We glanced out the window and watched as Jason and Jordan play fought as they walked by the window. Freezing halfway past and looking over at us slowly before running off. John shook his head and threw his hands up in the air while I laughed hysterically at how ridiculous those boys could be, and that was perfect timing for the conversation we were having.
“I’ll do my best, but I’m pretty sure with Banks blood coursing through its blood, this baby will come out crunching numbers and putting up marketing schemes,” I said, chuckling. “Or we’ll get a dud, and they will do cartwheels out, and we’ll have a new generation of Banks circus performers.”
“I got enough of those already,” John grumbled with a smile.
We talked another few minutes about nothing important, and I excused myself from his office. Slowly, I meandered through the hall until I reached the break room where I went over and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Jordan turned from the coffee maker and smiled at me. It had been the first time we had been alone since I had gone to talk to him at his apartment. It was nice seeing him and being able to have a comfortable conversation without the fear that we were going to break out in a screaming match. I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, feeling his muscles tense at first but then relax into it. I pulled back and stepped backward, looking up at his blushed cheeks. I had never known Jordan to get embarrassed, but it looked like my hug sent him right over the top. I laughed to myself trying not to embarrass him further and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the table. I was starting to feel like all I did was eat, even though it was only tiny portions at a time. My pants still fit the same, and I didn’t really notice anything different when I looked at myself in the mirror, but I knew it would be coming soon enough. In just a few months I would be carrying a basketball around in front of me, something I was oddly excited about.
“How are you?” He seemed genuinely interested for the first time in a very long time.
“Honestly?” I looked at him and smiled. “I’m doing amazing. I feel so much better now that you guys have worked things out. Everyone has stopped treating me like the woman with the red letter on her chest, and I’m really super happy with Jason. I really thought there for a second that my best course of action was to go to San Diego and have this baby on my own. I was scared, but everyt
hing worked out just like I wanted. And I am so happy you and I can talk like this.”
“I’m really glad that you found someone like my brother,” he said smiling. “Or exactly my brother to be specific.”
“Why?”
“I have known both of you for a really long time, and I can’t think of anyone more perfect for you than Jason,” he said, nodding his head. “Even me.”
“Thank you,” I said with a bright smile. I leaned in and hugged him again, relieved that he had moved past the hurt and the anger. It had only been a few days, but I knew if he could come this far in that short amount of time, we were all going to have an amazing relationship. This was the family I had always wanted and never thought I would have. Sure, I missed my brother, but we talked on a regular basis, and he was extremely supportive of my life. This, though, this was even better, having everyone I needed right there.
“Thanks, man,” Jason said walking around the corner. “That was probably the nicest thing you’ve said about me your whole life.”
“He heard me,” Jordan whispered. I laughed and pulled away watching as the two brothers embraced. I loved the fact that they had been able to move past all of this, and they even seemed to be closer than they were when I had first came into the picture. Even Jordan had seemed to change, and I just couldn’t get over how down to earth they acted toward each other.
“You still hit like a girl,” Jordan whispered as Jason pulled back.
“I don’t know, man,” he said, walking over to me. “That’s a pretty tough girl. I distinctly remember blood spilling from your mouth and nose.”
“I bleed easily,” Jordan replied. “Besides, I was smiling the whole time, so it couldn’t have hurt that bad.”
“Didn’t you end up getting like two stitches?” I had to throw in my two cents.
“Where did you hear that? Damn office drama. I’m going to fire someone.” He laughed.
“They can’t pick on me anymore, so they chose a new target,” I replied. “Better you than me, any day. Instead, I get the hoard of creepy smiling zombies every day. I am waiting for them to start leaving gifts on my desk, so I don’t have to buy my own snacks every day.”
We all laughed, and I looked at Jason as he slid his hands gently around my waist. He pulled me in close, his eyes sparkling, and pressed his lips deeply against mine. I let out a deep breath as his lips glided sweetly across mine. He kissed the corners of my mouth, my cheeks, and both of my eyes before pulling back and looking deep into my eyes. I loved this man so much, it was insane. It hadn’t been very long, but we had decided to take our relationship into turbo mode, sex, baby, and love all in the span of a month. If it had been anyone else, I would have been freaking out, but Jason had stolen my heart a long time ago, and I hadn’t realized it until our first kiss. He was the man I was meant to be with. I had just taken the long route to get there.
Jason pulled me in for a hug and squeezed me tightly, his face pushed into my neck. I could feel him taking deep breaths of my perfume as I stood there holding tightly to him. I looked up at Jordan who was looking at us adoringly. He smiled and took a deep breath, diverting his eyes to the drink in his hands.
“So,” he said, stretching. “When are you two fools going to get married?”
Jason lifted his head and leaned back, kissing me on the nose before letting go. He turned toward Jordan and smiled, looking back at me as he stuck his hand in his pocket. I watched him pull a small box wrapped in a red bow from his pants, and I looked up at him in confusion.
“Speaking of,” he said turning toward me and walking over to the door. “Can I have everyone’s attention? Everyone, please come to the break room immediately.”
He walked back over to me and watched as everyone funneled into the break room. Once the place was full, he turned back toward me and smiled. Slowly he bent down on one knee and opened the ring box. I put my hands over my mouth and gasped as he cleared his throat.
“Tiffany, you are the most amazing, the bravest, the strongest, and the sweetest woman I have ever met. You are carrying the only other thing in this world that could match the importance of you. I could not go another day without knowing you were going to be with me for the rest of my days,” he said, gazing up at me. “Will you do the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?”
I threw my head back and laughed, completely and utterly surprised by the whole thing. I nodded my head, answering yes, and walked forward as he stood up and took the giant stone from the box. He slid the ring across my finger and pulled me in close, pressing his lips firmly against mine. It was the perfect day. I had pulled my family back together, and now, I was going to get to spend my life with the man I loved. Everything had worked out just as I thought it would. Absolutely perfect.
Epilogue
Jason
“Jason,” Tiffany said, slapping me in the chest and raising me from a dead sleep. I jumped up on the bed and looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. My breathing calmed, and Tiffany switched on the light. She was standing on the floor, bent over holding her very large belly.