I stared down at the small box in my hands, trying to keep my breathing normal along with my heart rate. I didn’t know why I was so nervous; I should have been expecting this. To be honest, I was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. I sighed and glanced up at my reflection in the mirror, absentmindedly tapping my fingers against the sides of the box as I tried to muster up to courage to just open the damn thing. I had gotten home from the drugstore almost a half hour ago yet I had spent all this time just standing in the bathroom contemplating if I actually wanted to know for sure, I mean, I couldn’t deny that I was almost positive that what I was feeling was the real deal but I was still in that semi-blissful stage where it was only a hunch. As soon as I took this test though, and got the results, there was a chance that things would change and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that just yet.

Unfortunately I didn’t get much more time to decide because just then I heard the slam of the front door and I realized I had wasted too much time. Tony was now home from band practice and I would have to either wait to do this later – meaning I would have to hide the evidence – or I would have to tell him and I once again found myself not knowing which path I wanted to take. Once again though, I didn’t have much of a choice because as I heard footsteps coming closer and my name being called, I realized I had wasted too much time again. Naturally, I panicked, and did what any normal person would do in this situation.

I hid in the shower.

“Rori?” Tony called, his voice telling me he was now in our bedroom and only minutes, or rather seconds, away from finding me. ”Babe?”

I jumped and let out a small gasp as the shower curtain was suddenly pulled back and I looked up into the warm brown eyes of my husband. I had thankfully tucked the box into the back pocket of my jean shorts but now I had to come up with a good excuse as to why I was currently fully dressed and standing in the shower, hiding from him.

“What are you doing?” Tony asked with an amused, yet confused chuckle, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at me.

“You found me!” I cheered lamely, tossing my hands up in haphazard motion and grinning – probably like a weirdo.

Tony’s features turned even more puzzled. “Are you okay?” he questioned, concern in his voice.

“I’m great,” I said, once again my voice too enthused to appear normal and I grimaced as I stepped out of the tub and walked around him, carefully keeping my backside out of his view.

“Rori, what is going on?” Tony asked with another confused laugh. “And what are you hiding?”

“Nothing,” I said too quickly and too loudly and Tony rasied his eyebrows at me as I spun around, pressing my back against the wall.

“What are you hiding from me?” he repeated, not exactly mad but more curious and frustrated.

“What do you mean?” I asked, feigning innocence and smiling sweetly at him.

“You’re hiding something behind your back,” he explained, giving me a pointed look as he gestured to the way I was all but molded into the wall at this point.

“It’s nothing,” I lied.

He saw right through me though. “Rori, you’re starting to freak me out. What’s going on?”

I sighed. “Fine, it’s a tampon okay?”

Tony faced dropped and he crossed his arms. “Since when are you afraid to let me know when you’re on your lady business?” he challenged and I couldn’t help but smile at the term before I remembered what I was trying to hide and shrugged as I glanced down.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just have to force it out of you,” he said lowly and took a step toward me and my stomach immediately flipped with anxiousness as I understood what he meant. “Don’t make me tickle you.” he warned.

“Don’t.” I pleaded, looking up at him with wide eyes.

He smirked and took another step toward me, holding his hands out and wiggling his fingers. My stomach twisted in knots. It wasn’t that I was afraid of Tony – no, I could never be afraid of him – I was just afraid because I knew as soon as his fingers touched me I would cave and I was terrified of what his reaction would be when he found out. Sure, we had been married for almost seven months now and I knew that we hadn’t been taking precautions to prevent this but now that it was all finally happening, I was scared because this was a big deal.

I was right, as soon as Tony touched me I yelped and immediately brought my hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you!” I rushed, slightly panting - even though he had barely grazed me - and cursing myself internally for being so damn ticklish.

“Rori, what is it? You know you don’t have to be scared to tell me anything.” Tony said softly, though there was still a hint of playfulness in his tone.

“Don’t freak out,” I all but begged as I leaned away from the wall and pulled the box out of my back pocket before I cradled it in my hands and held it out in front of me, as if it were some type of present for him.

