Cousin Lacey

I laughed. "Wow," I said. "Um . . . congratulations. Is it a boy or a girl?"

Lacey blushed. She wasn't wearing makeup, and suddenly reminded me of the eighteen-year-old beauty from six and a half years before. She touched her stomach.

"It's a boy," she said. Her beautiful eyes flashed to me. "You wanna feel?"

I smiled, mesmerized by her pregnant belly. I settled my hand on my cousin's firm, rounded stomach. I felt slight motion beneath, and gasped. "Holy shit," I muttered.

Lacey laughed. Her eyes bored into mine. "I-I wanted to tell you," she said. "I-I mean . . . I should have. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's okay," I said. "I've been busy, anyway." I gently smoothed my hand over Lacey's naked belly as she pulled up her loose blouse. "So, uh . . . if I'm your cousin, what's that make me to him? Uncle?"

Lacey laughed, then suddenly cupped my face as her smile drained away. "It makes you 'daddy,'" she whispered, giving me a serious look.

I stared at her for a long moment, my heart suddenly thumping in my chest. "Wh-what?"

Lacey kept her eyes locked on mine. "He's our little boy, Markie," she said in a strained voice. Her eyes moistened with tears. "Yours and mine."

I shuddered, swallowing nervously. "A-are you—"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "When I found out I was pregnant, I asked for a blood test. I didn't tell Jeff. Markie, honey . . . our baby's blood type is the same as yours. I'm carrying your son."

I breathed out, feeling overwhelmed. I leaned against the snow-covered railing, trying to calm myself.

"Markie, it's okay," said Lacey.

I looked to her. "I'll do whatever you want, whatever you need," I said. "I-I'll support you, I promise—"

Lacey suddenly laughed. "Markie, relax," she said. She stepped up beside me, insinuated her face before mine. "I don't want anything from you. You already gave me the one thing I always wanted, and you can't believe how happy I was to find out that I'm having your baby."

I gave her a confused look. "But . . . Jeff . . . what's he gonna think?"

Lacey's eyes dipped. She felt a little ashamed, I knew, just as I did. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, Jeff's tall, dark, and handsome, just like you. However our little boy comes out, no one's gonna know it's not Jeff's."

I was quiet for a long moment. I was going to be a father, but the mother of my first child was not my wife. Still, it all seemed right. Lacey and I had shared so many firsts in our lives . . . why not our first child?

"I'd like to come see him," I said, looking to her.

Lacey's eyes dripped. "Any time you want," she said. "I promise."

I smiled, sniffed. "Jeff will be a good father," I said.

She nodded. "The best," she agreed. "Next to you."

I took my cousin in my arms, hugged her tightly. She shuddered against me, and I held her until her tears stopped flowing. Finally, I let her pull back, and wiped her eyes. Lacey smiled up at me.

"Come on," I said. "Let's go get some egg-nog."

Lacey laughed, squeezed my hand. "Okay, but no rum for me," she said.

***

Lacey's son, whom she insisted on naming Mark Jeffrey Baines, was born on April 3^rd of the following year. Lacey and Jeff sent out announcements right way, alerting everyone to the birth of their healthy, eight-pound baby boy.

About a week later, I was checking my private email, and noticed a message from Lacey. No text, no subject, but there was a single attachment, a .jpg image. I clicked on it, and was treated to the sight of a tiny infant in a hospital nursery crib, flailing his chubby little arms and legs about. And superimposed across the bottom of the picture were the words, "Hi, Daddy!"

I couldn't help but cry.My little boy, I thought, and touched the screen.

"Honey?"

Lana's voice jolted me back to reality. I closed the image, logged off the computer, wiped my eyes as my wife stepped into the room. She gave me a quizzical look.

"You okay, honey?"

I nodded, smiling upon her. "You wanna have a baby?"

Lana's features melted, and she swooned. "Oh, honey . . . ."

-finis-