Author's Note: Okay, so I'm posting this chapter much earlier than I usually do on a Tuesday, but I'm overseas at the moment and the internet has been playing up, so I'm posting now while I have a decent connection. Also, a big thank you goes to my awesome beta, Irma66, for her suggestions for this chapter :).
Chapter Twenty-One
Late March 2020
Thirty-Seven Weeks Along
Logan arrives home from the base Wednesday afternoon to find the kitchen cupboards open, the counters covered in cans, bottles and various utensils, and Veronica standing on a small stool as she scrubs frantically at the inside of one of said cupboards.
"What are you doing?" he asks, announcing his presence.
"What does it look like?" she responds, not looking at him as she scrubs at one particular spot. "I'm cleaning."
"I see that," he acknowledges, "but why?"
"Because our cupboards are filthy," she responds. "I mean, when was the last time we actually deep cleaned this kitchen?"
"I don't know," he replies. "But I don't see why you have to do it. Especially not in your state. We can get someone in—"
"Excuse me? In my state?" She stops, turning her head to glare at him.
"Just don't want you overexerting yourself," he says quickly. "But I see you're doing fine, so forget I said anything."
"Well, I should think so." She huffs, turning back to the task at hand.
Logan watches her work for a few moments, before piping up with, "So, are you going to be long? 'Cause I was thinking we could go out to eat tonight."
"Well, I have to finish this cupboard, then reorganise everything so it'll be out of reach of the baby, and then I need to put child locks on the doors."
Logan blinks in confusion. "And you have to do all that right now?"
"Yes. Why?"
"It's not like a newborn is going to be able to open our kitchen cupboards," he says. "Surely, this stuff can wait a few months?"
"No, it can't," she insists. "I need to get all this done before the baby comes."
"But I really don't think—" Logan stops, suddenly realising what's going on. "Wait, this is that nesting thing I was reading about, isn't it?"
"No," she says, though her response is weak.
"Yes, it is," he says, his confidence building. "The pregnancy books say the body can sense that the baby is coming soon and nesting is this instinctual thing that women do to get ready for it."
"No, it's…." She trails off, before glancing around her and amending, "okay, maybe it is."
Logan smiles. "You want help putting everything back?"
"No, I can do it," she insists.
"You sure?"
"I just said I'm good," she replies, irritated. "I don't need any help."
"All right, fine." Logan holds his hands up in surrender. "But the child locks can wait, okay? Because I am taking you out for dinner tonight."
"Okay." She nods, relenting. "I'll do the child locks tomorrow."
"Great." He flashes her a smile.
"Just gimme, like, an hour to finish this and get ready."
"Sure." It's his turn to nod. "I'll go take a shower while you finish up."
"Okay."
"Be careful, though," he adds, eyeing her with concern when she stretches up to reach the back of the cupboard, balancing precariously on the stool as she does so. "I don't want you ending up in the ER tonight because you've slipped off that stool."
Even though her back is turned to him, he can picture her rolling her eyes at him right now. "I'll be fine, Logan."
With a shake of his head, he leaves her to it and heads down the hall to their bedroom. Pulling off his uniform, he turns on the shower and steps under the hot spray, sighing with relief as the water beats down over his head and shoulders, relaxing his tight muscles. As he soaps up, he reflects on the last few weeks since training officially began at North Island. As great as it is to be living in Neptune again, his workload on base is now higher than it was in Virginia. There's a lot more to setting up an entire new squadron training unit than he originally thought, and couple that with the fact that Veronica hasn't been sleeping well lately—the baby keeping her up at all times of the night—which means he hasn't slept that well either, and it's been taking a lot out of him.
That's nothing compared to what it'll be like with a new baby at home, a small voice in the back of his head reminds him. But maybe this is good practice for it.
They're getting down to the wire now—only three weeks until Veronica is full-term. On the one hand, he can't wait to meet the child she's been carrying inside her for the last eight months, but on the other… he's scared shitless.
We'll get through it, he tells himself resolutely. We'll work it out. Together.
He rinses and turns off the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist as he steps out. Rubbing a second towel over his face and hair, he heads back into the bedroom and dresses in a button down and a pair of slacks. After running a comb through his hair and splashing on some cologne, he returns to the kitchen to find Veronica now standing on the floor beside the stool, looking down at a collection of cans forlornly.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
She looks up at him with a dejected expression. "I can't reach the shelf to put them back."
"Oh." Logan tries to keep a straight face. "Well, how did you get them down in the first place?"
