After our stay in Rome, we headed to Greece for three days. The first two days consisted of sightseeing, exploring, and eating the local cuisine—which happened to be delicious.

Greece is the one country I have always wanted to visit. As a fan of Greek mythology, it was a dream I wasn't sure would ever come true. Now that it has, it feels so surreal. Coming here was like like a dream, and I definitely wasn't ready to wakeup yet.  

The first place we visited was Athens. Even though I wasn't as much of a fan of ancient architecture as the boys, I was still in awe when we went to see the Acropolis. The enormous building was made from marble and it also used you have the statue of Athena, the goddess of Athens. As soon as I late my eyes on Acropolis, Jackson and Ryan teased me when I got all giddy and excited. Harper had my back though and took a bunch of picture of me with Acropolis in the background. 

When I nagged Ryan to take me to my dream spot, we finally made the trek to Litochoro to see Mount Olympus. In Greek mythology Mount Olympus was known as the place where Zeus sat on his throne. It was also known as the home to other gods and goddesses.

Since I was pregnant we weren't able to climb the mountain like a lot of other tourists. But I was happy just to see it in person. I have to admit, I've never taken so many pictures in my life. Once Harper filled up my camera, we had to switch to my phone. 

On the second day we traveled to Santorini—also known as the island of Thira. We learned that he landscape for the island was created by a volcanic crater. It was on the water and had amazing views, and of course there was the beautiful architecture of the homes, buildings, and churches.

This time I got to tease Jackson and Ryan about being overly excited as they started to fill up the space on their phones with pictures too.

Today was our last day in Greece, and of the vacation, and we decided to spend it in Crete. Ryan told me he had a surprise for me when he brought me here. And holy shit was I surprised.

"This is amazing," I breathed as I relaxed on the sunbed we rented. I had to admit, even though I wanted to lay out in the sun, I was glad that Ryan insisted on me getting a parasol. His concern for me and the baby should probably annoy me. But honestly it made me feel nothing but love. 

"I'm glad you like it, baby."

I more than liked it. I loved it here. The water was such a clear blue that when Harper and I went in knee-deep, we could see the underwater wildlife.

"This trip really was amazing you guys," Harper said from the sunbed next to me. "Thank you so much. Its the best vacation ever."

"Don't you mean honeymoon, too?" Jackson quipped as he bent down to kiss her softly.

"Of course," she chuckled. "I'm just glad that we are all here together."

A thought occurred to me and I tapped Harper on the arm.

"We probably shouldn't mention this place to Lanie."

Harper's eyes widened with understanding. "Oh no. You're right! She would lose it."

Ryan frowned and looked from me to Harper. "Why shouldn't we tell her about this place? You guys just said it was amazing."

"Exactly," Harper and I said at the same time.

I turned towards Ryan. "Lanie's dream has always been to travel to Europe. But she's always wanted to come to a place like this. After her parents died though, she kind of gave up on all that."

"Maybe we can plan a trip for just the girls to come back here. Or a different beach like this. There are many. It doesn't have to be here."

Apparently Jackson didn't like Harper's idea.

"Excuse me? You and the girls? Traveling overseas...alone?"

Harper arched a brow at her husband. "Is that a problem?"

Jackson glanced at his brother who put his finger to his lips—a signal to stop talking before he got into trouble. Again. 

Jackson cleared his throat before saying, "No, of course not, princess. No problem."

"That's what I thought," Harper replied. 

Even though Jackson took Ryan's advice, I could tell by the look on his face that he did not like Harper's idea for us to travel alone overseas. It wasn't that surprising actually. Jackson has always been a little uneasy when he was away from her for too long. It was the same thing with Ryan and I.

Jackson sat on his sunbed next to Harper and put some more sunblock on her shoulders. Gwen was still sitting in the surf of the water. She said earlier that she wanted to collect some seashells to take home. There was something so innocent about that and it reminded me of my childhood.

"Babe?"

Ryan put his copy of Moby Dick down and turned towards me. "Hm?"

"I want to collect a few seashells before we leave. I was thinking maybe we could put some sand in a bottle with them and take it home. Maybe we can put it in the baby's nursery. Like a memento."

"I think that's a great idea." His eyes dropped to my growing baby bump. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been rubbing your baby bump for the past hour. And you're tense."

I offered him a small smile. "Nothing gets by you, huh?"

"Not when it comes to the mother of my child."

That was the truth. Ryan's always been perceptive when it came to me. He would notice my mood changes and he could tell if something was bothering me. That little talent magnified when I got pregnant. 

"I'm fine," I reassured him. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

I hesitated before I answered him. "I'm at nineteen weeks."

"I know," he said pridefully, reaching over to rub my belly.

The way he smiled make me shiver. He was so happy about this baby. 

"Well...do you think we should find out the sex?"

He brows drew together. "Do you want to find out the sex?"

I nibbled my bottom lip. "Honesty I don't know. My mom always told me that it's our family tradition to wait until the baby is born."

Ryan sat up and swung his legs to the side of the sunbed. He leaned forward and took my hands in his. His touch soothed me a great degree. I squeezed his hands when I craved more. 

"Dani, what do you want to do? Take your parents and my parents out of the equation."

I stared at my rounded belly. "I don't think I can wait until the birth." My eyes shot to my husband. "What about you? Do you want to wait?"

He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Dani, I honestly don't mind either way. If you wanted to wait, I would be okay with that. And if you want to find out as soon as we can, I don't mind that either. If I'm being honest, I think you and I are on the same page."

"Really?" I breathed. When he nodded I blew out a large breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I need to know, Ry. I need to know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Then we will find out when we get back to the States."

Luckily this was the last day of our vacation and we were supposed to be back in the States by late tomorrow night. I could probably get an appointment within the next few days with my OB.

"But what about my mom? I don't want to upset her."

My mom was one of the main people who has always been super supportive of Ryan and me since the beginning. And she was ecstatic when I told her I was pregnant. This baby was going to be her first grandchild. How was she going to react when I told her I was breaking the family tradition? The thought of her being upset with me made me feel sick. She and I were always close and this tradition was important to her. What if it caused a rift between us? 

Ryan lowered his voice so we weren't overheard. "Baby, you just need to explain to her that this is something that you need to do. Let her know that you respect the tradition but it's not for you. And we can tell her together if you want." He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "I don't want you to feel bad or guilty. If this is something you want to do, and you don't do it because of your mom, it's going to stress you out. The doctor told you stress is not good for you or the baby. So if you need to do this, we are going to get it done as soon as we get back to the States. Okay?"

I shook my head slowly as emotions welled up inside me. "How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"I know you," he replied with his usual wry grin. "You're my girl. My lover. My wife. I know you. The same way you know me. We're in this together. Always."

I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. "Always."