“We should definitely have a lot of sex,” he says seriously.
“Right. We’ll have to wait at least six weeks after the baby is born.”
“You do heal faster than most,” he says, and I sit up so I can glare at him.
“I’m already a little nervous to have sex after pushing out a baby,” I admit. “You have a big dick.”
“Should I apologize for that?”
“No, you most definitely should not.”
Lucas smiles and sits up, resting his hand on my stomach. “She’s active today.”
“She is.” I put my hand over his. “I’m going to be huge by the time she’s born. How big do you think she’s going to be?”
“Under seven pounds and around twenty inches, not too big, but not too small either.”
“I hope you’re right,” I laugh. “I made the mistake of reading birth horror stories while on bedrest.”
“And I think you’re going to handle birth well.”
“We need to talk about a birth plan. Abby texted me about it again.”
“What do you want?” He slowly rubs my stomach.
“I want to give birth in a hospital with drugs and an epidural, but I don’t know if that’s possible. Can we get around them taking bloodwork? Bottom line, I want Elena to be healthy and have the medical professionals around her if she needs it. And what if I go into labor during the day? I can’t exactly bring my smudge stick and cast a spell on the entire labor and delivery floor to enchant the windows, can I?”
“Breathe,” he says calmly, able to sense my heart picking up speed. “If you want to give birth in a hospital, then we’ll figure out a way to make that happen.”
I nod and feel selfish again. “I don’t want you to miss the birth of your only child, though.”
“I don’t want to miss it either, but more than anything, I want you and Elena to be safe.”
“I love you,” I tell him.
“I love you too.” He lies back down and kisses me.
“We should tell Eliza the party is still on so she can get here.”
“I’ll call her. Are you still tired? It was a long night.”
Freya is stretched out on the bed next to me and looks very snuggly. I want to lie back down and cuddle with her. “A little. I’m definitely not getting out of bed yet.”
“I’ll bring you breakfast in bed,” he says, kissing me again and then going downstairs to call Eliza and to make me breakfast. I pull Freya onto my chest and run my hand over her fur. She starts purring right away, and I’m in a blissful state of half-sleep, half-wake when I get a slew of text messages from Eliza. She’s freaking about having to rush around now to get the house ready for the shower. The party is at one and it’s only nine-thirty. Plus, she has super speed. It’ll take her an hour to get things set out.
And really, I don’t need a fancy party, not at all. Demons almost took over the world last night. Getting an ombre pink balloon arch up in the foyer is the least of my concerns. Still, I tell her I’ll start blowing up balloons as soon as I get out of bed, having them ready for her to assemble when she gets here in an hour or so. The decorations she purchased have already been delivered to the house, and Lucas will get them up from the storage room in the basement.
She bought a new dress for me to wear too, one that coordinates perfectly with the balloon arch for photos. It’s endearing how much she cares, though she has a very Eliza way of showing it. She’s family, and is going to be a very important part of Elena’s life.
I fall asleep after Lucas brings me strawberries and a bagel for breakfast, and wake up two hours later to a clattering noise echoing up the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I ask Freya, who’s hogging my large pregnancy pillow now. She opens a sleepy eye and goes back to sleep. She looks too snuggled and cute to pester, and since I have to pee again, I get out of bed, use the bathroom, and then go into the hall, walking toward the grand staircase at the front of the house.
Scarlet is standing in the foyer, excitedly wagging her tail at two very terrified-looking caterers, who dropped an armload of silverware after getting started by my huge dog.
“Scarlet,” I call, patting my leg. “She’s friendly,” I tell the caterers as my hellhound bounds up the stairs. “If only they knew, right?” I tell her and pat her head. She joins Freya on my bed, and I get dressed in my usual black leggings and grab a long-sleeved black shirt. I pull it on over my head and am a little shocked to see it stretched tight across my stomach. This shirt was from before I was pregnant, and it definitely doesn’t fit me now. I take it off, toss it on the ground, and go into Lucas’s closet to get one of his t-shirts instead.