Page 80 of Wreckage of Us
“Dylan,” I press my hands to my lips. “I love you so much, and…”
“I told Ethan it was okay to name our baby girl,” he adds like I didn’t say anything. “He said he likes Dylan,” he grins at me.
“For a girl?” I squeak out.
“I said the same. He said he wants to name his daughter Dylan, so maybe we can save it for him, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I nod with tears running down my face.
“I love you, woman. And even though I know my last name is not coming from anything to be proud of,” he adds in self deprecation, “I want it to be yours, too.”
I gasp and more tears furiously fall from my eyes. “What are you saying?”
“I want to marry you. The sooner, the better,” he adds. “I need to lock you down, stat. Wyatt said it was important,” he grins at me.
I stare at him in awe, unable to form words. Then, an idea comes to me.
“I have something for you,” I say through a sob. “Don’t go anywhere,” I yell behind me when I take off in a jog toward the living room. I rush to the bookcase where I placed the envelope from Dr. Patel after that first ultrasound.
I rush back to Dylan, who is waiting for me in the same spot I left him, eyes slightly worried.
“This,” I take his hand and place the envelope in it. “This is for you.”
“What is it?” he turns it over as if he is trying to see through it.
“It is a picture of the baby from the very first ultrasound I had,” I explain. “I am so sorry that I never took you with me to any of my appointments since. I didn’t know… I… I… I…”
“You’re okay, baby,” Dylan runs a hand over my hair, calming me down.
“Dr. Patel wrote the sex of the baby on the back. Colton was going to open it and see what it is, but then…” I shrug and sniffle again. “He figured I wasn’t ready to do it without you.”
“Baby,” Dylan sounds emotional now as well.
“Open it,” I jerk my chin toward the envelope, willing him to do it faster.
With shaky fingers, he manages to get the envelope open without ripping it to shreds. He pulls the picture out and just stares at it for a few seconds.
“Bex,” his voice is shaking now too. “She’s beautiful…”
“Maybe you should check what the baby is,” I laugh through my tears.
Slowly, Dylan turns the small piece of paper over and stares at the back.
“What is it?” I finally ask when I can’t take it anymore.
He starts laughing, wiping at his eyes and throwing his head back in complete abandon.
“Ethan was right,” he finally tells me. “It’s a girl.”
“I’m so happy,” I mumble through the mess that I currently am. “I would’ve been just as happy with a boy,” I make sure to say.
Dylan pulls me into his body and just holds me. We stand like this for a while, rocking from side to side, with him placing a soft kiss on the crown of my head every so often.
“I love you,” he tells me again, for probably the thousandth time by now.
I lift my head and grin at him, give him what he wants to hear and mean it with all my heart.
“I love you, too, Dylan. Marry me.”
