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Chapter 141
Everyday Life in Pregnancy 1
Bella
My daily dose of blood: Done. I had been dizzy again when I got out of bed, just a little bit, but I was fine now. Actually, I felt so good now, I could easily run a marathon ... Let's better say until the breakfast table. I was hungry.
Gently Edward pulled the needle out of my arm, I didn't even notice and as an exemplary patient I received a soulful kiss.
I smirked.
"What do you think of Kunigunde(1). Or Agamemnon(2) for a boy?" I asked innocently in response to his question.
He dropped the transfusion equipment from his hand in shock and stumbled against the dresser.
"WHAT?" he shouted in horror and far too loudly.
I turned away from him and bit into a pillow from laughter.
These were the most horrible names I had thought of in the past two minutes.
"What happened?" the twins stormed into the bedroom not three seconds later.
"Uh ... is she crying or laughing?" asked Jake, puzzled.
"I hope she's crying! ... The way she wants to torture our child, I have to seriously think about disappearing again!", Edward said defiantly, but I heard his musical chuckle underneath.
"Huh ...?" interjected Leah.
"Do you want a little sibling named Agamemnon?" cursed Edward with a sneer.
I turned around again.
My laughing fit wasn't quite over, but I wanted to know how my kids reacted to the names.
They contorted their faces extremely averse.
"Or Kunigunde!" Edward still taunted afterwards.
The name seemed even less appealing to my children.
"You're taking us with you, aren't you, if you're leaving Mom for this child torture!" demanded Leah.
"Absolutely!" my angel stated.
"Hey, you're not of age yet! So you stay right where you are! ..." I began determinedly and stood up.
I propped myself up a little on the cushion - as a precaution - but it wasn't necessary. I was really fine.
After this statement, I walked threateningly towards the vampire.
"... and you asked me to marry you twice! You're not going anywhere!"
"With those names, I withdraw my proposals!"
He put his arms around me when I reached him, and he smiled mischievously.
I first wished my children a good morning.
The way they had shown up, Jake had just gotten out of the shower and Leah was on her way there.
We also went to get ready, which in my case included not only showering, washing, and dressing, but also my new training program in terms of measuring and weighing. Edward entered everything very carefully into the list prepared by Carlisle and sent him the data via text.
We met again at the breakfast table.
Marcus was not here, but had a home game in Portland today.
Since we could not foresee how long I could hide my belly through loose clothing, I wanted to look at it. Because I had already put on weight again. Both in pounds and in circumference. I wouldn't be able to hide it in any case for much longer.
Jake ran over to David to see if he could make good on his promise to Emma then today. To show her how well Marcus played basketball. That hadn't happened yet.
The Mitchell family agreed. Especially Emma. She would have seemed to want to come along immediately.
"You have to go, or you'll be late for school," I admonished my school-aged angel just as the twins were out of the house.
Hectic. Breakfast had once again been more important than setting off on time.
I was busy with a grapefruit and still sitting at the table.
After all, I didn't have to be on time anywhere.
"I won't be going back to school for the time being," Edward replied.
"Excuse me?" I inquired, befuddled.
Gently he put a hand on my belly.
"I'm not going to sit in school for eight hours, to hear teaching contents what I've already heard countless times, when I can be with our little miracle!"
I swallowed dryly.
Edward. Day and night with me. Should I be happy about this now? Or should I be afraid of it? I wasn't sure yet, but was leaning towards the latter. Of course, it would be nice if we had time for each other. Talking about God and the world. Reading together. Driving to his house where he would play the piano for me, or we could swim together. Walking through the snow. Even if we just did nothing, it would be nice. On the other hand, I would be able to do absolutely nothing on my own. Everything would be supervised or taken over by him, as if I were a delicate and fragile little doll that wasn't even allowed to raise its voice. Did I really want that? The whole day?
Edward smiled his crooked smile.
"I will not get on your nerves and besiege and mother you around the clock. I give you my word! But since the laws of nature usually gang up against you, I definitely don't want to leave you alone for hours."
"What will your teachers say about that?"
"Carlisle will excuse my absence for family reasons, but without specific explanation. He will make sure that Jake and Leah will bring me regular notices of the classes I have missed as well as my homework. This will not lead Mr. Taylor to suppose that I am ill or absent from school through disinclination or laziness. Since neither of us is hiding entirely from civilization as long as you carry our child under your heart, there is a distinct possibility that a teacher or classmate will see me."
