“I can practically hear what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. You’re the only woman I’d ever be happy with,” he growls in my ear, kissing me again. Now I’m really blushing.
“Whatever you say, handsome. Did you get the shots you wanted?”
“Yes, for today. When we’re down by the lake tomorrow, I’ll get some pictures then. You might think I’m going a bit crazy with the pregnancy photos.”
“More than a bit.”
“But it’s only because I love you so much, and I want to capture these memories forever. I want to be able to look back on these when we’re old and gray and remember everything we’ve had together,” he says. It warms my heart to hear him say such beautiful things, and I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him.
“Well, I can’t argue with that...plus, they’ll be perfect for your exhibition.”
Kian’s latest work is a nine-month set of pictures, starting from the day we met and ending on the day our baby is born. It’s a study of the beauty of pregnancy and womanhood, but he’s insisting that I’m the only woman he wants to photograph, so someday soon, an entire exhibition will be filled with pictures of just me and our baby. I feel a bit nervous being in the spotlight, but as Kian keeps telling me, I’m his muse, now. I guess I’ll have to get used to being the center of his world.
“Come on then, let’s get you and baby home.”
I let Kian take my hand and walk me back to the car. I’m feeling a little tired from the photoshoot so I snooze on the way back while Kian drives with the windows down, the cool spring air rushing against my face. By the time we get home, I feel refreshed and ready for the dinner we’re having with my father and Sherry.
“Do you think we should tell them the big news?” I ask him as we’re cooking dinner together. “It seems like a good time, doesn’t it?”
“I think so,” he says, kissing me gently. “I’ll let you tell them. It was your idea.”
I nod, twisting my engagement ring around my finger. He proposed to me only a few days into our relationship, but we’ve been waiting for the perfect time to have our wedding. Now that we’ve decided on when and where it’s happening, it’s time to announce it to my Dad.
He arrives early, keen as always to see me and Kian. He brings with him a bottle of elderflower cordial, knowing I’ve been craving it since I got pregnant, and Sherry brings her homemade pie for dessert. I’m excited to tell them about our big news, but I decide to wait until we’re all at the dinner table. I want this announcement to be perfect.
I serve up the chicken salad for dinner and my father laughs out loud.
“Are you putting us on a diet, little miss?”
I smile. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to start slimming down for the wedding...now that we’ve decided when and where it’ll be.”
My father leans forward in interest. “Well, it’s taken you six months to make your decision. I hope it’s a good one!”
I smile and take Kian’s hand across the table. “Well, Kian’s exhibition is going to be a pretty big deal. There’s going to be a lot of publicity about it, but more importantly, all of our favorite people will be in attendance. All of the people we’d invite to a wedding anyway...so we’ve decided that we’ll get married at the exhibition. The venue is gorgeous, and it’s a perfect way to show the full circle of my pregnancy. We’ll have our baby by then…and of course, we want he or she to be a part of our special day. So it all just seemed perfect.”
“I think that’s beautiful!” Sherry coos, clapping her hands together in excitement. “Congratulations, honey! We can’t wait to be a part of your big day.”
“It’s going to be wonderful,” my father smiles, turning to Kian. “And we’re very much looking forward to seeing the exhibition. We know it’ll be amazing.”
“You’ve got my model to thank for that,” Kian says, looking over at me. “You have the most beautiful daughter in the world, David. I can’t wait to marry her.”
I squeeze his hand across the table. This whole thing is just perfect. I knew from the moment I thought up my plans for the wedding that they were perfect too, but telling my father has been special in itself. This foursome has become such a beautiful part of our family. I’ve loved getting to know Sherry, seeing my Dad in love for the first time in a long time, and knowing that Kian and I have an unbreakable bond that can’t be replaced. There’s so much love here in this room between us all. The friendship my Dad and Kian have, the bond I’m forming with my new stepmother, and of course, the relationship I have with my Dad.