Thanks to those who's been reading for a long time! It's great to hear from you, and I'm very glad you've enjoyed what you've read. To my faithful reviews, I look forward to reading each review probably more than you look forward to reading the next chapter. Reviews are my inspiration to write the next chapter, so I thank you! All righty then, now that I've said my piece, read on, and enjoy!
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Lizzie stood in front of the mirror and tossed another pair of pants onto the bed. Amazingly, her weird cravings had managed to make her gain weight, and all of her pants seemed abnormally tight. She blew air past her lips and returned to her closet. She pulled out a pair that stretched and crossed her fingers hoping for the best.
Sitting down on the bed, she stared at the pants in her hand. It hadn't crossed her mind that her midnight snacks of chocolate fudge and pints of ice cream would do this. She sighed and stuck her foot through the leg of the pants, then the other leg and slid them over her hips. The light khaki colored pants fit, but she turned to the side and lifted her shirt. She was greeted with a view she'd last seen more than three years ago when she was...wait, the test had read negative. Actually, it had very plainly stated "not pregnant."
Lizzie bit her lip as she ran her hand over her stomach. Normally it was flat, but now she had what would typically be called a "gut," but it was firm. Her instincts had told her to buy the test, her body had told her to buy that test, and the test which was supposed to tell her the answer had said no.
With a gentle sigh, Lizzie reached into her closet and pulled out a dark blue button down shirt. She quickly slid it over her shoulders and her nimble hands quickly buttoned it. She turned sideways again, closely inspecting to see if the difference was noticeable. Even looking for the abnormality she didn't notice.
Lizzie made a mental note to make a doctor's appointment. She walked over to the dresser and quickly raked the brush through her hair. As she laid the brush down, her hand went to her stomach again. A smile tugged at the edge of her lips. She had a secret right now, a secret only she knew. A secret she wouldn't be able to keep for long.
"Mommy," the soft, chiming voice called from the doorway.
Lizzie dropped her hand away from her stomach and quickly turned around. "Yeah, Baby?"
"Today the party?" Tori asked, her small fingers intertwined within her shirt tale.
With a smile, Lizzie walked over and picked up her daughter. "That's right, today Mommy's baby girl is three years old. What woke you up?"
"The birdies," Tori stated matter-of-factly.
"Did they?" Lizzie asked with a face of shock. "Should we shut your window at night?"
"No, I like them," Tori answered.
Lizzie smiled and gently kissed her on her head as she lowered Tori to the ground. "How about we get something to eat before everyone gets here?"
Tilting her head, Tori grinned mischievously. "Wake up Gordo?"
Lizzie laughed and leaned towards her daughter. "Well, it's your birthday."
With a giggle the girl was out of the room in a flash of curls. Lizzie neared the girlish giggles and deep laughter that managed to send incredible ripples down her spine. She leaned against the doorway and smiled as she watched Gordo gently tickled Tori until she squirmed from his reach and stubbornly pointed to the doorway. "Get up," the small voice commanded.
Gordo raised himself up on his elbows, the blue of his blankets bringing out the incredible color of his eyes. Lizzie shook this thought away as his attention turned toward her. "Morning," he called trying to stifle a yawn.
Lizzie knew the feeling well, they'd both been up late wrapping presents, making cutting up last minute food items, and adding decorations. The party wasn't scheduled until two, but neither of them had wanted anything to be out of place.
"Time to eat!" Tori exclaimed, running from the room.
Lizzie listened as the patter of her feet made it down the stairs, then she chuckled softly and uncrossed her arms. "You'd better get up and grab some coffee with me, or she'll run us ragged before the party even stars." She caught his eye and felt the warm rush wash over her as his lips pulled back into a smile that reveled his pearly teeth.
Lizzie went quickly to catch up to her daughter and had no sooner stepped off the stairs than she heard a rapt knock on the door. She glanced at the clock in the hallway and realized it must be her brother.
