Our food comes out, and for the first time since we got here, there is more than two seconds of silence as we scarf down our food. It appears I wasn’t the only one who was bordering on starving.
Once we’ve cleared our plates of all crumbs of food, we get back to business. When you have all of us here together, it’s like herding cats when it comes to keeping us on topic. We’ve taken more detours than a highway under construction.
“For food, do you want a meal or finger foods?”
“Finger foods, but I better not see a single vegetable.”
“Did you suddenly develop an aversion to veggies?” my mom asks, a bit sarcastically.
“I’ve eaten more vegetables during this pregnancy than I have in my entire adult life. I think I've earned one day of cupcakes, cookies, maybe some popcorn for a salty balance.” I hold my hands up and shrug, waiting for them to take the suggestion.
“Alright, so for foods, act like it’s a ten-year-old’s birthday?” Willow asks, poking fun.
I nod. “Exactly.”
“Who do you want there?” Ava asks.
“That’s a good question. You guys are my favorite people and the most important. My work friends would be nice. You guys know who matters to me; if you can get them there, that’d be great, but even if it's smaller and more toned down, that would be great with me, too."
Life has been incredibly heavy lately, and a day like today was needed. Even though I am incredibly excited for my shower, this group of girls right here is what has been getting me through. We spend the next hour laughing and pulling up ideas. I leave with my heart and belly full.
Chapter 34
Aspen
You know what I love? Target. Target has everything. Need a coffee? Don’t worry, there’s a Starbucks when you first walk through the door. Want a book? Got it. Milk? Got it. Furniture? Got it. The worst thing about Target is that there isn’t one in Windy Peaks. Truly a crime. Or maybe a gift. I’d be working more to afford my shopping addiction.
We are officially on baby registry duty. We have one on Amazon, and a couple other stores, but I will never miss an opportunity to step inside a Target. Plus, shopping for baby stuff in person makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Rhett, do you have the list of things we need?” I ask as we step out of the car.
“Yes, both the physical list and I put it on my phone too just in case,” he says as he jiggles the phone in his hand for emphasis.
“Okay, we might want to think about bringing home a crib today. We don’t have one and I could technically pop here verysoon.” I rub my hand over my very pregnant belly. I think our little guy grows an inch per day.
It’s become incredibly uncomfortable to do literally anything. Standing up is hard. Trying to get comfortable while sleeping? Literally impossible. Plus, if I’m not within a thousand-foot radius of a bathroom, I have to restrict myself from liquids in fear of a sneeze attack. Peeing yourself at this age isn’t really fun.
Rhett laces his fingers through mine, and I suddenly feel a bit lighter. It’s been a rough road getting here. I still wouldn’t change it for the world.
“We should wait and make sure no one surprises us with one. If we don’t get one after the shower next weekend, we will come back up and get one.”
“Great idea, I might even get a bonus Target trip out of it.” I wink up at him. He hates Target. He’s never said it. He smiles when he shops with me, but I can feel the misery oozing out of him. That’s pretty much how I know for sure he loves me. “How was work with West this week?” I ask.
“Well, after we talked, it was better. It’s not like it was yet, but I think we’re getting there. We hurt him, and I take accountability for that. He at least cracked a joke with me yesterday, so I'll take the wins where I can.”
It was unfair and unrealistic of me to think that West would just wake up and be over it one day. He’s forgiven me so easily, and I can’t figure out why he won’t do the same for Rhett. My hope is that someday we will sit around the dinner table and it’ll feel normal again. West will make fun of Mav for something, Rhett will chirp in and make fun of them both, and we’ll all laugh.
Tonight is the first family dinner everyone will be at in months. We’ve never gone this long without all of us circled around. Between my work schedule and Weston avoiding seeing us together like the plague, it just didn’t work out.
Nerves flutter in my belly just thinking about it. It’s the same family sitting around the same table, but I feel different. I’m in love. Better yet, I’m in love with my best friend. I dreamed of that for so long. I just envisioned it playing out differently.
We walk through the front doors, and the chill from the blasting AC as the automatic doors open is welcome. Blowing away those thoughts and reminding me of what's important. The man beside me and this baby.
We walk through the aisles, and my heart warms every time I see Rhett pick up a baby onesie. The way he runs his thumb over the fabric, lost in thought, almost as if he is imagining our little guy in it. It’s like I can get a small glimpse of how much he is going to cherish our son. Rhett is larger than life, quite literally. My whole hand is encased in his when he holds it, and yet, seeing him now, be so soft. A gentle giant.
I didn’t walk into Target thinking I'd fall even deeper in love, but here I am. Staring at my baby daddy with tears filling my eyes in the baby aisle while he is completely oblivious. I love my life, I really do.
Rhett's truck comes to a stop in front of my parents. I’ve missed this. Getting together with everyone I love once a week. This baby will be here before we know it, and more than anything, I want him to come into a family that loves each other. It’s not a cookie-cutter family. Only half of us share blood, but that is the special part of it all; we chose it.
