Kinsley fingers it on her chest, and smiles. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Taylor.”
“I’m glad you like it. Once that baby is born, it’ll be like you’re walking around with your heart outside of your body—there’s really no other way to explain it. The key represents the future, and all the doors you still have to unlock. This baby might seem like the end to all the dreams you’ve made for yourself, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s still so much more to come, I promise.”
Kinsley hangs her head, focusing on the cookie in front of her. “I’m not going to Parsons.”
“Rhett told me. I have some friends working at The Art Institute. It’s only about twenty minutes from here. They have a wonderful interior design and fashion marketing program. I showed them some of your work, and they’d love to have you.”
Her eyes are wide when she hears the news. “You did?” Mom mentioned it once, but I didn’t think she was serious about it. I figured it was just her trying to push us in opposite directions.
Mom nods her head. “Kinsley, you might have to scale back your original plan a little bit, but you’re so talented. I’d love to have you work for me. When you’re a designer, the job can be very flexible. You’d be able to be with the baby a lot and still use the talent you’ve been blessed with.”
“A job? Really?”
“Take some time to think about it. Rhett made some decisions of his own, and once you talk about them, I’m positive we can work out an arrangement.”
She looks to me, and already I can tell she’s worried about my choices more than her own. Since day one, it was always about me giving up what I wanted. But she doesn’t realize my priorities have shifted now that I’m going to be a dad. What I wanted a few months ago, isn’t what I want now.
I take her hand, helping her out of the chair. “Lets go upstairs and talk.”
She grabs her bag before walking up the stairs in front of me. I keep my hands on her waist the entire time, wanting her to know this is a good conversation, even if I’m not sure how she’s going to take it.
Once we’re in my room, she stands in the center, staring at the wall above my desk. I forgot I hung it up. “Do you like it?” I ask her.
“It’s beautiful, but it’s huge.”
I stand behind her, my chin resting on the top of her head. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?”
I blew up the picture I used for my photography project at the beginning of the year—the inspiration picture of Kinsley. Mom framed it for me, and now it’s the focal point of my room.
Kinsley turns around in my arms, a perplexed look on her face. “What’s going on? I feel like I walked into the Twilight Zone.”
“We had a lot of time to talk while you were in the hospital and then stuck in bed. It shouldn’t have, but I think once my parents saw we could lose the baby, they realized how much it would hurt if we actually did.”
“I was so scared.”
“We all were—even her. Every night since, she’s talked to me about the future. She’s finally hearing me. They want me to do what makes me happy—and what’s best for the both of us. I’m not going to take the scholarship to play football next year. I’m staying here and going to school locally.”
“You can’t do that! This is a once in a lifetime experience, Rhett. You’ll regret it.”
I shake my head, expecting this kind of reaction from her. She’s always selfless. Always thinking of me and what I want, but she’s my top priority now—not a stupid football game. “You and this baby are once in a lifetime, Sunny. I’d regret leaving you.”
“But your scholarship.”
“What about yours? You didn’t ask for any of this to happen. I did this to you.”
She walks over to the window, staring out at the pool in the backyard. “I’ve given up dreams before. Why should we both throw it all away? I’ll be a good mother and I’ll tell the baby all about you. She’ll always know where she came from.”
The way she’s talking, it sounds like she’s leaving me. For a minute I panic. “I don’t want to miss out on her. I love you so much. We can be a family—together.”
When she turns around, there’s a new resolve in her eyes. “What do you want? Not your parents, not me, just you.”
“You. Our baby.”
She blows out a breath, obviously trying to wrap her head around all this. And then it hits her—I finally get through to her. Her tears start slow, but within seconds, she’s sobbing into her hands. “You’re really giving up your dreams for us?”
I wrap my arms around her, rocking us back and forth like we’re dancing without music. She’s soaking my shirt with her tears, but I let her get them all out. I rub her back, needing her close. “I love you, Kinsley West—I think I always have. But I have a new dream now. I want to stay here and raise our baby together.”
She pulls away from me for a second, walking over to her bag, and reaching inside for an envelope. She hands it to me with her trembling hand. “Open it.”
I slide my finger under the lip of the envelope, and pull out a black and white photograph of her—with her hands covering her bare baby bump in the shape of a heart. “You took this today?” This is what she was trying so hard to hide in class this morning, and now I know why.
“Do you like it?”
I look up from the picture, where my eyes are entranced. My whole world captured in a single picture. It all started with the one hanging on my wall, and now it’s ending with the one in my hand. Pieced together, they form our story. “It’s perfect.”
I stare into her beautiful brown eyes, pleading one last time. “Let me take care of my family, Sunny.”
“I want that so bad, but I’m scared you’ll regret it someday.”
I hold up the picture, showing her where my heart is. “I can’t regret this—I just can’t.”
“You’re sure? You want us forever?”
“Baby, we did this together. This is ours.”
The Fourth of July
“IF I GET any bigger, you’re going to have to roll me down this hill to get me home.”
To say Kinsley’s tired of being pregnant, would be an understatement. She’s so excited for the baby to come, but these last few weeks have been tough. Between the ninety degree weather, her ankles swelling, and her blood pressure getting a little on the high side, she hasn’t been able to do much of anything.
Bringing her to the fireworks show in the park was supposed to make her happy, but as I lay our blanket on the ground, the one she made during one of her late night sewing sessions in the spare bedroom, she stretches her back and groans. I wish I could make it better for her—but I can’t.
I’ve been doing everything I can to take care of her now that she’s living with me. She actually moved into my parent’s house as soon as school ended. Now that we’re high school graduates, and about to be first time parents, they felt it was a good time to make the switch. Once we’re settled, and a little less dependent on my parents, we plan to move into a place of our own.
Now that Kate’s found a new job in Philadelphia, she’s finally moving in with her fiancé. They got engaged on New Year’s Eve and have been making wedding plans ever since. Kinsley’s going to miss having her sister around, but the two and half hour drive isn’t going to keep them apart for long. We’ll be able to make some trips once the baby gets a little older.
As for Wyatt and Becca, they’re still together. Becca’s over at the house a lot, helping Kinsley and my mom prepare the perfect nursery for the baby. I’m pretty sure they bought out most of Pottery Barn and Babies R Us this summer. I never realized little people need so much stuff.
We finally got around to packing the hospital bag last night, and even that turned into two bags instead of one. I didn’t even get any clothes of my own put in either of the bags.