“Now, where are we on grandchildren?”
“Jesus, Rebecca. Let them breathe for a minute, alright?” Alec comes up beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder but giving her an incredulous look. He’s recovered well since his heart attack and looks more energetic than ever now that he’s not working. “They just got married.”
“Not just. They’ve been married for a while now.”
“Mom, give us a little time, okay? But I promise, there will be grandchildren soon.” Hayes winks at me as I fight off my blush. We’ve definitely talked about starting a family in the next year. But for right now, we’re enjoying our time, just the two of us, practicing making babies for now and dedicating energy to our careers.
“Fine. But no one’s getting any younger here is all I’m saying,” she chides, tossing her hands in the air before traipsing off.
As the rest of the people come through the line and congratulate us, I lose track of time until I realize I need to use the restroom badly.
“Emma!” I shout at my best friend. “I need your help.” I thumb over my shoulder toward the bathroom and she nods in acknowledgment. We practiced her helping me use the restroom in this dress, so she follows close behind until we arrive at the bathroom for me to do my business.
When we exit the restroom, I see a crowd gathered in the main living room at the front of the house, and then the sound of a piano echoes in the room.
“Waverly Weston, you’re needed by the piano,” Hayes’s voice rings out over a microphone.
Traipsing slowly across the hardwood, the crowd parts to allow me through and reveal my husband looking smug as always as he starts playing a melody softly while keeping his eyes glued to me.
“What are you doing?” I whisper as he starts to play the opening notes to Amazed by Lonestar.
“I’m serenading my wife.”
“But you don’t play in front of people,” I counter.
“Yes, but it’s our wedding day… well, our second one, and I don’t want you to forget it.”
Tilting my head at him in awe, I take a seat next to him on the bench as he continues to play the song. Hayes doesn’t sing, but the words start to filter through the speakers in the house and outside to accompany his performance.
“I love you,” I say just loud enough for him to hear me as I rest my head on his shoulder and place my hand on his bicep.
“I love you more, Waverly. Thank you for marrying me again.”
And then I soak up the moment, pretending it’s just the two of us at home and he’s playing just for me, even though I know every woman here has to be swooning just as hard as I am at this gesture from my husband.
When Hayes finishes, applause cascades through the crowd and when we stand, Hayes tips me back and lays a passionate kiss on my lips. It seals the event and makes my heart trip even harder for this man. At this rate, I’m ready for the wedding to be over so we can be alone and I can thank him properly for his performance.
“Look at you, Mrs. Weston.” Chloe strides up to us when we part, grinning from ear to ear.
“Hey, Chloe. You having a good time?”
“Those vows were amazing, you guys. Seriously, most entertaining wedding ceremony I’ve ever been to.” She takes a bite of her coconut shrimp as Shayla and Wes arrive next to us as well.
Shayla gasps. “Hey, I take offense to that.”
“Yeah, I know you could definitely feel the love between Shayla and me,” Wes adds as he clings to his wife.
“Don’t get me wrong, the mushy stuff serves a purpose. But promising to close kitchen cupboards and put caps on pens? That’s original.” She points a finger at Shayla, but then her mouth stops moving and her eyes widen.
“Chloe? What’s wrong?”
Chloe mumbles something incoherent and then races down the hallway with her hand covering her mouth.
“Maybe I don’t want the shrimp after all, babe,” Wes says, placing his shrimp back on the tray the waitress was carrying as she passed us by.
“That was weird. I should go check on her.” Shayla starts walking in the direction Chloe ran, and I look over to Hayes.
“I’m going to check on her too. I’ll be right back.” I kiss him on the cheek and then follow after my sister-in-law.
Shayla knocks on the outside of the bathroom door just as I reach her. “Chloe?”
“I’m okay,” she barks back just as we hear the toilet flush. The sink turns on for a few minutes, and then Chloe is opening the door, looking pale and sweaty.
“Chloe. You look horrible. Do you want to lie down?”
She brushes her wild hair from her face, the loose curls that have fallen from her up-do. “No, I’m fine. I just… haven’t felt very well for a few days, but that’s the first time I’ve gotten sick.”
“When did you start feeling like crap?” Shayla asks as we all stand in the hallway and block the doorway to the bathroom.
“Uh, probably a week ago. I thought it was just a stomach bug, but the nausea hasn’t really let up.”
Shayla’s eyes dart to me as quickly as I glance back at her. “Chloe, when was your last period?” Shayla whispers.
But Chloe just rolls her eyes. “Please, Shayla. I’m not pregnant. You have to have sex to get…” And then her eyes bug out and her hand clasps over her mouth again.
“Come here.” I grab both of their hands and rush them down the hall to the guest room where I got ready for the wedding so we can have this conversation in private. Slamming the door shut, I lead Chloe to sit on the edge of the bed as she hunches over and tries to get her breathing under control.
“Chloe, just breathe. Deep breaths,” I suggest as I mimic the process myself. “Now, when was your last period?”
“I… I don’t know. It
