The Act of Forgiveness

27

"Has Anna called or anything?" Jasper asked one morning as I flipped pancakes on the stovetop. The whole scene was very domestic. Jasper was sitting at the table with his laptop open and replying to emails concerning sporadic performances or appearances, Evelyn was perched at his feet, pulling a little toy around on a string, and I was making breakfast as the sunlight flooded the room.

At his question, I froze and sighed. I dropped the spatula and turned to lean against the countertop, crossing my arms over my chest. "No, I'm not going to over stress about it though. It's been two weeks, I don't think they're going to call."

Saying the words aloud made it a little more cemented into reality. We had told Jensen and Jaspers family a little over two weeks ago. Thanksgiving had come and gone, with Christmas closely approaching. I hadn't heard a word from Anna or Felix, my phone sitting on the table like a taunting dumbbell. I had put up a barrier around my heart and I didn't find tears in my eyes or frustration taking over when I thought of the entire situation. Of course I was upset that I hadn't met my nephew, but in reality, Anna and Felix would be the ones missing out on our beautiful children.

I was almost ten weeks along now, about one fourth of the way through the pregnancy. Other than the random bouts of exhaustion, I hardly had any symptoms, but I was grateful for that. We still hadn't told anyone else, besides Jasper's manager because that was a must, but we didn't feel rushed at all. It was nice to take the whole pregnancy at our own pace.

"I have a surprise for you." Jasper announced, suddenly behind me as I pulled the pancakes off of the stove. I jumped and turned to see him within two inches of my face.

"Really?" I asked, genuinely surprised as I wasn't expecting anything.

"Yeah, I'll go get it. Give E her pancakes before she starts gnawing on the chair." Jasper laughed in a sing song way as I noticed Evelyn holding onto her high chair, indicating that she wanted food. We had guessed that she was hitting a growth spurt. Since turning one three months ago, she was still wearing clothes meant for nine month olds. There was nothing wrong with that, but it was nice to see some signs of her growing.

I picked her up and buckled her into her seat before I placed a plate of cut up pancakes in front of her. She began eating like we hadn't fed her in weeks and i watched adoringly. I don't think there will ever be a day that she doesn't fascinate me. Everything she did was intriguing and watching her learn or adjust to her surroundings was the best thing ever.

I turned when I heard Jasper's footsteps come back down the hall, his bare feet padding down the wooden hallway. He had a small box in his hands, wrapped in a tiffany blue wrapping paper and a white bow. I would've guessed that it was jewelry, but the box was rather large. He sat next to me at the table and slowly slid the box over, a smile crossing his face easily.

I grasped it slowly, pulling the lid off, not wanting to mess up the wrapping paper. I peeked inside and saw white tissue paper folded nicely inside. I peeled it away and saw a small booklet inside.

"What is this?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion as I held the colorful pamphlet. It advertised family friendly things to do in Cancun, Mexico. Why the hell would he put this in a box and give it to me? "Why do we need stuff to do in Mexico?"

He reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt and placed three more pieces of paper in front of me. "Because when we get there tonight, I don't want Evelyn to be bored."

He winked cheekily as I stared at his face and then down at the papers. My brain wasn't processing what he was saying.

"We're not going to Mexico." I told him, confusion evident in my voice as I stared at him like he was crazy.