Between The Sheets Part 17

"Next, I'd like to introduce the new additions to our staff."

"We should have told him about the babies," Shel says. "This would've been a perfect time to make the announcement."

Matt arches a brow at her. "I told you guys that a million times," he whispers.

The princ.i.p.al introduces five new teachers and two instructional a.s.sistants. All seven stand as he calls their names and gives their educational background.

"And last, I'd like to invite back one of our own." Quickly, my mind starts thinking back to any past staff member who left and would come back. "This young man has deep roots in our community. He graduated from here not too long ago, and he even has a sibling who teaches here as well." I look around trying to figure out who'd get their brother a job. The majority of the teachers at this school are alums so it could be anyone. "For the past ten years, he's been a major influence in the art community in the Bay Area, working with their talented youth." I glance at Shel, and a tear slides down her cheek. "We're very lucky that his heart led him back home." From the back row, all I can see are the backs of every ones' heads. I can't take it. I stand to get a better look. "And we're even happier that he's willing to share this very special moment in his life with us. Let me introduce to you our new art teacher, Tyler Gelson."

And there he is. All six feet of him, getting to his feet, and towering over our princ.i.p.al. In his dark jeans and Tiger t-s.h.i.+rt, he looks adorable. Our eyes fix on each other, and a smile spreads across his face.

"Thank you for the nice intro. As you can tell by my last name, I'm Sh.e.l.ly Fuller's brother. It was mentioned that my heart led me back here. And that's true. Melissa, can you please come up here with me?"

It's as if my feet are bolted to the floor.

"Go," Shel says, taking my tea from my hand. I look down at her, as tears roll down my cheeks. d.a.m.n hormones. "Just go, Mel." She stands next to me. "Sorry, brother. I think she's in shock. For the first time in her life, she's speechless." The staff laughs at this and so do I.

"Good one," I tell her. "Is that really Ty? Or am I having a prego moment and seeing things?" I whisper in her ear.

"That's him. He's here. He came back home for you. Now, go get him." She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tight.

"Stop making the poor guy wait," someone shouts.

With my jacket closed loosely in front of me, I make my way to Tyler.

When I reach him, he takes my left hand in his. "Last year, I was able to witness that spectacular proposal Matt planned for my sister. I'm not quite sure I can top it, but I thought I'd try and surprise you. And by the looks of it, I think my plan worked." He presses a kiss to my temple. "Melly Belly, you're the first girl I ever loved. And the last one. We kind of screwed things up with our lack of communication. My plan all along has been to move back home to be with you. I should have told you the first time you came up to visit, but I wanted to surprise you."

"You did?"

"Yes. When you came to visit the second time, I had already resigned from my job and put in an offer on a house a few blocks from my sister. I already moved in."

"You did?"

"Yes. I did. I want to be here with you. You're my life. You're my heart. You're my home," he says before going down on one knee. Holy s.h.i.+t. "Tell me you'll marry me." His eyes are wet, and he's holding a little blue box in his palm. A single heart-shaped diamond pokes out of the top. It's gorgeous. "Mel?"

I wipe my eyes with my free hand, and murmur, "There's something I need to tell you."

The worried expression on his face breaks my heart. "Whatever it is, it'll be okay. I love you."

Slowly, I undo the two b.u.t.tons on the front of my jacket and open it. "Are you sure I'm the only girl you'll ever love?"

He glances down at my b.u.mp and his eyes widen more than I've ever seen before. "Holy s.h.i.+t, Mel. She's a girl? Oh my G.o.d, I love you." He places a hand on my belly and leans in to sprinkle it with kisses. "And I love her." He points to my b.u.mp. "My baby girl is in there," he calls out to our colleagues. "Can I put this ring on your finger yet so I can stand up and kiss you silly?"

"Yes, Tyler. Yes. Kiss me silly."

As he slides the ring on my finger, the staff erupts with cheers and whistles.

"I love you, baby. I want to spend the rest of my life kissing you silly and painting pictures of our family."

More catcalls from the staff.

