When he doesn’t let me go, I give him another kiss, and another.
Third time is the charm as he finally lets me go and I slide off the bed, making my way to the bathroom.
I’m sure trips like this are going to get more and more frequent in the coming months. I’m not looking forward to it.
When I leave the bathroom, I notice Mathew got out of bed too and is dressed in one of his more casual suits. Yes, casual suit. It’s a really soft and comfy linen suit in a deep charcoal colour and he’s wearing a dark red cotton button up under it. He tries to keep most of his weight off his bad leg as he motions for me to come over.
When I’m in reach, he immediately wraps me in his arms, pulling me close. “Will you do my hair? It’s a mess right now, since I fell asleep while it was still wet. And you’re way better at it than me.”
Like he has to ask, he knows I love doing his hair. It’s so soft and pretty and I love the way it flows down his back. I also love to care for him like this, to pamper him, to make him all beautiful. To love on my amazing Omega mate.
I nudge him in the direction of the chairs next to the window, since he’s way too tall for me to do his hair while he’s standing.
Then I grab his brush from the bathroom and step behind him.
The rising sun reflects beautifully on his black hair as I slowly run the brush through it. Mathew is one of those lucky few whose hair is smooth enough that it doesn’t tangle much, unlike my hair. The downside is that it’s also really straight and he needs to do a lot with it if he wants to do anything more than have his hair straight down or a straight down ponytail. But in situations like this, during brushing or washing, it’s so much easier to have such straight hair.
I take a section of his hair and slowly brush the ends and then further and further up, until I’ve brushed it all. It’s not that important with his hair, since it’s so smooth, but I love doing it. It’s so soothing.
When I’m nearly done, I notice that his wisteria scent is all around us, and when he turns to me, his eyes are all hazy, his face flushed. Well, yes, that’s also part of it. He loves it when I brush his hair.
He takes me in his arms, keeping me against his side, leaning against me.
I give him a quick kiss on his hair, he’s being so cute. “I’m going to braid your hair now, or would you like it loose today?”
Reluctantly, he lets me go. “With how busy today is probably going to be. I think a braid would be a good idea. Keeps things out of the way.”
“I’ll be right back.” I give him another kiss, his fingers lingering on my waist.
But, right before he lets go of me, he stills, then holds me tighter, his hand on my lower belly. He lets out a surprised sound, beaming up at me.
I put my hand next to his, and the next time my little boy moves, I can feel it against my hand too. It’s not as obvious as with Mathew, since I’ve got more of a cushion around my waist, he’s all skin and muscle, but it’s definitely there.
Wow.
I’ve gotten used to feeling the little boy move on the inside, especially when he seems to be having a party. The movements aren’t that strong yet, and sometimes I don’t even notice them unless I pay attention. But he’s getting strong enough to feel from the outside.
I had no idea.
Mathew leans close, kissing my tummy. “I knew that you wouldn’t want to lag behind your sister.” He glances up at me, his eyes shining. “With a mother like Vera, I’m sure that you’ll have one hell of a competitive spirit, probably even before you’re out.”
I grin, ruffling Mathew’s hair, making it spill all over his face. “You’re one to talk.”
Wow.
This is another one of those pregnancy milestones, being able to feel the baby from the outside.
It’s hard to believe we’re already there, but we are.
9
Riley
I grab the bottle of lotion from next to the door to the nest as Vera stretches out on the pillows. Her belly has gotten much more pronounced in the last few weeks.
It’s hard to believe that we went on the raid only a month ago. Back then, she could still wear normal gear, only lightly modified. By now, I would be hard-pressed to find much that she’d be able to wear without significant alterations.
It’s good that Vera loves dresses and that she’s into sweater dresses this winter, as those are much easier to wear than the more structural dresses from woven fabrics she wore during the summer. And, they look really good on her to boot.