"Okay," was the only thing I could think of right away. But I couldn't believe that yet. Objection would be pretty futile, so I would have to give it a try. Grumbling, after all, I could still do. "And if I already have something planned for today?" I asked after a moment. I actually did, considering that I was feeling excellent.
"I will accompany you ... but keep a proper distance," he said and steered right back when he saw my undoubtedly grumpy face.
I finished my breakfast; we cleared the table, and I went to get dressed properly.
I had only worn comfortable clothes so as not to give Edward any indication that I wanted to leave. After all, I still had a secret from him, but probably not for long. As meticulously as I had tried to hide it from him, however, it had seemed unimportant to me in the past few days. Nevertheless, if necessary, I would make him swear on the Bible to prevent his interference.
I looked for the loosest pants I could find and even those were so tight on my stomach that I had to leave the top button undone. Over them a wide sweater that hid my short-term weight gain.
And then I guided Edward through the streets of an affluent borough of Portland.
"You don't have to tell me your secret," Edward meant with a bit of guilt in his beautiful voice as we came to a stop in the driveway. "I can also pick you up later," he added.
That were somehow a quite new tones from him.
"You really trust me to survive a few hours without an accident if you leave me alone?" I asked, pretending to be defiant. He pulled an offended pout, which I promptly kissed. "I don't mind if you know. It was silly to keep it from you altogether. But I demand that you stay out of it!" I demanded.
"You demand? ... That makes me curious, you realize that, right?"
"I know," was all I said, and I got out.
"Good morning, Mrs. Whitmore," I greeted the housekeeper graciously. "Happy Birthday!", I said sincerely and handed her a small bouquet of flowers we had picked up on the way.
It hadn't occurred to me until about two hundred yards from here that Milton had told me on the phone Wednesday that she had celebrated her birthday yesterday. Fortunately, there had just been a flower store shortly before on the road.
"Good morning, Bella. Thank you so much, you shouldn't have," she said, almost embarrassed, but smiling all over her face.
"I congratulate you heartily on your cradle-day and wish that quite a few more may come!" wished Edward, smiling amiably, and Mrs. Whitmore actually grew a little reddish about the nose.
Well, yes. The charm of my personal angel always worked. Regardless of the age of the ladies. Fortunately, he was already mine!
"Many thanks," she said a little shyly, before taking one deep breath. "You must be Jake, who wants to take a look at how busy his mother is," she had regained her composure.
"No. My name is Edward," he corrected.
She nodded apologetically for the faux pas, but did not elaborate.
"The professor is in the library," she was still directing me, and took off for the kitchen so her little flowers wouldn't dry up.
"Professor?" asked Edward whisperingly.
I nodded, chuckling, as we walked down the dark hallway.
As we walked through the door, I thought I heard Edward swearing softly.
"Ahh ... Bella!" Milton looked up from his book.
He was sitting at a table, now turned his book so that the page was not lost, took his glasses off his nose, and approached me with a smile.
Edward seemed to be dawdling a bit at the door.
"You look well, Bella. Then you seem to have recovered well from your upset stomach. I'm glad of that!" he said cheerfully, extending his hand to me as he did so, while I nodded and wished him a good day. "And you brought yourself reinforcements today," he continued good-humoredly, turning to my companion. "Edward?" muttered Milton, taking a step back and turning a little green in his face.
Startled, my hands clapped in front of my mouth, and I frantically sucked in oxygen. My heart began to hammer loudly.
How did he know Edward?
But this one was still smiling charmingly and seemed extremely light-hearted.
"Judging by your reaction, you know my father," Edward surmised.
Uh ... Carlisle? What did he have to do with it now?
Milton expelled the air between his teeth and a cautious smile made its way.
"Then your father is Edward McCarty?" asked Professor Stewart.
"Yes, that's him," Edward confirmed.
"You really are the spitting image of your father," Milton noted in amazement as the two men now shook hands.
"I hear that a lot. And because of the same first name, unfortunately, it causes even more confusion," Edward smiled played tormented.
"Edward? ..."
He nodded ...
"Aren't you engaged to an Edward?" remembered Milton, turning back to me.
"Yes. That's ..." I began, but Edward cut me off.
"... my father. Bella will become my stepmother," he said quickly.
The men smirked at each other.
I calmed down and put my hands on the Knob.