"It's great to be home," he shouts, turning to the crowd. "We're getting married and having a baby girl." His gaze falls to me with a silly grin. "Who wants to go to Vegas?"

Epilogue Melissa

I kiss my husband on the lips and my princess on the top of her cute little head before I rush in to see my best friend.

Before I go, I take a second look at my beautiful family and know that this will never get old. After Ty proposed, we jumped in the car and headed for Vegas for our shotgun wedding. My parents, his parents, and Shel and Matt joined us along with a few friends from work. And Mer and Der made the trip too. We got there Friday night, got hitched on Sat.u.r.day, came home on Sunday and school started on Monday. It was a wild ride but I wouldn't change a thing.

I glance at Ty who smiles endlessly at Mia, and my heart does a little dance. I reach out and brush my fingertips through her baby fine hair.

"d.a.m.n my dominant genes," I say as I admire my baby girl. "I so wanted her to have your blond hair and light eyes."

He snuggles his face close to hers and kisses her tiny nose. "No way, I love seeing you when I look at her. It's going to be no fun when she's sixteen and looks at me with these big brown eyes."

"She's gonna have you wrapped around her little finger."

He winks at me with that s.e.xy as h.e.l.l grin. "Just like her mama."

I stand on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "I can think of a few things I'd like to wrap around you."

"So can I. Two weeks more, babe. I can't wait." We both laugh. "Now, go. Before my sister kills both of us."

"Oh, yeah. Stop distracting me."

He bends down and kisses me again before I rush off. But this time I really do leave his side ... when I see my mother-n-law coming down the hall.

"What took you so long?" she scolds me as soon as I run into the room.

"Your dumb a.s.s brother had to stop and pick up food." I don't dare say I was smooching him outside while she's in labor. "He said that after waiting eighteen hours for Mia to come, he knew better than to come to the hospital empty-handed."

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she groans. "I'm starving."

"Want some ice chips?" I ask, knowing that I was ready to beat Ty in the head with a block of ice when he suggested them to me. As if sucking on ice is going to make a pregnant woman less hungry.

"No, if I suck on one more, poor baby Noah is going to come out freezing his little nuts off."

"Nice, Shel."

She juts out her index finger at me. "Hey. Don't get all proper on me. Just because we're moms doesn't mean we have to be all snooty and boring."

"You got that right." I hold up my hand to give her a high five. "We're going to be the most hilarious moms ever."

She raises her hand and then stops suddenly. "Oh f.u.c.k. Here comes another one."

I glance at the monitors and sure enough, the contraction number is climbing. "What do you want me to do?"

"Kick my husband in the b.a.l.l.s. He should have to feel some of this too, right?"

I have to laugh at that one. I lean up against the rails of her bed and reach for her hand. "h.e.l.l yes. But until he gets back from giving your mom and dad an update, squeeze my hand."

She squeezes. Hard. "My mom's here?" Her face twists up. I know how she feels.

I'm just the daughter-n-law and I was ready to ban her from the hospital. She means well, but I just wish she'd mean well silently. If she would have tried to cover me with one more cold towel thinking it was calming me, I would have gone certifiably insane. Then I would have had to have my baby in jail because I would've been arrested for murder. Ty finally got the hint and got her the h.e.l.l away from me. His dad though could have stayed all day. He's like a big cuddly bear.

When the contraction is over, I finally answer her. "Yeah, but she's staying in the waiting room until after the baby is born. We kind of fibbed and told her your doctor is a real hard a.s.s and doesn't let anyone in but the father."

"Where does she think you are?"

"I don't know. I told Ty to make something up. I'm sure she's bonding with Mia by now, trying to fix her so she is dressed appropriately and her hair is perfection."

Shel relaxes, resting her head back on her pillows. "Better you than me."

I notice her face twisting up again. She nods and I grab her hand. "Just try to breathe in and out. Steady, Sh.e.l.ly. Steady. In. Out. In. Out."

She looks me in the eye and my heart breaks for the pain she has to endure. Childbirth is no freaking picnic. She works the breathing technique like a champ until the hurt fades away.

