Sylas
THREE YEARS LATER
“You know the rule. Breakfast first then we’ll go to the rink, okay?” I tell Rosie as I flip the bacon over.
My almost six-year-old pouts. “But Daddy, I’m ready.” She waves her hand over her clothes. “Can we eat breakfast later?”
“We’re eating first and then we’ll leave.” I smile but get a frown in return.
She groans, stomping her foot. “I’m not even hungry.”
But not a second later, her stomach grumbles. I arch a brow. “We have all day, stop being so impatient.”
She approaches me, puffing out a resigned breath. “But what if my friends leave?”
“I promise they’ll be there.” I break off a piece of bacon and hand it to her.
A good friend of mine is visiting from Canada with his family.
They’re here not only visiting us, but one of their friends, and a few more from out of state made the trip with their kids.
We’ve all been hanging out and taking the little ones to the rink.
Rosie knows they won’t be here long, so every day she’s been waking up extra early, hustling us out the door.
She begrudgingly takes it but perks up when Sesame, our dog, comes trotting into the kitchen close to my wife. She’s a three-year-old beagle mix we adopted last year for Rosie’s birthday.
Ses—what Ro calls her—is usually our daughter’s shadow, but lately she’s been hovering by Anna. Even when it’s time to go to bed, she’s desperate to be next to her.
“Morning.” Anna ambles into the kitchen, instantly rolling her lips then raising her shirt to cover her nose. “Oh God, that smells…” A divot appear between her brows before she shudders, gags, then squeezes her eyes shut. “That smells so— I think I’m going to throw up.”
She spins and takes off for the nearest bathroom.
I’ve already moved the pan, turned off the burner, and am following behind her. “Stay here, Ro.”
I rush into the bathroom and find her kneeled over the toilet, dry heaving. I grab her hair and gingerly sweep it away from her face, crouching behind her.
Keeping one hand on her hair, I use my other palm to rub her back. “It was bacon, I’m sorry, meu bem. I just bought it, but it could have gone bad and I didn’t notice. I’ll throw it away.”
Anna flushes the toilet, palming her stomach, and drops on her butt so she’s leaning against the wall. “That’s so weird. I was fine and then…” She exhales shakily, tipping her head back.
“I’m going to get you some water. Stay right here.”
I find Rosie in the kitchen, breaking off a piece of bacon and throwing it to Ses. “Ro, I’ve told you not to give her food.” I grab the plate of bacon and take a whiff of it. It doesn’t smell bad, but I still throw it away then fill a cup of water.
“Is Mommy okay?” she asks, ignoring Ses as she nuzzles her leg, whining for more.
“She’s fine, she just got a little sick.
” I smile, reassuring her. “I’m going to give this to her.
Don’t take the bacon out of the trash and don’t give Sesame any more food,” I warn her, and head over to Anna.
Before I enter the bathroom, I remove my shirt and set it on the floor outside the door, knowing it probably smells.
She’s still in the same spot. She pries her eyes open when she hears me, her face pinched in a small grimace. “I’m fine.” She takes the cup and drains the entire thing down. “The smell of the bacon—” She freezes midsentence and pales, eyes going round.
“Anna, baby, what’s wrong?” I kneel in front of her, taking the cup and setting it down.
She stares at me for a long moment, a tentative smile curling on her face. “The last time I got this sick off the smell of bacon was when I was pregnant with Rosie.”
“Are—” I start, my voice in disbelief, but happiness overrides the shock. “Baby, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
I instinctively place my palm over hers, waiting with bated breath for her answer.
“We need to go to the store.”
Me: Thanks for taking Rosie. We’ll be over in a few
Maya: Take your time. I have nothing going on today, plus I missed spending time with my niece
Despite Maya moving out almost three years ago, she still sees Rosie regularly. And when they’re not spending physical time together, they’re FaceTiming.
“And now we wait.” Anna sets the pregnancy test on our bathroom vanity and sits on the floor next to me. Ses cuddles next to her, laying her head on top of her lap. “Don’t get your hopes up. The bacon could have gone bad or…I don’t know, maybe I’m getting sick.”
There was a time when Anna said she was done having kids. I told her I’d get a vasectomy because I didn’t want her to worry about accidentally getting pregnant. But when I told her I’d set up the appointment, she asked me to cancel it.
We talked that night, spoke to Rosie the next day because we wanted to see how she’d feel about a sibling, and then I canceled the appointment.
She’s been off birth control for a while. It’s interesting how the body works because she got pregnant while on it but she’s been off it for months and nothing until maybe now.
I take her hand in mine, playing with the ring and wedding band on her left finger.
“I know I shouldn’t, but if you think about it, there have been signs.
You love bacon, even when you’ve gotten sick you’ve never felt like this.
Sesame has been all over you recently and I heard when dogs do that it’s because they can sense it.
And your nipples are more sensitive than usual. ”
I give her a knowing smirk and eye her chest. It’s only been a few days but I remember as I toyed with them, she made a face when I squeezed them too hard. She’s usually into that but she’d asked me to be gentle.
Anna chuckles, dragging her palm over her coat. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Ses choosing to sleep with me over Rosie was odd.”
Those signs could mean anything, but I have a strong feeling it’ll be positive.
“I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up but I’m excited.” I interlock our fingers together, kissing the top of her head.
