Page 126 of Rescuing Mary

“Yes, Mama.”

“Want Daddy to make you pancakes this morning?”

“Yes!” Bryan leaped up, forgetting about the toaster, and threw himself into his father’s arms. Fish caught him with his good arm then leaned over and snagged Bryn around the waist with his stub. He hadn’t put on his prosthetic this morning, which he only did when he left the house.

He rolled around on the floor with his wife and child and did his best to tickle them, and to keep them from tickling him in return. When they were all winded, they lay on the floor, trying to catch their breath.

Fish turned to Bryn and said, “I love you.”

“I know,” she returned.

Fish merely smiled. He turned to his other side. “I love you, son.”

“I know,” Bryan replied, unconsciously echoing his mother. “I’ll go get the stuff ready for pancakes!” And with that, he leaped up and headed for the kitchen.

“How’d you sleep?” Bryn asked once they were alone.

“Good. Although I hate when you get up without waking me.”

“I heard Bryan up around five. I figured I’d get up to see what he was into.”

“Probably smart. Maria would have a fit if she came to work on Monday and the house had burned down.”

“Yeah, she wouldn’t be happy.”

Bryn still had a hard time understanding when someone was being sarcastic or kidding with her. But it didn’t matter to Fish. He loved her exactly the way she was.

Bryn sat up and pushed her hair out of her face. Then she began fiddling with the pieces of the toaster that were still strewn about. “Oh, I took that pregnancy test this morning. It was positive.”

Fish gaped at his wife.

He knew she had missed her last two periods, but had thought it was because she’d been sick recently. She’d had a nasty bout with the flu and had lost a lot of weight as a result.

She didn’t seem to realize the magnitude of the news she’d just shared with him. Fish reached out and took her hands in his good one, making her physically stop fiddling with the electronics. He knew he’d never get her attention otherwise.

“You’re pregnant?”

“Yes. I believe I just said that.”

“You’re having my baby?” Fish was having a hard time wrapping his head around the bomb she’d just dropped on him.

“Well, technically it’s half mine, but yes, it looks like I am.”

“Oh, Smalls,” Fish said, and put his hand on her cheek, making her look at him. He couldn’t even come up with the words to tell her how he felt.

“Are you…okay with this?” she asked.

For the first time, Fish saw the trepidation in her eyes. She was worried he wouldn’t be happy?

Turning them so she was under him, Fish looked her right in the eyes and told her what she needed to hear. He’d learned that beating around the bush with her wasn’t good. “I’m ecstatic. I’m more than happy. I’m over the moon.”

“Did you know that the expression ‘over the moon’ originated from the sixteenth-century nursery rhyme called ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’?”

“Hadn’t thought about it,” Fish told her.

“Hmmm,” Bryn hummed. Then she leaned up and kissed him. “Love you, Dane.”

“Love you too, Smalls.”