30. Epilogue
Ialready know what the results will be, yet I’m still sitting in Savanna’s bathroom waiting for confirmation.
What will Easton think?
The only time that we ever mentioned having more kids was when I confessed my feelings for him the second time and it’s never been mentioned again. I can’t help but think that he might be a little upset about the news, while also hoping that he will be excited.
When I walked into Savanna’s house holding the pregnancy test up in the air, she immediately pushed me inside and demanded I use the bathroom while her own baby cried in another room. The cries have since stopped, but my heart is still beating wildly in my chest. I jump when a knock sounds on the door, then turn my attention back to the timer on my phone which shows I still have thirty seconds left before I can look.
“Well, what’s the verdict?” Savanna asks, her bundle of joy cuddled against her chest.
I sigh and shake my head. “I haven’t looked yet.”
She groans and walks over to me with a frown. “What’s stopping you?”
“I just don’t want him to be upset.”
“Seriously, what is wrong with the two of you? Last year it was him coming to me, worried that you wouldn’t say yes to marrying him, and now you think he’ll hate the idea of becoming a dad again?” She slowly sits at the edge of the bathtub with her sleeping baby in her arms. “He will be fine, Autumn.”
My phone blares in the room, eliciting a whimper from the sleeping baby, and I quickly cut the sound off with a deep breath. “Moment of truth.”
Savanna is practically itching to pick the test up for me and I shake my head before picking up the plastic stick. It’s still facing down, the results hidden, and I close my eyes while turning it over. My vision blurs when I look down, two lines shining back at me, and I smile to myself.
“I take it that congratulations are in order?” Savanna asks softly.
I nod and let a tear fall. “Yeah, looks that way.” She smiles brightly when I show her the results, then I get up from the toilet seat I’ve been sitting on. “I have to tell Easton. He should’ve been the first one I told.”
Savanna gasps and glares at me. “Rude.” Then she shrugs. “But I understand. Go tell your man and in the meantime I’m going to take a much needed nap before Dawson gets home from work.”
Will I end up being like Savanna? As soon as she had the baby it’s like everything work related went out of her head and she decided being a stay-at-home parent was her thing. I’ve enjoyed teaching dance and having something to look forward to every day. It was a dream that I never thought would be a reality, but will that all change now?
The pregnancy test is burning a hole in my pocket as I arrive home to a quiet house. Bethany is at one of her friends houses for the night, while Easton is working an extra shift. He still goes out of town every now and then, but for the most part he decided to stay local so he could be close to Bethany and me.
At least the two of them being gone gives me time to figure out how to announce the pregnancy. For the next couple hours I watch different videos on my phone of other people with their announcements, but eventually my eyes get too heavy and I let them fall shut.
The front door shutting is what has me jumping awake, eyes wide with fear, until I realize Easton is probably home from work. “Easton?” I ask softly.
“Red? What are you doing up, I thought you’d be asleep by now.”
I yawn wide and give him a sleepy grin. “I was trying to wait for you, but I guess sleep got the best of me.”
He chuckles and runs his fingers through my hair. “Come up to bed, then.” I let him pull me up from the couch, leaving my phone behind on the coffee table, then follow him upstairs into our room.
We get into bed and when he pulls me into him and rests his hand over my stomach, I can’t help but smile at the idea of him being a dad again. This time I get to watch him be a dad from the very beginning and I can’t wait to see it.
I’m praying he’ll be excited about my news, but what if he wanted to wait another year or two before adding to the family?
I shake the negative thoughts away and instead focus on the way I’m going to announce the pregnancy. It would be a cute idea to try doing a family photoshoot and surprise both Bethany and Easton with the news. Being able to capture their faces would be an amazing thing to look back on, especially if I can’t manage to get Easton to agree to more kids.
With the baby on my mind, I snuggle closer to Easton and drift back off to sleep with images of a little boy in my dreams.
As soon as I wake up, the first thing I do is find a photographer close to us who is willing to come to the house for the photoshoot and type out a long email with details of what I’m planning on doing.
I’m surprised when she responds almost immediately, excited about the idea and more than willing to accommodate my request. Since I don’t want to wait too long, we agree that she will come over in a few days and we’ll do something quick and easy.
Instead of fear, excitement starts to take over and I start on breakfast for my family.
EASTON
Autumn has been acting strange all day and I can’t seem to figure out what’s going on, but maybe it has something to do with the woman standing in our backyard?
