First comes love.
Then comes marriage.
Then comes a-
Unfortunately, life is not a checklist, and there's no white picket fences and baby carriages. After a failed long and stable relationship, Arryn Rivera tries her hand at online dating and gets mo...
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The grocery store checker slid the last of twelve bottles across the scanner and looked at Arryn. "You must love ice cream—and tabasco sauce."
"Ice cream yeah, but tabasco I hated before, so it's crazy I've been craving them together for weeks. Sometimes, I'll drive to Dairy Queen to get an ice cream at midnight and pour half a bottle of hot sauce on it."
The woman leaned over the counter to check out Arryn's belly and read the wording on her shirt. "That's cute, but you don't look pregnant."
"I'm not showing yet. I have morning and evening sickness, so that must be keeping me from gaining weight. But my pregnancy book says it should be over already."
"First baby?"
Arryn nodded.
"Don't fret. I've got friends who puked the entire time."
"Yeah, my doctor says it's not unusual."
It was weird discussing her condition with strangers, but other than Yennefer, she had no one else. For the last few days, keeping the secret pressed heavy. She was in her second trimester, and everything was going great, except for the odd cravings and puking day and night. It was time to tell everyone. Yennefer would be relieved. It'd been hard for her to keep the news from Darcy, and Arryn felt terrible for asking. But today was the day, and she knew where to start.
The late afternoon sun blinked through the trees as Arryn parked in the drive. She honked the horn, and Papi and Abuelito came to help her carry the food in. After putting the weekly fare in the freezer, she turned to face the two men.
Abuelito focused on her shirt. "What's that mean? What'd you bake at ninety-eight degrees?"
Papi turned his attention to Arryn, threw his arms around her, and spoke to Abuelito. "She's baking a baby, you old coot. You'll finally be someone's Ito, and I'll be an Abuelo! Right?"
Arryn pushed away from him and tried to read his face. "Yes, and I know I've disappointed you by not doing it the old fashioned way." She had more to say but burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Papi. Please don't be mad at me."
"Mad at you? For giving me my first grandbaby? No way." He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her cheek. "When's it due? Boy or girl?"
She laid her head on his shoulder. If this had happened two years ago, before the cancer, he'd have had plenty to say, but facing death changes a person and their outlook, opinions—and tolerance. But, if he knew the circumstances, even the threat of his mortality wouldn't keep him from being upset. That made her sad. "February 18th. I'm not telling anybody the sex. I want it to be a surprise."
"Good enough."
Arryn decided early on she'd keep the gender a secret. Somehow, she felt it made her connection to the baby stronger. Silly, she guessed, but it was something she wasn't ready to share.