"Uh… sheer force of will?" she offers, looking sheepish.
"Right." He nods, waiting expectantly for her to ask for his help. When nothing comes, he adds, "So, how are you planning to get them back up there?"
Her expression turns to one of slight irritation. "You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"
Logan folds his arms across his chest smugly. "Yep."
"Fine." She sighs. "Logan, please help me put these cans back?"
He smiles. "Of course. Just tell me where you want them."
With Veronica's direction, he places the remaining cans up on the top shelf of the cupboard, then turns to her, bowing his head slightly as he says, "Hope that was to your satisfaction, ma'am."
"It certainly was. Thank you, Lieutenant," she replies, stepping up onto the stool again to level their height difference and angling her body so that she can give him a kiss without her belly getting in the way.
"No problem." He smiles. "You ready to go for dinner?"
"Just let me change first?"
"Sure."
He follows her back into the bedroom and lounges on the bed as she gets ready. His eyes follow her as she pulls off the large Navy sweatshirt she's commandeered from him and the stretchy maternity sweatpants she's wearing, then turns to look at herself in the mirror, her hands smoothing over her large bump as she frowns.
"These stretch marks are multiplying by the day," she mumbles to herself as she reaches for the tube of cream on the dresser. "I can't keep up."
"Here, let me do it," offers Logan, sitting up and holding out his hand for the stretch mark cream.
Veronica obliges, coming to stand in front of him and handing it over. Logan squeezes a dollop into his palm and then gently begins to massage it into her skin. As his hand moves across her belly, he feels the baby move in response and what looks like a handprint presses out against Veronica's skin. Logan smiles, his heart warming as he runs his fingers over the spot. He looks up at Veronica to find her smiling too, her gaze fixed on his hand.
"I can't wait to meet him or her," he says softly.
"Me either," she agrees. "And I wouldn't mind it being sooner rather than later. Not sure how I'm going to get through another three weeks of this."
"You're doing fine," he assures her.
"Easy for you to say," she responds. "You don't have to carry around thirty pounds of extra weight all the time."
"No, I don't," he agrees, continuing to rub the cream into her skin until he's covered all the stretch marks he can see. "But if I could, I would. For you."
"Aw, so sweet." She takes his chin in her hand and lowers her mouth to his.
"I do my best," he responds when they part, smoothing his hand over her bump one last time. "Okay, I think you're all done."
"Thank you."
He stands, returning the cream to the dresser.
"Do we have to go out for dinner?" Veronica asks then. "Can't we just stay in, order take-out or something?"
"Veronica, we've stayed in for the last two weeks," he reasons. "I think we deserve a nice evening out, don't you?"
She glances toward her closet. "Yes, but—"
"Don't worry," he cuts in, "it's not going to be dinner dinner, you don't have to get dressed up. Just wear whatever you feel comfortable in."
She sighs. "You couldn't have told me that before I took off the sweatshirt and pants?"
"I meant something nice that you feel comfortable in," he amends quickly.
"Okay, okay," she mutters, moving to the closet. "I'll find something nice."
Fifteen minutes later, she's dressed in a pair of black maternity trousers and a pretty tunic top and they're ready to go. Until that is, they get to the front door, and after three unsuccessful attempts to get her shoes on, Veronica looks up at Logan with yet another pleading expression. With a smile, he crouches down and helps her slip them on.
"This must be killing you, huh?" he muses as he stands up. "Needing my help with this stuff."
"Don't remind me," she grumbles. "The sooner this baby is out of me, the better."
"You know, there's nothing wrong with asking for help," he says. "It doesn't make you weak."
"I know that," she mutters with a hint of annoyance.
"But that independence of yours is hard to let go of," he says knowingly.
"Yeah," she admits. "It is."
Logan smiles, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Come on, Miss Independent, let's go."
"That's Mrs. Independent to you," she responds, though a smile plays on her face as she says it.
"I'm sorry, my mistake."
Veronica looks around the surf-themed restaurant with a smile. Logan hadn't been lying when he said they weren't going anywhere fancy; he's brought her to the same diner she and her father used to frequent when she was in high school. She hasn't been here in ages, but the atmosphere is still warm and welcoming, and the ample size of the booths and the nicely padded seats means she can relax back against the partition and rest her legs on the bench.
"Comfortable?" Logan asks from the other side of the booth, where he's mirroring her position.
A plate of fries sits between them, along with two discarded soup bowls and a half-eaten bowl of salad.