Bethany comes to a stop next to me, her eyes tracking every movement outside, and asks, “What’s going on?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I’ve got no clue, Bethy.”
My wife smiles widely, then hurries across the lawn and pushes through the back sliding door with her eyes firmly on Bethany and me. “How do you guys feel about a little photoshoot?”
I cock my head to the side and frown. “Now?”
She sighs. “Yes, now. I don’t have any pictures of Bethany and me, and I just thought it was a good idea.” Tears seem to be welling up in her eyes and she shakes her head. “I can just tell the photographer to leave if you don’t want to do it. It’s okay.”
“Red,” I say quickly. “It’s okay, we can do the photoshoot.” Honestly, whatever will make my wife happy, I’ll do in a heartbeat and clearly this is important to her.
“There’re clothes set on your beds so go ahead and get changed while I talk with the photographer some more.” She lifts up on her toes and brushes her lips against my cheek with a smile. “Thank you.”
Bethany is watching Autumn silently as she makes her way outside, then slowly turns to me. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know yet, but let’s get changed before she comes back in here to see what’s taking so long.”
When I get into my room, there’s a white t-shirt, dark jeans, and a new pair of white shoes waiting for me and I quickly slip them on before walking out of the room. Bethany is following closely behind me in a white dress of her own, her hair in waves around her face, and she gives me a small smile as we descend the stairs.
I’m not sure what’s gotten into Autumn lately, but hopefully I can talk to her about it once Bethany heads to bed. She’s been more irritable than usual and then she goes upstairs to bed where I end up finding her asleep. According to Bethany, she’s been yelling a lot more in dance class and it’s starting to put a dent in the atmosphere.
The photographer gives us a smile when Bethany and I walk into the backyard and points us to where Autumn is standing, so we make our way over to her.
For the next ten minutes the photographer places us in every position, until finally she instructs me to turn around and crouch down while Autumn wraps her arms around my neck from behind me. Bethany is standing off to the side now with her phone lifted in front of her face, and I turn my attention straight ahead while the camera clicks rapidly behind us.
“Alright,” the photographer says excitedly. “Now all of you together. Face me,” she instructs.
When I turn around, Autumn has tears in her eyes and she quickly shakes them away before glancing down at her stomach. I’m confused at first, wondering if maybe she’s not feeling well, until I realize she’s holding a sign in front of her.
“You’re going to be a dad… again!”It reads.
The photographer is snapping away in front of me capturing the moment as a smile widens on my face and I chuckle. “You’re pregnant?”
Bethany gasps beside me and jumps up and down, clapping her hands. “Oh my God, I can’t wait to tell all my friends! This is awesome.” She throws her arms around Autumn, catching her off-guard, and I blink back a few tears that are threatening to escape.
Out of all the things I had thought was going on with Autumn, this was not what I was expecting. Her mood swings make much more sense now and I wonder how long she’s known. “When did you find out?”
Autumn shrugs and looks at the ground. “A few days ago when I was at Savanna’s. Apparently we both have a habit of going to her when we’re nervous.”
“We’re having a baby,” I say softly and bring my hand to her stomach, excitement filling my chest at the thought of tiny feet running around the house again.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Bethany to death, but I can’t wait to watch Autumn be a mother to a child of her own. I can’t wait to watch her belly grow and experience parenthood alongside her.
This is going to be a new chapter for us, but it’s one I’m excited for.
“We are,” Autumn says with a nervous smile. “Are you happy?”
“Are you kidding me?” I say as I wrap my arms around her. “This is the best news I could’ve ever gotten.”
“I was worried you wanted to wait longer.”
“I’ll go at whatever pace you want to, Red. As long as it’s together.” I pull Bethany over to me and look down at her. “Are you excited to be an older sister?”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life, Dad.”
Who knew that this would end up being my life? I never thought I’d get over my fear of being hurt again and I can’t help but be grateful that I didn’t let it consume me. If I had never taken the leap with Autumn, we wouldn’t be standing here.
I wouldn’t be the luckiest man in the world with my two favorite girls by my side.
Elena is probably smiling down at us right now, happy that I’m finally living my life the way she had always hoped I would.
Nothing can possibly get better than this. I press my lips to Autumn’s forehead and smile at her. “I love you, Red.”
She winks at me. “I love you more.”