I wrap my arm around his neck, pulling him in like he’s still a baby. I lean my head into his, and Jamieson holds him too. It may suck that I’m uprooting our lives in Minnesota, but I’m excited for new beginnings. I’m stoked to be close to family, but most of all, I’m excited to become a dad.
* * *
“How was the baby shower?”
On the other end of my FaceTime, Claire is packing away the gifts she received today. We finished the nursery decoration two weeks ago, but you couldn’t tell now. It’s completely bare, as is most of the Minnesota house. Claire gets things done, and when it’s time to move, she’s ready. Even working so hard getting everything completed, she still looks absolutely perfect. Her hair is in wide curls, pinned to one side. She’s wearing a blue maxi dress that hugs her body, though I only know that because I saw the pictures on Instagram.
Clare had her baby shower with the Wild team wives. She had been excited for today, hoping to get the missing things we needed. By the looks of it, she may have, but she’s also been crying. I understand, though. She’s friends with these women, and they’ve been girlfriends for over five years now.
“It was really nice,” she says sadly. “Everyone is sad I’m leaving, but they’re excited for us.”
I figured. “Did you get everything we needed?”
She nods. “Yeah, they bought out our registry, which is awesome, but we still need a stroller.”
“I think my mom is getting that.”
“Awesome,” she says as she packs some clothes. “He won’t need clothes until he’s four.”
I smile. “I’m sure you’ll still buy stuff.”
“Probably,” she jokes. “Have you heard about the house?”
“Not yet. The real estate agent said should be tomorrow.”
“Nice.” She leans back, crossing her legs as she looks down at the phone. “Has Jamieson changed a lot?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “He’s huge, with big ole green eyes like Jace. He also uses the word ‘perplexed’ a lot. It’s funny. He’s like ‘Dad, you’re perplexing me.’ Apparently, Avery has one of those word-a-days or something, and he takes it seriously.”
She grins. “Did you see Ashlyn?”
“No, she was off at some benefit with Avery in Nashville. Also, from what my mom is saying, she and River are gonna come and help us when we move.”
She lets out a long breath. “Reese and Phillip offered too.”
“Hell, might as well have everyone come and help. I’m sure we’ll be overwhelmed.”
“Yeah,” she agrees with a small smile. “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”
“Fertility or other?”
“Fertility.”
I lick my lips as I lie back in the bed, feeling a lot guilty. “I’m sorry I’ll miss it.”
She waves me off. “It’s okay. You have that luncheon, right?”
“Yeah, but text me anyway and tell me what they say.”
She smiles grimly. “Maybe they’ll say I’m pregnant.”
I grin at her. “Well, that would be the icing on the cake.”
She nods, and I know she has a lot going on in her head. She’s done anything and everything to get pregnant. She gave up carbohydrates on her doctor’s orders and also upped her fat intake to change things up. It’s something new that our doctor has observed helps women get pregnant. It would be awesome if it worked.
“Yeah, I think so too.” Claire leans on her knees, her long hair falling along her shoulders. “So, you still want to try?”
“Um, baby,” I say eagerly, “I want to have sex with you, a lot.”