watches—I just never bought one for myself." He slid it on and clasped it.
"Um, there's an engraving on the back," I said.
Jeff took the watch off and peered at the back. Shock rippled over his features. "'To Jeff,'" he read, "'with love on our first Christmas. You are a wonderful husband and an amazing father.'"
I bit my lip, watching him process the meaning of the engraving.
He glanced at me, his eyes wide. "Husband and father?" He rubbed his thumb over the writing on the back of the watch. "I'm your husband, but I'm not a father...am I?"
I nodded, and tried to speak. "Yeah—" My voice caught, and I tried again. "I'm pregnant. Merry Christmas?"
Jeff's features went through several stages of emotion. Shock, confusion, happiness, fear. "You're pregnant? You're sure?"
I laughed. "Yes. I took at least a dozen tests. I'm definitely pregnant. I missed my period this month, so I took a test and it came up positive. I didn't want to freak out just yet, so I waited a couple days, and took another. And then another. All positive."
Jeff rubbed the back of the watch again. "Did you see a doctor?"
I shook my head. "No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first."
We'd just celebrated our one-year anniversary a few months ago, and then in November we'd decided I would go off birth control. Not really trying to get pregnant, but not preventing it, either. Apparently for us, "not trying" meant "get pregnant."
Jeff didn't say anything for a long time. I let him process, knowing he needed to think about things before he'd give me his reaction. I tried not to freak out and assume his lack of immediate joy meant he was upset by it. It wasn't easy to put off that assumption.
Finally, I couldn't hold it in. "So, what are you thinking?" I couldn't look at him. "Are you...upset?"
Jeff looked up sharply, then scrambled off the bed to kneel in front of me. "Upset? Baby, no. No." He took my hands in one of his and tipped my chin up to meet my eyes. "Just...surprised, I guess. I mean, I know I shouldn't be, since we stopped the birth control, but I guess I thought..."
"It would take longer?" I filled in.
"Yeah." He laughed sheepishly. "I mean, I get that it only takes once, but...I just wasn't expecting it this soon. But I'm happy. I'm thrilled, just...surprised."
"That's how I felt, too," I said. "Why do you think I took so many tests?"
"So how far are you? Do you know?"
I shrugged. "Not exactly. I mean, the first time we made love after stopping the birth control was...seven weeks ago? So, at least that. Maybe less. I'll make an appointment when we get back from Florida."
"When will we be able to find out the gender? Do you feel okay? Should you put your feet up?"
I laughed and pushed Jeff backward so he fell onto his back on the floor. "Jeff, I'm barely a month along. I haven't even started feeling sick in the mornings yet. I'm not an invalid. And I have absolutely no clue when we'll know the gender. Not till we're a lot farther along, though, I think." I slid off the chair and crawled to straddle Jeff, staring down into his eyes. "We're having a baby, Jeff. We're going to be parents!"
He took my face in his hands and kissed me. "We're having a baby, Anna." He laughed, only a little hysterical. "I'm gonna be a daddy. You're gonna be a mommy."
I moved my hips on his. "I know what your next question is going to be," I said, unbuttoning his dress shirt to slide my hands on his broad, muscular chest, "and yes, we can have as much crazy-hot monkey sex as we want, right up until I give birth. That was the first thing I checked."
"Are you sure? I saw this Oprah once where they showed the penis hitting the baby in the head."
I laughed so hard I snorted. "Jeff, honey. Seriously. At this stage, I don't think the baby even has a real head yet. It's like a little bean, I'm pretty sure."
He slid his hands up my back under my shirt. "I just don't want to hurt you, or the baby."
I had his shirt off by this point, and slid down to
"Um, there's an engraving on the back," I said.
Jeff took the watch off and peered at the back. Shock rippled over his features. "'To Jeff,'" he read, "'with love on our first Christmas. You are a wonderful husband and an amazing father.'"
I bit my lip, watching him process the meaning of the engraving.
He glanced at me, his eyes wide. "Husband and father?" He rubbed his thumb over the writing on the back of the watch. "I'm your husband, but I'm not a father...am I?"
I nodded, and tried to speak. "Yeah—" My voice caught, and I tried again. "I'm pregnant. Merry Christmas?"
Jeff's features went through several stages of emotion. Shock, confusion, happiness, fear. "You're pregnant? You're sure?"
I laughed. "Yes. I took at least a dozen tests. I'm definitely pregnant. I missed my period this month, so I took a test and it came up positive. I didn't want to freak out just yet, so I waited a couple days, and took another. And then another. All positive."
Jeff rubbed the back of the watch again. "Did you see a doctor?"
I shook my head. "No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first."
We'd just celebrated our one-year anniversary a few months ago, and then in November we'd decided I would go off birth control. Not really trying to get pregnant, but not preventing it, either. Apparently for us, "not trying" meant "get pregnant."
Jeff didn't say anything for a long time. I let him process, knowing he needed to think about things before he'd give me his reaction. I tried not to freak out and assume his lack of immediate joy meant he was upset by it. It wasn't easy to put off that assumption.
Finally, I couldn't hold it in. "So, what are you thinking?" I couldn't look at him. "Are you...upset?"
Jeff looked up sharply, then scrambled off the bed to kneel in front of me. "Upset? Baby, no. No." He took my hands in one of his and tipped my chin up to meet my eyes. "Just...surprised, I guess. I mean, I know I shouldn't be, since we stopped the birth control, but I guess I thought..."
"It would take longer?" I filled in.
"Yeah." He laughed sheepishly. "I mean, I get that it only takes once, but...I just wasn't expecting it this soon. But I'm happy. I'm thrilled, just...surprised."
"That's how I felt, too," I said. "Why do you think I took so many tests?"
"So how far are you? Do you know?"
I shrugged. "Not exactly. I mean, the first time we made love after stopping the birth control was...seven weeks ago? So, at least that. Maybe less. I'll make an appointment when we get back from Florida."
"When will we be able to find out the gender? Do you feel okay? Should you put your feet up?"
I laughed and pushed Jeff backward so he fell onto his back on the floor. "Jeff, I'm barely a month along. I haven't even started feeling sick in the mornings yet. I'm not an invalid. And I have absolutely no clue when we'll know the gender. Not till we're a lot farther along, though, I think." I slid off the chair and crawled to straddle Jeff, staring down into his eyes. "We're having a baby, Jeff. We're going to be parents!"
He took my face in his hands and kissed me. "We're having a baby, Anna." He laughed, only a little hysterical. "I'm gonna be a daddy. You're gonna be a mommy."
I moved my hips on his. "I know what your next question is going to be," I said, unbuttoning his dress shirt to slide my hands on his broad, muscular chest, "and yes, we can have as much crazy-hot monkey sex as we want, right up until I give birth. That was the first thing I checked."
"Are you sure? I saw this Oprah once where they showed the penis hitting the baby in the head."
I laughed so hard I snorted. "Jeff, honey. Seriously. At this stage, I don't think the baby even has a real head yet. It's like a little bean, I'm pretty sure."
He slid his hands up my back under my shirt. "I just don't want to hurt you, or the baby."
I had his shirt off by this point, and slid down to
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