Chapter 47
Brad and I filled our five days with adventures, shopping, and relaxation in our suite or by the pool.
I snapped photos for my travel blog whenever we went anywhere, including the market in Cancun where we bought colorful souvenirs and a pregnancy test. We even took videos of each other riding the zip line through the trees, which was Tuesday’s exciting activity.
Before supper on Thursday, we packed our suitcases for our flight home the next day, then sat on the balcony with lemonade as an appetizer. We had agreed I wouldn’t take the pregnancy test until our last morning in Cancun because I didn’t want the results to affect our honeymoon.
“You might as well do it now,” Brad remarked casually.
“I don’t want you to be disappointed if I’m merely starting menopause.”
“I won’t be,” he promised. “Besides, if you’re not pregnant, we could have a wild bash tonight.” He gave me a silly grin and I laughed.
Thinking I’d enjoy a glass of wine with supper, I decided to take the test. We read the instructions together, which happened to be in Spanish and English, then I headed inside. Afterward, I set the timer on my phone and returned to the balcony.
“Where’s the test?” he asked.
“On the bathroom counter. We’re not going to stare at it for the next five minutes.”
He tapped his fingers on the arm of his deck chair. “How much time left?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” I groaned. “Two minutes.”
He jumped up. “I’ll go get it.”
“Don’t peek!”
He returned with a broad smile and held the test strip out to me. “I think we’re having a baby,” he boasted.
I laughed before his lips found mine. He had peeked, but I didn’t care. I’d prayed to have another child—not to replace Chet, but to build our family. For some reason, I began to cry.
He reached to wipe away my tears while his own crested. So many feelings collided because we’d both lost a child, yet we gave thanks for this new blessing. Our fingers touched, and I knew our baby was a gift of healing and a sign of hope.
The ringtone on my phone broke the spell. “It’s Heather,” I said, frowning with the intrusion on our private moment.
“She might be calling to tell you the results of Alicia’s tests.”
I picked up the call, trying to sound supportive. “How are you doing?”
“We had wonderful news today, and I knew you wanted to hear.”
“Great,” I said. “You’re on speaker-phone because we both have been hoping you’d call.”
“So, here’s the deal,” she replied without a pause. “The MRI found no sign of a brain tumor, thank heavens.”
I caught Brad’s eye and he nodded. “That’s fabulous. Did the doctor have any idea what had caused Alicia’s symptoms?”
“Believe it or not, he thinks she had a Pseudotumor Cerebri. He explained that it has the symptoms of a brain tumor such as headaches and vision problems, but the intracranial hypertension may have been a result of the oral contraceptive she was taking.”
“Wow. I’ve never heard of that.”
“Me, either, but it’s a real thing. So, get this. When she came home, she stopped taking the birth control pills because she broke up with the guy she was dating and didn’t think she needed them. Then, she had a week with Angela and the horses, and the tension dissolved. She’s going to be fine!”
“That’s fabulous news,” I exclaimed.
Brad piped up. “Will she be going back to school in Great Britain?”
“Yes, in January when the new semester begins.”
“You must be ecstatic to know she’s not sick,” I said.
She sighed softly. “Just relieved.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “Did she move back in with you?”
“For a week or two, then she plans to spend some time with Angela and her family. She honestly liked mucking stalls.”
“It’s more about the connection with horses,” I told her.
“Maybe,” Brad said, “but my sister is pretty amazing.”
“Yes, she is,” Heather agreed. “How’s your honeymoon?”
Brad squeezed my hand. “Absolutely fabulous. We have to leave before noon tomorrow, but we’ll be home by six o’clock. This is our last night in Cancun.”
“Then, I’ll let you go so you can enjoy the nightlife.”
“I really appreciate your calling to tell us the good news.” I meant my words, and felt relieved that all would be well in her own life. Brad looked happy, as well.
When we disconnected, he remarked, “No doubt, Heather’s Aunt Bertha is looking after her and Alicia.”
“What about us?”
He gave a firm nod. “She always had my back and I believe she brought us together.”
“I’m sure of it,” I replied, leaning in for a sweet kiss.
Brad and I walked off the calories from our celebratory last supper in Mexico with a stroll on the sandy beach near our suite.
The Caribbean Sea had some differences from the Atlantic Ocean I had grown to love in Stone Harbor, but I found it equally inviting and knew our honeymoon in Cancun would be a memory I’d never forget.
“I think I could get used to this traveling thing,” I said.
He grinned. “You’re a natural. It just took you a little time to realize it. I have a feeling Elsa Kroger knew it all along.”
Smiling, I nodded. “You know I was once her boss.”
“Yes, but does that matter?”
I paused, thinking. “Not any more. She placed me in the job that fit me perfectly.”
“Where will we go for our next adventure?”
“I’m not sure. I promised your sister a trip to Mexico at some point, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the Grand Canyon.”
He nodded, agreeing. “That would be a nice trip during the spring.”
I nudged him. “Are you saying you’d like to travel with me?”
He laughed. “Of course.”
“I really love you, Brad Davenport.”
He took my hand to lead me along the path to our suite, yet a burst of fireworks over the ocean made us pause to watch. “Is there a special occasion?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I have no idea.”
I pulled him toward the palm tree near the beach that we had christened as ours. “I think the fireworks are a ‘celebration of us.’”
“I totally agree, honey.”
There we sprawled to sit on the sand with our arms around each other to watch the glorious sparkles lighting up the sky, then dissipating as they descended to the ocean. “It doesn’t get much better than this,” I murmured in his ear.
“It might,” he teased with his sexy voice. “And we have a whole lifetime ahead of us to test your theory.”
I liked the sound of that, and our sensuous kiss sealed the deal, especially since it coincided with a particularly stunning array of cosmic flashes in the sky. I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect end to our honeymoon or such an amazing start to our lives together.
Brad verbalized something similar a few moments later and it sounded even more romantic coming from him. Not everyone gets a second chance at love, but we did—and for that, we thanked our lucky stars.
Thank You for Reading!