Page 2 of First Comes Forever
“Hey.” I slip my hand under the covers and find her belly again. “You know you’re my dream come true, right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she says, pretending to be bitter, but she finally gives me a reluctant smile.
I kiss her forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it. Bye, Sunshine,” I coo at Liv’s belly, waiting for my kick.Still nothing.Apparently, she takes after her mama and likes to sleep in.
“Hey, Adam?” Liv asks as I reach the door.
Spinning around, I reply, “Yes, honey?”
“I’ve been thinking about names, and I like Holly.” Liv scours my expression and quickly adds, “Maybe just as a middle name?”
I don’t like saying no to my wife. I want to give her every single thing she wants. But I can’t give her this. “No, Liv. I’m sorry. We’re not naming her after my mother. End of story.”
“I think it could be a good way to open up lines of communication.”
I inhale deeply, then exhale slowly, my intuition telling me exactly where this is coming from. “She reached out to you, didn’t she?”
Liv’s nod is small and unsure. “Through Facebook.”
I double back to the bed, this time sitting near Liv’s feet.
“You’re mad,” she says.
Squeezing her small foot through our thin comforter, I assure her, “No, not at you. But I want her to stop trying to contact us. When my mom left, she closed the door behind her.”
“But, baby, you’re the one who locked it. It’s been over fifteen years. She’s a different person now. She’s full of regret and wants to apologize to you, in person.”
“I don’t care. I don’t wish ill on her, Liv, but I can’t forgive her for abandoning our family the way she did. There are some kinds of betrayal you can never come back from.”
Her eyes widen and fill with tears. “I think you could forgive her if you really tried. Sometimes good people make horrible mistakes. Things they can’t take back. But if they’re truly sorry, maybe they deserve second chances.” She’s barely comprehensible through her sudden sobbing.
Liv’s had an emotional roller coaster of a pregnancy. There’s been a lot of up-and-down mood swings, crying, and laughing out of context. But even this reaction seems extreme. Still, I pause and study her expression before scooting up the bed. Using my thumbs, I gently wipe away the droplets streaming down her face.
“Honey,” I say soothingly as my hand finds her belly again, “did you know our baby is the length of a banana?”
“What?” She sucks in short breaths as her crying calms.
“I checked the pregnancy app this morning. We blinked and our baby went from a little blueberry to a banana. She can hear us now. And can supposedly distinguish our different voices.”
“What does that have to do with your mom?” She sniffles.
“I’m happy, Liv. I’m really excited to meet our baby girl, and I don’t want to mix memories from the worst part of my life with the best.” I tenderly plant my lips on Liv’s forehead. “So the door between me and my mom remains shut. And locked. Okay?”
Liv nods solemnly. “I can’t believe you knew that.” Her smile is small, barely a twitch of the lips.
“Knew what?”
“She’s the size of a banana. The other women in my pregnancy group complain their husbands don’t even help bring in grocery bags, but you barely let me lift a finger and you’re checking the pregnancy tracker before I do. I picked the best dad for this baby. You’re already really attached, aren’t you?”
Her tears are flowing again and something deep in my gut tells me I shouldn’t leave my wife today. Maybe I should tell Chase he’s on his own for the audition.Except, shit.His last-minute audition is a personal favor I called in. I have to be there. On his own, Chase won’t make it past the studio’s security.
“Liv, are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, then… Of course I’m attached. Nothing in this world could tear me away from you and our little banana. Our family.”
Liv nods quickly and tucks herself back under the covers before I can say another word. “I love you, Adam, so much,” she muffles.