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I laugh and my eyes meet Nova’s. “Amazing.” I feel another kick against my palm and I shake my head. “He’s real,” I whisper.
It’s not like I didn’t know he was real, but it didn’t feel real to me.
Nova places her hand over mine and she has a wistful look on her face.
I know this must be so different for her, compared to her first pregnancy.
She sits down beside me, leaning her head on my shoulder, and I keep my hand on her stomach.
I’ve never felt like I had the whole world at my fingertips, that I was worth anything, or could be anything, but this, right here, is more than I could’ve ever hoped for.
A love.
A life.
A forever.
Nova
I sit in the rocker in the nursery, looking around with a wistful smile. We still have things we need to get for the baby, lots of things, but for the most part the nursery is complete. The mural I painted turned out amazing. I ended up going with a moon and stars motif. I love the way it turned out, it brings a wistfulness to the room without being cutesy.
The crib is put together—Jace bitched the entire time, because apparently the crib was designed by people from NASA, according to him. It didn’t look difficult to me, but I didn’t actually try to help.
The bedding I picked matches the décor perfectly, and I added a few pillows and stuffed animals to the crib for the time being since it looked so bare. But once the baby is using it those will have to come out.
The dresser is full of clothes ranging from newborn to twenty-four months since I seem to have no self-control when it comes to baby things.
With Greyson, I wasn’t allowed to be happy that I was pregnant. I didn’t look forward to his birth, instead I dreaded it, because I knew he’d no longer be with me. At least when he was inside me he was there.
There’s a soft round gray rug in the center of the floor. I currently have my shoes kicked off and my toes curled into it. It’ll be a perfect spot for the baby to lie and play.
Jace pokes his head in the door and smiles when he sees me. “Ready to go?”
I nod. “Yeah.” I put my shoes back on and stand.
We head to Xander and Thea’s house for Xael’s first birthday party.
I can’t believe she’s one. So much has happened. It feels like five years have passed.
When we get to their house I can’t help but laugh. The snow-covered lawn is decorated with pink confetti, and pink balloons are tied near the front door.
Jace parks and we let ourselves into an explosion of even more pink.
I shouldn’t be surprised. Pink is Thea’s favorite color.
Pink streamers hang from the ceiling in an arch, and there’s more pink confetti on the floor. Someone’s going to have fun cleaning all of it up.
In the kitchen there’s a two-tier round cake that’s, shocker, pink. There’s some kind of shimmery dust on the icing so the cake shimmers in the light. Beside the cake is an even smaller cake, just for Xael. Food and snacks are laid out on the counter so people can eat as they please and mingle.
I spot Xander and Thea, near the fireplace, Thea holding Xael while they speak to his parents. Thea’s mom and boyfriend stand by the counter, munching on some pretzels, and offer a polite hello when they spot the two of us.
I don’t see Cade or Rae and assume they haven’t gotten here yet.
For once, we’re not the last ones.
I place our gifts with the others and then grab some snacks, hoping I can keep them down. This week so far has been better in regard to the nausea. I’m still playing it safe, though, not wanting to anger the beast.
Jace pulls out one of the counter stools and sits down.
