As Juliet and I entered the park, the trees hung tall, brown, red, and orange leaves falling in clusters and floating to the ground below. I bundled up my knit cardigan tightly as a cool breeze blew toward us. We were well into fall, and soon winter would be upon us with its snow flurries and chill. Another reminder of just how quickly time was moving.
I had insisted on walking home after our morning of shopping, knowing a little exercise was good for me and the baby. We cut through my usual corner of the park near a stone bridge and emerged just across the street from the tall glass building I now called home. I stared up at it as we approached.
“A far cry from our little brownstone,” said Juliet, her gaze following mine up the several stories to the top where I now resided.
“You could say that again.” I laughed softly.
We entered the expansive lobby and strode for the elevators, our shoes echoing on the dark marble floors. Juliet readjusted the bags on her arms as we stepped inside the gold doors that had slid open at the press of a button. Here she was, helping me again.
“Thanks again.” I smiled at her and nodded toward the proof of our shopping spree hanging on her. The way I said it, it was about more than just carrying a few shopping bags.
“Of course.” She nodded knowingly before cracking a smile. “Besides, this is my workout for the day!” She lifted her arms and struggled to flex, which made us both laugh.
As the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, I did a double-take before stepping off the elevator. The place was covered in pale pink roses. Vases adorned every table and lined the walls and pillars. There were matching balloons hanging from the ceiling with curled white ribbon hanging down like rain falling.I looked at Juliet, who stood back and smiled coyly, before nudging me forward.
As soon as I stepped into the entryway, my ears filled with the sound of “Surprise!” as Chandler popped out of the kitchen, followed by all of my loved ones appearing out of various spaces of the apartment. It was like a game of Wack-O-Mole, as more familiar faces peeped out and smiled at me excitedly.
Juliet strode past me and set the shopping bags aside, joining Chandler. The two of them proudly smiled at each other and then back at me. They were triumphant in the surprise they had pulled off for me. It all made sense now. Juliet had insisted we go shopping this morning, stopping at my favorite tea house first and then hitting all the baby boutiques she could think of. We had been gone for a few hours, giving Chandler time to transform the apartment into a pink dream.
I pointed between the two of them and shook my head. Chandler laughed out loud and strode toward me, pulling me into his arms, which always felt like home. I nuzzled into his chest and breathed him in, the familiar scent of his sandalwood bodywash entering my nose, making the rest of the party temporarily disappear.
“Welcome to your baby shower,” he whispered into my hair.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, tearing my face away from his chest and taking another look around the room. Servers in white, crisp uniforms had emerged from the kitchen holding silver trays of delicate pastries and charcuterie bites, as guests began tomingle. To the left of the couch stood a table draped with a pale pink tablecloth and a large number of presents stacked on top, overflowing with delicate tissue paper and colorful bows. Against the back window was another larger table in the same tablecloth, adorned with a beautiful cake decorated in frosted pink roses and pearl sprinkles. Tiered trays of desserts accompanied it on either side.
“You really outdid yourself,” I said, looking up at Chandler’s handsome face that looked down at me expectantly.
“I had some help,” he said, looking up and nodding at Juliet, Sadie, and Erika, who approached with big smiles on their faces. They squealed as they pulled me into a big hug.
“You girls had something to do with this?” I asked, raising a playful brow, realizing I hadn’t introduced Chandler to Sadie or Erica yet, but it seemed like I didn’t have to. They had already met and come together to put this together for me.
“Of course we did!” They smiled back at me.
“We aresohappy for you,” said Sadie with a beaming grin.
“He’s great,” said Erica, looking to Chandler who had wandered off to mingle with some guests.
“I’m glad you think so,” I said giddily, even though I was blinking back tears. This whole thing was so special, but the fact that some of the most important people in my life had come together for me made me emotional. I thought back to crying onmy bathroom floor, thinking my life was over as three positive pregnancy tests stared back at me. Little did I know, life was just beginning.
“Sweetheart,” gushed my mother, as she walked toward me with her arms wide open, tears already in her eyes. There was no holding it together now. I let the tears fall as she pulled me into a hug. My friends dispersed, leaving us to have this moment. My father walked up behind her and pulled us both into his arms, which only made me cry harder. He pulled away and looked down at us both, his eyes crinkling at the outer corners as he smiled. He wiped away our tears.
“My girls,” he said softly. “Allmy girls.” He placed his hand gently on my bump.
“Someone is here to see you,” my mother said excitedly as her eyes darted around the room. Finally, they landed on someone and my eyes followed. I sucked in a breath as I saw my grandmother slowly walking toward us as she gripped her cane, a huge smile on her wrinkled face.
“Mee-Ma!” I cried out, rushing toward her. I pulled her into a gentle embrace before pulling away to get a good look at her. She looked radiant, even in her old age.
“Surprise,” she said, her voice wavering.
“When did you…? How did you…?”
“Your father came to get me on his jet late last night,” she said.
I shook my head in disbelief. This day just kept getting more and more special. My feelings were overwhelming.
“I can’t believe it…” I shook my head, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I can’t believe you bagged that playboy over there,” she said with a coy smile.
