“Thanks Mom,” I whispered as I watched her pull Josh in for a hug as she passed him on her way out of theroom.
“I can’t believe how amazing that was,” Josh said after my mom closed the door behind her. I sat up and he pulled me to the edge of the bed, standing in between my legs. I gazed up at him and he smiled. “Thank you for waiting to find out the sex, you didn’t have to do that.” He leaned down and brushed his lips againstmine.
“I know, I wanted to,” I muttered against his lips. “I’d better get dressed before Aubrey comes back.” He nodded, kissing me once more before helping me take off the gown. I finished getting dressed just as Aubrey returned with a card for my nextappointment.
20 minutes later, we were heading home. I was finally able to call the cottage home rather than the ranch house because I felt so comfortable there with Josh. I didn’t know yet what would happen with our living arrangements over the next few months, but what I did know was that I wanted Josh with me all the time. I just hoped my small cottage would be enough forhim.
The next fewweeks were taken up with school and wedding arrangements. Libby, Mom, and I spent a day dress shopping in Austin. I made appointments at two bridal stores and the race was on to find Lib a dress and me a bridesmaid dress, preferably ones we could buy that day and would only need minor adjustments. With the wedding in only a few short weeks, we needed to find something off therack.
After hours trying on what felt like hundreds of dresses, we both found what we were looking for. Libby had said I could choose my own dress, which came as no surprise to me, considering she seemed to have no idea what she wanted. Libby’s dress was beautiful. It was an ivory lace fishtail dress with off-the-shoulder straps, and the lace adorned the whole dress and followed through down the huge train. She looked stunning in it, and as soon as she tried it on, I could tell by the beaming smile on her face that she had found her dress. The smile slipped, though, when she asked the sales assistant theprice.
“So how much is this one?” Libby asked, turning to the side to try to see the back of the dress. The assistant moved closer to her, picking up the tag that was attached to thedress.
“$900. It’s actually a cancellation dress so it’s been discounted to sell, and you wouldn’t need many alterations. It fits great, it just needs to be shortened slightly.” The sales assistant stepped back so Libby could see herself again. I watched as her facedropped.
“The dress is beautiful, but it’s out of my price range,” she said quietly, stepping away from themirror.
“That dress is more than beautiful, it’s incredible, and you looked amazing,” I told her, setting down my glass of orange juice and standing up off the plush leather sofa I’d been sitting on. “That’s your dress Lib,” I whispered as I guided her back to the mirror, my eyes meeting hers in thereflection.
“I can’t afford it Sav,” she said sadly as she gazed into themirror.
“You can,” I told her with awink.
“What? How?” she asked, confusion visible on herface.
“If you had the money, would you buy this dress?” I asked her. She nodded and I smiled, turning to find the assistant. “We’ll take it,” I said when she walked over tous.
“No! I’m not letting you or your parents pay for my dress,” Libby exclaimed, looking over to where my mom was chuckling toherself.
“How about if your parents were paying?” Iasked.
“Myparents?”
“Yep. They transferred money to cover the cost of the dress, and there’s enough for this dress, the alterations,andsome shoes.” Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, and I saw a tear roll down hercheek.
“Really?” she said in disbelief. I nodded and she flung her arms around me, squealing indelight.
I found my dress in the same store, opting for a blush pink organza dress with lace overlay at the top and capped sleeves. I loved it and the corset back was perfect because it would expand with me if the baby decided to have a growth spurt in the next fewweeks.
Flowers had been ordered and catering arranged. My parents were paying someone to decorate the barn, and my mom’s friend was making a wedding cake. Considering we only had a few weeks to organize the wedding, things seemed to be coming togethernicely.
Josh’s parents were still away, and he was spending every night at the cottage. He made the odd trip back to his house, but only to pick up more of his stuff. When I looked around the cottage, I saw it full of Josh and his things, and I loved it. We’d only been together a few weeks, but I almost couldn’t remember my life before him. It felt so right to be with him, and I could only hope he felt thesame.
It was the day before Thanksgiving, and Libby’s parents were flying in that afternoon. She was so excited to see them. Mason was driving her to the airport to pick them up and they were going to stay at the ranch house because there wasn’t room at their cabin. My mom was doing a huge Thanksgiving meal and I couldn’t wait. I’d always loved Thanksgiving, even more than Christmas, and this year would be even more special as it would be the first year Josh and I would spend it together, as acouple.
Josh was working and I finished school early. Heading to the cottage, I made my way upstairs and ran the bath, pouring in a dash of bubble bath. The journey to Austin each day was getting to be too much, and I decided that after Christmas I wouldn’t be returning to school. Josh wasn’t happy that I was driving alone an hour each way to get there anyway, and I had to admit that my back ached more and more with each trip I made. I knew Josh was worried about me, so I let him think he’d convinced me to stop school, but in reality, I’d been thinking about it anyway. Aside from my back aching, the need to pee every 15 minutes was a pain in the ass on thedrive.
I plugged my iPod into my docking station and began dancing around the room as I waited for the bath to fill up. Grabbing my phone, I sent a message toJosh.
Me: Hey baby, I’m home, youbusy?
A couple of weeks ago he’d asked me to let him know when I arrived at school and when I got home so he knew I was safe. I loved how concerned he was about me, and I had to admit that it felt good that someone cared enough to want to check that I was okay. I took my phone into the bathroom as I awaited his reply. The bath was filling up, and bubbles were beginning to ooze over the sides. Climbing in, I sighed as I sat in the hot water, the bubbles completely covering my body. I dropped my head back on the bath and closed myeyes.
After a few minutes, I felt what was now a familiar fluttering in my stomach. I smiledand
placed my hand on my bare bump. I’d first started experiencing flutters about two weeks before. I wasn’t sure at first that it was the baby, but as the days went by and the fluttering became stronger, I began to let myself believe it could be, and now I was sure. I had a definite bump now, and there was no denying that I was pregnant. The flutters were becoming stronger with each day, and as my hand rested on my stomach, I swore I could feel a small kick against my hand. Barely breathing, I kept my hand where it was, waiting to see if it happened again. A few minutes passed and there was no more movement; I was just about to move my hand when I felt it again, and there was no doubt this time that I could feel the movement in my hand. I squealed and splashed my legs in the water. I couldn’t wait for Josh to feel it. At bedtime, he would wrap his arm around me, my back to his chest, and rest his hand on my stomach, desperate to feel the baby kick. I decided I’d wait for him to feel it himself and keep it as a surprise. My phone vibrated on the vanity and I sat up, drying my hand before I reached for it. Looking down, I saw Josh hadreplied.
Josh: Hi gorgeous, glad you’re home safe. What are you up to? I’m just on site, it’s pretty busy trying to get everything wrapped up before the holiday tomorrow. Loveyou