Lincoln already told me where he parked my car. Before I run down to get it, I need to get this out.
“So, uh, what do you think about staying with me for a little while?” I ask as she puts on the clothes Jessie dropped off this morning.
She slowly pulls her shirt over her head. “You want me to stay with you?”
“I’d like to take care of you. The doctor said you need to take it easy, and we still need to monitor and make sure the pain doesn’t intensify or get worse. What if something happens when you’re alone?”
She bites her bottom lip as she studies me. “For how long?”
Forever.
I shrug my shoulders. “We don’t need to have an exact end date.”
“If you think it’s for the best. I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
I try to compose my frustration. She thinks she’d be inconveniencing me. She clearly doesn’t fully grasp just how serious I am about this. After talking to Ma, I know now that I’ve told myself a story all these years, one that isn’t true.
Because she’s right. Staying is a choice. And when I look at Eva, I know that I’ll choose her over and over again.
“You and our baby are the farthest from an inconvenience. I’d like to help. Will you let me?”
“Okay. I’ll stay with you.”
There’s no stopping the smile that comes next. This is going to be good. It’ll give me more time with her. Time to prove my love.
I lean in and kiss her forehead as they arrive to take her downstairs.
“I’m going to run down and get the car. I’ll meet you at the front.”
She’s lying on my couch right now with a blanket and her laptop. I tried to tell her work could wait, but she was insistent she had some loose ends to tie up before she rested.
But that’s one of the things that I love about her. She’s committed. If she says she’ll do something, you know she’ll follow through.
I grab the packages that were sent to my address while we were away. The first one that I tear open is a stack of books.Pregnancy 101.The Expecting Father.What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
The other package contains the pregnancy multivitamins her doctor recommended. Essential oils that help with morning sickness. Suckers that can combat nausea.
I grabThe Expecting Fatherand join her on the couch, grabbing her feet, then placing them on my legs. I have this constant need to touch her. It’s the only time I feel truly settled and calm.
I open the book and start to read through the first chapter. It’s filled with knowledge that already blows my mind. I feel like I need a highlighter so I can start to mark more important information. How does anyone retain all of this?
I’m so immersed in the book that I don’t realize that Eva has closed her laptop.
“What are you reading?” she asks. “Does that sayThe Expecting Father?” Her voice rises in amusement.
“Yeah. I thought I should probably get prepared for what’s about to happen in the next nine months,” I reply as I turn the page, eyes still on the book.
She’s quiet. Too quiet.
I turn my head, and her jaw is on the floor.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re reading a book for our baby.”
I shift in my spot. “Yeah. So?”
“That’s so cute,” she whispers almost to herself.