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“Wes…” Zooey says, her brow furrowed, but I don’t want to give her the chance to speak. If I do, she might tell me that this isn’t what she wants. I don’t think I can bear to hear those words from her lips. If she doesn’t want this, then what is the point in life? Without her, I’d go back to being nothing. I fumble in my pocket for the ring box that I’ve been waiting to use for over a month now. I open it quickly to show her the beautiful handcrafted sapphire ring that I had made specially for her.
“Zooey...will you marry me?”
Zooey
I’m overcome with shock. I knew tonight was going down a route I wasn’t expecting, but I thought that my news would be the biggest of the night. Now, Wes is sitting in front of me with the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen, looking a little nervous as I stare at him in silence.
“Zooey...say something, please.”
I can’t. Not yet. I can barely breathe, let alone make a comment on what I’m seeing in front of me. Of course, I already know what my answer will be. Surely he does too? But right now, I’m so shocked that the words just won’t come out. I reach for my drink out of habit, sipping it to calm my nerves, but then I immediately remember what I’m about to tell him and have to spit the liquid back out. Wes stares at me in horror, clearly not knowing what to make of my strange reaction.
“Zooey, is everything alright? You’re acting...strangely.”
I can’t help, but laugh. He must think I’m crazy, the way that I’ve been acting this evening. Ever since I laid eyes on him in the kitchen, I haven’t been my normal chatty self. He must have picked up on it and thought it was because he’s proposing to me. But it’s not, of course. In fact, this shouldn’t be a problem at all. Our two big events of the evening are going to go hand in hand. Right now, I have to find the words to tell him what’s going through my head, before he gets the wrong idea and runs off.
“I’m sorry if I scared you, Wes...of course I’ll marry you. There’s nothing I want more in the world. But before you put that ring on my finger, there’s something important you should know. I said I wanted to talk, remember?”
Wes nods, awkwardly holding the ring box out toward me still. I take it from his hand and set it down on the table, replacing the box with my hand in his. His face is so confused that I want to laugh, but I know now isn’t the right time. I have to come clean.
“Baby...what you just did is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Period. The reason I seem a little distracted is because...well, I am. I have some massive news to tell you that I only found out earlier today...I’ve been working up the nerve this whole day to tell you…”
“Is everything okay? Are you ill?” Wes asks in concern. I smile fondly at him. He’s so protective of me that I can’t help loving him even more with each passing second.
“Nothing like that, baby, I promise...this is good news. At least, I hope it is...I hope it’s what you want as well.” I take a deep breath. I can’t believe I’m about to share the biggest news of my life. After four months together, I feel like I’ve known Wes for a lifetime, but I have to remind myself that he can still walk away. Things can still go wrong. Everything depends on how he reacts to this news.
I take another deep breath and dive right in.
“Wes, I’m...I’m pregnant.”
Wes is stunned into silence. I bet he’s mirroring how I felt five minutes ago when he asked me to marry him. I bite my lip nervously. I know he wants kids, but this could be way too soon for his liking. I don’t want to scare him off. I wait for him to process the information. He’s squeezing my hand hard, and he looks completely confused.
“Wes, honey? Do you have anything to say?”
He takes a deep breath. “This is just so...unexpected. How is it that we both have such big things to tell one another on the same day?”
I smile. “I guess it’s fate. It just goes to show that this is the best day ever...right?”
After another moment of silence, his face spreads into a huge grin. “Right. Oh, baby…this is amazing. How far along are you?”
I cradle my stomach, knowing that our child is forming there right this second. “Three weeks along...when I missed my period, I think I knew right away. But after I took the test this morning...it just sunk in. We’re going to be parents. You and me...we’re finally going to get the little family we always wanted.”
