The Firefighter Who Rescues Me

Chapter 28 ♚ Big Family

"Why am I so pregnant?"

My complaint resounded all around the house, setting off a round of laughter that didn't do much to make me feel better.

Cata and Lena Lee helped me sit on the sofa, one of them on each side. At eight months pregnant, Surprise had grown to the point where I couldn't see my toes anymore. Or feel them.

Even though I'd stuck to a pretty healthy diet, every single one of my limbs was swollen and I could no longer bend my waist like a regular person. I needed help to do simple things like sitting or standing up, which was typically Pace's job as the fifty percent stake owner of this enterprise, but today he wasn't around because it was a special day.

"I just have to say this is clever," Alina said, grabbing a couple of the tequeños mami had made in my kitchen that morning. "A baby shower that acts as a bachelorette party."

"Not so much clever, as we were just short on time and funds," I said with a wheeze while easing back against the plush pillows.

The original plan had been to have a Christmas wedding. Our parents had absolutely loved the idea, even if it meant my family would have to travel up north and brave the Alberta winter. But it turned out Pace and I wouldn't be done with the pre-marital course in time and the priest was adamant we had to follow the process, especially seeing as how we had, uh, jumped quite a few steps ahead. And Pace was quite determined to do things right this time.

Bless him, even though it pissed me off. I wished he were more willing to be naughty sometimes.

"Is it because I'm getting ugly?" I asked him once, steamed that he'd blocked another one of my advances.

"No." He gave me a look like I'd grown another set of arms. "It's because you're precious."

It was hard to stay mad or horny after that.

January brought sub zero temperatures and caused a couple of blizzards, madking wedding planning nearly impossible. So we considered St. Valentine's, which would make for a very romantic wedding. That idea crashed and burned almost as soon as it took off, when we found out every venue in town was already booked for pretty much the entire first half of the month.

In the end, we settled for an early March wedding and the big day was finally a week away.

I rubbed my belly, willing Surprise to calm down. Since I'd got up this morning and waddled around the house, trying to help the ladies decorate the place for the pictures, Surprise had been making themselves known every step of the way.

From the kitchen, mami and Margaret burst out laughing about something. Even though they couldn't communicate with words, somehow they had become the best of friends, especially joined by their determination to keep me away from the kitchen.

Gina sat on an armchair across Alina, munching on the mix of Canadian and Venezuelan snacks mami and Margaret had placed on the coffee table. My therapist seemed particularly fond of the mini empanadas, judging by the pile on her plate.

"Sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to, and often it's for the better," she said as she chewed. "What matters is you're happy."

I blinked and blinked some more, trying to stay the moisture rapidly taking over my vision.

Sniffling, I said, "Geez, not everything you say has to be meaningful, you know?"

Gina grinned. "Occupational hazard."

Two things happened at that moment, one was that someone rang the doorbell and the other one was that Surprise kicked or punched so hard I yelped, which meant at once every woman started freaking out.