Thanks for reading! Sorry I missed last week's post. Regular schedule again from here on out!

Flora's excitement propelled her into a good mood for weeks. She was so excited, in fact, that it had been her that accidentally spilled the news to Ellie. The young girl was in the shop early on a Saturday morning with her moms. She insisted on following Dani around after she found out about the baby. Being eleven, almost twelve, Dani and Jamie knew they were on the tailwind of this kind of relationship with her so they welcomed it.

Flora was in the front restocking the terracotta pots while her parents were in the back room opening up shipment. Ellie walked in with a drink carrier, the daily drink carrier, that she brought over each morning for a few seconds to dish with her best friends.

"Good morning, sweetie," the red-headed woman said as she dropped her keys and the coffees onto the counter.

"What are those?" Flora asked and narrowed her eyes at the drinks.

"Oh, it's coffee for your moms. If you want some hot chocolate, though, I can bring you some in a few minutes." Ellie pulled her jacket off, oblivious to the cross attitude that Flora was sending her way.

"Why are you bringing Dani coffee?" She cried. "She shouldn't be drinking that."

At the sound of Flora's raised voice, Dani and Jamie rushed into the front of the store. "Ellie," Jamie said. "What's going on?"

Ellie stared at Flora. "I'm not sure. She's upset that I'm bringing Dani coffee."

"How could you?" Flora continued. "I trusted you."

"Flora," Dani whispered and walked over to the girl. "It's not like that."

Ellie crossed her arms. Anything in her that thought the situation was amusing was now gone. "What's she talking about?"

"I've just been getting migraines lately," Dani tried. Ellie's eyes only narrowed and she bowed her head. Her friend had a great talent of recognizing when one of them was lying.

Jamie chuckled, "Dani, the cat's out of the bag. May as well tell her. She'll find out soon enough anyway." She looked at her friend and stuck her hands in her jacket pockets. A grin spread across Dani's face and she nodded. "She's pregnant."

"Oh," Ellie said and stooped down to Flora's eye level. "And I suppose you're just taking your sisterly duties seriously, then?"

"That's my job," Flora insisted.

Ellie brushed a finger over Flora's nose. "You're doing a good job of it, little one." Then, she looked between her friends. There had been talk amongst them that it was something they were interested in pursuing. It wasn't too much of a shock for Ellie, but she was still overjoyed at the news. "Congrats, you two."

"Thank you," Dani said.

"I do have one question," Ellie said. She picked up the drink carrier and waved it between the two of them. "What have you been doing with the second coffee I bring you every morning?"

"Let's just say I've been caffeinating for two," Jamie quipped.

Flora gave Ellie a rose by means of an apology as Ellie saw herself out, promising to be back soon with two hot chocolates. It didn't take long for Flora to bounce back and only a few minutes later she was sweeping and humming to herself in the corner.

It was good they told Ellie when they did because it wasn't much longer after that Dani began to show. It happened so suddenly, both Dani and Jamie swore it was overnight. The early morning alarm was not a pleasant sound for Dani who had spent most of the night tossing and turning. Jamie kissed her good morning and let her sleep while she showered.

Eventually, though, she couldn't sleep any longer so Jamie called from the bathroom, "You've gotta get up now."

Dani groaned and covered her head with the pillow. "I just want to sleep a little longer."

"I know, baby," Jamie said. "But I've got an early morning delivery for that wedding so I can't take the kids to school today."

"They can just take a sick day. They'll like that." Dani was half asleep and if she just sat still for two minutes she would be back out.

Jamie pulled the covers off of Dani, "Miles has a test and Flora's got a book report today. Come on. You get up now, I'll take the evening shift in the store from you tonight and you can go to bed early."

Again, for dramatics, Dani groaned, but got up. "I'm gonna hold you to that," she said and stripped in front of the dresser.

"Blue Eyes," Jamie said, quiet. When Dani turned to face her wife, she saw her eyes sweeping her body. "You've got a bump."

Dani laughed, "What are you talking about?" When she looked down, she didn't see much difference, but Jamie swore it was there so she went to the bathroom mirror. Sure enough, there was a bump. It was small, very small, but it was there. "Well, I guess we know why I didn't sleep last night." She ran her hand over it, feeling her body grow and change. Dani couldn't bring herself to look away for a while and Jamie leaned against the doorframe watching her wife stare in awe.

