I closed the distance between us, placing my lips right over his. “I want more brownies, but this time I want them . . .” I pressed my lips into his, kissing him slowly, but firmly. I pulled away just enough to look in his eyes. “With milk.”
It took him just a few seconds to take in my words, but eventually he threw his head back and laughter filled the room. His laughter quieted although he continued to chuckle as he started cleaning up our picnic. “I can provide you with milk,” he said, still laughing.
“Are we headed home?” I asked as I finished folding the last of the blankets, piling them up against the wall.
“I’ve got one more thing I want to show you,” he said, plopping some pillows down on the mound of blankets. He took my hand and interlaced our fingers, leading me out of the room and down the hallway. He stopped at a door just a few down from ours which I knew, based on the blueprints and plans we made, was to be the nursery. He gave me a shy smile and then opened the door.
Surprise was the first emotion I felt when I saw the room, but surprise soon morphed into overwhelming love and appreciation for the man standing beside me. I looked at him, again with tears brimming my eyes. I stepped farther in the room, both my hands coming to cover my mouth, trying to hold in the cries I knew were coming.
The walls were painted to look like a sky, only not the sky you’d see from the ground, it was as if you were sitting on clouds. White, cotton ball-looking clouds lined the entire room, ending at about waist height, giving way to a deep dark blue sky, complete with metallic stars painted in all different sizes all over the room. The most impressive part, however, was the ceiling. I looked up to see thousands of tiny lights shining down and twinkling. Some lights were bigger and brighter than others, making it look absolutely realistic.
“Porter how did you do this?”
“Well, I commissioned a local artist to come and paint the clouds and stars, and then the guys and I installed these fiber optic lights in the ceiling. It was pretty fun actually. We got to be a little creative and actually try to make it look like a starry sky. Plus I figured it would make a pretty good nightlight for the baby. There’s a dimmer on the wall and you can make the stars as bright as you want.”
“It’s so beautiful,” I said, wiping my eyes.
“You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” I asked, turning to him with a shocked expression on my face. “Why in the world would I be mad?”
“Well, I kind of hijacked the nursery. I don’t want you to feel left out or like I went over your head. I just wanted to give you something beautiful.”
“Porter, this is perfect and so much more beautiful than anything I could have come up with. It’s spectacular, really. And I still have so much to do in here like decorate and pick out furniture. You didn’t hijack the nursery, you just gave it a jump start. I love it.” I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to pull him close but found my belly always to be in the way. I felt him bend his knees slightly and lower himself to me, making it easier to reach around his neck. His hands came to rest on my lower back, gently rubbing circles where I always asked to be massaged.
“You are a remarkable husband, Porter. And you’re already a phenomenal dad. Our baby is so lucky to have you.”
He was quiet for a moment, still rubbing my back, making my eyes flutter closed with the wonderful feeling of the tension leaving my body.
“Are you hoping for a girl or a boy?” He asked quietly. I thought about his question. It wasn’t as if we hadn’t had this conversation before, but usually the common answer came out of my mouth—that I would be happy with either sex as long as the baby was healthy. That was still true, I wanted a healthy baby beyond anything else, but I also wanted a baby that had his wonderful traits.
“I really don’t care. There are days I think I want a little girl and then the next day I think I want a boy. But in reality, I just want the baby that’s already in here,” I said, placing my hands on my belly. “This baby was made out of the best love I’ve ever experienced and is going to be the luckiest baby ever. I don’t care, either way, but I won’t complain if he or she has your gorgeous brown eyes and dark hair.” I tilted my head back up to smile at him and found him looking at me with wonder.
“You’re going to be the best mother, Ella.” His hands came up to frame my face. “I’m so honored that you wanted to have my children. The best gift I’ll ever give our kids is you.”
He kissed me and I simply melted. I would never grow accustomed to Porter and his beautifully woven words that instantly and easily liquefied me, leaving me a puddle of emotions. I loved his words and what they did to me.
“I want to take you home and feed you brownies in bed,” he said huskily against my neck, running his nose along the curve from my shoulder to my ear, sending goose bumps all down my arms. “And then I want to do other things to you in that bed.”