He glanced down and I watched as his face went through various emotions; confusion, surprise, more confusion, and even more shock before he finally settled on looking somewhat terrified and excited which was a strange sounding combination but for some reason, it calmed me. He wasn’t angry or disappointed and that made me relax, though not much.

“Is that…uh?”

“A pregnancy test.” I finished quietly.

He nodded his head slightly before he finally glanced up at me, a ghost of a smile lingering on his lips and a slight gleam in his eyes and I realized then just how stupid and childish I had been acting.

“You’re pregnant?” he asked, his voice holding that same shocked yet scared tone his face held but there was something else that I heard, something that made me smile. He was hopeful.

“I uh, I don’t know. I haven’t taken it yet. But I swear, something is happening to me. I’ve been feeling nauseous and I’m always fucking tired. I’ve gone to the bathroom nearly one hundred times today. My feet and boobs ache and I’ve been craving chicken nuggets like nobody’s business and I swear I can smell fucking everyth-“

“Rori,” Tony interrupted my rambling with a laugh. “Take the test you dork,” he said with a grin and I laughed, shaking my head.

“Right, okay.” I said, my laugh fading as my nerves took over.

“Rori, you stop freaking out okay, I’ll be right here.” He said, pulling me close and then kissing my forehead sweetly. “Well, not right here, I’ll give you your privacy but I’ll be right out the door, okay?” he said sweetly and I once again wondered why I thought he would be freaked out or upset. We had wanted this to happen, after all.

I nodded and gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile and he laughed lightly, leaning down and kissing my forehead again before he left the bathroom. He closed the door though it was still open a bit and I sighed as I headed for the toilet. I was grateful that he had allowed me to do this alone, I mean, after knowing the guy for half my life, there was hardly anything he had never seen me do and he had certainly seen me going to the bathroom plenty of times but there was something about this, about peeing on a stick that could possibly change our future, that seemed so intimate and nerve-racking that I appreciated his thoughtfulness of letting me have my privacy.

I took in a deep breath before I opened the box and read the instructions. I was twenty seven years old and this was the first time I was taking a pregnancy test I wasn’t sure why I found that so amusing – the last time I had thought I was pregnant mother nature had absolved my suspicions before I reached this point but this time she wasn’t being so helpful and I let out a long, dragged out sigh as I flushed the toilet and washed my hands, carefully covering the test back up and setting it down on the counter before I headed back out into the bedroom. Tony was sitting at the edge of the bed, bouncing his leg in a nervous manner and staring down at his hands but he looked up when the door creaked slightly and smiled at me. I returned it before I made my way over to him and sat down next to him.

“We have to wait five minutes,” I noted softly and he nodded as I leaned over into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “Why were you trying to hide it from me? Were you afraid that I would be upset?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, no, I just, I was freaking out.” I said with an embarrassed laugh and then I bit my lip before I looked up at him. “Plus, I was kind of hoping that if it was positive that I could surprise you in some cute way.” I said shyly, ducking my blushing face into his shoulder once again.

I felt him laugh and I grinned at the feeling. “Well, finding you hiding in the shower and looking pretty mortified was kind of cute, you know, in that special Aurora Rose Perry kind of way.” he teased and I rolled my eyes but I felt my stomach erupt into butterflies at the name because even though we had been married for seven months now, I still couldn’t get over the fact that we had finally made it, we were finally husband and wife and I finally had his last name.

I jumped at the sound of the timer I didn’t even know Tony set and I froze, my eyes widening when I realized that this was the real fucking deal. A little white stick on the counter of that bathroom was going to tell us if, nine or so months from now, there was going to be a little crying baby in this house. It was going to tell us if we were finally going to somewhat grow up and act like adults because there was a chance that there was a little us growing inside of me.

“You go look,” I blurted out and leaned away from him.

“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly and even though he was better at hiding it than I was, I knew he was nervous too.

“Yeah,” I nodded my head and he chuckled before he stood up.

