I had already decided it was going to be a crummy day before my feet even hit the floor.
With a loud yawn, I slammed my hand a final time against my alarm clock, dragging a hand across my face to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. My head had hardly left the pillow before I was hit with the strongest wave of nausea that sent me running straight to the bathroom. I could never prepare myself for the nasty feeling that crept its way into my system each morning and refused to settle down until well after noon. As the final days of my first trimester came to a close, I only seemed to feel sicker than ever.
This baby was making me pay for every moment I've spent doubting it.
I hovered over the toilet in a violent dry heave, wishing I could just cancel the day and crawl back into bed but I had goals I needed to meet. I had two dozen lemon cupcakes to make for a bridal shower and a plate of chicken salad for an office going-away party. Plus after a three-week hiatus I was dying to get back to my Pilates class. No matter how horrible I felt I was determined to not let my temporary condition hold me back from everyday life.
After completing my morning routine I threw on a pair of leggings and a sports bra that was almost too small and headed to the kitchen in search of some sort of caffeine. Food was still very much an unsolved issue. I could hardly keep anything down and because I now had the job of growing another human being, I was running on low energy. Coffee was my only saving grace.
I'd hardly noticed Harry leaned against the countertop as I made a beeline for the coffeemaker.
"Morning, darling." he drawls.
He's dressed smartly in a button up and blazer, a clear indication that it was a day at the office for him.
"Morning," I reply shortly balancing on my toes to peep in the cupboard for a mug.
"Where are you off to today?" he asks casually.
I grab the first mug in sight, a standard tiffany blue one that had been apart of a china set Mom had given us for as a wedding present, and pour as much coffee as it can hold.
"Pilates. Haven't been in a couple of weeks. I need to get my mojo back,"
He raises an eyebrow pressing his own mug to his lips.
"Don't you think you should quit for a while? That can't be totally healthy for the baby, yeah?"
I hadn't really thought about what I should and shouldn't do during my pregnancy. As far as I was concerned I was able to do everything any other woman was capable of doing until I could no longer see my toes.
"Exercise is good. Just because I'm growing a baby between my hips doesn't mean I have to become a couch potato. I'm pregnant, not an invalid." I reply sharply before taking a generous sip of coffee.
A dimpled smirk settles on his lips.
"Shouldn't be drinking that either. Caffeine's not good for the baby."
My eye twitches in annoyance. I haven't been up for a whole hour yet and he's already bossing me around.
"Oh really? Says who?" I question defensively.
"A little search engine called google. You should check it out sometime, Riv." he replies smoothly.
I set down my mug with a twinge of guilt and curiosity. We'd still had yet to sit down and properly talk about how different life was going to be in the following months and as always Harry was a closed book. There were still so many things I wasn't sure of and hearing the word 'baby' suddenly in his vocabulary was confusing.
