My hands covered my mouth, and I started to jump around like a little girl.
The woman who had been standing next to Alyssa spoke in French, alerting her that the time was now.
“Let’s do this!” Alyssa said, handing me the flowers.
As I walked down the little stone pathway toward Mike and Rip, I couldn’t help the huge smile on my face.
Rip and I stared into each other’s eyes the entire ceremony. Part of it was done in French, the rest in English. When it came time for them to kiss, I bit my lip and stared at Rip. He had been watching Mike and Alyssa but swung his gaze to meet mine.
We both smiled. And I felt it again, the little flutter in my stomach that I had been feeling every day since last week at our wedding when I first felt it. I placed my hand on my stomach and let out a half laugh, half sob. Rip instantly walked up to me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, placing his hand over mine.
Alyssa and Mike turned to face me.
“Nothing! Nothing is wrong. I’m just overcome with happiness.”
I hugged Alyssa and then Mike. The photographer ushered them to stand for pictures while Rip and I moved to the side.
He glanced down at my hand on my belly.
“Our baby is moving, and I feel her.”
His eyes went wide. “You feel the baby?”
I nodded. “I felt her last week. On our wedding day. At first, I thought it was nervous flutters, but I’ve been feeling it all week. She keeps letting me know she’s here with us.”
Rip cupped my face within his hands. “You keep saying she.”
My smile was so wide that it made my cheeks ache. “That’s because the baby is a girl.”
Rip chuckled. “Is that so? And how do you know that?”
Reaching into the little pocket of my sun dress, I pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. I had asked Doctor Buten to do a blood test to find out the sex of the baby.
Rip opened it and instantly started to cry. He looked at me. “A girl? Our little Emma.”
I nodded. “I hope you’re happy. I know you probably wanted a little boy.”
He shook his head and placed his hand on the back of my neck, bringing me into a kiss.
“I didn’t care. I only want a happy baby.”
Smiling, I placed his hand on my stomach. “I can’t believe how much I love Emma already. Is it possible to keep falling more in love with her?”
Rip nodded. “I think so. And when I see her, I know I will fall even more in love with her at first sight. Just like I did with her mommy.”
THE END