I look at Joel and Win to gauge their reaction to all this, but their expressions are blank.Tooblank. I could ask them for a clue, but I have a feeling no one’s going to tell me anything.“Let’s go.” At the top of the stairs, I turn to Murph. “Okay. What now?”
“Ready for me to cover your eyes?” he asks.
I nod, and Murph steps behind me.
I trust him not to walk me into anything, but I’m both nervous and excited about what this surprise could be. If Sam’s here, he must have helped Murph build something. But what?
We walk forward about ten steps. All I know is that we’re not going to my bedroom or any of theirs. A door snicks, and Murph guides me forward a little more.
“Ready?” Murph asks me.
“Ready.” Butterflies fill my belly as Murph takes his hands from my eyes.
At the same time, Ben yells, "We built you a house, Mommy!"
It's not a house, but a teepee.
Tall, with four long sticks, it’s covered with a creamy-white fabric and ties holding it open so I could close it, turning it into the perfect little hideaway if I wanted to. The thing is massive. It’s big enough to fill the corner and extend into the room. I’d only need to duck slightly to walk into it, and I'm 5'4". Colorful cushions, throws, and blankets spill out from inside and onto a thick, cream-tasseled rug.
But it's not just a teepee. Maybe it would be to someone else, but it isn’t to me.
It's a nest, and I stare at it, eyes burning, trying desperately not to cry.
"Is that a twin mattress in there?" I choke out, half-laughing.
It's covered with cushions and blankets, but it looks so damn cozy and comfortable in there that I'm ready to climb in this second.
"Yup," Murph says.
I look from him to the biggest teepee I've ever seen. I didn't even know they made them this big. When I open my mouth to thank him, nothing comes out, and my eyes fill with tears.
“Not yet, sweetheart,” Murph says gruffly, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “I talked with Sam, and since he had some free time between working on Nico's office, you’re getting two surprises for the price of one." He turns me around.
By the large window that looks out onto the backyard is a glossy dark-wood rocking chair, which I missed when Murph walked me into the room and had me face my nest.
“That's a present for you as much as for the baby,” Sam says. “You’ll want to get a cushion for it if you want to use it for nursing, but it’s as comfortable as the one I made for your mom that you always liked.”
I move toward Sam and give him a gentle punch on the shoulder. “Did you even sleep while you’ve been in town? Or have you been working all the time?”
Sam grabs my arm and pulls me into a hug. “This was fun, and you deserve it. Even if it meant I got no sleep, I was happy to make this for you.” He kisses my forehead and steps back. “I’ll leave you guys alone for this next part.” He leaves, and Murph grins and thanks him. It's clear they're way more friendly now than they were when they first met.
“We’ll probably wind up moving stuff around when the baby comes,” Joel says after I’ve tested out the rocking chair. “We were talking about the attic. Since it runs the length of the house, there's no reason we can't split it into two or three rooms, eventually move your nest up there, and maybe have a spare bedroom for guests while we turn this into a nursery.”
"And we got you this, Mommy." Ben offers me a medium-sized flat white box that he must have picked up from inside the teepee.
I open the lid, and my eyes fill with tears at the wooden, hand-carved, homemade sign.
Mommy's Nest
"Youneeda nest, sweetheart," Murph says firmly. "We didn't gotoocrazy filling it with cushions and blankets since we figured you would have stuff in Memphis. When you're in here, Ben knows to come find one of us and give you time for yourself."
"Just hang the sign on the door," Ben says. "Do you like it, Mommy?"
"I love it. It is absolutely perfect." I sink into a crouch and open my arms wide. "Come here, baby." As I hug him, I ask myself what I did to deserve all this. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Mommy."
"Oh, and there's a snack cart," Win says casually.
