"Vylad, I can't see my feet."
Vylad leans towards me with a chuckle as he gets onto his knees. My shoes are held in his hands in a place where I can see them.
"Chérie, you're heavily pregnant," Vylad teases.
"I'm so large, I'm surprised I can see you," I sigh, placing my hands on the top of my stomach. I could probably rest a cup in my stomach and drink from a straw without any hands successfully with how large I feel. "This baby has made me fat. . . You made me fat!"
In truth, seeing the growth in size of my stomach in the earlier stages of my pregnancy was exciting. I looked forward to seeing the change from a baby bump to a pregnant stomach. Now that I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, I fear for what my body will look like post-labor.
I know I should be proud of my body. I'm creating a healthy baby within me. Going into this, I knew my body wouldn't look the way it did preconception, but pregnancy is hard.
I can't see my feet.
Vylad has already placed my sandals on my feet and laced them up, by the time my demeanor drops greatly. "I think you're beautiful," he tells me, standing up, only to sit on the couch and pull me to him. "And you're not fat. You're carrying our child."
"I feel fat."
His expression downturns into a saddened state. Insulting myself appears to hurt him as much as I think of it to be true. I don't know how much of me is truly fat and baby.
I love this baby, but I truly want the due date to come quicker.
"If only you see what I see, then you wouldn't feel the way you do." He stands, outreaching a hand for me to take. "Why don't we finish getting ready? Kandi and mom will be done setting up soon."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Vylad's first instinct when we go outside is to walk over to Zianna and the cake. I prefer to glance around at our backyard before having the smallest bit of conversation. Zianna and Kandi most certainly outdid themselves on setting everything up.
Vylad and I decided on a rustic greenery theme for the baby shower, and Kandi took this idea and ran with it. While I protested, both my parents and Vylad's decided to fund it all. Zianna is a wonder with baking, so she baked and decorated all the sweets sitting on the lacy burlap covered table. There are mason jars wrapped in twine and filled with baby's breath surrounding the area, and lit tea lights follow shortly in their place. Near them, there are lanterns filled with greenery and roses.
Kandi steps away from a tea light and places the lighter in her purse. I catch her attention, and she walks over with an overjoyed expression. "I'm assuming you like it?"
"Like it? I love it. Thank you, Kandi."
She looks like she's overwhelmed with pride when she places her hands on my stomach. Her smile is crooked, but I can't help but notice that her smile isn't much of a one, but rather of a smirk. If I could, I'd shrink the size of my stomach this moment to wipe away whatever is running through her mind.
"You know," she starts, looking up to match my eyes. "I was the first person outside you two to see you pregnant after you found out."
I laugh. "That's because you walked into our locked house with the key we didn't give you."
"That was once my house too."
"I could've been having hot sex upstairs."
She nearly gags from my words. I can't help but to snicker from her reaction and leave a teasing smile on my face.
"Never tell me that again."
"Never be fuck buddies with my brother again."
She nods her head, glancing off behind me. "Deal." Kandi's demeanor changes when Zianna stands next to me, pulling me into her chest for a hug. Vylad looks questionable between me and Kandi before deciding to shrug it away.
He has a smudge of frosting on the corner of his mouth, and Kandi begins to scold him for being so reckless and for already getting into the desserts before any of the guests come. She wipes away the frosting, Vylad pouts in the process, and makes a b-line for our patio dorm in order to finish getting herself ready for the baby shower.
Zianna stays behind, waiting to take a moment to coo over the sight of her son becoming a father. She's known for months, but it's seeing how large I become with every passing second that truly shows her how much her sons are growing up. And while Garroth and Zane may not be in a relationship and are nowhere near to having children of their own, they still have their own accomplishments.
This is a first for her. It's a first for dad, too.
Zianna places her hands on my cheeks and smiles fondly at me. "The mommy to be needs to savor her energy until the shower starts. You'll be spending a great deal of it mingling amongst others." She turns to Vylad, placing one hand on his cheek while leaving the other on mine. "Little Pea, you have granted me the greatest wish a mother could ask for after her own children. You've given me a grandchild."
"Mom. . ."
Zianna lightly fans her face with her hands and purses her lips together, glancing up at the sky. "Oh, look at that, I'm going to cry. I should finish getting ready before I cry off my mascara."
She dashes off quickly, leaving Vylad and I in her wake. He looks at me, perplexed, before smiling nonetheless.
"You've granted me the greatest wish a mother could ask for," I mutter, grabbing onto his hand. "A child."
