Both girls looked at her for what felt like ages. Then the youngest one did something she wasn’t expecting. She moved forward and hugged Victoria, making her gasp.
“Hi, I’m Naida,” the little girl said.
“It’s nice to meet you Naida.”
The girl moved back and smiled. “Do you like dream catchers?”
Victoria glanced up at a smiling Andrei, and she got a glimpse at the proud father he’d be for the baby that was growing steadily inside of her.
“I love dream catchers,” Victoria said.
“Then here.” The girl handed Victoria her dream catcher. “You can have mine. I made it for Daddy, but since he likes Asya’s broken one, I don’t think he’ll mind if you have this one. Right, daddy?”
“Sure, honey.” Andrei said and nodded at Victoria.
“That’s really sweet of you,” Victoria said, taking the girl’s gift. “I’ll cherish it always.”
The little girl chuckled.
“All right, Munchkins,” Mrs. Rusak said. “Time for you to get washed up for dinner.”
The girls ran out of the kitchen to get ready.
That’s when the tears started falling, and Andrei was there with tissues.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She sniffled and dried her eyes. “It’s just so beautiful. I want our baby—”
A utensil clattered to the floor. Victoria realized her slip too late.
“Your baby?” Mrs. Rusak asked. “Are you pregnant, Victoria?”
Victoria looked at Andrei for guidance, and he nodded his head.
There was no use hiding the truth now.
“Yes, ma’am,” Victoria said. “I’m pregnant.”
“We just found out, Mom,” Andrei said.
The woman’s smile filled her entire face as she ran over to them and hugged Andrei tight. “I’m going to get another grandbaby?”
“That’s right.” He allowed his mother to hug him before she turned her sights to Victoria.
She pulled Victoria up and hugged her even tighter than she did earlier. “I know you’ll make my son happy. I just know it.”
“Well,” said Victoria. “I would like a few more minutes to sip on the ginger ale. I still feel queasy.”
“Sure, honey,” Mrs. Rusak said. “I didn’t mean to hug you so tight. Don’t worry. You should only be nauseous during the first trimester. After that you will be eating like a starved dog. When I was pregnant with Andrei, I thought that I was going to starve to death. It didn’t matter what I ate, I was always hungry. If you’re anything like me, you’ll eat and sleep. Two of the best things about being pregnant, so be sure to enjoy them now. That reminds me. Andrei, make sure she gets two plates tonight before Erik eats everything.”
“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of, Mom,” Andrei said. “No need to worry about that.”
Victoria was happy with how Andrei’s mother took the news. “I feel better now. I think I can eat.”
Mr. Rusak popped his head in the kitchen. “Honey, how much longer will it be. We’re famished out here.”
“I am sorry,” Victoria said. “It’s my fault. We had to wait until my nausea went away, so I don’t embarrass myself at the table.