We doze off, and then at noon, Cora’s hunger wakes us up, and we go to the kitchen half-naked to prepare a light lunch.
As we are munching our sandwiches on the island, Cora starts to giggle.
“What?” I ask her. “Do I have food on my face?”
She laughs so hard that for a few moments, she can’t speak. “I just remembered the way you looked when I walked into your office at the fertility clinic that first time.”
I chuckle as the memories wash over me. “I couldn’t believe I was seeing you again. A few minutes later, and I couldn’t stand up from my chair.”
A look of concern is drawn on her pretty face. “Why what happened?”
“I had a massive hard-on,” I said straight-faced.
Cora laughs and pushes me. “You’re lying. You couldn’t have been thinking about sex at the moment.”
“I was.”
“You’re a perv,” she says.
“Only when it comes to you.”
She smiles but doesn’t say anything. We eat in comfortable silence and when we’re clearing up, the conversation moves to the baby. I’m still not feeling that connection, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I plan on being a present dad. I plan on showing up.
“Dr. Phillips talked about birth options,” Cora says. “What are your thoughts on taking pain medication when giving birth?”
Her voice trembles as she speaks, and I lean forward and kiss her cheek. I’d happily swap places with her and bear the childbirth pain. “What matters is you and what you feel comfortable doing. I’ll support you in whatever you decide.”
“Thanks,” Cora says.
“There’s no shame in using pain medication. Some people have a low threshold for pain. Others are happy to bear it. It’s a very personal decision.”
“I’m a little scared, to be honest. I’ve been watching a lot of childbirth videos online, and they frighten me.”
“I thought you might have been present when Adeline was giving birth.”
She makes a face. “I didn’t want to, but of course, I heard about it. Adeline handled the birth of her twins the way she does everything else, with awesome courage. She’s a bulldozer.”
“We all have different strengths and weaknesses. The trick is never to compare ourselves with others.”
“Easy for you to say when everyone in your family thinks the sun shines from your ass.”
I laugh at her choice of words. “For your information, they do not. As a matter of fact, when I need to be brought down to earth, I can count on them to do it and not in the nicest way.”
She smiles. The terrified look is gone from her face.
“You should attend birth classes,” I tell her. “Nothing, of course, can show you exactly what the experience of giving birth will be like but knowing will help, I believe.”
“Riley was planning on attending before she was put on bed rest,” she says. She gives it some thought and then nods. “Okay, I’ll look into it.”
My phone vibrates, and I pick it up from the island countertop. It’s my mother. I’m a grown man but anxiety forms in the pit of my stomach. I’m so used to working that it feels as if I’m doing something wrong by being home on a weekday. And my mother knows it too, hence the call.
“Hi, Mom,” I say. Cora makes as if to leave to give me some privacy, but I signal to her to stay put.
My mother and I ask after each other’s health, and then she gets into the reason why she called.
“We haven’t seen Cora in ages, and we’d love to spend some time with her. Can you bring her along for Friday dinner?”
“I know she’s missed you guys too. Dinner sounds awesome but—”
Cora nods at me vigorously and makes spoon-to-mouth gestures.
“Actually, I’m sure that she’d love too,” I say, and Cora gives me a thumbs up.
“Great,” my mom says happily.
We wind up the conversation, and as I look at Cora, gratitude floods me at how kind she is to my parents.
“You don’t have to, you know,” I tell her. “My mom can get a little intense.”
“That couple is very special. They’re our child’s grandparents, and whatever happens between us won’t change that fact,” Cora says. “Besides, I want our baby to enjoy being loved by lots of relatives.”
The reminder that this camaraderie we share will end soon leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s what we both want, but that won’t mean that it will be easy.
Chapter 27
Cora
I turn to each side and admire my reflection in the mirror. I can’t wait to show off my new figure. I look quite pregnant, and the dress I’m wearing is fitting and not designed to camouflage a pregnancy. I can’t wait to hear from the ladies when they see the change.
Whoever would have believed that I, a fitness fanatic, would take great pride in my belly growing bigger and bigger? The doorbell rings as I’m clutching my belly in a fit of giggles.