Page 111 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“Blake.” I practically squeaked his name after my almost heart attack. “What are you doing here?”

“Thought I should meet my new family.” He pressed a kiss to the pulsing vein in my neck, then he moved from around me dropping down to formally meet Georgie Boy, rubbing his hand over Georgie’s ruff and as I’d learned, Georgie gave his love freely for ruff rubs and ear scratches.

“Hi boy… you’re so sweet, aren’t you?”

“We talked like three hours ago. What about your meeting?”

“Rescheduled.”

“How long are you here for?”

Raking his fingers through his hair, not long. But I have to talk to Ant and it’s better in person.”

“So, this trip isn’t about me or meeting the fam.”

“Glory, it’salwaysabout you.”

With so little time together, I resigned to not let this impromptu visit bother me. I opened up the door to Miranda’s carrier. There was a whole house to explore when she was ready. Blake pushed up his sleeves to help me set up the cat tree and water fountain, and we set up the self-cleaning litterbox in the laundry room.

After dinner we took Georgie for a walk. Then we went to bed. Of course, he rocked my world that night.Hello?Newlyweds. I think they revoke your membership card if you don’t clock enough hours bumping uglies.

Then the next day he went to see Ant, taking Georgie Boy with him for, I quote, “male bonding.” He said I had Miranda for girl junk. It was safe to say he’d fallen hard for our good boy.

While they were gone, Princess Miranda and I decided to go Halloween costume shopping given we were so close to the greatest holiday ever. I texted Blake picture after picture of costume ideas. I thought we could do a family costume this year. He nixed Aladdin, The Lion King and even The Matrix.

“What’s wrong with The Matrix?” I asked because that one deserved a call.

“Honey, I won’t be here.”

“Fine,” I said defiantly. “But you’ll be sad you missed it when you see the pictures from trick-or-treating.”

Happiness. Joy. Mirth. All of it hit me when I found them.Thecostumes. Georgie, Miranda and I were going aspirates!

Blake decided to roleplay when he saw my costume. And did he ever plunder my bounty. The day after, he headed back to Vermont. At this point, I hated Vermont. We could cut it out of the map for all I cared—no offense to any Vermonters.

Georgie and Miranda surrounded me with love.

Another week passed and for whatever reason, I couldn’t get enough food. Sandwiches, chicken nuggets, salads, stake—my stomach was a bottomless pit of hunger. The following week, I couldn’t hold any food down.Shit.The niggling in the back of my head told me this wasn’t good. As I lay in bed unable to sleep, I opened up YouTube shorts, somehow finding myself on MomTube. All these women creators posting pregnancy stories. I let out a slow breath.I’m justfreaking out, right?There’s no way. No way.

To calm my nerves, I calculated the last time I’d gotten my period,andI cried. Then I picked up the phone to call mygynecologist’s office. OB/GYN to be precise, but up until now I’d only needed the GYN part. They had a morning cancelation for Halloween. A Halloween OB appointment felt oddly prophetic. The day for scares.

Lastly, I called Pen and Sierra. I needed my friends.

They showed up with Italian food and ingredients to make mocktails. Pen reached into one of the bags, pulling out a box. A double pack of pregnancy tests.

“Go take the test, Mama,” she ordered.

I read the back of the box. “It says morning pee is best.”

“Pregnant is pregnant. Take the damn test.”

To make sure I had enough pee, I sucked down one mocktail, and then a second. My bladder sufficiently ready to burst, I walked into the half bath with the box and relieved myself on the stick.

The directions said to wait three minutes for a result. Nope. It took three seconds. Three freaking seconds. My head dropped and I couldn’t hold the tears back if I tried.

It’s not that I didn’t want kids… but I always thoughteventually. I currently lived in a different state than my husband. Blake and I wanted to travel more. I had a damnIUD. Heavy cramping each month. It prevented that. What it apparently failed to prevent was fertilization.

I cried harder.

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