Striding over to the doorway, she grinned when she realized Matt wasn't alone, but Miranda was with him also.
"Where's my niece?"
"In the kitchen, expecting breakfast," Lizzie stated.
Matt smiled as he made his way past her carrying foil covered pans, and a plastic bag filled with groceries.
Miranda stepped inside, she also had a plastic bag, but hers was larger and seemed to hold bulkier items.
"Should I be worried about finding places for those gifts," Lizzie smirked.
Miranda laughed and carried the bag into the living room. "There's not too many."
"Sure, you're saying that now when you're not the one who will have to pick them up," Lizzie answered.
Miranda laughed and nodded. "True."
"So, did Matt pick you up this morning?" Lizzie asked, leaning against the arm of the couch.
"We went for breakfast," Miranda grinned.
Lizzie couldn't help but return the smile. "You two are seeing a lot of each other anymore."
"I know. He's really just amazing. He's sweet, funny—"
"Yeah, Miranda. I know, he's my little brother remember?"
"But he doesn't act at all like he did when we were growing up. He doesn't even seem like he's younger. I know it seems insane, but he does the most romantic things. Like last night, we had a moonlight picnic," Miranda stated.
Lizzie nodded. It was wonderful that Miranda had found Matt, and that they seemed so compatible, but he was still her little brother, and she wasn't used to hearing about him like this and she was sure of only one thing, it was unusual, and she didn't really care for it. "Want to come into the kitchen, I promised Tori I'd make her breakfast."
Lizzie led the way and was pleasantly surprised to see Matt had already poured Tori cereal and was sitting with her while she ate.
"Mommy, Matt got cereal," Tori proclaimed, pointing to her bowl.
Lizzie tilted her head and smiled as she leaned back against the counter. The idea of Miranda and Matt was going to take some getting used to, as was her secret. She resisted the urge to run her hand over her stomach once more. Until she got the absolute final word from the doctor, she didn't want any questions.
Gordo noisily entered the kitchen, singing his own rendition of "Happy Birthday." Tori clapped enthusiastically when the song was over
Lizzie sighed softly. For a reason even unknown to her, she wasn't looking forward to telling Gordo about her secret either.
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Lizzie stood in front of the mirror and tossed another pair of pants onto the bed. Amazingly, her weird cravings had managed to make her gain weight, and all of her pants seemed abnormally tight. She blew air past her lips and returned to her closet. She pulled out a pair that stretched and crossed her fingers hoping for the best.
Sitting down on the bed, she stared at the pants in her hand. It hadn't crossed her mind that her midnight snacks of chocolate fudge and pints of ice cream would do this. She sighed and stuck her foot through the leg of the pants, then the other leg and slid them over her hips. The light khaki colored pants fit, but she turned to the side and lifted her shirt. She was greeted with a view she'd last seen more than three years ago when she was...wait, the test had read negative. Actually, it had very plainly stated "not pregnant."
Lizzie bit her lip as she ran her hand over her stomach. Normally it was flat, but now she had what would typically be called a "gut," but it was firm. Her instincts had told her to buy the test, her body had told her to buy that test, and the test which was supposed to tell her the answer had said no.
With a gentle sigh, Lizzie reached into her closet and pulled out a dark blue button down shirt. She quickly slid it over her shoulders and her nimble hands quickly buttoned it. She turned sideways again, closely inspecting to see if the difference was noticeable. Even looking for the abnormality she didn't notice.
Lizzie made a mental note to make a doctor's appointment. She walked over to the dresser and quickly raked the brush through her hair. As she laid the brush down, her hand went to her stomach again. A smile tugged at the edge of her lips. She had a secret right now, a secret only she knew. A secret she wouldn't be able to keep for long.
"Mommy," the soft, chiming voice called from the doorway.
Lizzie dropped her hand away from her stomach and quickly turned around. "Yeah, Baby?"
"Today the party?" Tori asked, her small fingers intertwined within her shirt tale.
