Baron

My head begins to nod as I try to find the words to tell this beautiful man of mine that I have been waiting for this. “Is that a yes, baby?” I sniff the liquid coming down my face and lean into him.

“Yes. Yes, Baron. I love you so much. Of course, I will marry you. You are nuts do you know that?”

“I do know that. You’re nuts too. That’s what makes us perfect together.” Our lips meet as we laugh and embrace one another.

“Can we come out now?” I turn, a bit taken aback I was not aware there was someone here.

“Yes, mom. You can come out now.”

“Yay!!! Oh, my boy. I am so happy for you. Both of you. Frannie.” She pulls me into a hug. “I finally have a daughter.” And I am crying again.

Suddenly the room is filled with all his brothers and Esther. I thought they had all left. After a ton of hugs, congrats, and food we finally fall into bed. Snuggling up to my fiancé, I can’t help but feel like everything I have been through was to bring me to this moment. To this man. This family.Chapter FifteenBaronSix Months LaterPlanning the wedding has really been taking a toll on Frannie. If I had my way, we would have gotten married as soon as I had asked her. But she said she wanted a nice wedding, though only Esther would be on her side. She hasn’t been feeling well lately. She thinks that I haven’t noticed that she throws up all the time, but I do. I don’t know much about women, but I know mine hasn’t had a period the entire time we’ve been together. We have sex all the time, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she is probably pregnant. Since she doesn’t have class this afternoon, I take the afternoon off and head to the drug store. I pick up the two different kinds of pregnancy tests the clerk recommends, pay for them, and head home.

Sure enough, I can hear her in the bathroom as soon as I walk in the condo. I drop my briefcase on the kitchen counter and take the bag with me down the hall. I knock lightly on the bathroom door.

“Red?” I ask through the partially closed door.

“Yes,” she says weakly. “Come in.”

“Are you okay?” I ask as soon as I walk in the room. She is wearing my t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. Her little bare feet are sticking out of the too wide legs.

“No, I think I have the flu. You probably shouldn’t be in here though.”

“I don’t think you have the flu, babe,” I say chuckling.

“Please, don’t laugh at my misery,” she says getting up from the floor. She brushes her teeth and limply brushes her hair.

“I’m not laughing at your misery. Here take one of these and we’ll see what kind of doctor we need to take you too,” I say, taking the bright pink box out of the bag and handing it to her.

“I’m not pregnant,” she says, trying to hand it back to me. “I can’t be.”

“What do you mean can’t be?”

“I am not ready for that. I still have school,” she says pacing.

“You’ll be ready, I promise. We’ll be fine.”

“Baron, really.”

“Just humor me okay? I’ll step outside.”

“Fine,” she says, taking the box from me. I wait outside the door. “You can come back in,” she says.

“You okay?”

“Three minutes and we’ll know.”

“It’s gonna be fine, Red.”

“What if it’s negative?” she asks softly.

“You don’t want it to be?”

“No. I know that I had a lot of excuses before, but of course I want to have babies with you. I just thought we’d have more time together first.”

“We have the rest of our lives, Red. I promise.”

“I know. I am just all over the place,” she says walking into my open arms.

“We’ll look together, okay?”

“Okay.” I grab the test and see the plus sign immediately, showing it to her. “It’s positive!” She exclaims.

“It is, Frannie. We got this.” She calls her doctor and she can get in to see her in the morning.“Good morning, Ms. Smythe,” her doctor says, coming into the room.

“Hi, Doctor James. How are you today?”

“I am well. What are we here for today? Birth control?” She asks, looking at Baron pointedly.

“I think it’s too late for that. I’ve had a positive pregnancy test at home and the one Nurse Jeana just gave me was a well.”

“Congratulations. Let’s just see how far along you are then, shall we?” She asks.

“Yes, please.” When we came in, the nurse had her put on a gown with her pants on. The doctor lifts the gown and smears some goo on her belly. Seconds after rubbing the wand on her belly, a whooshing sound fills the air.