Inn Love

I want to be pregnant so badly. I’ve wanted to carry his child since we met. Now that it feels like that might be possible, I’m craving it more deeply than ever before.

My hands are shaking as I check the test. My heart soars in my chest, and I gasp in shock. The test reads positive….

I can feel tears of joy streaming down my face. All this time, waiting for good things to happen to me…and they’ve all happened at once. My heart feels like it’s putting itself back together after being stomped on so many times.

A few weeks ago, I was unloved. All I had was an apartment that I couldn’t afford and a man determined to stalk me to the ends of the earth. Now, I have the promise of a better life and an endless love between me, my unborn child, and the man of my dreams. These are the things that I always knew would make me complete, and now they’re within my grasp.

I have to sit down to keep myself steady for a moment. I want to tell Elijah right this second, but I want the moment to be special. I want to sit him down and tell him when he’s not expecting it.

I manage to compose myself enough to throw the test in the trash and head downstairs, where Elijah is working out in the yard. It feels like we’ve come full circle. This is the place where I first laid eyes on him, after all. He’s working on fixing the drainpipe outside, shirtless with the sun beating down on his tan shoulders. I feel a wave of love for him. For the father of my child. He’s changed everything for me for the better. Now, I get to give him news that will change his life for the better too. News that will make him happier than he ever thought he could be.

And to me, that’s beyond beautiful.

He looks down from the ladder he’s standing on, smiling at me. He abandons his task to step down to my level and plant a kiss on my lips. I’m filled with warmth. He’s going to be such a good dad. He’s going to be such a good husband too.

“I’ve missed you,” he croons at me with a smile. I bury my face in his chest, my ear against his heart. I can hear it beating beneath his skin, and it makes me feel at home.

“I missed you too,” I say, even though we’ve barely been apart for twenty minutes. I take his hands in mine and look up at him with a smile. “Have you got a minute? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I’ve always got time for you,” he says, squeezing my hand and leading us inside. We head to the empty dining room and sit back at the table where we’ve shared so many memories already. Our first dinner together, our first kiss, our makeup. It feels like the right place to tell him this. Again, I feel the sense that we’ve come full circle like things were always meant to happen this way.

“Is everything okay, baby?” Elijah asks me protectively, searching my eyes for signs that I might be upset. I smile at him.

“Everything is fine. Perfect, in fact. You know earlier…when we were at the grocery store…you kind of got me thinking about our future even more. And over the last few days…well, I’ve had the feeling that something was about to change. I got the feeling that the ground beneath our feet would shift again. And I was right.”

“You were?” Elijah asks, confused.

I smile to myself. This is such a big moment. I can’t wait to see the surprise on his face. I can’t wait to tell him that he’s going to be a father.

So here goes.

“I was. Elijah…I took a pregnancy test…I had a feeling... And I was right. I’m pregnant,” I smile at him. “You’re going to be a daddy.”

I watch as shock takes over his face and then elation. His whole face splits into a smile. I knew he’d be so pleased. I knew that this would be the best news in the world for him. He rushes around the table to pull me into his chest, hugging me hard like he never wants to let go. I bury my face in him and cry happy tears, gripping him hard.

This is the best moment of my entire life. Every moment with him has felt so incredible, but this tops all of them so far. This is the moment where both our dreams are coming true.

“I can’t believe this,” he says, pulling away from me and cupping my face in his hands. “I can’t believe it…but I’m so happy. So, so happy. I love you, baby. I love you so much.”