by Amy Brent
I reached down and turned on the radio, switching the channels until I found something modern. I stuck one hand out the window and felt the warm summer air flow over me. I had been up, down, way down, way up, and all over the place ever since Valentine’s Day. For someone who hated that holiday, it sure was funny that it was the day I’d met Brandt and the day we conceived our child. Ever since then, I had been clawing my way to happiness, hitting some really big bumps and thinking I would never recover but coming out on the other side better than I started. I wasn’t sure where life would take me from there, but I knew that with Brandt and Sicily by my side, there was no way it could be bad. Valentine’s Day had jumpstarted my life, and though it was hard to see at the beginning, it was the best boost I had ever gotten.
I wasn’t just heading toward my new home or to a new city or even to a new boyfriend, but I was also headed full steam ahead to my happily ever after. Brandt was the love of my life, and I knew we were going to go through life hand in hand, making the most out of everything that life threw us. I knew we were going to build a home and a family together and that I was going to have that life I’d always wanted with a man who constantly took my breath away. Our life may not seem like it was perfect to other people, but to us, it would always seem like a dream life. Finally, after all that time, after all the trials and tribulations in my life and with Brandt, we were running headfirst into happiness. Nothing was ever going to get in my way again, and that was a promise I would make myself, Sicily, Brandt, and this new baby growing in my belly.
Chapter 39
Brandt
The view from the balcony was probably the best one yet. It wasn’t because the city looked any different than normal, it wasn’t the sunset, and it wasn’t the temperature of the air. The view from the balcony was so perfect because of the woman sitting next to me. Emma was finally home, right where she was always supposed to be. To feel her hand clutched around mine was the best feeling in the whole world. I had sat there all day, watching the clock, waiting for her to arrive. We texted and talked during her entire drive, trying to make the time go faster. We didn’t think she would be there that soon, but her house had sold, and as soon as it did, she’d made her way out to New York. I actually hadn’t expected her until late that night, but she surprised us, getting there in time to kiss Sicily good night before she went to bed.
It was the most amazing surprise for both of us, but I could tell it really meant a lot to Sicily. She had fallen in love with the woman who would now be a mother figure in her life. When she walked through that door a couple hours ago, Sicily had lit up like a Christmas tree, so glad she got to see her before she went to bed. She had begged me all day to let her stay up to see her, but I had no idea how late it would be. I had promised her she could wake her up in the morning, but that didn’t appease my daughter. She was too impatient. The fact that Emma purposely went out of her way to get there early for Sicily was the best gift she could have given me.
I looked over at Emma who was lounging in the chair with her little swollen feet propped up. She looked so beautiful sitting there with the lights of the city reflecting off her like shimmering gold. I squeezed her hand tightly and looked back out over the city, so happy and thankful that our life could finally get started. We had waited for so long, fought so hard, and tried our best to be patient, and it was all paying off right there in that moment.
“That drive was long,” she said.
“I know,” I replied. “I told you we should have had the car towed and put you on a plane.”
“Meh, it was good for me,” she said. “Besides, the flights were booked until tomorrow, and there was no way I was letting you put me on a private plane. That would have been a bit ridiculous.”
“I’m just happy you’re home,” I said with a smile. “Oh, so I was walking through the guest room the other day, and I think I have an idea to make a gorgeous nursery.”
“Listen to you, home makeovers.” She laughed.
“I’m serious.” I chuckled. “We can turn the office into a spare bedroom because I never use it anyway. If I’m home, then I’m not working.”
“I think I picked out the hospital,” she said.
“Really? Which one?”
“Well, we have to do a tour still, but I’m thinking about the women’s mission hospital in Manhattan,” I said. “It’s close, holistic, and there are so many options for birthing. They’re the sweetest people to talk to. They made me feel like I was at home.”
“Good,” he said.
“And I can go to my doctor’s appointments there too,” she said. “It’s perfect. I made an appointment for next week, and my doc from Camden is sending everything over. It’s a really big appointment too.”
“Why?”
“We get to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl,” she said excitedly. “Unless you don’t want to know.”
“I don’t like surprises.” I laughed. “At least not ones like that.”
“Good,” she said. “I’ll send the appointment to your secretary so she can remind you when it’s coming up.”
“You got this on lockdown already,” I said impressed. “You and my secretary are going to be best friends, I can already tell.”
“I hope so. I need a friend or two in this city.” She laughed. “So, yeah. Next week, we can stop calling the baby it, and start saying he or she.”
“I want a healthy baby,” I said. “But if I got to choose, I would love to have a little boy. I’ve been itching to add another guy to the mix around here. I’m surrounded by you girls all the time.”
