We turn silent for a while before I ask, “How’s shit for you?”
“Georgia and I are talking marriage.”
I grin, happier for him than he’ll ever know. He’s been with Georgia for three years and I’ve waited for this moment. “It’s about fucking time. When are you proposing?”
“I’ll buy the ring this week while I’m here and then I’m taking her to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. I’ll propose t
here.”
“The boys will be happy.” His sons love Georgia as much as he does.
“Yeah, they’re coming to Hawaii with us. They know I’m proposing. I ran it by them first, just to get a feel for their thoughts. To say they were excited is an understatement.”
“This is good fucking news. I’m happy for you.”
He smiles. “Thanks, Matt.” The upbeat happiness I heard in his voice when he told me he was proposing is now gone, replaced with some heaviness. I know where that’s coming from; Max hates watching Birdie and me struggle. He’s walked this journey with us every step of the way and felt every bit of our pain. He might hate that we still don’t have a child, but I hate that this journey has impacted him, too. Infertility is a bitch that has taken not only from Birdie and me, but also from those we love.
22
Birdie
* * *
“We’re going to go through the garden shed this weekend and get rid of the chemicals in there,” I say to Lily over the phone as I stir the spaghetti I’m cooking for dinner. It’s Max’s favourite.
“How does Winter feel about this? Isn’t he hard-core about weeds and shit? Like, what will he use instead?”
“Oh, I’ve got a list for him to choose from. He’s good. We’ll pick the stuff up after we go to IKEA on Sunday.”
“God, I wish King was as easy about doing the stuff I want him to do. He argued with me this morning when I suggested we should add shelves to our wardrobe. He told me if I’d stop buying clothes, I wouldn’t need the shelves. Like, just build them already and stop arguing with me when we both know he’ll eventually just do what I ask. Why do men have to be so damn stubborn about admitting we’re right?”
“Right? Also, why do they have to want a say in things around the house that we all know they don’t even give a fuck about? I set up my meditation cushion and stuff in our walk-in robe because we have so much space in there and Winter is barely in there, but the minute it was set up, he was all over me about it.”
“I hear ya, sister.” She sighs as I hear Winter’s ute pull into the garage. “I love my man, but he’s hard work sometimes.”
“Speaking of men, I have to go. Mine just got home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Love you, girl.”
We end the call and I turn to watch for Winter and Max coming in the house. Max’s face is the one I see first, and I smile big as I open my arms to give him a hug.
“Hey, beautiful,” he says as he wraps me in his arms. “How are you?”
I cling to him for a little bit longer than I usually do. It’s been five months since I’ve seen him, and I’ve missed him so much. When I let him go, I keep hold of his arms and say, “I’m doing okay. How are you?”
His eyes narrow on me. “Only okay?”
I smile and let him go. “I’m sure Winter’s told you all about my moods.”
“He hasn’t,” Winter says, joining us. His hand goes to my waist and his mouth to mine for a quick kiss as he moves past us.
“No, he hasn’t told me about your moods,” Max confirms. “But based on the fact you’ve confessed your moods throughout every IVF cycle you’ve done, I figured that was a given. I just wanna know how you’re doing with everything else.”
“I love you, Maxxi. And I think okay really is the best way to describe how I’m doing. I’m hanging in there. Winter is doing all the believing for me.”
“Well add me to the list of believers. I’ve got all the faith in the world for you.” He angles his face up like he’s sniffing something. “Is that spaghetti I can smell?”
“Yes. And I made your favourite cheesecake for dessert. We’re celebrating that you’re here for the week. I can’t remember the last time you stayed so long.”