Any laughter I had dies. Cosima flicks a glance my way. “He was only being nice.” Nice? That’s what we’re calling it?
“Are you defending him?” Maybe I should have killed him after all, but Cosima had asked me not to. That’s what I get for being nice.
“He was gay!” Cosima throws her hands up. I don’t give a shit what he was. He was staring too hard.
“I can take care of the pool,” I let them all know. We don’t need a fucking pool boy.
“Are you sure about that?” War peers down into the pool. It’s so pink you can’t see the bottom. Okay, it might be red, but I’m not saying that shit out loud. I’ll die saying this water is pink.
“Yep, absolutely positive.” I flick him a glance, letting him know he doesn’t need to worry about my house and to keep his mouth shut about what color the water is. I don’t want anything upsetting Cosima on her special day.
“He’s so over-the-top ridiculous with his jealousy.” Cosima says it as though she hates that I’m this way when it comes to her, but we all know it’s the exact opposite. She eats that shit up the same as she did the cupcake in the kitchen earlier.
“The suspense is killing me. Can we get this show on the road?” Tova asks. “I heard that he knows.” She points a finger at me like an accusation. “I don’t understand why he gets to know first. I’m the best friend.”
“Yeah,” War encourages Tova. “What my wife said.”
“I don’t even know. I’m keeping it from both of us so it doesn’t count.”
“Fine, I guess that math works.” Tova sighs.
“We need to wait for a bit. Parents aren’t here yet,” I remind them.
I’d asked them to be late on purpose. The sun is already setting, the lights flickering on back here, giving a pink hue. Others start to arrive, and I watch my wife happily work the party, welcoming everyone. She’s fucking glowing, and I know it’s not only the pregnancy.
“They’re here!” Cosima claps her hands when Rochelle and Dario step out onto the back patio. They are rushed with grandkids. I pull out my phone and send out a text.
“Are you ready, sweetness?” I ask.
“I’m always ready.” She smiles up at me.
“Really?”
“Well, unless we’re going somewhere. Then I might be a tad behind. Depends on my hair, and Jax.” She adds the last part. “I can’t help it if he likes to match me.”
“You can be late all you want.” I kiss her. “But it’s time.”
“Everyone!” Cosima shouts, making everyone grow quiet. “It’s time.” She peeks up at me. “So?” The reveal has been left up to me. I usher everyone back to the patio area.
“Here we go,” I whisper into her ear right as the sparkler fountains go off round the back patio and the pool. Half a second later, the sky lights up too as the fireworks go off in the distance in every shade of pink you can think of.
Cosima gasps, watching the show play out in front of her. The last and final one goes off as fire slides across the pool, outlining a phoenix. The flames are a deep, deep pink. Everyone is cheering, the kids jumping up and down.
My wife turns. “Our Phoenix.”
“Our Phoenix.” I place one hand on her stomach, the other going to the back of her neck, cupping her there. That’s the name she’d picked out if we were to ever have a little girl.
“You really gave me everything I ever wanted,” Cosima says. “All my dreams.”
“It’s you that has given us everything, sweetness.”
“That’s pretty nice of me,” she says with a sniffle.
“The sweetest,” I agree, pressing my mouth to her.
This woman is the heart of this family. Fuck, she’s my whole damn heart. A heart that had turned cold and was filled with anger until she’d come home.
Now it beats just for her, and she beats for us all.
