Chapter 58
Troy
I found Monica sitting in the nursery, the gray-blue walls surrounding her in a peaceful embrace as she folded baby clothes. She hadn’t seen me yet, so I just watched in silence in the doorway. She hummed a lullaby as she held up a tiny white onesie, admiring it, before she folded it and added it to the growing pile in front of her.
She had been in full-on nesting mode for the past few weeks as her due date approached. Our son would be here in just a few short weeks. As prepared as we were with the nursery being done, complete with the perfect shade of blue walls and an oak crib nestled in the corner of the room, I still felt completely taken aback that I was about to become a father.
I was grateful to Monica for her calmness through it all, as if she was made for this. The fears I had for screwing this baby up diminished just watching her, knowing that all I wanted to be in this life was a decent man for her and a loving father for our baby. I tried not to think back on the day I almost lost them both, especially since Monica had seemed to be doing better in the aftermath, but it really put things into perspective.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked softly, noticing me in the doorway.
“How much I love you.” I walked toward her, weaving around the piles of tiny clothes that surrounded her.
I sat down beside her and leaned against the crib, taking a onesie and folding it into a tiny square. She laid her head on my shoulder and folded two blue socks into a ball. We folded the rest of the clothes in a comfortable silence, taking in the fact they would be filled out by our baby in a few weeks’ time.
“He’s almost here,” I whispered.
“You ready for it?” She found my hand and interlaced her fingers in mine.
“I think so.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“You’re going to be the best dad.”
“And you the best mom.”
She lifted her head and pressed her lips against my cheek, her warmth running through me. She looked around the room, at all we had accomplished in the past few months, slowly curating the perfect pieces for the nursery.
“You picked the perfect shade of blue,” she said, looking at me.
“Someone had to.” I winked at her.
She nudged me playfully with her shoulder. “How was work?” she asked.
“Good. We are all set for tomorrow’s launch.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“Don’t be proud yet. You know how technology goes. There is always something that could go wrong.”
“It won’t. The website is seamless, and you have a team of geniuses to fix any problem that comes up, which it won’t.”
I nodded, but my nerves were still fluttering in my stomach. When I thought up this tech company months ago, I knew I would be taking a risk by stepping foot into a territory I had never been before. I didn’t have my father to fall back on. It was all on me, which was what I wanted, but it was still terrifying.
The only thing that kept me going was my interest in AI, which I learned of in college, but never pursued fully. It wasn’t as big of a thing back then, and even if it had been, my father’s pressure of joining the family business was overbearing. I let it control my every move, and my every choice. But not anymore.
I had brainstormed a few ideas when Monica and I had been enjoying the unemployed life, though it wasn’t meant for us long-term. I ran a few by Daniel Jacobs, who had his own successful AI software company, and he graciously lent an ear and advice, helping me narrow down my direction. I settled on an AI tool that automatically searched the internet for copyright infringement, making it easy for startups to know which logos, branding, or company names were already in use, while generating ideas for their own.
The press and the business world were waiting with bated breath, ready to praise me or to prove that I was nothing without my father. I needed the launch to go off without a hitch if I were to make it in this world. I had only twelve hours until the launch the next morning.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of your head,” said Monica, giving my hand a little tug.
I helped her stand up, her round belly looking ready to burst. We stepped over the piles of clothes and she led me to the kitchen. She pulled out a list of takeout menus and told me to pick. I chose the same pizza place we had ordered from after I burned dinner all those months ago. It was not only good, but held a special place in my memory.
She smiled and called to place an order. As the phone rang, she nodded to the living room.
“You know what to do.”
I smiled at her and headed toward the console under the TV, pulling out a large plush blanket and laying it on the floor. I heard Monica order a pepperoni jalapeno pizza and a case of beer for me, and a case of sparkling water for her.
Soon we were on the floor, eating pizza from the box and watching a new comedy that had just come out. It was just what I needed to forget the stress of tomorrow.
“Oh,” said Monica suddenly, clutching her stomach.
“What is it? Are you okay?” I asked worriedly.
“He’s kicking like crazy! I think the jalapeno woke him up.” She laughed.
She reached over and pulled me closer, placing my hand on her firm stomach. We both sat in silence, as if the baby was about to talk, while we waited for another kick. I felt my hand rise and fall as he moved.
“Well, hello there,” I cooed, bringing my face closer to him.
