He gasped and stopped dancing, having to shut his eyes a little against the pain.
“Is it your hand?” Noelle asked, looking concerned.
Dean nodded, pressing his lips together as the pain throbbed slowly into something more bearable. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault in the slightest.” She managed a smile as she tugged him gently back toward his chair. “It’s just a little too early for first dance practice, that’s all.”
Dean forced a smile onto his face as well, but he felt worried that he wouldn’t be able to dance with her without pain at their wedding. It would disappoint him terribly if that happened, since he wanted to be able to focus totally on the happiness of marrying her, but what worried him the most was that he wouldn’t be able to hide his pain from Noelle and that she would feel sad and concerned for him during that special moment.
“Before we watch a movie—and we’re going to watch a comedy, you need to laugh—let’s listen to some love songs, okay? We can decide which one we like the best for our first dance.” She looked at him with so much love that it made his heart do a somersault.
I’m so lucky,he thought.Even with all this pain and uncertainty because of my condition, I’m so grateful to have found someone so wonderful who loves me so much.
“That sounds great, sweetheart,” he said. “Let’s pick out our first dance song. And then we can practice the actual dancing when I’m feeling a little more recovered.”
He thought about what Tom had said, about the mind being able to help heal the body, and he felt a surge of determination to stay positive. He was going to have a wonderful first dance with Noelle at their wedding, and he was going to be totally recovered by then.
He took her hand and shut his eyes a little, listening to the beautiful melody of the next love song that Noelle was playing on her phone. He smiled, thinking about all the beautiful songs he’d ever heard, wondering which one would be the best fit for his and Noelle’s first dance.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Julia put her hands on her hips as she stared into the little closet in the nursery. She could hardly believe how disorganized it looked, and she felt a surge of frustration. She loved for things to be neat and tidy—and easily accessible, which some of the things in the closet certainly weren’t.
What on earth am I going to do about this?she thought, staring at all of the objects in front of her and wondering if there was a way for her to somehow magically make them all fit nicely in the closet. Considering how large and bulky so many of them were, she didn’t think so.
She shook her head, turning away from the closet for a moment, since just the sight of it was stressing her out. She looked over the rest of the nursery, which was clean and orderly. She smiled, feeling satisfied, and turned back to the closet with another sigh.
I guess this is just a challenge I’m going to have to face until we’re able to move to a home with more space,she thought.Little rooms have little closets, and no amount of staring into this one is going to change that.
She looked over at Quinn and Macey and grinned uncontrollably. Quinn was lying on her mat, blinkingcontentedly, and Macey was lying on her stomach next to her, cooing and staring at her in adoration.
Julia felt her heart swell with love as she looked at her two little girls. She couldn't imagine any two little beings more darling. She had loved Macey with all her heart ever since she and Cooper had been a few weeks into their relationship, and that had shown her how much more room there was in her soul for a life-changing kind of love that she never knew she could experience before she loved Macey. Now that she also had Quinn, who had started her journey on the planet inside of Julia's womb, she felt so much love for both her children that she could hardly believe it was possible. Although it was stressful and overwhelming to take care of both of them much of the time, the undercurrent of happiness that she felt made it all worth it. She couldn't wait to watch her two little girls grow up together and see how their personalities grew as they became more and more defined individuals.
Look at how cute they are,she thought, feeling as though her heart might burst with love.Macey has taken on the role of big sister with remarkable ease. She's so gentle with Quinn.
“Honey!”
Julia smiled as she heard her husband calling to her. “I'm in here!” she called back. “In the nursery.”
A moment later, Cooper appeared in the doorway, a conspiratorial grin on his face. His hands were behind his back and it was clear that he was hiding something there. Julia leaned to the side a little, trying to see what he had concealed behind his back, and she caught sight of the corner of a box.
“Why do you have that look on your face?” she asked him, pleasantly suspicious. “What are you hiding behind your back?”
“I have a surprise,” Cooper announced, in a voice loud enough that Julia immediately knew that Macey was involved in whatever Cooper had planned. “It's for you and Macey.”
Macey, looking thrilled, sat up and clapped her hands. “Yay!” she cried. “Surprise!”
“Absolutely.” Cooper winked at her affectionately. “Both of you, close your eyes. I'm going to put something together out here, and I need you to keep your eyes closed.”
“Put something together?” Julia echoed, feeling curious.
“Okay, Quinn!” Macey said, covering her eyes with her hands. “Close your eyes.”
Julia and Cooper exchanged a smile and then Julia dutifully covered her eyes as well. She listened curiously to the sound of Cooper opening the box and pulling something out of it. He seemed to have already broken past the packaging tape on the box, since whatever was in the box came out almost immediately. She heard the sound of different objects rubbing up against the sides of the cardboard box as Cooper pulled them out. Her curiosity grew as she listened to fabric sounds and shuffling sounds. She wondered if Cooper had bought Macey and Quinn some more outfits, but a moment later she decided that was unlikely. He always liked to take her with him when they picked out outfits for Macey, since she had a better sense of what was fun for little girls, and Quinn had plenty of clothes from the baby shower.
Finally, after what felt like a very long time, Cooper cleared his throat dramatically. “You may open your eyes,” he called in an announcer voice.
Julia opened her eyes and gasped. Next to her, Macey cocked her head to one side in confusion.
