She didn’t want to get her hopes up only to have them dashed again.
Patrick’s lips lifted into the ghost of a smile. “You might not, but I would hold it against myself. I want to do this, Charlotte. I do.”
Silence stretched between them.
Charlotte swallowed past the pounding in her ears. “But?”
This was it, the catch she’d been waiting for; the other shoe was about to drop.
Patrick inched closer and shook his head. “There are no buts. We’re just going to have to take this one day at a time. I have no idea how any of this is going to go because this is all new to me, but for you…for the chance to be together, I want to try.”
Charlotte’s mouth turned dry. “I have no idea how it’s going to go, either.”
“That’s okay.”
“It’s nine months, Patrick,” Charlotte added, sighing. “It’s going to be a lot.”
Patrick nodded. “We’ll figure it out.”
Charlotte released a deep, staggering breath. “Yes, we will.”
As long as Patrick promised to hold her hand through it all, she had faith.
She liked their odds better already.
When the discharge papers finally came an hour later, Patrick helped her stand up and led her to the wheelchair. In spite of her protests, he wheeled her out of the ER down a series of hallways and in the direction of the exit.
Savannah caught up to them in the parking lot, face flushed with color and a knowing smile hovering on the edge of her lips. “You need any help?”
Patrick shook his head and hoisted Charlotte into his arms. “I’m going to take her home.”
Savannah patted his back and gave Charlotte a quick smile. “I’ll call you later, sis.”
Savannah wheeled the chair away and handed it to a nurse who stood near the front door. Then Patrick helped Charlotte settle into the passenger seat of his car and slammed the door shut. During the ride back home, he held her hand and rubbed his thumb along the inside of her wrist.
Patrick insisted on carrying her up the stairs, the smell and feel of him doing strange things to her insides. He waited for her to fall asleep, and in the morning, she found him asleep on the chair next to her bed. After a quick breakfast, Patrick was the one to drive her to her great-grandparents’ house for their anniversary lunch. After walking her to the door, he kissed her cheek, and she blushed.
The two of them locked eyes and didn’t look away until he got back in his car.
As soon as Charlotte walked in, Savannah found her and steered her toward the couch. There were Wilsons everywhere she looked, and Charlotte felt an overwhelming sense of peace and joy at seeing all of them, voices joined together. Afterhaving barbecue for lunch and a three-layered cake for dessert, Charlotte rose to her feet and tapped her glass.
One by one, everyone fell silent.
Underneath the table, Savannah squeezed her hand. Charlotte clutched her glass tighter and glanced over at her mother, who gave her a smile and a nod.
“Happy anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa.” Charlotte tilted her glass in their direction. “I know a million thank-yous will never be enough for everything you’ve done for us and everything you continue to do for us.”
A murmur of agreement rose.
Someone coughed, and Charlotte stood up straighter. “When I look around at all of your smiling and happy faces, I’m reminded of how lucky and blessed we all are to have each other.”
Another murmur of agreement rose.
“I don’t want to hijack the celebration,” Charlotte continued with a grimace. “So, I hope you’ll forgive me for doing just that, but I just couldn’t wait one more second to tell all of you.”
Everyone held their breath and leaned forward.
Charlotte’s stomach tightened, and her heart pounded against her ears. “You all know my friend, Addison, and her husband, Mason. As you all know, Addison is a cancer survivor, but after years of cancer and remission, the doctor told her she couldn’t carry her own kids. She’s been looking into surrogacy for a while…”
