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Jodi walked into the room and Kent smiled. Kent always looked at her like she'd hung the sun in the sky—like he was lucky simply to be in her presence. Normally, seeing that expression on Kent's face made Jodi feel weak in the knees. Right now though, her stomach was twisted into knots.
His face fell as he realized that something was wrong and he rushed to gather her in his strong arms. "What's wrong, Jodi?"
She opened her mouth but words failed her. Jodi wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into Kent's shoulder for what felt like an eternity. He held her close, murmuring comforting words that she barely heard.
"It's okay, Jodi. I'm here for you. Please tell me what's wrong."
She cried until she had nothing left to cry. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she looked the boy she loved in the eyes and whispered the words that would change the course of both their lives forever, "I'm pregnant."
Jodi's dreams of traveling the world came crashing to a halt the instant those two little lines appeared on the at home pregnancy test but she wouldn't trade her precious baby boy for anything. Kent had stuck by her through it all, despite all of the hardships life had thrown their way.
After Kent learned he was going to be a father, he'd immediately pawned his guitar to buy her a wedding ring. Then he went out and accepted the first job that would hire him. The pay working for the Zuzu City Sanitation Department wasn't the best, and the hours were long, but with careful budgeting it was enough to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.
However, Jodi couldn't help but feel like their tiny little apartment in the city had grown even smaller as time marched on. At six years old, Sam was a rambunctious ball of sunshine, bouncing of the walls with seemingly endless energy. There was no room for him to run around and play.
"Maybe I should try to get a job," Jodi mused one evening after Sam was tucked into bed. "Then we could afford to rent a larger place."
Kent frowned, "What would you do?"
"I don't know," Jodi admitted. "Something, anything that would take me."
Kent swallowed hard. "I don't like the idea of you having to work just so we can have a bigger place. Let me see if I can find a better job first."
"Okay," Jodi agreed and Kent smiled at her. Even after all this time, when he looked at her like that, she felt butterflies. "Either way, we'll figure something out. We always do."
A few months later, Jodi was returning home from the grocery store with a full bag in one hand, and balancing a squirming Sam on her hip with the other, when the door opened before she could even reach for her keys.
"Kent," Jodi cried in surprise as he took the bag from her hand. "You're home early!"
"Dad!" Sam cheered as Jodi set him down on the ground and he began running circles around Kent's feet. "Dad's home! Now you can play with me!"
Kent smiled, "Actually, buddy, I have something to show you and your mom but it's kinda far away. We're going to need to take a ride on the train first."
Sam's eyes went wide. "A train! We're gonna go on a real live train?"
"Yep," Kent said, his eyes sparkling. "Why don't you go pick a toy to take with you while I help Mom make some sandwiches for the trip?"
Jodi frowned, concerned, but waited until Sam ran off before asking, "Are you sure about this Kent? The train is awful expensive."
"Trust me," Kent reassured. "I've got it covered."
A few hours later, Kent was leading them off the train and into the valley. It was a lovely walk from the train station into Pelican Town. The air was so much fresher than Jodi was used to and everything was green and beautiful. Sam's eyes were wide and Jodi kept a tight grip on his hand to make sure he couldn't speed away down the path or into the river.
"This is a cute little town," Jodi said as they reached the cobblestone paths of the town center. "But where is everyone?"
"There's a festival today at the Beach a little further down," Kent said. "We'll check it out later, but there's something else I want to show you first."
Kent led them along the river to a cute house at the end of the road and opened the door.
"Kent! We can't just walk into someone's house!" Jodi sputtered.
"It's not someone's house," Kent said with a grin that rivaled Sam at his most mischievous. "It's our house."
"We have a house?" Sam asked. "A whole house?"
"We do now, buddy," Kent answered. "Why don't you take a look around?"
"We have a house!" Sam cheered as he darted into a bedroom.
"How can we afford this?" Jodi whispered in a panic.
"I enlisted in the army," Kent answered quietly. "The pay is a lot better and I was able to buy this house free and clear with my sign-up bonus. It's ours now, Jodi."
Cold fear stopped Jodi in her tracks. "I know you had good intentions, but the army is dangerous. You should have discussed this with me first."
"I promised to provide for you," Kent said quietly. "Now I can make sure our family has room to grow."
"But you'll have to go away," Jodi said with tears in her eyes. "I don't want to have to do this without you."
"I'll only be gone a little while, Jodi. I'll be back before you know it." Kent said reassuringly as he tenderly wiped her tears away. "Let me show you and Sam the rest of the house and then we can head down to the Beach and meet our new neighbors."