.”
“That’s different, but I really like it. Is there a meaning behind it? A family name?”
He chuckles. “Landry was the last name of a great Dallas football coach.”
“Your sister told me that her name, Devaney, was the last name of a Nebraska coaching legend. Are you wanting to continue that tradition?”
“Not necessarily. Do you have names you like?”
“Don’t laugh, but I was thinking Lakelyn could be cute since, you know, we met and conceived at a lake.”
“Lakelyn Diamond,” he says, tilting his head.
“Except I don’t love it with your last name for some reason. Lakelyn Archibald Diamond sounds good—”
“But is it too much?” Damon asks.
“A little maybe. Ozark Diamond is a no-go as well.”
His eyes go wide and sparkle, and a grin forms on his handsome face. Really, it’s like his whole being just lights up. Usually, when he gets that look, it’s because he’s about to say something naughty.
I wag my finger in front of him. “Don’t you dare say you want to name her Seven after the seventh hole or anything related to golf.”
“Actually, I was thinking about the name Summer. It fits. I mean, it’s like our story. The summer we went to the lake. The summer we fell in love.”
“The summer she changed our lives,” I say, tearing up. “Summer Diamond.”
He wipes my tears and smirks. “It’s either that or Butterfly.”
Which causes me to chuckle. “Summer Diamond is really pretty.” But then he scrunches up his face, so I go, “What?”
“Well, shoot. We haven’t thought this through yet. We’ve got to consider nicknames. Bad ones, specifically. Let’s see. Sum. Mer. Summit. Summo. Yo, Summo!”
“Is this actually a thing?”
“Heck yeah. I might not have thought of it before, but then my mom married a doctor named Richard Rash.”
“Well, that’s cool. Was he, like, a skin doctor?”
“Plastic surgeon, but it’s not about that. What’s a common nickname for Richard?”
“Uh, Rich?”
“Try again,” he says.
“Oh, like, did they call him Rick-hard? Like Rock-hard. I would think a guy would love that.”
He shakes his head at me when I suddenly remember.
“My uncle has a friend named Richard. They call him Dick. Ohhhhh. I see. ’Cause, like, a penis, right? Or that he’s just a jerk, a dick, kind of thing?”
“Put the names together,” he says with a smile.
“Like, Dick Rash? Oh shit.” I burst with laughter.
“See, this stuff is serious,” he says to me, his eyebrows raised.
“Which means?” I ask, trying to stifle my laughter.
“Summer it is,” he says, pulling me into a hug and giving me a kiss to seal the deal. “The sun’s about to set, and it’s getting cold. Let’s get over to Mom and Van’s and get warmed up.”
We get in our cars, and I follow Damon a little way down the road and park behind him in the driveway of a lovely home. The other houses we passed were more traditional, but this one has a modern flair with wood accents on the front, making it quite welcoming.
Damon takes my hand as I get out of the car, then points to some kind of exotic car in the driveway. “That’s my car,” he says, a huge smile on his face.
“That orange thing?”
“Yeah.”
“When did you get it? Why don’t you drive it? It’s gorgeous. What is it?”
“I got it for my seventeenth birthday. I call her my Outrageous Orange Baby. She’s a Lamborghini Murciélago LP640. And I can tell you that my dad did not pick it out. Jennifer did. And I’m quite thankful for her.”
“I’ll bet.”
“And I didn’t want to take it to school because, well, it’s pretty flashy. And I didn’t want to be known for that.”
“You’re very humble, Damon. It’s one of the things I love about you.”
“Oh, so you love me?”
“I do. Amazing that I fell in love with you without knowing about your Outrageous Orange Baby.”
He rolls his eyes and grins. “Another thing the car tells me is that Jennifer and Dad are here tonight without my little sisters and they know we’re crashing their dinner.”
“Are you ready for this?” I ask him.
“To tell them? Yeah. I feel a little bad though. I feel like we should have gifts for them or something.”
“I think, typically, those are given before the mom is showing to sort of make it seem real.” I point to my belly. “This is looking pretty real.”
“You’re right.” He grabs the belt ties hanging off my coat and ties the coat shut in the front. “Why don’t I say something about a surprise and you take your coat off to show them?”
“Okay.”
