"Not gonna happen," Alexa said. "I want my son or daughter to grow up on good old American soil. Maybe someday, I might be interested in a posting to Geneva, but not until our kids are older."
I was glad that Alexa was almost back to normal, talking and laughing, the fatigue and nausea having passed earlier in the evening. If only it would abate totally, we could get back to normal, she could feel good enough to work on her classes, and we could enjoy the rest of her pregnancy without sickness intervening.
That was my hope as I sat in the dining room, surrounded by my closest family and friends to celebrate my birthday.
Life was good.
The next day, we spent lounging around the beach house, with a few of the guests who chose to stay the night, including the three musketeers -- Candace, Mara and Jan, plus my father, John and Felicia. Luckily, the beach house was large enough with a guest wing that accommodated everyone. It was a great weekend, filled with laughter and love.
Of course, my hope that Alexa's morning sickness had passed was wrong and she spent the morning asleep, rolled up into a ball in bed, the covers wrapped around her almost like they were protecting her from the outside world.
Mara, Jan and Candace still enjoyed themselves, walking the beach, sitting in the living room and drinking coffee, and pretty much doing what young women their age did on a lazy Sunday morning.
I sat with my father, John and Felicia, talking business and trying not to bore Felicia too much, but she was very interested in Astra Investments and I could tell she was serious about supporting John in whatever he wanted to do with his future. I was so glad that the two of them got together -- in fact, it was perfect. Felicia's mother had the future-son-in-law that met her standards, meaning lots of money, and the two seemed really in love. John didn't let go of Felicia's hand the entire time we sat in the library and talked business.
When we had a moment alone, while Felicia was in the bathroom and my father was getting a fresh cup of coffee, I smiled and leaned forward.
"Looks like you two lovebirds are in love, am I right?"
John smiled and held up his hands in surrender. "Guilty as charged."
"When are you two going to get engaged? When will she make a respectable man out of you?"
He laughed at that, throwing his head back. Then, he became serious. "It's a bit too soon after Mom, but soon."
"Of course," I said, not forgetting that his mother had only recently passed, but caught up in the happiness of everything. "Sometimes, a happy event like an engagement helps get over the sadness of a loss."
"I'm sure it will, but we're going to wait a while to announce."
"So, I take it you've already talked about it, and you plan on it."
He smiled. "That's all you're getting out of me."
It was at that moment that Felicia arrived back from the bathroom and sat beside John, taking his hand once more and giving him a kiss.
"Come on, you two. Get a room," I said, putting on my best mock-disgusted tone.
John laughed. "I could say the same for you two. I saw you making lovey-dovey eyes at Alexa through dinner last night."
"We did," I said and grinned. "I can't help it. Marriage and the prospect of fatherhood is just making me exceptionally happy."
"Good," John said. "I like to finally see you happy again. I was worried for a while that you were going to run away to Mars and give up on love."
"I was, but I was just waiting to find Alexa I guess."
"You two men," Felicia said and smiled. "You're more romantic than us women, I swear."
"Guilty as charged," John said.
Later, just before lunch, I went up to our master suite to check on how Alexa was feeling. The room was still totally dark when I entered the bedroom.
I tiptoed over to the bed and stood beside it for a moment, listening to Alexa breathe.
"I'm awake," she said, her voice sounding tired.
I sat on the side of the bed. "Not feeling well?"
"Like total crap," she said with a sigh. "How many more weeks do I have to suffer this?"