I hand him the pregnancy test. “About eighteen years of serious.”
Patrick stares at the test for a moment before a smile spreads across that smarmy face of his. Trust him to be proud of what he’s done. “We’re having a baby?”
“You’re the doctor. You tell me.” I can’t stop my lips from curling into a smile that matches his.
He casts his gaze across the vanity where the other two tests lie. “Well, in my professional opinion, testing three times is crazy but probably a more reliable indication than one positive test.”
I bark out a laugh. “You’re such a dick sometimes.”
“But you love me.” He squats in front of me. “Are you okay with this?”
“Do I have a choice?”
He reaches up and pushes my hair back behind my ear. “You always have a choice. But I’m very excited if you want to have a baby with me.”
“I didn’t think it would happen so fast, but I’d really love to have a baby with you.”
Patrick looks around. “Could we move this somewhere other than the toilet?”
I laugh and push myself to my feet. “Lie down with me?”
He nods, rising to meet my gaze. “I’d like that. Sophie thinks you’re lying down anyway, and I’ll just order takeout tonight.”
“That sounds good. I don’t feel like cooking.”
“Me either. I feel like celebrating.”
“You’re really happy?”
“Cassie. I wish I hadn’t missed out on you being pregnant with Sophie, but I did. And there’s nothing either of us can do to change that. This time. I’ll be right here going through it with you.”
Tears prick my eyes. “Yes. We’ll do it together.”
He leans in, pressing his forehead to mine. “I know it’s earlier than we talked about, but it’s meant to be.”
Taking my hand in his, he leads me into our room and toward our bed.
I lie down on top of the duvet, resting my head on the cool pillow. Patrick kicks off his shoes and climbs up beside me, spooning me, his hand resting on my stomach. He makes me feel safe as he always does, the warmth of him radiating through me.
Any anxiousness I felt when I first saw the two lines pop up has gone. Am I still worried about this being too early in our new relationship for this? Maybe. But Patrick has my back and won’t let me down.
From the moment we met again at the hospital, he’s been steadfast in his support. He was patient and there for me even when I wasn’t sure I wanted him to be.
I’m more in love with him than I’ve ever been.
That scares me sometimes—I haven’t forgotten my prior heartbreak.
But we’re both adults now and this is a whole different kind of relationship than it was back then when I was a girl—giddy that the boy she always loved was interested in her.
And now I have him for life.
“Marry me,” he whispers.
“What are you talking about?” I roll over to face him.
“If we hadn’t broken up, we’d be married and celebrating our anniversaries every year with our children. Let’s do this before this baby’s born.”
I slip my arms around his neck. “I didn’t know you were so traditional.”