Phew ...! Such a shock in the early morning. Therefore, Edward had certainly dawdled a bit. To come up with an explanation.
"Very well. So now I can understand why you don't tell your fiancé about your plan. He was the best student I have seen in my entire career as a college professor. An impressive understanding of the subject matter. That's what made him so memorable to me ... I doubt I'd be wrong if I said Dr. McCarty would spoil your work and all the fun if he found out you were working on your doctorate here," Milton mused, returning to his desk, which he was cleaning up a bit. "So what are your plans, young man. Are you following in your father's footsteps?" he chatted meanwhile.
Edward well-behaved replied that he had not yet made up his mind. Medicine or architecture, but his father would prefer medicine.
Sure, as a biologist with a doctorate, I thought, offended. He had probably forgotten to mention that.
"Bella, you know the way. The experiment is already prepared. I'll join you in a few minutes," he said, balancing a coffee service on one hand.
"Doctor?" I asked on my way to the basement lab, but with a damn raised eyebrow.
"Your dissertation?" asked Edward.
"McCarty?" I followed up.
"And so that's your secret?"
"Your stepmother?" I had something more to question. He kissed me stunningly, soothingly, apologetically, breathtakingly, stunni ... I already said that.
"Twenty-four years ago, we went to Brown University. Because of the school's growing reputation, even Carlisle and Esmé studied again. Professor Milton Stewart, Ph.D., is one of the outstanding people I have had the privilege of meeting. He lives to pass on his own knowledge to young inquisitive minds and has a talent for the teaching profession which is very rare to find. After Emmett decided to take another semester of 'French Poetry,' I had some time and nothing to do. Thus it came about that Milton accompanied my doctoral thesis ... He is one of the now very rare honorable men of his ilk, and I don't want to scare him by having you involved with a teenager, nor challenge a bad opinion of you by doing so," the meek angel explained to me, holding me gently in his arms.
I nodded understandingly, took his face in my hands, and gave him a light kiss.
"French Poetry?" I inquired, however.
He grinned and urged me to remind Emmett sometime.
As long as Milton was not yet with us, I explained in substance my work and what kind of an experiment we had scheduled for today.
A slap in the face would have surprised me far less than the fact that Edward would actually stay out of my dissertation.
With the explanation that he didn't want to stand in our way and wouldn't understand anything about it anyway, he retreated to the library, to which Milton naturally granted him unrestricted access. If he had a wish, the housekeeper would certainly be at his disposal. She was always grateful when she could spoil someone.
The hours passed without me thinking about Edward.
Let's say, no more than usual.
Mrs. Whitmore truly dished up a whole festive table for lunch.
As Milton had threatened me by telephone. Even our two wolves would lay down their arms before the feast.
The good soul of the house was visibly offended that Edward wasn't eating, but she tried not to let it show.
The reason he gave was his now standard explanation. A rare form of diabetes associated with an immune deficiency.
After the ordered walk, Milton retired as usual, and I sat with Edward in the library. He in one of the armchairs and I at the PC to write down my results.
It was surprisingly pleasant to no longer have a secret from Edward and yet feel that I would achieve a doctorate all by myself. That is, without his help.
I discussed with Milton that I could probably only come very irregularly in the next few weeks. If necessary, I might not come at all for some time. The reason I gave was that my wedding to Dr. Edward McCarty was approaching and I would be moving in with him with my children.
He could guess that there would be all kinds of organizational things to take care of and showed more than understanding for that. The work would be waiting for me here whenever I had the opportunity to work on it. All he asked was to give me a day's notice, if possible, so that he would have time to assist me.
I promised.
I still cheerfully told him that the wedding would be a small circle only, so that he did not expect an invitation. Just my fiancé and I, our children, and our parents.
Very timely we arrived at the gym for Marcus.
Well. We were way too early.
In return, I got the first hot dog the food truck had ready.
The school grounds were still pretty empty, with only the homeschooled students and teachers, who probably wanted to watch the game, wandering through the area.
The school was quite unsightly when I looked at Thornton Academy in comparison. A lot of concrete, little green. There was one tree in a schoolyard, but it looked rather forlorn. My children's school, however, was a private school that stood out visually alone against most public schools. Fortunately, the school fees were not exceptionally high. The school merely reserved the right not to accept students. For the employees of the Prescott Institute there was something like a general admission. The way Mr. Prescott took care of his employees' children had been decisive at the time in my deciding so quickly to move here so that I could get by without any more help from Renée. Kindergarten, vacation care, later also vacation work if the children wanted it, a large part of the school fees were only a small selection of his care. I had never regretted this decision.
