“Is Joel coming?” I ask. “What about his girlfriend?”
“They broke up.” She rolls her eyes. “But yes, he’ll be there. He’s coming as Zoro and he’s ecstatic. He’s such a dork.” She laughs.
“All right, I’ll see you guys then.” I hug them each goodbye, amazed by how much my belly gets in the way now. The thing is basically a planet. I guess Cade wasn’t too off base when he said I was a blimp.
We all head our separate ways and I wait in my car for Xander, knowing he’ll be a while.
Oftentimes in the past, I’d wait for him near the lockers, but now that I’m pregnant there’s no way I’m braving the psycho reporters.
Those assholes are crazier than me and that’s saying something.
My phone pings with a text.
Xander: I have a couple of interviews. I’m sorry.
Me: It’s fine.
Xander: It’s going to be a while. You can leave. I’ll get an uber or something.
Me: How about I go pick us up takeout and come back over? Think that’ll be enough time?
Xander: Maybe…
I sigh.
Me: I’m in desperate need of a cheeseburger. I’ll order some and pick them up and hope for the best.
Xander: K.
Me: You know I hate it when you just say K. That’s the most annoying thing ever.
Me: Xander?
Me: XANDER?
I sigh again, figuring he’s already started his interviews.
I call and order our food, my stomach already rumbling. The box had a variety of snacks, but nothing was appealing except lemons. I’m learning while I’m pregnant that there always seems to be one thing I want to eat, and nothing else sounds good. Like right now all I want is a big fat juicy cheeseburger.
Thanks to the stadium traffic it takes me a good forty minutes to get to the restaurant and pick up our burgers, fries, and drinks. Heading back doesn’t take nearly as long, but I’m gone nearly an hour and a half.
Me: I’m back
I shoot Xander a text when I get back to where I park.
Xander: I’ll be 5 more minutes.
Me: I had almost perfect timing then. Go me.
I don’t tell him but I also stopped and picked up McFlurrys. Oreo for me and M&M for him since he’s a freak.
It isn’t long until I see the door open and he strolls out. His dark hair hangs over his forehead and the jeans and white dress shirt he’s changed into clings to his muscles.
Damn, my husband is hot. I did good.
He opens the passenger door and slips inside. “That smells so good. I’m starving. Can we just eat here?”
“Picnic in the car? I like the sound of that,” I agree. Plus, I’m starving so the idea of waiting until I get home to eat isn’t appealing. I hand him the bag of food and he dishes it out. “I hope we don’t make a mess in here,” I comment, looking around at the pristine beige leather in the Range Rover.
“I’ll have it detailed if we do,” he reasons. “You got ice cream too?” He laughs, looking at the cups in the holder.
“I needed a McFlurry,” I defend. “The baby loves them,” I joke.
He chuckles. “Let’s hope she doesn’t have a sweet tooth like you.”
I unwrap the foil from my burger and dig in, immediately moaning. “That’s delicious. I’m so freaking hungry.”
“Me too,” he agrees.
We both grow quiet, to absorbed in our food to talk. I stuff a couple of fries in my mouth and moan again.
It doesn’t take us long to finish our burgers and fries since we were starving and then we both start on the ice cream.
“Do you remember that time in your truck when we got McFlurries after our first official date and we argued about our fictional baby?” I ask him, swirling my tongue around the spoon.
He grins back at me. “How could I forget? We got ice cream all over my truck and ourselves.”
“That was fun, and sticky.” I laugh. “But can you believe this many years later, here we are again sitting in the car eating ice cream only this time I am pregnant and we’re going to have a daughter.”
He grins at me, his teeth perfectly straight and white. “A lot can change in the blink of an eye.”
I think back to the two people we were then. I was so young, only nineteen, and all that we’ve been through since. We’re much stronger, more mature people now. I guess sometimes you have to go through horrible things to come out a better person.
Xander
25 Weeks Pregnant
Baby is the size of acorn squash
“What the hell is an acorn squash?” I mutter to myself, looking at the app on my phone that says at week twenty-five the baby is the size of an acorn squash. Thea has the same tracker on her phone, and I’m sure it’s unusual for the guy to care so much, but I’m fascinated by the whole thing.
I read what it says beneath the size, and I’m shocked to learn that the baby is starting to grab things and can even grab her umbilical cord as well as stick out her tongue.
It really is the miracle of life.
“Xander, I need some help down here!” Thea calls and I head downstairs.
She’s been a mad woman setting up for her Halloween party. I tried to help earlier but she got mad and told me to get out of her way so she could do it herself and do it right.
“Can you hang these?” she asks, pointing to some kind of bat looking thing she wants to dangle from the ceiling.
“Yeah, I’ll grab the ladder.”
I head to the garage and get it. When I get back inside, she’s running around like a crazy person. This is what happens when she insists on doing everything on her own because she’s a perfectionist.
I hang the bat things from the ceiling and then wait for her to ask me to do something else.
“Can you set all this stuff out on the dining room table? I already decorated it. It just needs the food and drink.” She points to the spread of snacks and drinks on the kitchen island.
