Samantha – One Year Later
“Sam?Sam,youready?They’re going to be here soon!”
“I’m coming!” I called as I continued studying my reflection in the full-length mirror on the wall of our bedroom. I was nervous, and I wanted the night to be perfect. I inspected my appearance carefully, turning from side to side and eyeing the loose dress I’d chosen to wear. It was cute, though not my most flattering outfit. That wasn’t the point, though. I wanted it to hide my figure, not show it off.
Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open, and Ryan strolled into the room. His brow was furrowed, and he was scowling.
“What’s taking you so long?” he asked, coming to a stop and looking me up and down. “Weren’t you wearing another dress earlier?”
“Yeah, I was.”
When I didn’t give further explanation, he released a growling sigh and moved to stand behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on the top of my head as he gazed at me in the mirror.
“You look beautiful,” he told me. “Why are you so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous,” I replied in a breathy tone. “Not really, anyway.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up into a small grin. “It’s going to be fine. They’re going to be thrilled. Just relax, take a deep breath, and come downstairs, so I don’t have to greet everyone by myself.”
I chuckled. “What’s the matter? Are you shy? It’s just the family.”
“I don’t want to try and explain why you’re taking so long,” he teased me. “They’ll know something’s up. Trust me, baby, you look perfect. Now, come downstairs. Henry’s already been trying to get into the desserts. If we leave him alone for too long, we’ll find him covered in chocolate and whipped cream.”
That made me laugh, and I nodded. “Okay, okay. I’m ready. I swear.”
He gave me another kiss and took my hand, practically dragging me away from the mirror.
We made our way downstairs and toward the dining room. I gazed around, inspecting the table and its settings to make sure everything was ready.
“Henry? Where are you?” Ryan called, letting go of my hand and disappearing into the kitchen just off the dining room. After a moment, I heard, “Hey mister! Get away from the eclairs!"
A few seconds later, the kitchen door burst open, and Henry came running out. He was giggling like a maniac, chocolate smeared across his mouth. Ryan came rushing after him with a wash rag in one hand.
“Get back here!” Ryan demanded. “If you get chocolate on your shirt, your mama’s going to kill us both.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth to hide my grin as I watched my husband chase our son around the room. At last, Ryan caught Henry around the waist and hauled him up into the air. While our son squealed, laughed, and wiggled to escape his father’s hold, Ryan did his best to wipe his little face clean.
“Henry, be a good boy,” I ordered in a firm but gentle voice. “Don’t cause your daddy so much grief.”
With a grin, Henry went limp in Ryan’s arms.
“Okay, Mama.”
Ryan finished wiping his face and set him back on the floor. Henry scurried off, heading toward the living room. When Ryan gave me an exasperated look, I burst out laughing.
“So glad you’re amused by our son’s antics,” he growled, stalking toward me.. “You have to admit, he’s entertaining.” I chuckled as he pulled me into his arms.
“How are you feeling?” he asked in a soft voice. “Nauseas at all?”
I shook my head. “Nope, I’m good. It hasn’t been too bad the last couple of days.”
He looked relieved. “Good. I’m glad.”
He kissed me just as the doorbell rang. Ryan tensed, and I grinned as I slipped from his arms and made my way to the front door. When I opened it, I found Jason and Mandy standing there with my parents.
“Hello!” I exclaimed, standing aside and giving them space to walk into the house.
“Hello, sweetheart,” my mom said, coming up to me and giving me a tight hug. “You look so lovely! Are you doing something new?”
I shook my head. “Nope, I’m not. Come in, guys. Dinner is just about ready.”
Ryan appeared in the doorway of the dining room to greet everyone, and Henry came barreling out of the living room to slam into Jason’s legs.
“Hey, big guy!” Jason declared, picking Henry up and swinging him around. “How you doing?”
“Good!” Henry exclaimed. “I got into the dessert, and Daddy chased me around the room.”
Jason let out a bark of laughter and shot Ryan an amused smirk.
“Getting owned by your own kid, dude?” Jason asked.
“I got him in the end,” Ryan replied with a chuckle. “Come on. You want a drink?”
Jason nodded. “Sure do.”
We all moved into the dining room. Ryan went about preparing drinks for everyone. Wines for Mandy and my mom, bourbons for the guys, and sparkling water for me.
As Ryan handed me my drink, Jason furrowed his brow and frowned.
“Not drinking, Sam?” he asked.
I bit my lip to hide my smile and shook my head. “Nope, not drinking.”
Both my mom and Mandy’s eyes went wide with instant realization, but Jason and my dad didn’t seem to catch on.
“Weird.” Jason shrugged, taking a long drink of his bourbon. “Don’t tell me you’re pregnant or something.”
The room went completely silent and still. Everyone’s eyes turned to us as Ryan came to stand next to me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and grinned.
My mom was the first to speak. “Are you pregnant, sweetheart?”
I shared a look with Ryan before nodding with a smile. “Yep, I am. That’s why we wanted to gather you all here tonight. We’re having a baby.”
There was another moment of stunned silence before the room seemed to explode with excitement. Rushing toward us, my mom and Mandy yanked me from Ryan’s hold, hugging me and declaring how delighted they were. Jason moved to Ryan and shook his hand before pounding him on the shoulder in congratulations. Finally, my dad came up and hugged me tight, tears shimmering in his eyes.
I smiled, my heart swelling with overwhelming joy as I stood surrounded by my family. I turned to Ryan, who was watching me with absolute adoration. Laughing, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss. Henry was buzzing around us, his own excitement hyped up by everyone else’s.
Ryan hugged me and murmured in my ear, “I love you, Sam.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered.
We held each other as our loved ones continued to celebrate our news around us. The moment was perfect. Crazy and wild, but completely perfect.
It was just like my life with Ryan. I couldn’t imagine being happier than I was with him. I couldn’t imagine loving another man as strongly as I loved him.
One night, an eighteen-year-old girl asked for a birthday kiss, and what came of that was so much more wonderful than I ever could have hoped or dreamed of.
And I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.