The game was really nerve-wracking.
Jake swallowed hard a few times. He would be facing the Greely Rangers next week with his team and it looked anything but easy.
During the break after the first quarter, Jules sat with us for a moment, but went back to her friends.
And to her boyfriend. Apparently, she hadn't had the restraint in public drilled into her as hard and all-encompassing as Marcus.
The pause was only short, which is why Leah didn't run to him, but she suddenly growled next to me.
My gaze searched for the reason, but Edward was already pointing me in the right direction.
A girl had jumped into Marcus' arms, and they were still hugging.
Leah looked - continuing to growl - at her father, who already seemed to be concentrating.
Smiling, he shook his head and enlightened us.
She was together with his best friend, but he was in the locker room at the moment. The girl had moved away from Portland, though not very far, so the two were still involved. But that circumstance - along with the fact that Marcus now spent most of his time in Saco - ensured that Marcus and this girl didn't run into each other very often anymore.
When said friend came out of the locker room, she jumped into his arms, leaving no doubt that this was the reason she was here.
"Are you really having doubts about Marcus?" I asked my daughter, who had relaxed again after being 'thrown' a kiss by Marcus.
She just shrugged her shoulders in embarrassment.
"Jealousy is very pronounced in our children. Even more characteristic than their appetites. Jake is still afraid of losing Becky sometimes," my angel indicated to me, to which we laughed heartily.
Jake scowled at him while Becky turned to us with interest.
"Really?" she inquired.
Edward nodded, smirking.
"But they belong together forever!" Emma stated between us.
"See. Even Emma knows better than you!" Becky teased her boyfriend and kissed him first. "What do I have to do to make you finally realize that you can't get rid of me?"
"Marry me!" stated Jake.
"I already said 'yes,' didn't I?"
"Uh-huh ..." I just went on, and Emma giggled between us. "If they're married sooner than we are, I'm never talking to Alice again!" I made it clear in a huff.
"You're not married?" All the indignation a three-year-old could hold resonated in the words. "But you're having a baby?" asked Emma further.
This detail seemed to upset her whole worldview.
I pulled the little one onto my lap and tried to explain to her that offspring do not depend on a marriage certificate, but on the fact that two people liked each other very much.
The next finding was then a bit more complicated.
"I like you guys very much. Am I having a baby now too?"
The whistle saved me from further attempts at explanation.
The halftime break would last a little longer, so Leah ran down the bleachers to her Marcus.
Now it was she who left no doubt that this boy was all hers. Could that have served as a deterrent?
Jake returned with new beverages, ice cream for Emma and Becky, and nachos with - ummm ... yummy - warm cheese sauce.
Actually, I only wanted to snack a little, in the end I had given Jake two. Under protest!
"Are you really pregnant? Maybe you're just getting fatter from eating so much!" he stated, offended.
And brash to boot!
He got a new one and sat down far away from me.
The match continued to be exciting, and Marcus' team won by a narrow margin.
The kids still stayed in Portland and would eat dinner out, but we headed home with Emma.
I wanted to get on my couch, but before I did, Edward insisted on weighing and measuring me again.
Already put on weight again.
Carlisle and Esmé came by, but the evening still passed quietly, thankfully.
The next morning - the children already gone - Edward lifted me into the hot bathtub. I already had my two breakfasts - the blood one and the normal one.
I was fine overall, but my breasts were tightening, my back was pulling due to the rapidly growing weight and abdominal girth, and my feet hurt. Like in a normal pregnancy, only a few months early. That really gave me a bit of a hard time. My body didn't have time to get used to the new circumstances and come to terms with it.
Edward knelt next to the tub - there wasn't nearly as much room in mine as there was in his. Besides, he was still dressed from fetching rolls. His fingertips gently ran over our Knob and a playful smile was on his lips.
"What do you think?" I asked curiously.
"I'm imagining what it will be like ... If it is already developing so quickly now? You blink and it's grown a little bit again. How will it be when it's with us?" mused Edward.
I was frightened inside.
I hadn't even thought of that yet. If it continued to grow at such a pace, how quickly would that be when our baby was born? How quickly would his life be over again?
