Page 12 of Under the Island Moon
Miles raised an eyebrow and then opened his gift. Bryce was already in his Reese’s peanut butter cup dance while he unwrapped the candy.
Miles was a little slower. More deliberate. As if he sensed there was more to this than just a special themed dessert. Of course, he was the first to realize there was something under the candy. And when he peeled back that layer of tissue and read the card he froze. For a moment she worried she’d done this all wrong.
“Molly,” he breathed her name like a prayer. “You mean it?” He held the card and looked at the cookie. “Oh my God. You mean it!”
He set the box aside and scooped her off her feet, swinging her in a big circle.
“I guess this means you’re excited?”
“Thrilled! Ecstatic!” He set her down again, gently. “You’re the best. Are you sure everything’s okay?”
She nodded, struggling for the right words. “The morning sickness is rough, but I’m fine. Our first appointment is next week.”
“I can be there?”
His question melted her heart. “Of course, as long as you want to be,” she amended. “I sure don’t want to go through any of this without you.”
“Through what?” Bryce asked, watching them closely, a smear of chocolate on his chin.
“Look in your box, dude.” Miles dropped to his knee and waited. Bryce could read the card, that wasn’t the issue. But much like his dad, he froze for a second. And when he stared up at Molly, his eyes were huge.
“A big brother? Really? We’re getting a baby?”
“Yes, we are.” The happy cheer that followed filled Molly’s heart to overflowing. “We’ve got a few months to go, but come next spring you’ll be a big brother.”
With a loud whoop, he grabbed both of them around the neck and held on tight. “Do I get to go to the doctor too?”
“Not this first time,” Molly said. “The first few appointments are too boring. But when we get to the exciting stuff you can be there.”
He did a fist bump and another happy dance that put his peanut butter cup dance to shame.
And with the full moon glowing in a sky full of stars, she cuddled between her husband and son, high on happiness. Their next chapter as a family would be nothing short of wonderful. Delighted beyond words, she was convinced she was the luckiest woman under that great big moon.
