I drew in a deep breath before turning away from the sink. I walked back into the bedroom, venturing around to Rae’s side. I sat on the edge of the mattress, dipped down and kissed her cheek softly. I pressed a soft one against her ear, too. And her temple. And her shoulder again.
I loved it when the marks I left behind grew darker the next morning.
“Five more minutes,” she grumbled.
I smiled. “It’s moving day, babe. Gotta get up.”
She stretched. “So no more minutes?”
I chuckled. “No more minutes. Want me to make you some coffee?”
She sighed. “Can’t have it anymore. Tea?”
I paused. “Whatever you want.”
Guess I still have a lot to learn about all this.
I watched her roll over with a sleepy smile on her face and it warmed my heart. I loved waking up to this woman. But I knew I’d enjoy it even more as her stomach began to grow. I thought about all the times I’d feel it poking into my back. Or my own stomach. I thought about how my hands would be able to engulf the small bump before it outgrew even both of them. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. Her hand slid into my hair, holding me close to her. I gazed into her beautiful eyes. Eyes I hoped our child might have. Eyes that sparkled with hope, and strength, and determination.
“I love you,” she said softly.
I kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, too.”
She grinned. “Do you love me enough to go get me one of those croissants from the cafe downstairs?”
“Anything for you. How about you get a shower and I’ll go get breakfast. Then we can sit out on the balcony one last time together.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“You’re perfect.”
She winked. “You’re coming along nicely. I’m sure you’ll get there.”
I chuckled. “You’re a stinker, you know that?”
“I have my moments.”
I captured her lips softly one last time, then I slipped away from the bed. I quickly threw some comfortable clothes on as she stretched and yawned, preparing herself for the cold trek from the bed to the shower. I snatched up my keys and headed downstairs, locking the front door behind me. And as the smells of breakfast pulled me toward the cafe next door, everything rushed through my mind at once.
Getting breakfast was a blur. I kept thinking about all the things our child would need. A crib. A changing table. Clothes. Diapers. I started calculating things in my head and running those figures through our savings account. I started thinking about the time we’d take off once she gave birth and the kind of help Rae would need. I carried breakfast mindlessly back to the apartment, head-deep in all sorts of thoughts.
Like, how could I make Rae’s life easier while she was pregnant?
When did we find out the gender of our baby?
Had she set up an appointment with the doctor yet?
Holy shit, we’ll have to babyproof the fuck out of our new house.
“Something smells good.”
Rae sing-songed the words as she pranced down the hallway with a glow on her face that left me breathless. She took the tea from my hand and I smiled at her, watching as she blew over the small opening. She wiggled her little butt around, dancing to a song only she could hear. And as I made my way over to the kitchen counter, I started pulling out food.
“You know, you got pregnant at the perfect time,” I said.
Rae sipped her tea. “How do you figure?”
I shrugged. “Now you can’t help with all the heavy lifting.”