"Don't be afraid, dearest," Edward whispered velvetly when he noticed my dismay. "I believe our baby will take the best of our available genes. You are a human who may well experience eighty, ninety or even more years of life. It will develop and grow up. Very likely as fast as now ... But I am immortal. Our child may not live for all eternity, but it will certainly be a very extended life. Longer than that of a human. Perhaps it can be compared to Jake and Leah, provided they never stop being wolves. From an unspecified point in time, when the mind and body have developed sufficiently, it will stop. I see no reason to assume that our baby's life will be short-lived. I really don't. And as long as it will be with us, it will have a family that will love and protect it! When it leaves us, it will be a very happy life that he or she can look back on! Of that I am sure!"
I thought about his words.
With immortality in front of my eyes, dying just took on a new meaning for me. It was so nonsensical! But basically he was right. One is born, one lives, and one day one closed their eyes forever. Unless one was bitten by a vampire, that was the course of life. If Edward were not a vampire but a normal man, we too would leave this world one day. And so would my children. All my children. I had never thought about it that way. This Knob was no exception. I stroked over my belly and vowed to my Knob that I would do everything I could to make he or she happily enjoy his or her life. However long it would be. Even if Edward was wrong in his assumption and it would really only be a very manageable number of years, it should be able to live out its existence to the fullest!
"What do you wish for? Boy or girl?" I asked my angel as I shook off the gloomy thoughts.
He smirked.
"I already have both and all four of them warm my heart equally! I don't care, as long as I can hold you both healthy and happy in my arms!" Edward said meaningfully.
"All FOUR of them?" I inquired.
He nodded devoutly.
"Yes, all four of them ... Leah and Jake are my children, although I can't name the time when I was aware of this. Becky belongs to Jake like the stars to the night. She is very lovable and has rather crept into my heart clandestinely. And Marcus ... well ... if I didn't agree with him, I would have a serious problem with Leah," Edward tried to make me believe.
"I don't think that's all you have to say to Marcus," I therefore said.
He tilted his head sheepishly.
"I'm not sure I can explain it exactly ... I don't equate him with Jake or Leah, but I very specifically count him as part of our family. Among our children ... I told you how he told me about his past. And in what unsolicited detail he did so," Edward said.
I nodded.
Marcus had laid out his entire life before Edward, confessed all his shameful deeds. Edward had been as surprised by his openness as I was after he told me.
"Afterwards, he asked me for my blessing," my angel added with a smirk.
"Excuse me?", I asked, sitting up a little. This was news to me. But I was less surprised by the fact that he had kept this detail from me until now than by Marcus' behavior.
"Yes. He wanted my blessing for being with Leah ... He has impressed me many times with his intellect. This was also such a moment. In those few days, Marcus had already noticed the seriousness with which Jake and Leah had accepted me as their father. And the excitement that came with it, because they had had to wait so long for a father. He thought that even his father would be better than none at all. He didn't want to come between that relationship and never force Leah to make a decision if I disagreed with him because of his criminal youth."
"With that antiquated seeking of your permission to court your princess, as was proper in your youth, he's got you dead to rights!" I laughed.
Edward ran his fingers through his hair venomously.
"He did!"
"You let your own penchant for traditions pull you over the barrel!"
"I did!"
"And in return got a son-in-law you'll never get rid of!"
"I did!"
"And you haven't regretted it for a single second!" I stated.
He said nothing, but smirked.
A little embarrassed.
"No, I didn't!" he confirmed.
"I love you, Edward!" I said, taking his face in my hands and kissing my fiancé, who was just a wonderful father.
With his clothes I pulled him into the bathtub, and he let it happen. No sooner was he - with clothes on - more or less on top of me in the tub and kissed me intoxicatingly, his cell phone rang.
Fortunately - or unfortunately? - the parts were waterproof by default these days.
Quite annoyed, he accepted the call, whereby he kneeled between my legs.
"Some neighbors have a habit of calling at totally unnecessary moments!" Edward clarified for now.
I chuckled.
"Maybe we mean the same one! ... No, we are in the house ...", he said, while I was already sitting upright again, but pushed my hands under his soaking wet T-shirt. With glowing fingers, I ran over my angel's athletic torso. "This ... is ... bad timing right now ...," Edward stammered in an occupied voice as I began kissing over the marble skin.
With a rapid movement, he suddenly held my hands and looked at me reprovingly.
Did not match the dark veil that wetted his golden eyes.
