Page 141 of Billion-Dollar Attitudes

Ariel

Several Months Later

It was a beautiful summer day, and the rocking chair creaked rhythmically on the porch as I nursed my one-week-old baby, waiting for our guests to arrive. The sound lulled me into a peaceful state, and I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering how happy Guy was when he saw his eight-pound son for the first time. Guy and I hadn't wanted to find out the gender of our baby beforehand and didn't have any names picked out when he was born. And I was so glad we had waited because the moment the doctor had laid my son in my arms, I was taken aback at how his eyes resembled Guy's.

Although I initially wanted to name our son after his father, what happened was quite different. As I handed over our baby, I listened tearfully as Guy talked to his child. "Don't worry, son. You're not going to be named Guy like me! There have been too many jokes throughout my life because of my name. Let's hope your mother will spare you the embarrassment and love the name Jonathan as much as I do."

I did love the name Jonathan, but I didn't want to give up on my husband's genes. So after a talk, we decided on Jonathan Guy Jackson. When I asked him if the name had some significance, Guy's answer was a bit bizarre when he told me, "Once, a woman sitting next to me on a plane had a baby named Jonathan." Maybe someday I'll get the full story of why he shared that with me, but in the meantime, my husband and son Jonathan were at the center of my universe.

The sound of cars pulling into the driveway brought me back to reality, and I got up to greet our guests. It was Guy's best friends, Amber, Sicily, and her daughter Harper, coming to visit Jonathan for the first time. As I handed Jonathan over to Auntie Meagan, I couldn't help but overhear what Amber said, "He looks just like Guy!"

"That's what everyone says," Meagan told them. "I think he looks like me!"

"You would…" Chase teased, leaning in to play with baby Jonathan's tiny finger.

Meagan stepped back. "Don't you know anything about babies? You don't get into a newborn's face. You might give him something!"

"Since when are you an expert on the subject?" Chase countered, rolling his eyes.

I laughed so hard when Meagan stalked off inside the house, saying, "The baby needs changing!"

Chase chuckled, eyeing Meagan up and down. Then under his breath, he told me, "Meagan's limp is almost gone, and she's gained her weight back… I think living out here with you and Guy has been good for her."

I looked over my glasses at him, "Hmmm. You dating anyone?"

"No! Just no! Don't go there. She hates me!" Chase shook his head. "Where's the beer?"

I wondered why he thought that, but today wasn't the time for inquiring minds to probe. So instead, I turned my attention to my guests. It was so good to have our friends over and finally introduce them to our son. Jonathan was such a blessing, and I couldn't have been happier. The last time everyone was here, I wore an almond-colored wedding dress specially altered to gracefully reveal my baby bump. Now, I had a beautiful baby boy in my arms instead of a pregnant belly.

"Miss Ariel, can I see the wedding album? Am I in there?" Harper asked as she tugged on my arm.

I smiled at her and said, "Yes, you looked beautiful in your pink dress. Do you want me to show it to you again?"

She nodded vigorously as I grabbed Harper's hand and headed into the house. "You were the cutest flower girl I've ever seen. Your hair was so awesome." She flipped through the pages looking for the ones she was in.

"I don't see me anywhere," she said, pouting.

"Look again. I'm sure you're in there somewhere." I encouraged her, winking.

She finally found herself on the second page beaming with pride. "There I am! I missed it at first."

We noticed others looking at the album when we turned around. When Daniel realized his daughter was growing bored with it, he had a suggestion ready. "Shall we go out to see the horses in the barn? I can't remember their names, though," he said, glancing at me, questioning.

"Well, Meagan named hers Jackson... for obvious reasons." I laughed. But no one else seemed to get it, so I explained, "as in her last name."

"What's the name of yours? That's the one I want to ride." Harper asked.

"Cookie. She is the spotted one." I smiled and pointed to Cookie in the pasture near the barn.

"Ariel!!!" I heard my mother yell as she rushed toward me, holding my phone. "I think this is your friend from London calling."

I grabbed the phone with a confused look. I wasn't expecting a call from Marcie, but by the look on Mom's face, I wondered what the two were up to. "Hello... Oh, my God. You are at the airport?" Marcie had wanted to surprise me, but Mom didn't know the address out here… so she had no choice but to ruin her surprise visit by asking me.

"Yes, I just got in. I'll take an uber to your place." Marcie said, trying to sound chipper despite the fact that her surprise was now ruined.

I squealed with delight and started jumping up and down. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're here!"

"What's going on?" Guy asked.

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