Random Encounter by Allyson Lindt

Epilogue

1 YearLater

Phillip

Dustin and I stood on either side of the closed bathroom door, waiting impatiently. Adrienne was insistent that she loved us both, but no way was anyone watching her pee on a stick.

At the sound of the doorknob turning, I forced myself to breathe. Adrienne moved back to sit on the edge of the tub, pregnancy test in hand. “Now we wait for five minutes.”

Right. Five minutes was nothing. Except we were five seconds in, and I already knew this would be the longest five minutes of my life since the last time I waited for pregnancy results.

Adrienne had been living here almost since we all exchanged I love yous, and early on she and I had an agreement—I’d get therapy for past trauma if she’d do the same. I’d insisted I was doing it for her, and confronting my grief had fucking hurt, but I was grateful both of us did it.

Healthier coping mechanisms didn’t stop my memory from drifting toward having gone through this before, and from the vow I’d made that I’d never do it again.

That was before these two, though.

Dustin, Adrienne, and I had talked about this decision at length. About six months ago, about the time Dustin finally sold his house and moved in with us, we’d stopped using any sort of birth control. We didn’t plan to see who the biological father was—Dustin and I would both be Dad.

But when Adrienne missed her period and had hints of morning sickness, I’d been struck with an ache of familiar that hadn’t completely left.

Adrienne looked up. Five minutes already? One corner of her mouth tugged up, and the air was forced from my lungs in anticipation, despite knowing what she was about to say.

“It’s positive.” Disbelief and excitement buoyed her words.

My heart leaped into my throat.

Dustin let out a loud whoop and scooped Adrienne into his arms.

I’d never thought… I didn’t…

“Are you all right?” Adrienne extracted herself from Dustin and rested a hand on my cheek. “Is this all right?”

At her touch and soft voice, my smile and relief surfaced. “This is better than all right.” Joy and warmth flooded me. “This is incredible.” I drew her into a tight embrace and brushed my lips over hers. “This is incredible. This is… God, I love you.”

“I’m thinking mural in the baby’s room,” Dustin said.

“What kind of mural?” Adrienne pulled my arms around her and turned to face him, leaning into me. “No Aliens until they’re old enough to ask for them.”

Dustin stared at her in disbelief. “Give me some credit. I’m thinking water dragons and radish spirits and giant fluffy creatures.”

“Creatures sounds dark.” I was teasing. I had a feeling he meant more like cotton balls with feet.

“Cute creatures.”

I laughed. Two years ago, I couldn’t have imagined letting myself live through these experiences again, and now I couldn’t imagine not having them. I was so grateful I hadn’t let this pass me by. That Dustin and Adrienne hadn’t let me pass them by.

Adrienne

When the doorbell rang, Dustin told me not to move, he had this. Phillip probably would have done the same, but he’d already decided I needed more herbal tea.

At five months pregnant, I was far from incapable of moving around the house, despite sometimes feeling I was waddling like a penguin, but they both pampered me and that was hard to complain about.

I heard Dustin answer the front door, and a chorus of voices drifted back.

A moment later, the patter of feet was accompanied by Phillip and Daria both calling, “No running in the house.”

“Addie.” Harmony bounced onto the couch next to me and threw her arms around my neck. “Only four more months until the baby. Did you pick a name yet? I drew you a picture. Can I hang it in the baby’s room? I—”

“Harmony, hon, you have to give her time to answer each question,” Daria said from behind me.

“Okay.” Harmony slid down the cushions and landed on her feet. “Where’s your Christmas tree?”

Phillip set my tea on the coffee table and took the seat next to me. “In the basement. In its box.”

Alana dropped into one of the chairs with a huff. “Not everyone puts their tree up early like a spaz.”

Harmony mimicked the sound and crossed her arms. “Not everyone minds being a spaz.”

They’d grown so much in just a year and a half, but they were still the same wonderful girls.

“We haven’t put it up yet, because we need help.” Dustin stopped next to Harmony. “You’d better be offering to help.”

Alana rolled her eyes.

“Okay. Come on.” Harmony grabbed Dustin’s hand and tugged him toward the basement.

He glanced at Phillip. “I’m going to need help with the ornaments.”

Phillip kissed me on the cheek before standing. “On it.”

As the three of them headed downstairs, Daria settled next to me. “How are you holding up?”

“I’ve never had as many foot rubs in my entire life as in the last few months. Not that I’m complaining.”

“Lucky bitch.” Daria’s tone was light. I adored her company. As far as sisters-in-law went, she was up there with Luna in terms of awesome—for different reasons—even if neither relationship was officially by marriage.

I grinned at the teasing. “I’ll loan you Phillip for the day, if you need.”

“Right. Like he’s going to leave your side for more than five minutes anytime in the near future.”