"You do have a key. Your laptop is downstairs in the dining room, just go get it! ... I'll tell her!" Edward ended the phone call, put the phone aside, released my hands and smiled almost impudently.
"He wishes us a good time!" said Edward invitingly, and we picked up where the ringing had interrupted us.
This increased desire for sex, which dominated us since Thanksgiving, had not yet left us both, even if we let it go at present nevertheless - altogether seen - very much more quietly. I guess we both had some concerns about the baby. Not that it was shaken too much or smothered or anything.
Some - far too little - heady time later, I stood frustrated in front of my closet while Edward saved the bathroom from moderate water damage.
Nothing fit me. I had panties on, as well as socks, but otherwise? I could not even begin to close a single pair of pants. I had gotten incisions on the sides from my bra from yesterday. There was one or another wide T-shirt or a sweater I would probably still be able to pull loosely over my belly, but I was not quite there yet .
So there I stood, more naked than clothed, holding my breasts, which ached just thinking about gravity.
Okay, was exaggerating, but the truth was not far from it. Certainly not! Since I was otherwise rather petite, I noticed every pound more immediately on my clothes.
Edward, however, had an idea.
He pulled the pads out of a push-up bra - thanks to Alice, of course, I had one - positioned them so carefully and devotedly that getting dressed seemed useless again and tied a silk scarf around my upper body.
I bounced a bit to put this idiosyncratic design to the test.
It fit.
I gave the graduate engineer - that's what he really was - a kiss.
In the end, all I had left was my old corduroy dungarees and a long-sleeved T-shirt.
I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror.
I had absolutely no idea about fashion, and it didn't really interest me, but the woman in it was so clearly pregnant.
"Even if you resist shopping, you will have no choice if you want to leave the house decently dressed," Edward said almost apologetically.
But inside he chuckled. I saw it!
"I know," I wheezed.
We drove leisurely along the coast to Portsmouth in the south.
Nobody knew us there, which is why we didn't have to hide. Besides, it was a nice change.
Edward had to stop once on the way because I had to go to the bathroom.
Arriving in the little town, I went straight back to looking for the next one.
Everything I would bear with pride and dignity, but this was really troublesome.
When I came out of the bistro washroom, Edward was sitting at a table with a glass of juice and a plate of pastries. He smirked as he heard my stomach growl across the room.
"You are the world's best daddy imaginable!" I praised my angel.
"I'm steadily working on it," he smiled back.
The little snack felt really good, but soon we were walking through the freezing cold of the city. The destination was the local store for maternity fashion.
In front of the shop window, I frowned.
Pink. Baby blue. Ruffles. Bows. Oh God.
I no longer wanted to enter the store, but Edward pushed me up the two steps, chuckling.
"There will certainly be something for your taste!" he wanted to make me believe.
That ... dare ... I ... to ... doubt!
A little bell announced customers and immediately a middle-aged woman rushed in from an aisle, apparently not yet aware that the 1980s were so over.
Pink patent high heels. Leopard leggings. A garish pink top pressed tightly against the slightly overweight belly by an oversized silver belt. Huge glittering earrings. The blond hair draped into a tower hairstyle, and her face must have slipped in the makeup pot and remained lying in it until it had absorbed all the color.
In a shrill excited voice, she greeted her newest customers.
I thought about escaping, but there was someone standing in my way with a bribing smile.
"Howdy-do, my dear ... Oh my goodness! What are you wearing? ... Lucky you found your way to me ..."
She patted over my belly without being asked. Grrh! ...
"Well, you still have a little time before it happens. I envy you for this good fortune. Unfortunately, it was not granted to me ... Oh well. But we will find something nice for you, in which you will feel comfortable for the next few weeks. Which shows everyone with what good hope you are blessed ... And I suppose this is her son? How cute that he accompanies you ... I'm sure you can't wait until you have a little sibling ..." she babbled incessantly, pinching my son/fiancé's cheeks on both sides.
I chuckled.
Edward seemed quite caught off guard.
She didn't give herself a real chance to catch her breath, however, and rambled on.
She could really give Alice a run for her money!
"Why don't you take off your coats? My customers like to be toasty warm. That's why it's very well heated in here ... Let's see what I have for you ..." she reflected and disappeared around a shelf without interrupting her flow of speech.
"Well, my son," I said as Edward helped me out of my coat. It was really warm here in the store. "What are her thoughts?" I asked curiously.
