August
CAMDEN KENT
I grabbed my old kelly green mini sundress out from my shared closet with Harry and pulled it over my head, silently praying that it would still fit me. Tugging at the hem, I padded over to the full length mirror and slowly checked myself out from all angles. Thankfully, it wasn't too short, and it was loose enough to conceal my bump.
Now that our friends were in the loop, Harry's family was the next in line to know. Since Gemma and Michal were now living closer to London, Anne had agreed to make the drive from Manchester to come and see their new house, post-renovations. Little did any of them know that the timing worked out perfectly for us to make our announcement.
"Oh wow, you look nice," Harry pulled my attention away from the mirror as I tried to decide if I wanted to wear my hair up or down.
"It's not too short, right?"
He shook his head, coming closer to me. "No, you look really pretty."
"Thanks," I tilted my head at my reflection, smoothing my hand down over the slightly more noticeable hump in my stomach. If someone didn't know I was pregnant, I think they'd simply assume I just had a great meal. "So you didn't tell them ahead like you did with our friends, right?"
"No, I didn't," he laughed in remembrance. "They don't know a thing."
"Okay," I gathered my hair to keep in a long, high ponytail. "How are we going to tell them?"
"Well," he sighed, placing his hands on both of my shoulders, "I guess maybe after we eat dinner when we're just talking and stuff."
"Oh, what about alcohol?" I winced. "I'm sure Gemma's probably going to have wine."
"Shit," he pressed his lips together. "I don't know, I really don't think they'll expect anything if you just pass and ask for water."
"Yeah, okay," I turned to grab a pair of sandal style heels from the closet. "Should we make bets on if your mom is going to cry?"
"Absolutely not," he chuckled, "I already know she's gonna sob."
The thought made me smile to myself as I slipped all my rings on the usual fingers, then spritzed my perfume across my chest as my last step until I was ready. Despite the fact that I was more than capable of walking on my own, Harry still held his arm out for me to hold onto as we walked down the stairs to leave together.
About four months into my pregnancy, and the morning sickness had finally subsided, taking my nicotine withdrawal away with it. More than anything, I think I just missed the ritual of waking up to have a cigarette before breakfast, or to have one after lunch and dinner...and a few more times in between.
But if I really tried to stay on the positive side, then I'd say it was nice to no longer get headaches during the day if I went too long without it, my lungs felt clearer, I wasn't coughing, and then of course there was the whole thing about how I was less likely to get cancer and die. I guess that was a bonus.
I think the thing that made me feel better about it was that quitting smoking and drinking was my first selfless act as a soon-to-be mother. Sure, it was suggested that women don't smoke or drink when they're pregnant, but it's not like it's illegal if you do. The decision is up to the woman carrying the baby, and I just so happened to decide to do what was best for the little weird shaped thing growing in my uterus.
"So you know what I was thinking of doing soon?" Harry stole my hand from my lap to hold over the center consul.
"Hm?"
"I think it'd probably be best to get a head start on turning the closest guest room to ours into a nursery. I can paint it if you want, too, and we can pick out a crib and whatever else we're going to need–although, I did read that the baby will be sleeping with us in our room for the first little while."
