Play Maker(67)

“I know.” I was momentarily distracted by the enormous rock now glittering up at me from my hand. Then, I looked back up at him, my handsome husband-to-be and felt warmth spread through me. I arched an eyebrow at him. “Luckily we have the rest of our lives to make up for lost time.”

Then he kissed me, pulling me to the floor, and showed me exactly how he intended to spend that time.





Epilogue





Nicole




I was putting on my new earrings when my phone rang. It was Maya. I hit speaker and said hello.

“What are you wearing tonight?” she asked. Her voice was muffled so I guessed that she was in her closet. It hadn’t taken her long to fill up the enormous walk-in at her and Ethan’s new place.

“My black dress,” I said, turning my head to check that my hair was still smoothed back into a twist. It had a tendency to unravel no matter how many bobby pins I put in it. James’ tendency to pull them out when I wore them didn’t help either. Even though he liked my hair down, tonight was important and required an updo. And heels. And nice jewelry.

I couldn’t help looking at my engagement ring. I didn’t think I would ever tire of looking at it, especially now that it was joined with my wedding band.

“Which black dress?” Maya asked, her voice a little more clear now.

“The long one with the lace back,” I told her, dabbing some perfume onto my wrists and behind my ears.

“Oh, I like that one.” I could hear Maya digging again.

“Wear the green dress,” I suggested. “The one with the halter neck.”

“Good idea.” I could hear her smile. “Ethan really likes that one.”

“How’s co-habitation going?” I asked. They had moved in together a few weeks after our wedding and seemed happier than ever. Their new place was close to Maya’s mom’s care facility and they had been able to upgrade her to her own room.

“It’s great.” I heard the rustle of fabric and imagined her putting the dress on. It really was a nice one. “I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“You’re ridiculous.” I told her. “Ethan is a great guy and he’s crazy about you. Who else would drink your weird juices without complaint?”

“Speaking of my juices.” Maya’s voice was now crystal clear and I knew she had picked up the phone. “Did you try the one I made you?”

“Maya,” I told her warningly. The last juice she had made for me had sent me straight to the bathroom, where I lost my breakfast and dinner from the night before. Though, I might not have been able to blame it entirely on the juice. Still, I was staying away and she knew why.

“Fine, fine,” she sighed. “Have you told him yet?”

“Shh!” I grabbed the phone and took it off speaker. One quick look in the bedroom showed that James was still out of earshot. But I wasn’t going to take any chances. “He’s in the other room. And no, I haven’t told him.”

“Well, when are you going to do it?”

I shook my head even though I knew she couldn’t see it. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“Do it tonight,” she urged. “So we can all celebrate.”

“I’ll think about it,” I told her. “See you in a few hours.”

After I hung up, I looked at myself in the mirror, searching for any signs of my…situation. It was probably too early to see anything. I was excited to tell James, but scared as well. After he had told me about getting a vasectomy and then getting it reversed, we hadn’t talked much more about what that meant.

And things were going so well. Everyone had settled into the new house – Mikey loved the adult classes he was taking at a school specifically tailored to help people with Down syndrome – and my mom was settling into her own form of retirement. She didn’t need to work full-time any more, and instead she was helping For Foster Kids and spending a lot of time with Mikey.

I didn’t miss working at the bar at all. For Foster Kids had been more than eager to take on another volunteer and I loved being able to work side-by-side with my husband, mom and brother. I liked being home when Mikey got done with his classes. I liked being able to go to bed before 3am. I liked having dinner with my family. I placed a hand over my stomach. A family that was going to be expanding in the near future.

I turned to find Mikey in the doorway.

“How do I look?” I asked.

“It’s a dress,” he told me.

“Yep, it is.” I gave a little twirl. “Do you like it?”

He shrugged. “I guess.” He squinted at it. “It’s pretty. For a dress.”

“Thanks, buddy.” I checked myself in the mirror one more time and went over to him. “You and Mom have any plans tonight?”

He shrugged. “She wants to play Lego Dimensions,” he told me. “But she always wants to play with the Back to the Future extension pack.”

“Well.” I patted him on the arm. “It’s good to mix it up once in a while.”

“I know,” he said and then surprised me by taking my hand. “I’m glad she’s here.”

I smiled at him. “Me too.”

“And I’m glad James is here too.”