Ricardo hums, feeling the subtle warmth of the sun on his bare shoulders as the soft sounds of someone shuffling around nearby wakes him up. He blinks lazily and stretches, rolling over onto his back. "Alicia?"

She pauses and looks up at him. "Oh, hello," she says with a faint laugh, leaning over to kiss him. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I was..." She hesitates. "I guess I was looking for something pretty to wear later on."

He frowns up at her before looking over at the dresser, all of its drawers opened and various clothes scattered here and there. Not sure why finding something pretty to wear in all of the things that Sofia's helped her to pick out from various online sites the last few weeks, he sits up and reaches out for a few of the items scattered around his feet. "Well, I mean-"

"I just... I have nothing that works for July 4th," she says, sounding a little disappointed. As she continues talking, realization crosses Ricardo's face and he hums, still sorting through the clothes, half listening to her.

There are a lot of soft browns and creams, but some are rather more colorful. He tugs out a pair of light blue capri pants and holds them up, tilting his head as he examines them. Slinging them over one arm, he frees himself from the sheets tangled around his legs and starts digging around on his side of the closet.

Alicia cuts herself off mid-word and watches with a perplexed smile. "What are you doing, Ricardo?" she wonders, eyes widening when he walks back over to her and gently presses one of his shirts to her shoulders, checking how it drapes over her. It's a little big, but it flows pretty well over her and he smiles at her, watching as she grips it, also examining the wispy design of reds, whites and blues around the Statue of Liberty depicted on the shirt. "Ohhh," she breathes out, also grabbing the pants from him and quickly running to the full lengthed mirror to try them on.

He settles on the edge of the bed and watches as she changes, even giving a little twirl once she realizes it fits, and goes together pretty well. "That looks incredible on you," he says, always a fan of Alicia in his clothes.

She catches his eye in the reflection of the mirror and grins. "I love you, Ricardo," she says, walking back towards him and wrapping her fingers around the back of his neck, settling in his lap and kissing him until his toes curl against the cool wood of the floor.

Later that evening, they go for a walk around the neighborhood, watching as various bursts of fireworks appear in their line of sight, Sofia humming happily under her breath as Alicia presses close to Ricardo and smiles brightly. He leans in to kiss her forehead and she giggles a little, lifting their interlaced hands to kiss his knuckles. "I love you," he whispers to her.

"I love you too," she responds, eyes gleaming in the dusk. He curls an arm around her, fingers lazily trailing over her stomach, and she sighs softly. Fresh fireworks explode, almost directly over their heads, and Alicia gasps, hand suddenly pressing against her stomach, close to his hand. Her brows furrow and she bites her lower lip, staring up into the reds and greens bleeding over the night sky.

"Hey, what is it?" Ricardo asks, stopping and turning towards her. "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

She looks at him and chuckles a little, tears filling her eyes as she grips his hand and shifts it a little, pressing it towards where her hand had been a second earlier. He doesn't feel anything, still frowning worriedly, until more fireworks explode nearby and then- then he feels it, a vague fluttering under his hand. His eyes widen and he gapes at her. "Our baby's responding to the fireworks, I think," she giggles. "That- that's the first time I've actually felt it kick."

He swallows, hard, and grasps her jaw, kissing her. "Oh my god, that's amazing," he breathes out as she rests her forehead against his and nods.

"It is," she sighs, blinking her tears away. "I wonder if it'll happen again." They walk forward to catch back up with Sofia, who is looking back at them in concern, and the next time it happens, she manages to feel it too, her dark eyes widening with happiness.

"Ay, Alicia," she exhales, hugging her. "I'm so happy for you both."

"Thank you," Alicia giggles, looking up as more colorful fireworks streak across the night sky, leaving impressions of gold and blue against the clouds of smoke.

They loop the neighborhood once more, the amount of fireworks being shot off dwindling, and then head home, Alicia leaning into Ricardo's warmth, his arm gentle around her shoulders, while Sofia trails next to them, Ricardo's free hand holding hers considering how dark it is, and how new she is to the area. "All in all," he says softly, pressing a kiss into Alicia's hair. "This has been a pretty ok 4th of July."

She smiles. "I agree," she hums, rubbing slow circles around her stomach, feeling for more elusive flutters. Next year, she thinks. Next year we'll get to celebrate with this little one.

The thought makes her giddy.