Page 25 of Claiming His Student

“How could I ever forget?” I whisper. “You’re everything, Dylan. I want it so much...but it’s going to have to wait a little while.”

“It’ll be worth the wait,” he says in my ear. “Besides, we have a baby boy on the way. That’s a gift I never expected to have. You’re giving life to someone, to our child. That’s the most important thing in the world, baby. I just want you to know that not a second goes by when I don’t want your sexy body.”

I blush again. I can barely believe he still wants me now, even after all the morning sickness, sleepless nights and backaches, and how I ballooned in size during the pregnancy...how does he still want me when I’m like this?

Because he loves me. Even though I’m never completely convinced that I deserve him or that he wants someone like me, I never doubt how much he loves me. I feel his love so strongly that it warms my heart and gets me through the hardest of days. As I rest my head against his chest and he strokes my hair, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. And I know our baby is going to grow up in a family bursting to the seams with love. I missed out on a lot of years with my mother, but my baby won’t grow up without me, or Dylan. We’re going to give this child everything.

“Eat up your breakfast. I’m going to call your father and see if he wants to spend the day over here. I know he’s desperate to see how you’re getting along.”

I laugh. “He only saw us two days ago.”

“I know, but he doesn’t want to miss a thing. It’s his first grandchild, after all.”

Ever since we made amends with my Dad, he’s been a better father than ever, and he’s been seriously preparing for life as a grandpa. He’s been reading books about it, like a true scholar. He’s been buying baby clothes since he found out that we were having a boy. He even turned a room in his house into a nursery so that the baby has somewhere to stay overnight if necessary. He’s always been a good Dad if a little overprotective but he was made to be a grandpa. He’s going to spoil this kid rotten.

“Well, it’ll be nice to see him. Call him! I don’t want him to miss a thing.”

A few hours later, the three of us sit by the front window of mine and Dylan’s house. I moved in here permanently right after Dad and I made up again. I told him that as much as I loved him, I needed to be with Dylan for the pregnancy and our engagement. He was upset at first, but he understood. Now, he sits opposite me, smiling at me and my bulging stomach.

“I can’t believe how fast the last nine months have gone by,” he says with a sigh. “I remember when your mother was pregnant with you. We knew it was going to change everything, but we couldn’t have been more excited.”

“I feel the same,” I say, tenderly rubbing my belly. “It’s strange, even though I’ve got my degree now, I’m in no hurry to get a job. I want to spend every second I can with the baby when he arrives. I never thought I’d be this attached, but he’s special. He’s a part of me, a part of Dylan, even a part of you, in a way...that makes him the most special kid in the world. All I want is to be with him all the time. It’s going to be weird when he’s not inside me anymore, but I can’t wait to see his little face.”

“If he’s anything like his parents, he’s going to be a wonderful child,” Dad says. He crosses the room to kiss my cheek and rests his hand on my stomach, feeling the baby kicking.

“I think he’s going to be a great soccer player.”

I laugh. “I can live with that. So long as I don’t have to watch any sports on TV, he can join whichever teams he wants.”

“I’ll take him to soccer matches,” Dylan says. “I used to play as a kid. I can teach him a thing or two. But, hey what we really want is for him to love reading.”

“His parents are both bookworms, and his grandpa,” I point out. “It’s inevitable.”

We spend some time together, wondering about the future. Wondering what our baby’s first word will be, what his favorite school subject might, when he’ll fall in love for the first time. There’s so much to think of, so much to look forward to. It feels so strange that he’s going to be with us so soon.

I stand, ready to get a cup of tea for everyone, when I feel it. My water breaking. I gasp in shock. I knew the baby would be arriving soon, and yet it still comes as a shock. Both Dylan and my Dad stare at me in shock. Our lives just changed so much in a split second.

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