My heart’s racing as Marcel takes my hand. We count down together, and then ... Boom! Pink powder explodes into the air, drifting in soft clouds, clinging to our coats, dusting Marcel’s grey hair, painting my white dress and raining down on my belly.
A baby girl.
Everyone screams, cheers, and claps. Marcel absolutely loses it, his laughter rolling out like thunder. He grabs me, spins me in the air even though I squeal for him not to. He’s shouting plans already, ridiculous plans about dance recitals, and pony rides, and building her the best treehouses in Rhode Island, California, and New York, each with a different shade and architectural design. I’m laughing and crying all at once, my hands on his face as he finally sets me down.
“We’re having a girl,” I whisper.
Gran smirks knowingly, arms folded. “And the next one will be a boy. Then another girl.”
Marcel groans, shaking his head. “Slow down, Gran.”
I kiss Marcel as he sets me down, pink powder smearing between us. “We’re having a little Grinchette.”
His grin softens, his hand instinctively sliding back over my belly. And just like that, it’s real, she’s real.
“No, we’re having an angel, just like her mama.” We kiss and the rest of the day is a blur.
When the house is finally quiet, powder still lingers faintly in the air like sugar dust settling into the cracks of our little home. Plates are stacked in the sink, balloons sag in corners, and a stray pink ribbons flutter across the floor.
Everyone’s gone, Gran is tucked into the guest room, Marcel’s friends are off to their hotels and, for the first time all day, it’s just us. I walk upstairs and lean against the doorframe of our bedroom, watching Marcel undo his tie. He’s still covered in streaks of pink, faint smudges in his hair, on his shirt collar. The man looks like he wrestled a cotton candy machine and lost.
He catches me staring, and instead of looking sheepish, he smirks. “Don’t say it.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” I lie, grinning.
“You were. You were going to call me over-indulgent for wanting to give you and our daughter the world.”
“You’ve already given it to us,” I tell him, stepping inside.
His smirk falters into something softer, something that makes my heart soar. “A girl, Juliet. We’re having a daughter.” He says it like he’s still testing the words, making sure they’re real.
I undress, toss my clothes into the hamper, cross the room and curl onto the bed, patting the space beside me.
He sits, his hand immediately on my belly again, as if it’s magnetic. I cover his hand with mine.
“She’s going to own you,” I whisper. “You know that, right? You think you’re in charge, but she’ll have you wrapped around her little finger.”
He lets out a quiet laugh, but his eyes are damp. “Just like her mother.”
For a moment we’re silent, just breathing together, my head resting on his shoulder. The house creaks, the ocean hums faintly beyond the windows, and it feels like the world has folded in around us, making this moment ours. I tilt my head up to kiss his mouth; it tastes faintly of wine and frosting.
His thumb strokes over my belly, reverent and in awe. “You and her,” he murmurs against my lips. “My two girls. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve you both.”
I don’t answer right away. I just kiss him again, deeper, because words aren’t enough. And when he finally pulls me close, curling his big frame around me, ready to make love.
“Grinch,” I say softly against his lips.
“Yes, my angel?” He slides down my body, ready to devour me.
“You’ve always deserved love, it’s just that those you were trying to cherish didn’t deserve you. You’re home forever now. You can say goodbye to the Grinch, and be Marcel, the builder of communities, the dearest of friends, the greatest of husbands, and soon the very best father.”
Tears drip down his cheeks as he looks into my eyes and quietly says. “I will strive everyday to make that statement true.” And then he dips his face between my legs and sends me straight to heaven.
Epilogue
Marcel
The ribbon cutting ceremony of the Eaton Community project signifies the end of phase one. The demolition of the derelict section is complete and the foundation for the high-end apartments, condos, and penthouses has been laid. In phase one, we renovated the children’s play park and made it inclusive for different abilities. We also built a playhouse, a pirate ship, a space ship, and a little replica town of Eaton with the library as its main focus. We upscaled downtown by updating building facades and offering grants to the businesses to make their own improvements. Everyone is excited and there is a thrill in the air that phase one is done and we are moving into phase two: building the high-end area and the waterfront, ending with phase three which will be bringing in tourism with a boutique hotel and a resort.
