Arrow in the Heart

Chapter 30

            "Hurry up! We're going to be late!" I yelled gently shoving Riley's feet into a pair of baby moccasins and strapping her into the carseat.

"I'm almost ready!" Roy yelled back, his words slightly jumbled by the toothbrush in his mouth.

It was the day of our baby shower. At our gender reveal ultrasound, Laurel had tagged along and the technician had given her an envelope with the baby's gender in it. She had decided that she wanted to throw Roy and I a big baby shower and surprise us with the gender at the party. The only reason I had gone along with it was because she had looked so excited at the prospect of the party and the surprise.

Riley kicked her feet, angry that I had put her in the carseat instead of holding her. I fixed my dress so that the blush pink fabric flowed more evenly over my ever-expanding abdomen. I maneuvered my feet into a pair of nude ballet flats as Roy raced over to put on his shoes.

"I'm going to get Riley in the car. Don't forget to lock to door," I said, hauling our daughter to the car.

By the time Roy got out to the car, I had finished securing Riley's carseat. I slid into the passenger side and tossed the keys to my fiancé before buckling my seatbelt. We drove to Laurel's in relative silence, besides Riley babbling away happily in the backseat. When we got to her apartment, Laurel rushed outside to greet us and steal our daughter.

"Are you ready?" Roy asked, slipping his hand into mine.

I nodded, absentmindedly fiddling with my engagement ring.

"You look nervous," he said, placing his hands on either side of my face.

"I am."

"Why?"

"We're finding out if we're having a boy or a girl soon. I guess I'm just trying to wrap my head around that," I admitted.

"As long as it's healthy, I don't care if we have a son or a daughter. I'm just so happy to have you, Riley, and that baby. Everything will be fine."

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered back, kissing me sweetly.

We walked into Laurel's apartment hand in hand and were immediately greeted by everyone in the room. We made our rounds, saying hi to everyone as they asked tons of questions.

"Alright, everyone! It's time to find out whether it's a boy or a girl!" Laurel called excitedly, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention.

She pulled Roy and I to the front of the room and handed Roy a giant black balloon before handing me a needle.

"Inside this balloon is a bunch of confetti that will reveal your baby's gender. Emma, pop it when you're ready!" she instructed.

I looked over at Roy and he smiled at me before gripping my free hand with his. I took a deep breath and popped the balloon. Cheers erupted from the crowd when blue confetti rained down on Roy and I.

"It's a boy!" everyone shouted.

Roy looked at me as tears ran down both of our faces. He pulled me into a tight hug, holding me as we both cried tears of joy. When we finally let go of each other, we were immediately engulfed in hugs from our friends.

"I'm so happy for you," Caitlin said, wrapping her arms around me.

"Thank you," I said, hugging her.