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“You feeling okay? Take your shoes off, I’ll rub your feet.”
Jen laughs. “I feel fine. Tired, but fine.”
She had her IUD removed the week after our first “reception”, and one month later, she greeted me at the door with a positive pregnancy test in her hand.
We’re waiting until the second trimester to tell everyone. Jen really wanted the focus to be on the wedding today.
“I almost slipped a couple times, I’ll admit.” I sit on the ottoman in front of the sofa and grab Jen’s left foot. I get to work, gently pressing my thumb into her arch.
Her eyes practically roll to the back of her head. “That feels—so good, baby. Thank you.”
“So, I have a surprise. Two surprises, really.”
Jen wiggles her shoulders. “I like surprises.”
“Exactly. So the first is our honeymoon. We’re going to Europe.”
“I knew it! Oh my God, Abel, I am so, so excited!”
“I planned the whole thing around museums I thought you’d want to see. We’re starting in Paris with private, after-hours tours of the Louvre and the Picasso Museum. Then we’ll jet off to London, Madrid, and finally Italy.”
Jen’s wiping away tears. “So that’s why you asked me to take off three weeks.”
“Too much?”
“Absolutely not. My God, Abel, what a thoughtful gift!” She carefully takes the dogs out of her lap and pulls me in for a kiss. “Thank you. Sincerely. I’ve never been—wow, so happy in my entire life.”
“And the second surprise?—”
She laughs. “The first is enough.”
“Give me a sec.”
I run upstairs to the studio and grab a roll of blueprints. Trundling back downstairs, I see the dogs have once again settled in Jen’s lap. I smile and hand Jen the roll.
She looks at me. “What’s this?”
“Open it.” I nod at the roll. “It’s something I’ve been working on. Started it the day you moved in.”
I watch her expression transform as she opens the roll and looks at the first page. It’s an elevation of a house, complete with a wide front porch, lots of windows, and generous proportions.
“The Monroe-Miller Family House,” Jen reads from the top of the page. More tears. “Wait, Abel, are you serious?”
“Closed on the lot last week. We can change anything you want?—”
“Are you kidding? This is perfect! You really designed a whole new house for us?”
I nod. “Had to. This one only has one bedroom. If we’re gonna fill up that minivan, we need more space. Speaking of minivans, I designed the garage specifically to accommodate family-sized golf carts.”
She’s laughing, holding a hand to her mouth as she looks at the plans and cries. I sit on the couch next to her, Tai crawling into my lap as I drape an arm across my wife’s shoulders.
“Abel, this isinsane.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” She looks at me. “I’m ready. To start the rest of our lives.”
“I hope that means I get to take you upstairs.”
She grins. “It does.”
