Baby Steps

Chapter 3: Papa, Don't Preach

7 weeks later, Rosie found herself getting bigger to the point that some of her clothes didn't fit anymore. Plus it was spring, so it was warming up; which would evidently make it that much harder to hide the growing bump from people. She'd thought of borrowing one of Marco's sweaters but quickly realized that some people, whether that be her friends, family or simply customers would think that she was crazy; in addition to the fact that Marco wasn't taking any chances with her getting overheated. So, he suggested that she wear his shirts and they just get a towel or her purse to cover up the bump. Rosie laughed at his suggestions and thought about how celebrities hid their pregnancies for a while.

As Rosie was folding her and Marco's laundry, she received a Facebook message from her parents asking how she was doing. This completely caught her off guard because she didn't think they knew what Facebook was. The last time she went down for a visit, her dad was still asking for help when learning to use an iPhone. He even went so far as to refer to the hashtag as pound when she introduced him to Instagram. But to her surprise, her parents somehow figured out Facebook and the first thing they did was probably look for her name so they could send her the message.

"Oh, that's just fucking great" Rosie muttered under her breath as she skimmed the message which read: hey, honey. We know it's been a while since you were here and we thought we'd reach out and see how you've been doing so far. Miss you.

Rosie was at a loss for how she should respond. Could she just casually mention it in writing that she was three months pregnant and running a food truck business? No, news this big had to be delivered in person. After all, they didn't even know about the last pregnancy but they had already met and approved of Marco. What could possibly go wrong?

"Rosie, come down. I made breakfast just for you and the little peanut. You ok?" Marco asked as he made his way up and noticed the distraught look on his girlfriend's face.

Rosie then proceeded to show him the message that her parents had sent; to which he responded with a simple "okay". He then explained that he thought now would be a good time to tell their parents that they were expecting at this point. Obviously, the bump would continue to grow over time and it was already getting harder to hide. Plus it was Mother's Day and what kind of children would Rosie and Marco be if they didn't see their mothers today of all days?

"I guess you're right. I mean, what better time to announce my impending motherhood?" Rosie shrugged as she leaned for a kiss.

"Exactly! So, I'm thinking we do lunch with your mom and then dinner with mine" Marco replied matter of factly as the kiss came to an end.

"Good plan. What do you think little one?" Rosie asked as she looked down at her bump and she felt a series of little pokes in her swollen abdomen. It was a feeling Rosie almost couldn't put into words. But the best way she could describe it was a group of crickets playing soccer in the walls of her womb. She then urged Marco to come over and feel it for himself; knowing that he wouldn't want to miss such a precious first.

"Well, I guess he thinks it's a good plan too" Marco responded with a chuckle as he kissed Rosie's stomach and smiled up at her proudly; still thinking he would be right about the baby's gender. But Rosie had other predictions.

In all the excitement of the baby's first kicks, Rosie nearly forgot to reply to her parents' message to say that she and Marco were coming down there for lunch. This is when everything about the pregnancy would become real. There would be no denying it once the parents knew and of course, Rosie would want to tell Courtney and Molly afterwards. In a matter of seconds Rosie was able form a good response to her parents' message that didn't reveal too much: happy mother's day, mom. Marco and I were actually thinking of coming down there for lunch today, if that's okay. We've got a surprise for you!