Chapter 122 Settling Down
CAITLYN'S POV
A few weeks later, I was standing in the middle of our new living room surrounded by boxes. We had officially moved into a new apartment. We were still unpacking. Still trying to figure out where everything should go. Still trying to make this place feel like home.
"Where do you want this?" Jason asked. He was holding a lamp. One we had bought together at a furniture store last week.
"Next to the couch," I said. "On the end table."
Jason put the lamp down and plugged it in. Turned it on. The soft light filled the room and suddenly it looked more cozy. More like home.
"That looks good," I said. "Really good."
"It does," Jason said. He looked around. "This place is starting to come together."
"It is," I said. "I cannot believe this is ours. Our first real home together."
"Our first home," Jason repeated. "Not my place. Not your place. Ours."
"Ours," I said. I loved the sound of that. "This is the first time I have ever had a place that was truly mine. That I chose. That I decorated. That I made into a home."
"What about when you lived with Hayes?" Jason asked. "Did you not get to decorate?"
"No," I said. "Collin hired an interior designer. Picked everything himself. I had no say. The house was beautiful but it did not feel like mine. It felt like a museum. Cold. Impersonal."
"This is different," Jason said. "This is warm. Personal. Ours."
"It is," I said. "And I love it. Even with all the boxes and mess. I love it because it is ours."
Jason came over and wrapped his arms around me from behind. Put his hands on my stomach. The baby kicked and we both smiled.
"Baby likes the new place," Jason said.
"Baby likes being close to you," I said. "Whenever you touch my stomach the baby starts kicking."
"Because the baby knows I am daddy," Jason said. "Right little one? You know who daddy is."
The baby kicked again and I laughed.
"See?" Jason said. "Baby knows."
We stood there for a minute just holding each other. Looking around at our new home. Our new life.
"We should work on the nursery," I said. "We only have two months until the baby comes. We need to get it ready."
"Let us do it now," Jason said. "Let us start putting together the nursery."
"Now?" I asked. "We have so many other boxes to unpack."
"Those can wait," Jason said. "The nursery is more important. Come on. Let me show you what I am thinking."
He took my hand and led me down the hallway to the second bedroom. It was smaller than our bedroom but still a good size. Perfect for a nursery. There were boxes stacked in the corner. Baby furniture that we had ordered. A crib. A changing table. A rocking chair.
"I was thinking we could put the crib here," Jason said pointing to the wall opposite the door. "And the changing table here. And the rocking chair by the window so you can look outside while you feed the baby."
"That sounds perfect," I said. "What about colors? What should we paint the walls?"
"What do you want?" Jason asked. "Do you want to know if it is a boy or a girl first? Or do you want to keep it neutral?"
"I want to know," I said. "I have my next ultrasound in two days. They said they can tell us the gender. Do you want to know?"
"I do," Jason said. "I want to know so we can plan. So we can pick out clothes and decorate properly. So we can start calling the baby by name instead of just baby."
"Me too," I said. "I want to know. Want to be able to picture our child. Want to start bonding."
"Okay," Jason said. "So in two days we find out. And then we can paint and decorate and make this room perfect."
"I am nervous," I said. "About finding out. What if I am disappointed? What if I was hoping for one and we are having the other?"
"Then you will love them anyway," Jason said. "Because it does not matter if it is a boy or a girl. What matters is that the baby is healthy. That is all that matters."
"You are right," I said. "Healthy is all that matters."
We started unpacking the boxes in the nursery. Pulling out baby clothes. Blankets. Toys. Things people had given us at a small baby shower Sarah had thrown last week. It was overwhelming seeing all this stuff. All these things for a tiny person who was not even here yet.
"Look at this," Jason said. He was holding up a tiny onesie. It had a motorcycle on it and said Little Rider. "Tommy got us this. Is it not the cutest thing you have ever seen?"
"It is adorable," I said. "Tommy is going to be such a good uncle."
"He is," Jason said. "He is already so excited. Keeps asking when the baby is coming. When he can hold the baby. When he can teach the baby to ride a bike."
"The baby is not even born yet and already has so many people who love them," I said. "That is special. That is something I never had growing up."
"What do you mean?" Jason asked.
"I did not have family," I said. "I grew up in foster care. Moved around a lot. Never had anyone who really cared about me. Never had aunts or uncles or grandparents. It was just me."
"I am sorry," Jason said. "I did not know that. You never talk about your childhood."
"Because there is not much to talk about," I said. "It was lonely. Hard. I learned early on that I could only rely on myself. That no one was going to save me. That I had to save myself."
"But now you have me," Jason said. "And you have Tommy and the crew and Sarah and everyone. You have family now. Real family."
"I do," I said. "And our baby is going to have a family too. Is going to have so many people who love them. Who wants to be part of their life? That makes me so happy."
"Me too," Jason said. "This baby is going to be so loved. So supported. So cared for. Everything we did not have."
We finished unpacking the boxes and stood back to look at the room. It was still empty. Still needed furniture assembled and walls painted. But it was starting to take shape. Starting to look like a nursery.
"This is really happening," I said. "We are really having a baby. In two months there is going to be a tiny person living here. Sleeping in this room. Needing us."
"It is really happening," Jason said. "And I cannot wait. I know it is going to be hard. I know we are not going to sleep. I know everything is going to change. But I cannot wait."
"Me neither," I said. "I am ready. Ready to meet our baby. Ready to be a mom. Ready for this next chapter."
"Ready for this next chapter," Jason repeated. "I like that. This is a new chapter. For both of us.
A fresh start. A new beginning."
"A new beginning," I said. "With you. With our baby. With our family."