Four months later…
Kayla sat on the couch comforted by the subtle kicks that she was feeling from her little miracle. After the scare that she had early in the pregnancy, she realized every month was precious. She felt grateful for a relaxing Friday evening. It allowed her to reflect on the life she and Myles had enjoyed together up to this point. As she rubbed her stomach, she thought about how much life was about to change for her and Myles. She couldn’t believe that in just a short time she’d managed to marry the “Sexy Asshole” and await the birth of their first child. Cupid had set her happiness in motion, and she wanted to thank him for his generosity.
She and Myles had chosen not to find out the sex of the baby, choosing to be surprised instead. Neither cared what they had as they just prayed for a happy and healthy baby. “Who knew that disastrous encounter would lead to you? I sure hope your Auntie Rachel can find this same level of happiness,” she said to her belly. Just then, her phone rang lighting the screen up with Rachel’s face. “Hey Sis, you must have E.S.P or something. I was just talking about you to the baby.”
“How’s my nephew or niece treating you these days Sis?”
Kayla had sensed something was bothering Rachel, but in her experience, it was best to let Rachel come to you when she felt the need to talk. Over the course of this pregnancy, she’d been preoccupied and hadn’t noticed how she and Rachel had only seen each other at work. The distance wasn’t shocking as Rachel could be prone to shutting down when she went through certain things. “What’s up Sis? You good?”
Rachel seemed to hesitate, but she replied, “Yes, nothing I can’t handle. I was in the neighborhood though, you mind if I stop over for a few minutes? Myles, won’t mind will he?”
“Girl, stop it. Your family, he won’t mind at all, and he’s still at work anyway. When I talked with him earlier in the day, he said that he had a late day surgery scheduled, so he will probably be delayed. So, come on over.”
“I’m on my way Sis,” Rachel said with a kissing sound to the phone as she hung up.
Twenty minutes later, Kayla and Rachel stood at her kitchen island laughing and discussing her upcoming baby shower.
“How about I call the girls and bring them into this conversation?” Kayla suggested then dialed Reia’s number and waited for her to answer.
“Heyyyy Sis, how’s my niece or nephew?” Reia inquired.
Kayla laughed. “So, this is what we’ve come to now, it’s no longer about me? Baby Feelgood hasn’t even been born yet, and everybody has moved me to the side huh? Anyway, Rachel is here, and she and I were just discussing the baby shower. Can you call Caressa on your three-way and then we’ll have her call Jocelyn?”
“Aww Sis, don’t worry, you are still important,” Reia teased. “And you’re in luck, Caressa and Jocelyn are here as we are enjoying some Friday evening drinks. I just put you guys on speaker, so we can all hear.”
“Y’all didn’t tell us it was Happy Hour,” Rachel joked. “And shit, all I can have with Mrs. Feelgood is apple cider. This is sum bullshit.”
“Well, pass the damn cider and join in the festivities,” Reia teased back.
“Anyway, anything we need to decide on for the baby shower? Has everything been finalized?” Kayla questioned.
Before anything else could be said, Myles entered the house in search of Kayla. “Honey Bee, where are you?” A couple of minutes later, he entered the kitchen and took in the scene in front of him. “Uh, what’s going on?” He looked surprised to see Rachel as he entered his kitchen. Caressa, Reia, and Jocelyn were talking in the background on speaker phone.
“Uh ladies, does somebody want to fill me in? I’m at a loss here.”
Rachel decided to answer his inquiry, “Myles, I’ll be out of your hair in a few we just needed to discuss some things.”
“Your family Rachel, and you aren’t in my hair. Stay as long as you like.” He walked over to Kayla and kissed her causing her to melt a little from the kiss. “I missed your beautiful face today Honey Bee. Do what you need to do with your sisters, and when you're done, I’ll be ready to run your bubble bath and take care of your other needs.” Kissing her again, he turned to walk out of the room but remembered the other women. “Enjoy the rest of your evening ladies, see you all soon.”
