Page 26 of Rushing Her: Seattle, Westerners
Alexandra
Hand in hand, we stroll back toward the cabin. My parents step out onto the deck with their bags.
“We know you kids need time to talk, so we are heading back early.”
“Mark, you and Joanne don’t need to leave.” Brayden reaches out and shakes my father’s hand before he leans in to kiss my mom’s cheek.
“You just make sure you don’t hurt her again, and I won’t have tohurtyou,” my father threatens as he carries the bags to their car.
“Darling, if you need us, just call. I left dinner cooking on the stove for you.”
“Mom, you don’t have to leave.”
She looks Brayden up and down while saying, “Yes, we do. You need time to become a couple,” then turns to me and rubs my flat tummy. “Love you, baby.”
They guessed about the pregnancy. I didn’t deny it, but I didn’t reveal that it was multiple babies. We will soon, but right now that’s our secret.
Brayden and I watch them pull out before we step into the house. I take a seat on the expansive sectional sofa, which faces all the windows, and behold the vista of the ocean. A television is mounted above the fireplace, but I prefer the outside scenery better.
Curling my feet up under my hip, I sit to the side, while Brayden joins me on the sofa.
“They know about the babies?” he asks.
“No. They only know I’m pregnant but not how many. You found that out first, which is only proper. I didn’t want to hide from you, but I needed to sort things out.”
“I get that. It’s a lot to process. Not only are we going to be parents, but to triplets. I’ll research the best doctors in Seattle to care for you and the babies.”
I chuckle because this is typical of Brayden taking control of everything.
“I already have the best. She’s highly recommended, and I don’t want to change again. Hold on a moment.”
I make my way up to my room, but it’s empty.Ugh, my parents.Returning downstairs, I find my belongings have been placed on the floor in their bedroom. In my laptop bag, I gather the ultrasound images that Dr. Grands captured during my office visit.
“Here.”
Brayden chokes up when he looks closely at the picture. Emotions flit across his face, and in that moment, I realize hehasn’t had the time I have to come to terms with us not only becoming parents, but parents to three babies. I push him back onto the sofa and straddle his lap. He holds me as he looks at the pictures. They are each lettered A, B, and C.
“Are they good right now?”
“The doctor said that everything looked good. She wants me to come back next week to review all the blood tests she took on Thursday. She also said that we won’t be able to find out their sexes until at least fourteen weeks.”
“What about you?” My heart thumps at his question. He’s worried about me.
“I have a lot of nausea, so eating has been harder, but we are trying things naturally first. She said I’ll progress faster and show quicker.”
“I want you to move in with me, please.”
It only takes me a moment to decide. “Okay.”
“That was easy.”
“It makes sense. If I need someone, you’ll typically be around, unless you are on the road, of course. It’s the smart thing to do.”
“I have a housekeeper who comes in weekly, and she can stay when I’m on the road. I can also hire a nurse for you when you get closer to the due date.”
“That was one thing Dr. Grands wanted me to understand. I won’t have a typical-length pregnancy. I could deliver as early as thirty-four weeks. She wants us to push toward that date for now, but if we can go longer, she’ll be happier.”
“We can do that. I’m here however you need me.”
