When I sat back down with Mark, I saw he was holding two thin boxes
“Oh, we missed some?”
“Those are from me,” Cleo said from across the room. I looked up and smiled. I held the box with my name while Mark opened his. It was a black shirt and when he held it up, he gasped.
“Uh, babe. I think you need to open yours.”
My heart was racing, and then it stopped completely. I opened my gift and pulled the black shirt out of the box. I read the words printed on the front, and then I reread them, and reread them again. Mommy to be.
Lowering the shirt slowly, my eyes darted around the room. Everyone was grinning ear to ear at me. Finally, I made it to my husband. He was wiping his face, his eyes glistening. He pressed his lips together and with a shaky hand held up his own shirt that said Daddy to be. We stared at each other for a long moment before Derek cleared his throat loudly.
We turned back to everyone and in unison they all stood up and took off their sweaters, untied their robes and in Derek’s case, slipped off his Santa coat. Underneath they were all wearing matching black shirts. Around the room we had four Uncles to be, two Cousins to be, technically four because even the babies were wearing little black onesies with the words printed on them. I had been keeping it together, despite being in shock, until I saw Cleo’s shirt. She was facing away from me so I could read the back which read Aunt to be. Ethan motioned her to turn and that’s when I burst into tears. The front said Just Babysitting.
