Excitement has me dressing fast. When I come out she’s still sitting where I left her with a dazed expression on her beautiful face. A twinge of concern hits me. Is she really not happy? If she’s not, what will that mean to us?
***
Bethany
Pregnant? A baby? I flash to the expression on Dante’s face when he said the word. Radiant as if someone had turned on a five-hundred-watt lightbulb inside him. I could feel him trembling with excitement—a baby, our baby. Oh please let it be a boy. A tiny Dante with dimples and big brown eyes. Stop, stop it, this is the worst possible time for me to get pregnant. After one day of work am I going to quit? Since I was young I vowed I would be the stay-at-home mom I longed to have. Yet I worked so hard for my qualifications; to walk away from it for the next ten to fifteen years is painful to even consider.
Then there’s the fact we’ve only been living together for six weeks. Okay, it’s been awesome, not a single real argument, just a few laughing and teasing squabbles over minor things where we learned our likes and dislikes and then moved on. But a baby is huge, ginormous. It will change everything.
I blink and Dante’s in front of me. He’s somber now, a huge change from when he left. “Bethany, I got a few different ones. Do you want to...”
My stomach drops as he hands me the small bag. I take it and manage to make it into the bathroom. He tries to follow me in. I shake my head. “I can’t do this with you in here.”
With a sigh he nods. “Bethany.” His hand catches mine. He presses it against his lips. “I’m right here. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together. Whatever it is you want.” The last wor
d is choked out of him. I understand what he’s saying, what he’s fearing.
“No, don’t think that. Because I’m not. I think this couldn’t come at a worse time, but I would never, could never do that to us.” His relief has him holding me so tight I can barely breathe. He catches himself, then lets me go with a small kiss to my forehead.
I close the door and lean against it. If this is a nightmare, I’m good to wake up any moment now. A deep breath, then another, and I’m still here. Damn it. Opening the bag, I look at the two tests; both of them have a reputation for being accurate. The early detection one with a wider test strip is the one I open.
Done, I set the test on the holder it came with then wash my hands. I open the door to find Dante inches away. I nod at the test. “It says three minutes. I can’t look, you do it.”
I’m pacing the room, my thoughts so chaotic I can’t focus on just one. A beeping yanks me back toward Dante. He looks down at the test, then at the instructions, then up at me. He doesn’t even have to say it. His face tells me everything. With one step he pulls me into his arms. “I know you’re scared, but this is amazing, the best thing to happen to me besides you.”
Now that it’s real and I know without a doubt, an odd peace comes over me followed by euphoric happiness that fills every cell in my body. I wrap my arms around his neck, squeezing him tight. “I want a boy and two more like him.”
Dante laughs. “I was thinking three girls. There are more than enough boys in this family. It will be good for her to have Che and Alicia’s baby to play with.”
“Hm, no, I’m definitely thinking I want a miniature of you. With dimples and big brown eyes and your smile. I might be willing to have a girl, but only after I get my boy.”
“Oh, you might be willing? We’ll have to see. How soon can you put a wedding together? Is two weeks enough time? We can go down and get the license tomorrow. Maybe have Che and Alicia host to soothe their concern over us getting married so soon.”
What? “Married? Are you crazy? We can’t get married.”
“Oh, we’re getting married, and a month is as long as I’m willing to wait.” He sets me down on the bed, then leans over to open his bedside table. I’m too stunned to speak when he opens the small box. It’s enormous, a huge ruby surrounded by a halo of diamonds. Holy crap, even the diamonds around it are big. “I bought this in Madrid. And I’ve been counting down the days until I could give it to you. I knew you’d say it was too soon, but it didn’t feel too soon. What does it matter if we wait a year from now or ten years from now? I’m not letting you go, and that’s never going to change.”
Madrid? “You’re nuts. This ring is nuts.” Is this real?
“No, I’m not. I finally have everything I ever wanted in you. I’ll be damned if I let you get away.”
“I don’t want to get away. You are where I want to be; wherever you are is all that matters.”
I press my lips tight as he slides the ring on my finger. A little sigh comes out of him when the ring is settled. “Vegas?” he asks, hopefully.
Laughing, I pull him down for a kiss. “Alicia will kill us if we do Vegas. I loved Alicia and Cesare’s wedding on your boat. I’ll talk to Alicia.” Dante’s alarm goes off, and the blinds set on a timer open. We both blink as we realize the time. I lay my head on his chest. “How are we supposed to act like it’s any other day when it’s totally not?”
“We’ll call it practice for when the baby comes. We need to go in today, because tomorrow we go see the doctor and make sure everything is good and do the vitamins and all the other fun stuff.”
“You think we’ll be able to get into a doctor in a day?”
“Oh yeah, don’t worry. I have Alicia’s doctor in my phone already. Che was adamant. She’s a smart lady, she’ll get you in. Come on, celebratory shower together?”
“Yes, please.”
***
Dante