SAMMY

Maria moved in with us shortly after the new year. She spent the holidays with Marshall, Sandy and Neil, while Mitch and I had a quiet Christmas Eve alone at home in New York, and spent a loud and wonderful Christmas Day with Nash and Kennedy, surrounded by their parents and siblings.

Ethan was at that wonderful age where he full on belly laughed and crawled everywhere. He was pulling himself up to a standing position, but hadn't yet attempted to walk. Not that he needed to, he was a very fast crawler. Nash didn't love that part. He was constantly following Ethan around the apartment to make sure he didn't get into something he shouldn't. Most of it had already been baby proofed, but I got it. I could totally picture Mitch being the same way, when, or if, we had a child of our own.

We were going to celebrate Ethan's first birthday. It wasn't his actual birthday because it fell on one day where the Empires were traveling, so we were a week behind, but that was okay. Maria was already over at Nash and Kennedy's. She was helping them with Ethan as they got everything ready for the party.

Mitch had just gotten back from seeing the physical therapist for his shoulder, and I had finished decorating a batch of cupcakes. I was going to shower to get ready for the party and reached for a razor underneath the sink when I spotted an unopened package of pregnancy tests.

I froze and just stared at the package.

I hated those little fuckers.

I had taken so many pregnancy tests over the last few months and been disappointed, over and over again. And it wasn't for a lack of trying that we weren't pregnant. Mitch did his best, despite having his sister at the other end of the apartment. We were more quiet, of course, and our attempts usually took place at night, when she was in her own room, hopefully sleeping.

But now, my period was due, again, any day.

I reached for the test, but hesitated and left it where it was. I started the shower instead and undressed. While gnawing on my bottom lip, I opened the cabinet again and stared at the test. It was wrapped in a white plastic cover. The test itself wasn't scary looking at all, but what it represented was absolutely terrifying.

Should I?

I hesitated because I didn't want to be upset at Ethan's party. By not knowing, there was at least hope. But if it was another negative test...

I closed the cabinet door again, a bit harder than before, and stepped in to the shower. The warm water streamed down over my head and shoulders, but did nothing to relax me. No matter how hard I tried to think about anything else but that little white test with the clear little window, my thoughts kept going back to what if?

What if this time was different?

But then, why would it be? We had tried for six months with no results.

I turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around my body, and as I did, I caught sight of myself in the mirror, and I couldn't help but wonder what I would look like pregnant.

If it was to ever happen...

Would I have a big beach ball kind of belly like a Kennedy did? Or would I be one of those women who gained weight all over?

At this point, I didn't care. I just wanted to be pregnant.

I wrapped another towel around my hair and reached for my underwear, but stopped again with them halfway up my legs.

Fuck it.

I opened the cabinet door again, and before I got a chance to change my mind, I grabbed the stick, pulled the plastic wrapper off, and sat down on the toilet.

It was five minutes later when Mitch found me sobbing on the bathroom floor.

"Sammy, sweetheart?"

He fell down on his knees next to me and wrapped his muscular arms around me. Being wrapped up in his arms, surrounded by his clean scent, with his heart beating against my cheek, only made me cry harder.

"Please, Sam... what's wrong?"

"Mitch," I wailed.

"Right here, sweetie. Tell me what's wrong?"

I pointed to the pregnancy test.

"Oh, damn." I felt his body sag next to mine. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

My arms tightened around him as I tried to pull myself together enough to answer him. But Mitch didn't really give me a chance. He sat down on the floor, pulled me up into his lap and slowly rocked with me from side to side while placing soft kisses over my face and whispering sweet words in my ear.

"Mitch..."

"Yeah, Sammy."

"It's not..." I swallowed hard and tried again. "It's not negative."

He stopped the rocking, leaned back and used his fingers to tilt my head back so he could look me in the eye. "What do you mean?"

"It's... it's p... positive..."

His body stiffened at the same time as his eyes widened into round saucers.

"You're pregnant?" he whispered, and all I could do was nod.

His beautiful blue eyes filled with tears and the biggest smile split up his face as the tears trailed down his cheeks.

"I love you, Mitch. I Can't believe it."

"I love you, Sammy," he responded, and pressed his soft lips against mine.

"We're going to be parents."

We sat there on the floor in the bathroom and cried in each other's arms for a long time before we got up to get ready. I was sweaty again from all the crying, so we showered together and Mitch took the opportunity to show me just how much he loved and appreciated me.

I don't think I've ever been happier in my life.

***

The party was in full swing when we got to Nash and Kennedy's. Nash opened the door and gestured for us to come inside.  

"Let me take those delicious-looking cupcakes," he said and took the box out of my hands.

"Thanks."

I started to remove my boots while Mitch looked down at the couple of boxes with cookies he was carrying. "What about these?" he asked.

"You got them under control."

"Now I think you're being sexist. You can help her, but not me?" Mitch joked.

"Christ's sake, Mitch," Nash snapped and took the boxes out of his hands too. "Happy now with the equality?"

"Well, now you're snapping at me, but not at her."

Nash and I rolled our eyes at the same time.

"What are you doing by the door?" Kennedy asked as she peaked her head around the corner from the kitchen.

"Watching these two idiots..." I said and gestured to Mitch and Nash.

"Hey," they both protested at the same time.

I hung my jacket up and walked over to hug Kennedy. "How's everything?"

"Good. Tiring, but at least there are a lot of adults here to entertain him."

