“You ready to go see Brodie?”
I nod in acknowledgment. “Yeah, let’s go.”
I must have been deep in thought because we were already pulling into Bodie’s father’s house again into the familiar circular driveway I have come to know so well. Dax places the car in park and gets out of the vehicle. He has my door open and is helping me out before I can even grab my bag.
“I’ll wait here, Liv. Let me know if you need me to come up.” He gives me a look that conveys all his thoughts. All that says he isn’t happy about this and will gladly pick me up and carry me out of there if necessary.
I knock on the door, and Melissa, Brodie’s nurse, opens the door. She pulls me into an embrace.
“Liv! I’ve missed your face.” She grabs my cheeks and places a kiss on each one.
I laugh and pull away. “Good to see you too, Melissa. It’s been a few months.”
She looks up to see Dax staring at her from the car window. She looks at me and smiles. “Well, that must be the boyfriend, huh?”
“Well…” I lift my ring finger, and she grabs it to examine it further.
“Girl, that is some rock. And is that a wedding band, too? You have a little explaining to do. Come on in.” She waves to Dax and ushers me inside. “Usual coffee, Liv?”
“No. No caffeine for me. Maybe a decaf tea?”
“Sure, I have some decaffeinated ones in the kitchen. Follow me.”
I place my stuff down on the chair in the foyer and follow her. She throws the kettle on, grabs a couple of bags from the canister, and drops them into a mug.
“So… tell me about his husband of yours?”
“Well, we got married over the holidays and are also expecting our first baby in a few months.”
She whips around and looks at my belly at this bit of information. I push the flowing fabric taut over my belly to accentuate the curve of my growing baby bump. The dress helped to cover most of the evidence. I sway back and forth while holding my dress for effect, and she laughs.
“Oh, my goodness. Look at you. You are adorable pregnant, Liv. You know, I had my suspicions last time I saw you, and you had all that nausea.”
My cheeks blush. “I think that might have been all the vomiting I did over here, but thanks for downplaying it,” I commented and let go of my dress. “Thanks, Melissa.”
The kettle begins to whistle, and she goes to pour me my tea.
“A little milk?”
“Yes, please.”
She nods. I take the mug from her, feeling the rising hot steam and blow across the cup.
“So, tell me. How is Brodie?”
She stays quiet for a moment before answering. “Better, I think? It has taken a while for him to get there, but I think he is finally letting go of the anger and has accepted his situation. I will let him tell you about it.”
I nod and follow her up to Brodie’s room. She knocks on the door, and I hear him ask us to come in. I walk into the room and see Brodie after four months. He looks good. There is some color to his cheeks, and he is smiling. A complete smile directed at me—God, how that smile used to knock me off my feet. I place my tea down and hear the door shut behind me. I stand there looking at him, not knowing what to do.
“Do I at least get a hug?” he says, surprising me.
I run over to bend down and embrace him. He leans his head into me, and I fall into his lap, crying.
Maybe it is the hormones causing me to become more emotional, but I can’t stop the tears from flowing out of my eyes.
“Liv, don’t cry, please. I have so many things to say, and I don’t want to be the cause of your tears anymore.”
I stop crying and look up at him. I realize that I am still sitting on his lap, so I get up to take this opportunity to grab a tissue. As I grab the tissue and dab my eyes, he notices the wedding ring on my finger.
