Penelope tugged at the waistband of her dress. She had hoped that her pregnancy wouldn't be so obvious quite so soon, especially since she hadn't said anything to Aaron about it yet. She hadn't reached the beginning of the second trimester, and she didn't want to jinx anything by talking about it before she should. Yet Erin's wedding had taken precedence in her mind, and she had never thought to ask Erin to order her a larger size, just in case her weight gain was obvious.
"Are you ready to get our hair and makeup done?" Alex asked as she swept into the room, looking cool and elegant in her matron of honor dress. Erin had gone with a color palette that suited them both, but Penelope still felt like she looked a bit drab compared to Alex. Though she thought that a part of that might be a result of the pregnancy hormones. "Penny?"
She turned to face Alex, her hand unconsciously cradling her tiny bump. "Do not say a word, Lexie. Not yet."
The woman nodded as Penelope drifted over towards her. Still, she welcomed Alex's arms closing around her in a gentle hug. "Well, I am extraordinarily happy for you and Aaron, and cannot wait until you tell him, because I don't like keeping secrets."
"What secrets are you keeping, Lexie?" Erin asked as she appeared in the doorway, looking resplendent in her dress. "Well?"
"That's for Penelope to tell you, maybe while we're getting our hair done?"
She groaned as she stepped away from Alex and joined Erin in the doorway. "I should have been a lot more careful, that's for certain," she muttered as they slipped out into the master bedroom. There were a few women waiting next to a row of chairs, and Penelope smiled as she took her seat at the end of the row, knowing that Alex and Erin should sit together. She was surprised to see Erin sit in the middle seat, however, and she gave her friend a sweet smile as a cape was draped across their fronts in order to protect their dresses.
"All right, what is your secret, Penelope?"
She took a deep breath as the women began their work. "I'm nine weeks pregnant. I guess the doctor was wrong. I don't want to say anything until I reach the thirteenth week, since that's when the chances of miscarriage drop significantly. And before you ask, yes, I have been doing a lot of research into the topic of pregnancy. Maybe too much. Because there are a lot of questions that I have, and don't know how I'll answer. But please, try to keep it quiet. I want to be the one to tell Aaron."'
"I promise, we won't say a word outside this room. But if you've been to the doctor already and confirmed your pregnancy, I would tell him now, just in case something goes wrong. Believe me, it is that much easier when your partner can help you."
Alex's voice sounded impossibly sad, and she had to purse her lips and take several deep breaths to keep from bursting into tears and ruining the progress the makeup artist had already made. "I will keep that in mind, Lexie."
"And if you have any questions about what happens, ask Lexie or myself. We'll be more than willing to tell you what's happening. We might be able to answer your questions."
"I will do that, yes."
They fell into an easier conversation as they were pampered, and Penelope felt a bit better about the pregnancy being out in the open. Finally, they were completely transformed, and Erin got up from her chair, looking so regal that Penelope couldn't help but sigh as she looked at her. "What?"
"Dave is going to need Aaron to pick his jaw up from the floor when he gets a look at you. We need a few pictures together before we head down, all right?"
Erin nodded, and the photographer took a few quick snaps of them, in a group and in pairs before she left to get ready for the ceremony. "Well, here goes nothing." Erin smiled as she picked up her bouquet off the bed and shook her hips a little so that the dress billowed around her. Penelope nodded as she grabbed her bouquet and headed out of the room first, since she would be going down the aisle first. Aaron and Bruce were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for them, and she smiled at her partner before taking hold of Bruce's arm and letting him guide her over to the patio doors. Karen and Tabitha were already there, holding baskets of rose petals, and she gave them a small smile as the doors opened and she heard the musical cue for them to start down towards Dave and the judge who was marrying them.
Penelope teared up as she watched Alex and Aaron separate before the girls started down the aisle, scattering the petals as they went and then her eyes clouded with tears as she caught sight of Erin. There was a beautiful smile on her face, one that transformed her from pretty to ethereal, and her heart lurched as the woman started down the aisle. "Did you remember your handkerchief?" Alex murmured, and she shook her head. A soft trill of laughter slipped from the woman's lips as she slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a delicate white square of fabric, passing it over to Penelope as Erin reached their sides. Then she was taking hold of her bouquet, and the ceremony began.
Thankfully, everything went smoothly, just like the rehearsal had, and then the judge was pronouncing Dave and Erin married. The kiss that they shared was sweet, gentle, and even though it wasn't what Penelope had expected, it was perfectly lovely to see the more tender side of Dave. Since they were going to have the meal outside as well, they didn't head back down the aisle, instead Dave led his new wife over to the center of U-shaped table setup, beckoning the wedding party to join them. Penelope followed after Alex, taking her seat too far away from Aaron. Leaning forward, she caught his eye and smiled before picking up her fork and lightly tapping on the flute of non-alcoholic champagne.
"Really, Penny?" Erin murmured, giving her a look, and Penelope nodded as she winked. "Fine." As Erin kissed Dave, the rest of the guests filed over to find their seats and then the servers began to pass around the plates of food. In a nod to his heritage, it was an Italian meal, and Penelope felt her stomach lurch at the smell. Alex must have noticed her reaction, as she leaned over into her space.
"Something doesn't agree with you?"
"Yes, and I don't know what."
"Drink some water slowly, and I'll switch meals with you. Sometimes the heavy cream of fettucine can set off the fetus. At least, that was what happened in my pregnancies." Alex gave her a sympathetic look as she switched their plates, and Penelope nodded a tiny bit as she picked up her water glass and sipped at it. To her surprise, Alex was right, and the tomato-based sauce did seem to not set her off like the previous dish.
"Thanks, Lexie," she murmured as she picked up her fork and began to eat in small, delicate, bites. She found herself ravenous, and soon all the food that was on her plate was gone, even as Erin and Dave were interrupted numerous times by clinking glasses. Soon enough, though, Dave was leading Erin onto the patio for their first dance, and Aaron took that as his cue to come over to her side. "You look so handsome, Aaron."
"And you look beautiful in that dress. So, when were you going to tell me our happy news?"
Penelope blinked a few times as she tried to come up with a way to not tell him the truth, but then he touched her stomach lightly, a tender smile spreading across his face, and she knew that she couldn't keep the truth from him. "In three weeks, when I was in the second trimester. I know that things can be very precarious up until that point, and since this will be a high risk pregnancy, given my age, and the scar tissue from being shot, and a host of other reasons, I just wanted to be somewhat secure before getting your hopes up, just in case it, she, didn't stick. I know, it's too early to know for certain what we're having, but my heart says it's a little girl."
"I think that I would like to have a little girl to spoil." He caressed her face before kissing her gently. "This is such happy news to hear, Penny."
"I'm glad. I know, we haven't really talked about having a child of our own, because you knew what Battle did to me when he shot me. This is a miracle for us."
He nodded and drew her to her feet, hugging her tightly as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "We've all deserved a miracle or two in our lives. Look, Alex and James are dancing, let's join them and get the party going."
"Yes," she whispered as he brought her to the patio and then began to sway in time with the music. Penelope stepped as close as possible to Aaron, letting out a deep sigh as happiness washed over her, knowing that this moment in time was just the beginning of the next great adventure in their lives, and she was so glad that they had a wonderful group of friends to share it with.