"Even faster than her chatter," he rolled his eyes in amusement.
The lady came back and dragged me to the back.
I looked back again at Edward and pleaded aloud in my thoughts for help.
And what was this goddamn vampire doing, who wanted to protect me from all dangers at all times? Chuckling!
She held all sorts of things in front of my body, without stopping the chatter. I had found a bra quickly.
Admittedly, thanks to the help of the chatterbox.
She had sent me into the cabin with this, a pair of pants and a top. She laughed amusedly when she saw the creation of my 'bra', but said that she had already seen many variations of it, with which the expectant mothers had tried to make do.
When I had almost finished dressing the ensemble, a ringing from the entrance saved me. I breathed a sigh of relief, and my ears thanked the pause.
The pants fit well. The built-in elastic, which spanned the entire abdomen, had a supportive effect. As if not quite so much load would hang on me. The bra had the same effect, and I felt a little lighter. Only the shirt did not go at all. A hodgepodge of every conceivable material, which put the belly in scene. I felt like a disco ball or a walking billboard for babies.
"Can I take a photo for Alice?" my smiling angel asked.
"Do you want to experience birth?" I railed back. "You better help me out of this as fast as you can!" I was afraid I would rip off one of the ruffles or one of the sparkles and then have to buy it.
As soon as I was out of the piece, Edward held a upper part out to me.
Solid color! I thought it was interesting how it was cut. My belly could easily get four times as thick without it probably constricting me. Plus, it was kind of ... cute. With long sleeves and the bottom hem reached my thighs. Plain, in dark red. Only on the side belly were two little baby footprints, which Edward covered gingerly with one hand.
He smiled meekly.
"Can you actually hear it yet?" I asked him.
"No. Unfortunately not ... I don't even know when a baby starts thinking at all. I can only feel its movements."
"But I don't understand why!" I meant offended. "It's inside me, after all. Then shouldn't I be the first to notice when our Knob moves. And not the last?"
"It's not like that it does real gymnastics. There is no real coordination of movements yet. It's more like swallowing or little grasping reflexes that are so minor that they get swallowed up by the amniotic sac."
I turned away from him snottily while he chuckled.
I thought that was unfair.
"According to our calculations, you are approaching the twentieth week of pregnancy. Very soon you will feel our Knob. Probably more than you would like. It also depends on its position," he tried to appease my mood and put his hands over our Knob while looking at me through the mirror. "The saleswoman will be back in a minute ... Do you want to shock her a little, hoping she'll talk a little less?" he asked, smirking conspiratorially.
I nodded.
He pulled the curtain open a very little bit, lifted my chin to him with loving fingers and kissed me like a dream.
I heard someone outside the booth gasping tensely, but I so didn't care right now.
The lady didn't say another word, apart from yes and no.
Edward picked out some other tops for me, none of which were as over-the-top as the first.
The inner resentment of the chatterbox was palpable. However, I didn't know why exactly she was resentful. Because the clothing items were too discreet for her? Or because I kissed 'my son'?
"Both!" whispered Edward to me as he suggested I also take a swimsuit.
Swimming would be good for the circulation, moreover, my joints would be relieved in the water.
Edward fished the price tags out of the pieces I already had on, took the other selected items, and walked them to the shop counter.
I hadn't picked much, I wouldn't be pregnant forever.
On the way back to Saco, of course, I had to go to the bathroom again, so we made a stop in Wells. At a chocolate shop.
"How did you know?" I asked while drinking what must have been the world's best cocoa.
"I got the tip from Jake. He was here with Becky," my mischievously smiling angel explained to me.
When we arrived home, four vampires awaited us.
Alice, Jazz, Rose, and Em.
School was out, but my predators still had practice.
"You look cute!" Rose came towards me when she spotted the baby prints on my upper part.
In dutiful discretion to the most fashion-conscious female I knew, I showed Alice and Rose the few garments we had brought. They were examined extensively.
"With that, you can definitely go to New York this weekend with a clear conscience!" squealed Alice enthusiastically.
"WHAT?" asked Edward and I at the same time - and also equally shocked.
I thought the issue was settled with the little Knob for now.
(1) Kunigunde is an Old High German name. The name was especially popular among the nobility in the Middle Ages.
(2) The name Agamemnon is primarily a male name of Greek origin that means 'Very Resolute'. In Greek mythology Agamemnon was the brother of Menelaus.
Thank you for reading!