Chapter 18 #2
“You’re still smiling.”
I stop walking to look at her. I need her to see my face when I say this.
“Of course, I’m smiling. My wife might be pregnant with our first baby.
I love you, Ellison. This is the life we dreamed of.
It’s a different timeline, but it’s still coming true.
You’re my dream come true, and if we’re lucky, this baby will be a bonus dream come true. ”
“Fiancée,” she corrects me. “And we don’t know if there’s a baby.”
“Same thing. And if it’s negative, we’ll keep trying. Now, let’s go see if baby James is on the way.”
“You’re really okay with this, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
She studies me. I don’t know what she’s looking for, but I hope like hell she finds it.
When she steps close and kisses the corner of my mouth, I heave a sigh of relief.
“Let’s go take one of these tests,” she says, and leads me back upstairs to the bathroom.
Stopping at the bathroom door, she releases my hand and opens her palm. “Test me.”
“What? We’re not doing it together?” I ask.
“Copeland, you don’t need to be in there with me while I pee on a stick.”
“Why not? I don’t want to miss this.”
She shakes her head, but her lips tug up in a grin. “Let me take the test, and then we’ll wait for the results together.”
“Fine, but take three. We have plenty.”
“I don’t need three.”
“Humor me,” I tell her, reaching into one of the bags and handing her three boxes. “I’ll be right here.”
“Go wait in my room. I don’t need to know you’re out here, listening to me pee on a stick.”
“Three sticks, and it’s normal.”
“I know, but… just no. Go. I’ll be right there.”
“Fine.” I kiss her softly. “Love you, baby momma.”
“Copeland!” She giggles as she disappears into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
I hear the lock click and grin. If I wanted to get to her, that lock wouldn’t keep me away.
However, she asked me to wait for her in her room, so that’s what I’m going to do.
Kicking off my shoes, I sit down on the bed, dropping the bags to the floor, and wait.
It feels like hours have passed when she steps back into the room.
“Three minutes.”
“Come here.” I hold open my arms, and she comes to me, settles on my lap, and allows me to hold her. “I love you.” I place my hand over her belly. “I want this with you, so if we’re not pregnant, I want us to be.”
“We should probably plan the wedding before we start planning for a baby.”
“It might be too late for that.” I grin. “But, fine. Let’s plan it now. When can we do it? How much time do you need?”
“What kind of wedding do you want?”
“The kind where at the end of the day, you’re Mrs. Copeland James.”
“We always said we wanted something small and intimate.” Her voice is soft, and I don’t need to look at her to know that she’s smiling.
“Is that still what you want?” I honestly don’t care about the details, just that she’s my wife. Fucking finally, after all these years, she’s really going to be mine. Mine to hold, to love, to cherish for the rest of our lives. Just like we’d always planned.
“Yeah, small and intimate sounds perfect.”
“Where?” I’m taking mental notes so that I can execute this wedding flawlessly.
“Well, how about your mom’s backyard? That way, she doesn’t have to travel and can be there with us.”
Fuck, I wasn’t expecting that or the jolt of emotion her request causes to well inside my chest. “Yeah,” I rasp. “We can do that.”
“When?” Her eyes are lit with excitement.
“You tell me, baby. I’ll be there. I know you need a dress, flowers, and whatever else we need for a wedding. Hell, I don’t know, so you tell me. The sooner the better, and we’ll make it happen.”
“I always wanted to wear my mom’s wedding dress. She was pregnant with me, just barely, when she and my dad got married. I don’t know. I just always thought it would be cool to wear her dress because I was kind of there.” She laughs.
“Okay. The dress is taken care of, and the flowers? Food?”
“Nothing fancy, just a bouquet for me and a boutonniere for you. I assume you’ll wear your dress blues, so that’s covered. As far as food goes, I could have Alice and the staff here cater it.”
“Done. Date?”
“Well, I want all of my sisters to be there. Baylor doesn’t get home often, but she’ll be here for the Fourth of July.”
“As in less than two weeks away?” I ask, excitement barely contained. My arms that are banded around her fold in a little tighter.
“Yeah. Is that too soon?” She bites down on her bottom lip as if I’d say that’s too soon.
“No. Tell me the date.”
“Well, she’ll be here that entire week, so Saturday? Two weeks from today?”
“You’re not playing with me. In two weeks, you’ll be my wife?”
Her smile lights a fire inside my chest. “Two weeks from today, I’ll be Mrs. Copeland James.”
“Fuck yes, you will.” I crash my lips to hers, showing her what this means to me, because words just aren’t enough. When I pull away, we’re both breathing heavily. Resting my forehead against hers, I whisper, “I hope it’s positive.”
“We should go see,” she says.
Standing with her in my arms, I carry her bridal-style to the bathroom, placing her on the counter next to the sink.
We stare into each other’s eyes. This moment feels life-changing.
My gut tells me it’s positive. Is it possible that in one day I get everything I’ve ever wanted? My Ells as my wife, and our first baby?
“Ready?”
She nods, smiling. “You look.”
My eyes drop to the test, and all three of them stare back at me. My breath hitches, and fuck, my eyes are wet. My hands cradle her cheeks, and I stare into those big blue eyes of hers when I say, “We’re having a baby.” My voice cracks with emotion.
“We are?” she asks, blinking back tears before turning her gaze to the counter. “We’re having a baby,” she whispers.
I’m hit with this fierce, intense warmth, like someone lit a fire under my ribs. My hand drifts to her stomach, almost without me thinking, and I swear I feel something shift inside me—something intense and protective.
The love I feel for her, for our unborn child, is more complicated and deeper than anything I’ve ever felt. She’s glowing, her smile is blinding, and tears coat her lashes.
She’s never looked more beautiful.
I’m shaking, not on the outside, but on the inside, where everything feels too big to fit in my chest. My throat burns, my vision blurs, and for a second, I can’t breathe because the world has narrowed to her and the tiny life we somehow made.
“I’m… fuck, Ells, I’m so happy,” I whisper, my forehead falling against hers. “I didn’t know I could feel like this.”
“We’re having a baby,” she repeats with awe in her voice.
“We made a whole little person,” I whisper, kissing her forehead. “I love you so much.” Dropping to my knees in front of her, I place a kiss on her belly. “Hi, little one, I’m your daddy. I love you so much.”
A sob breaks free from Ellison’s chest, and I’m climbing back up to wrap my arms around her. I hold her tightly, saying the words I can’t seem to find with my embrace. This is the second chance we've only ever dreamed of.
“Dreams do come true,” she whispers, as if reading my thoughts.
“Come on. I need to hold you.” Lifting her into my arms, I carry her back to bed, where we snuggle, kiss, and talk about the plans we have for our future. Some things look the same, and some have changed, but there is one that has never wavered, and that’s the love we have for one another.