Olivia leaned down and struggled to stuff a throw pillow underneath her swollen ankles, laughing a little at how difficult it had become. She used to run three miles a day. Now it was a challenge just to bend and reach her ankles at the end of the sofa. She already felt like a beached whale and there were still months to go. She could only imagine how she would feel in another few months. Or, for that matter, what new extremes of size and shape her ankles would reach. Groaning a little, she shifted down the sofa to prop her feet on the armrest without dislodging the stack of papers balanced on the remnants of her lap. Rubbing her eyes, she uncapped a fresh highlighter. If she was going to finish this thesis before the rest of her lap disappeared, she needed to keep making forward progress.
Alex stood at the foot of the sofa and grinned. Olivia looked as sweet as a nest of kittens, sleeping away the evening under a blanket of papers, her lips parted and her hand curled against her cheek. Alex almost hated to wake her but she hated the thought of letting her bag of goodies go unenjoyed even more. She set the bulging sack on the coffee table, shrugged out of her suit jacket and knelt on the rug. If she had to wake Olivia, Alex figured she could stand to do it in as pleasant a manner as possible.
Closing her eyes, Alex nuzzled her nose against Olivia's temple, delighting in her wife's silky hair and inhaling deeply. She couldn't get enough. After so many years together, Alex thought she had memorized every nuance and variation of Olivia's scent. But, as the baby swelled inside of her wife, something new tickled Alex's sensitive nose and she liked it. Olivia smelled warm and sweet, like baking bread and scalded milk. It was a heavy, sensuous scent, the scent of motherhood, and Alex wanted to keep her nose nestled in Olivia's hair forever. But, practical to a fault, Alex knew she had to get Olivia moving. After all, the ice cream wouldn't stay frozen forever. She slipped her fingers into Olivia's loose grip and rubbed her knuckles. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," she cooed.
Olivia groaned prettily and shifted, pulling Alex's hand to tuck it under her chin and unknowingly leaving a bright pink stripe of highlighter across her cheek. Alex chuckled and gently took the marker from her wife's hand, discarding it among the books on the coffee table. Suppressing her humor, Alex resumed her efforts, tickling Olivia's throat with her captive hand and keeping up her litany of gentle phrases. Olivia hated to be woken. If it wasn't work on the phone or at the door, Olivia took her sweet time coming around and it often required multiple attempts on Alex's part to get her out from under the covers in the morning. It was one of her most endearing routines and also one of her most frustrating. But tonight, Alex didn't mind. In fact, she was thoroughly enjoying coaxing Olivia to open her eyes. "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bacey, sweetheart."
As Olivia opened one eye and released her wife's hand to rub at the bridge of her nose, Alex straightened and slid the stacks of papers from atop Olivia's legs. Without warning, she dropped the sack onto Olivia's lap, laughing out loud at her wife's surprised grunt and retreating to the kitchen. "Look at what I brought you and I'll get you something for your face," she called over her shoulder.
Olivia grimaced comically and yawned, bringing her fingers up to touch her face. "What? My face?"
Returning, Alex held up a damp washcloth. "You had a little highlighter accident, honey. Hold still." Alex perched on the edge of the sofa, lifting Olivia's chin with one hand and dabbing at the pink mark with the other. She smiled. "There. Now, come on, see what's in the bag." She pushed the bag towards her wife and laughed softly as Olivia struggled to sit up against her bulging middle. There were still four months left and already Olivia was complaining of feeling like a slug. Alex was looking forward to the coming months with heartfelt enthusiasm. It was sure to be a very amusing time, for Alex at least.
"Oh, Alex," Olivia breathed over the rustling plastic sack. She held up an enormous jar of pickles, the very garlicky ones that made Alex wrinkle her nose in disgust. Her smile lit up her whole expression and she gripped the lid to open it. Alex quickly reached out, coaxing the coveted jar from her hands and setting it aside. She chuckled at Olivia's quick flash of disappointment. "Go on. See what else is there. I'll go get you some napkins." She rose and, even as she turned her back, she could hear Olivia's happy sounds. Alex busied herself fetching a spoon and a stack of paper napkins, keeping as quiet as possible, waiting for what she knew was coming.
"Really, Alex?" Olivia's exclamation of good-natured irritation carried easily through to the kitchen and Alex couldn't help but chuckle. She walked back into the living room and met Olivia's gaze as the brunette rolled her eyes over the back of the sofa and held up the DVD case with a dubious expression. "Father of the Bride II? I thought you'd have better taste."
With deft grace, Alex plucked the movie from Olivia's outstretched hand and slipped the disc into the DVD player. "And I thought we agreed that I'd leave you if I ever caught you eating those horrible pickles. Besides, I was told that this film is the ultimate resource for mothers-to-be." Nudging Olivia's feet aside with her hip, Alex sank onto the sofa and handed over the utensils as the music began to play. Olivia gave her one last exasperated look before she conceded defeat and sought consolation in her prized goodies. Prying the top off of her carton of ice cream, she dug her spoon in, brought it to her lips and moaned as the sweetness melted in her mouth.
"Peanut butter," she sighed, closing her eyes in pleasure. "Alex, how did you know?" Alex laughed and pulled Olivia's feet across her lap.
"Lucky guess," she murmured. "And keep it clean, over there. You know I've been working hard. I don't have the energy to get in your pants before the movie is over. But don't think I won't try if you keep moaning like that." Olivia rolled her eyes and dug out another spoonful. Smiling with amusement, she held it out to her wife.
"Here," she quipped. "To cool you off." Alex leaned far over Olivia's body, taking the bite and savoring it, smiling with her eyes at her beloved, swollen wife. It was a perfect moment. Olivia's grip on her ice cream was perfect. The heft of her bare feet in Alex's lap and the taste of sweetness on her tongue, it was all perfect. She drew the nail of her index finger up the length of Olivia's foot, making her wiggle away. Schooling her expression into one of innocence, Alex grasped her wife's ankle and went to town, nipping and scratching her nails over Olivia's tender arch. This was what Alex had been waiting for all day, her opportunity to spoil her wife and make her laugh. Watching Olivia squirm under her, Alex grinned widely and let the last of her work stress slide from her shoulders. God, Alex mused, she loved this woman.
