I’m pretty sure we can manage though. Cynthia is young, but she’s competent. I know she’ll adapt to motherhood like a pro, even with her studies.
And even if she’s overwhelmed, I’ll make sure I ease the load. I can easily lower my hours of working, and stay at home with the baby. I intend to commit wholeheartedly to fatherhood.
No matter what it takes, Cynthia and I and our child are going to be happy.
I stare at the ceiling and shake my head in bemusement. Two months ago, she was just the college student next door that I thought was attractive. Now I’m ready to move towns and change my entire lifestyle for her, and she’s worth it. She’s changed me. Or rather, she has fixed something inside me that was broken long ago. With her by my side, I’m a new man.
It’s going to be different this time. I’m a better person, and I’m more prepared to commit to one woman. Cynthia is different too. She’s special. I understand and admire her, and I feel like she understands me as well.
And I can’t wait to tell her all about my plans for us in the morning.
Epilogue
Cynthia
One Year Later
I take a deep breath as I emerge from the underground subway station. Even after a full ten months of being a New Yorker, I’m still not used to crowded and noisy subway. Nate says I need to give it another fifteen years or so.
Luckily, I adore everything else about the city. I love all the restaurants and the bustling streets. I like my classes and the wide range of medical students I’ve met.
Most of all, I love exploring the city with Nate and now Matthew, our son.
The day he was born was the craziest but happiest day of my life.
The one perk of being an insanely young mother was that my pregnancy was pretty easy. I didn’t have to worry about any of the risks that might face an older woman having a baby. Instead, I just had to stress about things like telling my mother I was moving in with my much older boyfriend who used to be my landlord and, oh yeah, I was pregnant with his child.
She was shocked, understandably. But once she got used to the idea and was able to spend time with Nate and see how well he takes care of me, she came round. When I was about five months, she confessed to me that she’s actually glad I was having a baby earlier than planned because during her cancer, one of her greatest fears was that she would never get to meet her grandchildren. That made me cry, but at that point, thanks to the pregnancy hormones, everything was making me cry.
Nate was right though. I managed to excel in my classes and take care of my unborn baby throughout my pregnancy. Of course, he was a massive help. He took care of so many of the logistics of moving to New York, and arranging doctor’s appointments. He told me over and over that all I had to worry about was my studies. Even on my darkest days, when I was feeling too exhausted to continue, he assured me that I was going to be a doctor.
Then I had Matthew, and I knew that every struggle of the pregnancy had been worth it. Because he’s amazing. Nate is just as obsessed. He’s been doting over our child since the second the newborn was placed in his arms.
My phone buzzes, and I look down. It’s a text from Becca about the new guy she’s seeing. I shake my head and smile. I’ll respond once I get home. And after I give Matthew several hundred kisses. I miss him when I’m at classes, but luckily, summer break is about to start. I’m still doing a few courses, but I’ll have much more time to spend with my darling baby.
Becca and I have kept in good touch over the last year. Strangely, she was not as shocked when I told her about Nate before graduation. She admitted that she knew something was up with me, she just couldn’t figure it out. She said it made sense I was with an older guy.
“You were always too mature for the guys our age,” she joked.
I turn the corner onto our block, and I pick up my pace. No matter how long my day of school has been, I always get so excited and re-energized when I get home. Everyone says being a new mother is exhausting, and it’s true, but the joy Matthew gives me rejuvenates me. Besides, Nate never lets me get too tired. He always insists on getting up when Matthew cries in the night and doing so much of the childcare.
I breeze through the doors of our apartment building and wave to the doorman as I head to the elevator.
Once I get to our floor, I’m practically skipping with excitement.
“I’m home!” I cry.
I kick off my ballet flats and toss my bag on the bench before scampering through our living room and into the kitchen, where Nate is stirring a pot of something that smells delicious, and Matthew is giggling in his high chair.
He shrikes in delight when he sees me and waves his little fists in my direction. I run first to him and kiss him all over until he is laughing uncontrollably. Then I turn to Nate. He wraps his arm around my waist and kisses me on the mouth.
I melt against him. Every single day, I just love him more.
“How was school?” he asks.
“Good,” I say. “I did well on that exam last week.”
“I knew you would.” Nate gives me a wink.
I turn back to my baby, and sit down in the chair next to him. Matthew is messing around with a little bowl of formula, but
