Page 84 of The Match

Sam jumps on the end of the bed to pet Charlie, who absolutely adores her. As it turns out, my dog’s love and affection is pretty cheaply bought. Sam devotes five minutes a day to throwing a tennis ball with him in the yard, and he is putty in her little hands. I’m not mad about it.

“What’s it feel like to read those words from your parents?” asks Jake after his eyes scan the card.

“I don’t know yet. It’s still hard to trust that they mean it. But I’m trying to let it sink in.”

Shortly after Jake and I married, my dad had a massive heart attack that almost killed him. Something happened to my parents after that experience. It was a wake-up call for them. I spent more time with my dad than ever, because for one, my mom needed the help. And second, because my dad really seemed to see me for the first time. He listened when I talked. He wanted to know about my life—apologizing for the parts he missed out on because of how closed off he’d become to our family. My mom warmed up to me too, in her own way. I wouldn’t call us best friends, but she’s kinder to me and has finally accepted my need to live a different life than theirs.

I thought I had somehow warped into a new dimension the day my dad told me he had given up his position at the law firm. That it was taking up too much of his life and he never realized until after the heart attack just now much stress it was putting on him. He still has part ownership, but he fully stepped down from any day-to-day work. Instead, he and Mom have started checking things off their bucket list with all of their free time. They travel. They started a book club with their friends. They’re cute sometimes.

And they’ve been trying their hardest to mend their relationship with me. I won’t lie; I wish that it hadn’t taken a heart attack to make them see my importance, but I know that beggars can’t be choosers. I’ve been cautious in letting them into my life, but so far they’ve proven that their motives are pure.

They’ve even been trying to get to know Sam (with me or Jake always nearby) and seem to want us all to know we are a part of their family. Mom is still snooty, but she’s getting better with every passing day. I went to lunch with her last week and she didn’t even mention it when I was three and a half minutes late. My hope is that, soon, we will have a real relationship and that they’ll be better with my children than they were with me.

Oh yeah, and this pregnancy has been a miracle in and of itself. I’ve had to grow accustomed to closer monitoring and lots of doctor visits (especially after seizures), but so far everything has gone smoothly. We are all hopeful that I will carry to term and have a healthy birth. The doctor has assured me that patients with epilepsy have safe deliveries all the time.

Jake leans in and kisses my temple. “Well, I love you, and I’m proud of you. And you can always trust that.”

I smile and meet his gaze. “That I do know.”

“Me too!” says Sam, squeezing my feet. She inches up in the bed to lie down on my pillow beside me and rubs my belly. “How’s my baby brother doing today?”

Jake puts his hand on my belly too. These days, my stomach seems to be a public attraction. Even a random old lady in the grocery store rubbed it yesterday. Maybe everyone knows something I don’t, and they are all being granted three wishes. “He kept his mom up all night last night, dancing circles in there, the little booger,” I say.

Sam leans closer to my stomach and whispers something about joining forces to annoy me and Jake, but I tune out when I feel my husband’s eyes on my face. I turn to look at him, and he and I stare at each other, lost in the same thought: I can’t believe this is our life.

“I love you,” he mouths.

“I love you more.”

Two Months Later

Jonathan Timothy Broaden came into the world this morning around two A.M. He and I are both perfectly healthy, but send good vibes for Jake because I think he might be losing it from sleep deprivation. The poor man has cried more in the past twenty-four hours than I thought possible. I allow it, though, because I know he has so much love pumping through his heart that he can’t keep it contained.

He’s so wonderful, my husband. And so is my daughter. And my son. And of course, our dogs are superheroes that I will always adore. Which reminds me, I need to order their capes for Halloween.

I don’t think this life of mine can get any better.

Except it does when I spot Jake walking into the hospital room with a chocolate chip muffin.