Chapter 1: Saving the Best for Last

I rested my head on the steering wheel after pulling into our driveway. Wearing a tired smile, I said out loud, "I made it. WE made it!" I rubbed my hand gently over my prominent baby bump.

It was the last day of school, and my co-workers had sort of surprised me with a baby shower after our early dismissal. Since they knew I wasn't a big fan of surprises - although I was getting less freaked out by them now that they happened more often - they told me to show up in the faculty lounge immediately after the last bell but wouldn't spill any details beforehand.

The shower had had a book theme, so I could have started my own library with the overflowing bags of kids' titles in the back seat. Of course, they had also given us baby clothes - why is everything so much cuter when it's tiny? - and a variety of other infant paraphernalia.

I climbed slowly out of the car - I did everything slowly these days - deciding to let Darren unload our haul, contrary to my usual insistence to bring everything in immediately. I opened the front door, calling out "Megan! Darren! I'm home!"

Darren ran down the stairs with his headphones around his neck - that's why he didn't hear me pull in - and wrapped his arms around me, greeting me with his adorable smile and a welcoming kiss. He had just started working on his second album after finishing a successful mini-tour to support the first one, so he was spending most of his days in his studio.

"How did everything go, sweetie? Did your last day stuff turn out all right? How was the party? Did you tell everyone thanks for me? Did you get enough to eat? Why don't you come and sit..."

I put my finger to Darren's lips to stop the flow of questions. "Shhh, Dare...it was all great," I said with a grin and he led me to the couch. Megan jumped up to lay beside me and started purring loudly when I began petting her.

"Tell me everything, Rhi. I really wish I could have made it today."

"Dare, you couldn't skip that interview. A blurb in 'The Rolling Stone' is too huge to miss. Besides, we can re-live it when you carry all the gifts in from the car and help me put everything away."

Darren shook his head with a wry grin. Of course, he would never be obsessed with neatness like I was, but he was coming to appreciate the value of things being where they belonged.

"You look tired, Rhi. Do you want to take a nap with me before dinner? I could use a break too..."

"That sounds perfect, Darren. But, can I ask you a question first?"

Darren paused before answering because he could guess what was coming. "Anything, Rhi," he replied as usual, even though I knew he probably wasn't thrilled about discussing this topic AGAIN!

"Are you sure that I should go back to school in the fall? I know it will be almost two months after LG is born, and I know that you are more than capable of taking care of him, but I still feel...strange about asking Rita to be our back-up..."

Rubbing his thumb over my fingers to comfort me, Darren replied gently, "Rhiannon, you know that we've asked Rita multiple times if she is okay with this whole set-up, and I don't see what we can do besides take her at her word. She's excited about helping, and about being an honorary grandma. Don't forget that Jeff will be her back-up too. And it will be so much better for LG - and us - to have people looking after him that we love and trust. This was her idea in the first place, remember?"

"I know, Dare, it's just that...I feel like we're taking advantage of the situation..."

He pulled me down to lay beside him on the couch and soothingly ran his fingers over my belly which usually calmed all three of us. "Rhiannon, I think this is the right thing to do. But, we've still got time to think about it. Even if you take maternity leave, you won't have to let the school know until the beginning of August." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm wondering if your hesitation isn't due to nerves about leaving LG every day? We both know that will be...hard, but...I don't want you to give up this job that you enjoy so much. With some help, we can make this work." He lightly kissed me, then said, "Close your eyes and rest, sweetie. We can talk about this more while we eat."

I snuggled into him, sighing with contentment as my eyes drifted shut. After a minute, Darren said quietly, "Rhi? Are you awake enough to answer a question?"

"Barely."

He paused and then with a grin in his voice, he asked, "Why does Megan still get top billing when you come home?"

I stroked his cheek and responded sleepily, "Saving the best for last, my love."