“Yes,really! Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because we put the cart before the horse, again!” she joked.
“What can I say? I’m a proud overachiever and kept my promise to Big Tom before I even made it, and I didn’t even have to pinky swear. The question is areyouokay with this unplanned surprise? You’ve been throughsomany changes, like supersonic fast, in the last couple of months.”
She smiled and sighed. “Babe, this adjustment makes all the crappy stuff worth it. I am more than okay with it. You, me, and our baby made out of our love for each other? It’s the best beginning. It’s everything we planned in all our late-night whisper sessions.”
“Then why did you wait so long to tell me?”
“Because I wanted to go to the doctor first, and I was worried that you’d think a baby, this soon, was too soon.”
“No way.”
She lovingly kissed him, and his hand slid across her tummy.
“Do you still want to go to Paris?” he breathed.
“Sure! We can go at Christmas or wait until next fall. It’s not like babies can’t travel or we can’t afford an au pair for long trips. Heck, I’m good with just you and me carrying our little one in a papoose as we see the world.”
“Definitely doable,” he agreed.
“On the beach, at the wedding, is this what you wanted me to confess?”
“Yes! Duh! I set it up perfectly. How did you miss that?”
“Well,Isorta had a one-track mind, and I figured you were catching my vibe because all day you were sending me horn-dog signals.” She knit her brow. “Is the pregnancy why you want to get married today?”
“Not at all. I’m just tired of waiting to say I do. As it turns out, your pregnancy is a wedding gift from me to you.”
“And from me to you.”
“A reminder of the night that brought you back to me. You know, even though I thought it was a dream, maybe I subconsciously wanted,needed,to leave you with something tangible from our love.”
“I never said before, but that night when I left the hotel room for a walk on the beach, I hoped I’d run into you. I felt on fire for you, and there you were in the water with the full moon shining down on you. There was so much magic in the moonlight and in our coming together in the way we had. I can’t explain it. It was likeIneeded something profound to come from us making love.”
“I’d say it did.” William kissed her.
“I’d say he or she will be our greatest collaborative masterpiece.”
The Unforgettable Moment
Wearing a graphite grey, three-piece suit, William paced at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for his fiancée’s grand descent. His heart raced a little but not from anxiety or fear, just the overwhelming emotions he felt for the future before them. Although engaged to be married two months ago, he never imagined such joy awaiting him. Lizzy. A baby. Smiling, he shook his head in disbelief. Everything had changed him and the world he lived in, all because of Lizzy. He thought back to the night on the beach, how brazen she had been, and the events it ushered in. Seeing her for the first time after The Breakup had shocked him, not just for her presence but for the knock-out she had become, but also how staid her personality had become. The people in her life had co-opted Lizzy, and only now was she reclaiming her vibrant self. Could he be so bold as to assume that his re-emergence had been the catalyst for her breaking the shackles that controlled her authentic self? He knew better than that. Never her lifeline, he was just fortunate to witness her indomitable spirit awaken and fight for survival toward absolute victory. Helping to restore her self-worth was his privilege.
Opening and closing his fist, he hoped the tea-length wedding dress he purchased for her with Gigi would fit and that she would feel special in it. His sister’s convincing agreement about it, the shoes, and the “bougie” wedding boutique gave him hope. Small as this wedding would be, he felt confident that it would be everything Lizzy had dreamed. For all her insistence on wanting to marry in Aunt Catherine’s chambers, he knew otherwise because he knew her and how her mind worked. She also loved surprises, and he would move heaven and earth to give her the wedding she deserved.
“I’m ready!” she announced from the second floor. “Are you ready?”
“With baited breath. Does it fit?”
“Like it was made for me.”
“But, do you like it?”
“I looove it! Okay, here I come, cowboy,” she said, her voice filled with mirth.
From his position, he saw a glittering white shoe take its first step down like Cinderella, and his pulse raced.
Then another step down.