Downstairs, Flora and Miles were each eating their cereal at the island coutner. They were deeply engaged in an argument about some Star Wars plot point and barely acknowledged their moms.

"Good morning to you, too," Jamie said. She tussled Miles's hair as she walked by him. "You lot ready for school today? Flora, do you have your report in your backpack?"

"Of course," Flora said. She dropped her spoon into her bowl and carried it to the sink.

Jamie pulled an apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite. She sent a pointed glance across the island at Miles. "And you, mister? Did you study for your test?"

"Yeah," he said. "I studied last night."

Flora shut the dishwasher and looked inquisitively at her brother. "No, you didn't. You read your comic books all night."

"No," Miles yelled.

"Don't lie, Miles. I told you the whole time to study," Flora said. She looked at her moms. "He's failing history, you know."

Dani let the fridge door shut loudly as she spun to face Miles. "History? I thought it was math you were struggling in."

Miles's face began to turn a shade of bright red. "Flora, you snitch, why would you tell on me like that?"

"I heard Ms. Christianson in the hallway saying you might have to repeat the whole year if you don't turn your grades around now," Flora crossed her arms over her chest.

"Is that true?" Dani asked.

"Flora," Miles yelled. The spoon in his hand flew across the kitchen and smacked right into Flora's forehead. She cried in pain as a two inch split tore at her hairline. Being a head wound, blood started to pour down her face.

"Oi," Jamie yelled at Miles. She grabbed the dish towel off its hook and pressed it against Flora's bleeding forehead. "What the hell was that? If you ever throw anything at anyone in this house again, I'll end you."

"Miles, get in the car," Dani snapped. She touched Jamie's hand and her wife moved the towel. "She's going to need stitches."

"You happy?" Jamie asked Miles. "Because I think you took the saying 'snitches get stitches' a little too seriously."

Miles, ashamed, trudged into the garage. He stopped at the door and looked back at his sister. "I'm sorry, Flora."

Dani placed a palm on Flora's cheek. "Does it hurt, honey? Do you feel groggy or anything?"

Flora shook her head, "I feel fine, really. I knew he was going to do it so I'm not surprised."

"Flora?" Jamie asked. "What do you mean you knew?"

"I had a dream about it," Flora said.

Dani and Jamie met each other's eyes again, confused, but there wasn't time for that. "Jamie, you have that delivery."

"You sure you got this, Poppins?" She asked. Dani nodded so Jamie handed the towel to Flora. "Take this and keep it tight against your head." The girl did as she was told.

"Let's get you into the car and then we'll get you to a doctor," Dani said. She led Flora to the door and grabbed her bag.

Jamie called after them, "Keep me updated?"

"What time do you think you'll be back in the store?" Dani asked.

She looked at the clock on the wall. "I dunno, probably ten?"

"I'll call you then," Dani said.

It was hard to do it alone, be at the hospital without Jamie for the first big thing (at least that they had been in the state for). Thankfully, the process was fairly seamless. The emergency room wasn't busy so they were in and out before too long. The day was still early so Dani dropped Miles off at school (just in time for his test) and then took Flora back to the shop.

"Let's see the damage, then," Jamie said as her wife and the young girl walked into the shop. She set the flower arrangement she was working on down and gestured for Flora to come closer. The girl pulled the bandage up. "Six of them? Must have been quite the trooper, there, soldier."

"It didn't hurt at all," Flora said. "They gave me this shot that made the top half of my face go numb."

Jamie pulled the girl closer to her side for a hug and then asked Dani, "Where's Miles?"

"School. Hopefully taking that test right about now," Dani sighed and sat down on the stool behind the counter. "I'm wiped out and it's not even eleven, yet."

"The two of you should go home and watch movies on the couch for the rest of the day," Jamie said. "I've got things handled here."

"I don't know," Dani shook her head. "I don't want to leave you with the store by yourself that long."

Jamie waved it off, "Poppins, it's a Tuesday and all the deliveries are done. If anything, I can get more work done without you distracting me looking all cute all the time, like you do."

Dani caved and left. Halfway through the first movie, though, she fell asleep. Jamie arrived home to dinner waiting on the table. It was a simple chicken and rice meal, but Jamie's favorite thing that Dani cooked.

