This is it. This moment might finally change our lives forever. I'm a day late, and I have never been late in my life, 28 day cycle practically like clockwork. Yet for all the clockwork and all the apparently perfectly working parts of our bodies, conceiving a child had not been so easy.
You know in high school when they tell you how if you have unprotected sex you will get pregnant? It's not actually that easy for everyone. We spend teen years hoping to not get pregnant and then when we actually want to, it just doesn't happen. It's damn stressful feeling like something is wrong with one or both of our bodies.
We started trying, but not trying three months before our wedding. Basically, we gave up any sort of protection and just hoped it might happen. But it didn't. Then two months after we were were married, it still hadn't happened and I started to wonder what was wrong. We booked doctors appointments and got checked, both young and healthy, the doctors had no answers for why we weren't falling pregnant, keep trying they said. It will happen when it's meant to, they said.
The next two months, I can admit I went a little crazy. Every moment was dedicated to tracking my body and my cycle. I researched anything and everything to do with conceiving, I joined online groups of other women also obsessing. I was drowning in ovulation kits and I even changed our diets. It was all I thought about all day and everyday. I even wrote a sex schedule, which bless his soul, Joey complied with.
That was until Aunt flow arrived after those two months and Joey found me in the bathroom hugging a hot water bottle for my cramps and crying with uncontrollable sobs. I was a mess. I'll admit, I lost my mind for a bit there and in all honesty the stress was probably going against us.
That night Joey collected up all the ovulation test kits, the calendars, deleted the apps from my phone and demanded that we were having a month off from trying. A month for us. He booked two weeks in the Bahamas and scheduled in some leave time for both of us. I'm almost ashamed to admit that in all my craziness I had lost sight of us as a couple. I needed Joey to ground me.
Now, home from our holiday and diving back into work with a wedding booked this weekend I needed to sort out the final details for, I had lost track of days until the one app I still had sent a notification this morning, letting me know I was late.
So here I was in the bathroom, three tests and a cup of my own pee in hand. They also don't tell you about how unflattering taking pregnancy tests is. I dip the three separate tests in, because an odd number would surely be more accurate if one of them happened to be different to the other two. Maths.
Not wanting to watch, I leave them there and walk out of the bathroom, fluff the blanket on our bed, straighten out the pillows, pick up Joey's dirty socks and try not to think about the pink lines. Deciding it must have been two minutes by now, I walk back into the bathroom.
I see them before I've even taken two steps, all three tests have two dark lines.
Probably a good thing no one was around to see the dorkiest happy dance I've ever done, followed by the tears, and then some more dancing. The smile never leaving my face.
Waiting for Joey to get home was complete hell. I wanted to call him and tell him to come home early, but that might make him panic. I wanted to call Harper and Ali and tell them the news, but I knew I had to tell Joey first. All I wanted to do was scream from the rooftops that it finally happened!
Instead, I cleaned the house from top to bottom, even though we have a cleaner come in once a week. I rearranged my Tupperware cupboard, because we all know how incredibly unorganised a cupboard full of containers can get in a short amount of time! I even cleared out our wardrobe of old
clothes for goodwill.
Finally just after 5pm, I heard the lock click on the front door. Act cool Morgan. Don't scare him. You got this. I had a plan.
I sat on the couch with my diary in front of me as Joey walked in trying to act cool even though my insides were a mess. An instant smile when he see's me, just like everyday.
"Hey baby," he greets, kissing me on the head as he removes his tie from his smart white button up.
"Hi, how was your day?" I asked, forcing myself to sound normal.
"Productive. I locked myself away today and finished a few client files, I'm all caught up now after our holiday. What have you got there?" He asked, pointing to my diary.
"I'm just planning. I'm going to need you to take some time off in August."
"August? But that's 9 months away, what are you planning that far... no way!" He gasps as the penny drops.
"Morgan! Are you telling me what I think you are?" He says excitedly as he leaps over the back of the couch to sit beside me and grab both my hands.
I burst into tears and nod. "It happened, we... we're having a baby!"
Joey pulled me into his lap and held me close, his own tears falling down his face. "I love you so much," he muttered.
"It's happening. It's really going to happen!"
It's amazing how much more you appreciate something when it was such a hard journey to get there.
4 weeks later
We pulled up to the Cameron Estate and judging by the other cars already here, we were last to arrive.
"Are you sure you want to tell them today babe? It's still early and things could still go wrong," Joey asked.
