life and I was crazy in love with you but now you couldn't ignore me anymore. I know that probably makes me an asshole, but I figure it's time to put all our cards on the table."
"Y-you were happy about the baby?" I asked.
"Absolutely," he said.
Tears were still falling from my eyes and I half-wailed, "I've been so scared that you felt trapped, that you blamed me for getting pregnant, that you could never love me."
J.J. urged me into a sitting position so we were face-to-face. "And I was worried that you were feeling the same. I never wanted you to feel like you were stuck with me forever when you didn't want to be. I was worried that you'd never let your boundaries down with me, that you'd always remain distant because you didn't really care for me."
I sobbed and let my head fall onto his shoulder. "For two so-called level-headed adults, we sure made a mess of things, didn't we?"
He pulled me closer so that I was leaning into his body and his arms were around me. I returned his embrace and let myself relax against him. It was the first time I wasn't just a little on edge because I wasn't scared I'd admit that I loved him out loud.
"Where do we go from here?" I asked, my voice muffled by his shirt.
"Well, first, we go on our honeymoon when you finish the fall semester," he said, making me laugh. "Because once the baby gets here, it'll be hard to take a trip. Then, we figure out how to put an addition onto the house without ruining it and pulling it off before the baby gets here. After that, we have a baby, you finish grad school, and we talk about having another one."
"Another baby?" I asked, lifting my head. My eyes were wide as I stared at him.
"You just want one?" he asked.
I shook my head and he smiled. "I hoped you'd want at least two."
"I really want three or four," I admitted. "As much as my brothers annoy me, I love them and I want my baby to have the same thing growing up."
"We'll say three and leave our options open, how does that sound?" he asked.
I nodded and sniffed. Then, I took a second to brace myself and said, "I really do love you."
His hands came up to cup my face and his hazel eyes filled my vision. "I love you, too."
When he kissed me, I knew it was true.
20
We were still sitting on my childhood bed, kissing, when someone tapped lightly on the door.
As we pulled apart, the door opened and my mother came inside, shutting it behind her.
I wiped my face with a clean tissue and said, "I'm so sorry, Mama. I have no idea what came over me."
Her smile was serene and full of understanding. "Oh, honey, that was nothing compared to the fits I used to throw when I was pregnant. That's why your brother, D.J., made that stupid comment. Robert was trying to be funny and defuse the situation, which means he only made it worse. As usual."
I laughed a little at that because it was an accurate description of my two eldest brothers.
"If it makes you feel any better, they're both walking around here like kicked puppies and Letitia gave D.J. an earful after you did. He apologized to J.J. already and I think he's waiting until you've calmed down a little before he comes in and apologizes to you."
Her eyes took us both in. "Now, I didn't hear what was said until the very end and it's none of my business how you two got together as long as you're both happy now. Based on the fact that you were snuggled together when I came in, I'm guessing you're both happy?"
J.J. and I both nodded.
"Good. That's all that matters to me. That and my new grandbaby." She pointed at me. "That means you're staying home from work tonight and that's straight from your boss. She said that after a couple of days rest, you can come back to work on Tuesday as long as your blood pressure isn't up." When I opened my mouth to argue, my mother lifted a hand in a "stop" motion and continued. "And your father-in-law agrees with her and told me to tell you to go home, put your feet up, sleep at least eight or nine hours, and do nothing but be lazy tomorrow or he was telling Dr. Stubens that