Vreenak dropped his bags at the door and went in search of his wife. He had a good idea of where he'd find her, most likely babying her plants in the greenhouse he'd built for her and was pleased when he saw her blurry silhouette through the dewy glass panes.
The sight of her made the senator stop, standing transfixed as he savored the view. He was beyond fortunate that he could call such a prize his mate, and he told himself so nearly every day. But though he could have stood there forever and watched her, the anticipation to see and hold his prize pushed him toward the greenhouse door.
He called out in greeting, making Eve jump in surprise, and she nearly decapitated her delicate Terran orchids (which grew much better in their Romulan home than they ever did on Earth or Deep Space 9) with her shears. She'd been waiting anxiously all day for him to walk through the door, and now that he was cutting a path through the greenery - a good head taller than some of her largest plants - Eve was bursting with excitement. She was poised to run and throw her arms around him when Vreenak stopped before her, his expression morphing into shocked surprise.
"What?" Eve asked and worriedly looked at her apron but only spotted stray bits of dirt, nothing more.
"Nouhha…" Vreenak whispered as he drew near. "I was gone for less than a month. How have you grown so large already?"
He stared down at his wife in amazement - his wife, who looked significantly more pregnant than she had when he'd left. Vreenak had been on a diplomatic mission for a few weeks, and while leaving his pregnant mate for so long made him anxious, he tried to remind himself that a month really wasn't such a long time.
Except now that I see her…leaving was a mistake, he thought and gawked at the exceptionally prominent bulge ballooning out from under his wife's breasts.
Eve had to laugh. "Well, yes, love. That's what happens." She tossed her apron onto the workbench so she wouldn't get potting soil all over Vreenak's tunic. "It only takes nine months to bake one of these things. And now that I'm in my second trimester, I'm only going to get bigger from here."
Vreenak gingerly palmed the curve of her stomach as if afraid to break something. He could scarcely imagine his lithe wife growing even wider, but he couldn't deny that the vision appealed to him greatly.
"Setting aside how huge I've become," Eve joked, "How was your trip, love?"
"Too long," replied Vreenak, crouching down so he was level with his wife's bump. "I never should have left... I didn't miss anything important, did I?" He looked up at her sharply, hoping she'd say no.
This child was his first, perhaps his only, so he was going to be rather distraught if he'd missed out on anything significant. Just knowing that he'd been absent for a handful of his unborn child's enthusiastic kicks was a jab to his heart.
"No, no," Eve reassured him as she played with his hair. "Nothing too exciting. Just back aches and weird cravings."
Vreenak hummed and pressed his face against Eve's stomach. He could swear he could hear the fluttering of something - or someone - as they twisted and turned, just beyond Eve's soft skin.
Beautiful, he thought lovingly.
It took a few minutes before he could tear himself away, but he did eventually stand and take his wife's hand. Although Eve didn't consider seemingly trivial things such as aches and cravings exciting, Vreenak was swimming in regret and was keen to make up for lost time.
"And what about you?" he asked her. "How have you fared in my absence?"
She looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean? I told you, back aches, and cravings."
"I'm not talking about the baby or the pregnancy, e'lev. How are you?"
A slow, warm smile spread over Eve's face, and she was instantly reminded of why she'd fallen in love with her austere senator. Even though the way she'd met her husband had been intense and deadly, she'd willingly agreed to go with him to Romulus, thus turning her back on her career and altering her life forever. For a time, she'd been worried that she may come to regret that decision, but the life Eve had built with Vreenak was more fulfilling than anything she could have imagined.
Eve smoothed her palms up her husband's chest and stepped in close, or as close as she could manage, considering the extra person wedged in her belly. "I'm happy, deyhhan. Much happier now that you're home."
As always, any and all feedback is appreciated. Please go to Ao3 or Tumblr (find me under ToeBeans-McGee) for more writing and art.