"Uh huh." She nods, snagging a fry and popping it into her mouth. "Good choice of establishment."
"Yeah." He smiles and grabs a couple of fries for himself. "I hear they still do their famous ice cream sundaes too."
"Oh, I know they do," she replies smugly. "I already checked the dessert menu."
"Of course you did."
They finish up the fries and remaining salad, and then order a hot fudge sundae to share. Maybe it's her pregnancy taste-buds, but somehow the ice cream tastes better than Veronica remembers… in fact, it's one of the best things she's put in her mouth for a long time. She says as much to Logan and he—of course—can't keep the smirk off his face as he makes an innuendo-filled remark about something else she may have put in her mouth recently.
When there's nothing more than a sloppy mixture of melted ice cream and hot fudge sauce left in the bottom of the sundae glass, Logan pays the bill and they take a walk along the beach.
"Can you believe that this time last year we'd just moved to Virginia?" Veronica muses as they amble along the sand, Logan's arm looped around her lower back for support. "We should still have been there."
"Yeah," Logan agrees. "Time flies, huh?"
"You don't regret coming back? I mean, we were supposed to have been there for another year and a half."
"Of course not." He looks down at her incredulously. "Neither of us were happy there."
"I know." She nods. "It's just that… I mean, if it weren't for me, you would have stayed there until the end of your shore rotation."
Logan shakes his head. "Veronica, if it weren't for you, my life would be an empty, meaningless shell right now. I would have stayed there because I wouldn't have had any reason not to. I would have been going through the motions of life, but not really living it."
"Oh." She looks down, her hand coming to her belly and caressing it gently.
"Yeah." He nods in confirmation, fingers gently squeezing her waist. "Veronica, you coming back into my life was the best thing that ever happened to me."
She takes that in, the seriousness of his tone, the emphasis he adds to the words, and her heart swells with love and affection.
She stops, turning to face him as she says with equal seriousness, "You coming back into my life was the best thing that ever happened to me, too."
He smiles indulgently, lowering his head to kiss her. It's not a passionate, all-consuming kiss, but it is one filled with love and promise and contentment. When they part, Logan rests his forehead against hers for a moment, before straightening up and sliding his arm back around her.
They start walking again, in comfortable silence at first, but then Veronica speaks up.
"So, I've been thinking about something lately."
"Yeah?"
"About how, when we got married, we decided I would take your name so that if we had kids we would all have the same name…"
"Yeah?" Logan repeats.
"Well, it's just…. I know you want to carry on the Echolls name, make something good out of it, but it occurred to me the other day that when my dad is gone, there'll be no one left to carry on the Mars name."
"Really?" Logan frowns. "There's no one else in your family to continue it?"
Veronica shrugs. "My dad only has one sister, and she changed her name when she got married."
"Oh," is Logan's response. "So, uh, what are you suggesting?"
"I don't know … exactly," she says. "But since we had that conversation the other week about you still calling me Mars, I've been wondering if there's a way I can carry on the Mars name too."
"Hmm." Logan makes a considering noise. "You mean like hyphenating our names? I thought you decided that was too pretentious."
"I did, at the time," she admits, "but now, maybe I'm reconsidering."
"Really?" He sounds thoughtful. "Would that involve both of us changing our names?"
"I haven't really looked into it in much detail." She gives a shrug. "Why?"
"Just not sure if that's something the Navy would allow for male officers."
Veronica frowns. "You think they wouldn't? God, what century are they living in?"
"Tell me about it."
"You didn't look into it before we got married?"
"Not really," he says. "You'd already dismissed the idea, so I didn't see much point. I'll see what I can find out though."
"Thanks," she says. "I just don't want Mars to die with my father, you know?"
"I know," he agrees. "You've still got the business name under Mars though."
"Yeah, but that may not last forever."
"Fair enough," he concedes. "Okay, we'll look into it. I'll see what I can find out at work tomorrow."
"Thanks." Veronica smiles as she leans into him slightly.
They continue along the beach for a few more minutes, until Veronica realises how much more tiring it is to walk on sand when you're carrying thirty extra pounds of baby weight, and insists they turn back in the direction of the car.
End March 2020
Almost Thirty-Eight Weeks Along
Logan smiles to himself as he pulls out of the base early Monday afternoon, the top down on his car. He's managed to bag himself a half-day, and now he's on his way back to Neptune. In the mood for the scenic route, he gets off the 5 and follows the windy coastal roads instead. About halfway home, he pulls the car into one of the beach parks, inhaling the fresh sea air as he climbs out and wanders over the rocks. Finding a suitable place to sit, he makes himself comfortable and gazes out at the rolling waves.
