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I can’t wait for her to realize it isn’t a stomach bug.
When I come home from work a few days later, I see that she’s sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting for me. I think back to a few months ago when she was covered in nothing but whipped cream, but tonight, she’s fully clothed with a look of panic in her eyes. She knows.
I approach her slowly, not wanting to startle her. She looks up at me in a daze, and her expression is shy.
“Hi,” she whispers.
I walk over and kiss her, showing her that she’s safe to share her news.
“Hi.”
“So, I know why I’ve been sick,” she says hesitantly, holding up a positive pregnancy test for me to inspect.
I smile, chuckling to myself. I don’t give away that I’ve known all along. I just wrap her in my arms and pull her tightly against me. “That’s amazing, baby,” I whisper into her ear. “I’m so, so happy.”
She pulls back and looks at me apprehensively. In her defense, I’ve had a lot more time to process this news than she has. This is all new and frightening for her, but I’m more confident in our relationship than ever. That little boy or girl is going to be incredibly loved.
“Are you crazy?” she asks, shocked. “You’re happy about this? I’m freaking terrified.”
I kiss her again and rub my hands down her arms.
Kat has survived a lot in her life. This is one thing she doesn’t need to be afraid of. She’s going to be an amazing mother. I’m already picturing our lives together, imagining what it will be like to have a little one running around. It’s more than I could ever hope for.
“You don’t need to be terrified,” I tell her. “I’m here for you, every step of the way. I can’t wait to be the father of your child, as long as you agree to be the mother.”
She laughs and kisses me again. “You’re such a silly man,” she says, looking back down at the test and kicking her legs. “This is just crazy, though, right? What the hell do I know about being a mom?”
I turn to the fridge, pulling out a couple of bottles of water and handing her one. “You know a hell of a lot more about being a mom than Oksana,” I tell her, reminding her of what a horrible mother she has. “You know how to love and support someone and give them the room to be themselves.”
She takes a sip of water and seems to consider this. She hasn’t spoken to her mother since she told her about our engagement, and Oksana was less than thrilled to hear the news. She still hates me, which is fine. I’m not that fond of her either.
Oksana spent years grooming Kat to be the perfect wife and was disappointed that her daughter dare have ambitions larger than her own. I know Kat misses her mom sometimes, but something in her has changed. She sees now how she was manipulated all of those years, and she’s been processing that toxic relationship with me.
“You’re right,” she sighs. “I will be a better mother than the one I had. I’ll never force my daughter to marry someone she doesn’t love.”
Her hand moves down to her stomach, which is still perfectly flat. She looks up at me with a smug grin. “And I’ll never let my daughter get kidnapped by a man she doesn’t know on her wedding day.”
I chuckle and shrug. “I think it all ended up okay,” I murmur softly, looking at her with all the love I can muster. “So, we’re having a daughter?” I ask, though we both know it’s much too early to tell.
She shrugs and rubs her stomach. “I don’t know if this one will be a boy or girl, I just know it won’t be raised with double standards. Let’s make a pact right now that we’re going to treat our children equally and give them love and respect.”
I lean in to kiss her, more in love with her than ever.
“It looks like you’ve come around on this whole baby thing.” I laugh. “You looked like you might pass out earlier, but now you’re talking about the possibility of having multiple children. You must really feel certain about us,” I joke.
She looks at me with admiration and holds her hand out to me. I take it and squeeze tightly, feeling her engagement ring under my thumb. She’s mine and I’m hers, and for better or worse, we’re on this journey together.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she says sweetly. “I’m still nervous about being a mother. And I’m already over the whole morning sickness thing. But I can’t wait to have this baby with you.”
I can already imagine what she’ll look like with a pregnant belly, and the many strange food combinations I’ll have to send out for. I’m so grateful and humbled to start this journey with her.
“I can’t wait to have this baby with you. Your mother is going to be thrilled, I bet,” I say sarcastically.
“Are you kidding?” Kat laughs. “My mother is going to be horrified when she finds out her unwed daughter is pregnant.”
I hadn’t considered this. I immediately feel guilty. We never did have a normal relationship, but now I want to do things correctly. We’re already engaged, we might as well make it official. There’s no one else in the world I want to spend my life with.
“Let’s go to the courthouse right now,” I say spontaneously. “I can pull a few strings and get us married tonight. Or we can drive down to Atlantic City and go to a drive-in chapel.”