"You are talking about Ethan, right?" I teased and looked from Kennedy to Nash.

"Damn, Sam," Nash said in mock horror while Mitch laughed and raised his hand to mine for a high five. "Good one Wifey."

"Now that you guys are here, I can add entertainment to the list."

"Oh, goody."

Mitch took off for his sister, who was sitting on the floor with Ethan. They were busy building some kind of structure with a bunch of colorful blocks. Liz was on the floor next to them while Cindy sat on the couch, but was very much a part of whatever discussion they had.

"It looks like there's a lot of people here." Which was a bit strange because it was the normal crowd; the grandparents, Jackson and Bryce. The only difference was that this time Isaac and his wife and their son Charlie had come up to celebrate. It was the last weekend Isaac had before the baseball season started, so the timing couldn't have been better.

"I think it's all the stuff," Kennedy said and gestured to the toys that were spread out across the floor, the playpen that was set up in the corner for Charlie, and the gifts piled on top of the dining room table.

"You might have a point."

Kennedy nodded.

"I'm gonna make Liz and Howard bring half of these gifts with them to Florida. We just don't have the storage space here."

I laughed because as big as their apartment was, they were running out of room. And then I realized that our apartment was smaller than theirs, and Maria had the only other bedroom in our apartment.

How would we deal with that?

I tucked that thought away as a future conversation I needed to have with Mitch.

"Do you need help with anything?" I asked Kennedy.

"No." She shook her head. "My mom did most of the cooking and Maria was a wonderful help."

That didn't surprise me at all. Maria was very much like Mitch, easy going and always willing to help. We got along great and she fit right into the friend group. She watched Ethan during the day when Kennedy had to work, and took a couple of business classes online at night.

She and Bryce had been out together a few times and while I was pretty sure Maria stayed over at his apartment sometimes, they didn't yet have the official boyfriend-girlfriend label. I know it bothered Mitch a bit that they didn't. He was protective of Maria and wanted to make sure her feelings weren't being played with, but I wasn't quite sure that Bryce was the one holding back.

I took a seat on the couch next to Cindy and watched the cuteness in front of us. Melinda had put Charlie down on the floor next to Ethan, and they laughed and clapped their hands as the blocks fell over. Maria laughed along with them and was quick to rebuild, just for them to destroy it all over again.

I met Mitch's eyes across the room. He was talking to Jackson, but I could tell that he had the same thought as me. Next year, our child would be a part of the kids being doted on. We exchanged a quick smile before he turned back to Jackson and I focused back on the ladies.

Melinda told us that Isaac was considering retiring after the season. Liz didn't seem surprised, so it must have been something he'd discussed with his parents already.

Mitch had a few years left on his contract, and so did Nash. We all hoped that they would get to stay with the Empires until they retired. In Mitch's case, that might come sooner than later, because he was still struggling with his shoulder. He didn't seem overly upset about it and had, in fact, had some discussions with his agents about future coaching jobs.

***

The food Cindy and Kennedy had made was, like always, delicious. And just like usual, the amount of food the men consumed amazed me.

There was laughter all around and party continued late into evening after the kids had fallen asleep.

Melinda and Isaac had been the first to leave since Isaac had to get back home for the season starter. Maria left next because she had some studying to do, followed shortly thereafter by Bryce. Mitch had rolled his eyes at me while Nash had asked what kind of "studying" Maria was about to do, which got him a punch to the arm from Mitch. They laughed and continued to tease each other like little kids while Kennedy and I cleaned up the kitchen.

"So," Kennedy started when everyone had left and it was just me and her washing and drying the pots and pans, "I noticed you weren't drinking..."

I sighed. I should've realized I wouldn't be able to keep the pregnancy a secret from my best friend.

"Um, yeah.." I couldn't help but giggle. "I haven't been to the doctor yet, but it looks like I'm pregnant."

"Oh, my god!" Kennedy shouted and threw her arms around me. "I'm so happy for you."

I wrapped my arms around her tiny body and held her close to me. She was the only person except for Mitch, who knew exactly how hard it had been for me to deal with all the negative test, and all the periods I didn't want.

"I'm so excited... and so scared."

"Ohh, Sammy." Kennedy pulled back but kept her hands on my arms as she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "You'll be fine. Just make sure to take things easy and don't overdue anything and everything will work out."

I laughed and swiped at the happy tears that filled my eyes.

"What's going on, babe?" Nash asked in a worried tone as he stepped up next to Kennedy.

"Nothing." She beamed up at him and he realized that nothing was actually wrong.

"Ah," he chuckled, "you told her our secret?"

"What?" Kennedy's eyebrows drew together as she squinted at him. "No."

I caught on immediately. Kennedy hadn't been drinking wine either...

"You're pregnant too?" I asked.

The smile that blossomed on her face said it all, but it was Nash that confirmed it.

"Holy shit," Mitch said from behind me. "We're going to have babies together."

The four of us laughed and cried together as we reminisced and planned for our futures. So much had happened since Kennedy moved to Manhattan those few years ago. It had all started at the bar one drunken Friday night when Nash and Kennedy reconnected... And from them I met the love of my life.

We'd all been through a lot together, both good and bad, but always been there to support one another. It had been a roller coaster ride for sure, but one I never, ever, regretted getting on.

Now I couldn't wait to find out what the future had in store for all of us, and for our future children. I hoped they'd be as lucky as us when it came to love and friendship.

The End.