“Okay,” she whispers, and I kiss her once more, then head out of the room. And not surprising, I can tell the women on the opposite side of the door have been eavesdropping.
“See you all downstairs.”
I head back down to the beach, then ten minutes later, with the sun setting, she walks toward me, seeming to glow. The first time I ever saw her, I thought she was beautiful, but with her hair up, wearing a form-fitting white dress that is molded to her body, with her makeup done to perfection, she absolutely takes my breath away.
And as we say our vows in front of our friends and family with our little one safely growing in her belly, I place my hand on her stomach, feeling overwhelmed by pride, fear, possessiveness, and a love so deep that I wonder if I’ll drown in it.
April
Approximately two years later
“MY DADA.” MALIA, my beautiful two-year-old daughter with dark hair just like her daddy’s and eyes the same color of mine, grabs Maxim’s hand off of my thigh where he rested it, then pulls it up to her face, holding it there while glaring at me.
Hearing her dad laugh, I give him the dirtiest look I can muster up, when all I really want to do is melt into a puddle of goo at the sight of him and our daughter together.
Truth be told, when I took that pregnancy test on our wedding day and it came back positive, I felt like I was going to be missing out on all the things I had been looking forward to. Little did I know that I was getting something greater than I could have ever imagined.
Now, instead of traveling the world and going on grand vacations, our days involve early pancake breakfasts at home, chalk in the driveway in the late afternoons, finger painting before dinner, and a dozen other activities to keep Malia occupied throughout the days.
And because of our sweet girl, I finally understand why my mom always seemed so content to just be a mom and wife. Within my own little family, I’ve found a different kind of happiness, one I didn’t know existed. A happiness wrapped in baby giggles, stolen kisses, sticky fingers, date nights in bed, family Halloween costumes, midnight showers, and a million other little things that mean nothing but also mean everything.
But maybe that is the point of life—understanding that all the best parts are tied up in moments we don’t think much of at the time.
The End