While he has been amazing, he is also worrying more than me about something going wrong. It was such a journey to get this far that sometimes it feels like we are waiting to have it ripped away.
Yesterday we had our first scan. A dating scan to give our due date and when we heard that super fast, healthy little heartbeat we both burst into tears.
"I'm sure. Even if something were to go wrong, they are our family and they would want to be there for us. You know that your mom and Harper are already going to be annoyed we have waited this long to tell them!"
"They will understand though? Won't they?" He asked, his brow furrowing with worry.
"Babe, you worry too much. You gotta work on that before this baby comes! You can't bubble wrap our lives, or the baby!" I laugh. "Come on, I'm excited for this!"
Finally climbing out of our car we make our way into the house. Unsurprisingly the family are seated around the large dining room table enjoying an antipasto platter, beers for the men and wine for the ladies.
"Oh finally! You're here!" Sophia exclaims as we walk into the room.
"Hey mom," Joey greets.
"Hi darling," she says as she hugs him tight. "Hello sweetie, can I get you a wine? I got that one you loved at Christmas time!" She says to me.
"Oh, um. Sure," I replied, not wanting to give us away before executing our plan. I glanced around the room, realising Beau wasn't here. "Sophia, where's Beau?"
"He's in his room, he just needed to finish up a school project. Something for the science fair, you know how he is!" She replied.
I did know how he was, he was a dedicated student and loved his science experiments. His life revolved around science and basketball, odd mix, but it made him happy.
"Ok, we are just going to go say hi," I said dragging Joey with me.
Making our way upstairs, Beau's door was open with soft music playing. I knocked softly, asking if I could come in. As soon as he saw us his face lit up. At 12 years old now, he was less of a boy, his body gearing up for puberty. He was getting tall and lanky and I guessed he might end up taller than Joey.
"Hey buddy, what ya got there?" I asked approaching his desk.
"It's my project based on electrolytes in sports drinks versus other drinks," he started to explain and we listened patiently.
"Beau, can we talk to you for a moment? We have some news and we'd also love for you to help us," I asked him, immediately sparking his attention.
"News? You aren't moving away or something are you?" He looked concerned.
"No, no. Nothing like that!" I calmed him down and looked to Joey.
"How do you feel about becoming an uncle?" Joey asked him and his green eyes lit up, smile so bright little wrinkles formed on his face.
"Really? You're having a baby? For real?" He asked.
"Yep! We bought you a t-shirt if you'd like to help us tell everyone else? It's a bit dorky, but it will be fun watching them all realise," I explained.
"Yes!" He giggled, completely giddy with excitement.
Beau immediately changed into the t-shirt that read 'I'm going to be an UNCLE' across the front and together we head downstairs to join everyone else.
I entered the room first, then Joey and then Beau. Joey subtly started filming because we wanted to capture this moment forever.
Jessica was first to notice, letting out a squeal so loud we thought Ben might have a heart attack.
"Does that? Does that t-shirt say what I think it does?" She yelled, pointing at Beau. Slowly everyone else looked at him and we watched as everyone realised what was happening.
Harper jumped so fast out of her seat to tackle me in a hug, all the while screaming, "You're having a baby! Finally!"
Sophia and David both cried and Jessica and Jayda demanded similar t-shirts that said they were going to be an Aunty, to which I pulled them out of my handbag having known they would want them, even at 20 years old. The whole moment was perfect, everyone so incredibly happy for us. Joey pulled out the ultrasound photo and happily relayed the details of hearing the heartbeat for the first time, to which his mom cried even more. Sophia confirming that there was definitely only one baby, reminding us that twins run in the family.
Amongst the excitement of our announcement I managed to find my way back to Joey, who wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me closer to him.
"We have one lucky bub coming into the world, into this family," I said as I looked up at the love of my life and smiled.
"He was already a winner with you as a mom," Joey replied.
"He?" I laughed.
"Mmhmm. Better be, because I'm not sure I can handle being a girl dad, especially if that girl is as tough as you."
"Whatever we have, they will be loved endlessly by us and everyone here."
"Can't wait baby."
A/N
And that's a wrap! 😢
Can't believe it's actually finished!
Once again thank you!!
I am already planning a new story. I have ideas and scenes and moments all jumbled in my head, I just need to plan them out. It will be different to this one and I do plan on it having a few controversial themes and be much smuttier than this one 🤭. Let's see if I can pull it off! Make sure you follow me to see what comes next and if you wanted something else I've written, Beautifully Broken was my first story 🙂