I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I’m wearing a red dress that goes down below my knees. The sleeves go down to my elbow. It is not too tight, but tight enough to hug my stomach. I stand sideways and study my body shape. I've always classified pregnant women into two groups. There are those who only seem to gain weight in the stomach and whose bodies bounce right back after birth, and those who seem to gain weight everywhere: legs, arms, face, thighs, butt...
I don't classify them to be rude or anything. I've just seen these two groups of women. I always thought I was going to be in the second group because I have a pear-shaped body with curvy thighs and hips. It may still be too early to say this, but I'm thankful I haven't gained as much as I thought I would. I've never been big on weight or anything, but it would be nice to go back to how I was before I got pregnant and fit into all my old things easily.
I catch sight of the time and put on my ankle boots. Evans has been waiting for me in the living room. It is time to meet the Leonard's. To say that I'm nervous is an understatement, but I think I'm allowed to be. I don't know how they're going to react or what they're going to say. I'm mostly worried about his parents.
I didn't have time to do anything with my hair since I spend most time going through my closet and changing every five seconds. Thankfully, it doesn't look bad. The waves are loose around my shoulders. I applied some mascara and eyeliner so I can look more alive. I put on my black coat and avoid the mirror as I make my way out of the room.
"Ready?" Evans asks when I walk into the living room.
"Actually, no but I don't really have a choice, so let's go." I joke, making him chuckle. Evans is wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt and a black tie. I wasn't snooping...okay maybe I was, but I now know that his closet is neatly organized and full of perfect, expensive-looking suits. He doesn't own a single pair of jeans. I don't know why I was surprised.
He opens the door for me and together we make our way out of the building and into his car. I notice he's a little quiet and that only makes me more nervous. I want to ask him if there's something wrong, but I don't really want to know. I'm already nervous as it is.
Caroline's neighborhood is beautiful. The houses are not all the same, but they share the same clean, fresh look with their perfect green lawns and trees. There is also a park, but it’s around five in the evening, so there aren't many people in it. It’s now late October and it’s been getting colder and the sun sets earlier. My favorite time of the year. Caroline's house is gorgeous with white stone and two impressive stories. There are already cars in the driveway and Evans has to park parallel to the sidewalk.
He opens the door for me and offers me his hand. "It's going to be fine," he promises, then frowns. "Just don't listen to everything my mom says. She can exaggerate."
I laugh nervously. "That's not helping."
He smiles. "Come on."
I follow him to the front door. The porch has a small table decorated with flowers. Thinking about sitting here at night makes me smile. It looks very relaxing. Evans rings the doorbell and the door opens a few moments later.
The man who opens it is tall with short brown hair and big green eyes. He has one of those handsome faces that make you turn when you pass them in the street...kind of like Evans, except he has a warmer look. He is wearing jeans with a white button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Hey, man," he says with a smile, then hugs Evans as they slap each other's backs.
Evans,who seems to have his protective face back on, nods then looks at me. "This is Mark Caroline's husband." He looks at Mark"This is Ciara.”
Mark smiles, offering me his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Ciara"
I smile shyly. "Thank you."
He opens the door wider. "Why don't you come in?"
“Ciara!"
I look up and see Caroline making her way towards me with a little girl in her arms. Caroline is wearing black jeans with a blue button-down blouse and black slip on vans. Her hair is loose around her shoulders and she looks very beautiful without even trying. The little girl seems to be 2 years old. She is wearing a white dress with flowers all over it and white sandals. She has light brown hair with soft curls and big, green eyes—her father's eyes. She is so adorable.
Ciara hugs me with her free arms. "I'm so glad you made it!" She looks at her daughter who is hiding, shyly. "This is Dell." She grabs her hand. "Say Dell is hiding behind Caroline’s hair. She peeks at me and then looks at Evans and extends her arms to him. Evans takes her gladly. "Hey, Dell. How are you?" he asks her sweetly. I stare at them adoringly.
Caroline grabs my hand and pulls me gently. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the rest."
I look at Evans and he just shrugs with a soft laugh. I sigh under my breath and let Caroline lead me.