Page 203 of Dirty Lawyer

“And baby Olive.”

Two months later…

I open the new journal I’ve been keeping to document my pregnancy and start to write:

Today I’m thinking about the night of Reese’s birthday, my father showed up and he could have ruined the night. He was rude and horrible to Reid’s new woman and he had me shaking all over. I think of this today because my father has never been a man to show love and affection, and while yes, this causes me pain, it also drives home the contrast between him and Reese. Sometimes it’s what we don’t have that makes us appreciate what we do have. And if we don’t, we should. I hope that one day my child will read this and remember to appreciate what she has. Yes, she. We found out today that we’re having a girl. For now, we’re calling her Olive, for fun, but we’re torn between the names Ashley and Heather.

Reese appears in the doorway and holds up an envelope. “A gift from your brother Reid, delivered by courier.”

“A gift from Reid and he doesn’t even know I’m pregnant yet.”

Reese sits down next to me. “He said to open it together.”

I grab it, unseal it and pull out a document. “It’s the paternity test. You’re not the father. Well, not of Debbie’s baby.” I set the document aside. “Just the father of Heather.”

“Heather.”

“Yes,” I say. “I like Heather.”

“As long as it’s not Olive,” he teases, and pulls me down on the couch with him, where we do not keep our clothes on, nor do we shut the door, though those days will soon be history, once baby Heather arrives. Which is exactly why Reese seems to believe we should spend as much time without clothes as possible now, while we can.

Six months later…

I wake in the hospital bed to find that Reese has snuck into bed with me, and our daughter, baby Heather, is asleep in a bassinet next to us. I smile and tangle my fingers in my husband’s hair, but he doesn’t wake up. I snuggle closer to him and close my eyes right as Heather makes a soft sound. Reese is up in an instant, awake for our daughter, then he didn’t even notice me playing with his hair. That tells me he’s that comfortable with me touching him, and that he’s going to prove me right and be an amazing father. Which makes me wish that for my daughter, that all of her dreams come true, and that she ends up with a man just like her father.

The End

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