“Bye Myles, see you soon,” they echoed as they each gave him air kisses through the phone.
Laughing, Rachel stood up, “So, did anybody else hear what Myles told Kayla? I promise he’s a keeper.”
“Yeah, we heard him, those plans he has are something else, it’s no wonder she’s pregnant already. Myles’ ass seems to stay on her,” Reia joked.
“For real though, um…if I weren’t happy in my relationship, those two would give me a case of jealous envy,” Caressa informed the group. “Okay, so we’re coordinating flight schedules now, so we can arrive at the same time.”
“Btw, Rachel, will we see Dashawn when we come in for the baby shower?” Jocelyn inquired. “How are things going with you two?”
“Um, we’re still seeing each other, so you should see him when you get here. I think he’s growing tired of me though. You know how I can be and what I’ve been through. Looking at a relationship beyond its sexual benefits causes me to almost break out in hives,” Rachel said as she started scratching her arms.
Laughing and shaking her head, Kayla tried to diffuse Rachel’s flight mentality, “Now Rachel, do we need to sic Cupid on your ass? Dashawn seemed like a terrific guy from the couple times you’ve allowed him to grace us with his presence.”
“He’s great, but you know my past,” Rachel said cryptically. Changing the subject again, she went on, “Anyway, let’s go through more deets for this shower, so I can get out of here and let Myles knock the baby higher in her belly.”
All the sisters laughed as Kayla felt her cheeks flaming.
Several weeks later, everyone gathered at Kayla and Myles’ house for the baby shower. They had again, chosen to do a co-ed shower, so the men could also be in attendance. But just like Caressa and Brian’s shower, the men found a place to hide from the women in their lives. Hiding out in the basement, they were again watching the sports channel.
Meanwhile, upstairs the baby shower was in full effect, and Kayla was smiling hard. They currently measured her belly with toilet paper to see who was more accurate.
Kayla was tickled with the measurements. Each of the women had their own way of estimating her stomach, and she couldn’t believe the results. “Now listen, me and baby Feelgood are starting to get offended by some of these measurements,” she said pretending to be insulted.
“Girl please, some of us in this room had to suffer through worse games than this. Get over yourself,” her mom said dismissing her complaints.
“Alright, has everybody done their measurement?” Jocelyn yelled to the room. “If so, we’re going to measure Kayla and then check your measurement against hers.”
A few minutes later, a gloating Rachel bragged to the room, “See? This is what happens when you have a daily shot of the belly. What’s my prize?”
“We shouldn’t have allowed her to play or make her forfeit the prize,” Caressa deadpanned.
“I agree with that wholeheartedly, you guys see each other a lot, so how do we know that you didn’t take measurements before the shower started,” one of Kayla’s cousins grumbled.
“Alright! Damn, you big whiners, I’ll select a winner in my place. I already won the best prize anyway. Did Kayla tell you all that I’m the baby’s God mom?” Rachel informed the room.
“No, I think we have the best prize of everyone,” Catherine stated pointing between herself and Regina, meaning they were already the grandmothers.
“Damn right we do,” Regina boasted. “Now who’s ready for the next game?”
Later that night, Kayla and Myles were laying in the bed reflecting on the baby shower. They both had enjoyed the time with their family and friends. Neither could believe how many gifts they received for the baby.
“Can you believe that we got so much stuff babe?” Kayla happily expressed. “I don’t think we’ll have to buy diapers for the first year. And thank you for assembling the crib and other big nursery room items. Me and the girls got everything set up and ready to receive our little miracle in a few short months. I can’t believe we’re going to be adding a small person to our love fest.”
Rubbing her belly and enjoying the kicks of his baby, Myles was filled with so much love for not only Kayla but their baby as well. “Honey Bee you’re an only child, and I’m the oldest child giving my parents their first grandbaby. Of course, I can believe how much stuff we received as most of it came from our parents. Now lay flat, so daddy can have a chat with his baby.”