BROOKS As I lay back on the pull-out couch in the hospital room, I looked around at my world. I have the love of my life and wife. I have a son. I have my family and now Crystal's. I have my store which is still doing good. I have the house. I have everything I truly wanted in life. I am complete. No more missing pieces. Marvin began to cry. I got up and picked him up out of his bassinet. I walked around the room with him and calmed him down. Today is the day we get to take Marvin home and start our journey as parents without having people in and out of the room to help us. I am scared sh*tless but excited at the same time. I know Crystal and I can do this ourselves. My mom offered to come stay a few nights until we get settled but I don't think we are going to need her to. The nurse came in to check on Crystal and to let her know she will have to use the bathroom before they will discharge her. The nurse gave her something to help her go, and then she checked on Marvin. Once the nu
BROOKSAfter finding the test and Crystal and I talking, I fixed Crystal something to eat and she went and laid down after eating. I stood there leaning against the door frame watching her sleep and I couldn't help the thoughts that began racing through my mind. Was I going to be able to provide for her myself and provide for a baby? Was her dad going to kill me for not only asking for his daughter's hand but now he has to find out I got her pregnant? Were my mom and Ray going to kill me for getting her pregnant? I already know my mom is going to chew me a new one because we just had this talk not too long ago. I walked into the living room and sat down with my head resting in my hands. F*ck! I went from being the happiest man alive with her saying yes to marrying me, to finding out I am going to be a father and being terrified within 24 hours. I was happy about it at first but now I am scared to death. I honestly don't know how long I have been sitting here but when I looked up I saw
CRYSTALI woke up with Brooks's hand still on my stomach. I smiled and gently lifted his arm to go use the bathroom. When I finished my business, I jumped in the shower. As I stepped out of the shower Brooks was standing in the bathroom doorway. He was just standing there smiling. I asked why he was in such a good mood and he told me because he had a fiancee and a baby on the way. I shook my head and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. I pulled my wet hair up into a messy bun after getting dressed and told Brooks I was going to go to my dad's to get my insurance card. He asked if I wanted him to come with me and I told him he didn't have to. I was just going to get that and a few little things to bring back with me. He said he was thinking about taking Jonah out for lunch and I told him to go spend time with him. When I got to my dad's I saw his car was in the driveway. I went inside and yelled out that I was home. My dad came in from the back patio and asked how I was feeling. I
BROOKSI got up and Crystal and Jonah were still asleep so I took a shower. When I got out, I woke Crystal up and told her to get ready to go eat breakfast. I went and woke Jonah up and told him the same thing. Once everyone was dressed and ready to go we headed out to The hole in the Wall. It is a somewhat new place I've wanted to try. Once we were seated, Crystal looked over at Jonah funny. I asked if she told him and she shook her head. "Jonah got up last night when I was in the kitchen getting some water and he thought you were up. I think he may need to talk to you about something Brooks." She whispered to me. "Did he say what he needed to talk to me about?" She shook her head."Hey Jonah. Are you ok? Crystal mentioned you were wanting to talk to me." "Um. Uh. Yeah I'm fine. I was just needing some brotherly advice but it can wait." He said to me while trying to avoid eye contact."Jonah, You know if you need to talk to me you can. Is it something you would prefer to talk abou
CRYSTAL Seeing them both with tears warms my heart. I knew that they had to have been having a very deep heart to heart and I am proud of Brooks for trying to be there for Jonah. I am proud of Brooks for all the effort he has been putting in since I gave him a second chance and I cannot wait until I say I do and get to spend the rest of my life with him. I put the steaks in the fridge so they could marinate before being out on the grill. I cleaned up my mess on the counter and then went and sat on the couch next to Brooks while he and Jonah played a football game. When they finished their game, I went back into the kitchen and began prepping the sides for dinner. I cleaned the potatoes, peeled them, and cut them up. I then put them in the pot to boil. I got the ears of corn out and shucked them. After cleaning the corn, I put them in foil to place on the grill. I prepared the glaze for the carrots and put them in a dish to go in the oven. After I cleaned up my mess, I opened the bac
BROOKS I don't know why I didn't want to go home after taking Jonah off but I just felt like going somewhere else. I found this place right after I got home from the military and I haven't been back since I found it. I think we both just need some peace and beautiful scenery. I knew Crystal needed some peace to keep her stress level down because of the baby. We just sat there staring out into the water without speaking and I could feel her body relax in my arms. I rested my head on her back and just took in the smell of her body wash. It was calming to me and I kissed her on the back. She turned around and asked if I was ok. "My love, I am perfect. I just want you to be stress-free and have a healthy pregnancy and the three of us have a happy life." I said as I smiled up at her. "We will live a happy life baby. I am trying to stay stress-free and I appreciate everything you have done to try and keep me stress-free and show me how loved I am by you. You are everything to me and
CRYSTALIt's been 2 weeks since Brooks and I made love by the lake. Since then I have felt a closer connection to him than I had before. I was able to find a doctor who took my insurance and I made an appointment. We will get to see how baby sea monkey is doing next week. Brooks and I decided last night that after the doctor's appointment, we are going to invite both sets of parents and Jonah over and do a pregnancy announcement dinner. Brooks has been working his butt off at the shop. He is wanting to go ahead and start putting money back. He added some things to the store that he believes will do well in sales. I talked to the daycare and I begin work in 2 months. I went ahead and told them about being pregnant so there wouldn't be any issues later on with me calling out for doctor's appointments or if I am feeling bad and can't go in that day. I am excited and nervous to start working but the daycare is going to be good practice for me since I will be around small babies and small
BROOKS When Crystal yelled out in pain it scared me. I was praying she wasn't losing our baby. I am thankful she asked me to take her to the ER when she did and I am thankful it was only slight dehydration. I called my buddy Seth and told him I was going to need 2 days off so I could take care of Crystal because she is sick. He said he would hold down the fort and I told him thank you. I made sure Crystal was comfortable and had what she needed to stay hydrated. The next day, Crystal let me sleep in for a bit since I was up half the night watching her. She fell asleep on the couch and I went into the kitchen and started doing the dishes. I made her some soup when she got up and I sat with her on the couch and we talked for a little while. I got a call from Seth saying one of our customers came in and ordered a good amount of stuff and we would be getting a nice profit from it. After I got off the phone with him, I ordered Crystal and I dinner and we sat and watched TV while we ate. A