“I agree,” she said. “I’ve always dreamed of having a son, and on top of that, I already have a beautiful little girl in my life. She cannot be replaced, and I don’t ever want her to not feel special. She really has become one of the most important people in my life, no joke. I was just as excited, if not more excited, to see her as I was to see you. I really loved how she lit up when I got there in time to kiss her good night. I left early so I could make that happen. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“It was the best surprise ever,” I said, leaning over and kissing her.
When Sicily hit six years old, I’d started to worry what it would be like for her growing up without a maternal influence in her life. I knew I couldn’t be the mother and the father, and my mom would do the best that she could, but she was still a grandmother. When Emma came into our lives, I realized she was the best person I could possibly imagine to be there for Sicily, to guide her, and to be a mother and a friend to her. I knew when she showed up today just to kiss her good night that I had made the perfect choice. Sicily was going to be surrounded by people who loved her, cherished her, and appreciated every second she was able to spend with us. I never thought I would find Emma, and then there she was like it was fate.
It was almost as if Sicily could hear my thoughts. We both looked over as she struggled, pulling the sliding glass door open and rubbing her eyes. I gave Emma a pouty face, and she smiled at me, reaching her hand out so I could help her up. She pulled herself to her feet and stretched for a second before walking over to Sicily and crouching down in front of her. We could both tell she wasn’t really that awake, not fully. I sat back and watched as Emma rubbed her tummy and brought her in close, hugging her tightly and calming whatever was going on with her. I couldn’t tell for even a second that Sicily wasn’t her biological daughter, and if I couldn’t tell, I knew that Sicily couldn’t either, which was really important.
“What’s going on, sweetie?” Emma whispered.
“I don’t know,” Sicily whimpered.
“Did you have a bad dream?”
“Yeah,” she said, really reminding me she was still just a little girl.
“Come here,” Emma said, pulling her in again and hugging her tightly.
Emma wrapped her arms around her and walked over to the chair, sitting down and rocking her back and forth. Sicily laid her head on Emma’s shoulder and closed her eyes, the
stress on her face melting away with the touch of Emma’s hand against her hair. I smiled at Emma and shook my head, blown away by the natural caring that emanated from her. She sat rocking Sicily back and forth for about fifteen minutes. When Sicily had fallen back to sleep, Emma looked over at me and smiled. I shook my head and winked at her, feeling the comfort and solitude in the moment.
“Help me up,” she whispered.
I got up and walked behind her, lifting her up under her arms and stabilizing her as she held Sicily close to her. I leaned forward and kissed her lips softly, whispering to her that I loved her. She smiled big for the first time in a long time.
“I’m going to put her to bed,” she whispered. “I’ll be back in a little bit. I want to make sure she stays asleep when I lay her down.”
“Okay,” I said, smiling. “I’ll be right here.”
I sat back down in the chair and watched as Emma carried Sicily inside and out of sight. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my emails, stopping halfway and reminding myself that I needed to be more present when I was home. I needed to tuck my cell phone away and focus on the family I had worked so hard to get. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs in front of me, staring up at the clear night sky. I was shocked at how many stars I could see, and I thought back to the nights Emma and I had spent in Camden. Sitting out on the quilt in the park after watching the sunset, I lay back and could see every star in the sky. I could remember thinking about how much Sicily would love it, sitting there staring up at the Milky Way, seeing all the different constellations that weren’t viewable from the city because of all the lights.
Part of me missed being in Camden, feeling the down-home love and caring that the people there gave to me and to Emma. There, a hardware store was actually a hardware store and not some huge corporate conglomerate. I knew I would go back there, and I knew I would always be a city boy, but it was still a really nice escape. I picked up my beer and realized it was empty. I stood up and walked into the house, carefully opening the fridge and grabbing another one. When I glanced over at the clock, I noticed Emma had been gone longer than I thought. I had gotten so caught up in the stars, I wasn’t paying any attention at all. I put the beer down on the counter and walked down the hall, carefully opening Sicily’s door.
I stood there and chuckled quietly, leaning against the doorframe and looking at Sicily’s bed. Emma and Sicily were both asleep, curled up in each other’s arms and surrounded by all of Sicily’s stuffed animals. They were sleeping nose to nose, and Sicily had a hold on Emma’s hand. I couldn’t help myself. I literally stood in that doorway for probably thirty minutes staring down at the two most important women in my life. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. My little girl in her pink pajamas curled up facing my beautiful girlfriend, her little round baby belly between the two of them, poking out from under her shirt. They both looked so content and peaceful, and I was almost jealous I wasn’t a part of it.
