"Babe please." Anthony begged me on the phone.

"No!" I kept my voice stern and defensive.

"I will do anything you want."

"Anything huh?"

Oh this could be good.

Foot massage for the win!

Ew have your seen your feet? No one would want to touch them. Even the lady at the nail salon looked at your feet and said "Oh honey your feet look like monsters."

She did not.

She would have if she wasn't about to throw up at the sight of them.

I rolled my eyes. You're being over dramatic.

"Anything Sky." Anthony seemed almost desperate on the phone.

"Anthony just shut up and let me cook you dinner." I flicked my hair over my shoulder and rested my phone there. I pulled the papers from the printer and started looking over the figures. I looked up at the clock. Ten more minutes until home time.

Anthony groaned on the other end of the phone. "Baby I love you, but your cooking is going to kill me."

"It's your birthday and I'll be damned if I let you cook!" I put down my highlighter and pen and sat back in my chair, giving him my full attention.

"And I appreciate the thought Sky, but please just let me cook."

"How about take out?"

Anthony sighed deeply and I automatically pictured him pinching the bridge of his nose and running a hand through his hair. "But I hate take out."

"Do you want to go out for dinner then? We can go a restaurant of your choosing." I tempted him. It would ruin my plans a little, but I could alter them a little - I guess.

"No, I really just want to go home and have a lazy night in."

I froze a little. He did? Oh well that fucked up my plans a little. I turned to my diary and opened up my address book. The list of names was a little daunting now. Our friends and family, all invited to the surprise birthday party I was throwing for Anthony at our house tonight.

Too bad. No lazy night husband.

"Okay babe. What ever you want." I told him what he wanted to hear and hung up. Taking a deep breath, I flipped my hair back and tied it up in a loose ponytail. Collecting my belongings I handed in a few papers to my boss on my way out of the building.

I wondered down to the carpark and slid into my new car. Well, Louie - that was what I named my car - wasn't exactly new, I had bought him last year when we moved into our little house out in the suburbs. It was a half an hour commute to get home, but at four in the afternoon it only took me 25 minutes.

I pulled the balloons and birthday cake out of the car and half waved at our neighbours as I walked into the house. It was a quiet, still building up area, a nice double story house with a model style and a decent sized backyard. Much more space than the Lustrous apartment that was for sure.

I sat the cake and balloons on the bench of the kitchen and hit the answering machine. All messages were from friends and family calling to RSVP for tonight.

I opened the back door and let Macaroni inside. Despite the fact that our puppy was now full grown, she was still in the chewing stage and so her inside time was limited.

"Get on your bed." I told her, greeting her with a little pat on the head and heading outside.

We now had added a fish pond and a bird to our collection of pets. And on occasion, we also feed the neighbours cat. But Anthony won't let me buy a cat. I opened up Hercules little bunny house and let her out for her daily run around the garden - her only free time was when Macaroni had been bought inside since the two don't get along to well. Hercules was getting old now, and was no longer as energetic as she once was.

Going back inside the house, I quickly cooked up some finger food - not too hard, just putting food in the oven - and set up the balloons around the house.

Then, I watched the clock.

By six pm, everyone had arrived. Presents were stacked up on the dining table, making me more self-conscious about my own present to Anthony. Will he even like it?

Wouldn't it be funny if he didn't?

No! It most certainly would not be funny!

It kind of would be. I mean can you imagine his face as he stares at that tiny little thing you got him and is just like, um sky no.

I felt sick in the stomach at the thought.

Go away. I told my inner self.

Fine, fine. But you'll have no fun without me!

She didn't put up much of a fight now-days, which was comforting. My inner self and I seemed to have a reached a brief - and somewhat fragile - understanding.

Lights flickered in through the window and I beamed in responses. "Everyone shut up he's here!" I pounced for the light switch and turned everything off.

"Shhh." I kept telling everyone to be quite as footsteps approached the door.

Anthony pulled on the door handle.

As the door opened, everyone beamed in response. "Surprise" they all called out. Anthony flinched and swore as he took in the sight.

He looked like he was ready to punch someone.

"Surprise." I repeated as I bounced over to him.

He forced a smile on his face. I had learned how to recognise his fake smiles. In the beginning they seemed somewhat relaxed, but up close you could see the tightness in the corner.

"I love you." I reached up and kissed his cheek. "I had already had it planned before our conversation this afternoon."

He shook his head and faced me. "Thank you babe." He kissed me lightly. "But next year," he whispered in my ear. "Just us okay."

My heart went cold. "Yeah. Just us."

Anthony wrapped his arm around my waist and began greeting his guest.

Anthony laid down on the bed. His eyes closed automatically and he rested an arm over his eyes and the other arm across his chest.

Everyone had just left and we were exhausted.

"I still haven't given you your present yet!" I said in a soft voice as I stretched out on the bed next to him. I turned ever so slightly and pulled out a small, roughly wrapped present that I was hiding in my bedside table.

I placed it on top of Anthony's stomach.

He took a deep breath and grabbed a hold of the little present. He lifted his head ever so slightly and started at it. "What is it?" He frowned.

"Open it and find out." I poked him in the side.

Anthony slowly - as always - unwrapped the small present. It seriously annoyed me how slowly he unwrapped his presents. As Anthony's fingers finished with the wrapping paper and pushed it aside, his grip on the little present loosened.

"What is this?" Anthony's voice shook a little.

I frowned, sitting up in the bed, and looked down at him. "What do you mean 'what is this?'?"

How could he not know what a pregnancy test was?

"Does this mean that... that...?" Anthony seemed to be struggling for words. I prayed it was for good reasons and not the bad.

"It means I'm pregnant Anthony."

"Pregnant?" He kept staring at the little test in his hands. "As in like... a baby?"

I looked around a little nervously. "What other kind of pregnant is there?"

He remained silent.

I took a deep breath and laid down on the bed. "I thought you wanted this?"

"I did." He said as he turned to face me. "I mean, I do." He quickly corrected. "It's just that..." He trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I thought we would have more time together first."

I turned on my side so that we were facing each other. "More time? You are stuck with me till death do us apart and even then, I'll probably still haunt your ass through eternity."

Anthony chuckled then. He grabbed my hand in his and intertwined our fingers. "Yeah but now there will always be someone else."

"Yeah can you imagine a little me running around."

"Oh dear god no!" His eyes widened as if he only just realised there was a possibility that this child may turn out somewhat like me.

"Or a little you."

"Yeah, we should have adopted."

I laughed, the movement hurting a little on my full stomach of food. "But you're okay with it right?"

He pulled me closer towards him, until I was cuddled into his side. He pressed his lips against my forehead. "Yes Sky, I'm a little scared now that it's a reality, but I'm also kind of excited."

I let go of the breath I had been holding.

"What about you?"

I waited a few minutes before responding. What was I feeling? I contemplated many responses. I thought about lying, I thought about twisting the truth so I didn't sound so pathetic. But in the end, I will always tell Anthony the truth. "I'm scared shitless."

"Why?"

"What if he or she isn't okay? What if something is wrong and I'm to stupid to notice? What if I don't like them? What if they don't like me? What if they cry and I'm too busy having a moment to hear them?" Truth be told that last one frightened me the most. "Or what if they are like me? What if I pass whatever this is on to my child?" The thought made me sick.

"It'll be okay Sky." Anthony cuddled me to his chest. "Everything will be okay."