Lesson Learned✔

22

Before you say anything, I do my research.

Aspen

Like my past two birthdays with Chris, I woke up to red and pink balloons floating in the room. But unlike the first time, instead of a single rose there was a bouquet of them besides me. A small note on the top, Chris nowhere in sight.

Picking it up, I was about to read it when I felt my stomach turning. Scrambling out of bed I ran for the bathroom, making it to the toilet before I dumped last night's food.

I hated this, the sickness and bloating, the quick change in moods. It was a pain to wake up and feel nauseous, to feel tired even after sleeping. But I couldn't complain, especially not when I had wanted this.

A lot of things came into perspective now, many things I failed to notice about pregnancies. I had mostly concentrated on the after, when I would hold them, skipping over the many factors that made a pregnancy real.

Since the first ultrasound, what Dr. Evanston had said would happen did happen. In the first few weeks I hadn't felt this type of sick, maybe a little distaste here and there but not like now. My stomach did grow, they grew. My shirts could barely hide it, my sweaters stretching a little over my stomach. In school the professor noticed, everyone did and said nothing. Not that they should, I was engaged, they have a father and I was happy.

Washing my mouth and face, I brushed my hair into a ponytail. Combing out the tangles from the night because someone had pulled on my hair, had made a msss of it. Had fisted it as they had brought my lips to his, I didn't mind it, I loved it. The way he held me, the kisses, the touches, his words.

I loved him.

Walking back into the bedroom, I leaned down to pick up the note. The thick material soft against my fingers, his hand writing a barely eligible reading.

Happy Birthday love.
Did you know the heart beats around 100,000 times a day? That's how many times I think about you. About the sparkle in your eyes, your smile and laughter. Basically I think about you a lot, it's kinda distracting in the best way.
Have I told you how much I love you? Because I do. I love you a lot.
Have I told you how much you make me happy? Because you do, very much.
Thank you for everything, for being my everything.
I love you

Tears stung in my eyes at his words, my throat closing up. How did I get so lucky? To have snatched him? To have him love me unconditionally and widely? To have him- the door opened, my fingers brushing away the tears that had fallen.

Stupid hormones.

Looking up, my heart did a little flip at the heartthrobing smile Chris gave me, grey eyes glazed over with a dark expression that made me press my legs. Walking to me, Chris took a seat across from me on the bed, one hand reaching for my face while the other stayed behind his back.

"Happy Birthday love." Chris whispered leaning down to kiss me, coffee coated lips moving against my peppermint scented ones. I could do this all day, kiss him. Sit with him and run my hands through his hair, to memorize every curve and line of his face, of his eyes.

Chris started pulling away but I didn't let him, not as I deepened the kiss. As I tried taking a hold of his shoulders, to pull him on top of me, to have his body over mine but he didn't budge. Instead I tugged on his hair earing a groan out of him, "Fuck you are sweet-" he pulled away- "But we really need to stop because I have a cupcake with a candle and I'm afraid to drop it and starts a fire."

My eyes grew, pulling away enough to see that now both hands were in front of him. A cupcake on his palms with a single candle that was slowly melting, the fire dancing, "Make a wish," Chris pulled it up close to me, smiling softly.