“Yep. Do I need to hang anything else? I’ll put the ladder away first if you don’t have anything else.”
She presses her lips together, thinking. “No, that was it.”
I put the ladder away, and then set out the drinks and food. I try to set it in a way that I think she’d like instead of just plopping it on the table.
I must do a good job because she walks by and gives an appreciative nod.
“Can you vacuum the family room?” she asks me next.
“Yeah.” At least that’s easy enough.
I’m in the middle of vacuuming when she lets out a war cry. “This house is a mess. It’s never going to be clean in time. We need to just throw everything out.”
I look over at her and find that she’s pressing her fingers to her temple like it’s throbbing.
I cut off the vacuum and close the distance between us, wrapping my arms around her.
“Breathe, sweetheart. You’re going to give yourself a headache.”
“What was I thinking?” she cries with a frown. “I’m six months pregnant. This is too much.”
I place my hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look at me. “You wanted to do something fun and spend time with friends and family on your favorite holiday. There’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, nobody cares if the entertainment center is dusty or there’s a crumb on the floor. That only matters to you because this is our home and you want it to look nice, but everybody else is going to be focused on all these crazy decorations, the food, and Osiris in the corner.” I point to the scary realistic mummy she bought. I came down the other morning and screamed because I thought someone broke in.
She laughs at that and cracks a smile. “I see your point.” She inhales a breath. “It’s going to be fine.”
I step back and finish vacuuming, winding up the cord and putting it back away in the closet.
An hour later, we’re finished cleaning and setting out the decorations, so we get ready and change into our costumes.
Once I’m ready I’m tasked with the job of putting Prue in her costume.
“Ugh,” I groan. “Thea, you know she hates wearing these things.”
She parts her lips, applying mascara. “She has to wear a costume too. Those are the rules.”
I sigh. “Fine, but she’s going to hate me for the next month for this.”
Wrangling Prue into her costume is a chore. She hates them and tries to take them off. But every year, Thea insists on her wearing one.
Next year, I’m burning the costume.
I grab the costume off the end of our bed and make a face. It’s a fucking unicorn. Poor Prue.
“Come here, Prue,” I call, clucking my tongue.
She runs up the stairs but when she sees the fabric in my hands she turns and runs like she already knows.
I sigh and chase after her, back down the stairs.
I find her under the dining room table and I call her name. “Prue. Come here, girl.”
She’s not budging, though.
I groan and stand up, heading into the kitchen so I can get a treat.
Normally, the sound of me opening the treat jar would send her running, but not this time.
“Prue, come on, please,” I beg.
I crouch back down under the table and try to get her, but she refuses.
“Your mother is going to kill me,” I warn her.
She looks up at me with big brown eyes and slowly creeps toward me.
“I’m sorry, girl,” I tell her honestly as I put the costume on her.
She looks ridiculous, but I’m sure Thea will think it’s adorable.
Sure enough, a few minutes later Thea comes down and goes, “Aw, Prue, you look adorable.”
Prue shuffles around, taking one-inch steps with her head bowed. Now that I think about it, she kind acts like Eeyore from Winne the Pooh.
Thea pets Prue’s head—well, the costume, and then takes off for the kitchen.
She puts some music on and then proceeds to start switching out all the light bulbs downstairs to purple ones.
When I just stare at her she shrugs and says, “I need to set the mood and make it more spooky.”
Like she said, her costume matches mine in the fact that it says The Bun with an arrow pointing to her stomach, and she chose to wear jeans with it.
I’m wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, and the apron. I hid the hat, because it was ridiculous and there’s no way in hell I’m actually wearing it. Thankfully, Thea’s been too scattered to realize I don’t have it on.
Yet.
The doorbell rings and I go to answer it.
“Don’t tell me we’re the first fucking ones here,” Jace spits out before I barely have the door open.
“Afraid so.”
He glares down at Nova. “I fucking told you she told us an early time. This is our punishment for being late last year.”
I shrug. “It’s Thea, she’s crafty,” I agree, stepping out of the way so they can come inside.
They’re dressed as The Joker and Harley Quinn. They usually show up as villains, or just something scary. I don’t think they can help themselves.
“Jacen!” I hear Thea call out and I shake my head.
She’s the only person I know that regularly calls him Jacen. He hates it, so that’s why she keeps doing it. She loves getting under his skin and even I have to admit it’s hilarious. Jace isn’t easily riled, but Thea usually knows the right buttons to push.
“The devil,” Jace says back blandly.
I stroll into the room and find them all sitting on the couch.
“When does the party actually start?” Jace asks.
“Another hour.” Thea smiles at him like the cat that ate the canary.
“Tell me you at least have food. I’m starving.”
“Dining room,” I tell him.
He jumps up to take off, but then stops and turns back to Nova. “You want anything?”
“No, I’m good.”
Once he’s gone, Nova smiles at Thea. “You just love messing with him, don’t you?”
“Yep.” Thea nods. “He makes it so easy. I can’t help myself.”
