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The marble tile of Gabe’s penthouse master bathroom sparkled where I’d accidentally spilled water getting in and out of the bath. Turned out when you’re pregnant, you have to pee a lot.
A knock came on the bathroom door and Gabe poked his head in. He looked absolutely gorgeous in the cashmere sweater I’d gotten him to wear for today, and if I hadn’t already half melted because of the hot water, I’d have been a puddle over him.
“How are you, Angel?” he asked, coming to my side and squatting down by the tub’s edge. “Do you need some water? It’s kind of hot in here.”
I shook my head, leaning in to kiss him. “That’s very thoughtful of you, but I’ll live.”
Gabe reached across me and placed his open hand on my belly. “Just wanna be sure that my girls are taken care of.”
I laid my hand on top of his and smiled at him, causing him to lean in for another kiss.
“I can’t wait to see Lex and Dean,” I said. It had been six months since we’d seen them at their wedding. Dean had taken a job in Atlanta so Lexi could finish school, and while it killed him to be away from Gabe (not me, of course), the pay was good enough that it just made sense.
“Me too,” Gabe said, brushing his hair back with his hand. “Only one more year ’til they move back, though.”
I did a small excited dance from where I was and Gabe laughed.
“You’re so adorable,” he said.
“Well, I hope you think so,” I replied, holding up my hand and wiggling my wedding ring at him. “Otherwise, it would make all this really awkward.”
Lexi and Dean had gotten married about six months after our stay at the cabin, and then mid-September, when Gabe whisked me away to Paris for a finance conference, he and I eloped. It was so unplanned that we were both wearing jeans and a t-shirt when we said, “I do.”
We were planning to have a more official celebration when we got back, but it was only about a week later I found out I was pregnant. Then all plans of silly uses of money like second weddings were off. We had a lot to get ready for.
Gabe kissed my head and pressed it to his forehead the way he liked to do when he needed to remind himself I was here. He’d done it nearly every night on the road trip we’d taken to retrace the journey his parents had traveled when Gabe was a kid on Christmas. It was amazing how much he opened up on that trip. And that was definitely when our daughter was conceived.
Out of nowhere I smelled something burning. Gabe appeared to smell it too, because he quickly got to his feet.
“Shit. That will be the bread,” he said.
“Well, go take it out,” I replied, laughing. “Don’t just let it burn.”
He nodded and jogged out of the bathroom leaving me shaking my head. I loved that husband of mine but he was a little bit distractible. An odd trait for someone who managed an entire financial company.
After five minutes and no return from Gabe, I decided to get out and check what was going on. I carefully climbed out so as not to slip on the floor and fall. Marble was so slippery when wet and the last thing we needed was a trip to the ER. If Gabe was protective of me as his best friend’s sister, he was a literal bodyguard now that I was his wife and the mother of his child.
I went out the door that led to Gabe’s bedroom—or rather, our bedroom—and could hear voices coming from down the hall. I got dressed in double time, excitement pounding through my veins.
Once I had enough clothes on to be decent, I darted down the hallway and into our enormous kitchen to find my brother and best friend, holding hands and talking to my husband. I couldn’t help it, I screamed, running first to Lexi and hugging her tight.
“What, no love for your brother?” Dean said playfully, flicking my hair.
I turned to him and hugged him, and he kissed me on the top of the head.
“Look at you, you whale,” he said playfully, poking my belly.
“Rude, Dean,” Lexi said, pinching him on the arm. “You look as glamorous as ever,” she then said to me. “Did the hospital agree to let you put that job offer on hold while you make a person?”
“On hold?” I asked. “Hell no. I worked my ass off for that degree. I’ll be damned if some small person inside me prevents me from using it. I’ll be in labor and still showing up for work.” Lexi and I laughed, and my heart sang at how good it was to see her again.
Dean and Gabe too had launched into a conversation about work and about how Dean was missing a great season for the Knicks. When the two of them talked about sports I just zoned out typically, but now I grabbed Lexi’s arm and dragged her away to see how the nursery was coming.
Gabe and I had decided on a green theme before we knew it was a girl, but the adorable forest motif was appropriate for any baby so we kept it. With hand-painted vines crawling up the walls and little stuffed lions and tigers in her crib.
“Oh, Jen,” Lexi said, walking around and looking at things. “This is beautiful.”
“Thanks, Lex,” I replied, coming up next to her and hugging her. “God, I’ve missed you.”
