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“We have to invite everyone from back home,” I say, already thinking ahead. “We’ll have to give them a little notice, at least, to get flights and hotels and everything booked.”
“We can figure all that out for them,” Oz shrugs. “It’s not like I don’t have an army of assistants who can help out. We can get them here.”
“Time off work, though,” I say. “We’ll need to give them time to book a vacation. But as soon as we can get it organized…”
“As soon as we can,” Oz smiles, nodding. As much as I’ve loved talking to my parents again after a week away from home, I’m starting to feel that I want them to leave us for a little while. That I want to be back in my happiest place. Right by his side, just the two of us alone in our bubble.
Because as much as I care about my family, I know now there’s one person who comes above it all. One person, I love even more.
“It’s been a long day,” I say, looking at the screen. “We should probably get some rest. And you two, too. You’ve been up for half the night.”
“You’re right,” Dad sighs. “And since I’m not needed at the airport anymore, I guess I can go back to bed for a nap.”
“You can if you like, old man,” Mom says, grinning. “I’ve got the word to spread about some upcoming nuptials. You don’t mind if I tell everyone here, do you?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No, Mom. Go ahead.”
She smiles, and then we all wave and say our goodbyes before turning off the video screen.
And finally, it’s the two of us alone again.
I bury my head in Oz’s chest, feeling the warmth and strength of him through his shirt, the support that I know I’ll always have now. There’s a diamond ring on my finger that tells me so, and before long, that band will be accompanied by another one that is even more permanent.
“You’re sure about getting married fast?” he asks again, now it’s just the two of us. “You don’t think you could possibly be making a mistake, jumping into marriage with an old man like me? I never want you to feel pressured.”
I laugh softly. “Didn’t you hear what I said to my dad?”
“I heard it,” he says, his voice right in my ear, his breath tickling my neck. “I just wanted to make sure. Because you know what?”
“What?”
“I think if we’re going to be married so soon, we’d better get started on making that family of ours too, so we don’t have to waste any time.”
I laugh and sit up, and when he picks me up in his arms and carries me into the bedroom, I know I’m going to be hard-pressed to find a happier day than this one.
But something tells me that record might just be broken again sooner than I think.
Epilogue
Four Months Later
Oz
I’m sitting in the waiting room feeling like I’ve never felt before. There have been board meetings, takeover bids, even one or two days in court. I’ve had to face down titans of the industry being one of the top private investors in London. I’ve watched stock figures crash, knowing that everything I risked is gone if they don’t climb back up again like I predicted.
And yet I’ve never felt as nervous as this.
“Stop fussing,” Gabby whispers, leaning over to grin at me. “You’re going to put a hole in the sleeve of your jacket.”
I do as she tells me, knowing that she’s right but still feeling fidgety anyway. I leave the button I was playing with alone. I suppose I just have to accept the fact that the seamstress who made it sewed in on upside down.
Or, if you’re on the other side, I suppose it’s the right way up.
This is all stupid, anyway. It’s not like the baby will be able to see me. I’ll be able to see them, not the other way around.
“Gabriella Patterson?” the nurse calls out, making us both scramble to our feet. Gabby has been taking all of this a lot easier than I have. She doesn’t even seem nervous. Just excited. As we follow the nurse down the hall to a private room, it’s like Gabby is skipping along with anticipation, while I’m wishing I could loosen my tie.
But I don’t. I want to make a good impression, you see. I want the baby to know because I feel somehow like it will know that I’ve made the effort.
“If you could just lie down here,” the nurse directs Gabby, making small talk with her about how this is our first child and whether we’re excited as I find a chair by the side of the bed. There’s a screen set up in front of us, kind of ominous with all its wires and the link to the computer beside the nurse. I dry my palms on the sides of my legs before I settle down, reaching out to hold Gabby’s hand and squeezing it hard.
