I sigh sadly, it’s like therapy seeing Sadie.
“I wish you were here…”
I sit with Sadie for a little while longer, giving her an update on my life. I don’t have much to tell her, but I fill her in on everything, just as I would if she was here with me. We used to chat about everything boring or exciting, because at the end of the day, she will always be my best friend, and this is what best friends do. This is why I come.
***
“Garrett?! What is going on?” I call out as I walk through the front door to see roses everywhere. There is also soft music playing. “Garrett, where are you?”
I follow the sound of the music all the way to the living room where I spot Garrett sitting on the floor. He knows that I can’t join him down there… not if I want to get up any time soon, so I’m confused.
“Garrett? What the hell are you doing down there? This is weird…”
My words trail off and I clap my hands to my mouth in shock as reality hits. Garrett isn’t just sitting on the floor, he’s on one knee and he’s looking at me with love in his eyes. A small box in his hands. A ring box. I might have dreamed about this, but I didn’t think about it ever really happening. This is it…
“Jill Michaels, I love you,” he says with a sweetness to his tone. “I have loved you for years and no one else has ever compared, never mind come close. You have always been the one for me, and soon you will be the mother of my child. I want you to be more than that though, I want you to be my wife. The woman that I marry…”
“Are you for real?” I gasp out, barely able to handle what’s happening right now. This is like a dream come true. “You really want to marry me, Garrett?”
“Of course I want to marry you.” He chuckles. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I would be insane to not want you by my side. You are perfect, Jill, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. So, what do you say? Will be with me forever, Jill Michaels? Will you marry me?”
“Of course I will,” I sob hard.
He slips the ring on my finger and jumps up to wrap his arms around me. I can’t believe that he has been planning this for some time and I didn’t know. I can usually tell when he’s hiding something, but this was a shock.
“I can’t believe we’re getting married!” I declare once more in between kisses.
“What sort of wedding do you want?” he asks. “I would take you to the courthouse and marry you right now if you wanted. I can’t wait to start our life together.”
“I wouldn’t be against getting married right now.” I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively at him.
“Yeah, I’ll go get the car, get ready…”
I’m trying to work out if he is serious or not. His mom would kick our ass if we got married without her there, especially when she doesn’t have another child to see get hitched. All of a sudden a strange sensation seeps between my thighs, what the hell??
“Oh my God,” I gasp out as my fingers fly between my legs. “I think my water just broke!”
“Huh?” Garrett’s face screws up in sheer confusion. He has no idea what I mean. “Your water?”
“My water.” I grip his arm hard. “Baby Sadie is coming. We need to go to the hospital. Now. Oh no, I think that I might be having contractions. Oh shit!”
He holds on to me while the pain rockets through my body. This hasn’t even really started yet, and it already hurts like hell. Oh my God, I thought that we were going to have more time. Sadie, my best friend, was always impatient and crazy about being extra early for everything when she was alive. So, it makes sense for her name sake to do the same thing.
“Okay, let’s get in the car,” Garrett says. “I am here for you, don’t worry about anything. I’m here.”
His words mean a lot to me, but I’m still terrified. At least I know with him by my side I can get through anything.
“I love you,” I gasp out through the strange pain, unlike anything I have ever felt before. “So much.”
“I love you too, fiancée,” he tells me with a seriousness to his tone. “Let’s go have a baby!”
Epilogue – Garrett
The Wedding – 2020
“How do you feel?” Mom asks me as she straightens out my bow tie for the third time. “You look very handsome. Oh, looks like Sadie wants a hug.”
I take my gorgeous baby daughter in my arms and hold her with a big smile on my face. From the very first moment that Sadie was born, I have been in love with her. I honestly didn’t know that it was possible to adore someone as much as I do her. I love Jill, but my love for my child is something else.