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“It’s just more economical,” Natasha says in a gruff voice, doing the worst impression of her dad’s voice I’ve heard ever, which makes us both laugh until she feels our baby kicking.
“Oooh.” She winces a little. “Someone’s on dad’s side,” she says, gnawing at her lip and gripping my hand until it passes.
“He always wants to pay for everything himself,” I recall aloud.
His daughter’s wedding and Suzanna’s.
Both girls decided one night that they were going to get married at the same time, so there would never be an argument about who got married first.
Patrick wanted to pay his way, but once he saw some prices he was okay with it being taken care of by someone else.
And not to be outdone. Neil decided that because he was paying for two weddings, he and Renee could renew their wedding vows at the same time, seeing as they only ever separated and never technically divorced.
Romantic, I know.
I would have preferred marrying my wife on my own terms. On our own, just the three of us.
But once I saw how much it meant to Natasha to have her wedding day the same as Suzanna’s, then seeing how much closer as a family they were because of Neil and Renee…
Jesus. It reads like something out of a dollar novel, but if that’s what Natasha wants, I’m happy when she’s happy.
“Are you still going with the same gift for mom and dad?” she asks, raising a brow as if to make double sure it’s still gonna happen.
“Of course,” I tell her, patting my breast pocket and pecking her cheek.
Nobody pays Michael Stapleton’s way. Plus, I know for a fact that Neil couldn’t afford one wedding, let alone two plus whatever else he’s arranged.
His intentions and his heart are definitely in the right place. The zeros and commas in his bank balance aren’t.
But they will be once he banks this check.
My present to him and Renee, congratulating them on renewing their vows.
“I’ll see you out there, huh?” I ask.
“I should hope so!” she says jokingly but really covering her own nerves with laughter.
I open my mouth to say it, to tell her how much I love her but she asks me with her eyes to save it.
Tell me at the altar… as my husband.
“Some honeymoon?” I remark, slapping my hands free from the dust before getting back in the truck after changing the second tire of our trip.
“Would you rather—” she starts to ask, and I shake my head.
“Nah,” I tell her.
“No more trains and planes are too noisy anyway,” I remind us both. “But, if we get another flat, we’re walking the rest of the way,” I warn her and she orders me to take it back.
“Just saying,” I mumble, pulling back onto the dirt road I know leads us home.
“As long as we have fresh tires before our next big day,” Natasha remarks, running a hand across her belly again as she puffs air out of her cheeks.
“You alright?” I ask, reaching over for her.
“Yeah. Just this little guy’s really taken to moving house… literally.” She wheezes, shifting in her seat a little before settling again.
“Little guy?” I ask. “Girls can kick way better than any boy,” I say as if it’s common knowledge.
I press the brakes, easing us back onto the soft shoulder of the road.
“Wait. Did you just say, little guy?” I ask slowly, noticing her growing smile as she reaches for something.
“I know you wanted it to be a surprise… so… surprise!” she says, excited but tired at the same time as she produces a little blue velvet box.
“What’s this?” I ask, shutting off the motor, feeling emotional before I even open it.
“It’s his ultrasound image… I know you wanted to wait to find out, but I couldn’t. I had the jeweler set a little holographic image of it into a pendant.”
I open the box, gasping as I see a three-dimensional rainbow image of our unborn son, dancing on a chain set with a single diamond.
“Oh, baby… It’s beautiful,” I cough, kissing away her tears and adding a few of my own in the process.
“I didn’t think we were getting each other anything though?” I ask her, feeling like I should’ve.
Like I would’ve if I’d known she was gonna do this.
“You’ve already given me the greatest gift, Michael,” she reminds me, pressing my hand over our son inside her belly.
The sight of the homestead as we wind our way home for the first time as a family is something I’ll cherish.
With all our lives from now on only filled with moments like this.
The house, the images of our son.
Holding him the day he’s born and kissing my wife for the first time as a mommy herself.
These are the things that make me the richest man in the world.
And it’s nothing to do with zeros or commas.
