I put the car in park and turned to my wife. “You look so beautiful tonight,” I said stroking a lock of her long brown hair. Clare blushed and looked down. She smiled and placed her hand on her stomach which was pushing out the 19th century gown she was wearing. She looked back up at me, her smiling growing as her eyes raised and caught my own. She didn’t have to speak in order for me to understand what she was thinking. I reached over and slid my hand under hers. I felt the kicks and jabs through her stomach, our children saying ‘Happy Halloween Mom and Dad!’
I leaned over close to her belly, “shouldn’t you two be asleep by now! It’s almost nine thirty at night! You’re negative three months, go to bed!”
Clare giggled and pushed my head back up. “It’s almost nine thirty, let’s get inside the house before the party starts without us.”
I opened the door. “Party start without US? I do not think so!” Clare giggled and went to open her door. “Stay seated my Christine,” I said in an English accent. I dashed to her side of the car and opened the door for her. “Your phantom is here to be your slave.” I helped my wife out of the car and genuflected at her feet like I was her servant. When I got up from the ground, I took my wife arm in arm and led her carefully up the sidewalk to the front door. Clare pulled my mask down on my face and pretty soon we were inside dancing, bobbing for apples, and making small talk with neighbors we hadn’t talked with in months, just like every other year we had attended the Osbourne’s Annual Halloween Bash. By midnight Clare and I were all tuckered out, tired from all the dancing and partying, but not from the questions about our kids or when our new “baby” was due, everyone was shocked when we told them the “baby” was really “babies.” Clare got hugs and I got pats on the back followed closely by hugs. Around one AM we decided it was time to leave, Clare’s back was starting to ache and we both knew it was time to relive the poor teenaged baby-sitter of her duties dealing with our daughter. We promised some of our close neighbors that we’d be in touch and we left.
“What a party!” I exclaimed as I helped my wife into the car.
“Definitely,” she said with a grin. “That was fun.” I pulled out of the parking space and we made our way back to our house. I caught Clare looking at me strangely during the ride home, I reached my hand out and squeezed hers reassuringly before placing mine back on the steering wheel.
“Do we have to go in right now?” My wife asked when I turned off the engine in the driveway of our house. I turned towards her and caught a gleam in her eye which I knew meant her hormones were doing strange things.
“I think we’d better-”
“Aw, Taylor, remember when you started to drive to my house when we were dating?” She interrupted putting her head on my shoulder and sighing. “Remember how we used to sit outside in the car, listening to the radio, and just cuddle.”
“Yeah, I remember that.” I pulled her closer to me and leaned my head on top of hers. I looked at my watch, “it’s almost 1:15... how about we sit here for 15 minutes and just... snuggle.”
“I’d like that.”
I reached over and turned the key slightly in the ignition and turned on the radio. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of my wife breathing slowly. We didn’t talk, Clare just sat there in my arms breathing steadily.
Before we knew it fifteen minutes had passed and we knew it was time to go inside. I turned off the engine, went to Clare’s side and helped her out. Before putting the key in the front door I turned to Clare, “wait..” I tilted her chin up and kissed her. I smiled. “There we go. Now that’s how I remember ending our perfect night when were dating.”