Eye Candy

Bending down, I scoop Noel up into my arms, and Alex and Scheva move in front of us, clearing a path and telling people to get out of the way. The paramedics meet us on the side of the house with a gurney, and they help me get Noel situated and buckled in. I grab her hand and give it a kiss as I run beside her, then help them load her into the back of the ambulance.

“Honey, we’ll be right behind you! Make sure they save me a pair of scrubs for the delivery room!” Bev shouts to Noel with a wave as we both stare out at them through the ambulance doors.

“Make sure they save me the afterbirth! I hear it’s high in protein!” Alex adds with a thumbs up.

The doors close with a slam and I sit down on the bench next to the gurney, one hand still holding tightly to Noel’s as I use to other one to smooth sweaty strands of hair off her forehead and cheeks.

“We’re going to have a baby,” I whisper to her with a smile, my eyes filling with tears.

“We’re going to have a baby,” she whispers back as the paramedic starts an IV line in her other arm. “Please don’t let any of those crazy people in the delivery room to stare at my vagina.”

I chuckle softly before leaning down and kissing the top of her head. Noel squeezes my hand harder and starts taking chanting breaths through a contraction.

“I will guard the delivery room and your vagina with my life,” I reassure her as the ambulance sails through intersections and stop signs and gets us to the hospital in record time.





Chapter 10: Stupid Man


Noel

“Honey, wake up. We’re here.”

The sound of Sam’s voice stirs me awake, and I rub my eyes and sit up higher in the front seat of the car.

“Sorry I fell asleep,” I tell him with a yawn as he unbuckles his seat belt.

“Noel, you just gave birth last night. You’re allowed to sleep whenever you want,” he tells me with a smile.

We both turn around and stare at the car seat in the back, our baby nestled in it, fast asleep.

“I can’t even stand how beautiful she is,” I whisper.

“Of course she’s beautiful, have you seen her mother?”

Looking away from our daughter, I smile at my husband and lean over the center console to kiss him. Sam brings both of his hands up to cup my cheeks as I pull back, and stares into my eyes.

“Thank you for making me a father,” he tells me softly, emotion filling his voice.

“Thank you for not wanting to divorce me when I saw her face and knew immediately what her name should be.” I laugh softly.

Christmas Holiday Stocking, Christy for short, was born at exactly 12:01 a.m., making her the first official Halloween baby in our small town.

I know, I know. I refused to ever saddle my child with an insane name and carry on the tradition my family started, but I couldn’t help it. I took one look at her perfect, tiny pink lips, perfect pink cheeks, perfect pudgy little fingers, looked over at my family—who Sam was unable to keep out of the delivery room, all with tears falling down their cheeks, including my father—and knew I had no other choice.

As insane as my family is, they’re still my family. I love them unconditionally, and I’m proud to be a part of them. I never want Christy to feel like she should be ashamed or embarrassed about being in this family, even though I’m sure everyone will give her plenty of reasons to feel that way. And on top of that, her father and I met at Christmas. Bringing him home from the airport bar was the best decision I ever made. I wouldn’t have her if I never took that leap. And even though she’s only been mine for sixteen hours, I can’t imagine my life without her in it.

Tilting my head to the side and out of Sam’s hands, I look over his shoulder and out the driver’s side window in confusion.

“Wait, why are we parked across the street from my parents’ house? I thought we were going home and everyone was coming over for an early dinner before trick-or-treating?” I ask.

Even though Halloween is my favorite night of the year, I couldn’t possibly be sad about missing it this year, when I’d be spending the evening staring at my daughter.

Sam doesn’t say a word as he gets out of the car. I watch as he walks around the front of the vehicle, opening the backseat door behind me and carefully unbuckling Christy from her car seat. He gently lifts her out and tucks her against his chest before opening my door and holding out his hand for me.

He pulls me out of the front seat and closes the door behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist and turning the three of us away from the car, which is parked along the curb across from my parents’ house.

“We are home,” Sam tells me with a nervous smile.

He nods at the house we’re standing in front of, the one across the street from my parents’ house, and I stare up at him, my heart beating faster.

“What are you talking about?” I whisper.

Leaning down, he kisses the top of my head.

“Welcome home, baby.”

My mouth opens and closes wordlessly as I look back and forth between my husband and the house of my dreams.

“No, you didn’t . . . ” I mutter, wondering if I’m still back at the hospital. Maybe I haven’t really been discharged yet, and I’m still asleep in my hospital bed, having the best dream ever.

“I did. And, full disclosure, I haven’t been working any overtime the last month. I’ve been busy getting these decorations built and set up.”

I think someone needs to pinch me. Or throw a bucket of cold water on my face. My eyes quickly fill with tears, and the Nightmare Before Christmas yard decorations become one big blur.

“I can’t believe you did this. You really bought me my dream house? You really spent all this time decorating the front yard with things from my favorite movie?” I ask, the tears falling fast and hard down my face.

“Of course I did. As soon as the house went on the market, your mom called me and told me about it and how you’d always loved this house. I know you’ve been worried about being so far away from your family once Christy arrived, and I didn’t want you to worry about anything. I want to make all your dreams come true, Noel, just like you’ve done for me.”

Turning to face him, I wrap my arms around his waist, careful not to squish our sleeping daughter between us.

“But Alex is the only one who knew I actually bought the house and have been decorating it. I wanted to wait to tell everyone else until after I told you,” he says with a smile, reaching up with his free hand to wipe the tears off my cheeks.

“How in the hell did you even manage to do all this without anyone seeing you?”

Sam gives me another heart-stopping smile.

“Are you forgetting I’m a Marine? I’ve trained for years for shit like this. I spent months canvassing the neighborhood at different times of the day throughout the week, so I knew when the neighbors wouldn’t be home and I could unload all of my decorations and supplies into the garage. Then I’d get up in the middle of the night, while everyone was sleeping, don my camo gear, and creep around the yard in the dark, setting everything up.”

The smile on my face immediately falls, and my happiness suddenly turns to worry.

“You bought me my dream house and spent all this time decorating the front yard,” I say again, in a soft, nervous voice.

Sam laughs, looking down at me quizzically.