That Baby (23 page)

Dear Baby Mac,

So, here’s the deal.
 

Today’s my birthday! Yay!!!

And since it’s a special day, I think that you should kick me hard enough so that I can feel it. Pretend you’re kicking a soccer ball with all your might.
 

Hmm. You probably don’t know what that is yet, but kick! Wave those feet! Punch those little arms around.

Make your mommy’s day!

Your dad got me a bunch of baby booties. Every year, since we were little, he’s woken me up at midnight and thrown a whole bunch of stuff at me. Confetti. Candy. Jacks—those kind of hurt. You get the idea.
 

You don’t really think about stuff like this when you’re younger, but I realize now that your dad started a tradition I can’t wait to pass on to our kids. We will always celebrate your birthday at midnight. And we’ll always make you feel special.
 

He took me to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch today and then gave me pennies to throw in our fountain, so I could make a bunch of wishes.
 

What I wished for:

That you would be healthy.
 

That we would be happy.

That we’d all stay safe.
 

That your dad would always love me.

That we’d get the building done before you are born.

That you would kick me. (Hint. Hint.)

He also gave me a super cool present.
 

I don’t think I told you this, but your dad’s family owns a transportation business. It’s a high-end, white glove service. They’ll move anything safely, like the furniture you ordered online, the classic car you bought at an auto auction, your baby grand piano, your grandmother’s hutch. Stuff like that.
 

I majored in Engineering and it was my dream to someday design a building from scratch. When your Grandpa Mackenzie needed to expand their company with offices here in Kansas City, he let me do just that. Right now, the site has been excavated, the foundation poured, and the steel and concrete are going up. That means I’m at a muddy job site most every day. And, I kinda have a thing for shoes. Heels, mostly.
 

The guys at the job site gave me my very own hardhat, and have been giving me crap about wearing my heels there.
 
And apparently they told your dad that he needed to buy me some work boots.
 

But he did so much better than that. He got me adorable Hunter rain boots in a glossy teal color.
 

They are so cute!

Your dad is probably the sweetest boy I’ve ever met.
 

Something kinda odd about today, though. All my friends called and texted to wish me a happy birthday, but my best friend, Lori, didn’t.
 

And I’m not sure why.

April 12th
 

A right of passage.

I glance at my phone, knowing I’ve missed most of my meetings today because of a problem here at the job site. When the contractor and I met with the inspector, he decided one of the beams in the two-story entrance wasn’t hefty enough and wants us to replace it due to the length of the span. I called my old boss, the engineer who approved my structural design so that this wouldn’t happen. He said the inspector is going for overkill, but suggested we do what he asks. Tells me it’s better to be on their good side than risk more arguments. So, I listened even though it’s going to put us behind at least two weeks while we wait for the new steel beam to be constructed and delivered.
 

When I get to the office, Phillip’s assistant who has been handling all my appointments asks me if everything is okay. While we were meeting with the inspector, I couldn’t very well call and chat.

“Yeah, it’s fine. We had an issue with a beam. Can you call Brenda at the office furniture company and ask if she can reschedule for tomorrow?”

“Sure thing,” she says. “There are some notes on your desk, and Phillip wants to see you as soon as you get in.”

“Tell him to come to my office when he’s free. I’ve got to rework these timelines.”

“Cute boots,” she says.

“Thank you!”

I quickly make my way to my office, knowing that she could chat with me all day and somehow still manage to keep the office running.

When I get the timeline reworked, I see that the building is scheduled to be finished just five weeks before my due date. Add another week to move in all the furniture and I’m down to a month.
 

I pray there are no more setbacks.
 

“Danny Diamond on line four,” Peggy says over my speakerphone.

“Hey, Danny,” I say.
 

“So how were the cupcakes?” he asks, his deep voice barely above a whisper.

I whisper back. “The cupcakes were fun.”

“Phillip monopolized all your time yesterday. I need to give you my present.”

“Why are you whispering?” I ask him.

“So my wife doesn’t hear me.”

“Why don’t you want Lori to hear you?”

“Because I’m supposed to be putting the crib together.”

“Who are you talking to?” I hear Lori say from somewhere in the background.

“No one, honey. Just singing,” he lies.

“Are you not allowed to be on the phone?”

“I just don’t want to upset her.”

“Have you thought of hiring someone to do it?”

“Oh, I’ve thought of it, but Lori seems to think it’s something I should do. Like a right of passage.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Is Lori mad at me?”

“I don’t think so, why?”

“Yesterday was my birthday.”

“I know. I sent a bunch of donuts to your office.”

“Did Lori help you with that?”

“No, why?”

“She didn’t say anything. Didn’t text me. It’s just unusual.”

“She’s scatterbrained right now. They say it happens in the last trimester. Who knows. Shit, she’s coming. I gotta go.”