He was about to start walking toward the bathroom before he suddenly stopped and turned back around to look at me.

“Rori, I just want to let you know that no matter what the results are of that test, no matter what happens, nothing is going to change. Well, maybe some things might change, but I’ll still love you and I’ll still be right here. Whether were going to have a family now or later, we are going to do it together and I never ever want to do it with anyone else.”

“I know that you dork,” I said with a laugh, though it was still coated with nervousness. “I’m pretty sure that’s why I have this ring on my finger.” I teased and lifted my left hand up toward him, showing off my diamond ring that I hadn’t taken off since the second time he gave it to me.

“Alright smartass, way to kill the moment,” he muttered, rolling his eyes playfully before he grinned and I smiled, letting him know that I was also joking and I agreed with every word he just said.

“Now go look,” I whined impatiently, bouncing my legs slightly and he grinned before he turned around and I watched with nervous – and hopeful – eyes as he disappeared into the bathroom.

After what seemed like an eternity, he came back out, wearing one of the biggest, breathtakingly beautiful grins I had probably ever seen and I knew immediately what the results were. He ran at me and tackled me – gently, of course – down on the bed and began placing sloppy wet kisses all over me as the both of us laughed and he held himself above me before he pulled away, his smile so big it looked like it hurt and his eyes slightly watery even though I was full on crying at this point – happy tears though.

“We’re having a baby,” he whispered before he leaned down and pressed his lips lightly to mine and even though it didn’t last very long and it didn’t go very deep, it was probably one of the most passionate kisses we had ever shared.

“I love you, Tony” I breathed out between my sniffles and he smiled lovingly at me before he kissed me again.

“I love you, Rori,” he said before he leaned back slightly. “And I love you, Baby Perry,” he whispered and as he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to my still flat stomach, I knew that this was just one of those moments that I would never, ever forget.

“Mrs. Perry?” Tony whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around me from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder. “Where is that pretty little head of yours at?” he asked softly, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek.

I smiled, lifting my hands up and placing them on his arms that were still wrapped around me.

“Just getting lost in the memories again,” I murmured, leaning back into his chest as I felt his arms tighten around me.

He laughed lightly. “Well, stop getting lost in the past and start paying attention to me.” he whined playfully and I smiling again before I turned around in his arms.

I wrapped my arms up around his neck before I leaned up and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. I knew he was only teasing with his words but I couldn’t help but think about how many times he had said them to me – or at least a variation of them. It was something that had happened after my accident, and after I had regained my memory. I would often find myself remembering things at random times, often spacing out, "getting lost in the past" as Tony always said. It wasn’t a bad thing or anything and it didn’t bother either of us but sometimes I still felt guilty that even now, three years after my accident I still had memories that needed to be unlocked and experienced again.

That wasn’t what had just happened though. Just then, I had been remembering the moment that changed mine and Tony’s lives forever and as I heard a small squeal of excitement, I turned around to see a little brown haired boy with Tony’s big brown eyes and wearing a Star Wars shirt, running around the small playground, giggling uncontrollably as he was being chased around by Jaime. Tony and I laughed before he pulled me along, leading me toward the picnic table in Sunny Creek that was crowded by all our family.

Jess was sitting on the bench, cradling a mass of pink blankets that held their daughter as she watched Jaime with a loving smile. Vic and Sophia were cuddled together, sitting on the top of the table, Sophia’s diamond ring catching in the sunlight and then there was Sam and Mike. They were glaring at each other – lovingly of course – as Mike continued to dangle a bag of gummy bears in front of Sam’s face. Just as she reached up to snatch it away from him Mike jumped back and ran off, leaving Sam cursing at his back and cradling her bulging stomach, warning him that he was lucky she was too pregnant to run after him.

