Page 63 of Finding Wonderland

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“You have a show starting next month,” Nora emphasized as if Isla didn’t know her Broadway debut was supposed to be soon. “What are you going to do?”

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Taking the tests, Isla and Nora had stood side by side with their arms crossed over their chests as they waited. It had been Nora who looked at the tests first.

“They’re positive.”

“Oh.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Isla kept staring at the positive tests, trying to decipher how she felt about them. But Isla knew one thing for sure: she wanted her baby. Not once did it cross her mind to terminate the pregnancy, and Isla honestly loved being pregnant.

But it wasn’t until Blake was born that Isla fully understood every sacrifice she’d had to make over the last nine months. A career on Broadway, a life in the city, all her best-laid plans… none compared to holding her baby girl in her arms.

Even eighteen years later, Isla didn’t regret anything. She’d do it all over again if it meant she could be Blake and Mason’s mom all over again. And she’d go through a hundred IVF treatments with Vera if it meant they’d have a baby.

The timer on the counter dinged, startling them both. Vera looked at Isla with excitement and anxiety on her face. “You ready?”

“Let’s do it.”

Standing, Isla pulled Vera to her feet as they held each other’s hands tightly. They had turned the test upside down, and Isla slowly reached out to turn it over. And when she did, she nearly screamed for joy.

“It’s positive,” Vera squealed as she wrapped her arms around Isla’s neck. “It’s positive.”

“I’m so happy.”

“Me, too.” Vera let out a long sigh as she looked into Isla’s eyes. “This is our Christmas miracle. I can feel it.”

“You know what? I think you’re right.”

“I love it when you say that.” Leaning in, Vera kissed her lips. “We have to tell Mason.”

“I thought you wanted to wait until Christmas?”

“Do you think we can wait that long?”

“I can, but I know you,” Isla said with a smirk. “Christmas is next week. We can tell her then, like we had planned.”

“Fine,” Vera pouted.

Isla highly doubted the announcement would stay a secret until next week, but it wouldn’t come from her. Vera and Mason had developed such a sweet bond that she knew Vera wouldn’t keep the news from her too long. Mason had been with them through all their IVF treatments and the miscarriage, and she knew it had affected her as much as it had them. That much had been evident when she cried herself to sleep in their arms the night after the miscarriage.

Hopefully, things would be different this time around.

“We need to get ready. The festival starts at seven.”

“I’ll be ready before you.”

“Doubtful,” Isla teased as she playfully patted Vera on the behind as they walked out of the bathroom. She watched Vera take off her shirt and toss it onto the floor. Reaching out, she took Vera’s hand and pulled her back into her arms. She placed a hand on her bare stomach. “I am so happy right now.”

Vera covered Isla’s hand with her own. “Me, too. I love you so much.”

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