“Yeah?” She peers up at me, a smile blooming on her face. “I don’t want to be because what if I’m not, but…I’m excited too.” She rubs her stomach. “But if I am, prepare yourself. The first trimester with Rosie was rough. Things could be different this time, and not every pregnancy is the same but—”
“Anna, my love, I’ve been prepared since the moment you came back into my life.
” I slip one hand around her back and lift her up, having her straddle me.
She circles her arms around my shoulders and her lips stretch wider.
Ses watches us before she gets comfortable next to my knee.
“I hate that you’ll be going through all of this, but I’m going to be here, every step of the way.
Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I’ll be there. ”
“I might be very needy.” She shrugs unapologetically.
I grin, kissing her once. “I like you needy. No, I love you in every way I can get you.”
Her lips meet mine again but they stall there. “We really shouldn’t get excited.”
“Too late. I’m thinking we should buy a new house with a bigger yard and that we need another car and—”
She huffs out a laugh. “We just bought this house and you already got me a new car. We don’t need anything more.”
The car I got for her before we got married and the house was bought after.
She wasn’t on board at first and I knew she felt weird about me buying it, but I did anyway.
But with the house, it was much easier. She wanted a yard for Rosie to be able to play outside and when she saw the kitchen of one we toured, she was instantly sold.
It’s been easier with time for her to accept me spending money. I understand her reluctance, so I’ve been taking it slow, but I’m still spoiling her; she deserves everything and more.
“But if you’re not, it’s okay. We’ll keep trying and trying until you are.” I drift my palms to her ass, squeezing it.
And I’m all for trying several times a week, keeping her up until she can’t walk straight. That is when Rosie isn’t sleeping in our bedroom because lately she’s been much more clingy, wanting to sleep with us or sneaking into our bedroom in the middle of the night.
“Pervert,” she lightheartedly says.
“I’m the pervert but you’re the one who loves it when—”
The timer on my phone goes off and we both perk up, staring at the test on the vanity. My heart races, and I’m positive hers is beating just as fast.
She doesn’t climb off me, even when I turn off the timer.
“What if…what if it’s negative?” There’s an edge of anxiety in her voice, all the lightness from earlier gone.
I rest my forehead against hers, breathing her in. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. We are okay, we have Rosie, we have each other. We’re happy.”
The tension on her body melts. She smiles easily and the way she glows is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. “Okay, I’m going to get off you.”
“Whenever you’re ready.” I draw back, placing a kiss on her forehead.
She pushes up and stands, but she doesn’t look at the test. She waits until I’m up and beside her. We look at each other, nod, letting each other know we’re ready and glance down at the stick.
Positive
Holy shit.
I rake my fingers through my hair, in disbelief over the single word on the digital test. Anna looks just as shocked but is as happy as I am. Her wide eyes are watery, and her smile is megawatt. My own lips are stretched impossibly wide; they could be touching my ears from how big I’m grinning.
“Meu bem.” I exhale, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her up. “Baby…we’re going to be parents again. Anna, I love you.”
Ses barks, jumping next to us and panting. I know she can sense our happiness.
“We are.” She laughs and sniffles, circling her arms and legs around me. “I love you. I can’t…I can’t believe this is happening.”
She looks down at me, wiping the mist under her eyes, then reaches for my face and brushes the tears that snuck away from me.
“We need to tell Rosie. She needs to know,” I begin, and think of all the things we need to do now that we have another baby on the way. Then it dawns on me that I’m holding her tight, so I set her on top of the vanity.
“Please don’t start acting like I’m frail.” She chuckles, tugging me closer to her body. “Also, we still need to go to the doctor to confirm this is really positive, so we shouldn’t say anything until we know for sure.”
“I’ll do whatever you want me to do. No one will know until you say so,” I state. Ses drops down next to me, laying her head on top of my foot. “But Ses has never been this clingy. I’m confident you are.”
She drops her hands to her stomach, palming it. “I’m pregnant.”
“I love you.” I can’t stop saying it, I can’t stop thinking it. She, Rosie, and now this baby are the best things to ever happen to me. I rest my palms on top of her hands. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to do this with you and be part of every moment.”
We look at each other and for a moment it feels as if time stands still. I capture every moment to memory, making sure to remember everything about it, how I feel, how I know she feels, how breathtaking she looks.
I don’t want to miss a single thing, and I promise myself like I did when she came back into my life that I’ll do my best to be there.
Though there are instances when life just gets in the way. Our lives are busy, and we have a kid who is constantly keeping us on our toes. I’m still playing; Anna’s running the bakery.
It was hard at first, navigating it all and still trying my best to separate myself from my parents.
In the beginning the media and the public were curious about our lives.
Thankfully, I don’t face any of the scrutiny on my own.
Harlow has worked her ass off to make sure I have an answer on standby and steers me away from any attention involving them.
My teammates and sister are also so helpful and have been nothing but supportive.
Though now that some time has passed, no one cares. On occasion someone might bring them up, but it doesn’t affect me anymore.
And that aside, Anna and Clementine’s business is doing really well. While their success has nothing to do with us, some of their customers poked around in the aftermath of what happened. They came for the drama but stuck for the pastries.
While nothing has been easy, I wouldn’t have it any other way. And despite what happened with my parents, in a way I’m grateful. I’ve learned to ask for help, I’m seeing a therapist, I’m back on medication, and I stopped smoking three years ago.
The anxiety hasn’t gone away. There are days when life feels daunting, when the stress of the world weighs heavily, but then I wake up and look at the person I’m lying next to, and the weight subsides.
I don’t know what the future will hold, but I know with Anna by my side, everything will be okay.
The End.