Bringin' on the Heartbreak

10

Christmas is approaching soon and I'm still very much pregnant. This will be my third Christmas with Sav and every year it gets better. I'm excited for next Christmas, our first with Declan, and also our first one as husband and wife. For now though, we're just Emma and Sav.

Declan is extremely active in my stomach these days. He likes to cross his legs like mommy and he drums against my organs, which means he's probably going to be a drummer like his Uncle Ricky. Maybe I should have named him Rick Allen, hm? He's also extremely stubborn during ultrasounds, a trait he gets from his dad (and a little bit from mom, too).

We're hosting Christmas at our house this year because traveling when you're seven months pregnant isn't exactly a fun task. My feet swell to the size of small dogs, my back aches at all times, and Declan kicking my bladder every five seconds makes me have to pee. Pregnancy isn't fun by any means, except the adorable little moments when he makes his presence known in there.

Pregnancy has taken such a toll on me that I decided to take a break from school for a while. I may pick it back up after the wedding, who knows. I'm not hurting for money right now and Sav won't let me pay for anything anyway, so I need to stay rested up for our little boy. Our parents occasionally help us out financially too.

Despite pregnancy causing me to be miserable most of the time, this is my favorite holiday. I'm wearing an oversized Charlie Brown Christmas shirt and spinning Christmas records while Sav is out doing some shopping. I gave him some guidance for what to get everyone but usually he just takes that with a grain of salt, much to my dismay. I half expect him to come in with a rubber chicken or something crazy like that.

Stepping into the closet where I've hidden his gift, I pull it out and look at it again. I got him a two-picture frame with the first picture we ever took together inside of one and Declan's first ultrasound in the other. Handpainted at the bottom are the words "Daddy's Future Bandmate." It almost brings me to tears so I carefully wrap it back up and put it where I had it. He somehow hasn't noticed its presence yet.

Sav always goes all out for me on Christmas because he knows it's my favorite time of year. His gifts are always extra special and brought me to tears even before pregnancy hormones so I'm sure I'll be a puddle on the floor this year. His ability to be so considerate of everyone else and be in touch with his emotions is why I fell in love with him, along with that stupid smirk of his.

When he returned from shopping, he hastily went to put the bags out of my view which most likely means my gift is in there. I don't pry too much though, because I like being surprised.

He comes out of the bedroom just as I'm pulling my famous gingerbread cookies out of the oven. Frank Sinatra's Christmas album is ringing all through the house, and I can't help but sway along to it. He comes to place his hands on my hips as I'm still dancing and icing the cookies. He places a kiss on my cheek from behind me before he reaches over and steals a cookie.

"They just keep getting better, babe." He says with his mouth full of gingerbread.

"He agrees." I look down and smile at my stomach. "This is my second batch." I laugh.

"I don't blame him. His mama knows how to bake." He points the cookie at me.

"How did shopping go?" I ask as I'm transferring the cookies into a storage container. I fully expect him to tell me he went completely away from my suggestions.

"It went well. I bought everything you wanted to get for everyone." He says. I look at him in surprise with a cocked eyebrow.

"Really?"

"I figured I'd make things easier for us. As much as I love watching you squirm over me getting a completely out of left field gift I thought I'd take a break from it this year." He jokes.

"Wow, I'm surprised." I laugh, putting the lid on the cookie container, even though between the three of us they will most likely be gone soon.

"You will be when you open your gift." He says with a smirk, walking away to the living room.

—

Tonight we're all going out to see the Christmas light show at a local ranch. I'm so excited, I feel like a kid again. I love looking at all the bright colors and shapes.

"I'm just saying, there shouldn't be an age limit for sitting on Santa's lap." Phil says, making Steve groan in annoyance. I can feel Sav's chest vibrate from laughing at them.

"My mom always said if you quit believing you quit receiving." I said.

"She had the right idea. Most kids stop believing in Santa too young." Rick says, looking at me in the rearview mirror as he's driving.

"We're here!" Joe says, almost as excited as me.

Immediately upon arrival we're greeted with thousands of stunning lights. I stare in awe as we follow the driving path, admiring each display.

"Look! Snoopy!" One of the guys says, but I can't make out which one because I'm so focused.

"It's so beautiful." I say, leaning against the window to get a closer look.

"Not as beautiful as you." Sav whispers deeply in my ear, tightening his grip around me.

"Hey, enough. There's other people in the car." Joe says dramatically.

—

The light show was spectacular, so many intricate designs that I'm sure took a lot of patience to put together. The band has since left and we have plopped on the couch to watch more Christmas movies. Sav likes to pretend he doesn't like the cheesy romance Christmas movies but he doesn't peel his eyes away from them, so. I watch his eyes glimmer every time I look over at him, and eventually he catches my stare and smiles.

I'm soaking in all of these moments with just the two of us for as long as I'm able to. It's always been us against the world so adding a tiny human is very exciting and very scary at the same time. Life has a way of reminding you that you have so much to be grateful for, especially during this time of the year.

—

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little ~Christmas in July~ chapter. I've been watching so many hallmark movies with my grandma that I was feeling in the spirit. Baby Savage is so close!

Remember as always, comment & vote to let me know what you think!

Xo,
LK