Page 74 of The Wrong Side Of Us

Frank chuckled. “You can’t eat as you sleep, dear.”

“I’m pregnant and hungry and sleepy. Try me.”

Nathan snorted, squeezing my thigh. “Let me know if you want to go to bed, baby.”

I hummed, content with the turn of events. Problems were far from over, but I hoped that with this, we would at least learn how to handle things better.

After we finished eating, Deb took out a box she’d brought with her. With everything going on, I hadn’t paid much attention to it until then. She grinned, proud and excited as she placed it in front of me.

“What is it?”

“Open it,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. Nathan rolled his eyes, and by his expression, I had the feeling that he already knew what it was.

I opened it slowly, my eyes widening as I took in the image of the items in front of me. Different shades of yellow, soft greens, and tans were inside, and it wasn’t until I took out a pair of crochet baby booties that I realized this was all baby clothing.

“These are adorable,” I squealed, extending my arms to Deb. She pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tightly and then resting her hand over my belly.

“Guess who’s they were,” she said, nodding towards Nate.

“Oh my God, really?” I grinned at Nathan, taking out a small onesie as well as a little crocheted yellow sweater. “I love them. They are so cute, thank you.”

“Thanks, Ma.” Nate stood, giving his mom a hug and pressing a kiss on her head. It was by far one of the most adorable things I’d ever witnessed.

Nana always said that to judge whether a man would be a good husband or not, you had to take into consideration the way he treated his mother. If he was a good son, then he would be a good husband. With Nathan, those words proved to be true. He was a lovely son; he loved his parents and didn’t hide it.

I felt the baby moving again, and I grinned, hardly hiding my excitement. “Come here,” I said to Nathan.

I took his hand in mine like I’d wanted to do a few days before, placing it over my belly just as the baby kicked once again.

“That’s it.” Nathan smiled, pressing his hand a bit more firmly. “That’s our baby moving.”

I nodded, choked up. This was what it should have been like. He kissed me softly, unable to contain his joy. Deb smiled from afar, and I waved the three of them over so they could feel the baby’s movements.

Deborah nearly cried while Carter and Frank seemed more than amazed. Our baby was going to be very, very loved.

The sun set, and the evening had been so beautiful that none of us wanted to leave. However, as my exhaustion grew, we all made our way back to his parents’ house. “I want a big piece of land like this,” I stated.

He raised his eyebrows, his eyes sparkling in the dark. “Really?”

“It’s so pretty,” I whispered, getting the attention of the family with us. Carter smiled at me tenderly. “With a piece of land like this, our kids could have a place to run around. We could even have horses!” I exclaimed, making everyone chuckle. “I’m serious.”

“With the number of kids you want, you’ll hardly have time for yourself, dear,” Carter said, shaking his head.

“Oh, nonsense,” Deb chimed in, clearly agreeing with me. “We’ll all be here to help her.”

Frank seemed to agree with Carter, though, and as their discussion began, Nathan stopped walking.

I noticed Nathan’s jaw clenching as he looked around, a sigh following his uncertainty. His eyes fell on me suddenly, and the expression in them made me falter. My eyebrows pulled together in question. “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“I need to do something.”

To say that we were all thoroughly confused was an understatement.

Until he pulled out a small box from the pocket in his swim shorts.

And knelt in front of me.

His mother gasped, and Frank muttered a single, “Holy shit.” Carter grinned.

---