He's turning thirty-two today. Thirty-two. He shakes his head. There was a time when he didn't think he'd make it to twenty-two, let alone thirty-two, yet here he is: alive and healthy… and married, with a baby due in just a couple of weeks.
Who would've thought it, huh?
And actually, that's not even the craziest part.
No, the craziest part is that he's been in love with Veronica for half his life now. They might have only been together for a collective total of about five years out of the last sixteen, but he can barely remember a time that he wasn't in love with her.
She's been his friend, his enemy, his girlfriend, his ex, his saviour, his lover, his estranged ex, his saviour (again) … his wife… and now soon to be the mother of his child.
His child.
He's going to be a father.
Veronica's due date is only a couple weeks away, and as excited as he is to meet his newborn son or daughter, part of him is still terrified. It's a part that started small, just a tiny niggle of fear in the back of his mind when they found out Veronica was pregnant—the relief of it finally happening after so many months of trying overshadowing everything else—but the further along she's gotten, the larger that fear has become.
He's been trying not to think about it, trying to be positive, because there have been so many other more important things occupying their time lately, but they're getting down to the wire now, and Logan's been feeling more nervous and more scared with every passing day.
What if I screw up? What if I can't cope? The internal questions begin to flood his mind, as he brings his knees to his chest and rests his chin on them. What if I'm a terrible father? What if I hurt my child?
He can hear Veronica's firm voice in his mind, vehemently telling him that she believes in him, that she trusts him, that she knows he would never lay a hand on their baby, and although, rationally, he knows she's right, he still can't stop the worry.
Focus on the positives, on the good things, he tells himself determinedly.
Forcing the dark thoughts away, he allows himself to think about what it will be like when the baby finally makes his or her appearance. Veronica's been in full-on nesting mode for the last week, stocking up on baby clothes and toys, diapers and toiletries, a breast pump and bottles, and even jars of baby food, despite the fact that it'll be months before the baby will actually be able to eat any of it.
Logan can't help but smile as he recalls the image of her struggling to carry the bags of shopping in from the car herself yesterday. Despite his offer to help, she's still frustratingly trying to cling to her independence and insisted doing it herself. It took great effort to keep a straight face when, after two of the bags slid from her fingers and spilled their contents onto the floor, she finally gave in and asked him to bring in the rest.
The image changes then and he sees Veronica sitting in the glider chair, rocking gently as the tiny baby in her arms suckles at her breast. She's singing a lullaby, her sweet, melodic voice filling the room as she gazes down at the baby with pure love in her eyes. It makes Logan's heart ache at the thought of it.
"I can do this," he murmurs resolutely.
With a decisive nod, he looks out at the ocean waves once more, the bright sunshine glistening on the water.
"We can do this."
Just then, his phone rings, startling him from his thoughts. He digs it out of his pocket and glances at the caller ID before answering.
"Hey, Mac."
"Logan, glad I caught you," says Mac. "Are you set for this evening?"
"Yep." He gives a nod. "As it happens, I'm on my way back to Neptune right now—persuaded the CO to give me a half-day."
"Nice," she says, before adding, "Happy Birthday, by the way."
"Thanks."
"So, you know the plan, right?"
"Of course," he says. "And before you ask, yes, we'll be there on time."
"Just wanted to double-check," she says in response.
"See you later, Mac."
Logan smirks as he hangs up the phone. Veronica doesn't know it yet, but the quiet dinner they're going out for tonight is actually going to be anything but. Ever since Mac called him a few weeks ago to inform him that Veronica was insisting on not having a baby shower, they've been brainstorming ideas for how to organise one for her without her getting suspicious. In the end, they decided to combine it with Logan's birthday and make it a gathering of family and friends for both of them.
Glancing at his watch, Logan stands and makes his way back to the car, starting the engine and heading back home to Veronica.
Veronica's sitting at the dining table, going over her birth plan and the various lists she's made for the next couple of weeks, when the front door opens and Logan walks in… in the middle of the afternoon.
"Hey," he greets with a smile as he crosses the room and takes a seat beside her. "What's all this?"
"Uh…" Veronica frowns. "I think the more pressing question is: what are you doing home at two o'clock on a Monday afternoon?"