I figured I would let her rest there until bedtime and slowly backed away, going and grabbing my beer and heading back outside. There was nothing better than sitting on my balcony, drinking a beer, with my two ladies comfortably and safely asleep in the other room. I had everything important to me in one house, and I would never let anything change that again. I had finally found my happily ever after, something I thought only existed in movies and fairy tales. I had never been more wrong about that, and as I sipped my drink under the shimmering stars and glistening cityscape, I realized there was no way I could be any happier than I was right then and there.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Emma
When Brandt had said he had an idea for the nursery, he wasn’t kidding. I had been welcomed into his nursery as a surprise just days before our son was born, and I immediately had fallen in love with the beautiful shades of blue, the sweet pictures on the walls, and the blue and grey cloud printed linens that I had told Caroline I wanted. One year after everything had changed between Brandt and me and six months after the baby was born, I still couldn’t help staring down at him in his crib. We had named him Dailen and he had come right on time, meeting his due date with killer accuracy, which was good because I thought I was going to burst if he didn’t make an entrance. Everything had gone perfectly, meeting all our birthing goals, no extra drugs, no unnecessary techniques, and a natural birth, which was really important to me. I had kind of become a crazy pregnant woman leading up to it, reading everything I could get my hands on about natural birth. I just wanted it to be the best for him.
As I stood watching him sleep, everyone else was out in the living room. We were celebrating his six-month birthday, and everyone had come. There were family, including the girls, friends, and some coworkers of Brandt’s. They had all come over either locally or all the way from Camden to celebrate his special day with him. He was the center of attention, and by the time the cake was served, he was passed out on Brandt’s shoulder, his little mouth wide open and drool dripping down. That little boy had joined Sicily as the center of my world when he was born. I loved him more than I ever thought one human being could love another. As soon as they laid him on my chest, I knew that I was wrapped around his tiny little baby finger. Watching Brandt with a baby was a new experience for me, but he was an amazing father. He got up at night so I didn’t have to every time, he played with him constantly, and he always made sure Sicily never felt left out. They had planned daddy-daughter days while Dailen and I rested.
Sicily had become Dailen’s bodyguard and had immediately become the best big sister she could possibly be. She read all the baby books, came up with teaching lessons for him, and marked every milestone along the way. Sicily had even made a chart and pinned it on her wall showing where he should be, where he was, and where she hoped she would get him to. It seemed that she was pretty good at the whole teaching thing, especially since Dailen was her favorite person, and she claimed him whenever she had free time.
As far as work was concerned, I had just started to work again. Apparently, the guy who went to temporarily work for Greg had fallen in love with one of the girls I knew from high school and decided to accept a position there with Greg’s company and stay in Camden. Brandt was shocked but not upset, and he quickly put me in the empty position. It was the perfect job for me because it was in graphics, pretty much doing what I was doing for Greg but with internal marketing instead. I could work from home and be there for Dailen and Sicily. Everything in my life had finally fallen into place. I had the amazing boyfriend, the beautiful children, an amazing home, and a job that fit my life perfectly. I had fallen in love with my life just like I had done with my family, and I couldn’t imagine it getting any better. Brandt was my rock, my support system, and when I thought I couldn’t go any further, he was there to motivate me and struggle forward, holding my hand. Sometimes, I had to sit back and thank the big man in the sky for everything that he had helped me achieve.
Just then, as I admired my little boy, Caroline and Gillian crept quietly into the room. They both looked over my shoulder, hugging each arm tightly as they peered over at Dailen sleeping soundly in the bed. Gillian, of course, looked like she was going to cry, and Caroline smiled, kissing me on the cheek.
“You did so amazing, Momma,” she whispered.
“Thank you,” I said proudly. “How’s the party going out there?”
“That’s what we came in for,” Gillian whispered. “We need you to come back out to the party. There’s a surprise for you, and we came to collect you.”
“Okay,” I chuckled.
I took the girls by the hand, and we slowly walked out of the nursery, with my head resting on Caroline’s shoulder as we walked. We rarely ever had time together, so when we did, we were usually stuck together like glue. As we reached the edge of the hallway, I looked at the girls suspiciously as they giggled and ran ahead of me. I walked out of the hall and stopped, staring down into the living room. All the guests were all standing arou
nd in the living area, looking up at me and smiling. I turned to my left to find Brandt standing perfectly still, now dressed in his tux, the one he wore the night I met him, grasping his hands nervously together. He looked so handsome, but it was really strange, and I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on at that moment. I shook my head and continued forward, stopping a few feet from him.
“Brandt? What’s this about?” I laughed. “You look very handsome, so I’m not complaining, but it’s a bit curious, I have to admit.”
“Shhh,” he said, smiling. “I need you just to stand there and look beautiful.”
“Okay.” I laughed.
“Emma,” he said. “When I first met you, you were wearing a long black sequined gown. Your hair was pulled back slightly, and your makeup was dramatic and beautiful. I couldn’t help thinking how gorgeous you were, even standing under a giant paper dead Cupid hanging from the ceiling.”