With a smile, Lizzie walked over and picked up her daughter. "That's right, today Mommy's baby girl is three years old. What woke you up?"
"The birdies," Tori stated matter-of-factly.
"Did they?" Lizzie asked with a face of shock. "Should we shut your window at night?"
"No, I like them," Tori answered.
Lizzie smiled and gently kissed her on her head as she lowered Tori to the ground. "How about we get something to eat before everyone gets here?"
Tilting her head, Tori grinned mischievously. "Wake up Gordo?"
Lizzie laughed and leaned towards her daughter. "Well, it's your birthday."
With a giggle the girl was out of the room in a flash of curls. Lizzie neared the girlish giggles and deep laughter that managed to send incredible ripples down her spine. She leaned against the doorway and smiled as she watched Gordo gently tickled Tori until she squirmed from his reach and stubbornly pointed to the doorway. "Get up," the small voice commanded.
Gordo raised himself up on his elbows, the blue of his blankets bringing out the incredible color of his eyes. Lizzie shook this thought away as his attention turned toward her. "Morning," he called trying to stifle a yawn.
Lizzie knew the feeling well, they'd both been up late wrapping presents, making cutting up last minute food items, and adding decorations. The party wasn't scheduled until two, but neither of them had wanted anything to be out of place.
"Time to eat!" Tori exclaimed, running from the room.
Lizzie listened as the patter of her feet made it down the stairs, then she chuckled softly and uncrossed her arms. "You'd better get up and grab some coffee with me, or she'll run us ragged before the party even stars." She caught his eye and felt the warm rush wash over her as his lips pulled back into a smile that reveled his pearly teeth.
Lizzie went quickly to catch up to her daughter and had no sooner stepped off the stairs than she heard a rapt knock on the door. She glanced at the clock in the hallway and realized it must be her brother.
Striding over to the doorway, she grinned when she realized Matt wasn't alone, but Miranda was with him also.
"Where's my niece?"
"In the kitchen, expecting breakfast," Lizzie stated.
Matt smiled as he made his way past her carrying foil covered pans, and a plastic bag filled with groceries.
Miranda stepped inside, she also had a plastic bag, but hers was larger and seemed to hold bulkier items.
"Should I be worried about finding places for those gifts," Lizzie smirked.
Miranda laughed and carried the bag into the living room. "There's not too many."
"Sure, you're saying that now when you're not the one who will have to pick them up," Lizzie answered.
Miranda laughed and nodded. "True."
"So, did Matt pick you up this morning?" Lizzie asked, leaning against the arm of the couch.
"We went for breakfast," Miranda grinned.
Lizzie couldn't help but return the smile. "You two are seeing a lot of each other anymore."
"I know. He's really just amazing. He's sweet, funny—"
"Yeah, Miranda. I know, he's my little brother remember?"
"But he doesn't act at all like he did when we were growing up. He doesn't even seem like he's younger. I know it seems insane, but he does the most romantic things. Like last night, we had a moonlight picnic," Miranda stated.
Lizzie nodded. It was wonderful that Miranda had found Matt, and that they seemed so compatible, but he was still her little brother, and she wasn't used to hearing about him like this and she was sure of only one thing, it was unusual, and she didn't really care for it. "Want to come into the kitchen, I promised Tori I'd make her breakfast."
Lizzie led the way and was pleasantly surprised to see Matt had already poured Tori cereal and was sitting with her while she ate.
"Mommy, Matt got cereal," Tori proclaimed, pointing to her bowl.
Lizzie tilted her head and smiled as she leaned back against the counter. The idea of Miranda and Matt was going to take some getting used to, as was her secret. She resisted the urge to run her hand over her stomach once more. Until she got the absolute final word from the doctor, she didn't want any questions.
Gordo noisily entered the kitchen, singing his own rendition of "Happy Birthday." Tori clapped enthusiastically when the song was over
Lizzie sighed softly. For a reason even unknown to her, she wasn't looking forward to telling Gordo about her secret either.