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“Then we’ll call Julie,” he said. “And you can text all your girlfriends.”
Laurel nodded and tapped to dial her mother. She put the phone on speaker so Paul could hear too, and they were both smiling when her mom said, “Laurel, dear, how are you?”
“Good,” she said.
“Hello, Fae,” Paul said.
“Oh, I get both of you,” her mom said. “This must be something big.”
“We went to the doctor today,” Laurel said. She hadn’t told anyone about today’s appointment. She wasn’t sure why she still had such a hard time sharing things. She’d existed for so long in a state of shame and secrets, and she was still trying to overcome that.
“Everything’s okay with the baby?” her mom asked.
“Yes.” Laurel smiled out the windshield. “Paul’s excited about something. He wanted to call you.”
He chuckled, and Laurel watched as he shook his head. “I am excited, but we both wanted to call,” he said. “We’re having a boy.”
“A boy!” Her mom laughed, and Laurel joined her. She wasn’t sure what was so magical about babies, only that there was something. Perhaps it was that they were touched by heaven, even before they were born. Perhaps it was because they came into the world so helpless and needed someone to take care of them for a long time before they could walk, talk, get their own food, or even use the bathroom by themselves.
No matter what, Laurel loved the magical feeling surrounding babies, and as Paul joked with her mom about the terrible boy names they’d discarded, Laurel had a thought that she’d like to have as many babies as she could.
She hardly recognized herself and her thoughts, as she’d once vowed to never get married again and to never, ever become a mother. Only five years ago, she wouldn’t have been able to fathom wanting a baby. A helpless, tiny waif of a human who couldn’t do anything for itself.
Now, she wanted a whole bunch of them?
She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. The car moved, and Laurel let her body flow with it. “I love you, Mom,” she said as the conversation wrapped up. “We’ll come up to Nantucket soon, okay?”
“Yep, see you soon.” The call ended, and Laurel positioned her phone right in front of her face.
Paul and I went to the doctor today, she tapped out as Paul started to dial his sister.We’re having a boy!
She sent the text to her friends, expecting to get a flurry of responses. Boy, did she get them. Everything from,I’m so excited for you, Laurel, from Kristen toOur boys will grow up together!from AJ and then!!!!!!!!!!!!!from Robin, and then the sweetest note from Jean imaginable.
Oh, Laurel, how exciting. You and Paul must be thrilled. I’ll start on the blue sailor outfit right away.
Laurel’s eyes filled with tears. She had no idea how she would feel if she were Jean. If she wanted a baby more than anything—and had just lost a baby a few months ago—to be celebrating with another pregnant woman.
To be making clothes for that woman’s baby instead of her own. Laurel couldn’t even fathom it, and she sniffled and wiped her eyes, her love for Jean growing exponentially with how tender and graceful she was about everything.
“Laurel has something she wants to tell you,” Paul said, and she looked up from her phone. He grinned at her, noticed the tears, and lifted his eyebrows.
She leaned toward the radio, as he’d called Julie through the Bluetooth in the car. “We’re having a baby boy!”
His sister screamed, as she tended to be a bit over-dramatic. Laurel laughed, because she was having a baby boy, and she was excited about it too.
Paul talked to Julie as he drove them over to the west side of the island and into the parking lot at Chips. “All right, Jules,” he said, starting to get a little frustration in his tone. “We just got to our lunch spot, so I have to go.”
“Just think about Chester,” Julie said. “It’s a good name, Paul, and I never could use it.”
Laurel shook her head and Paul said, “We’ll think about it, sis. Love you. Bye.” He jabbed at the screen to end the call, and silence settled over them.
She reached for his hand and said, “We have to find a name that starts with L that isn’t Larry.”
Paul chuckled and lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed the back of it, then flipped her arm and touched his mouth to the inside of her wrist. Shivers shot through her. When he looked up, his eyes meeting hers, he said, “I dunno. I kinda like Larry Lehye.”
“No.” She shook her head emphatically, though she knew he was kidding. “Absolutely not, Paul.” She wouldn’t be calling down the beach, “Larry! Larry, come back!” Nope. Never.
“Liam?” he said, and Laurel perked up.
