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“Pretty good, my doctor says I’m one of the lucky ones with no morning sickness.

I do get nauseated with certain smells, but it never goes further than that.

At least for now.” Minnie smiles. “The only other things I’ve noticed are tender breasts, and I’m always tired, but apparently that should fade soon.

I’m hoping it does because it’s become impossible to sit still for more than twenty minutes without falling asleep. ”

“Mira was the same way when she was pregnant with Silas. Always sleeping. Sometimes I would leave her side just long enough to get to the fridge, and when I’d turn around, she was passed out.” My dad chuckles at the memory.

“That should have been our first sign that he was going to be a big boy. My body was clearly working overtime to make him. At least with Spencer I had a lot more energy and could enjoy the pregnancy without yawning everywhere I went,” my mother adds with a smile.

“Well, from the measurements the doctor took, the baby already seems to be on the bigger side. So I have a feeling he or she is taking after Daddy.” Cecilia looks up at me with love in her eyes.

I lower my head to kiss her lips as she sighs against them. When we pull apart, my mother has hearts in her glassy eyes and my father looks proud. Spencer just looks bothered by the PDA, but I couldn’t care less.

“We have pictures, would you like to see?”

My mother lights up like the night sky on the Fourth of July at Minnie’s question. “Oh, yes! Please!”

While my wife shows my mother the ultrasound images of our baby, my father leans in from my left. “How did everything settle with the other woman?”

My body stiffens and I look to my wife, knowing she doesn’t like hearing about her or any part of that story. Her eyes dart to me quickly, then back to my mother and the pictures .

Not wanting to stress her out in any way, I keep it simple. “It’s all done. It was a quick process since everything was said in front of the lawyers. She’s going to spend some time behind bars since what she did was illegal. But not as much because she fessed up and pleaded guilty.”

I sigh, wishing this subject would finally leave everyone’s mind.

“The doctor is a different story. She was stripped of her license to practice and will be spending more time inside for falsifying documents. Apparently, it wasn’t the first time she had done something similar, which is how she got the idea to do it in the first place. ”

I look at Cecilia, taking her hand in mine, then turn back to my father to say what we haven’t told anyone, “Since Lisa will still be inside when she has her baby, we made sure she had a family member that could take care of the baby until she gets out. And we offered them a $25,000 check for anything the baby could need.”

“You did what!?” My mother gasps in complete shock.

It was Cecilia’s idea. She felt guilty for putting a pregnant woman behind bars and was afraid of what would happen to the baby. Even if Cecilia can’t stand to hear Lisa’s name and hates the woman, my wife still feels compassion when it comes to the child.

Minnie knows what it’s like growing up without parents, and she didn’t want the same for the kid. Plus, we both understand now more than ever that when it comes to a child, as parents, we’ll do anything to make sure they’re safe and have everything they need.

“Mom, I have more money than needed. That’s nothing to me, and even though what she did was wrong, I get it. She’s just a struggling soon-to-be mom who feared she wouldn’t be able to provide for her baby. And settling her worries while she paid for her crime was the least we could do.”

My father clasps my shoulder with his hand and looks at me with pride. “You’re a greater man than I’ll ever be. I’m proud of you, son.”

The rest of the evening goes on with more baby talk. My mother giving tips to Cecilia, and my father sharing more stories about the journey of my mom’s pregnancies.

I must admit, some of the things he said scared me a little. Certainly, when he mentioned that Mom would cry at everything and anything all the time. I hate seeing Minnie in tears, but I understand it’s a natural thing with the hormones.

I’ll just have to work overtime to avoid all the things that will make her cry.

CECILIA

~ One Month Later / September ~

Preseason training has started, and next week the boys have their first exhibition game. Silas has been stressing out lately because it just hit him that he might not be present for the birth of our child since I’m due at the beginning of March.

I’m now sixteen weeks pregnant, and my baby bump has started showing. Silas is in absolute love with it. Cuddling, touching, and kissing it every chance he gets.

He’s not the only one. The girls have been fussing over it too, even Clay touched my belly a few times last week. It was a bit odd at first to have another man touch it, but I’m slowly getting used to it.

And the look on Morgan’s face every time she sees him paying attention to my belly is one hundred percent worth it. She looks like she’s falling in love all over again with him, and they just so happen to sneak off for a couple of minutes right after. I’m pretty positive it’s to repopulate as well.

Silas left earlier today, claiming he had errands to run with some of the guys.

So the girls and I decided to have a much-needed pampering day.

Well, much needed for me. The exhaustion sadly still hasn’t faded.

Emma even hired a masseuse who specializes in pregnant women since she wasn’t sure if I was allowed.

When I texted Silas earlier to tell him, he told me to wait and that he would call the doctor to make sure I could have one.

I’m pretty sure he has her on speed dial with the number of times he calls.

Every little concern he has, he calls. It’s annoying, but I love how much he’s making sure our baby is safe.

