Page 58 of Pretty

“What do you mean?” I asked as everyone clapped.

“Baby, this is your new art gallery—named after you.”

“It’s mine?”

“It’s all yours, sweetheart. This is my wedding gift to you.”

I couldn’t stop the flow of tears that fell from my eyes. The happiness and joy I felt couldn’t be compared or described.

Drew always showed me that he would be gentle with my heart and that he would always support my dreams. I threw my arms around my husband’s neck and kissed him sweetly. When we pulled back, I grinned sheepishly at him.

“And that is my wedding gift to you.” I pointed to a corner of the room where Lauren had walked to. She smiled brightly as she unveiled the painting. It was a painting that I had done of Andrew and me when we were at the masquerade ball. Someone had snapped a photo of us and shared it with me.

“Baby! Babe, that’s . . .” He crossed his arm over his chest and propped the elbow of his other arm on top of the first one. Covering his mouth and chuckling, a tear streamed from his eye.

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“I think he’s speechless, sweetie,” his mother called out.

His parents and mine laughed as Drew turned around and swept me into his arms. He buried his face in my neck and whispered repeatedly, “I love you, girl. I love you so much. Thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome, babe.”

We danced slowly as the strains from the cellist and violinist played Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.”

Our wedding day had been perfect for us. It was intimate with those who we loved and cared for the most, including our little baby growing in my belly. The venue was perfect, food was excellent, and the music was just what we needed.

Although we were both wealthy, we didn’t feel the need to have a big extravagant wedding. It hadn’t taken me much time to plan my wedding with the assistance of my mom, Mama Queenie, Chloe, and Dani. We had also hired Alex St. Charles with Wedded Bliss. She hadn’t been cheap, but we could afford it. We had to pay a little something extra to get her on short notice. She also hadn’t been able to be in attendance on our wedding day, but she had sent one of her attendants, and that was okay with me.

Everything about the day was perfect, even with what could have been a catastrophe. No matter what arose, Drew made sure that I felt his love.

APRIL

“Are you asleep, Drew?” Pretty asked, nudging my head.

“No, baby,” I muttered with my mouth pressed against her belly.

She rubbed my head and played with the shell of my ear. I had been watching sports highlights in bed before I dozed off with my head resting against her belly. She was reading a book entitled Dove by an author named Egypt Cynaé. It was a perfect, cozy Sunday, and we had been resting in bed all day.

The week before had been busy with her first art gallery opening, and I had been hiring staff for the sports camps I wanted to conduct. It seemed that we had been constantly on the go, and we were thankful for this little bit of downtime.

“I’m hungry, and I don’t feel like cooking.”

“Baby, you don’t have to cook,” I replied, shifting and turning around to face her. My face was still resting on her belly. I had not only been watching TV when I dozed, but I had also been talking to my son in her belly.

“We can order in? I don’t feel like going out either.”

“I told you that you don’t have to go anywhere, babe. What do you want to eat?”

“You already know the answer to that,” she replied with a giggle.

“Let me order you something from the Fiesta Bowl,” I stated, sitting up and grabbing my phone off the nightstand.

I went to the DoorDash app and pulled up the Mexican restaurant that my wife loved.

“I want two chicken chimichangas, three enchiladas, a steak taco, and an order of churros.”

“Is that it?” I asked.