Recollections

Epilogue

Epilogue

(song of the chapter: My Life Would Suck Without You // Kelly Clarkson)

Austin's POV

*Two years later*

Erin and I have been married to two amazing years, but the honeymoon phase has yet to fade. 

I'm facing the stove, scrambling eggs when I hear Erin come stampeding into the room. I turn in time to see her scurry and struggle to reach me. She's so excited and her legs are moving so fast that she can barely stand. 

"Baby, baby, babe!!" She squeals as she struggles to run to me. Under her breath she huffs, "Why is it so hard to run on this hardwood, wearing socks?"

I snicker at her slight annoyance. My arms open wide as she pounces towards me and presses herself against my chest. 

"I'm late. My period is nine days late. I took a pregnancy test." She blubbers. 

We've been trying for a baby for a few months now with no luck so far. It's starting to take a toll on Erin and I'm worried there may be an underlying issue that we might have to have examined. I'm especially worried that I'm the reason we're struggling to procreate. 

"What'd the test say?" I ask, mimicking her excited tone. 

Erin freezes in my grasp. "I'm too scared to look. Can you look?"

Lifting Erin by the hips, she wraps her legs around me instinctually. We walk to the bathroom that's in the master bedroom of our home and I set her down on the ledge of the shower. 

I spot the test in a cup, on the sink and I take it between my index and thumb. Carefully, I study the lines on the test, my brows furrow. I read and reread the instructions that the pregnancy test came with and direct my attention back to the test itself.

When I'm one hundred percent certain of the results, I turn back to Erin and kneel before her. She's as silent as a mouse and there's hope in her wide eyes.

Squeezing her hands in mine, I kiss her forehead. "It was negative."

Erin deflates. "I'm sorry, Erin." 

She shakes her head. "It's not your fault." Squirming out of my embrace she stands and exits the bathroom. I hear her pad into our bedroom closet and close the door behind her.

My heart aches for her. Erin really wants a baby. I really want a baby, but I know how much this means to her and it's breaking my heart seeing her being torn up over this. An idea crosses my mind and I hurry to find my shoes. Without telling Erin, I leave the house.

**

When I return home, Erin's asleep on our bed. 

I sit down on the edge and run my fingers up her arm. She stirs and when her eyes peel open, they fall on me.

"I've got something for you." Without any further explanation, I jump up from the bed and run out of the room to fetch her gift. 

Erin's eyes land on her present, wiggling around in my arms as I come back into our room.

Shooting upright in our bed, she grins. "You got me a puppy!" 

I set the squirming puppy on the bed and watch as she runs straight to Erin and begins showering her face in adorable puppy kisses.

"Kisses shower!!" Erin squeals and giggles. Erin lifts her by the arm pits and takes a long gander at her new puppy. "It's eyes are so blue." She coos.

Happiness settles over me as I take in the view before me. "It's a girl and she's a weimaraner. I know how much you want a baby, Erin. I'm not trying to take that away from you. I just thought maybe this would be good practice for us until that happens."

She tears her eyes away from the puppy and smiles sadly at me. "Thank you, baby. I love her."

"You've gotta name her."

Erin pauses for a moment, thinking. "Robyn." She declares decisively. "Because her eyes are the perfect shade of blue, it's like a robin's egg."

After that, Erin falls onto her back and makes kissy sounds with her lips. "C'mere Robyn. Come to Mommy."

I watch them play together for a while. This isn't exactly what we'd originally had in mind, but it makes her happy nonetheless. I can already tell, Robyn's gonna love her just as much as I do.