Chapter 13: The Next Surprise
898 Words
Six months crept by faster than they’d anticipated.
Fall hues colored Willow Creek in bright oranges, reds, and yellows. Craig and Becca found themselves making routine trips to the farmers market every Saturday morning before grabbing breakfast at the small café downtown.
Normal life had returned, and it was better than either of them had expected.
Becca’s artwork was being sold at local events, and she’d even begun taking commissions. Still, she couldn’t quite believe people wanted to buy her art. Have it hung in their houses.
Craig lovingly reminded her every day.
“I told you people would love your art.”
“You’ve only said that like a hundred times.”
He chuckled.
“Only every single day.”
Becca giggled, playfully bumping his shoulder.
“I will never get tired of you telling me that.”
One morning in October, Becca found herself staring at the coffee pot blankly.
Something was off.
She should have been filled with excitement at the smell of brewing coffee.
But as soon as she smelled it, she knew.
Clutching a paper towel to her mouth, she raced towards the bathroom.
Craig looked up at her from where he sat knotting his boots together.
“Becca?”
“I’m fine.” She called back, although she knew she was lying.
The weird feeling of nausea continued throughout the week. So did her fatigue.
She’d fallen asleep on the couch nearly every night that week. She never used to get that tired.
Ignoring her better judgment, she stopped at the drug store after work one day.
Stress. It was just stress.
Tell yourself that, Becca. That’s all it was.
Still shaking, she paid for the tiny pink box.
Hurrying home, she couldn’t remember running so fast in her life.
Once inside, she waited. Five minutes felt like hours.
FINISHED, the digital voice of the pregnancy test.
Still holding her breath, she looked down.
Two pink lines stared back at her.
Becca blinked.
Surely, she had misread it.
She looked at the test again.
Two pink lines.
Her stomach flipped, and her heart began pounding in her chest.
Knees buckling, she lowered herself to sit on the bathtub edge.
Through happy tears, she let out a small laugh.
“No way…”
Planting her hand on her belly, she murmured, “Hi there.”
She wanted to run to Craig and tell him right then and there.
Tears still streaming down her face, she decided against it.
Instead, she wanted to make this day one he’d never forget.
Tucking the positive pregnancy test inside of a tiny gift box, she added a pair of baby socks she’d picked up from the store that afternoon.
The little white socks seemed too small to even fit onto a baby.
Every time she looked at them, her heart grew as big as it could get.
That night, Craig walked through the door carrying bags of food from their local diner.
“I picked up your favorite chicken pot pie.”
Becca gave a small, nervous smile.
“I have something for you first.”
His eyebrows raised.
“For me?”
She placed the wrapped gift into his hands.
“You’ve already done so much for me.” She gestured to her belly.
“Please, just open it.”
Carefully peeling back the wrapping paper, Craig’s smile faded to confusion as he pulled the tiny socks from the box.
“What are these for?”
Then he saw it.
Tucked beneath the socks was the pregnancy test.
His brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment.
Slowly, his eyes scanned from test…
…to Becca …
…and back to the test again.
His voice was small.
“What are you two…”
Becca nodded, unable to keep the tears from falling.
“We…we’re having a baby.”
Letting the words sink in, Craig stared blankly ahead for another moment before pulling her into the strongest embrace.
He laughed.
He cried.
He peppered her face with kisses; her forehead, cheeks, and lips in between tears of pure joy.
“We’re having a baby.” He muttered again, as if by speaking the words, they would become real.
Becca snorted through tears of her own.
“Yes.”
He fell to one knee in front of her, pressing his hands gently against her stomach.
“Hey there, buddy.” He chuckled, his voice cracked.
“You don’t know how much you’re already loved.”
Sniffing, Becca wiped another tear from her face.
“You’ve always wanted to be a dad.”
Still kneeling in front of her, Craig lifted his gaze to meet hers.
“I’ve wanted a family more than anything.”
Standing again, he pulled her into his arms.
“I thought the moment I found you was the best thing that would ever happen to me.”
Kissing her gently, he whispered in her ear.
“But you…you somehow managed to surprise me once again.”
Becca buried her face into his chest, breathing in his scent as she listened to his heartbeat.
Swirling around them, multicolor leaves fell from the trees above, dancing throughout their front yard.
Although they hadn’t realized it yet, life for Becca and Craig had already begun on the inside.
And as they looked towards their future, it suddenly felt larger than life.
They couldn’t wait to meet their little miracle.
- Writer
