Chapter 41

The New Year had arrived, and things were looking bright. Anelise had reached the twelve-week mark and announced her pregnancy at the small party they threw to celebrate her adoption of Ollie.

She had dressed Ollie in a shirt that read “I’m the big brother!”, and when Michael removed his sweater to reveal a matching shirt, everyone erupted in cheers.

“Thank you, little sis!” Christopher whispered. “Now Mom and Dad can stop nagging me about settling down and finding ‘the one’! JJ, Emily, Leslie, and I owe you big time!”

Anelise laughed. “Stop it! They’re not that bad!”

“They are! But with Leslie and Craig moving in together, that’ll give them another distraction when they get engaged and start planning a wedding!” Christopher retorted.

She playfully nudged his shoulder as he went to grab more cake. Anelise felt a wave of happiness and contentment wash over her. She was excited for the day Ollie’s new birth certificate would arrive, listing her as his mother.

She loved him deeply, and nothing would ever change that. She just wanted to ensure that if anything happened to Michael, Ollie would still be with her.

“Mommy?” she heard him say, feeling his arms wrap around her legs.

“Yes, sweetheart?” she asked, kneeling down to his level.

“So, does having a baby mean you’re going to have a tummy like the lady at the pool?” he asked.

Anelise had completely forgotten about that. “Yes, it does. You’ll be able to feel the baby kick too.”

“The baby is going to kick you?! But kicking isn’t nice!” He gasped in shock.

The others around them chuckled.

“I know kicking isn’t nice, Ollie, but the baby won’t know that yet. The baby will be squished and need to stretch out, and that’s what we can feel.”

“Did I do that?!” he asked in disbelief.

“Yes, sweetheart, all babies do that. And I promise it doesn’t hurt me.” Anelise reassured him with a smile.

Ollie looked at her skeptically before walking back to the table where JJ and his new girlfriend began coloring with him.

“That kid is hilarious!” Leslie laughed, hugging her best friend. “Are you happy?”

“Lulu, I’m so happy I could burst!” Anelise exclaimed.

“Good! That’s what I wanted to hear.”

“Are you happy, Leslie?” Anelise asked, noticing how Craig’s gaze followed her around the room.

“So fucking happy! And just for the record, I totally agree that the ‘Matt Douglas Scale’ of hotness is officially over,” Leslie said with a grin. “I found my ten, and he’s nothing like what I thought I was looking for.”

“I know exactly what you mean, Leslie. Isn’t life funny that way?” Anelise asked.

“Life is something else! Now that you’re all knocked up and happy, are you going to tell me what happened the first time you went to Paris? How everything changed after that?” Leslie prodded.

Annelise smiled, thinking back to that hotel room in Paris where she realized she was in love with Michael and that her life would never be the same. “Nope. I still have to have some secrets. You’ll have that with Craig too.”

“Party pooper!” Leslie pouted but then kissed her cheek. “But I love you anyway!”

Annelise laughed and headed to the patio where Naomi and Susan were waiting to take pictures to commemorate the day.

—

Michael was ready to go. Now, all he needed was for his wife and child to get home, and then they could be off. He was hoping that Anelise wouldn’t be mad about the surprise he had planned.

She knew they were going to visit Grace, JJ’s girlfriend, to see the new miniature ponies and goats that had been rescued, but she didn’t know about the year-old dog they were going to bring back home.

Grace was a talented veterinarian who opened her land to rescue animals, nursed them back to health, and then found them good homes once they were healthy again.

Anelise had no idea that Michael had asked Grace at Ollie’s birthday to let him know if they ever had a dog that needed a good home.

Grace called him just after Christmas and told him that they had a young dog that had come in with some mini goats and that he should come take a look.

He went down to see a medium-sized mutt who was fluffy, brown and white. The dog looked at him with big brown eyes, just like Ollie’s, and begged to be petted.

Michael couldn’t resist, and Grace promised that she would call when the dog was in good health and ready to go. She was going to make sure that he was socialized properly and had no lingering effects from his previous situation.

Michael thanked her and waited for her call. Grace called on Thursday and said the dog was good to go. He told her they would be there on Saturday to have Ollie meet him.

And Saturday arrived. He was excited, but they were late getting back from the story and craft time at Annelise’s library for Valentine’s Day. He was eager to see if Ollie would like the dog but was a bit nervous about Annelise’s reaction.

He had just finished emptying the dishwasher to hide his excitement when the doorbell rang. He dried his hands and went to the front door. When he opened it, he was stunned silent at the sight of the person standing before him.

“Hi, Michael,” she said softly.

“Kara... What are you doing here?” he finally managed to say.