Page 10 of Ask Your Mom If I'm Real

She swallowed hard. “Dixie.”

I reluctantly let her go when she tried to pull away. “What is it?”

We weren’t making bukoos of money or anything but we were making it just fine. She worked at the bar that the club owned, slinging drinks until all hours of the night. And I worked at the bike shop.

Between the two of us…

I stared at the paper she was holding out to me.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“That’s…” She pointed at the bottom of the page where it said, unequivocally, the word pregnant. “What I’m worried about.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, shock and elation coursing through my blood.

“You’re…you’re pregnant?” I asked, my voice filled with awe.

I mean, of course, I knew it would eventually happen.

We weren’t using protection.

But I hadn’t expected it now, on our one-year anniversary.

It did seem fitting, though.

This was when we’d become an us.

“I am,” she confirmed. “Are you okay with that?”

I couldn’t help but pick her up and spin her around in my arms.

“Am I okay that you’re having my baby?” My head shot back with laughter. “Of course I’m okay with it! This is great news, honey.”

She threaded her short arms around my neck and squeezed.

We stood like that for a long few moments before she said, “I hung the ultrasound up on the tree.”

I spun her and sure enough, there it was, bedazzled in jewels, on the tree.

“What am I looking at?” I laughed.

It looked all black with a few shaded gray lines.

“This,” she said, “is the head. At least, that’s what they said, anyway.”

I was just impressed that we had this photo at all.

“Why did they give you an ultrasound? Are they worried about the pregnancy?” I suddenly started to worry.

“No.” She patted my hand. “It’s something new that my doctor is offering to all of his patients. Nothing to worry about.”

I blew out a relieved breath, then said, “This time next year we’re gonna have a baby.”

“This time next year, we’re going to have a baby.” She confirmed, curling her hand around two of my fingers, then leaned into my shoulder. “We have to return that ring, Dix.”

“Absolutely not,” I disagreed. “We’ll make it work.”

She looked up to me and studied my face before saying, “Are you sure?”

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