**Hayden's POV**
We had gotten out to get small presents for both my mother and Dasha's. They were getting bracelets with the charm saying grandma on it along with a copy of the sonogram we had done. It was going to be a memorable moment despite the unexpected timing. Dasha was starting to show a bit more as well but she was hiding her baby bump with a sweater she had snagged from the closet. It just looked slightly bulky to the wandering eye until she moved a certain way. Either way, I was damn proud to accept the fact that I was going to be a father.
"You know, some mom's can tell the gender before they even get it confirmed at the doctor's office." We were driving to my parent's house first to have a dinner for the night.
"I know, part of me has a feeling but then I keep thinking maybe that's just me hoping for one over the other."
"What do you feel it is?"
"A boy," she smiled and rubbed her belly. "That's why from the beginning I called it Squirt."
The thought of having a son excited me. As much as I would love to have a daughter as well, growing up with sisters and no brothers made me want a boy that much more.
"But when we go back in for the gender reveal it'll be a better indication," she kissed my cheek once we parked the rental car and made our way to the door.
"How long do you think it'll take for them to notice," I murmured as the door opened and both Nina and Darina came barreling out and hugged Dasha first.
I almost stepped forward to stop them and protect the baby, but she had situated herself to where they avoided squishing her stomach. Thank God.
"What, I come home too and no hug for me?" I tease as they come over and give me a big hug as well.
"We just like Dasha more," Darina shrugged as if it were obvious. "It's nice having another girl around."
I bursted out laughing at her response and proceeded to push us all inside so I could see my parents. "Well I'm glad to know where I stand within this family."
My dad was in the living room watching tv with my mother when we walked in. Both turned around to greet us, giving us a chance to fully walk in this time.
"You'll have to tell us all about California," my mother hugged us both and pulled back to look at Dasha. "You look healthier, the sun must have done you some good out there."
"Something like that," she smiled as I fought back a laugh. They had no idea.
"Where are the dogs?" Nina asked with her eyebrows raised.
"Right," I ran back out to grab them from their crate and carried them to the backyard so they could run around. "They were sound asleep, so I'm sure they'll be up late tonight."
"Who's this for?" Nina held up the small present for our mom as I gave her a knowing look.
"Mom, and you'll see what it is when we get to it."
She nodded and scooped up Bandit while Jasper ran around the yard to sniff out everything.
We had already decided to leave out the details about the break in and everything regarding Patrick. The stress would just make things worse and I didn't want my fiancé to continue thinking about something we had no control over at the moment. Our realtor had managed to get us into a different apartment on the opposite side of town that was gated and required a series of passcodes to get into the place. For now we were safe.
"How are you enjoying your new home?" I teased my sister as she just rolled her eyes.
"It's a good thing Dasha came over when she did, the place wouldn't be as clean otherwise," she winked. "Overall good! Drew really enjoys the place and we're able to spend more time together than we both thought was possible."
"Where is he?" Dasha looked around, we had only met Nina's boyfriend two or three times. His job kept him pretty busy and out of town a lot.
"He's sadly... well not for him, in Florida on a business trip. So he doesn't get to spend the holidays with us. But he's already made sure he can attend the wedding and Christmas."
I could smell the food as a timer went off and Darina went to grab something out of the kitchen. "Dinner is ready!"
"She's cooking?" I asked in disbelief. Darina had never cared to cook much when we were younger, most likely because she was the youngest.
"Mhm, something she's finally interested in. Mom says she watches cooking shows all the time."
We made our way to the table and sat down to eat ham along with many of the traditional sides that were at a Thanksgiving. Everyone wanted to know about California even though we had relayed many of our stories over the phone the past few months. I talked about my students and the funny moments I had encountered since the start of the semester. The differences between this college versus the old one and how much I've enjoyed living in a bigger city and state altogether.
"We really can't wait for you guys to visit at some point. It's beautiful out there and I know it would be cramped, but Sean and Rose have room so we could always stay with them." Dasha offered politely.
"Definitely during the wedding we'll see what we can do and I know Darina will want to visit a lot," Franklin chuckled, "it's all she's talked about to her friends is that her big brother is out in LA."
"Well..." Darina tried to look offended and Dasha giggled. "If we find any celebrities when we go to LA I'll let you know."
Once things started to settle down and the dogs were quietly sleeping next to each other by Nina's feet, I went to grab the small gift bag for my mom. I was pretty sure Nina had already figured out what was going on by now but she hadn't said anything privately to me, so it was an assumption by the way she looked at Dasha.
My mother raised her eyebrows when I handed her the small gift. "My birthday was before you left," she teased as I sat back down and pulled Dasha closer to me.
"I know, this is..." I looked around the room and felt Dasha beaming and already holding back tears. "Call this an early present for a special occasion."
She pulled the tissue paper out carefully and pulled out the small box that revealed the silver bracelet with a heart on it.
"It's beautiful," she smiled at us before looking down to see what it said and looked back at us in surprise.
"Look in the bag again mother," I encouraged her.
She opened an envelope that revealed the sonogram and handed the things to my dad so she could wipe her eyes. "You're pregnant Dasha?"
She nodded shyly and had me help her stand before pulling her sweater up to reveal her baby bump. "Nearly four months."
Darina and Nina gasped and screamed at the same time while my dad just smiled. "We're going to be grandparents."
"You are dad, the baby is due sometime in May."
"But the wedding?" My mother looked at me again for a moment to sound concerned.
"I've made slight alterations to my dress just in case" Dasha replied and accepted the hugs from everyone in my family before sitting back down.
"We're going to be aunts Nina!" My little sister clapped excitedly and began asking Dasha a million questions, thankfully she answered them as best as she could.
"Do her parents know yet?"
"We're telling them tomorrow evening when we go to have Thanksgiving over there."
My dad nodded, "and... they won't be upset or anything?"
"They may be a bit surprised that it's before the wedding, but I know they'll be supportive regardless. They adore Hayden and know that he'll be an amazing father to our little one." She squeezed my hands gently and laid them on her stomach.
Nina started talking about baby clothes and nursery ideas with Dasha while I just listened and pressed my lips against her hair. How it was possible to fall even more in love with this woman was beyond me, but Dasha had a way of doing so. And I couldn't wait to marry her in a few weeks.
**I didn't realize it had been so long since I last updated. Lots of personal things happened and long story short I didn't have any desire to write. But I'm hoping to get more chapters up quickly so that this story can be finished soon and the third one in the works when possible.
Are you excited about the baby? I'm thinking the next chapter will be the gender reveal and then fast forward to the wedding so I can get that part typed and done. It's been mentioned way too long I feel.**