But he looks shy for once.
Nervous even.
“I mean, are you sure it’s okay? I mean, what about… our baby?” he says again, the wonder showing in his eyes again as he presses a hand over my middle again, his mouth wide with amazement.
Seriously, I never thought he’d take it like this. I thought Maxwell Bear was a little bit more macho, but it’s super cute.
“Trixie knows,” I inform him, not wanting him to feel like he’s the last to know, but it was her who put me onto the idea in the first place.
“She senses everything about me, and I knew something was up once she started resting her head here,” I explain, making sure to hold Max’s hand there as long as he wants to.
“If you’re sure the house is okay too,” he adds, I can feel his heart pounding through his whole body as it tenses up. His grip on me tightens and he… he’s trembling.
“Max, what is it?” I ask him, almost worried now.
I know it’s good news but I’ve never seen him like this.
He lifts me up, gentle as a lamb, and stands me up before he gets down on one knee in front of me.
I choke up in a second, covering my mouth because I know what he’s about to do and it cancels out, beats my pregnancy announcement which is so not fair.
“Don’t you dare,” I warn him, my own eyes suddenly flood with tears as he takes my hands in his, and looking up at me he asks me to be his wife.
“I won’t have our babies without a mommy and daddy,” he says firmly. “Not even while they’re growing.”
I was expecting a big reaction from Max, sure. But I certainly wasn’t expecting this.
“Phoebe, let me finish,” he says. “We’ve known each other just this little while, but a part of me feels like we’ve known each other forever, just waiting to meet again. I wasn’t living before I met you, I was waiting. So just say yes darling. Just tell me we can start living from today, right now as man and wife to be. Just say you’ll marry me and I’ll never ask you for anything ever again. What do you say?” he asks, his eyes wide and shining with emotion.
My own tears streaming down my cheeks as I mouth the word ‘yes’ before he lifts me up again, kissing me so tenderly, it feels like the very first kiss.
Feels like I know it will from every day from this moment on.
Mr. and Mrs. Bear.
Papa Bear, Mamma Bear, and baby bear make three.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Maxwell
“I know you want to pay for the wedding Dad, and you will. Using this check,” I try and explain to him for the hundredth time.
He means well, and I know he wants to contribute, but the special day for my princess, for my queen?
It’s a little more than he can even afford.
“Look, it’s not even written out, a blank check. Take it and fill out the amount, deposit it in your account and then you can pay for the wedding, okay?” I try to reason with him, but it’s no use. He’s only getting more stubborn by the minute.
“We really don’t have time for this, Dad. The car will be here any minute and you haven’t even got your tie on,” I point out to him, feeling my first wave of nerves as I hear the car honking out front.
Early. Better than being late.
Checking myself in front of the mirror, I know I look ready. I know I am ready.
Then why the hell am I so worried?
It’s because Phoebe’s not here, that’s why.
For the first time in six months, I’m without my queen. Didn’t even get to spend last night with her either.
Dad has taken this whole traditional wedding thing way too serious, won’t even let me call her to see how she’s holding up but we’re almost in the home stretch.
A limo to the church and then a walk down the aisle and she’ll be mine. Properly mine. Forever mine.
If I don’t end up strangling my dad first.
It started with what I thought was ribbing, with dad insisting he pay for everything once we told him we were to be married before the baby came.
Then he wanted to move in, to redecorate the room for our baby, before we even know if it was a boy or a girl.
Now he’s trying to coordinate the whole wedding party on his own and won’t let me do anything, and he’s gonna make us late.
“Dad? I appreciate what you’re doing and I did say sorry about not letting you move in, but I will not let you railroad your way into my wife’s big day. You don’t know how to plan a picnic let alone a wedding, so will you please, back down and let someone who knows how to do their job?” I finally say, then wince.