“I’m really glad that you found someone like my brother,” he said smiling. “Or exactly my brother to be specific.”
“Why?”
“I have known both of you for a really long time, and I can’t think of anyone more perfect for you than Jason,” he said, nodding his head. “Even me.”
“Thank you,” I said with a bright smile. I leaned in and hugged him again, relieved that he had moved past the hurt and the anger. It had only been a few days, but I knew if he could come this far in that short amount of time, we were all going to have an amazing relationship. This was the family I had always wanted and never thought I would have. Sure, I missed my brother, but we talked on a regular basis, and he was extremely supportive of my life. This, though, this was even better, having everyone I needed right there.
“Thanks, man,” Jason said walking around the corner. “That was probably the nicest thing you’ve said about me your whole life.”
“He heard me,” Jordan whispered. I laughed and pulled away watching as the two brothers embraced. I loved the fact that they had been able to move past all of this, and they even seemed to be closer than they were when I had first came into the picture. Even Jordan had seemed to change, and I just couldn’t get over how down to earth they acted toward each other.
“You still hit like a girl,” Jordan whispered as Jason pulled back.
“I don’t know, man,” he said, walking over to me. “That’s a pretty tough girl. I distinctly remember blood spilling from your mouth and nose.”
“I bleed easily,” Jordan replied. “Besides, I was smiling the whole time, so it couldn’t have hurt that bad.”
“Didn’t you end up getting like two stitches?” I had to throw in my two cents.
“Where did you hear that? Damn office drama. I’m going to fire someone.” He laughed.
“They can’t pick on me anymore, so they chose a new target,” I replied. “Better you than me, any day. Instead, I get the hoard of creepy smiling zombies every day. I am waiting for them to start leaving gifts on my desk, so I don’t have to buy my own snacks every day.”
We all laughed, and I looked at Jason as he slid his hands gently around my waist. He pulled me in close, his eyes sparkling, and pressed his lips deeply against mine. I let out a deep breath as his lips glided sweetly across mine. He kissed the corners of my mouth, my cheeks, and both of my eyes before pulling back and looking deep into my eyes. I loved this man so much, it was insane. It hadn’t been very long, but we had decided to take our relationship into turbo mode, sex, baby, and love all in the span of a month. If it had been anyone else, I would have been freaking out, but Jason had stolen my heart a long time ago, and I hadn’t realized it until our first kiss. He was the man I was meant to be with. I had just taken the long route to get there.
Jason pulled me in for a hug and squeezed me tightly, his face pushed into my neck. I could feel him taking deep breaths of my perfume as I stood there holding tightly to him. I looked up at Jordan who was looking at us adoringly. He smiled and took a deep breath, diverting his eyes to the drink in his hands.
“So,” he said, stretching. “When are you two fools going to get married?”
Jason lifted his head and leaned back, kissing me on the nose before letting go. He turned toward Jordan and smiled, looking back at me as he stuck his hand in his pocket. I watched him pull a small box wrapped in a red bow from his pants, and I looked up at him in confusion.
“Speaking of,” he said turning toward me and walking over to the door. “Can I have everyone’s attention? Everyone, please come to the break room immediately.”
He walked back over to me and watched as everyone funneled into the break room. Once the place was full, he turned back toward me and smiled. Slowly he bent down on one knee and opened the ring box. I put my hands over my mouth and gasped as he cleared his throat.
“Tiffany, you are the most amazing, the bravest, the strongest, and the sweetest woman I have ever met. You are carrying the only other thing in this world that could match the importance of you. I could not go another day without knowing you were going to be with me for the rest of my days,” he said, gazing up at me. “Will you do the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?”
I threw my head back and laughed, completely and utterly surprised by the whole thing. I nodded my head, answering yes, and walked forward as he stood up and took the giant stone from the box. He slid the ring across my finger and pulled me in close, pressing his lips firmly against mine. It was the perfect day. I had pulled my family back together, and now, I was going to get to spend my life with the man I loved. Everything had worked out just as I thought it would. Absolutely perfect.
Epilogue
Jason
“Jason,” Tiffany said, slapping me in the chest and raising me from a dead sleep. I jumped up on the bed and looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. My breathing calmed, and Tiffany switched on the light. She was standing on the floor, bent over holding her very large belly.
She was officially three days past her due date and that baby had seemed like it was perfectly content with just hanging out inside of her. We’d moved into my SoHo apartment, not wanting to share the same house that she’d had with Jordan, but had ended up going to the Greek District to avoid the stairs at my place. I was terrified she was going to fall down the stairs while I was at work, and though she fought me on it, being stubborn as hell, we moved over to her old place and had Mona staying in the spare room while I was at work. My father had said she wasn’t allowed to work when she reached 38 weeks, so sh
e had been sulking and waddling around the house, trying to keep herself busy. She was probably the most adorable pregnant woman I had ever seen.
“Baby,” she said in a panic.
“Yes, sweetie, what do you need?”
“No! Baby. I got up to get something to eat and my water broke.” She pointed at her soaking wet clothes.
“Oh.” I ran over and grabbed her bag. “Let’s get you changed really fast.”
She nodded her head, and I helped her pull on some dry clothes before making our way out to the car. She breathed deeply, the contractions hitting her hard. I reached over and grasped her hand, laughing as she forced a kind of terrifying smile. I whipped through the streets and pulled in front of the hospital. As soon as I got out, I helped her out of the car, grabbing a wheelchair and pushing her into the front. The nurses sent us directly upstairs to the maternity ward, and before we knew it, she was lying on the bed in a hospital gown and with a monitor strapped across her big, round belly. I could see the baby kicking, pushing on her skin like something from a horror movie.