"Oh." He gives a shrug, his smile widening. "I got all my paperwork done this morning, so I persuaded the Commander to let me take the rest of the day off, you know, seeing as it's my birthday and all."
"Ah, I see." She smiles and leans toward him for a kiss. "Well, I'm glad you're home early."
"Me too." He gestures towards the papers in front of her. "So, what are you working on?"
"Oh, just going through the birth plan and my checklist for getting to the hospital," she tells him. "I packed my bag today as well, just in case."
"Wow, talk about organised," he murmurs, sliding the top sheet of paper towards him.
"I've also been looking into the name change information you brought back from work last week," she says then, "and honestly, I don't think it's worth the hassle of trying to hyphenate. There'd be all kinds of paperwork involved now, since we didn't do it when we actually got married."
"Okay." He gives a nod. "So what are you thinking?"
"I think we should keep our names as they are," she says. "But what do you think about adding Mars as a second middle name for the baby?"
Logan's eyebrows raise as he considers the suggestion, before he nods again. "You know, that's not a bad idea."
"Great." She smiles. "I like it, too. This way Bud can have both our names."
"Yep."
"Awesome," she responds, before changing the subject. "So, having a good birthday so far?"
"Most certainly," he replies, then adds in a suggestive tone, "Though I can think of a couple of ways to make it even better."
"Oh, I bet you can," she says knowingly. "But, sorry, I'm really not feeling up to it right now. I'm tired and the Braxton-Hicks have barely let up all day."
"Oh." His face falls slightly, though he's quick to recover. "Well, that's okay."
"If you want though," she adds, leaning toward him as she lowers her voice. "I could maybe, you know, give you a helping hand."
For a second, he looks like he's going to take her up on the offer, but then he shakes his head.
"No, that's okay," he says quickly. "I don't want to... you just take it easy. I'm fine."
"If you're sure?"
"Yeah, totally," he says easily. "It's fine."
"Well, maybe later then, after dinner," she adds instead.
Logan just gives her a placating look. "Veronica, as tempted as I am, you're tired and very pregnant, and, I don't know, it'd feel like I was taking advantage or something."
"Not if I want to do it," she counters. "It is your birthday, after all."
"Still it wouldn't feel right," he admits. "Seriously; it's all good. Your company is all I need tonight."
Logan smiles then, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the side of her head, letting his hand drift down her back as his fingers run through her long hair.
At six-thirty, Logan pulls the car up in front of Luigi's restaurant and cuts the engine, turning to Veronica with a concerned frown.
"How're you feeling?" he asks gently, eyeing her belly where she's running her hand over it, a look of discomfort marring her features. "We don't have to go for dinner if you're not up to it."
Her expression clears as she flashes him a smile. "No, no, I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle."
"Okay." Logan nods, though internally, he breathes a sigh of relief.
All of Veronica's friends are in there right now, waiting to surprise her with a less-than-traditional baby shower. If she'd said she wasn't feeling well now, he would have a lot of explaining to do.
"God, I can't wait to get this kid out of me," she mutters a moment later.
"I know," he replies gently. "But it's only a couple more weeks."
"Yeah." She grimaces. "My head knows that. It's my back, and my hips, and my insides with all of these Braxton-Hicks that aren't convinced this is ever going to end."
He looks at her sympathetically, taking her hand and kissing the back.
"It will, I promise." He kisses her hand again, then places it back on her leg. "Come on, let's go in."
Logan opens his door and climbs out, moving around the front of the car to help Veronica out of her side. She grabs both of his hands and lets him pull her up, not even complaining about the fact that she can't do it herself easily anymore. He slips his arm around her waist, guiding her towards the entrance of Luigi's.
He has to hide his smile as he holds the door open for her and she enters the restaurant to a chorus of 'Surprise', the room filled with at least a dozen of their friends and family.
"What the-?" Veronica turns to Logan, a mixture of surprise and confusion on her face. "They're throwing you a surprise party and didn't tell me?"
Logan grins, shaking his head. "This party isn't for me."
"It's not?"
"Nope." Mac approaches them with a grin and a bounce in her step. "It's for you."
"Me?" Veronica looks vaguely around the room. "No, that can't be right." She gestures to Logan. "It's his birthday remember?"
"It's your baby shower," announces Mac with just a hint of smugness. "And, before you say anything, you didn't think we'd actually let you get away with not having one, did you?"
"Mac…" For a moment, Veronica looks like she doesn't know how to react, but then a small smile appears on her face. "Seriously?"
