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“Yep,” she grins.
“Are you?" My breathing quickens.
“Yep,” she nods.
“I am going to be a dad?”
The two solid lines on the pregnancy test stare up at me, and everything clicks into place in my mind. “We are having a baby?” I shout, standing up with her in my arms, swinging her around, and laughing. “We are going to be parents?”
“We are going to be parents,” she laughs as I stop spinning her and hold her against me.
“My angel, my life, my little bird. This is the most incredible surprise you could ever have given me. This is my favorite one by far.”
I cup her face in my hands and kiss her deep and slow.
I can't stop smiling as we sit back down at the table, and she dishes up our dinner.
“How long have you known? How did you keep the secret? When did you find out?” I fire off a series of questions, too excited to calm down.
She giggles. “If you thought you had a long day waiting to find out what the surprise was, imagine how long my day has been waiting to tell you about it.”
“Oh, my word, yes.” The massive smile on my face grows wider.
She places our food in front of us, and I pull her chair closer to mine.
“So, when did you find out?”
“I went to the doctor this morning because the last two days I have been feeling nauseous, and then this morning, after you left, I felt very ill. I thought I just had a tummy bug starting, so I went to get medicine. But he insisted I take a test after asking me some questions and realizing that I am two weeks late.”
“You didn’t even suspect it?”
“Not even a bit. I guess I wasn’t keeping track. But then, when he told me he wanted me to do a pregnancy test, everything made sense, and I wanted to call you right away - but I held back - and wait to tell you in person.”
“I can’t believe it. I am so happy, little bird. You know I have wanted this for a while now.”
“I know, and I thought I wasn’t ready yet, but now - I am just so excited. I can’t wait to experience all of this with you. You are going to be the most amazing father. We are going to have a little family, Antonio.”
Epilogue
We are all sittingat home, out on the back patio, overlooking the pool. The afternoon sun is shining down on us. Seraphina is next to me, smiling and laughing. My beautiful wife. The mother of my children and a grandmother to theirs.
Her skin has become wrinkled over the years, and yet she is as beautiful as the day I met her. No matter how much she changes over time, her heart radiates through her body. She remains magnetic and enticing.
I look down at my hands, creased with age and years, and then I look back toward my wife. The love of my life, the person who has been by my side through everything.
Sitting here today, I feel very nostalgic, thinking about my father, how he lost my mother far too soon, and how he endedup very alone in his last years. I have been much luckier in time, and not only do I have my wife, but I have a big, exquisite family that has walked these years with me. I have never felt alone, not since I met Seraphina, and I know I'llnever have to endure that kind of pain.
We had three amazing children together, Seraphina and I. Each of the kids is so different from the other. They are all confident, capable and smart, but their personalities each shine as individuals.
We had two boys and one girl. The boys are older and were very protective of their little sister growing up, and our entire family has always been very close. Even when they got older and moved out of our home into their own, they stayed in our lives as a big part of our daily experiences.
When I die, and Seraphina and I are no longer in this world, they will take over this house and call it their own; they will be the next generation. And the generation after. My oldest son, Diego, will be heir to the empire that I have created, and he and his brother, Marcus, are already very involved in the business.
In the pool, playing and shouting and laughing, I watch my children and my grandchildren.
They are throwing a ball back and forth, diving to catch it and dunking each other to fight for it. The older grandchildren are enjoying the boisterous game with their fathers, and the younger two are holding onto the edge of the pool with their mothers, wrapped up in buoyant swimwear while they learn how to swim.My daughter is lying on the edge of the pool, soaking up the sunshine and sipping on an iced tea, watching the mayhem of the game.
Next to me, Seraphina laughs as one of the grandchildren climbs onto my older son’s shoulders to wrestle with his sibling.
