Family celebration
Ethan
It had been a while since I'd slept so peacefully. The happiness of being able to live freely, far from Meredith, brought me a tranquility I never even thought I'd have. That viper had taken so many years of my life. I wasn't going to let her do the same to my wife and my unborn baby.
I was awakened by the sunlight streaming through the curtain and hitting me directly. Normally I'm bothered by these things, but this time even that didn't disturb my peace. Diana slept peacefully, her hand resting on her belly, which already showed signs of our little strawberry. That sight meant everything to me. My whole world was there, breathing calmly, and I knew I would do anything to keep it intact.
I kissed her forehead gently so as not to wake her and went to the kitchen. While preparing coffee, an idea began to form in my head: I wanted to bring together the people we loved in one place. My family knew Diana, but they didn't know her mother. And I wanted everything to be perfect, for everyone to see how amazing she was. Well, Dona Glória hadn't officially met me as her son-in-law yet, so I needed to make that happen.
I grabbed my phone and texted my mom:
"Mom, how about dinner at my house on Saturday? I want to get everyone together. It'll be special."
The reply came in seconds, with a heart emoji and a resounding:
"Sure! I'll bring wine."
The excitement was contagious. I called my dad right after.
"Dad, I need you to come over on Saturday. I want to officially introduce Diana's mother."
"Great, my son!" he laughed on the other end. "We'll be there. I'll bring your grandmother, because if I don't, she'll kill me."
When I hung up, I took a deep breath. I still had to tell Diana. I went back to the room and she was awake, sitting on the bed, scrolling on her phone.
"Good morning, my love," I said, sitting down beside her. "I need to tell you something."
She looked up, curious. Maybe even a little scared, after what we'd been through the last few weeks; it would be strange if she weren't frightened.
"What? Is everything alright?" I should have chosen my words better, instead of scaring her like that.
"Everything's fine, my love, I'm sorry for not being more specific."
"It's alright," Diana replied, getting up and sitting on the bed.
I smiled.
"I want to organize a dinner here at home on Saturday. I want my family to be here… and your mother to come too. I want everyone to meet."
She closed her eyes slightly; something seemed to be bothering her, but soon a hint of nervousness appeared.
"Ethan, my mother is… simple. I don't know if she'll feel comfortable meeting your family."
— Diana, I can't speak for your mother, but speaking for my family, they aren't like that. My parents came from humble beginnings, they worked very hard to achieve their own wealth. So please, talk to your mother, if you want I can talk to her myself.
She took a deep breath and smiled.
— Okay, my love, it's just nonsense on my part, I know your family is sweet. Well, almost everyone… Your stepmother isn't all that great. — I even laughed at that.
— So? — I asked.
— I'll call her. — Diana smiled excitedly.
— We can go pick her up. If you want. — I suggested.
— No, love, it's okay, we can send a car to pick her up. — Diana said smiling.
— If that's okay with you.
— Yes, because that way I can buy some things to make the guest room comfortable for her.
— Okay, then.
While I was planning dinner, something started to bother me: the place we were in didn't seem… enough.
I wanted more for her. More for us.
Diana was on the sofa, laptop on her lap, laughing at something on her phone while probably texting Carol. She seemed so light, so happy, that it almost made me swallow my own idea. Should I say this now? Maybe not. But I've never been good at holding back things that burn inside me.
"What do you think about us buying a new house?" I blurted out casually, like asking if she wants pizza for dinner.
Diana slowly looked up, and that expression… My God, it looked like I'd just proposed some crazy scheme with the government.
"Buy… a house? Ethan, don't you think you're exaggerating a little?"
I laughed, sitting down next to her and taking the laptop from her hands before she could use the screen as a shield.
"It's not an exaggeration." "It has nothing to do with the party, love. It's about us. About our family."
She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow; it was almost as if I were speaking Greek.
"Family? Ethan, we haven't even had the gender reveal party yet."
"Exactly for that reason," I retorted, taking her hand. "I want a real home. A place that's just ours, with space for a baby's room, with a garden, with a backyard. Maybe a red room. I want a place that has our story in every corner."
For a moment, she was silent. I... I could see the thoughts passing through her eyes, that glint that always appeared when she tried to pretend she was being rational, but her heart screamed louder.
"You talk as if you already have a perfect house in your head," she said, smiling slightly.
"Not yet," I confessed, laughing. "But I will find it. And it will be incredible."
She let out a short giggle, shaking her head.
"Sometimes you scare me. It seems like you're planning ten steps ahead."
"That's not it," I said, touching her face carefully. "It's just that I can't stop dreaming about everything I want to give you… to you both."
"My love," she paused, a little serious. "I love you. But don't you think we're going too fast?" She seemed very apprehensive, and I didn't know why she was apprehensive.
"Diana, what do you mean by too fast? You're pregnant! You're carrying a life! One that we both created. It's as much your responsibility as it is mine. I don't think we're going fast." In fact, the pregnancy wasn't planned, but that doesn't mean we have to pretend it doesn't exist. I'm even holding back because I know you. If it were up to me, we'd already be married and living in our own house.
— Ethan…
— Look, please… think about it, okay?— I moved closer to kiss her.
— Okay.— She answered, a little calmer. And I kissed her again.
When the kiss ended, she looked at her phone, excited.
— Now you can go back to planning dinner while I check the guest room to see what it needs. I'll need the cleaning lady's help.— Diana got up to go to the guest room.
— Since you mentioned it, my love, I think we should hire a housekeeper.— I said aloud.
— It's up to you.
— Great then.
While Diana was looking at the room, my phone vibrated with a message from an anonymous number. "Laugh while you can, be happy while you can. When this is over, nothing will stop your tears."
My eyes widened and my heart raced.