Page 60 of Beautiful Forever
May
“I saved you one,”I tell Raquelle, licking cupcake frosting off my fingers.
Dropping her bag on the grass, she joins me under the shade of the oak tree in the quad. “I know better than to get between a pregnant lady and her cupcakes.”
I push the almost empty box toward her. “You’ll be saving me from a sugar crash.”
She laughs as she eyes the lone vanilla sprinkles sitting by itself inside the pastry box where there had been six. “I think it’s too late for that.”
“The hellion doing somersaults inside my uterus agrees.”
Rubbing my distended belly, I lean back against the trunk of the oak and let out a weary sigh. My back hurts. My boobs hurt. My feet are swollen. I’m getting about two hours of sleep at night because I have to get up and pee all the freaking time. Or I’m starving. Or my hip hurts. Or I’m too hot. And the continuous Braxton Hicks contractions are getting annoying. So are the guyswith their hovering and smothering. I’m so ready for this baby to come out. A couple more weeks. I just need to get through end-of-year exams first. Looking at the glass half full perspective, at least the baby is coming during summer vacation, and I don’t have to worry about classes or tests or long-ass writing assignments.
Raquelle scarfs down the entire cupcake in two bites. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t apply for an exception and take your exams after you gave birth. You should be on bedrest, not stressing over cellular mitosis.”
It’s an argument I’ve had daily with the guys for over a month. I know their worry comes from a place of love. I did, however, take leave from work at the Bierkeller. I had no choice. Keith would call one of the guys to come get me as soon as I waddled through the door. After the fifth attempt, I gave up. The man is more stubborn than Tristan, and that’s a high bar to achieve.
“I promise I’m good.”
“What if you go into labor in the middle of an exam?”
“I won’t.” I hope. Fingers crossed.
Raquelle lifts my bare feet and sets them on her lap. “Speaking of. How did your bio final go?”
“Good—oh my god,” I moan,loudly, when her thumb digs into the arch of my foot. A few curious heads turn our way, and I give them the middle finger. Carrying an eight-pound human inside you, who is displacing all your internal organs, makes you bitchy. “When is Drake getting here?”
She and Shelby had planned a surprise baby shower for me, which I found out about because voices, particularly deep masculine voices, tend to carry in the house, especially through thin walls. I overheard Tristan and Hendrix talking about it while they were setting up the baby’s crib in Constantine’s room,which is now going to be the nursery. We still don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl. We wanted it to be a surprise.
But it’s definitely a boy.
Raquelle’s expression goes dreamy at the mention of Drake. She is so in love with that man. If he doesn’t propose soon, I’m going to sic Constantine on him.
“He flies in tomorrow.”
“I would invite you both for dinner tomorrow night,” I say, knowing exactly what they’ll be doing all night long after two months of separation. “How about the day after? Hendrix’s world-famous homemade pizza.”
“Deal.” She checks her watch. “I’ve got to get going.” Retrieving her bag, she bends over and kisses the top of my head. “Call me later.”
“Will do.”
I cover the sharp, sudden pain in my stomach when the baby decides to kick the shit out of me. “No more cupcakes for you if you don’t settle down.”
I love this tiny human more than I ever thought was possible, and I can’t wait for him to come screaming into the world. Every dream I’ve ever wished for is coming true. Love. Marriage. Family. Children. Medical school. I still pinch myself most days, so grateful for the gifts I’ve been blessed with. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, and I would go through all the trauma and pain and heartache a million times over if I knew all of it would bring me to right here.
Unfortunately, along with joy comes fear. I know better than anyone how the things you love can be unexpectedly ripped away from you. Our pasts, who our parents were, and our destinies in the Society guarantee a life where we’ll always be on guard and looking over our shoulders.
I think that’s my greatest fear. Not being able to protect my children from the ugliness of our world. But damn, if I’m notgoing to die trying. It’s one of the reasons why I stepped away from the Council and let Andie take my place. My children need Syn as their mother, not Aoife.
My phone chimes with an incoming text.
Constantine: I’m running a little late. Be there in 10.
I’m so proud of him for sticking it out and getting his bachelor’s degree. Another reason I want baby bean to hurry up and be born. I don’t want to miss his commencement ceremony that’s coming up at the end of the month.
Me: No hurry. I’m going to walk around. Maybe head to the gardens. Been sitting for too long.
My phone rings.
