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Becca walks up to me, giving me a huge hug around the bump, and smiles. “I did so. You’re my best friend, so throwing a baby shower is my sworn duty and privilege.”
“Thank you, Becks. You’re too sweet.”
“Come on, babe. Let’s get you off your feet.”
I turn to see my dad coming up behind me, ready to sweep me away to a chair.
“Dad, I’m not feeble. I’m perfectly capable of standing and, get this, even walking.”
Amelia pats me on the shoulder with a laugh. “Just humor him, Liv. All he does is worry about you.”
“That’s not true. I also work.”
We all laugh, and I give in, allowing him to bring me to a seat at the table. I’ll admit that having everyone bend over backward for you is nice, but I’m also very ready to have my body back.
The due date for Baby Two is quickly approaching, and Noah and I have been doing everything we can to get ready. One of the best side effects of this has been getting to see how responsible Elijah can be.
My pseudo-adopted son has been incredibly concerned about how the baby and I are doing, and the help he’s provided around the house has been lifesaving. Lifting the laundry basket up off the floor has become especially challenging.
Light music plays in the background, and when I can finally take a moment to catch my breath, I realize I haven’t seen Noah since we got here.
“Hey—” I flag Becca down “—where’s Noah?”
“I’m right here.”
He comes up from behind me, startling me, of course, but before I can be grumpy about it, I see he has a cannoli and some cake in his hands.
“Oh, I was going to be upset that you scared me, again, but if you’re bringing me treats, I don’t mind.”
“I had a feeling you’d prefer to enjoy dessert first.”
“Damn right.”
Noah sits down beside me at the table, and I dig into the cannoli first. I get to the messy end of the rolled treat, and it’s a struggle to keep powdered sugar from getting all over my black dress.
Elijah comes up to us and sits down with a huge helping of spaghetti, and I can’t help but laugh.
“You really going to eat all that, bud?”
“Uh, definitely! It’s almost as good as yours.”
Noah ruffles Elijah’s hair, and he shakes him off so he can start digging into his food.
“That’s quite the compliment, sweetie. Thank you.”
I finish up my treats, and then I have to lean back in my chair. My hips and spine ache more and more every day, and the tight sensation of the skin on my stomach is itchy.
Absentmindedly scratching my side, I look over to Noah. He just laughs, and I shrug.
“What?”
“You’re adorable. And I know how much you hate it when I say that, so I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“I don’t feel adorable. I feel like a whale.”
I rub my back, and Noah’s hand quickly replaces mine, doing a much better job of easing the ache.
“Liv, you don’t look like a whale. You’re actually still pretty small, considering you’re pregnant.”
