Chapter Fourteen
Brody
Ten fingers. Ten tiny, perfect toes. A strong heartbeat. Half a pound of life measuring right on schedule down to the exact millimeter. Twenty weeks. Halfway there.
I glance over and look at Ellis in the passenger seat.
She’s staring down at the black and white image of the baby from the ultrasound in her hand.
Her other hand is resting low on her curved belly.
Even after these appointments, and with the fast-approaching reality of this baby coming, the wonder of it all is still present.
Her bump is round, firm, and a reminder that she will need to make some kind of statement soon.
She’s quiet, but a soft smile plays on her lips.
“You doing okay over there, Princess?” I ask, keeping my hand firm on the wheel as a yellow cab cuts across my front bumper, blaring its horn.
“I’m better than okay,” she murmurs, a smile touching her lips. “He’s getting so big. I know we’ve seen him on the monitor a few times now, but seeing his face so clearly on the 3d render today…seeing his little nose and the way he kept tucking his hands up by his chin…he’s just getting so big.”
“And the doc said everything looks perfect,” I say, pure pride vibrating through my entire body. “Perfect weight, perfect heart, healthy mama. That’s the only thing that matters.”
“He’s so cute, isn’t he?” She turns her head to look at me, smiling. “It’s just so real when I get to see him. I mean, I’ve felt the flutters for a while now, but today makes the countdown feel different somehow.”
“He’s the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.” I smile thinking about his little face and movements in the womb. “And yeah, it’s pretty real,” I say simply as I swing my truck off the congested street and down a concrete ramp into a private valet parking garage off Fifth Avenue.
I pull into a wide stall near the elevator, shutting off the engine. But I don’t make a move to open my door yet.
Ellis sets the picture down on the console and looks over at me, her fingers tracing the seatbelt resting on her stomach. “So…what are we doing next?”
I know what she’s asking. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the last several weeks, living in a little bubble of privacy. But hitting this halfway marker, it’s no longer possible to hide this pregnancy with oversized sweaters.
“Well, I think I should talk to my family and tell them what’s going on.
In all the conversations I’ve had with them, I haven’t mentioned it because I wanted to talk to you about how you want to handle it,” I say, leaning my left forearm over the wheel and looking at her.
“I had planned to fly home for a short visit soon since I didn’t get to see them at Christmas.
I thought I could tell them then, but maybe I should tell them sooner. ”
Ellis shifts in her seat. “What are you going to tell them? I’m sure they’ll be surprised. Especially since I’m so clearly pregnant and you haven’t said anything until now. Because once you tell them, they will likely have a lot of questions, don’t you think?”
“Oh, they’ll definitely have questions, but my mom will be thrilled, even if she’s mad that I kept it from her until now.” I reach across and take her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “You and this baby are my family now, and I’m not hiding my family.”
A sigh escapes her, and she smiles, her eyes searching mine, looking for something. “I know. I just feel a little uneasy about what they’ll think of me when you tell them. Will they be upset that you’re taking responsibility for someone else’s baby?”
“See, but that’s the thing, yes, he might not be my biological child, but he’s mine in every other sense of the word. And because my mom and sister know me, they will know I’m not doing this for any other reason except that I love you. Besides, how he came to be isn’t important to me.”
“You’re something else, Brody Vaughn. And I’m so lucky you’re mine.”
That brings a big ol’ smile to my face. Yes, she’s told me she loves me, but hearing these words out of her mouth, claiming me, feels pretty fucking good.
“My family has survived a lot. This is a blessing,” I smile, leaning over to kiss her lips. “ My mom and sister will be buying all kinds of stuff as soon as I tell them. You might as well prepare yourself for an onslaught of gifts.”
She lets out a laugh, leaning her forehead against my cheek. “Okay…if you’re ready, then I’m ready to tell them.”
“Good,” I say, unbuckling my seatbelt and swinging my door open. “Now let’s get this done. Your mom sent me a text with a very long list of essential baby gear, and if I don’t make sure you have a Molly-approved stroller, she might ban me from the house.”
Ellis laughs, leaning forward to kiss me. “Okay, let’s do it.”
The high-end baby boutique feels less like a store for children and more like a private art gallery exclusively for Manhattan’s elite.
Crisp white marble floors, instrumental jazz playing through the speakers, and rows of minimalist baby gear that costs more than my first two pickup trucks combined.
