CHAPTER 18

Somehow, after lunch, Alex was able to slip away from her husband, under the pretense of needing a few “girl things”.  She grinned to herself, remembering how Paul had rolled his eyes in understanding, before agreeing to meet her at the grocery store in an hour.  There were certain things that men always shied away from, and for that she was eternally grateful.

They were also oblivious when it came to some things and she chuckled softly to herself.  They never questioned anything as long as sex was a “go” and when she would refuse, Paul would only sigh playfully and know that it was that time of the month.  Funny how he never thought about the fact that he had not been refused in nearly five weeks and with the new understanding and closeness between them, there hadn’t been many nights where they had gone to bed for the sole purpose of sleeping.

Though Alex had tested positive with a home pregnancy test, she hadn’t been comfortable believing it, so she had made an appointment with her OBGYN in town for today, and her doctor had confirmed what the test had read.  Her heart felt nearly full to bursting at the news and with the doctor’s estimate of how far along she was, she could place the conception on the afternoon that Paul had put all her fears to rest. 

She had prayed for this constantly the last several weeks and God had given His answer.  Now she just needed the right moment to fill Paul in on what only she and God knew.  So now she was browsing the infant section of one of the specialty shops in town, smiling and feeling her heart flutter with each thing she picked up, trying to find the perfect gift to give to her husband as a way to share the news.  Alex browsed through rattles, blankets and stuffed toys, before finally pausing at the sleepers.  Not knowing yet of course, if their baby would be a boy or a girl, she picked up a soft yellow one and held it against her cheek before unfolding it and a tiny, happy sob escaped her at the little halo on the front and below that the words “Daddy’s little angel.”  It felt perfect.

Alex then picked up a few other items that could pass as “girl things” and headed to the checkout with her purchases.  Standing in the short line, she imagined the look on her husband’s face when he opened his gift.  Confusion at first perhaps, then slow realization, before complete joy would set in.  The image was enough to cause a pleasant shiver to run down her spine.  He would then start his usual planning, starting with the details of the already under progress nursery and knowing Paul, going from there right to what college their child would attend.

Without even realizing it, her hand moved to rest against her flat stomach, and the thought of new life being contained within her nearly took her breath away.  There would be a baby as a direct result of their love for each other and as she paid for the items and left the shop, walking out onto the sidewalk, she couldn’t help but feel that the sunlight on her face was the light of a brand new day.