Like I'm Right Beside You (BEING EDITED SLOWLY)

Chapter 79

6 years later

"Open it! It's from me," Madeline shook the gift as she handed it to me.

"I wonder what it could be," I joked as I took the gift.

It was a small gift wrapped in a light blue gift wrapping paper. I could feel all the eyes watching me as I began to unwrap the gift.

Inside the wrap was baby bibs and some teething toys. "This is very cute!" I said examining the bibs.

"I know you don't want us to know the gender yet, so I got you both pink and blue," she whispered into my ear.

I smiled, "thank you Madeline. It's perfect and useful."

"When are you due?" one of Madeline's friends asked me.

"Well the doctor said the 14th of June," I said excitedly.

"That is very, very soon ! You'll see that time will go by fast," Mia said.

Mia was right. Time would go by last and soon I would be a mother. I didn't know the gender yet because I didn't want to know.

Brian wanted to know, but I didn't. He respected my wishes and he doesn't know either.

"What was Brian's reaction when he found out you were expecting?" asked a friend from work.

"He was very happy. Actually he was in the studio and I called him. He said he had dropped everything and came running here," I explained.

Madeline had decided to throw me a baby shower with a few close friends. Brian wanted to be here, but he said he had a backstreet boy job to do. I hoped he would come by before the baby shower ended.

"And where is he?" Madeline's friend asked looking around.

"He might come by later. Brian is at an album signing," I explained to her.

"Well I hope he can see him," Madeline said excitedly.

I hope so too, I thought.

"Enough presents, let's play some games!" Mia got up and began getting a jar.

"What's that?" Madeline asked looking at it.

"It's a jar full of candy. You have to guess how many candies are in there and you win it," I said.

Mia began going around and getting everyone's guesstimate.

"I'm gonna go with...400," said my friend.

Mia looked for the right answer she had written down, "Close. It was 351."

My friend (Chloe) was pretty excited to have won that jar of candy.

We began to clean up, well the girls cleaned up because they didn't want me to anything.

"Did you have a good first baby shower?" Madeline asked grabbing the trash off the floor.

"I did although I wish Brian was here," I could hear my own disappointment.