Of Heatwaves and Stubborn Babies
"You know, baby girl," Skye's voice drifted towards him from the couch, where she lay with her feet propped up, clad only in her underwear, caressing her round belly. "It's okay to come a little early. Nobody would be mad at you, really."
Grant let out a silent laugh, but didn't pause in his task of scooping ice-cream into two bowls.
Skye's pregnancy has been, so far, completely smooth and free of any complication, and for that he was eternally grateful, but still, with only two weeks left until her due date this heat wave – that was so uncharacteristic for May – has been really draining her energies. For the last couple of days, she just hasn't been able to cool down and feel comfortable, no matter what they tried.
But it she didn't let it dampen her mood – she tried to bear it with good humor, even though Grant could see the strain the heat had been putting on her.
But no, she didn't complain, not even when she felt like she could barely move and practically lived in her underwear. Instead, she tried to reason with their unborn daughter, urging her to hurry up – and that he just couldn't stand listening to without grinning like an idiot.
"How are the negotiations going?" he asked with a smile, handing her one of the bowls. She thanked him, but then made a face at him.
"She's being stubborn – she even kicked me in protest."
He chuckled at her indignant tone as he sat down next to her and placed his hand on her belly. And really, he could feel a strong kick against his palm.
"Then it seems like she's taking after her mother, at least as far as stubbornness is concerned," he teased, rubbing her bump. Skye stuck her tongue out at him.
"You try existing in this weather with an overgrown watermelon for your stomach," she said, then took a spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth. "Hm… it's heavenly!" she moaned, her eyes fluttering closed, eliciting a chuckle from Grant.
"But I guess I can understand her," he spoke after a while, breaking the silence. "She's nice and comfortable inside, it's warm…"
"Not that much warmer than outside here…" she added mumbling.
"…She can get any food she wants, and if she feels uncomfortable, she just has to give a kick to protest, and the situation is already amended. I wouldn't hurry to get out if I were her, either."
"Yes," Skye agreed, dipping a finger into her ice-cream, and smearing it on the tip of his nose. "We both know how much you like to be inside of me."
Grant laughed.
"I think there's no point in trying to deny that," he said, wiping the ice-cream off and licking it from his finger. He saw Skye's eyes darken at the sight of it, and he just couldn't stop himself from giving her a little wink.
"You know," she said after a beat, taking another bite from the cold treat, trying and failing to sound nonchalant, "I've read somewhere that sex could jump start labor." She licked a speck of ice-cream from her upper lip, the pink tip of her tongue visible just a moment longer than necessary. "Maybe we could give it a try?"
He smirked at her in response, then leaned close and kissed her.
"Well, it does worth a try," then moved to pluck the bowl from her hand, but she pulled it away, protecting it.
"Hey, I'm still going to finish it first!"
He could do nothing but laugh.