Hand-in-hand Hailey and Grant walked through the shaded, Memphis cemetery and across the churchyard. As they crossed the street to their car, they left the shade of the oak trees and stepped into the bright, afternoon sunshine.
Hailey glanced out the window of the service station across the street from the church as Grant pumped gas into their rental car. He had a look on his face that said he wished he was pumping gas into his Hummer back home instead of the dinky, white rent-a-ride they were stuck with, and Hailey rolled her eyes. She grabbed a pack of yellow Zingers and added them to her purchase on the counter. “It looks like my husband could use these,” she smiled as she handed the attendant her credit card.
“Thank you, Mrs. Cohen… you have a nice day,” the man behind the counter smiled as he handed Hailey back her card.
Hailey smiled as she quickly signed the receipt and took her bag of snacks. Mrs. Cohen she mused as she walked outside. She had been married for nearly a year now, but the sound of someone calling her Mrs. Cohen still sent shivers up her spine.
Randy and Jack were in front porch rockers, drinking sweet tea and enthralled in conversation about their golf games when Grant and Hailey pulled into the driveway of Granny Miller’s old house.
“Will that sight ever get less weird?” Grant raised his eyebrow toward their fathers.
Hailey laughed. “Who would have thunk it?” she shrugged happily.
Zach, his blond hair flopping, came running around the side of the house; Tori was close behind and giving chase.
Nora came rushing out the front door, still drying her hands on a dishtowel that she tossed onto the porch rail as she hurried down the stairs for hugs. “Rachel, Wally…the kids are here!” she called chipperly.
Zach ran to Grant and leapt into his arms; Grant raised him high in the air before showering him with kisses.
“How was the flight?” Nora asked Hailey.
“Awful,” Hailey wrinkled her nose. “Truly awful.”
“Oh, Grant, you’ve got your hands full with this one,” Jack laughed, shaking Grant’s hand before pulling him into a hug. “You finally talk her into flying from Boston instead of driving, and she’s already made up her mind ahead of time that she doesn’t like it.”
“No, Daddy!” Hailey said defensively. “It truly was awful…tell him, Grant!”
Grant laughed. “You wouldn’t believe it,” he rolled his eyes as they walked toward the house. He lowered Zach to the ground and bent down to give Tori a kiss on her forehead before the kids resumed their game. “The ride was bumpy; she was freaking out, and I kept saying, ‘it’s just turbulence, Baby’…well, we hit this major air pocket… and you know how you can usually kind of glance at the flight attendants to gauge the appropriate level of fear…well, this poor woman must have been new; it was possibly her first flight too…because I swear she was one step away from breaking into the sign of the cross. That was all it took! Hailey closed her eyes, started prayin’, and it’s a wonder I now have feeling back in my hand!”
Inside, Grant and Hailey were greeted with hugs from Rachel and Wally, who were also just in town for the weekend.
Rachel stared at her brother. “Look at you,” she said proudly. “You look amazing! My goodness, do you live at the gym?”
Grant shrugged as he did a playful twirl.
“Don’t think he doesn’t know it,” Hailey laughed with a dismissive swat of her hand. She cackled as her husband jokingly flexed his muscles.
“Look at him,” Rachel marveled proudly. “I mean it! Baby, you look healthy and fit and oh so grown-up!”
“You have a glow about you yourself, Rach,” Hailey commented as she reached for a bottle of water from the fridge. “Anything you want to tell us?”
“Well, we weren’t going to say anything yet,” Rachel beamed, “but, yes, I’m five weeks pregnant!”
“Oh, Rachel!” Nora exclaimed, hugging her daughter with a squeal.
There were hugs all around, then Randy nudged Hailey with his elbow as he chided, “how long before you two decide to add to our troops?”
“Whoa, kids are not on the table for us… at least not until I finish law school,” Grant scoffed.
“Well,” Hailey mimicked Rachel’s response, “I wasn’t going to say anything yet, but…” She glanced back at Grant, his forehead wrinkled, his eyes wide and his jaw slack. She slapped him playfully on the chest and laughed. “I’m just jokin’…breathe, Baby.”
A little over a year later, the moment Grant had scoffed at not so long before had arrived. At a hospital in Boston, Hailey was in the delivery room, her nails sinking into the skin of Grant’s hand. Grant had been studying when the baby blatantly disregarded Daddy’s plans and decided to make his entrance a week ahead of their agreed upon date. Now, standing next to his wife, trying to do his best to help her with her breathing exercises even if she wasn’t listening to him, Grant tried to shake off thoughts of school and focus on the undeniable fact that his life was changing right before his eyes. Ready or not…Hailey had started to push…his son was coming today!
Grant had never seen anything so amazing as the slippery, squirmy baby boy who was trying out his well-developed lungs for the very first time. Grant stared at the little creature…this new life, this fresh slate, this clear canvas, so innocent and pure of heart. In his father’s arms for the very first time, the baby seemed to startle; he stopped crying, and his eyes popped open. What Grant saw were his own eyes staring back at him.
Hailey gazed in awe at the life she and Grant had created. It didn’t seem real that this perfect baby she was holding could be hers. Her husband was a miracle…their baby was a miracle, a precious gift from above. It just didn’t seem possible that her life was this perfect.
Sitting next to his wife in bed, Grant watched his son sleeping in his mother’s arms. No make-up on and a tired smile that came from a place deep inside her, Hailey radiated true beauty as she held their child.
“This is unreal,” Grant said after a moment.
“I know,” Hailey cried.
“He is just a really good looking kid, right?” Grant said, intentionally making it into a question.
Hailey laughed.
“I mean it,” Grant shrugged honestly. “People always say that all babies are cute, but our kid’s gorgeous. It’s not just me, right? There is something different about him! He’s exceptionally handsome for a baby, right?”
Hailey laughed again, truly delighted.
“What?” Grant sighed.