When Lori and Danny come over for dinner, she still doesn’t say anything. Phillip grabs Danny and himself a couple of beers and I get Lori a bottle of water.
 

“You’re not having one?” she asks me.

“No,” I say, as I grab a Diet Coke out of the fridge, pour it over ice, and take a big gulp.

“You’re drinking that?” she asks with horror, like I just poured poison down my throat.

“Yeah. My doctor—who is also your doctor—told me everything in moderation. He said I could have a pop occasionally. This is the first one I’ve had since I found out I was pregnant.”

“How’s it taste?” Phillip asks, setting plates and silverware on the table next to the bags of take out.

“Freaking amazing. And I love a Diet Coke with Chinese food. It smells incredible, doesn’t it?”

“You seem like you’re feeling awfully chipper,” Lori states flatly.

“I am. No more morning sickness.”

“I wouldn’t call what you had morning sickness,” she counters. “You gagged a few times.”

“I was nauseous and didn’t feel good. The doctor called it morning sickness, so I’m assuming that’s what it was.”

“Of course, she had morning sickness,” Danny says, shaking his head at her. “Enough of the pregnancy talk. I have something more exciting.”

“What’s that?” Phillip asks, digging into the fried rice and dishing it onto our plates. I can’t wait to dig in.

Danny pulls an envelope out of his back pocket and hands it to me.

I open what I assume will be a birthday card. One that will probably have some hilarious and inappropriate joke that will make Phillip and me laugh.
 

But as I open it, I see a university seal instead. Inside the card are photos of what appears to be a skybox.
 

“What’s this?” I ask.

“I got you a skybox. Well, I got
us
a skybox.”

My eyes widen in shock. I glance at Phillip, he looks the same way. “Are you serious? You got a skybox for the Husker games? Ohmigawd! That’s amazing, Danny! Thank you! What an incredible gift!”

“When did you do that?” Lori asks.
 

“It’s something I’ve been working on.”

I jump up from the table and throw my arms around him in a big hug. “I love you,” I tell him.

“I love you too,” he says. “Happy Birthday!”

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you as well,” Phillip jokes.
 

“Well, technically, it’s mine. But you will have seats for any game you want. And with my schedule, you’ll probably use it more than I will.”

“We’re gonna have fun,” Phillip says. He and Danny fist bump across the table as I sit back down.
 

“I can’t believe you bought that and didn’t tell me!” Lori yells at Danny.

“We talked about it before. I just didn’t want to tell everyone until it was a done deal.”

“It’s a lot of money,” she states.

“And I can afford it.”

“
We
can afford it, you mean,” she says in a really bitchy tone.
 

“No,” Danny says back. “I meant what I said.
I
can afford it since
I
earned the sign-on bonus that paid for it. It also bought your house and is paying for the remodel. I don’t have to ask your permission to spend money I earned before we got married.”

“I decided I’m not hungry anymore,” she says, slamming her chopsticks on the table, getting up, and walking out the door.

“You should probably—” I start to say.

Danny holds his hand up. “Don’t say it. I’m not chasing after her. She’s being a ridiculous bitch and I’m sick of her blaming it on her pregnancy. You’re pregnant and you aren’t behaving like that. Besides, I told her it was something I wanted to do months ago and she was all for it. She knows it’s been my dream since I was a kid. My parents are thrilled, and I knew you guys would love it. I’m not going to let her ruin our excitement.”

“And you shouldn’t,” Phillip says, “because a skybox is pretty damn exciting.”

April 13th

The cutest little bump.

Phillip kisses me as he’s leaving for work.

“Happy Anniversary to my sexy husband,” I say.

“Happy Anniversary, Princess. Can you believe we’ve been married for three whole months?”

“I have to be honest, when we were going through marriage counseling, I thought marriage was going to be hard. Everyone says the first year is so hard.”

Phillip laughs. “Parts of our first three months
have
been hard.”

“Which parts?”

Phillip grins.
 

I roll my eyes at him. “Always thinking about sex.”

“I told you, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Phillip, I don’t want to fight with you.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, I mean in general, I don’t want to fight with you. And I would never make a scene and stomp out like Lori did. I respect you too much to do that in front of our friends. She really was bitchy to him. I didn’t like it.”

“I’m glad he didn’t go chasing after her this time. Lately, she seems to think that she can say anything and get away with it. It pissed me off how she acted like your morning sickness wasn’t real because hers was worse.”

“Do you think she’s mad at me because my pregnancy has been pretty easy?”

“It hasn’t been easy for you. You’ve been tired. You’ve felt sick. And you work all day and never complain. She doesn’t have a job. What the hell does she do all day?”

“Sometimes I complain.”

“You’ve yet to be a bitch.”

“That’s because you bring me cupcakes.”

He kisses my nose. “I’m taking you out tonight.”