"How was your test?" Jamie broke the silence to address Miles.

He sighed, "Not great."

"I'd suggest reading the textbook," Jamie said. "That always gave me a good start."

Dani set her fork down. "You know, Miles, I think you're going to spend your evenings at the shop for a while."

"Good idea," Jamie agreed.

"What?" Miles whined.

"I don't want to hear it," Dani said. "After school, you'll go to the shop where we can keep an eye on you and make sure you're doing your homework. If you don't finish it by close, you can't play video games or read comic books that night until it's done. If you finish before close, you can do some chores around the shop."

He sighed and scooted the rice around his plate. "Fine. How long?"

"For starters, however long your sister has stitches in her head," Jamie said. She took a deep breath. "Then, your mum and I will talk to your teachers and let you know."

Miles pouted the rest of the dinner, but didn't argue much further because it was a fair punishment, even he knew. The kids excused themselves and went upstairs leaving the wives by themselves in the kitchen. It was the first time since the incident they actually had a moment to themselves.

"It's like he's got Peter fuckin' Quint in him again," Jamie muttered as she loaded plates into the dishwasher.

"And these 'dreams' Flora's having?" Dani added. A shudder traveled down her spine. "You don't think it has anything to do with Bly, right?"

Jamie dried her hands and hung up the towel. "I think Miles is becoming an angsty teenager and he needs help channeling his anger. Thankfully, he's got me who's literally always cross so I think I can right him. Flora," she shook her head. "Flora, I'm not so sure about. I think we just have to keep an eye on it."

"It doesn't seem dangerous, just," Dani paused. "Strange."

Jamie quietly continued the chore. Suddenly, she began to laugh. Dani looked at her, confused where the humor was in the situation. "You've got to admit, that was a million dollar shot from Miles." Dani snickered and threw the dish towel at her wife who swatted it away from her face.

A few weeks passed without another reported dream from Flora. The baby seemed to be growing by the day and the more time that passed, the harder easy tasks were to accomplish for Dani. Jamie doted on her every second of every day, always making sure she was comfortable, eating enough, getting enough sleep. Not once did Jamie complain, in fact she seemed to find joy in taking care of her pregnant wife.

The last person to learn the news was Mrs. Clayton. Dani had done that on purpose for no particular reason other than wanting to push it off as long as possible. The time came, as time does, to share it with her mom before Mrs. Clayton found out herself and made some big deal about not being told before that. So, they invited her over for dinner.

That night, Mrs. Clayton was feeling more over dramatic than normal. Dani couldn't tell if it was because of the wine in her mom's hand or Dani's lack of intoxication during a family dinner. Either way, her patience was chipping away fast and the kids' screams of excitement as they joked around with their grandma were only putting her more on edge.

Even though this evening was intended to share the news of the pregnancy with her mom, Dani still wore a blouse that hung loose. Her bump had grown since the first morning they had noticed it so she didn't have many clothes that wouldn't at least hint at a change in her body. Any other day of the week, it was new and exciting to see the reminder of the baby brushing against her shirt. This evening, though, Dani caught herself being self-conscious about her body from the second her mom walked through the door. Every angle she stood at or bent over at, she wondered if it was obvious. She knew she didn't have a reason to hide it, but she wanted to wait as long as possible to have to talk about it with her mother.

Dani stood over the counter, chopping onions while Jamie put on some music. She heard her mom coming up behind her and, by the sound of the glass on the countertop, Mrs. Clayton was looking for a refill.

"The white is in the fridge," Dani pointed at the refrigerator with the knife. "I think the red is on the island."

Mrs. Clayton opened the fridge and topped off her glass with more wine. As she put it away, she peered over Dani's shoulder at the cutting board. "You're cutting the onion wrong, dear."

"I can't cut the onion wrong, mom, it's just going into a food processor in a second." Each chop was getting more and more passive aggressive and loud.

"Well, if you cut the onion right, you wouldn't need a food processor," Mrs. Clayton continued. She raised an eyebrow at her daughter as she took a sip.

Dani set the knife down and turned to face her mom. "Do you listen to yourself talk or do you just tune out the sound of your own voice?"

Mrs. Clayton took her glass and left the kitchen. "Honestly, Danielle, you are so dramatic sometimes."

Jamie eyed the interaction and joined Dani at the cutting board. "Take a breath, you've got a long night."

