Rose #3
Tall, with four long sticks, it’s covered with a creamy-white fabric and ties holding it open so I could close it, turning it into the perfect little hideaway if I wanted to.
The thing is massive. It’s big enough to fill the corner and extend into the room.
I’d only need to duck slightly to walk into it, and I'm 5'4".
Colorful cushions, throws, and blankets spill out from inside and onto a thick, cream-tasseled rug.
But it's not just a teepee. Maybe it would be to someone else, but it isn’t to me.
It's a nest, and I stare at it, eyes burning, trying desperately not to cry.
"Is that a twin mattress in there?" I choke out, half-laughing.
It's covered with cushions and blankets, but it looks so damn cozy and comfortable in there that I'm ready to climb in this second.
"Yup," Murph says.
I look from him to the biggest teepee I've ever seen. I didn't even know they made them this big. When I open my mouth to thank him, nothing comes out, and my eyes fill with tears.
“Not yet, sweetheart,” Murph says gruffly, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “I talked with Sam, and since he had some free time between working on Nico's office, you’re getting two surprises for the price of one." He turns me around.
By the large window that looks out onto the backyard is a glossy dark-wood rocking chair, which I missed when Murph walked me into the room and had me face my nest.
“That's a present for you as much as for the baby,” Sam says. “You’ll want to get a cushion for it if you want to use it for nursing, but it’s as comfortable as the one I made for your mom that you always liked.”
I move toward Sam and give him a gentle punch on the shoulder. “Did you even sleep while you’ve been in town? Or have you been working all the time?”
Sam grabs my arm and pulls me into a hug.
“This was fun, and you deserve it. Even if it meant I got no sleep, I was happy to make this for you.” He kisses my forehead and steps back.
“I’ll leave you guys alone for this next part.
” He leaves, and Murph grins and thanks him.
It's clear they're way more friendly now than they were when they first met.
“We’ll probably wind up moving stuff around when the baby comes,” Joel says after I’ve tested out the rocking chair.
“We were talking about the attic. Since it runs the length of the house, there's no reason we can't split it into two or three rooms, eventually move your nest up there, and maybe have a spare bedroom for guests while we turn this into a nursery.”
"And we got you this, Mommy." Ben offers me a medium-sized flat white box that he must have picked up from inside the teepee.
I open the lid, and my eyes fill with tears at the wooden, hand-carved, homemade sign.
Mommy's Nest
"You need a nest, sweetheart," Murph says firmly. "We didn't go too crazy filling it with cushions and blankets since we figured you would have stuff in Memphis. When you're in here, Ben knows to come find one of us and give you time for yourself."
"Just hang the sign on the door," Ben says. "Do you like it, Mommy?"
"I love it. It is absolutely perfect." I sink into a crouch and open my arms wide. "Come here, baby." As I hug him, I ask myself what I did to deserve all this. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Mommy."
"Oh, and there's a snack cart," Win says casually.
I release Ben and get to my feet. "Are you kidding me?"
Win points to something tucked almost behind the teepee. Sure enough, when I move closer, I spot a pastel pink cart stocked with snacks. There are small bags of caramel corn, candy, and chips—everything a girl could want to pig out in a nest that looks like a marshmallow.
I laugh. "Just when I thought it couldn’t be more perfect, you spoil me with candy."
"And there's a light inside your house," Ben says.
I turn back to the nest. "No way!"
Ben pulls me toward it and lifts out a small lantern. There's a large cream candle inside.
"It’s electric," Win explains. "There's a remote to control it in the lantern that you just need to pull out. That way, you never need to worry about starting a fire if you want to sleep in here."
"If I wanted to sleep in here? I could happily live in here." And I'm not even joking.
I take it all in: the nest, the snack cart, the rocking chair, and I shake my head. My heart is so full. "Thank you. All of you. I still don't know how Ben kept this a secret so long."
"Oh, he came to us," Win says. "Whenever he wanted to talk about it, he'd spill it to us. But it was incredibly stressful sneaking all this stuff into the house. We were creeping from our cars like ninjas, terrified we’d run into you with armfuls of cushions and throws and no explanation about what we were doing. "
“Carrying that mattress up the stairs was particularly stressful,” Murph says blandly.
I choke out a laugh. That explains how they all know so much about this room, my nest, and everything in it.
“I can’t believe you did all this for me.” I shake my head again, struggling to believe such a beautiful nest is mine.
“You’re our heart, Rose,” Murph says quietly. “Without you and Ben, this would be just a house. You two make it a home.”
I finally lose control of my tears, and Murph draws me against his chest. Then more arms circle us. Ben hugs my leg, and I’m wrapped up in the warmest, safest, and coziest embrace with Joel, Win, and Murph. It’s the absolute best feeling in the world.