December 13th
Having a baby.
Damon
“You were out so fast last night,” I say to Ainsley when she finally wakes up.
“I’ve never been more tired in my life since being pregnant. And I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what it will be like when the baby is born.”
I kiss her. Put my hand on her belly. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We kiss some more. Things get a bit heated.
“I’ve never had sex with a pregnant woman,” I stupidly say.
I was thinking about it and didn’t really mean to just blurt it out.
“When Jennifer was near the end of her term, she caught me and Chase talking about how sex must be impossible when a woman is that pregnant. She laughed and told us you just have to be more creative. That sort of grossed us out, so we didn’t ask further. ”
She grins at me. “You do realize you’ve been having sex with a pregnant woman all semester.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re right. I have.”
“And it has been quite a while since we were together,” she coos as she slides her hand down my chest.
“That I know. Eighty-three days, to be exact.”
“I can’t believe you know that,” she says as her hand slips down further.
“Well, it worked just fine,” she says after.
“Yes, it did,” I reply, my grin growing wider.
“You’re going to have to wipe that smirk off your face before we go downstairs,” she says. “And we need to soon. Can we go down in our robes?”
“Of course.”
“Good, because I smell toast.”
I sniff the air. “I don’t.”
“Trust me, baby is hungry,” she says, getting out of bed and pulling on a robe.
“Summer is hungry, you mean.” I still can’t believe we’re having a baby.
She sits down on the edge of the bed next to me. “I really like her name.”
“Me too.”
Quite glamorous.
Ainsley
When we get downstairs, we find Uncle Tripp sitting at the breakfast bar.
“Ainsley. Damon,” he says. “Good to see you.”
“Um, I have something to tell you,” I blurt out, suddenly needing to get it off my chest. “I’m pregnant.
And I should have told you before I accepted the job, but I hadn’t told Damon yet, so I couldn’t tell you.
If that even makes sense. But if it won’t work out, I’ll understand. Even though I’ll be devastated.”
Tripp stands up, gives me a hug, and then shakes Damon’s hand. “First of all, congratulations to you both. When are you due?”
“February twenty-second,” Damon says.
Tripp turns toward me. “So, that gives us a couple of months to get you going before you’ll be on maternity leave.”
“You mean I can keep my job?” I ask.
“You’re the right person for the role. We’ll make it work.”
“Oh, thank you so much! You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“I think I do.”
Damon’s mom and Uncle Van come out of a door toward the back of the kitchen, carrying platters full of food. And I’m happy that his mom is in a robe herself. Of course, it’s not terry, like we’re wearing, but rather a gorgeous, long silk version. It’s actually quite glamorous.
“Oh good, you’re up,” his mom says. “Let’s eat.”
We say grace, and then everyone fills up their plates.
“As soon as we’re done with breakfast, we need to call and share the news with everyone,” Damon says. “Chase and Dani are going to be so surprised.”
“Hopefully in a good way,” I say, feeling a bit nervous.
“I have some news myself,” Uncle Tripp says. “I bought the land on the other side of the lake. Thought it might be fun to have a golf course over there.” He points out the window. “Country club maybe. We’ll have to see how it goes once the course planners make their assessment.”
“Does that mean you’re going to build out here too?” I ask him.
He holds his hands in the air. “Oh, now let’s not get crazy. But I am considering a move.”
“Really?” Van says.
Tripp throws his thumb in my direction. “It’s Ainsley’s fault really.”
“What’d I do?” I ask.
“You imagined the kind of home I’d want if I were a cowboy,” Tripp says.
My eyes get big. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, so I end up with my mouth just hanging open.
Damon laughs.
Which causes me to finally say, “I can’t believe Jadyn told you that.”
“Why not? I love it. And even though I’m not a cowboy, I want a space like that.”
“In Fort Worth?” Damon’s mom asks.
“No. Here. In fact, I was thinking—”
“Uh-oh,” Van teases.
“I know, right?” Tripp says. “It does tend to get me into trouble. What I was thinking is that I might keep the top floor of the new Kansas City hotel for myself.”
“That would be so cool,” Damon says.
“And would be so fun to design,” I add.
“Speaking of designs,” Damon’s mom says, “I set the blueprints up in the dining room for whenever you’re ready to take a look.”
It was a shock.
Damon
After breakfast, we go get dressed and ready. I’m sitting on the couch, waiting for Ainsley to finish her makeup. The door is open, and I can see her standing in front of the mirror, her baby bump on full display.
And it’s crazy really.
She’s carrying my baby.
One day in, and it still feels surreal—we made a baby together.
I’m going to be a dad.
A father.
To a precious baby girl.
I’m excited to tell my sister, Chase, and Haley, but I’m a little worried about how they’re going to react. I expect it to be much like I did.