I couldn’t help but smile as I thought of how much our lives had changed in the last three years. My accident had not only changed mine and Tony’s lives but it seemed to have affected everyone else’s as well. We were all suddenly reminded just how fragile and precious life was. In an instant, you could lose everything you had and be left with nothing but a few memories – if you were lucky of course. It had put everything into perspective. We all seemed to have come to the same conclusion that you couldn’t just live your life assuming that a tomorrow was in your future; each day you got to wake up and live your life with the people you loved was a blessing, and you had to take it and cherish it while you could.

You needed to take all those moments, whether they were happy or sad, frustrating or exciting, you needed to grab them and hold on to them for dear life because it only takes one moment for everything to change forever.

“Come on,” Tony said with a small laugh and began to tug me toward the swings.

I laughed. “Oh god, really? I don’t think I can fit in these things anymore.” I grinned as we stopped in front of the swing set – a swing set that had held so many memories between the two of us.

“Shut up,” Tony muttered with a playful roll of his eyes. “Now, sit your ass down and let me push you.”

“Just don’t make me fall,” I giggled as I took a seat in the swing and gripped the cool chains.

“Don’t worry, I’m right here, I won’t let you fall.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear before he gripped the chains from behind and pulled me back slightly before he let go, causing me to sway forward. I didn’t go very far or very fast but that was just how I wanted it.

“Damn, can you believe that’s our kid over there?” Tony asked with a small, amused, but obviously proud chuckle as we stared out over at the little boy who was now chasing Jaime around with a light saber, a white Storm Trooper helmet on his head.

“Well, I can definitely believe that it’s your kid,” I teased and Tony poked my sides as I swung backwards again, causing me to let out a yelp as I laughed and he chuckled behind me before he gently pushed me forward again and I smiled as I carefully chose my next words. “I just can’t believe that by this time next year there will be two Storm Troopers running around this park.”

I smirked as I swung back, not feeling Tony push me again and then I let out another squeal of surprise when he suddenly ran around to the front of the swing and stood right in front of me, causing me to crash into him but he didn’t seem fazed in the slightest as he grinned at me, a confused but obviously hopeful, and not to mention, excited, expression on his face.

“Are you serious?” he asked incredulously, that grin never leaving his face.

I just nodded and I don’t know how but Tony’s grin got even bigger. He suddenly gripped my face and crashed his lips down on mine, capturing me in a kiss that was definitely way too heated to take place at a children’s park but he didn’t seem to care and quite honestly, neither did I.

“Eh! Cool it down over there,” Mike called from the direction of the picnic table. “We don’t need any more little Perry’s running around and stabbing us with light sabers anytime soon!”

There was a chorus of laughs and amused agreements from everyone else and I couldn’t help but laugh as Tony pulled away and turned toward our friends, his eyes shining and his teeth showing as he grinned.

“Too late!” he yelled with smug pride.

It took a few seconds for everyone to figure out what he meant by that but once he pulled me up and began to rub my stomach with his hand, there was another chorus of cheers and laughs, and of course, a few groans but it was all in good fun.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

Tony and I both turned around and Tony bent down just in enough time to catch the energetic little boy who was red in the face and panting slightly. I watched with awe, amazement, pride, and most importantly, love, as Tony held our son in his arms before he set him back down. They ran away together, Tony chasing after him as they laughed and I smiled, once again getting lost in another memory.

I saw a little brown haired boy with big brown eyes coming up to a girl wearing a yellow dress and tugging on her pigtails as he offered to teach her how to swing.

It was that memory, that one moment that made all of this possible. All it had taken was one moment and both our lives had changed forever. It had been unplanned and unexpected, neither of us knowing at the time just how important that one moment was and neither of us knowing how it would impact our lives in the future.

It was just that one moment. It snuck up on us; it had blindsided us, and we were going to hold on to it forever, never letting it go.

Notes

THE END.



THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING BY ME THROUGH ANOTHER STORY AND I ONLY HOPE I ENDED IT WITH ENOUGH CLOSURE FOR YOU ALL, I AM ACTUALLY REALLY HAPPY WITH HOW IT TURNED OUT SO PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT AND ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU. SO MUCH!! <3



(And before you ask, there will NOT be a sequel, sorry!)