Since You've Been Gone

chapter 47 - surprise!

i ain't never loved no one - donovan woods ft. tenille townes

"You're gonna be, okay?" Connor had his hands on either side of my face, gently grasping my jaw. His beautiful blue eyes were clouded with worry, and his eyebrows were drawn downwards.

"I'm gonna be okay." I nodded.

"I can totally reschedule and stay here with you."

"Connor," I groaned. "You can't just cancel the day of."

Connor was supposed to be going to Troyvens Creek today, to meet with some of the football coaches and athletic trainers. They wanted him to run through some drills to make sure that his injury had healed correctly and that he was still at the same competitive level as before the accident.

Connor had been nervous all week, unable to contain anxiety coursing through his body. I couldn't blame him though if the coaches at Troyvens changed their mind, Connor would be – understandably – heartbroken. Butterflies were starting to fly around in my stomach at the mere thought of Troyvens Creek retracting their scholarship offer.

"Baby..." Connor whined.

I shook my head and pushed Connor's chest as he tried to grab me. "Get out of here before you're late."

"Fine." Reluctantly he huffed and picked up the duffle bag that sat at his feet. As he pushed the bag up his shoulder, Connor leaned over and pressed a kiss to my enlarged stomach. "Be good for your mommy."

Insert heart eye emoji.

Every time Connor pressed gentle kisses or rubbed tender circles on my stomach or whispered sweet words to the baby growing in me, my heart seemed to grow a trillion sizes.

It didn't escape me that this baby had 0% of Connor's DNA, yet he treated it as if it was his own. Sometimes I laid awake at night and just thought about how lucky I was to have this man in my life.

"Let me know how today goes." Connor pecked my lips after he spoke. "I love you."

"I will." I promised. "And I love you immensely, but please go."

As Connor climbed down the stairs of the front porch, I smacked his ass and called out. "Bye loser!" Connor stuck his hand up in a wave as a response, shaking his head.

"Well, aren't you just peachy this morning?" My mom laughed from behind me.

"I guess I've just got a lot to be happy about today." I grinned.

My mom and Layla had gone behind my back and planned a surprise baby shower for today. I had been pretty insistent on not having a baby shower – it just didn't feel right – but I was extremely thankful that they hadn't listened and planned one anyways.

Not to mention tomorrow is Connor's birthday, and I'm excited to celebrate one of my favorite human beings. He deserves to have an entire day dedicated to him, and I'm hoping on showering him in all of his favorite things as he did for me.

Following my mom inside the house, I smiled at the beautiful decorations that adorned the first floor.

Since the baby's sex was still unknown, my mom and Layla had gone with a color palette of muted pinks and purples mixed with beiges and some sage green. The colors flowed together perfectly and produced such a peaceful mood throughout the house.

I loved it.

But I also loved everyone that showed up to my impromptu party.

Layla's mom, Connor's grandma, and sisters, and a few girls from school that I still kept in touch with were a few of the people here.