That was probably true.

“Where are we putting this?” Dustin’s voice echoed from the stairwell.

Harmony ran into the room, a single box of ornaments in hand, and stopped in an empty corner near the fireplace. “This is where it went last year. It should go here again.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Dustin set about securing the artificial tree in place. “All yours.”

Phillip set two large plastic storage boxes on the ground and opened both. “Make it pretty.”

“Everyone has to help. Even Alana,” Harmony announced. She skipped to the couch and grabbed both my hand and Daria’s, and tugged.

A flutter moved through my belly, and I gasped, my hands flying to the sensation.

“Are you all right?” Phillip and Dustin asked at the same time.

I was glad they’d already put down what they were carrying. They were adorably attentive. “I’m fine,” I assured them. “I think the baby’s kicking.”

Alana’s eyes grew wide. “I wanna feel.”

“Does it hurt?” Harmony sounded concerned.

“Okay, and no. Here.” I grasped Harmony’s hand and rested it on my stomach, where I’d felt the sensation. “Give it a minute.”

Her face screwed up in intense focus. When another soft thump came from inside, she giggled. “It moved.”

“My turn.” Alana was insistent.

I let her rest her hand on my belly, too. At the next kick, her face lit up.

And then the expression vanished behind a blank mask. “When do you pull a Kane and it bursts from your stomach and gobbles faces?”

I swallowed a snort at the horrible visual, and Dustin winced.

“That doesn’t happen, does it? That’s not how babies are born.” Now Harmony was horrified. “Moooom. Make her stop.”

“No, that doesn’t happen.” Daria pulled Harmony into her lap, and glared at Dustin. “Alien? Really?”

Dustin shrugged. “She said you’d already let her see it. And I waited until Harmony went to bed.” At least he had the sense to look sheepish.

Daria rolled her eyes, and set Harmony back on the ground. “Babies don’t burst out of tummies like in the movie Alien. I promise. Addie will be fine. Go decorate the tree.”

“Okay.” Harmony ran back to the box of ornaments.

I joined in as we placed ornaments around the tree, trying to get at least half as many up high as Harmony hung on the bottom branches.

It was true that this wasn’t my only family—my parents were wonderful, Graham and his partners were amazing, but this was different. This was a kind of closeness I couldn’t have possibly have dreamed of a few years ago. When I was with Sean, especially after the cracks started to show in our relationship, I thought a life like this was out of my grasp.

I was so grateful it wasn’t. This relationship, this reality, was the most incredible thing ever.

Dustin

I couldn’t help but pace in the hospital waiting room. It wasn’t fair that Phillip and I were out here, and Addie was in a delivery room by herself.

Okay, not technically by herself. She was surrounded by a doctor, nurses, an anesthesiologist… But we should be in there with her. We’d been told one of us could be during delivery.

The doctor had changed her mind after Addie when into labor, and kicked both Phillip and me out. The c-section was planned, but because the baby was breach, and other things the doctor saw that she wasn’t sharing, there was a concern about complications and possibly needing general anesthesia.

Phillip was sitting in a chair, flipping through a magazine and pretending this didn’t have him wound tighter than a spring. The fact that his leg hadn’t stopped bouncing since he sat down indicated otherwise.

My internal scream escaped in a loud groan, and the couple of other people waiting on their own baby news shot me sympathetic looks.

I jumped, startled, when Phillip pressed into my back and wrapped his arms around my waist. “She’s fine. They’ll be fine. Better than fine.”

You don’t know that. I swallowed the retort—exactly the wrong thing to say, especially to him. “I know.”

“I get it.” He sighed and pressed his head to the back of mine.

I resigned myself to sitting and waiting, but I wasn’t any more still than Phillip was.

When the doctor stepped into the waiting room, we were on our feet in an instant. She approached with a smile. As soon as she reached us, she said, “Both momma and baby are doing great. Fine and healthy.”

My laugh of relief slipped out before I could stop it. I kept half an ear on the rest of what the doctor said—enough to pick up instructions and be reminded of what came next—but I was mostly waiting for her to say one thing.

“Would you like to meet your son?”

That was it.

Hours later—Iwasn’t paying attention to how much time had passed—I still couldn’t get over how amazing this was. Addie was asleep in bed, looking as beautiful as I’d ever seen her. Phillip had gone to grab himself and me some food. And I was holding the baby. Again. This tiny little bundle of life nestled in my arms.

I’d been there when both of my nieces came home from the hospital, but this was different.

I cradled our baby, marveling at this tiny life we’d created. This sweet little soul we got to help grow up in this world.

Phillip returned, and set something pre-packaged on the table next to me. I looked at our baby boy, and then Phillip and Addie. This was nothing short of amazingly miraculous.

With the future stretching out in front of me—us—life had never been more incredible.

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