Page 21 of Kranow (Brides of the Mylos #4)
It had felt strange at first to be sitting at Rosa ’ s by herself, but Marley quickly took to being able to fully soak in her surroundings and enjoyed people watching. She ate her food, her eyes catching and observing a woman with a young child at one table, then later, a woman wearing a baby in a sling enjoying a stroll through the nearby park, her hand held by an older toddler. One day, that could be me, she thought in wonder. She took her time to enjoy her meal, finding herself unsure of just how long she might have before morning sickness would invade, leaving her unable to keep even her favorite foods down. A leisurely stroll through the park gave her the time to fully appreciate the lengths gone through to provide play space for the brides and their children. She felt herself thinking of her sister, hoping she could come to see her soon and rejoice over her news in person.
But not before I get to tell Kranow and celebrate with him after his return. She concluded her walk and having imbibed far too much fruit infused water with her lunch, hurried back into Rosa ’ s unobtrusively to use their restroom before slipping back out to make her way back to the shuttle bay. The excitement had worn her out, and she looked forward to a nap. It was a scene that played itself out repeatedly over the next several days as she began taking an evening shuttle over to eat dinner at Rosas and enjoy a stroll around the park.
She had just returned from dinner one evening when Xero called her name. “ Yes, Xero? ”
“ You have an incoming communication from Kranow, ” Xero informed her. She dropped the tablet she was reading her book on and squealed. “ Open communication! ” she cried out. It had been far too long since she last saw and heard from her warrior, despite it having been only nine days. The larger viewscreen in the living room changed from the Waikiki street scene to her husband ’ s face. He grinned at her.
“ Marley! I hope you have been well. ”
“ I have! Everything okay there? ”
He shrugged. “ It ’ s not bad. I already am adept at most of the things we are doing, so it ’ s a little boring. ”
“ Well, you must be doing pretty good then, huh? ” she said proudly. He gave her an indulgent smile in response. “ I, uh, have something to tell you. A bit of a surprise, really. ” She watched his expression morph into one of concern. “ Nothing bad, really! Unless you don ’ t want to be a dad, that is. ”
She giggled as the look of comprehension crossed his visage and he gave a whoop. “ A father! We are to have a young? ” he shouted.
“ Yes, though I ’ m pretty sure the rest of the known universe did not need to know, ” she laughed, relieved that he was as happy about it as she ’ d though he ’ d be. “ I found out the day you left. I ’ m about three weeks along now and the doctor says we ’ re fine. I ’ m taking my vitamins and eating properly and making sure I get plenty of sleep, so you just do your thing there. This little one will still be baking in the oven when you get back, without you missing much of anything. ”
“ This is indeed very good news. ”
Marley laughed. “ Well, good, because it ’ s happening. ”
He grinned at her. “ You will make a wonderful mother, ” he assured her.
Marley smiled back. “ I certainly intend to try. ”
“ You will succeed, ” he assured her. “ I wish I was there to celebrate with you. ”
“ There ’ s plenty of time for that. ”
He nodded knowingly. “ I am sure your friends are spoiling you. Melissa for certain will be full of advice, yes? ”
Marley licked her lips. “ I haven ’ t told them yet. I wanted to tell you first, then my sister. ”
Kranow ’ s eyes crinkled at the corners as his grin got even bigger. “ Thank you for telling me first. Only five more weeks, then I will be returning. We shall celebrate then. ” He gave her a knowing look. She flushed.
“ You going to try to put another one in me? It ’ s closed for renovations at the moment, ” she teased.
“ No, no, just thinking of something. It will be a surprise. ”
“ Oh yeah. What? ” But no matter how much she begged, Kranow wouldn ’ t tell her. She finally conceded a temporary defeat and enjoyed talking to him about the minutiae of her days since he ’ d left. At last it was time for him to say good-bye, but not before promising to contact her in three days ’ time. “ I will be counting the days, ” she said tearfully, watching his image fade. She swiped at her eyes and decided to contact her sister. Now that Kranow knew, she could spill the beans. Tomorrow would be soon enough to tell her friends onboard. It was Sunday and they were all going to Steven ’ s for lunch so she could tell most of her friends all at once. Charlotte she would tell Monday, when classes resumed.