In a Word

He suggested pastel green "because it is calming and neutral." And since it was her favourite colour she was happy to paint the nursery green. There was a computer in-store where they could play around with colour combinations. After testing several shades and hues, they decided on the lightest possible shade of green and a darker shade of blue for accents on the wall.

She also bought small tins of different colours, "I'm painting a mural on the wall," she said.

He abruptly said, "I don't think so". She paused and then realised why he was opposed to it, "It's ok, Angel Boy, the paint we're getting is non-toxic. Fume free. It's VOC- free paint. I researched it."

"OK," he said slightly amenable to the idea but just to be on the safe side, while Winnie was busy picking out the colours she wanted for her design, he read the listed chemical compounds on the paint cans. The chemist in him refusing to accept someone else say so. A stamp on the can that says it's safe didn't mean it was. In the end, he was satisfied it was safe so the mural was definitely going to happen.

The nesting period, he noticed, has brought to the fore her creative side. She's been buying craft materials, picture frames and been recyling pre-loved stuff. One night, he came home to find her engrossed in the art of decoupage; making pretty containers out of empty glass jars. "I'll put the safety pins here. Ear buds here. Cotton pads here."

At last, they got everything they needed. Ladder, stool, paint brushes, and stencils and those were just for starters. "I think we need to recruit some help," he said. "Or we won't finish the room before the baby's things are delivered."

"I arranged for Mom and Dad and my brothers to come tomorrow. A working bee."

"And you're only telling me now?" he said, adding, "If they're coming for a working bee, we have to provide lunch. We better get some groceries after this."

"It's done," she said.

"When?"

"Last week, that day you were on 14-hour shift, Shelley and I met for afternoon tea, then we went grocery shopping."

He gazed at her and said, "Do you still need me? Or am I surplus to requirement?"

She laughed, "Don't be so dramatic," she said hugging him affectionately; as he wrapped her in warm embrace, he thought that the impending motherhood becomes her. She's become more self-assured, more decisive. She wasn't a push-over before by any means, but the fact she's nurturing someone inside her has made her more sure and settled in a strange kind of way.

"Let's go," she said. They paid, got everything loaded and drove home in light traffic. "How's Shelley?"

"She's great. Ally just turned seven so she's retraining to go back to teaching pre-schoolers again, isn't that amazing? And their eldest is now in high school? Can you believe that?" She was silent for a second before adding, "Time sure flies fast, huh? The last time we saw Wordy and Shell was at Donna's funeral, that's like 18 months ago now."

He corrected him, "No, we saw them at the Maternity Hospital, when Jules had Sadie."

She smiled, "How could I forget that? Seeing them at a much happier time."

He teased her, "I think the fact you're pregnant may have something to do with that. It gets worse apparently."

She chuckled, "I may have to go around with a note stuck on me... to remind me of my name. By the way, you haven't been to see Leslie. You have to see her sometime."

He sighed, feeling guilty about it, "Yeah, I know but somehow there's just not enough time to do everything and see everyone."

She smiled again, "We started a blog you know... myself, Billy, Belle and Leslie. We called it 'Preg-gers' Page' so I see them nearly everyday."

He shook his head, "Preg-gers' Page eh? Who thought of it?"

"We all did. It's like a diary for all of us, everyday we write an entry. It can be just a word, a sentence, a paragraph or a narrative. Or something we learned that we can share with each other. It was Belle who told me about the VOC-free paint. Then I researched it. And Leslie who recommended the baby store."

"Wow, I'm impressed," he said genuinely pleased that his wife wasn't alone in her journey.

"Our favourite topic is, of course, our husbands," she said with a giggle.

"Oh no," he protested. "What lies have you been telling everyone about me?"

"I don't tell lies," she said. "I tell them the truth and nothing but the truth."

"Ow, that means you've been telling them how wonderful I am," he winked at her, "caused I've been nothing but wonderful to you, haven't I?" She laughed and said, "If you say so."

"What do you mean if I say so?" feigning hurt. "After all I've done for you..." Their conversation came to an end when they finally reached home but Spike wasn't finished, "We will continue this subject matter another time," he said.

Spike cooked dinner and made it a point to say, "Remember mi amore, it's a three-course meal."

After dinner, he washed up although Winnie did her bit, drying and putting the dishes away.

Later, she heard him say, "I'm feeding the dogs." He said it aloud from the backyard. When he walked in, he whispered in her ear, "While you're reclining on the couch watching TV, I fed the Moppet and Serenity." She pretended to ignore him.

But the best part of the evening was yet to come. She was very tired so she forego the bath and had a shower instead. She came out wrapped in a bath robe when she was done and found the bedroom alight in candles and the bed showered with rose petals. And the best bit was an Italian stud in a white drawstring pants holding a bottle of coconut oil, "Massage?"

She laughed and said, "Yes, please." She laid on her belly and enjoyed an amazing full back massage that was as much a treat for him as her. He kneaded her shoulders and back moving slowly down. He reached the small of her back, and paid special attention to it; he loved the way her body dipped at that point and then curved up again. "You know, you're amazing," he said. Unable to control the urge, he playfully bit her right butt cheek, it surprised her and she had the giggles.

"I love your legs," he said. He rubbed them up and down until she stopped him by turning on her back. He paused for a moment, he didn't want to do anything but feast his eyes on her. When he touched her again, he started with her lips. He's always loved tracing her lips with his thumb. "You're beautiful," he murmured.

He put more oil on his hands and massaged her neck, her shoulders, her arms. He paused, smiled and said, "Now, getting past your breasts would be a problem. But I shall be wonderful and finish the job."

When he was done, she was ready to make love to him and it was just wonderful.

The next day, she wrote an entry in their blog, it was just a word, one word, "Divine." With a very happy face next to it.