"Just admit it already. I'm a fucking whale."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." 

Lanie sighed at me from the fridge. "You're beautiful, Danielle. Stop letting those hormones control you." 

I threw my head back and laughed. "You're one to talk! Do you remember the time when someone was pregnant and accused me of calling them fat? Hmm..." I tapped my chin. "Who was that? Oh right, it was you!"

Lanie rolled her eyes, shut the fridge, and brought over some Key Lime Pie. "Fine. I may have let my hormones get the best of me when I was pregnant. But I meant what I said, D. You are gorgeous. And you have that whole pregnancy glow thing going on." 

I didn't know about any glow, but I definitely didn't feel beautiful. Lately it's been the opposite. Mainly it was the damn stretch marks. I had double the amount I saw a few weeks ago. I knew it was all a part of the pregnancy thing, but it was starting to remind me of how I felt that night I almost threw away all my clothes. 

"Come on, Lanie," I whined. "Look a my feet! I'm wearing damn slippers because they're so swollen. Slippers! And don't even get me started on the back pain. Or the leg pain." 

Without a word, Lanie got up from the table and disappeared in the direction of the living room. I wanted to follow after her to continue my ranting, but that would mean I had to get up. I really didn't want to get up. 

At 24 weeks pregnant, I was definitely feeling pregnant. The only thing I was looking forward to today—besides eating this whole Key Lime Pie by myself—was waiting for Ryan to pick me up. We have check-up appointment scheduled for today and we were going to find out the sex of the baby. 

That's what I was really looking forward to. I wanted to know if the baby growing in my belly was a boy or a girl. I wanted to know if I was going to see pink or blue at the baby shower. Even though we played around with names already, this would help narrow down the choices.

Lanie came back into the kitchen carrying a pillow. 

"What are you—"

She pulled out the chair next to me and set the pillow on it. Then she reached down and grabbed my feet. 

"Lanie! What the hell—"

"Elevate your feet, D. It'll help." She positioned them comfortably before she mumbled, "Jeez, they are swollen." 

"I heard that!" 

Lanie snickered as she returned to her seat. We heard the front door open and Karma joined us in the kitchen a few seconds later. 

"Hey guys!" She turned her head and smiled at me. "Danielle, you look so—"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence," Lanie warned. 

Karma looked confused. "I was going to say 'beautiful', but I guess that's off limits?" 

I shrugged and ate another fork-full of pie. 

Lanie cleared her throat to get Karma's attention. I watched her try to hide her mouth behind her hand as she whispered loudly, "She thinks she's a whale." 

"I heart that again, Lanie!"

"You were meant to!" she shot back. "Even Karma said you look beautiful, D. You need to believe it, too." 

I huffed before I ate another piece of pie. A big piece. "Whatever," I grumbled. 

Karma shared a look with Lanie before she sat next to her. "So...how is everyone?" 

Lanie answered before I could. "We're good. Ayden hasn't had a nightmare in a few weeks."

That peaked my interest. I've been so worried about Ayden and Lanie lately regarding his PTSD. Nate and Karma too. Ayden suffered from it the worst. At least, that's how it seemed. Lanie told me a little about what Ayden went through over there and how he tried to keep Nate alive. I had no idea how she could go through something like that. How any of them could. 

If that had been Ryan...

"He's really better? I asked softly, concerned. 

"He still wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night," she murmured. "And he doesn't know that I know." 

"How do you know?" Karma asked. 

Lanie stared at the half-eaten piece of chocolate cake in front of her. "When he was suffering from those nightmares, I couldn't sleep either. If he was up, I was up. So even though he isn't having them now, I still wake up the second I feel him move in the bed. Even if I'm in a deep sleep...I feel him. I know he looks down at me beside him, worried. He takes a couple deep breaths then spoons up behind me, pulling me close. Sometimes he squeezes me so tight that I'm the one who needs the extra breath. But I don't care. As long as he's okay." 

When I glanced at Karma, I could tell Lanie's words affected her as much as they did me. Lanie was one of the most important people in my life. Ayden too. I couldn't stand seeing either of them hurting. 

"I'm sorry, Lanie," I said quietly. "Did you try talk to him about it?" 

She shook her head. "No. If I tell him I'm worrying about him, then he's going to worry about me. Then we're both worrying and it's no good for anyone." 

Karma smiled softly. "That's what I said to Jackson about Nathan. When my mom died and I went through...whatever that was, I couldn't talk to Nathan about it. I said the same thing to Jackson that you just said, Lanie. If I confided in Nathan, he was going to worry about me and I was going to worry about him. Same. Thing."

Lanie sat back in her chair. "You're right," she groaned. "I should talk to him, shouldn't I?" 