When Ainsley comes to sit down next to me, I wrap my arm around her. “I’m sorry for how I reacted yesterday.”
“Don’t be. It was a shock. Especially since you saw the bump before I could tell you.” She smiles. “Although I can’t believe you asked if it was yours.”
“That’s the only reason I could think of as to why you wouldn’t tell me.”
“Still,” she teases.
“Okay, let’s do this. A group call with Dani, Chase, and Haley.”
“I’m nervous,” she says.
I take her hand. “Don’t be. I love them, but all that matters is what we think.”
“And what do you think, Damon?”
“I think I’m crazy happy and very much in love with you.”
She glances at the phone in my hand and then nods.
I load the numbers and call them. Within seconds, all three faces pop up on my screen.
“Happy graduation, Ainsley!” Dani yells out.
“Yeah, congrats, Ainsley,” Chase adds.
Haley is nodding her head in agreement. “You did it, girl!”
“We have some news,” Damon says.
“Ahh! Did you propose?!” Haley shouts.
Ainsley chuckles and nudges my arm.
Because I did actually propose yesterday.
And she said no.
“Why don’t you just stand up and show them?” I tell Ainsley.
She stands, one hand under her bump.
The reaction is instantaneous.
“What the hell?” Chase yells. “You’re pregnant? How? What the actual—”
“Yeah, she is,” I reply.
“Very pregnant,” Haley adds, her eyes wide with shock.
“Thirty weeks,” I say, nodding. Because she is quite pregnant.
“And you’re just telling us now?” my sister asks.
“He is,” Ainsley says, getting in the mix. “Because he just found out yesterday.”
“Yesterday?!” Chase throws his hands up in the air. “Bro, you’ve been walking around completely clueless, and she, what, kept this from you for seven months? Who does that?”
“Hey,” I say sternly, instantly pissed at his reaction.
“She waited so I could get through my season without a distraction. It wasn’t easy, but she did it.
And I appreciate that she did.” I shake my head.
“Anyway, we just wanted to let you guys know. And hopefully, at some point, you’ll be excited for us.
Okay, so see ya,” I say, waving my hand at them.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Dani says. “Don’t go. I’m sorry if we came off as harsh. It’s just … a lot to take in. I’m sure you had a lot of questions too.”
“He did,” Ainsley says, giving me a sweet smile. “But once I explained why I did what I did, he understood.”
“So, I’m going to be an aunt,” Dani says, nodding her head like it’s finally sinking in.
“You are,” I tell my sister.
“Don’t forget about me,” Haley says. “Auntie Haley has a nice ring to it.”
I notice that Chase hasn’t said anything. He’s just sitting there, very still.
“Chase?” I need him to be good with this. I need him to be excited for me. He’s my best friend in the entire world.
He runs his hand down his face. “Yeah, I just … wow. You’re gonna be a dad.” A slow, genuine grin grows on his face. “Wow. Congratulations, bro.”
And it hits me harder than I expected.
Haley claps and gushes on about names and baby showers.
Chase tilts his head, like he just thought of something. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
I know that my smile must be a mile wide. “We do. We’re having a girl.”
“You always said you were destined to be a girl dad,” Chase replies with a chuckle. “You also told us that Ainsley was the future mother of your children back when we were fifteen, so I don’t know why any of us here are surprised.”
“True,” Dani says. “I’m sure if you just found out, you probably haven’t picked names out yet—”
“Actually,” Ainsley says, squeezing my hand, “we decided on a first name last night. In case you can’t tell, we’re at your mom and Van’s house. After I told Damon about the baby, he told me he was keeping a secret, too, and we had to drive to Kansas City to see it.”
“You bought a lot, didn’t you?” Chase asks.
“I did. We’re actually going to choose a floor plan before we leave, and the builder will break ground next week.”
“Anyway, we were out there, the sun was setting, and it was the perfect moment. Much like one that we had at the Ozarks. And we decided to name the baby Summer.”
“Summer Diamond,” Haley says, folding her hands together. “So cute. I love it.”
“It’s adorable,” my sister agrees.
I lean back against the couch and let out a long exhale. Even with their raw reactions, I know the love is there.
“Can we tell people?” Haley asks. “Do my parents know?”
“Yes, Haley, you can tell your friends,” I tell her. “No, your parents don’t know yet. Jennifer and Dad were out here for dinner last night, and they are very excited. As are Mom and Van.”
“And my uncle Tripp was here for breakfast, so we told him.”
“What about the guys?” Chase asks me, and I know he’s referring to our teammates.
“I’d like to tell our friends when I get back, but I think maybe we don’t make any big announcement until after the season. I want to keep the focus on our games.”
Chase nods in understanding.