A sales associate in a tailored beige suit approaches the second we walk in the door, her eyes assessing us both to make sure we belong in an establishment like this.
“Welcome to Petit L’Amour,” she purrs, offering a polished smile. “Oh, my goodness, look at your gorgeous belly. Are we shopping for baby’s arrival today?”
“We need a car seat and stroller to start with,” I answer before Ellis opens her mouth. “Something with a high crash-test safety rating, heavy suspension, but also easy to transport. And we’ll take two of each. Actually, make it three.”
“Three?” Ellis turns to me.
“Mine, yours, and Molly’s.” I wink.
Ellis gives me an amused, affectionate sideways glance as we follow the sales associate down the aisle. “He’s approaching this like he’s selecting a heavy-duty truck.”
“It is a vehicle for a newborn, Princess,” I reply with complete seriousness, resting my hand on her lower back. “I’m not putting my kid in something made of flimsy plastic that looks like it’ll snap if we hit a pothole. Your mother and I have done our research on all the baby gear.”
“Okay, fantastic,” the sales girl says. “We have several options to choose from.”
So for the next forty-five minutes, I look at three different high-end European travel systems, putting them through a full evaluation. I check the wheel bearings, the tires, the foot brake pedals, and test each latch mechanism.
“This is the one,” I declare, slapping my palm against the stitched leather handlebar of a heavy-duty, black modular system. “The frame is reinforced aircraft-grade aluminum, the shock absorption is top-tier, and the car seat clicks into the steel base securely.”
“Excellent choice, sir. That is our top-of-the-line all-terrain performance model,” the associate nods, looking impressed as she taps notes into her tablet. “It’s extremely popular with our clients.”
Ellis walks over, her hand sliding along the leather detailing beside mine. She looks up at me and smiles. “It’s perfect. And the black is very sleek.”
“And practical,” I add, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “It’ll also keep your mom from sending us a twelve-page critique.”
“You’re so right,” she says, leaning up to kiss me.
“I’ll be back shortly. While I ring this order in, take a look at our clothing section. We just received some new items from Paris.” She walks away while tapping on her tablet.
We walk over to the clothing section, Ellis’s hand trailing over racks of organic onesies, cashmere booties, and cardigans.
I follow her, my hands in my pockets. She takes a sweater off a polished hanger and holds it against her stomach, looking completely radiant. A powerful thud echoes in my chest.
In just a few months, I’ll be gearing up for camp, and my girl and my son will hopefully be sleeping in my house.
My gaze wanders as I try to get my emotions in check, and I see a pair of white sneakers, no bigger than the palm of my hand.
Without thinking, I pick up one of the tiny shoes. It’s so absurdly small in my hand.
Ellis looks over at me and smiles. “Brody, you’ve already gotten him a few pairs of Nikes. I think he’s set with sneakers for now.”
“Ellis, he needs footwear,” I say, clearing the emotion from my throat. “We can’t have him running around shoeless.”
“Brody, it’ll be a while before he’s running anywhere,” she laughs, stepping into me, pressing her body against my side. “These would be more of a statement accessory.”
“I suppose you’re right, but I’m still buying them,” I insist stubbornly.
She reaches out, resting her small hand over mine, as we both look at the sneaker in my palm. “Okay, let’s get them.”
My phone chimes in my pocket with my sister’s ringtone.
I pull it out of my pocket and see Lauren’s smiling face on a FaceTime call. I look at Ellis. “It’s my sister.”
“Answer it!” Ellis says excitedly. “Tell her now. I mean…there’s no time like the present.”
“Okay, here we go,” I say, tapping on the screen and holding the phone up.
Lauren’s face pops onto the screen immediately. Her dark hair is pulled into a messy bun, sitting in her apartment in Ohio. “Brody! You’ve dogged my calls the last few days. What have you been up to?”
“Sorry, I’ve been busy,” I say, keeping my face steady on the camera.
“Busy doing what? You’re in the offseason. And it doesn’t look like you’re at the training facility working out,” Lauren teases, leaning closer to the screen. Her eyes squint as she looks around me. “Wait…where are you? Are you in a…baby store?”
I flip the camera around for a brief second, showing the wall of strollers and tiny clothes before turning the camera back to my face.
“I am,” I say, my voice serious.
Lauren goes still on the screen, her mouth dropping open. “Brody…what’s going on? Why are you in a baby store? You didn’t adopt another dog, did you? I didn’t mishear what kind of store you walked into?”