And with that, she wandered out of the office once more, allowing me to take another sip of 7-Up and nibble on another cracker to hold off my nausea for a little longer. There would be no more wandering around the shelves for the near future. I needed to stay as still as possible as much of the time as I could. Shame I had organized a family dinner over the weekend.
It was mainly so we could show Jolene around the place properly and explain how we planned to adapt the apartment to make it easier for her to live in, but Kristo had invited Cleo as well, a peace offering, I assumed, after the falling out that had happened after the contract. He had asked her to be his best man, of course, and she had said yes, but that hadn’t been in person. They needed to clear the air before they moved forward or so he told me. I would have to figure out tonight which way my future sister-in-law swung before I introduced her to Darla. Or hell, maybe I shouldn’t say a thing and just watch it unfold. Could be fun.
I headed home as early as I could that day, the nights I’d spent late in the office finishing up work down to the last little detail long out the window. I was starting to feel ill again as I drove home, and I made a mental note to ask Kristo to hire me a driver so I didn’t have to worry about getting myself to and from work. He had been so sweet all day, bless him, bringing me water when he heard me throwing up and talking me through my panicked round of nerves the day before. I couldn’t have asked for a better man to help me through all of this. He seemed as enthusiastic as I was, if not more so, but then, he didn’t have the pukiness to deal with, so maybe he was still a little more optimistic about the whole thing. I would catch up as soon as I was out of this trimester. I had looked up all this stuff about pregnancy hormones and symptoms and how they would hit me and when they would recede. So I knew at least that this wasn’t going to last forever. As soon as I had this out of the way, I could get as excited about this pregnancy as he was.
I arrived back at the apartment and found Kristo there waiting for me. I groaned as I came through the door, and he hurried toward me to hold me up.
“Come on, you need to sit down,” he ordered. “How long have you been on your feet?”
“Not long,” I protested, as he guided me to the couch and handed me the remote. I let out a sigh of relief. Thank God I was back.
“How have you been feeling all day?” he asked.
“Pretty crummy,” I admitted. “But I’m starving. I haven’t been able to keep anything substantial down.”
“And what are you craving?” he asked. “I can get you anything here in the next half-hour. Whatever you want. Just let me know.”
I thought for a long while, and finally, my mind dredged something up, a long-forgotten food memory, something my mother had made me when I was ill in elementary school.
“Matzo Ball soup,” I replied firmly, and he raised his eyebrows.
“All right, I’ll do my best,” he promised. I closed my eyes and settled in on the couch and found myself dozing off. Just keeping up with my normal work had been such a trial today. I wasn’t sure if it was because my symptoms were actually getting worse or if it was just that I knew I was pregnant and was giving myself the excuse to indulge them, but I was doing much worse than I had the week before.
I roused myself as Kristo slipped down next to me, winding his fingers through mine and bringing them to his lips. I smiled at him, my heart twisting up with love for this man beside me.
“And what about you? How was your day?” I asked him. He shrugged.
“Couldn’t stop thinking about the baby so I just worked from home,” he replied. “I think I’m going to start scouting someone to take over my position soon. I want to be able to spend as much time as I can with the baby when it comes along.”
“That’s awesome.” I smiled. “I want to go back to work.”
“And what if I wanted you barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?” he teased.
“Then, you’re marrying the wrong woman,” I shot back.
“Glad to see the nausea hasn’t taken away your sense of humor,” he remarked as a knock came at the door to let us know the food was here. My stomach grumbled happily for the first time that day.
“It might if I don’t get something to eat soon,” I warned him playfully, and he returned a few moments later with the soup and the utensils. He handed me a bowl and a spoon, and I tucked in, sucking down the savory liquid and closing my eyes with the relief of actually eating for a change.
“Mmm, that’s so damn good,” I sighed, as he flicked through some stuff on the TV and settled on a silly old family movie. We ate together. Then, he pulled me close, and I found myself dozing off once more. I could never get over how comfortable I felt with him. I couldn’t help thinking about those guys I’d dated before him, the ones who had always made me feel like I should be performing for them, like I should be grateful for their presence. But Kristo treated me like he was lucky to be around me, and it made me feel valued in a way I never had before.
When I came to, I realized Kristo had scooped me into his arms and was carrying me toward the bedroom. I wound my arms around his neck and buried my face into his shoulders, letting out a little moan of delight. He was lifting me like I didn’t weigh a thing, like I was the most delicate object in the world, a precious gift he was carrying to bed. He laid me down on the covers and brushed the hair back from my face, and I stretched and wriggled into the sheets.
“You know, I’m going to have to get up and take my makeup off and brush my teeth,” I reminded him. He grinned.
“Just let me have this one, all right?” he asked me gently, and I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.
“I guess I can let you get away with it this time,” I conceded, and he slid into bed next to me and held me close. Even though I wasn’t ready to sleep yet, I let the calmness of his presence sweep over me, and the stress of the day seemed to melt away. I closed my eyes and smiled. Everything had changed, but everything was just beginning. I couldn’t wait to see where it took us.