Personal Chef

Chapter 73

"What did Drew call you about?" Shawn asked as we sat snuggled on the couch after our shower.

"Oh my god! I can't believe I didn't tell you!" I said excitedly.

"You were a little busy," he said, kissing me on the forehead.

"Lainey is pregnant and they are coming to our engagement party!"

"Really? That's amazing!"

He had the biggest smile on his face. Shawn had never met Johnson, but he'd seen him multiple times recently when we'd FaceTimed my brother and his family.

"I had no idea they were trying again so soon," I said. "My parents must be flipping out. Being grandparents is their whole life now."

"Do you ever think about having one?" he asked.

"A baby?"

"Yes. A baby. Our baby."

I'd thought about having a baby with Shawn quite a bit when Kat was pregnant. I couldn't help it; it was like she'd stolen my future with him. Since he'd found out Jayce wasn't his, that feeling had been back-burnered by my brain.

"I've thought of it," I said. "I wouldn't say it's a pressing desire for me right now, though."

"Oh," he uttered with a hint of disappointment.

"Oh?"

"I'd like to start a family sooner rather than later. The whole experience with Jayce made me want a baby, especially after I learned he wasn't mine," he said.

"You don't think you feel that way because you want to replace what you lost?" I asked cautiously.

"Maybe that's part of it. It's definitely not all of it, though. I really like the idea of us having a baby. I think you'd be an incredible mom, and I think I'd be a good dad."

I loved that he'd thought about this. We were getting married, so of course it was natural, but he'd obviously looked into our future and seen us as a family, I saw this, too, but not right away.

"You're going on tour next year and I own a business. Neither of those things make for exactly ideal timing for starting a family."

Shawn sighed. "I know. You're right. I was thinking that after the tour I might take a little time off."

"Define 'a little' for me," I said.

"Two years."

I gasped. "That's more than a little time off. Are you sure you'd be happy doing that?"

He pushed some hair behind my ear. "For you? And our baby? Yeah, I'd be happy doing that."

I wasn't sure how we'd gone from shower spanking to planning for a child in such a short timeframe.

"Let's get married first," I suggested. "Then we can make a decision about when to have a baby."

Shawn's face lit up. "I was thinking about our wedding, by the way. I have an idea. Want to hear it?"

"I need to start dinner. You can tell me all about it while I work."

We got up off the couch and I set to work making buffalo chicken chili. As I chopped onions and celery, he shared his wedding plan with me. We talked more as I browned the ground chicken breast. By the time the chili was simmering on the stovetop, he'd managed to get me to agree to the date and location.

~~~~~~

The previous month, in early October, Shawn's family had hosted Thanksgiving and my parents had joined us in the celebration. I found out after our engagement that Shawn used this opportunity to share his plan to propose to me with both his parents and mine while Aaliyah kept me occupied in her room. Soon after the holiday, my folks had returned to Vancouver. They tended to spend four to six weeks at a time in one place before switching to the other.