Jace saunters into the room with a plate of food. “What is this?” he asks, holding up something he’s already half-eaten. I can’t tell what it is.
“Donkey balls,” Thea answers and he spits it out all over the floor.
“Fuck, get it out of my mouth.”
Thea laughs, clutching her stomach. “God, you’re so gullible. It’s meatballs, you idiot, like the normal kind.”
Jace glares at the mess on the floor. “It’s probably your hairy fucking balls. I’m pretty sure you’re a dude.”
“Yes, that’s why I’m pregnant—because I have a dick.” She rolls her eyes, rubbing her stomach.
“Are you sure that’s your kid?” Jace asks me. “It’s probably a demon spawn or something.”
I snort. “Could be, I suppose.”
Thea’s jaw drops and she throws a pillow off the couch at me. I laugh and catch it easily.
“Nice try, sweetheart.” I toss the pillow back and it lands beside her.
“You’re all a bunch of jerks.” She frowns and crosses her arms over her chest, resting them on her stomach.
We end up hanging out and talking until more people start arriving. Thea kept it relatively small this year, only inviting Jace, Nova, Cade, Rae, Joel, and some girl she works with. She told me I could invite some guys from the team if I wanted so some of them might show up.
Joel arrives first, dressed as Zoro just like Nova said he’d planned. He even talks with a funny accent to complete the look.
Next is Rae and Cade, dressed as Salt and Pepper. Not the band, but the seasonings. I just shake my head at the weirdness and go on with my life.
A couple of the guys arrive next and we bump fists in greeting.
I know I should hang out with the guys more outside of work, but it’s not my thing. Once I’m done with work, I like separating myself from it and hanging out with Thea. Plus, now that we have the baby coming that’s where all my focus has been.
Clark comes dressed as Batman, Zack is some kind of steampunk looking character, and Drake is a Viking. I’m sure Thea will find that hysterical. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t made me dress up as a Viking yet. Though, she’ll probably see him and that’ll be next year’s costume.
The girl Thea works with arrives last, and introduces herself as Georgie. She’s dressed as a hippie.
Prue runs around with her unicorn costume half off and Thea chasing after her.
“Prue,” she cries. “You’re naked! Come back!”
Prue runs up the stairs and Thea pauses, hands on her hips as she struggles to catch her breath. “Ugh, fine. Go then.”
I grab a plate of food, suddenly starving, but I avoid the meatballs. I can’t eat them now.
For the most part the party is low key and more mellow than usual. It’s actually kind of nice to hang out with everybody and not have so much chaos. The first year we had a party, when we were still living with Rae and Cade, it was insane. The music was loud, and the party bled outside. I’m sure our neighbors loved it.
I’m also fairly certain Jace and Nova had sex in the laundry room that time.
The party ends early, since it’s really more of a get together than an actual party. Thea and I clean up as best we can and head to bed.
I pull the covers back and she hops inside, her face clear of makeup and her hair in a ponytail. She wears a tiny pair of underwear that barely covers anything and a loose tank top to sleep in.
I lie down beside her, covering us with the blanket and she rolls to me, laying her head on my chest.
Both of us are quiet and I hear her yawn.
“Xander?”
“Yeah?” My chin rubs her hair.
She traces a finger over my belly
button. “When did we get old?”
I stifle a laugh. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”
She shrugs against me. “Just that … I don’t know, we’re so boring now. This was the most mellow party ever, and I actually loved it.”
“I guess things just change gradually. We become different people. We can’t help it.”
“Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I like being boring.”
I smile and brush my lips over her forehead. “Sweetheart, you’re the furthest thing from boring. Trust me.”
She raises her head and smiles at that, then wiggles around to get comfortable again. She ends up winding her leg through mine, with her head on my chest, and her hand splayed across my stomach.
Her round belly presses into my side and I feel the baby give a soft kick.
I smile to myself.
“Goodnight, Thea.”
“Night,” she murmurs, already half asleep.
Thea
28 Weeks Pregnant
Baby is the size of kabocha squash
What the hell was I thinking asking Xander to paint the nursery days before Thanksgiving? Thankfully, we’re celebrating the holiday at his parents’ house and not here, or I’d really lose my mind.
“Let me in!” I yell, banging on the door with an open hand. “I need to make sure the color is what I want.”
“No,” he yells back sternly. “You’re pregnant and you can’t inhale the fumes.”
“Oh, my God, you’re so annoying,” I groan, sliding to the floor. “It took me a month to pick the color and I want to make sure it’s right before you paint the whole room.”
“Can’t you just trust me to know if it’s okay or not?”
“No, you’re a guy. Every shade of pink probably looks like orange to you.”
Xander insisted on painting the nursery himself, instead of hiring professionals. I commend him for wanting to do it himself, but if he fucks it up I’m not talking to him for a week.
No, make that a month.
Heck, maybe even a year.
And let’s face it, the chances of him fucking it up are high since over the pink paint he has to paint a silvery stenciled detail. I highly doubt he can get that right, but here’s to hoping.
When Constellations Form (Light in the Dark Book 4) Page 22
