Page 54 of Stay With Me

The rest of the week passes in a blur, Elise crashing every night as the first trimester exhaustion continues to hold her hostage. It’s hard, not spending the same amount of time with her, but I know she needs to rest, so we make the best of the time we have.

I’m in the kitchen prepping for our guests when Elise comes downstairs wearing a flowy dress, her hair pulled back into a couple braids. She looks a little pale and I don’t think it’s from having our friends over.

“You okay?” I bring her some orange juice, her most recent craving.

She sighs. “No, the nausea is bad today. But nothing a few saltines shouldn’t take care of. I forgot to snack today, so I think my stomach is just a bit too empty.”

Turning, I head back to the kitchen and grab her box of crackers. Handing them to her as the doorbell rings, I pull her in for a quick hug. “Eat. I will let them in. It’s going to be great.”

I decided on barbequing since the smell of raw meat makes Elise’s nausea worse. It’s also a good chance to get outside while the weather is good.

Opening the door, I greet our friends. They all have different goodies in their arms. Beer, wine, a cake, and Adeline is holding a bag of treats for the dogs.

“Where’s the new puppy?” Rae asks, searching between everyone’s feet.

Elise comes in, holding Pepper. “Here she is. I didn’t want her to accidentally get stepped on.”

Rae swoons over Pepper, cooing as Elise hands her over. “Oh my gosh. Aren’t you just the tiniest thing?” We all head into the house, chatting noisily as everyone catches up, pouring drinks and handing them out.

As Adeline goes to hand Elise a glass of wine, she takes it, but doesn’t drink. Her eyes meet mine and she nods.

“So, we invited you over for an end of season barbeque, but also because we have some news,” I start.

Elise licks her lips, focusing on Adeline and Rae. “I’m pregnant.”

It’s so quiet, you can hear the fridge whirring before the room erupts.

We’re surrounded by excited congratulations, and I watch as Rae and Adeline envelop Elise in a hug, with nothing but pure joy on their faces. They hug her and when she meets my gaze, I see happiness radiating from her expression. The last of her hesitation is gone as she starts talking about morning sickness and feeling exhausted.

We have a blast with our friends, eating and talking about how much life has changed. Brynne joins us later after the shelter closes and we celebrate the fact that our little group is growing.

***

The next day we head to my parents for a family dinner. Elise’s hands twist in her lap as we pull into the driveway, the last ones to arrive.

“They’re going to be ecstatic, don’t worry.” Reaching over, I squeeze her hand.

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

I get out of my car and round it to open her door, taking her hand. She’s squeezing so tight I’m pretty sure I’m losing blood flow.

We walk in, and my family sits in the living room chatting. It sounds like things are going well at Ji Hoon’s shop and they should be ready to open before the new year.

Elise puts her shoes away, slipping on some slippers before we head toward the chatter.

“You’re here!” Ari jumps up, running over to Elise. The two have grown closer since Elise helped get my parents on track to retire. I can only imagine how thrilled Ari will be when we tell them the news.

She drags Elise to the couch and proceeds to talk her ear off about their collaboration.

I give my mom a kiss on the cheek before greeting my dad and brother.

Ji Hoon updates me on what he was sharing. “We finally got our estimates back and booked the contractor—yes, we’re using Owen. He’s going to start in two weeks once his current project wraps up.”

It’s not long until dinner is on the table and Ari is going around pouring wine into glasses. When she gets to Elise, Elise covers her glass and politely declines.

Ari’s eyes narrow and then, “Oh my god, you’re pregnant!”

The entire table freezes, their eyes flying to me and Elise, who looks like she wishes she could melt on the spot.

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