Everyone was at the house. Everyone. The entire gang, the girlfriends and wives, Aaron's parents, heck, even the three cleaning ladies showed up! Emmet ran off with some of the other kids and Aaron went around saying hello to everyone. I looked around, many people were talking in small groups, some of the older kids looked extremely bored, and plenty of guests were huddled around the variety of finger foods.
"Okay everyone! It's time!" Lily announced while standing on the stairway. Aaron found his way back to me, "you ready angel?" I nodded, following him to the backyard.
"Where are going? Lily said it was time."
"This is where she said to go."
"But the party's inside."
"Angel, everyone is coming out here. I'm guessing whatever she has planned is messy and needs to be done outside."
We stopped at a dirt path running in between the forest behind the house. Lily ran to the front of the group, ever so gracefully in her heels. "Alright, Aaron and Evelyn follow me, everyone else stay back!" I looked at Aaron who was looking at Lily who was smiling at the two of us. She started walking and we hesitantly followed.
"Um, Lily, why are we way out here and everyone else is back there?" Aaron looked back at the group of guest, now at least 25 feet away. "We're here!" Lily held her arms out. In front of us was a blanket on the ground, with a rifle sitting on it. Barely visible from where we stood was a box. "Aaron, you're going to shoot that box way down there. Evelyn, just get comfortable beside him! Oh, and don't be freaked out by the person behind you, he's a professional photographer." I glanced behind me and saw a man with a very expensive looking camera in his hand.
Aaron helped me sit down on the blanket. A second later, he was behind the rifle and we could hear the photographer's camera snapping away. "Are you ready?" I leaned in and kissed Aaron, hard and long. "I'm guessing that's a yes," he said through a smile. "On three!" Lily shouted a couple feet behind us. "1...2...3!" Aaron pulled the trigger and the box exploded, blue powder filled the sky.
"Blue! Blue means boy! We're having a boy!" Aaron jumped up, a grin all over his face. "Hey hun, can you help me up and maybe we can celebrate together?" I looked up at him, blue dust now surrounding us. Once on my feet, he kissed me. Not a quick, easy peck, a hard kiss full of love.
Everyone was moving towards us, coming to say congratulations. Emmet was the first to reach us, running as fast as his little four year old legs would let him. "My knew wit! You hawing a boy!" Aaron picked him up. "We were right little dude!" The photographer motioned for us to come close and then took some more pictures.
Aaron's parents were happy, Emmet was excited, Aaron couldn't stop saying he was having a son, and my heart was completely full. My little family was just beginning but there was already so much love going around. I turned to Aaron, "now I can go shopping and start buying things with color!" He frowned at me, "we're gonna go bankrupt." His parents laughed at us, saying something about how we act like a married couple.
Am I ready to marry this man? Become a true part of the Black Diamonds? Live a dangerous life? I am.