A Bump in the Road (46 page)

Good thing Jake walked in right then because she pretty much blamed him for everything. Before she left, I asked her to bring Baby Girl back, seeing as how I was practically on lockdown now. I looked
at Jake, shaking snow out of his hair and dusting off his shoulders. I felt like there were so many things that I wanted to say to him—how I love him, how he’s the best husband ever, how lucky I feel to have him, etc., but Star Jones appeared with Baby Girl. Jake lifted her out of the bassinet and walked over to me and placed her in my arms. She was asleep, sighing occasionally, dreaming about Lord knows what, probably giant bottles or boobs or something.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” I asked Jake smugly.

“Absolutely. The best-lookin’ kid around,” he said proudly, touching her teeny-tiny fingernails.

We’re pretty sure she’s going to be a supermodel.

“Come here,” I said, and tugged on his shirt and scooted over in bed.

“In bed?” He looked at me quizzically.

“Yes. Right here.” I patted the bed next to me.

He hoisted himself into bed and laid his head down on the pillow. Our faces were inches apart. We gazed down at our daughter.

“Hey, I thought of a name,” Jake said.

Oh, man, here it comes
, I thought.

“What about Sara?”

Sara. No ’80s movies or television shows flashed in my head. It was a miracle.

Baby Sara.

I knew.

“Baby Sara,” I whispered. I looked down at our baby and she gave another little half sigh and I knew she approved. “Baby Sara,” I said firmly, and nodded.

We lay there for a while, silently admiring Sara, occasionally looking at each other with grins that couldn’t possibly convey our emotions.

I closed my eyes and lay back. I thought back to when I found out I was pregnant, back to the moment when everything changed. I was so scared. Scared of what my body would become, of what I would be like, of how Jake would cope, of how we were going to figure all of it out.

I looked at Jake, now soundly asleep, and Baby Sara, who was just beginning to stir.

I would do it all over again.

“I love you both,” I whispered to my husband and daughter.

I feel like this is when my life really begins. Everything else has just been preamble, albeit a long, drunken, very fun preamble.

Sam was right. My life is sort of decided now.

But in a really great way.