I open the gifts from Xander’s mom and dad next. It’s an assortment of clothes, swaddles, and diapers.
Xander’s sister Alexis hands me her gift and I open it up to reveal a plaque that says, First we had each other, then we had you, and now we have everything.
“Alexis,” I breathe, smiling up at my sister-in-law. “I love it.”
“Really? I wasn’t sure.”
“No, it’s amazing,” I rush to assure her.
“The last gift is from Xavier,” Rae informs me, handing Xander a little bag. “I had strict instructions that this was to go to you.”
Xander sighs and takes the bag, looking at it like a snake is about to jump out and bite him. Knowing Xavier, it might.
He removes the tissue paper and laughs at what he holds.
“What is it?” I ask, trying to see it.
I laugh when he shows me. It’s a onesie that says Dad You Got This in the center, and then has arrows pointing to where the arms, legs, and head go.
“Only Xavier,” I mutter.
Xander shakes his head and puts the onesie back in the bag.
I lay my head on his shoulder.
“Can we have cake now?” I ask, eyeing the lemon cake we’ve yet to cut into. We all decided to wait and do that last.
“Oh, thank God, I’ve been wanting cake since I got here,” Jace cries.
“I changed my mind,” I chortle. “No cake. We’ll pack it up and take it with us.”
“No,” Jace cries. “I need the cake.” He pouts. I love getting under his skin way too much. It’s a hobby.
The girls ignore me and begin cutting the cake. Rae hands me the first piece and Xander the second, which makes Jace frown. I stick my tongue out at him. Childish? Yes. But you know what, the minute we stop picking fun is the minute we all start walking around with sticks up our asses. Sometimes you just have to be silly and that’s okay.
I take a bite of cake and moan.
This takes my lemon craving to a whole new level, because lemon cake is officially the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted.
“Oh, my God,” I moan.
Xander snickers beside me. “That good, huh?”
“Better,” I mumble, shoving another bite of food in my mouth.
Jace finally gets a plate and starts digging in. “This is really fucking good,” he declares, mouth full of lemon cake.
I finish my cake, and as much as I want a second piece, I refrain. I’m still full from the lunch, and I don’t want to overdue it. I’m already stuffed feeling enough as it is with this giant Viking baby. If she gets much bigger she’s going to get stuck in there.
“So,” Xander starts, brushing his lips over the side of my forehead, “did we do good?”
I smile at him and then Rae and Nova. “You guys did great. Truly. Best baby shower a girl could ask for. All I need now is my baby,” I joke.
He chuckles. “One step at a time.”
Thea
39 weeks and 1 day pregnant