“Gavin, we’re pregnant!”
He shot up in bed. “What?”
“Look!” She handed him the stick.
He looked at it, then at her, his eyes wide. “Holy shit.”
“That’s what I said.”
And then he grinned. “We’re pregnant, babe.”
And she grinned back. “I know.”
He pulled her across his lap and kissed her—a long, glorious, we’re-pregnant kiss that curled her toes and caused tears to prick her eyes. When he pulled back, he looked at her. “Our baby is going to look just like you.”
“Or just like you.”
“I love you, Elizabeth Riley.”
“I love you too, Gavin Riley.”
“We have to get through Christmas now.”
“Oh, shit. That’s right. I don’t even care anymore. This is the best day ever.”
He laughed. “Yes, it is.”
She leaped off the bed. “I have to get dressed. And you have to take a shower.”
He got out of bed. “Okay.” And then he stopped and turned to her. “How did you know to take a test this morning?”
“I threw up.”
He grinned. “Awesome.”
***
True to his word, Gavin helped her with the food prep. Which was good, because oh, she was sick. After her initial euphoria faded, the nausea returned. And being surrounded by food didn’t help.
Despite her protests, Gavin called in his mother and his aunt for help. He told them Liz was under the weather and the last thing she needed was to be surrounded by food. They both showed up within an hour and Gavin, his mom, and his aunt basically took over her kitchen. Under normal circumstances, she’d have vehemently objected, but after throwing up all morning, she was more than happy to surrender her kitchen to all of them while she headed upstairs to lie down.
After a two-hour nap she felt a lot better, and when she got up, the nausea was gone. She came downstairs and inhaled some wonderful scents emanating from her kitchen.
“It smells so good in here,” she said.
Her mother-in-law smiled at her. “Oh, you’re awake. And there’s some color in your cheeks now. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thank you. Where’s Gavin?”
“He’s over at my house picking up Dad. No sense in us having two cars.”
“Thank you both for helping out. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to handle this.”
“It’s tough when you’re in your first trimester. The smell of food is an awful trigger,” Gavin’s aunt said.
Liz didn’t know what to say. “Did Gavin tell you?”
Kathleen laughed. “He didn’t have to. You’ve been pale and nauseated for weeks.”
“Plus, you just have a pregnant look about you,” Cara said.
“I do?”
Kathleen nodded. “You definitely do. And congratulations, honey.”
Liz took a seat at the bar. “Thank you. We just found out this morning. Apparently I wasn’t as adept at recognizing the signals.”
“Well, you’ve had a lot on your mind lately, so I’m not surprised. We women are the worst at reading our own bodies sometimes.”
She nodded at her mother-in-law.
“So how far along are you?” Gavin’s aunt asked.
“I’m not sure. I had a period last month, but it was only a little spotting at best. I thought I might be pregnant then, but the test was negative.”
“Best you go see your doctor. He’ll do an exam and tell you for sure.”
“My dress at the wedding was tight. And when I looked at myself this morning, it’s like there’s this little belly that wasn’t there before.” She put her hand on her stomach. “I thought I was just putting on weight. How could I not have noticed that?”
“Like I said, we’re not good at recognizing our own body’s signals,” Kathleen said.
Cara nodded. “But now you’re going to notice everything. Like how fast your clothes are not going to fit.”
“And how nauseated you’ll get. And how your tastes in food will change.”
Liz chatted with Kathleen and Cara while they cooked, and was so grateful for their help. When Gavin came back home with his dad, they settled in the living room to watch sports, but Gavin stepped in to see if he could help.
“How’s that flu?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her to kiss her cheek.
“Cat’s out of the bag. They know.”
“Please,” his mom said. “Give us some credit, Gavin. We’ve both been pregnant.”
“Oh. Sorry. Liz and I didn’t have a chance to talk about who we were going to tell and when.”
“Understood.” His mom came around the island and placed her hands on his cheeks. “Neither Cara nor I will say a word until you and Liz are ready to announce it. But congratulations. I’m so thrilled I’m going to be a grandma again.”
He smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”
After a while, everyone began spilling in. Liz didn’t know why she’d worked herself into such a neurotic mess. Just as it was at Gavin’s house, everyone was casual and relaxed, and of course, more than willing to pitch in and help with the cooking. While the guys worked on carving the turkey, the women set out all the side dishes.
The food was a veritable feast, and Liz could barely eat a bite of it.
“Tell me you’re not dieting on Christmas Day,” Jenna said, eyeing her barely touched plate.
“Hardly. You know I love food.”
“All you did was push it from one side to the other.”
Gavin speared one of the slices of turkey she hadn’t eaten. “My guess is she stuffed herself prepping it all, and now she’s too full to eat what’s on her plate.”
She could have kissed him. “You’re not supposed to divulge my secrets.”
“It’s always a cook’s prerogative to sample the food before it’s served,” his mother said with a wink.
“Well, it’s all fabulous,” Savannah said. “Thank you, Liz.”
“You’re welcome. Kathleen and Cara helped. So did Gavin.”
“She lies. She did most of it herself,” Gavin said. “The only thing I did was utilize my expert turkey-carving skills.”