"My mom says I'll forget the pain as soon as I see Noah's face."

I laugh so hard I snort. "Well, you're mom lied. I can still remember the pain and Mia is almost five weeks old. I'll never forget that. In fact, every time I look at that monitor over there my uterus cries out in protest."

"You should have lied to me too."

"Hey. You'll get through it. And just think. When it's over, we'll both be mommies."

Four hours and an epidural later, Shel's ready for delivery. It was crazy for a minute there. I thought I was going to lose a finger but she finally dilated enough to get the good drugs. At first, she was afraid her labor would slow down but then I reminded her that she wasn't going to get a Brownie patch for giving birth drug free so she called for a nurse and took her up on the offer.

The doctor has been called to make the catch so we have to wait for him to arrive. In the meantime, the nurses are in the midst of transforming the room from what looked like a bedroom moments ago to what is now a surgical suite. A giant flood light comes down from the ceiling and I take that as my cue to move from my position at the foot of Shel's bed.

"No, stay." Shel stops me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay, but I've managed my whole life to not see your t.w.a.t, so don't break my streak. That's all Matt."

He shakes his head at me and my friend lets out a laugh. "Just come up here, sicko."

I glance over at her husband who has just taken a peek on the other side of the curtain. "On second thought, he may never go there again."

He wipes his brow and tries making a joke. "It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it."

Tough, my a.s.s. I may never forget the pain of childbirth but for some reason, like maybe blue b.a.l.l.s, men forget all about seeing their wife's hoohas stretched out in a b.l.o.o.d.y mess when that egg timer goes off six weeks later and the doctor gives the "all clear" signal. It's like their d.i.c.ks get hard on cue. So I doubt Matt will think it's a tough job when it comes time to get back to action again. I know for a fact my husband is counting down the days.

The doctor has arrived and it's time to push. He calls out directions. Matt holds one of Shel's hands while I hold the other.

It's beautiful watching him comfort her. "Okay, baby. You can do this." He brushes the hair from her face and kisses her forehead. "We're going to push again. Look at me, and on the count of three. One. Two. Three." My friend clinches her teeth and grunts, pus.h.i.+ng with all her might till she can't anymore. Matt tells her he loves her, kisses her forehead, and when it's time, they start again.

On the fourth push, baby Noah is born.

Matt cuts the cord and the little guy is placed on Sh.e.l.ly's chest.

All eight pounds, two ounces, and 21 inches of him. He's a big boy. Mia finally hit eight pounds at her last appointment. She was a tiny little thing compared to this linebacker.

I can't help but get choked up. Tears slide down my cheeks as I watch the new family get acquainted.

Shel looks over at me with gla.s.sy eyes and says to her newborn baby, "Noah, meet your Auntie Melly Belly."

"Hi, baby Noah." My words come out as a squeak. "Congratulations, Shel. Matt. I love you guys."

"I love you too," she says. "Thank you for being here."

"You were there for me too. I wouldn't have missed it."

"I can't wait to do it again," she says through tears. Matt's eyes look like they're about to pop out of his head.

She's crazy. I'm in no hurry. I have my little princess and I want to enjoy her as long as possible. In fact, I need to see her right now. "I'm gonna go. I'll be back in a bit."

"It took some master ninja skills but I did it, little sister." Tyler leans down and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

"What's that?" she says.

"Surprise," I reveal myself from behind my husband, and I'm holding our baby girl.

Shel squeals with happiness. "I can't believe you got her in."

"Shh," Ty whispers.

"Well, bring over my niece," Matt says. Ty takes her from my hands and snuggles her to his chest. He walks around Shel's bed to stand next to his brother-n-law. "Noah, let me introduce you to your cousin. This is Mia."

"Baby Mia," Ty says in his soft daddy voice. "This is your baby cousin, Noah." The two men hold their babies close together. Mia has a head full of dark hair. Noah has a soft thin patch of blond. "He may be younger than you, but he's going to be like a big brother and always protect you. Just like I did for his mama."

I glance at Shel and we're both sobbing fools.

"Look at that," Sh.e.l.l says.