Chapter 99: Chapter 99
“ Over the past few months, I've thought a lot about what you've told me about your dream of raising your own pets, beyond the shelter animals. But it would be a bit difficult to do that in an apartment. “ he said, making her eyes widen even more “ So I decided it would be a good idea to look for a new home for us: a spacious house where you can welcome as many animals as you want and make our family even bigger. “ Morgan approached her, biting her cheek to stop herself from laughing at her stunned expression. “And this was the house that I thought most fit what you had described to me. So what do you think? Should we look a little further or could this place become our new home? I particularly think Matilda would love to be able to run around without having so many things to trip over, around...
“ You... You want to get me a house for my birthday? “She gasped, as if she still couldn't believe what he had said.
“Actually, I'd say I'm giving us a house. “ he defended himself, already prepared for the fact that she would be mad if she thought he was spending a lot of money just to make her happy “ The kitchen here is very big and well equipped, so I would benefit a lot too, don't worry .
“Do you... Really want to increase our family? “ Charlie chewed on her lower lip nervously “ I mean, we're going to have to change our lives a lot if... We adopt more animals... " she added reticently " Doesn't that worry you? Knowing that we're going to have to give up some things for a long time?
“Why would I care? We will always have each other. And of course Matilda and Sawyer are a lot of work, but that doesn't mean I don't know how lucky we are to have them. “ Morgan reassured her, more and more confused as to why she seemed so distressed and hesitant about adopting more animals, as this was something that had always been part of her aspirations “ Better than anyone, I understand that change can be a little scary , but if there's anything I've learned this year we've been married..." he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her temple lovingly " It's that fear of taking chances is nothing compared to happiness that we can find when we just allow the changes to happen.
" Oh, Morgan..." surprised, he saw his wife start to cry and throw herself in his arms, sobbing " That was all I needed to hear...
“Are you finally going to tell me what's bothering you? he asked gently, running his thumbs over her cheeks to dry her tears.
“ Not exactly bugging you. It's just... Well, yesterday I got some news that left me a little floored... " she sniffed restlessly " Damn, I had planned to start this conversation by asking if you remembered when I told you I wanted to give some little brothers for Sawyer and Matilda soon, but you remember it so well you're thinking about buying a house...
“Charlie…” he tried to calm her down “Just tell me what happened. I promise that whatever it is, we'll work it out together.
" It's just... It's not something that needs to be resolved..." Charlie crossed and uncrossed his fingers quickly, just like he had done in the car "Actually, I... I was afraid of disturbing the plans we had too much made for years to come... Because... Matilda and Sawyer are going to have a new baby brother soon..." she said, looking at him over her lashes.
“ Did you find an animal at the shelter that you want to adopt? “ he guessed, still not understanding why she looked so nervous.
" No..." she shook her head, fearfully taking his hand and guiding it to her belly "Actually... They're getting a little human brother..." it was his turn to be in shock, with the gaping jaw, so Charlie continued counting, as if he couldn't stop now that he had finally admitted “ I've been feeling a little strange the last few weeks, but I thought it must be just the flu or some intestinal problem... But then I realized that my period has been late for some time. Which wasn't really a surprise, because I'm not exactly regulated, but… Damn, it would be hard not to think about pregnancy when you're throwing up all the time, hypersensitive and not having your period. So after I finished work yesterday, I snuck into the shelter's bathroom and ran some tests I'd bought at the pharmacy at lunchtime. I thought they would probably come back negative and it would have been just a scare, but... I did three and they all came back positive. “ she bit her lip, tense.
“So we…” he swallowed, still incredulous, averting his eyes towards her belly “We're having a baby?
" Yes..." she admitted, shyly " I know that this was very out of our plans and it will be a great challenge to reconcile our faculties with raising a child. But, I promise it will be different than the time I got shot! “ Charlie exclaimed, determined “ I won't let you delay your course again! I'll find a way to reconcile everything and we'll...
But he stopped her by picking her up and starting to twirl her around the lawn, feeling like she could burst with happiness right there. When they were both on the verge of being dizzy and Charlie had finally started to laugh at her reaction, he set her down again, kneeling down in front of her to kiss her stomach through her shirt, feeling emotional.
" You are pregnant! “ he exclaimed, feeling like he needed the whole world to know “I'm going to be a father!
“Aren't you scared? “ Charlie asked, surprised “I mean, I knew you'd be happy eventually, but… Damn, I didn't know how to react myself when I saw all those tests with two red bands showing… “ she said, running her hands nervously by the hair " It wasn't what we agreed and I don't want to disturb your dream of becoming a gastronome again...
“And you think I care about that? “He chuckled, feeling tears of joy well up in her eyes. “Oh dear. What I have most in my life is time, even to finish my college and find out what I want to do with my life, now that I'm free. But if there's one thing I'm absolutely sure of, it's that I want to be a better father to this baby than my father was to me. “ Morgan stroked her belly reverently “ I want to dedicate every second of my time to making him happy, protecting him and letting him know that I will always love him, no matter if he takes a very different path than I did would choose. God, it sure is scary to know that there's a little life growing in here that will depend on our care for a long time... But at the same time... " he sniffed in wonder " It's so amazing.
“Yes, it is…” Charlie wiped away another wave of emotional tears “I don't know if it's the hormones or something, but… At the same time I've never felt so terrified in my entire life… I've never felt so enchanted either... " she ran her hands over her stomach, smiling at him " Can you believe this is really it? That we're about to bring a new person into this world? It still seems so hard to believe… I mean…” she swallowed hard, with that same panicked expression he'd seen earlier, but which now made perfect sense “You think we're ready for this? That we will be able to become good parents for this baby?
“ I don't know if one day anyone really feels ready to face a responsibility as big as being a father, to tell you the truth. “ he smiled, perfectly understanding her fears “ But that doesn't mean we can't do our best and love this child as if she were the most important thing in our lives. Because, she already is. And that doesn't mean we're going to have to put our entire lives on hold because of it. Of course, I want to give her as much attention as I can, but our dreams are still important, so I'm sure we'll find a way to balance the two, even if it's difficult at first. “ he consoled her, making her smile through her tears.
“How do you always know what to say to make me feel better? And most importantly, how did you know that we would need a bigger house to raise the baby? “ Charlie looked around again, with a radiant smile “ Look at this place... Can you imagine a little child, similar to the two of us, running around here, with lots of animals following her everywhere?
" Yes, I can do it..." he sighed, touched, hugging her from behind " To tell you the truth, I even fantasized a little about it, when I saw this house for the first time. Even knowing that, theoretically, it would still take some time for this to happen, I couldn't stopped thinking this was a great place not only to raise our animals, but also our children.
“Well, things are always unpredictable when it comes to the two of us, aren't they? “ she laughed, looking a little calmer “ I don't know why I was surprised with this new adventure we got. “ with a worried face, but also equally delighted, she went back to touching her own belly “ We'll be able to do this... Isn't it? “Charlie asked hesitantly, but her look said she just wanted him to agree, so that she would feel a little comforted.
“Of course we will. “ he assured her, kissing her temple “ And, if by any chance it's the examples our parents gave us that worries you, then know that I'm sure we'll do our best to be like my mother and your grandfather, never like Robert or Anthony. Therefore, our baby will never have doubts about how important he is and how much we love him unconditionally.
“Without saying the right thing…” she mumbled to herself, looking a little more relaxed “So, I guess all I have left to say to you right now is…Congratulations, Daddy." Charlie smiled, thrilled.
“And happy birthday to you too, Mommy. Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world." He gave her a soft kiss, but filled with the love he felt for her “Now, what do you think about getting to know your new home better?"