Page 38 of When the Leaves Fall

DREW

T elling my parents we were pregnant did not go as expected.

It went better.

I knew they’d be excited! My parents were never ones to say things had to be done a certain way or in a specific order. I knew, especially with everything that happened recently, they would be overjoyed to have a grandchild on the way.

They took Luca and I out to celebrate. Even though we were both dead tired from the long drive, we agreed to go to dinner because it made my parents happy.

“Now, Luca,” my dad said. “When do we get to meet your parents?”

ONE YEAR AND EIGHT MONTHS LATER

“Luca, where are the decorations?” I shout down the hall.

“I don’t know,” he calls back. “I thought you put them somewhere safe.”

I dig through the hall closet again. “Well, you know damn well that means I have no idea where they are, then,” I yell back.

“Jeeze, no need to yell,” Luca jokes as he enters the room. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

I slap his chest. “Oh, shut it,” I laugh. “Seriously, though. The decorations?”

“Frank and Sandra have them; they’ve already started setting up.”

“They don’t have to do that,” I groan. He pulls me into the hallway, where I can see my parents laughing and hanging up streamers in the living room.

“They’re loving every second of this,” he reminds me.

I glance back down the hall. My parents look so happy and healthy.

Mom had one more scare a few weeks after I moved back home.

She and Dad were out shopping when Mom’s pacemaker and defibrillator were put to work.

Luckily, she was still in the vehicle when it happened, so when she collapsed, she fell against the window, rather than on the ground.

Her medical devices quickly did exactly what they were supposed to do, and she was conscious within a minute, though Dad says it seemed like much longer .

They called me and I told them to go to the Emergency Room right away.

Thank goodness they did, because when they ran tests, it showed Mom’s heart was out of rhythm again.

She had to stay in the hospital for a few days until everything was back to normal.

We couldn’t even visit her because they said she needed no extra stimulation while she recovered from the incident.

Luckily, though, we haven’t had any more scares for my mom since then. It took her another month after being discharged to get back to her normal. She was able to slowly return to work after two months, starting part-time at first.

Now, she’s thriving. She and Dad spend most of their free time with Lou, their grandson. It’s his first birthday today, and we’re having a little celebration at the new house Luca and I just bought. Which means this is also kind of a housewarming party.

For my entire pregnancy, I lived with my parents. I was originally going to get my own place, but since Luca and I agreed it was too soon to move in together, they insisted I live with them so they could be there for me during that time.

Don’t get me wrong, Luca was there too. Like all the time. He rarely stayed at his place, only really using it to crash between shifts. But when he had any actual time off, he was at my parents’ house with me and my growing baby bump.

It wasn’t until we were in the hospital after Lou was born that Luca mentioned it was probably time to move in together. I remember it well. I laughed so hard, I cried.

So, Lou and I moved into Luca’s apartment, which didn’t seem tiny until all of our stuff was added.

We agreed it was temporary, until we found a house we were ready to commit to.

Which, apparently, is easier said than done.

It took us months to finally find one we loved enough to make an offer on, but someone outbid us, and we didn’t get that house.

One day, when I was driving away from my parents’ place after dropping Lou off for a visit, I spotted someone putting up a for sale sign a few blocks away from their house.

I immediately pulled over and asked about the place.

The realtor offered to show it to me then and there.

I video-chatted with Luca while we toured the house.

He loved the open-concept kitchen with a large island in the middle, and I was obsessed with the little reading nook.

We both knew that this was the place we wanted to raise our family. We put in an offer on the spot.

Now, we get to call this place our home. We’re close to my parents, yet far enough away that they won’t pop in unannounced …often .

The doorbell rings, and Lou stirs from his crib.

“You grab the door, and I’ll grab Lou?” Luca asks, and I nod in agreement. I make my way down the hall to the front door to find Luca’s parents both standing there.

“Hi!” I say excitedly. “So glad you could make it. Come in, come in.” I gesture them into the house, where my parents stop decorating and come over to greet Lynn and Dave as well.

“The place looks fantastic,” Lynn chimes.

“It sure does,” Dave agrees. “Now, where is my favorite little guy?”

“Here he is,” Luca’s voice calls out from behind them. They turn to see Lou wrapped in Luca’s arms, snuggling his sleepy eyes into his dad’s chest. “He just woke up,” Luca added.

“Wanna come see Pop-Pop?” Dave holds his arms out for Lou, who smiles and leans into them. Luca passes Lou over to his dad, then pulls his mom in for a hug. “Good to see you, Mom.”

“It’s so good to see you, too, honey,” Lynn replies, squeezing him tightly. “We thought we’d come a little early to see if you needed help with anything.”

“I could use some help with these streamers,” my mom says. “Frank, with all of his sweet soul, is trying his best and all, but…” she laughs. “Like I said, I could use some help.”

“On it,” Lynn says as she grabs the streamers from my dad and shoos him away. My dad rolls his eyes playfully before grabbing a beer from the fridge and heading to the backyard to start the grill. The doorbell rings again, followed by Sean opening the door and letting himself in.

“Uh, come on in, dude,” Luca laughs.

“Thanks, I will. Where’s my favorite?—”

“Little guy?” Luca interrupts him. “Dad has him somewhere. Probably in the back yard with Frank. ”

“Well, if that’s where the cool kids are hanging out, that’s where I should be.” He salutes Luca and walks out the back door.

Luca laughs. “I guess we’re chopped liver now.”

“I guess so,” I agree with a giggle.

“I’m going to go make sure they don’t burn the food,” he points toward the backyard with his thumb.

He adds, “or worse…the house.” I roll my eyes playfully before giving him a peck on the lips.

He turns to walk away, and I quickly give his cute tush a little squeeze.

He jumps slightly and glances over his shoulder, shooting me a wink.

My goodness, I really love that man.

The party is bustling, and everyone seems to be having a great time. My heart feels whole. Happy.

Luca appears out of nowhere, puts his arm around my waist, and pulls me into his side, kissing my temple gently. A smile is plastered on my face as I scan the room and see so many people we love together.