He’s going to be an amazing dad.

We’ve just finished receiving our massages and are now sitting around in the living room.

Morgan and Emma are having a glass of wine while Aubrey and I are having sparkling juice.

It’s sweet of her to pass on the wine so that I don’t feel left out, even if I insisted it was okay. She’s always so thoughtful .

“Em, how are things going in the Tommy department?” Morgan asks from one of the armchairs.

“Eh, I don’t know. The sex still hasn’t improved. I brought it up last week, and he told me that if I weren’t working, we would have more time together. It’s not the first time he hinted that I should quit my job.”

I frown at her declaration and turn to look at her. “You’re not seriously thinking about it, are you?”

She shrugs but doesn’t meet my eyes. “I don’t know, maybe? It’s not like I even need to work, I only do it for the fun of it. So maybe I should take a break from work. I’d be able to see you guys more, and maybe it would help in my relationship.”

She can’t be serious. I’m in complete shock at what I’m hearing. This isn’t the Emma I know. She doesn’t take orders from people, certainly not men. And she most definitely doesn’t let them walk all over her.

Emma’s always been a wildcard, outspoken with an intense personality. But ever since she’s moved in with Tommy, she almost seems closed off. I don’t like the way he’s changing my best friend, and every time I’ve tried to bring it up, she becomes defensive.

“Well, whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s done for the right reasons. For you, and not for him.” Morgan smiles at Em, but I can see the worry in it.

We’ve all talked about the changes we’ve noticed when Emma wasn’t around, and we all agree that Tommy isn’t good for her. I hate that initially we were the ones to encourage this relationship... it makes me feel guilty.

The sound of Silas’s pickup truck pulls me from my thoughts, but it sounds louder than usual. I get up from the couch and walk over to the window to have a look. “What the hell?”

“What? What’s going on?” Morgan shows up at my side, peering out the window in the direction of the noise.

Outside in the driveway are now four pickup trucks with their cargo beds filled with boxes.

I watch Silas exit his truck, and Clay drops from the silver one parked beside it.

Behind them, Greyson steps out of a black truck similar to my husband’s, and beside him, Gabe and Noah jump out of a white one.

I leave the window for the front door just as Silas steps through it. “Honey, I’m home!” He smiles when he notices I’m right in front of him. “How’s my favorite girl?”

He gives me a passionate kiss, one hand around my waist and the other at the back of my head while he dips me back. I giggle when he brings me back up. He then brings his hand down to my stomach, right over my small bump. “And how’s our boy?”

“We don’t even know if it’s a boy, you can’t keep calling it that.” I give him a serious look just as Gabe walks in carrying a few boxes.

He drops them on the ground and comes to stand in front of me. “Of course, it’s a boy. Look at his daddy. That man is filled with testosterone, he obviously implanted it inside you.”

He crouches down to my tummy, smacks Sy’s hand out of the way and cups my bump on either side. “How’s our little man in there? You being good to your mama? You better, because otherwise you’ll have a few uncles waiting to put you back in your place.” He leans in and peppers my stomach with kisses.

I stare down with wide eyes, mouth hanging open with no idea what to do. Thankfully, Silas reacts faster than I do. He pushes Gabe by the head, making him fall over to the ground.

“Don’t kiss my wife’s stomach like that! And don’t threaten my son, or I’ll be the one putting you back in your place.”

Clay, Greyson, and Noah step inside with loads more boxes, dropping them all along with Gabe’s. Grey comes up and kisses me on the cheek as he glides his knuckles over my stomach lightly. “Hey, Rose.” He turns and heads back out with Gabe, likely to unpack more of the cargo.

“Hey, Mama,” Noah says with a wink and follows after the others.

Clay takes me into his arms, kissing the top of my head. “How are you feeling, C?” he whispers against my hair.

“I’m doing good.”

He pulls back and rests his hand over my baby, smiling down at it. I look up in time to see Morgan watching him. She’s visibly swooning. I giggle at her reaction, which causes Clay to look up, then turn to his wife while his smile glows even brighter.

He walks over to her, kissing her with so much love, then whispering a little too loudly. “I’ll finish unloading, then we’ll go home.” Silas chuckles from beside me, clearly knowing what they’re going home to do.

I turn to look at all the boxes, then back at my husband. “What is all of this?” I wave in their direction.

Silas grabs the back of his neck and a slight blush forms over his cheeks. He started trimming his beard back to normal now that training has picked up, so his blush is more visible.

“Well... I may have gone a bit overboard with baby things... but everything seemed so useful and nice, and I want our child to have everything he needs. ”

I shake my head and sigh, looking at him with my hands on my hips. “You’re unbelievable. You’re lucky I love you, now go help them bring in the rest.” I walk back over to the girls and drop down on the couch. I need a nap.

“I love you too!” Silas calls as he rushes back out to finish unloading.