One Summer Isn't Enough (Summer, #4)

chapter 14

CONRAD

After we get home that night, Belly kicks her flats off and spins around, letting her hair loose from the professional-looking ponytail it was in all day. Her first day seemed to have gone really well, from the looks of it. Her face had that aura of barely-disguised glee that I love to see on her, which means she's genuinely happy about how it went.

As she finishes drinking her glass of water, I take her by the waist and dance with her, our feet falling into the same perfect rhythm as when we danced during her deb ball. As we sway to imaginary music, I ask her, "How's married life so far, Mrs. Fisher?"

She hmms and peers up at me in a curious way. "You go first. I wanna hear your answer."

Okay, fair. "I don't think it was ever this good anytime I've pictured it in my head."

She smiles wide. "Good answer. I think that so far, married life is...a little bit scary but so much more...beautiful. That scariness only makes the beautiful parts more memorable, because you were so scared of what would happen before."

I dip her and bring her back up. "Very good answer. I think I like yours better."

"I thought you would." She removes her arms from around my neck and kisses me softly before opening the fridge and peering inside. "What should we have for dinner?"

I hop onto the counter behind me. "Well, I was thinking spinach ravioli. In celebration of your big first day."

She looks back at me from the fridge and grins before walking in between my legs. "I love you so much."

I kiss her long and slow before saying, "I love you, too. More than you could ever know." Before the moment gets too Hallmark-y though, I clap my hands and say, "Okay, assignment time. You put on the music and go get changed, and I'll do everything else."

She drops her jaw sarcastically. "So much work! I'll get started right away."

Shaking my head and smiling, I start on the spinach while Belly plays Bon Jovi softly from the hall speaker and then heads upstairs to change. I'm about to put the pasta to boil when Belly calls down from the upstairs bathroom. "Conrad! Can you come here?"

Her voice sounds weak. I drop everything in my hands and bound up the stairs two at a time, throwing open the bathroom door to see Belly crouched over the sink, her left hand holding her hair back while her right hand clutches the edge of the sink for support.

I rush over to her and start rubbing her back. "Hey. What happened?" The stench of vomit is permeating the air, but I couldn't care less. How the hell did this happen? She was fine.

She starts crying and says thickly, "I came up to wash my face and started feeling really tired. So I laid down for like, a minute, and then I really needed to puke."

I pull her head to my chest and run my hair over her hair. "Shhh. It's okay. What'd you eat today?"

I take her hand and slowly lead her to the bed, and seat us both down. She closes her eyes and says, "Mmm. An avocado sandwich for lunch? I wasn't hungry this morning."

Strange. She's usually ravenous in the morning. "Okay, that's fine. Maybe it was something in the sandwich."

She takes a deep breath and looks up at me before saying, "My period was supposed to come today. I realized that when I was in the bathroom."

My heart stops. For a second, I start to feel exactly like how I used to before I had a panic attack. The steadily increasing heart rate, clammy hands, brain going 300 miles per hour. But then I tell myself that the most important thing right now is to be there for Belly and put her first. That's what good husbands do.

I know that because my dad almost never did that for my mom.

I take her face in both of my hands and look into her eyes. I need her to believe me here. "Why are you so scared?"

She looks up from the floor with confused eyes. Wiping her eyes, she says shakily, "I put the pieces together and then I realized that I might be...you know. But I thought it was way too early. We just got back from our honeymoon, Con! I didn't think you'd be very happy, since you need to focus on your career more now."

She takes my hands in hers when she sees that they're shaking a little bit. It doesn't happene very much anymore, but when a lot of stuff is dumped on me in a short time, I guess it's expected. "Take a minute. It's okay. Breathe."

I shake my head and say, "Belly. If you are...pregnant, then I am absolutely okay with that. More than okay." I laugh and kiss her forehead. "In my head, we've been married for three years. I don't think it's too early. I want you to be the mother of all of our kids, and I don't care if it's now or in a ten years."

She laughs a breathless laugh and closes her eyes, still smiling. Our foreheads rest against each others,' and she whispers, "Thank you, Connie. I know this is scary." She rubs her thumb on my hand. "But we'll get through this, right?"

I nod and pull her in for a hug. "Together. Always."

Our hands still intertwined, we head downstairs and Belly turns off the stove. I grab the car keys and we get into my car to go to the drugstore and get a few pregnancy tests. Even though it's a bit scary, I can't help but think that we're both even more excited. Because now that we're both on board, it's not as daunting of a thought.

It still hasn't gone through my head completely, though. That I might be a dad.

When we get back home, Belly sets three of the four tests we bought down on the table and takes one upstairs with her. I don't know if she wants me to come with her or not, so I stay downstairs and give her some privacy.

She bounds down the stairs five minutes later, her cheeks streaked with tears and a disbelieving smile on her face. She holds the white stick out to me, and I don't even have to confirm that there's two lines to know that we were right.

I put the test aside and lift her up, spinning her around. "We're gonna be parents!" I yell, laughing at the sound of her shrieks when she's in the air. She whoops and looks down at me, brushing my hair from my forehead and kissing me deeply. "I'm so, so happy," she whispers, "But I'm also so scared. Is that normal? To be this happy and scared shitless at the same time?"

I nod and laugh. "Belly, it's completely normal. I feel the same exact way. But we don't have anywhere to be. We'll take this as slowly as you want, okay?"

I pull her closer, and she closes her eyes and rests her forehead against my chest. "Okay."