When we are standing in front of the door, he says, “Are you ready? Normally, I’d do a little knock and walk right in, but let’s ring the bell instead.” He kisses my forehead, then pushes the button.
The door opens, everyone standing in the entry.
Jennifer goes, “Surprise! I brought your car! Thought you might want to see her!”
Damon’s face breaks out in a beaming smile, and he goes, “Surprise! I brought the woman who is having my baby. Thought you might want to see her.”
Jennifer’s eyes go wide, and it seems to be taking everyone a few moments to process the information—until I untie my coat.
Damon’s mom is there in a flash. Of course, she already knows.
Her hand immediately goes to my bump, and tears fill her eyes. “We’re going to be grandparents.”
Van gives me a hug and whispers, “I’m thrilled for you two. Just wondering why you waited so long to share the news.”
I don’t really get a chance to answer since we’re getting hugs and congratulations from everyone. But I can tell they are wondering the same thing Van is.
Finally, he says, “Why don’t we go sit down? Ainsley graduated this morning, so I’m sure it’s been a long day.”
We’re led into a large gathering room, attached to a gourmet kitchen with two massive marble-clad islands, and sit on comfortable couches flanking a two-story stone fireplace.
Very quickly, Van is setting two bottles of champagne and flutes on the coffee table.
“I think a toast is in order,” he says.
“You’re quite pregnant,” Damon’s dad blurts out.
“How far along are you?” Jennifer asks. “And when are you due?”
Damon squeezes my hand in solidarity as I say, “Thirty weeks,” at the same time he says, “February the twenty-second.”
“You should also know that Damon just found out about the pregnancy today,” I add.
“What? Why?” Jennifer asks.
Damon’s dad shakes his head, trying to understand—or possibly because he’s a bit pissed.
Although Van asked me why I waited, he didn’t act as shocked, and I have a sneaking suspicion he was either told or informed in advance.
“I wanted Damon to get through the season without a distraction, is why,” I reply.
“But he’s the father!” Jennifer exclaims.
“Look,” Damon says, “we know the situation is a bit unusual, but Ainsley knows me. She knew if she told me, I’d immediately propose. I’d want to transfer schools. I’d upend my life and possibly my career.”
“And I was right,” I say. “Today, he suggested that we get married immediately and that he was pretty sure Kansas would take him so we could be together.”
Damon’s dad’s eyes go wide. “You can’t transfer,” he says.
“I can and will do whatever I want with my life, Dad,” he says. “Just like you did.”
“But you’ve worked so hard. You and Chase are magic together. You’re going to the playoffs.”
Van interrupts, “Why don’t we toast to the fact that our family is being blessed by a new baby before we get into the logistics of things?”
I smile gratefully at him.
He uncorks both bottles, then says, “This one has had the alcohol removed,” as he fills a flute, and hands it to me.
Damon says, “I’ll have the same.”
And surprisingly, so does his dad.
Once all our hands are filled with glasses, Damon’s mom says, “Ainsley, in case you haven’t noticed, our family tree is a little mixed up, and our relationships are a little unconventional, but despite it all, we know the love of family is the most important gift in life.
And we can’t wait to share all this love with our new little grandbaby. Congratulations.”
Jennifer smiles. “It’s pretty crazy if you think about it, but I love crazy. And we’re going to be grandmas, Lori! First grandbaby on this side, goodness. Spoiled rotten, I’m just saying. Congrats!”
We’re all taking a drink when a very distinguished-looking gentleman comes out—one I’m assuming is their chef—and places a large charcuterie board on the coffee table in front of us.
And thank goodness because I’m starving. I don’t even wait, just grab a warm cheese-filled, bacon-wrapped date and shove it into my mouth.
“Oh, this is so good,” I mutter.
Jennifer looks directly at me. “This is not meant to be an interrogation, but I have to ask because I’m dying to know. What’s the plan? Do you have one?”
“Um, well, the plan—if Uncle Tripp will let me keep my job once he finds out I’m pregnant—is that when I’m in Kansas City, working, I’ll be living in the carriage house behind my mom’s.
My best friend and college roommate, Sammy, is going to live in the guest suite, so when Damon and I are apart, I’ll have him and my mom to help out. ”
“Hey, don’t forget us,” Jennifer says.