Page 95 of Down the Aisle
If I hadn't been nervous before, then I definitely was now as I let Adam guide our joined hands and the knife toward the tiered cake. The knife cut into the soft cake like a hot knife through butter, but for some reason, it felt like trying to cut a block of cheese with a spoon. Well, maybe it was because I knew.
While Adam's face twisted in pure confusion, mine lit up. "Uhh… Did you change the cake flavors without telling me?" His quizzical eyes bounced between me and the pink and blue slice of cake on the plate in his hands.
Giggling, I shook my head. Not giving him an answer, I picked up the fork, stabbed off a small piece, and shoved it in his parted mouth before picking up the champagne bottle that was all whited out with blue and pink rose designs all over it. "The only thing I'm changing is the size of our family," I told him, placing a hand over my growing stomach that has yet to start showing.
His scrunched-up face stretched out into an excited grin as he set the plate down and took me into his arms, spinning mearound with a joyful shout. "Oh my God, I am so elated right now, but Eliza, you gotta stop hiding your pregnancy from me." He chuckled against my neck.
"I didn't know, I swear. I just went in for my yearly physical, and, well, surprise?" Yeah, trust me, I was not expecting that kind of news when I went into the doctor's office about a month ago.
Setting me down, Adam tilted his head at me with a confused twist of his lips. "Wait, how far along are you then?"
Chuckling softly, I leaned up and pecked his lips. Yes, even in some high heels, I still had to lean up quite a bit to kiss my damn husband. "Based on mother nature, about eight weeks, but the OB will confirm next week at our first prenatal appointment," I replied with a big smile.
"Wait…" Looking at the bottle in his hand and the cake with furrowed eyes, he stood there a moment in thought before looking back at me. "Wait, then what's all this gender stuff for? Isn't it too soon to know?"
"No, blood work came back with the gender, so I figured it might as well make our wedding night extra fun with an added celebration of a baby announcement and gender reveal." Also, I didn't want to plan or have an extra celebration for all those things, so I might as well kill all the birds with one stone.
Stepping back, I urged Adam forward more toward the center of the dance floor. "Alright, everyone! What do you think baby number three is gonna be?! Because apparently Mr. Santini here couldn't help but do some pre-wedding celebrations with the new Mrs. Santini here!" Max's laughter caused the whole place to chuckle and snicker before some chaos erupted with how everyone shouted their guesses wildly.
While everyone cheered and shouted, Adam eagerly shook the champagne bottle with a giddy grin like some kid on Christmas day.
And once he shook it more than enough…
POP!
"YES!"
Epilogue: Adam
~10 years later~
"Hey, Dad?"
My head lifted from my desk to look at my son, who stood at the doorway of my office. "What's up, bud? What do you need?" Closing my laptop and books, I gave Asher my full attention.
Poor kid, his face was so crestfallen with hurt and confusion. "I made Mom upset…" Asher's voice cracked a little as he spoke, "But I don't exactly know what I did."
My heavy shoulders fell with a deep sigh as I waved him over. As he made his way into the office, I got up from my desk and met him halfway with a hug. "Hey, just tell me everything from start to finish, and hopefully, we can figure it out," I told him before sitting down on the couch with him.
Sighing, Asher curled his legs up onto the couch and hugged a throw pillow. "We were just snacking, and I was doing some homework. I needed some help with this family tree thing for science," he started, his face growing more perturbed with his words.
However, I had a good idea of where this was headed based on what little he had told me so far.
Asher continued after another heavy sigh. "Mom just kind of went quiet, and maybe that should've been a sign for me to drop things, but I guess I was just too curious. So, I asked and pressed. I asked about my grandparents from her side because I needed to know more about our family's medical history and all. She was quiet and blunt, but she answered things, even if it was a little vague, too." His voice trailed out for a moment as he picked at the throw pillow in a fidgeting manner. "But then, when I asked about you…"
I didn't need to hear anymore, so I held a hand up for him to stop.
Well, I knew this day would come, or a day like it. Eliza knew it as well. It was probably bad on our part, but we both made a conscious decision to keep the truth about Asher's biological father from him.
"Wait here. I'm going to get your mother because this is a conversation that she needs to be involved in," I told Asher before getting up to go fetch Eliza, who was standing out back on the patio.
"Eliza darling…" My heavy words made her shoulders slump. "Asher…" I started but quickly shut my mouth. "We have to tell him. It's time, little rose. We knew a time like this would come, and today is the day."
Obviously, we weren't going to tell him about how I chopped James up and threw him overboard into the mouths of sharks, but the other bits of truth were something Asher deserved to know.
"He's old and wise enough to take it." Asher was a very bright kid, and he was a little more advanced than some boys his age in the mental and emotional department. So, I felt confident about telling him right now.
Sighing heavily, Eliza hung her shaking head in her hand, rubbing her temples. "I just… What if he hates me? What if he wants to meet James?" she worried, still looking out into the distance.
