"We're doing what?" Caleb asked over breakfast.
"Baby-sitting Aria's kids," I explained. "They're going out to dinner and we need the practice."
"Those kids are superhuman," Caleb replied. "They read at a higher level than I do. I'm not signing up to have a toddler read me a bedtime story."
"First of all," I retorted, "English isn't really your strong suit. I know you're a genius at math and science but when was the last time you ready anything other than Men's Health? Second, I already said yes so we're doing it."
"Fine," he sighed grabbing out empty plates and placing them in the dishwasher.
"Can you be ready in ten minutes?" I asked. "Their reservation is in an hour."
A half hour later we were both standing on the porch next to a sign that says: The Fitz Family. I rang the doorbell and listened to the chaos that was happening inside before Aria answered.
"Hey!" she smiled hugging us both. She ushered us inside and quickly ran over all of the rules and rituals her kids were accustomed to. Then she and Ezra took off for their weekend in San Francisco. Caleb and I ran after the two munchkins for a few hours until we were finally able to get them down to sleep.
"Is this what it's going to be like?" Caleb asked when we were finally resting on the couch.
"Not quite," I smiled sitting in his lap. "We're only having one and I'll hopefully have more energy when I'm no longer pregnant."
"How are you feeling?" he asked resting his hands over the tiny bump. It still wasn't noticeable but it was definitely getting bigger.
"Mostly tired," I replied closing me eyes and letting myself drift off to sleep.
I woke up to the sound of loud cries coming from the baby monitor. I rubbed my eyes and looked around to see that I was still in Caleb's arms. He carefully lifted me up and ran to get the baby while I got up slowly.
"How is she?" I asked him when he returned holding Harper.
"I just changed her," he replied handing her to me. I leaned back on the sofa and slowly rocked her.
"When did you learn how to change a baby?" I asked turning to Caleb.
"Ezra taught me a while ago," he explained.
"You're full of surprises," I laughed as Harper's eyes began to close. When I finally heard faint snoring coming from her mouth I walked her back to her crib to sleep through the night. A few minutes later I heard Aria and Ezra get home and they walked into the living room where Caleb and I were watching television.
"How were they?" Aria asked.
"Great," I smiled. "Harper woke up for a little bit but went back to sleep."
"Thanks for doing this," Aria gave me a hug.
"Anytime," I smiled grabbing Caleb's hand. We said our goodbyes and headed home to our own bed.
I woke up to find a strong hand resting across my belly and I let a small smile spread across my lips. I rolled over and saw that Caleb was wide awake.
"Hey," I breathed.
"Good morning," he smiled slipping his hand under my top. His fingers roamed to my breasts.
"Ow," I moaned pushing his hands away. "I'm sorry, I'm just really sore."
"It's a shame," he told me. "Your boobs are getting huge."
"That was crude," I laughed rubbing my growing belly.
"Sorry," he laughed. "I couldn't help it."
"Oh," I mumbled clapping a hand over my mouth as I ran to the toilet.
"You okay?" Caleb asked holding back my hair and rubbing my back.
"Yeah," I sighed when I flushed it away. I brushed my teeth. "I just thought this would all be over by now."
"You've still got like five months," he laughed.
"I know," I smiled. "It's just that the morning sickness is supposed to go away after a while."
"How about I make you some soup," he replied. "Maybe you just got a bug?"
"Maybe," I sighed pressing a hand to my forehead. It was hot and clammy. "I think you're right."
"Why don't you get some rest," he said following me back to the bed. I crawled under the covers and propped up the pillows as Caleb went for the door. "Stay."
"What?" he asked walking back.
"I'm not hungry," I told him. "Can you just stay with me?"
"Sure," he smiled. He sat down next to me and wrapped me in his arms. I brushed my hands against his naked chest and felt his warm skin against mine.
"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you, too," he smiled rubbing my belly, "and I love this little guy."
"How do you know it's a boy?" I asked.
"I don't," he replied quickly. "It just came out."
"Can I tell you a secret?" I smiled.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Remember how you were, like, 'I want it to be a surprise' and I said I was okay with that," I explained. "Well, I'm not. After our last appointment I went back and asked the doctor and he told me."
"You think you're so sneaky," he laughed.
"I am," I told him. "Now do you want to know if we're having a boy or a girl?"
"I have a confession," he told me.
"Okay," I said uneasily.
"I kind of called the doctor, too," he told me. I don't know what came over me but I just started laughing.
"I can't believe you," I smiled.
"Hey," he laughed. "You did it, too."
"Yeah," I retorted, "but it's inside of me. I hardly think..."
"You're too funny," he said. "At least now we'll know what color to paint the nursery."
"More importantly," I chimed in, "I won't have to share my clothes with anyone."
"You own a clothing company," he reminded me. "That's not really a problem. Maybe you can start a clothing line for boys. You know, make like little overalls with basketballs on them."
"Okay, you are not going to have a career in fashion," I told him.
"Somehow, I think I'll be okay," he replied.