Loving Cassie

It Won't Be Like This For Long

Ward 

"You know, your father used to look at your mother the same way when she was pregnant with you, son." Papaw said, clapping me on the shoulder roughly. I could hear the emotion in his voice, the thickness that was added to his tone as he spoke. Papaw rarely talked about my parents, mostly because it was too hard for him to digest that his only son was gone. I had lost my parents at a young age, so the loss never really hit me. I knew who they were, but I had never really known them. My grandparents, however? They were my parents. They had raised me. And it meant the world for them to be here for me, especially at our gender reveal cookout. We had made the choice to push off the reveal until January so we could properly celebrate little man turning three and our tiny princess turning two. 

Cassie had told me in October that we were expecting and while I had been scared -- because let's face it, the last time we were in a hospital for someone giving birth, the mother hadn't made it out -- I was so thrilled to have more children around the house. I had always wanted a large family. And now? We had Walker and Wylie, plus the new baby.  

"I'm proud of you Ward. Cassie is a beautiful woman, a wonderful mother and Walker and Wylie are fantastic children." My chest tightened, but I simply nodded for fear of speaking and my voice breaking. My entire goal in life had been to make the people who had raised me, prou and hearing it was the greatest thing in the world to hear. "And I can't wait for another great-grandchild to spoil." At this I managed to push out a laugh because spoil was a major understatement. Between Dave, Nana and Papaw, our children were never going to want for anything and I was seeing some rotten children in our future. 

Cassie waived me over just as I was about to begin to say something and I excused myself before making my way to the side of my pregnant wife. That word still sent pleasure soaring through my veins. Cassie wasn't just my neighbor or my girlfriend. She was the love of my life and she was now my wife. I intended to be married to her even fifty years from now when we were gray and wrinkly, but I wouldn't mention those words to her. 

"You ready to start, baby?" I asked, placing a firm hand over her ever growing bump as I cuddled her from behind. I loved feeling the life that was growing inside of her and it made my ego swell to realize I had put it there. She giggled softly and rubbed her head more snugly under my chin before she responded.

"I am. As soon as we do the reveal, that cake is mine. And Daddy brought me some of Aunt Tilly's homemade pickles to top it with!" I grimaced inwardly but smiled at her. I had always heard that pregnancy cravings were strange, but hers took the cake -- quite literally. She went from craving onions, peanut butter and garlic salt to hot cheetoes dipped in caramel sauce with dollops of sour cream. There were nights where I'd wake up alone and she'd be in the kitchen making her Italian buttercream and folding in chopped pickles to boot, because it just tasted so good. I couldn't stand the scent of some of the things she ate, but as long as she was happy and both her and the baby were healthy, I would let her eat whatever she wanted. Even if it meant kissing someone who tasted like a mix of condiments that should never go together.

"Let's get to it then, princess." I mumbled as I kissed her forehead lightly and grabbed my bow from it's case. 

* * 

"Three... Two...One!" Our combined families chanted and I let the arrow fly from the bow, aiming directly at the paint filled balloon across the frosty yard. We were all bundled up in our winter coats to see what the sex of baby number three would be. All eyes were glued to the board and murmurs of surprise sounded from around us as both pink and blue paint spilled onto the canvas. 

"What-" I began, only for my mischievous wife to shush me and she waddled to grab something from a grinning Donnie. I should've known. Those two were thick as thieves and always in cahoots, if something were up with Cassie, he would be the first to know for sure. His big hands held a large card and she took it, before making her way over to me again and shoving it in my hands. 

"Surprise!" She whispered as I pulled out a collection of sonograms clearly outlining 'Baby A' and 'Baby B'. 

"It's two?" I asked dumbly, running my fingers over the silky texture of the photo. I had noticed her getting bigger as the days went by, and even noticed that she was slightly larger than she had been in her maternity pictures with Walker, but I wasn't stupid enough to say anything. Plus, the extra weight on her was anything but a bad thing and it was getting harder to keep my hands to myself. 

She nodded emphatically at this and grinned, "Yep, two. One boy, one girl."