"She makes me understand why some people would want to commit murder," Dani whispered to her wife. She scraped the onion into the food processor and channeled her anger into the blending of onions, tomatoes, and garlic. "Can't we just order a pizza so we can kick her out early?"

"Miles and Flora are having so much fun," Jamie said. It was true. Flora was showing her grandma the latest drawings from her art class and Miles was telling her all about the new comic book series he was into. And, of course, Mrs. Clayton ate the admiration up.

"Mums?" Flora called from the living room. "Can we play Monopoly with grandma?"

Dani's eyes widened, "Oh, God, no."

"Uh," Jamie looked from Dani to the rest of the family. "What she means is that's a bit of a long one to start before dinner. How about Clue?"

Miles shrugged, "Clue's fine." Jamie looked over her shoulder at Dani– who flashed a grateful smile– and went off to find the board game.

The conversation returned to a quiet hum and Dani savored every second of it. She dumped the contents of the food processor into a waiting pot and began to stir it with a spoon. It was a recipe Owen had taught her out of pity the last time he had visited. Dani had perfected it– at least that's what she told herself– and made it whenever she had guests over.

The next step was to cook the meat. Dani opened the cupboard above the stove top. The array of oils, vinegars, and other sauces were stuffed haphazardly around the cabinet. And, of course, the ones she needed had been pushed to the back the last time Jamie cooked. She hated when Jamie cooked. It wasn't necessarily that Jamie was bad at it, she was just a messy one. And, with the help of her pregnant belly, Dani wasn't able to lean forward enough to find the olive oil.

"Miles?" Dani called over her shoulder. "Can you come help me?"

"Of course," Miles said and stood up from the couch.

Mrs. Clayton clucked her tongue. "You're making him do chores right now?"

With her back safely to her mother, Dani rolled her eyes. "It's not chores, I just need his help for a second."

"I'm just saying, it's been a month since I last saw you and you're taking away the precious time I have with the kids." Mrs. Clayton shook her head and finished her glass of wine.

"I just need him to reach something for me and then he's all yours again," Dani said. Her voice was tight and monotone as she desperately tried to hide any hint of an attitude. Then, to Miles,
"Just the olive oil in the back, honey."

Her mom joined the three in the kitchen and retrieved the bottle of wine she had been slowly but surely finishing off. "He's not much taller than you, Danielle." Dani ran both hands over her face and through her hair out of frustration. "If he can reach it, so can you."

Dani turned to face her mom. "I'm pregnant," she almost yelled. That wasn't the way she had planned on telling her mom, but she couldn't take the nagging anymore and it slipped out. She let out a deep sigh, watched her mom's face of confusion, and then she pressed her hand against the bottom of her stomach to pull the shirt just taught enough that the bump was obvious. "That's why I can't reach the damn oil."

Her mom was silent for a long time. Once it hit, though, a smile spread across her face and she pulled her daughter in for a hug. "Oh, this is so exciting."

"It's a girl," Flora added.

Dani laughed, "We don't know that yet." Flora just shrugged, still sure of herself. "I'm due in late June."

"A Cancer," Mrs. Clayton hummed. "That's too many water signs under one roof. Miles and Flora have their hands full always running around mopping up your emotions. You should have spaced it out better. A virgo would have balanced the family much more."

The frustration in Dani started to build again. Her mother loved reminding everyone of their star charts (which she had drawn up for Miles and Flora within a week of their arrival) and blamed their flaws on it. Dani was a Pisces, Jamie a Scorpio, Miles a Capricorn, and Flora a Cancer. She talked about it so much Dani swore it was tattooed in her brain.

"I'm sorry we didn't consult your horoscope skills before getting pregnant," Dani deadpanned.

Mrs. Clayton pressed her lips together for a moment. "It's not 'horoscope' and you know that." She took a seat at the island counter. Flora fell in next to her and sat in the exact same position as her grandma.

Jamie arrived in the kitchen with the game box and passed it to Miles. "What did I miss?"

"Apparently," Dani said and raised her eyebrows at her wife, desperate for help, "we should have waited a few more months so the baby would be a Virgo instead of a Cancer."

Jamie shook her head, "How could we have missed this?" She winked at her wife and Dani felt calmer at the sight of it. "Guess you'll just have to hold the baby in for an extra two months."

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