“Yes,” I said. “Whatever you need. Yes.”
Having my own child, I understood the kind of love they were longing for. So, I wanted to help them.
I didn’t even let Ryan finish the sentence.
***
They came to every appointment. Every single one. Melissa brought a little notebook and wrote down everything the doctor said, and Ryan held my hand during the blood draws because I’ve always hated needles.
They watched every ultrasound as their baby grew.
At the gender reveal, my SIL put her palm flat on my belly and closed her eyes as if she were praying.
“Thank you,” she said. “Ivy, thank you.”
I told her to stop because I was going to ruin my mascara.
They came to every appointment.
They’d bought toys when they found out it was a girl. And two months before the birth, they had me over for dinner and walked me down the hall to show me the nursery.
