Behind one of the large bushes transplanted from Milly’s gardens, Sterre is curled up on the floor. She licks her tail, grooming it and her hindquarters and looks rather…relaxed. I glance over at my sister. “You sure, Alice? She looks fine to me.”
Alice frowns, her hands on her hips. “She was pacing earlier. I swear she was. And she didn’t eat her breakfast.” She bends down to stroke the carinoux’s tiny ears, scratching behind them. Sterre nuzzles at Alice’s lap and closes her eyes, a blissful look on her face. “Maybe I’m imagining things.”
“You’re just trying to be a good mom,” I say encouragingly. “And you’re on edge because Kas is gone. I know how that feels.” Both Matty and Kas have been gone for three days now, buying supplies at Three Nebulas, and I miss my mate dreadfully. “You want to come have lunch? I bet Jade has it ready.”
She shakes her head, settling in next to Sterre and leaning against the wall. “I’m going to hang out with her for a bit. Save me a bowl, though.”
“Will do.” I leave her with Sterre and head off to tell Jade that Alice needs food set aside for her. At least Jade can eat now, though. Her sickness has gone and in place, she’s just glowing and beautiful…and eating all the time to make up for before. I don’t blame her. Food is delicious. My favorite is still noodles, because they’re comforting to me. But there are so many unique and delicious foods out there that I love trying everything.
Sometimes I eat more than the pregnant ladies, but I’m not pregnant. I check every day with the med-bay, just in case. Not pregnant. There’s not anyone I can really ask about qura’aki ovulation, so I don’t know if I only go into “season” every few years in comparison to the human females, who can get impregnated at any time. Mathiras assures me that when I’m ready for us to have a baby of our own, we can talk to Milly’s doctor and get fertility treatments if needed. I’m content to wait. I love babies and can’t wait to have one of my own…but I also love my alone time with my Matty and I’m not ready to give it up just yet.
I head for the mess hall, where Jade is making lunch for us. The moment I head through the doors, I see Jade seated atop one of the counters, her back against the wall. Adiron’s hand is under her skirts, his head resting against the rounded swell of her belly as she plays with his hair, her eyes closed and her head tilted back with an expression of pure bliss on her face.
Whoops. I immediately turn around again and walk back out.
That’s the problem with living on a station with two other couples that are in love. You end up learning a lot more about their bedroom habits than you wanted to. Even though we’re down the hall from Alice and Kaspar, I hear them having sex all the time. Jade and Adi are a little quieter, which means I walk in on them far more often than the other two. It doesn’t bother me to see my sister so happy, but Jade gets embarrassed.
“I’m coming in,” I announce loudly from my spot in the hall. “And I didn’t see anything!”
“You’re a bad liar,” Jade calls back, but I can hear the laughter in her voice. “Besides. We’re not doing anything.”
Now who’s the liar? I peek my head inside and sure enough, Jade is still seated on the counter. This time, though, Adiron’s hands are safely on her belly, rubbing it gently. She smiles at me as I poke my head in and gestures that I should enter. “I thought you were making lunch,” I say. “Is it going to be a while?”
“No, it’ll be ready soon.” She runs her fingers through Adiron’s hair again, and it’s like her thoughts are on anything but food. “Where’s Alice?”
“Hovering over Sterre. She thinks it’s kittens again.”
“Mmm.” She toys with a lock of Adiron’s hair as he presses a gentle kiss to her belly. “Should we tell her, Adi?”
“Tell me what?” I ask, curious.
Jade gives me a knowing look. “A certain someone is on his way home.”
“Who?”
That makes Adiron snort. “Who else?”
Oh! “Matty?”
“And Kas, yeah, but I expect you’re going to be less excited to see him,” she teases. Then, she gasps, her hand going to her belly. “Did you feel that?”
Adiron’s eyes go wide and he presses his face against her belly. “I did. That’s our child in there!”
“Who else’s would it be, silly man?” She strokes his hair again. “Maybe he’ll do it again. Be still and let’s wait.”
They both go quiet, their attention utterly focused on Jade’s belly. Normally I’d be the first one shoving my ear to her stomach so I can hear the baby and feel it kick, but Mathiras is coming back, and that takes precedence over everything. With a happy squeal, I race back to my quarters so I can change into something appropriately revealing just to show him how much I missed him. I dig through my closet even as I kick off my boots, trying to decide what to wear. A dress, I think. Something that can just be pulled up and doesn’t have a lot of fasteners. I’m going to be climbing onto him the moment he walks through that door, and having to wait for clothing to unzip is too bothersome. No panties, I decide. No shoes. Just me and something he can lift up, and then he’ll be inside me.