Page 87 of Chasing Fireflies

“I still can’t believe she set his chair on fire. Come on, Bear. Let’s go outside,” I say and walk into the living room. I open the door, and he runs out.

“Trying to get rid of our dog?” Cash asks me as he walks up behind me.

“Of course not. I love our dog, but I have something to give you, so take a seat,” I say, walking past him and opening the closet. I grab the box and turn around to see he is seated.

“What’s this?”

“A gift. I bought it today.” I hand it to him, then take a seat, too. I run my palms over my jeans as he looks at the box. He shakes it, but nothing rattles.

“What made you want to give me a gift?”

I shrug. “Just did.”

He looks at me curiously before he lifts the top. I watch his facial expression as what I have bought comes into view. Confusion covers his handsome face as he picks the small clothing up and then looks over at me.

“Sara?” he questions as Bear scratches on the door. I swallow and take a breath as I get up and walk over to let him in. Bear wags his tail and goes past me to sniff what’s in Cash’s hands.

I lean my back against the door and bite my lip as Cash narrows his eyes and looks to my stomach. He stands up and puts the onesie down. Walking over to me, he rests one hand on the door above my head, and as he looks down, he places his other hand on my stomach.

“Are we going to have a baby?” he asks me in a low rough voice, sending chills all across my body.

“Yes.”

He looks up at my answer and gives me a small smirk before he crashes his lips to mine. I’m thrown off, but I wrap my arms around his neck as he grabs my waist and pulls me closer. Breaking away, he searches my eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Bear and I have taken three tests that say so.”

“How? You’re on birth control.”

“I stopped taking it.”

“Without talking to me about it? I’m not mad. I’m just shocked and happy…really, really happy.”

“I know I should have talked to you about it, but you know me. I just do things, and I figured if it was meant to be, it would happen.”

“It’s happened,” Cash says. He smiles big and lifts me up into the air. “Bear, you’re going to be a big brother.” He kisses me again and steals my breath away.

*

Months Later

Cash

I open my eyes and blink. Stretching my arms, I roll over and look out the window as a soft breeze blows the curtains my wife hung last night to dry. The smell of clean linen fills our bedroom. I sigh, wondering where she is, so I get up. Placing my feet onto the hardwood floor, I run a hand through my hair and walk over to grab a T-shirt and jeans. I flip the light on in the bathroom and narrow my eyes. My heart starts pounding, and a bad feeling settles in my chest.

“Sara?” I call out, but hear nothing. I turn out of the bathroom, leaving behind an empty pill bottle with only half its contents spilled onto the floor. Sara’s obstetrician doesn’t want her taking any medication during her pregnancy. He says some women have healthy babies while on their bipolar meds, but some do not, so we don’t want to take the risk. These pills shouldn’t even be here. I jog down the stairs, calling her name again, but still no answer. My hands start to shake as I search through every room of the house. “Where is she?”

I step out onto the porch and see the truck is gone, too. Bad thoughts run through my mind as I look on the side of the house. My heart swells, and I almost cry. There she is. Standing beautiful with her pretty green hat on. Her very pregnant belly is underneath a long dress. Bear is lying beside her feet, and Old blue is parked by her garden. She’s planting more flowers. I sigh in relief and step off the porch to make my way over to her. Bear’s tail starts to wag, and he lifts his head.

“Hey, baby.” She smiles.

“Hey, crazy heart.” I smile back. I slide her hat off and kiss her lips, her nose, and her forehead.

“What was that for?” she asks.

“I missed you,” I tell her. She’s glowing, and her blue eyes are the color of the sky above us.

“You missed me?”

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