Beyond These Walls (The Walls Duet #2)(60)

He’d also gone through a wardrobe change, and his mood was much lighter.

“Housewarming gift—of sorts,” she said, pulling a flat square package from the large baby bag she’d brought.

“Hey, Mary Poppins, if you dig deep enough in there, can you pull a lamp out as well??” I asked, grinning.

“Very funny,” she snorted. “I’ll be sure to bank all these funny jokes, so I can remind you of them later when you’re carrying a bag just like this on your shoulder a year from now.”

Shaking my head, I turned to hand the package to Lailah, who smiled hesitantly back at us.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” she answered quickly. “Let’s see what this is!”

She pulled a piece of wrapping paper just far enough to intrigue Zander, and he tore the rest. Underneath, the two of them unveiled a beautiful baby book, the front obviously hand-embellished in neutral fabrics and colors.

“Oh, Grace,” Lailah sighed appreciatively. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah? I made it myself. I wanted you to have something special.” She leaned forward, opening the book, as it rested in Lailah’s lap. “I made sure to include places where you could put baby shower pictures and invitations. There are even spots to write special memories during the pregnancy, like the first time you feel a kick or a flutter and your first pair of maternity clothes.”

“Thank you,” Lailah said sincerely.

“You’re welcome. I can’t wait to meet baby Cavanaugh.”

With an emotional smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, she answered, “Us either.”

A while later, we wished Grace and Zander a good evening and settled into the night with some take-out from around the corner. As I handed her a plateful of salad and pizza, ready to begin our movie selection, I turned to her.

“Can I ask you something?” I said.

She nodded, turning to me in her curled up position on the couch.

“Why did you put the sonogram pictures in a drawer?”

Her eyes went downcast as she worried on her bottom lip. “I’m too afraid to celebrate,” she admitted. “It’s still so early. What if something happens?”

I grabbed her plate, setting both down on the coffee table in front of us. As I took her hand in mine, she nudged her way into my arms.

“You know something could happen at any moment,” I reminded her.

She simply nodded.

“But you know what?”

Her eyes met mine.

“That’s true for anyone, Lailah. Sure, our circumstances are unique, but we’re still like everyone else—two people preparing for the biggest challenge of our lives. You don’t think anyone else worries about things going wrong?”

“But, it’s just—”

“I know. It’s scary. But if we don’t celebrate the good, then the bad will consume us. Don’t hide those ultrasound pictures, angel. Frame them. Put them someplace to remind yourself exactly why we’re doing this. Fill that baby book with every damn memory you have, so when this is all over with and we’re sitting here with our little monster, waiting for him to spill coffee or soda all over me, we can remember every single detail and know that it was worth it. Because we got him.”

She smiled a genuine heartfelt smile.

“You think it’s a boy?”

“Maybe.”

“And what would you name this boy of yours?”

I grinned mischievously. “Zebe.”

“No!” She laughed, shaking her head.

“Billy Bob?”

Laughter turned into cackling as I flipped her over on the couch beneath me.

“You don’t like my names?”

“Hate them. Try again.”

“Could I turn this into a game?”

“You and games. What do you have in mind?” she questioned.

“Every good name gets me an article of clothing?”

“You’re on.”

I had her naked in two minutes flat.

“WAKE UP.” JUDE nudged me.

My eyes fluttered open. “No.” I pouted, pulling the covers back over my head in protest.

“Please?” His hands reached under the sheets, pulling me to him.

I opened my eyes again, focusing on his beaming smile. “Don’t want to.”

He laughed, his forehead resting against mine, as his sneaky fingers began to wander across my stomach.

“I’m a college student. We’re not supposed to wake up before noon. It’s a rule.”

“Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“You took a year off, remember?”

“Oh,” I answered, slumping back on the pillow.

“That means it’s time to get up!” he exclaimed, slapping my ass.

I yelped as he stole the comforter from the bed, leaving me in nothing but a sheet to keep me warm.

“What are we getting up for anyway? It’s not like either of us has jobs.”

“I have a job. It’s just very far away,” he reminded me with a grin.

A twinge of guilt tried to worm its way into my stomach, knowing that he’d taken an entire year away from the company for me, but I pushed it away. I’d taken a year off of school. We’d both made adjustments for this.