As I felt my son kick my hand, I looked up at Monica who smiled down at me with so much love in her eyes. I realized this was all I needed. Even if tomorrow didn’t go as I hoped, at least I had her and our baby.
Thankfully though, the launch went seamlessly. Monica joined me in my small office I had leased on the upper west side, my small team surrounding us as we watched the website go live. Once our first download came through, we all celebrated with champagne and sparkling cider, cheering as more and more came through. Our first hour of sales made recent history in AI startup launches.
The press the following day was generous, naming me “One to Watch” in one publication, and “40 Under 40 Innovators” in another. They were already predicting my first year sales, even comparing them to my father’s company, which I was predicted to outpace. Erica covered the launch in her paper too, as she had a first-hand look of the day as she was there to celebrate.
To my surprise, that night my father had sent over a bottle of champagne and a large bouquet of roses to my apartment. It made me happier than I would like to admit. Things between us were still tense after our tempers had gotten the best of us that night in my office. We both said and did things we regretted. While things might not be normal between us, if they ever were for a long, long time, at least we were on the right path.
“What’s it say?” asked Monica curiously, as I plucked the card from the bouquet.
I opened it with bated breath.
“It says ‘Congratulations on the launch. I’m proud of you. P.S. the roses are for Monica.’”
“Wow,” she whispered in awe.
“Yeah. Wow is right.” I shook my head, reading the words over again.
The next morning, I stopped by my old coffee shop on the upper east side to congratulate Connor on his graduation. Plus, I missed his coffee. I had yet to find one on the upper west side that I liked. To congratulate him, I gave him a generous check, which he almost refused to accept. I told him it was for all the coffee and for inspiring me to find my own passion in life. I left him speechless, and headed to the office.
In the small waiting room, I found an old college friend of mine, Alex Rodgers. I hadn’t seen him in years. He looked the same, just a few more creases around the eyes formed through the years. As I approached forty, I knew all about it. Monica liked to tease me, saying I was like a fine wine.
“Alex?” I asked curiously.
He looked up from the paper in his hands and gave me a grin, the same one he had when he was up to no good in the dorms.
“Troy, you ol’ bastard.” He stood up and pulled me in for a hug, patting me on the back.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as we pulled apart.
“I wanted to congratulate you. Face to face.”
“Thank you. Wow, it’s been…”
“Too long.”
“Well, come on.” I waved for him to follow me. “Come into my office. It’s not much…”
“Are you kidding? This is incredible. And it’s all yours,” he said, as he followed me into my office, much smaller than my last one.
We spent the next hour catching up, as I filled him in about leaving my father’s company to do my own thing, and he told me about his own company, which I felt bad for not keeping up with. I saw his name every so often in the press, but it covered more on who he was sleeping with than his business deals. Something I was familiar with.
“So, you’re going to be a dad?” he asked, leaning back and raising an amused brow.
“Looks that way.” I smiled.
He shook his head and grinned.
“I never thought I would see the day. Troy Gunner. A dad. Settling down and doing the whole white picket fence thing.”
“More like a penthouse in Manhattan thing, but yeah. And what about you? Anyone special in your life?”
“There’s always someone special.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Who that is depends on the night of the week.”
I chuckled. “Same old Alex.”
“I’ll never change.” He winked.
I remembered how I thought the same thing until Monica came into my life. And even then, I still tried to fight it, but I was so glad I let myself fall for her. My life was exactly where I wanted it to be.
“We should celebrate your launch,” he said, smacking his hand on my desk enthusiastically. “I saw in the papers there was no party. I’m disappointed.”
“I’m not sure I can keep up like I used to.”
I thought back to all the parties we would go to, the copious amount of liquor we drank, and the women we sweet-talked back to our college apartment. It was a wonder we even graduated. I was sure our fathers had something to do with it. They probably donated a gymnasium or something to keep us from failing.
“Probably not,” teased Alex.
“But look, why don’t you come to a party at my place? Once the baby is born, we want to host friends and family, so you all can meet him.”
“A baby party?” asked Alex skeptically.
“I’ll make sure there’s a nice bottle of bourbon for you.”
“I’m there.” He laughed.
A knock sounded at my door just then, and my new assistant popped his head in, looking slightly frazzled.
“Yes, Brad?” I asked.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Monica…”
“What about her?” I asked, standing from my chair suddenly.
“She’s gone into labor.”