Davis ~ 1 year later

“What in the hell is the world coming to that I’m at a party with more kids than adults?”

Magenta sat in a lounge chair in the backyard of our new home, not the one beside Mason and Trish, because she insisted it was just too much closeness for her.

I watched as she pouted adorably, breasts spilling out of her tank top while she slowly rubbed her swollen belly. That’s right, she had my baby in her belly.

“Face it, babe. You’re not as young and hip as you used to be.” She glared at me and I laughed. “But you’re the hottest thing around.”

“Thank you, Davis.” She rolled her eyes but her blush gave her away. “But don’t think I didn’t just hear you call me old.”

“You’re not old, Mags. You’re just aged, like wine. Or cheese.” Nash and Zeke snickered from where they stood at the grill, and I sent them a middle finger while Magenta’s head was turned.

“Not getting any better. Honey.” She batted her eyelashes and placed her hand on my thigh. “Just quit before this baby makes me get angry with you.”

Yeah, that was something to worry about. Magenta pregnant was beautiful and curvaceous, her breasts were so big they had their own zip code, and her skin was luminous. But her mood swings and attitude? Well they were two demons who were occasionally possessed by a much bigger, angrier, meaner demon. “Don’t worry Mags, I think you’re hot as hell when you get angry.” I winked and she groaned, rolling her eyes just as Max bounded up to her.

“Hi Magenta.”

“Hey Max. How’s it going, little man?”

His chest puffed out at her words. “Good. Want to see my comic book?”

“Damn right I do!”

“Mags watch your mouth,” Maddie called out from a blanket in the middle of the yard where she was surrounded by babies. As in more than one baby. In the past year Vivi had given birth to one child and she already carried another while Maddie had a five month old in her arms. Trish had given us our first niece, and now carried a nephew. Yep, there were a lot of kids around.

Magenta rolled her eyes but sent out an obligatory, “Sorry, Mads!” She turned back to Max with a wink and leaned in to whisper, “Hell yeah I want to see it, go get it.”

He took off and she smiled after him. That was the look right there, the one that made me fall in love with her all over again. She looked at Max with love shining in her eyes, like she gave a damn about the kid. “You’re so good with him.”

“He’s amazing. If I had the talent that he does when I was that age, I’d be Picasso by now but with more symmetry.”

Vivi strolled up and snorted. “Yeah because you need a higher profile.”

“Hey, none of that was on me. Who knew a pregnant woman tattooing another when her water broke would go viral?” She sat there innocently as if that was the entire story.

“It was Tara Meacham, the biggest singer in the whole world. Of course the story went viral,” Vivi exclaimed. The photos of the tattoo, of Magenta helping Tara breathe and remain calm, of her wearing a pair of Ink Spot sweats, a marketing idea Trish had insisted on, which meant Mason had allowed it to happen.

“I was just helping out a client.” And that was another thing I loved about my tough wife, she just did what she thought was right, and didn’t worry about credit or praise. “Anyway, I’m hoping that goodwill is paid forward when I’m ready to push out this giant monster baby.”

“Giant monster baby?” Nash’s laugh grew louder as he dropped a glass pitcher of tea and glasses on the table in front of us. “That’s strange talk for a mother to be.”

Magenta shrugged. “I already love my baby the same way I love his daddy, but just like his daddy, this guy is coming out of me six feet tall and at least one-fifty.”

“Oh, come on,” Maddie laughed, called by the ice cold liquid on the table. “Fifteen pounds at the most,” she snickered and took her seat. “Max was seven, and that felt like torture.”

“Okay! Okay, no more of that talk, or I’m going to sneak into your house and put gang tattoos on yours and Zeke’s faces while you sleep.”

Did I mention that she was worried about giving birth? Not just a little first time mom jitters, no, full on close to panic attack worried. Terrified would be more accurate.

“Okay Mags, settle down. No one’s getting face tattooed against their will.”

She pouted and accepted the glass I slid to her. “Fine, but no more talk of giving birth. We already have classes that talk about it nonstop.”

“It’s not that bad,” I insisted because it was fun when I got to attend, and listening to her sarcastic complaints never failed to crack me up.

“That’s because you get to stare at my boobs and rub my back, cooing soft words into my ear. That’s what go me into this situation in the first place.” She rubbed her belly in slow, soothing circles, something she did with growing frequency as her belly grew with our child. “So Maddie, do you need another whale model for your maternity line?”

“Not if you call yourself or the other models whales, Mags. That might hurt their feelings.” To capitalize on Belle Musique’s recent baby boom, Maddie had decided to expand her business to include maternity wear.

“Not more than it’ll hurt their backs. And feet. Oh and bladders too.”

“Ew, Aunt Magenta. Don’t talk about your bladder with kids around. It’s gross.” Norah stopped in front of Mags and rubbed her belly. “Plus the baby can hear you.”

“Good, I don’t ever want the kid to think it was easy getting into this world. But fine, Norah, no more bladder talk.”

“Well,” she began nervously and nibbled her bottom lip. “How does it feel to be pregnant?”

“Except the bladder, stuff?” Norah nodded and all the adults laughed. “It feels amazing and weird to have a person growing and moving inside of you, but also very powerful to think this is how we’ve been doing it for millions of years.”

“That sounds cool!” Her eyes went wide when Magenta grabbed Norah’s hand and set it on her belly just as the baby began to kick. It was a hell of a feeling and I understood that gasp well. It was awe and shock. “Oh my god, he’s moving! I can feel him moving, Dad!”

“That right there is how I feel every day, kiddo.”

Norah was all smiles as she whipped her ever present notebook from her back pocket and began to jot down notes. “That is so cool, Aunt Mags. Thanks!”

Days like this, warm and sunny and filled with our family and friends, were just about perfect to me. Even Aunt Mae sat on the blanket surrounded by the babies and their sweet, smell good chubby little bodies. If someone had told me before moving here that I’d meet the woman I would spend my life with and have a baby, I would have laughed.

Loud and hard.

But this strange little southern town had turned my whole life upside down in the best possible way. And it was all down to the woman smiling at me like I was some kind of hero. Her now blue hair was a shock against her pale skin but she’d never looked more gorgeous to me.

“Hey Nash, these chairs are great. Can I place an order for a set of four?”

His eyes went wide. “In addition to the rocking chair and stool you already ordered?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll add it to the queue.” It was a long queue these days, thanks to the odd influx of celebrities into Belle Musique who were bowled over by his handcrafted furniture.

“Thanks, man. You’re the best.”

Nash grinned because that was just Magenta. Tough as hell, but sweet as pie. And she was all mine. “I try my best, Mags.”

“Trust me, we all know. Vivi isn’t exactly known for her ability to keep her mouth shut.” She rubbed her belly again but the look on her face held more pain than discomfort. “Everyone got enough food?”

Vivi frowned. “We’ve barely touched the food.”

My wife nodded and immediately I noticed that something was wrong. “Babe?”

“Too bad Vivi, because my water just broke.”

Chaos broke out all around us, but Magenta was as calm as could be, the eye of the storm. Perfect serenity. “I love you,” she mouthed and I smiled back.

“Love you too.”

And then she let out a blood curdling scream that would have stopped my heart if my feet hadn’t been leaping over the table to get to my wife.

This was my crazy life.

Our crazy life, and it was perfect.