The CEO’s New Baby

The sound of Emily’s giggle interrupted their trail of thoughts, making both Ryan and Kayla jump back to reality. Kayla smiled, trying to seem as if she knew what was going on, when in fact, she had no idea what was so funny. Taking in a deep breath, she looked at Ryan and nodded. They needed to tell them. She couldn’t keep silent anymore. The excitement was making her head light, lighter than it had been that morning. In fact, she felt so bizarre that she feared she would faint any moment now.

“Are you guys okay?” Meredith finally asked, clearly noticing the small exchange of looks between the two.

At the question, Kayla felt as if she was choking. The oxygen in the air was suddenly too little, she needed more air. She could feel her heart beating faster, each heartbeat matching the one in her belly. Her hand unconsciously went to touch that little portion above her bellybutton, her thumb tracing the imaginary curve, while her lips curled in a smile, while she waited for Ryan to make the first move.

“In fact, Kayla and I wanted to talk to you about something.” Kayla could sense the tension in his voice. He was nervous too. Or maybe just bad at hiding happiness. Whatever it was, everyone could tell there was something important that needed to be shared.

“Well, go on.” Tanya motioned with her hand, urging him to carry on.

“How about we speak about it there?” he asked, pointing to the couches a few feet away from the dining table. He needed a more personal space to talk about their little bundle of joy.

Tanya and Meredith exchanged a look and shrugged. They clearly had no clue what was going on. Both women moved to sit on the white couches, while Emily remained at the table, sipping from her glass of orange juice. She was a good kid, she never interfered in grownup talk, and she had no intention of doing so now.

“You too, little nugget.” Ryan picked her up, his left hand wrapping itself around her back, supporting Emily against his hip.

“Seriously, guys, what is going on? We are a little freaked out,” Meredith finally asked, her hand running through her red hair.

“Just a little.” Tanya motioned with her fingers.

Ryan and Emily sat on the armchair, while Kayla followed their move and sat on the side of the couch. Her hand rested on Ryan’s shoulders, her hand squeezing a bit. She was unsure of who would start the conversation, they had failed to make a plan for the big reveal, but judging by the silence coming from her husband, she knew this was a clear sign she had to go first.

“Would you tell us what is going on, already?”

“Meredith is right, we are worried.”

Kayla looked at Ryan and smiled, a soft laugh rolling off of her lips, matching the tone of Ryan’s own chuckle. Tanya shook her head and stood up, sighing as she looked at her daughter.

“Emily is going to have a little brother or sister.” There was no point in giving a long speech. The words she had just uttered were strong enough. They were simple enough for Emily to understand and strong enough to make both women burst out in a fit of happy tears.

The two ladies jumped to their feet, their screams could be surely heard by their neighbors. They were jumping and hugging one another, doing something that could resemble a happy dance. Emily was smiling, her little mind trying to wrap around the thought of having a sibling.

Kayla crouched by her daughter, her hands wrapping around Emily’s.

“Are you excited, princess?” Kayla asked, her breath catching in her throat. Truth be told, she could sense the happiness radiating off of the little girl, but still, she needed a reassurance. She needed to hear Emily say the words.

Emily had been an only child for five years, she didn’t want her to feel as if a sibling would steal the attention and love directed towards her.

Her little lips parted, creating a toothy grin. Emily nodded and shouted, “Yes!”

“Congratulation, darling,” Kayla’s mother said, as she approached her. She could see tears in Tanya’s eyes, making everything even more emotional.

Seeing everyone get so excited made Kayla remember the old times. When she first got the results for Emily’s test, she didn’t think she was going to mother the child. She was deprived of feeling the happiness she was feeling now. But she never regretted it. Things were meant to happen in certain ways. The way everything happened made her appreciate what she had even more. And she knew Ryan felt the same.

“We need cake!” Meredith finally said, after she congratulated both Ryan and her. “Emily, you want to come help Grandma buy one?” Emily was out of Ryan’s grasp in a second.

“Yay! Cake!” Emily shouted, already running to grab her red shoes.

“We will be back in a few minutes.” Kayla didn’t doubt that. The cake shop was down the street. It was nothing fancy, but it made the best sweets in the entire city.

Kayla nodded and smiled as she watched Meredith and Emily rush out the door and towards the car parked in front of the house. She was so happy, somewhere on cloud nine. The fact that everyone now knew only made everything more magical.

“How long have you two known?” Kayla’s mother asked, looking between Ryan and her with a questioning look.

“I found out last night. She found out that same morning,” Ryan said excitedly.

Kayla knew that some people kept such things secret for a few days, even a few months. It had something to do with a superstition related to the health of the baby. But Kayla knew she could never do such a thing. She was never one to be good with keeping things to herself. Let alone keep a pregnancy secret.

“Good. I would have killed you guys if you would have kept this a secret. By the way, did you book an appointment to the doctor?”

Ryan was the one to answer the question. Kayla could remember that detail clearly. But she could never remember what his exact response had been. That had been partially because as soon as Ryan started talking, her ears started buzzing. Her head was lighter, her entire body seemed to be drifting, floating on a cloud she couldn’t even feel.

She meant to tell her mom, to tell Ryan. But she didn’t get to. Her body collapsed before she could get a hold of any of them, before she could even bring herself to formulate a sentence. Darkness consumed her blurry vision before she got to feel the impact of her body with the cold floor.