"Yep." Mac nods, turning to link her arm with Veronica's. "Well, technically, it's both your baby shower and Logan's birthday celebration. We figured we'd just combine them. Come on, you need to say hi to everyone."
Veronica glances back at Logan as Mac begins to lead her away, towards the crowd of people waiting to talk to her. He just smiles and nods for her to mingle, as he follows behind. He watches as she greets everyone who has shown up for her: Keith and Marcia, Lianne and Hunter, Wallace, Dick, Weevil, Jade and Valentina, and last but not least…
"Oh my God, Sarah… Chaos?" Veronica exclaims in disbelief, as she steps forward to give each of them a hug. "What are you guys doing here?"
Chaos catches Logan's eye and grins, before turning to Veronica. "Well, we were due a visit back out here anyway, so when Logan called, we couldn't pass up the opportunity, not with two celebrations to be had today."
"How long are you staying for?"
"Just a couple weeks," says Sarah. "We're taking some family vacation time. You never know, we might still be here for the big day."
"It's so good to see you," Veronica tells them. "Where are the kids?"
"With a babysitter," Sarah replies. "It's a little late for them to be up."
"Well, I'm going to have to see them soon," Veronica says decidedly. "I've missed you guys, all of you."
"Us, too," says Chaos, before turning to Logan, holding out his hand. "Happy Birthday, man."
When Veronica has made the rounds, saying hi to everyone and thanking them for coming, she steps up to Logan.
"I can't believe you did this," she murmurs, a hint of admonishment in her tone. "Especially after I told Mac, in no uncertain terms, that I did not want a baby shower."
"Oh, I know what you told her," he responds with a smirk. "And right afterwards, she went behind your back and called me."
Veronica narrows her eyes. "The little… I should have known. She gave in way too easily when I told her no."
"Don't put all the blame on her," he says. "I most certainly encouraged it."
"Why?" It's not an accusation, more a genuine curiosity.
"Because you should have a baby shower," he says simply. "I didn't want you to miss out on the experience. But don't worry, we're not doing the whole traditional girly thing. It's just a party, at which there may or may not be a few gifts."
She shakes her head, but accepts his explanation as she looks around the room with a soft smile.
The next couple of hours are spent tucking into a buffet, opening gifts—both hers and his—and catching up with their friends. When Sarah and Chaos mention that they're still on Virginia time, and it's three hours later where they got up that morning, Dick speaks up.
"Isn't this a baby shower?" he asks and Veronica gives Mac a confused look. "I brought a present; aren't we supposed to get to play games?"
"First off, not sure why you know that," Mac answers, shaking her head. "I didn't even know about the games before I started putting this together. And secondly, Veronica wasn't up for a traditional shower. So, sorry. We won't be eating baby food and trying to guess what kind it is."
"Or sniffing brown stains in diapers to guess what kind of candy bar got squished in them," Sarah adds, and a collective groan of disgust goes up around the room.
"At least we gotta do the pool," Dick replies. "I mean, everyone's here. It's the perfect time."
"The pool?" Sarah asks, wrinkling her nose. "I don't know that one."
Chaos chuckles and rubs her shoulder. "Pretty sure he's talking about a pool on the baby. When it's born probably. Boy or girl, how big. Stuff like that."
"You want to bet?" Jade speaks up then, sounding shocked. "On Veronica's baby?"
Logan laughs at the look that she's giving Dick. He's seen Veronica look at him like that dozens of times through the years.
"Sure, why not?" Dick shrugs his shoulders. "You think there wasn't a pool going when that one was born?" He tips his head and points a finger toward Valentina, then pins Weevil with a knowing smirk. "And you think your husband wasn't in on it?"
Jade's mouth drops open and she twists toward Weevil, who is looking down with an embarrassed smile on his face.
"Eli!" Jade says loudly.
Weevil looks up at Dick. "Mark me down for girl, April 13, 6 pounds 8 ounces." His gaze shifts to Logan and Veronica. "It's not a Friday this year, but eventually, that kid will get a Friday the 13th birthday."
Everyone laughs and starts throwing their guesses out. Dick scrambles for his phone and starts taking notes and collecting cash.
Shortly after, Chaos and Sarah do say their goodbyes, and the crowd starts to thin out. As the evening comes to a close, Logan notices Veronica looks much happier than she had earlier in the day, and he can't help but be glad that Mac hadn't backed down and had planned the shower anyway. This has been a great way to spend his birthday, and seeing Veronica letting off some steam and enjoying herself has only made it even better.