"Yes," Karma and I answered simultaneously. 

Lanie crossed her arms over her chest before she looked at me accusingly. "I thought we were talking about you and your feet!"

"Hey!" I barked. "Leave my feet out of this!"

Karma held up her hands. "Okay, ladies, let's just—"

"If I didn't want to eat this pie so much, Lanie Jenkins, you would be wearing it right now!"

Lanie's mouth dropped. "Excuse me? I bought you that damn pie!"

"So?" 

"Come on," Karma interjected, "can't we all just enjoy—"

"Now look who's taken a turn onto Mood Swing Lane," Lanie taunted me. 

"Yeah," I barked. "It's located next to Keeping Secrets From Her Fiancée Drive!"

Karma grabbed her purse and slowly walked towards the front door. "I think I'm just gonna go..."

"Don't you dare leave me alone with her," I sneered. "She's being mean."

Lanie sucked her teeth. "Mean? What is this, third grade? Am I rubber and you're glue?" 

Suddenly a deep male voice entered the mix. 

"Whoa, ladies!" Ryan entered the kitchen, hands raised. "What the hell is going on in here? I could hear you from outside." He looked back and forth from me to Lanie. "I don't care who started this or what it's about. You both love each other and you need to apologize right now." 

I mumbled something that sounded like an apology. Lanie did the same. 

"Like you mean it," Ryan said firmly. 

"I'm sorry, Lanie." 

Lanie brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, too." 

Ryan smiled, clearly pleased with himself. "Now isn't that better? Everyone is happy and getting along." He walked over to me and stopped at my feet. Leaning forward, he squeezed my legs, massaging them. 

Even though I was still irritated and feeling a whole lot of other emotions, my body instantly relaxed under his touch. 

"Feel good?" 

"Yes," I all but moaned even though he knew the answer. He made a habit of massaging my legs for me at night. "Thank you." 

I continued eating my pie while Ryan worked his magic on my calves and talked quietly to Lanie and Karma. When he stopped and looked at his watch, I frowned. 

"Why'd you stop?" 

He grinned and reached for my purse that was hanging on the arm of my chair. "Dani, we need to get to our appointment." 

I shook my head to try and clear it. "Right. We should get going. Can you, uh..."

He frowned for a moment before glancing down at my feet. "Of course, baby." 

He wouldn't meet my gaze as he carefully lifted my leg to lower my foot from the chair. I studied his face. Was he... Oh hell no. 

"Ryan Michael Hale," I snarled. "Are you laughing at my feet?" 

He coughed a little, obviously trying to hide it when he lowered my other foot. He looked up at me then. His expression was loving, but there was humor in his eyes. 

"Dani, I'm not laughing at you—"

"I know! You're laughing at my feet!"

Lanie grimaced as she mumbled, "Good job, Ry." 

Karma said a quick goodbye and made an even quicker exit. No doubt to escape the chaos. To escape me. 

Me and my feet! 

I glared at my husband . "Seriously, why does swollen feet have to be a symptom of pregnancy? And back pain? and leg pain?" When Ryan opened his mouth to say something, I cut him off. "And what about the stretch marks? Or the so called mood swings?"

I put air quotes around mood wings like they were a joke. Because they were. 

Fucking mood swings.

I stared at Ryan, waiting for an answer. He didn't give me one. Unsure, he glanced at Lanie. 

With wide eyes, Lanie shook her head and whispered, "Trap. Don't answer, Ry. It's a trap." 

With a disgusted sigh, I rolled my eyes and started getting up from my chair and Ryan reached out to me immediately. I didn't fight him or argue when he gently grabbed my arm to help me stand. Once I was upright, I straightened my clothes and reached for my pie and fork. 

From behind me a throat was cleared. "Babe, are you sure you want to bring that wi—"

I shot Ryan a look. A look that said this pie was coming to the doctor's appointment. With or without him.

"I don't know what I'm talking about." The words were rushed, followed my a short nervous laugh. "You're right, baby. Of course. The pie actually looks delicious. Maybe we could share—No? Right, sorry." His eyes flicked to Lanie again. She was staring at us like we were a freaking car accident. He looked back at me. "Why don't we go to the doctors, hmm?"

"That's probably a good idea," Lanie mumbled. 

Yes it was. Because right now I was not in the mood for anything. Well, of course I was in the mood to find out if my baby was a girl or a boy. 

And pie. I was definitely in the mood for pie. 

***

Hey guys! Now that The Stella I Remember is complete, I will be concentrating on finishing Falling Into Place. I'm hoping to post a chapter every day, but at the very least I will post one every other day. 

Thank you so much for your patience and thanks for reading!

xoxo

🖤