Thanks for reading!

-CL


"I'll be fine, Maxon," I say, holding my stomach and standing up. I try not to groan from the extra weight. I'm two weeks overdue and I'm ready to give birth any day now. The issue is that I just keep on getting bigger and it's becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"Are you sure, my dear?" Maxon asks again, tying his tie in the mirror.

I place my hands on his shoulders, leaning into him. "I'm sure," I say, nodding my head. "Just go to work so you don't fall behind."

"Alright, my dear," he says, turning toward me. He tucks my hair behind my ear and kisses me. He moves his hands to rest on my stomach. He pulls away and puts his forehead against mine. "I'll see you later, my dear."

I nod. "Don't worry about me, Maxon. Just focus on your work."

"I'll try," he responds, grabbing his briefcase and leaving.


A little while later, there's a knock at the door. "Come in!" I say, closing my book and standing up. I know it's not Maxon because he would have just entered. I wonder who it is.
"Bella?" I hear Ames ask.

"In here," I respond, walking closer to the door.

Ames spots me and waves. "Hey, I figured you could use some company to take your mind off of…things," she says, gesturing to my very swollen stomach. "And I brought Annabella with." Ames bounces her on her hip.

I smile. "Thanks, Ames I appreciate it. Let's sit. Do you want to call for tea?"

"Sure. As long as you ask for strawberry tarts."


"So, how's your relationship with Michael going?" I ask, sipping my tea.

Ames swallows her strawberry tart, thinking. "I really love him, Bella. I don't expect a proposal any time soon, but I do think our relationship is becoming…more," she says, a smile on her face.

"That's good, Ames. I'm glad you found someone for you. I bet you feel left out since your two BFFs are married." I feel a cramp in my stomach and discreetly squeeze the chair until my knuckles are white.

"I will admit, that I do, especially since I'm not married and I have a kid. I love Annabella, but she does hinder my free time."

"I could imagine," I say, the cramp fading. I grab my teacup again, taking a sip. I start playing peek-a-boo with Annabella making her laugh. "You're a very happy girl, Annabella."
America nods. "She really is. If she's not crying, she's smiling or laughing." She picks Annabella up. "Want to hold her?"

"Sure," I say, setting my teacup down. I gently take her from Ames and set her on my lap. She looks up at me and smiles. I smile back, giving her my finger to play with. "Have you done anything with Michael since our double date?" I ask.

"We did end up going to the garden and having a nice dinner. Marlee and Carter watched Annabella for us so we could stay out late."

"That sounds nice," I say wistfully. "Maxon has been too busy with work and I've been stuck in my room for the last few weeks. Maybe after the baby is born and we get settled…"

"I'm sure you two would work something out," she responds, taking a sip of tea. "Do you have any questions about handling babies? If you guys need anything, you could always ask me."

"How hard is the adjustment? From having no children to one that depends on you all the time?"

"I will say it is a hard adjustment. You have to get to know your baby, and what his or hers tells are. It took me a little while to adjust, but I eventually did. I'm sure Maxon will be a great help to you."

I nod. "He's going to be a great father. I'm just glad I've carried this baby to full term this time. I disappointed Maxon so much last time." I think back to my botched delivery. "He was…he was heartbroken," I choke out, holding back tears.

"Oh, Bella," Ames says, standing up and giving me a hug. "You made it through the worst of it. It can't get worse than that, right?"

I nod. Another cramp comes and this time I barely bite back a groan. I yawn to cover it. "Ames, I'm sorry for doing this, but I'm tired and would like to take a nap. The baby has been kicking non-stop during the night, keeping me awake."

"Oh, yes, of course," she says, gently taking Annabella from me. "I totally understand. This little girl wasn't very good to me during the night either. I'll just take these," she says, taking the plate of strawberry tarts, "for later. See you, Bella." She waves and leaves. I sigh, glad to be on my own. I stand up slowly, make it to the bed, and fall asleep.


I wake up a few hours later to a strong cramp. "Wait," I say to myself, grabbing my phone to set a timer. I'm starting to think these aren't just cramps. Over the next hour, I realize that these are contractions. I open my text messages to tell Maxon, but then realize he will be done in the next couple of hours. The contractions are far apart and aren't that painful; I don't need to make him worry yet. I'll just wait until he comes upstairs to tell him.

For the next couple of hours, I sit on my yoga ball, laboring. I perform the breathing exercises that Dr. Corden taught me. The next one reaches its peak, causing me to cry out. "It hasn't been that painful before," I mutter. I decide to take off my clothes, just leaving my bra and underwear. I lean my head against the wall, enjoying the cool surface.

I hear the door open a few moments later. "Bella, I'm back," Maxon announces. I can hear him set his briefcase down.

"In here," I call. Maxon walks into the room and stops suddenly.

"Bella, what's going on?" he asks, taking his jacket off and throwing it over a chair.

"Noth-" I start, but groan when another contraction hits. He rushes over and kneels next to me, grabbing my hand. "What does it look like?" I bite out. I squeeze his hand and groan.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" he shouts. "I would have been up here with you!"

"Maxon, please," I cry, " I didn't want you worrying about me. And you need to finish your work." The contraction subsides. "And anyway, I'm not anywhere near ready to give birth."

Maxon gently cups my face. "Bella, I should have been here as soon as the contractions started. You shouldn't have to do this alone."

I lean into his touch, placing one hand on his. "I know, Maxon, but labor can take ages. I promise you it wasn't this bad before you arrived. The pain has just started to increase."

Maxon takes a deep breath, rolls up his sleeves, takes off his tie, and partially unbuttons his shirt, getting comfortable. "I'm here now, my dear. You don't have to do this alone." He gently kisses me, comforting me in a way I didn't know I needed.