Phoenix was never going to be left behind again.
Iswear, I thought waddling during pregnancy was a joke until it happened to me. My entire body felt bloated, and my stomach was bigger than ever.
There were only a few more days until little miss was going to join the world, and everything was just about ready.
Phoenix had helped the guys paint the nursery. I couldn’t stand the smell of the paint, so I didn’t argue when they shooed me away.
The outcome was incredible. They’d gone for a pretty purple-and-gold theme. I didn’t think that it would look good together until I saw a display at the store and fell in love with it.
The only thing we hadn’t quite decided on was a name. We’d all thrown our own suggestions out. Right now, Sage, Ember, and Scarlett were at the top of our list.
Corvin reasoned that we’d realize which one was right the moment we met our sweet girl. For now, she was just our little bean.
Apollo walked down the stairs to grab another armful of baby things. We had our baby shower.
Of course, more people came out than I anticipated once word got around, and we were overloaded with just about anything a baby could need.
“I ordered some lunch. It should be here in a second. Just prop those feet up and yell out when they knock.”
“I’m not incapable of walking,” I said, rolling my eyes. He just chuckled and grabbed a basket full of freshly washed baby clothes and headed back up the stairs.
It felt so strange not to be in the thick of things and helping, but if I was on my feet for too long they’d start to swell, and I ran out of breath a lot faster than before. It felt like the baby had pushed her way up against my lungs.
My hands drifted to my belly right as she started to move. It was always fascinating to watch the ripple of movement across my skin.
I don’t know how long I rubbed my hands over it, feeling her push back and watching her wiggle.
The doorbell rang, effectively ending the moment.
“Food’s here,” I yelled as I got up and waddled my way to the door.
I opened it up, expecting to find a delivery driver, but instead it was my sister staring back at me.
Nausea rose up, and I was no longer hungry.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, my voice hard and cold.
She winced, but didn’t back away. Her eyes widened as her gaze drifted down to my belly.
“You’re pregnant,” she said.
“Yes,” I confirmed without giving her anything more. “Again, what are you doing here?”
Tears welled up in her eyes, tears that I didn’t buy for a fucking second. Those tears were always her tactic for softeningwhoever she was manipulating. Unfortunately for her, I was well-versed in my sister’s tactics.
“I just wanted to check in.”
Phoenix’s laughter drifted down from upstairs, quickly followed by a thunder of footsteps.
“We need to go back to the farmers market,” she was saying, her hands moving wildly as she spoke. “They had these adorable handmade baby toys. I think we should definitely get her some new things. I’ve even been saving up my babysitting money so I can buy her some things just from me.”
“She’s lucky to have you as a big sister,” Apollo said proudly.
I registered everything they were saying, but my eyes never left my sister’s face. I watched shock and pain ghost across her face.
“Mom?” Phoenix’s voice was full of shock and horror. She backed away, pressing herself against Corvin’s chest. HIs hand went protectively to her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Dee made an offended noise but we all ignored it. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see my girl,” Dee tried, but Phoenix shook her head, refusing to listen.
