43. Epilogue That’s My Girl #2
Our table appeared to be the most chill of everyone at the gala, since the hard part was over. Everyone was here except Winona and Mitchell, who I was pretty sure had snuck off somewhere for some private celebrating. Which, fair—this was technically their building.
Meanwhile, I was massaging Ellie’s hand in my lap while Cher grilled Ellie about our new babysitter.
“So Dana’s good with all ages?”
“She’s the most responsible kid I’ve ever met,” Ellie said.
“She goes to some prep school in Greenville,” I said. “‘Home of future presidents’. That’s what she’s always telling us.”
“Don’t get me started,” Conrad grumbled, taking a pull from his beer.
Cher frowned. “Wait, why?”
“Archie’s in love,” I said, grinning.
“She’s got him convinced he needs to go there next year,” Conrad lamented.
“Didn’t he get you to buy a bunch of science books after she moved in?” Ellie asked.
“Yes,” Kit said. “I think it’s great. And it’s not just to impress her, either. He’s convinced he could qualify for the ‘Super-Achiever’ scholarship.”
“Getting in is definitely to impress her,” Conrad said to Kit.
“Okay, yes at first. But now he’s really keen. He’s working so hard!”
Conrad grumbled. “I guess.”
“What’s wrong with the school?” Cher asked.
Something definitely wasn’t adding up. Conrad was normally his son’s biggest cheerleader.
“They’re… traditional,” Kit said. “For the non-paying students, anyway.”
I frowned, already not liking the sound of that. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” Conrad said, tugging at his collar, “They don’t generally accept applications from single parents.”
Ellie nearly spat out her soda water. “What?”
Anger rippled over me too. “What kind of school can do that?”
“A private one,” Conrad said.
Kit held up a hand. “Okay wait. To be fair, we don’t know that it’s necessarily a family values thing. They said on the website that the school requires a huge amount of parental involvement. Too much for one person who also works full-time.”
“So what if someone had a supportive grandparent or something?” Ellie asked.
“That could work,” Kit said. “Right?”
Conrad rubbed his forehead. “All I know is they’ve never accepted a kid with unmarried parents into the Super-Achiever program. Not in fifty years. So whether they think they’re open-minded or not, the odds are stacked against him.” Conrad took another swig.
He wasn’t annoyed. I could see that now. He was upset that his situation was in the way of making his son happy.
“So that’s something that should change,” Ellie said.
“Definitely,” I agreed.
“We could write a letter?” Sarah said.
“A petition?” Jamie added.
“There’s no time for that,” Conrad said. “Arch needs to be doing all the things they require for applicants now, which will already require a shit-ton of my time. Which I’m happy to give to him. But I can’t go on a crusade to change the system while still hoping to get them in.”
“They’re not a part of any public system, either,” David added. “Even public schools take forever to get anything changed.”
David was a public school teacher, and he was making points.
“I can’t imagine a privately funded one even needing to think about making a change like that,” David said. “Especially if demand is high.”
“It is,” Conrad said. “Archie says ‘it’s elite.’”
He gave a wry chuckle, but this had clearly been weighing on him.
“Well I can think of one thing that could help,” I said.
All eyes turned to me.
“What’s that?” Conrad asked. He looked so hopeful I felt like shit for speaking up. But it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
I shrugged. “Find yourself a wife.”
The table groaned.
“I’m serious,” I said. “It doesn’t have to be real. Just get someone to pretend to be your wife for the application process. After he’s in, there’s nothing stopping you from having ‘irreconcilable differences’ and going your separate ways, right?”
Kit laughed. So did Sarah. But Jamie frowned. “Could work.”
Cher and David exchanged a look. “Honestly, I’ve seen wilder things happen,” David said.
“I’m not getting fake married,” Conrad said, his voice sharp enough that I sensed I needed to move the conversation along.
“Yeah,” I said. “There’ll be enough real weddings this year to keep us busy anyway.”
“Yup,” Jamie agreed. “Sam’s already cramping our style. No more.”
“I need some air,” Conrad said, getting up abruptly and heading for the bar.
“We’re already outside,” Cher pointed out after he’d gone.
“I’ll check on him,” Kit said softly.
Just then, the opening strains of music came on from the DJ who’d been setting up off to the side of the space.
Something ticked inside of me. When I looked over to Ellie, I saw she was blushing. Did she remember?
“Dance with me?” I asked.
She gave me a smile that made my heart flip-flop. The little diamond on her hand twinkled in the light as I helped her up. I hadn’t been able to afford much, not after that down payment. But she swore up and down she didn’t want something flashy. “I already won the lottery with you,” she’d told me.
She had it all wrong. I was the winner.
On the dance floor, I gripped her by the cheeks, planting a kiss on her before we even got started. I couldn’t help it. She was so pretty in the last of the early summer light.
“Do you remember this song?” I asked her.
She nodded. “We’ve Got Tonight.”
“That’s what got me to ask you to take that walk with me at the conference.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s about being with someone even if you don’t know what the future holds.” I smiled. “I never thought you’d say yes.”
“Or suggest we go to my room instead?”
“What a night.”
Ellie shook her head. “Who knew a month later I’d be pregnant with our baby?”
“It was the best night of my life,” I said, kissing her forehead as I held her close. “I didn’t know they could get any better. I was so wrong.”
Ellie laughed softly. Then she tipped her head up. “Hey, Sam?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“What if I told you something that might make tonight the best night of your life? Maybe? I hope?”
I froze, feeling a trench form between my brows, the extra-loud thump of my heart.
“Ellie.”
We stood in the center of the dance floor. She looked up at me with those big beautiful eyes, a shy smile growing on her face.
“Ellie,” I said again, loud enough people around us turned.
We hadn’t been trying for a baby. Not really. But we hadn’t been not trying.
Okay, we’d really been not not trying. It was too fun. But somehow, even with our history, I never really expected it to happen. Definitely not this fast.
My stomach wobbled. “Ellie, say the words. Please. I don’t think I’ll believe it until you tell me.”
She rose up on her tiptoes, whispering in my ear. “I’m pregnant, Sam.”
I dropped to my knees, my eyes watering like a fucking baby.
“Sam!” she hissed as I kissed her belly. “Get up!”
I stood up, the room spinning around me. “Ellie! You’re—”
She clapped a hand over my mouth, her eyes wide. “Sam. You’re not supposed to tell anyone. Not for three months. You just…never know what’s going to happen.”
I nodded. Right. I’d heard of this. Right.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay.”
But I couldn’t help picking her up. I couldn’t help spinning her around.
I couldn’t help telling the woman I loved that she was right, this was the greatest day of my life.
Ellie laughed, not trying to get out of my hold, despite the people around us staring with sweet, moony eyes.
“But every single day after this is going to be better than the last, baby,” I said. “I know it. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes,” she said, squealing as I spun her again. “I do, Sam. I really really do.”
Thank you for reading Sparked! I sincerely hope you loved these two as much as I loved writing them.