"Are you sure you're up to this, love?" Ollie asks, shooting me a quick glance before returning his eyes to the road. "I'm sure Grandama will understand if we don't come."
"Ollie, if you turn this car around, there will be no more morning blow-jobs or shower-time hand-jobs for a long time," I say, voice coming out completely neutral.
When Ollie looks at me this time, his eyes are wide. Raising a brow at him, I smirk as his gaze turns back to the road, throat bobbing as he swallows. "Guess Grandama won't be disappointed after all."
Dr. Romero had just told me that it was okay to start moving around again at my appointment yesterday. Ollie had asked a bunch of questions, trying to figure out what was okay. Thank God Dr. Romero is so patient and understanding, she had even told Ollie that sex was okay, as long as it wasn't too vigorous. That had caused all questions to stop, and Dr. Romero to just smile.
As soon as Virginia heard, she invited us to her brunch that she is having today. It will be the first one we have been able to go to in months, and I was practically crawling to get out of the house and do something.
Ollie was still worried though, just as he always is when it comes to me. After numerous promises to take it easy and not walk around too much, Ollie had finally agreed to go.
Nico's care is already there when we pull into the driveway. He and Maya are always on time, and having a baby hasn't stopped them in the least.
The sun is shining bright in the sky, not a cloud in sight. The wind is even gentle, causing the air to actually be comfortable instead of cold. A smile spreads across my face when I notice that the flowers along the driveway are starting to bloom. They just add to the sense of summer that is soon to come, and I honestly cannot wait.
Ollie has to help me out of the car, but even that can't kill my mood. With the coffee cake that I had made earlier this morning in hand, I walk up the rest of the driveway, Ollie by my side.
The front door swings open, revealing a smiling Virginia. "There're my boys!" she says, taking the coffee cake from me before pulling me into a quick hug. "So happy you could make it."
"Wouldn't miss having some of your delicious cooking, Virginia," I say, a wide smile on my face.
She just laughs, beckoning us inside. "Come in, come it. Nico and Maya are already out back getting the picnic table ready and the barbeque started."
"Barbeque?" Ollie asks, closing the door behind us. "What are we having?"
"Hamburgers, with sweet potato fries and the delicious looking fruit salad that Maya made."
My stomach gurgles, causing Virginia to laugh. Placing a hand on my stomach, I follow her to the kitchen. "That sounds wonderful."
Once there, Virginia hands me a bowl of fresh fruit, more than likely from the fruit salad Maya brought. "Now, you eat this while Ollie," she motions her grandson over, "You start slicing these sweet potatoes."
She ducks out of the room while I munch on the fruit, the burst of flavor a welcome surprise. "So good."
"You got the easy task," Ollie mumbles, peeling the sweet potatoes.
Raising my brow at him, I take another bite of fruit. "You try growing two babies and see who in this room has the easy task."
Virginia comes back into the room then, hands behind her back. "Now, don't be mad."
"Oh no," Ollie says, looking over at her. "What did you buy this time, Grandama."
"Nothing too big," she says.
"Doesn't mean it isn't expensive," I murmur, and Ollie nods.
"It wasn't too expensive at all," she says, finally pulling her hands out from behind her back. "Here." She hands an envelope to me, and I carefully open it. There is a single piece of paper inside. Unfolding it, I see that it is for some type of birthing class, one that comes with a massage at the end of every session. "That class is one for high-risk pregnancies, so it is especially gentle and every class, they talk about what to expect when you have a high-risk pregnancy."
Looking back down at the paper, I see that the class isn't even held at a hospital, but a private clinic in town, one that I could never afford.
Virginia must be able to read my thoughts, because she is quick to reassure me. "The place is owned by an omega couple, and they were very close with your Opa, Ollie." Her eyes turn down, obvious sadness coming over her. "So, please, neither of you worry about the cost. This is their gift to you more than it is mine."
Looking over at Ollie, I see that his eyes are just as sad at the mention of his Opa. When his eyes meet mine, I just nod my head. He quickly crosses across the room, wrapping Virginia in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Grandama. We love it."
She sniffs then, giving him one last squeeze before pulling away. "Good." She smiles, going over to help me up from my seat. "Now, let's go outside and enjoy that sunshine."
Nico is already at the grill, poking at the charcoal. "The grill is almost ready, Virginia," he says when the door opens.
"Good, cause I'm starving," I say.
He looks up then, a large smile on his face, setting down the poker and walking over to me. "Will five patties be enough for you?"
Rolling my eyes, I allow him to pull me into a side hug, taking me away from Virginia so that she can go back inside to help Ollie. "Two should be enough, you butt."
He laughs, guiding me over to the picnic table, where Miya is currently feeding Adalia. "At least I've got a good butt."
Maya is the one to roll her eyes this time. "Oh please, Nico. You're just lucky you have something there."
"Fair."
"You get out of here," I say, pushing my brother's side before turning back towards Maya. "And you let me see that beautiful baby."
Nico just gives me a knowing look before wandering back over to the grill. Now that Adalia is done with her bottle, Maya hands her over. The baby is wide awake, looking so much like her Bema. Her skin has such a glow already, a beautiful golden tone, despite the fact that summer hasn't even started yet. But her eyes are all my brother, the bright blue that we both share.
She smiles up at me as I hold her on my bump, the only way I can hold her when I am sitting down. "Hi, pretty girl."
"She's grown so much already," Maya says, a smile on her face as she looks down at her daughter. "It feels like just yesterday I was giving birth, and now she is starting to eat solids." She shakes her head. "Time is just flying by." She looks at me then, a mischievous smile on her face that immediately has me bracing myself. "Speaking of time flying by, we're having your baby shower here next weekend, and don't even think of trying to back out of it."
"But Maya," I say, voice coming out more of a whine than I would like. What can I say? She really is like a big sister. "I don't need a baby shower. Virginia has bought practically everything we need. There is no way we need even more stuff."
"Oh, trust me, you can never have too many diapers," she says, brushing the hair out of her daughter's face. I never knew babies pooped so much until she came along." She looks back up at me, a stern look in her eyes. "And don't even try to back out of this, Milo. I know you don't like having the attention on you, but this is a celebration of your growing family. We want to be there with you."
Her words hit a little close to home, especially since both mine and Ollie's families are untraditional. Looking down at Adalia, I give a small nod of my head. "Fine, we can have the baby shower."
The squeal that comes out of her can rival her daughters, but while I am partially deaf from the exclamation, Adalia just laughs.
*****
Leaving the lunch is hard, especially since I just want to spend as much time as possible with everyone. But, Adalia isn't the only one getting cranky from exhaustion. Having gone so long with barely doing anything has left me unprepared for spending an entire afternoon socializing.
Virginia watches us go, giving all of us tight hugs as she sends us home with leftovers. I can tell she is already scheming about the baby shower, more than likely buying us even more stuff.
We are both silent as Ollie drives us home. The rolling of the car is a comfort, my eyes slipping shut from the soothing motion. I must have even fallen asleep, because Ollie is shaking my shoulder, pulling me out of my light doze.
"Come on, love," he whispers. "We're home."
Humming, I take the hand he is offering me, heaving myself out of the car. But Ollie stops short when we get to the front door. Confused, I lift my head from his shoulder, looking up at him.
"Milo, call your brother," he says.
His eyes are wide, and I follow his gaze to see that the front door that we had locked before leaving is cracked open.