Biting my lip, I nodded. “Okay.”
With quick steps, I headed to the bedroom. Trevor was gently placing the baby in the bassinet and swaddling her. She loved the way Trevor swaddled her so snug. He put her little heartbeat bear in with her and turned it on low. It was the sound of a human heartbeat. Aurora loved it and slept so well with it.
“I’ll sit right here next to her while y’all go outside,” Lori said, seeing my fear about leaving the baby.
“You won’t leave her side?” I asked, biting on my thumbnail.
“Nope. I’m right here, and you’re only going to be out back.”
Trevor pulled my hand from my mouth, then held up a white sundress for me. “Do me a favor. Change into this, will you?”
“A sundress?”
“Please?”
I remembered Lori’s words. A tingling feeling rushed across my body. What did the man have planned? Maybe a romantic breakfast out back? That would be so nice. A little bit of normalcy after the maelstrom we’d just endured.
“Of course I will. Give me a few minutes to freshen up?”
He nodded, then leaned down and kissed my forehead.
After giving Aurora one more once-over, I rushed into the bathroom and changed into the dress. There was a note on the counter with my name on it. Picking it up, I opened it and read the notecard.
Wear these. Please.
My eyes moved to the counter to see a pair of diamond earrings. Smiling, I picked them up and put them on. He was for sure planning a romantic breakfast. I wonder why he didn’t pick dinner? Maybe the heat? It had been unusually hot for this time of year. The mornings were still cool and beautiful. I loved this man with all my heart, and I loved that he thought of something so sweet for us to share. This first week of being at home with Aurora had been stressful. But as we fell into a routine, my anxiety about her being okay slowly eased and everything felt like it was settling into place.
There was a pair of white Jimmy Choo pumps on the floor. With a giggle, I slipped them on. They fit me perfectly. When did he have time to do this? He must have had Waylynn pick all of this out.
I pulled up my hair in a loose bun and put on a small amount of mascara and some light-colored lipstick. Enough to make my lips look a little pink.
Another peek at Aurora and another confirmation from Lori that she wasn’t going to leave her side, I headed out into the living room. Waylynn, Paxton, Amelia, Harley, Maebh, and Corina were all in the living room standing there with smiles.
“We washed our hands and none of us are sick!” Paxton whispered in excitement.
A lump formed in the back of my throat at the sight of them. It was so good to see everyone. My eyes landed on Corina. I made my way over to her.
“Congratulations, I heard.”
“Thank you! I’m due September 7!”
“How exciting! What does Merit think about it?”
“She thinks she will be getting a new baby doll to play with.”
I laughed, hugging her again. When Amelia stood in front of me, I hugged her tightly. “Where is John Jr?”
“He’s with Wade.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
“I can’t wait for all the babies to have a play date! We’re so lucky to have four of them all around the same age!” Harley said, giving me a quick hug and kiss.
Glancing over her, I shook my head. “You don’t even look like you had twins two months ago!”
She laughed. “It’s called five AM runs and taking care of twins!”
This time, the whole room laughed quietly.
Maebh walked up to me, the last one of the six girls to come congratulate me.
“Maebh,” I whispered. “You didn’t have to change your wedding.”
“I did, and it actually turned out to be more perfect than I’d ever dreamed. The ceremony in Ireland was beautiful. Perfect. Cord and I knew we didn’t need everyone there. We only needed each other. Of course, Aunt Vi and me Da, too.”
I grinned, pulling her to me for a hug. “Thank you for always being there for me. I love you.”
She held me tight and whispered, “I love you, too.” Pushing me back to arm’s length, she smiled. “Now are you ready?”
“For?”
“Let’s head to the kitchen,” Maebh stated.
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at each of them, noticing they were all dressed in similar sundresses, each in a soft pastel color.
Then it hit me.
“Oh. My. God.”
Maebh squeezed my hand. “Hurry, the man has been waiting for almost two months to do this.”
Both hands covered my mouth as I tried to keep calm and remember to breathe.
“Is this for real?” I asked, trying not to get any more emotional.
Waylynn walked up to me, gave me a once-over, and replied, “White dress. White Jimmy Choo heels, and diamond earrings that were our grandmother’s. We’ll let you decide on that one.”