Page 22 of Kranow (Brides of the Mylos #4)

Lunch with her friends went straight out the window before Marley had even managed to finish eating her breakfast. In fact, she ’ d only begun using the edge of her spoon to separate the pink flesh of the grapefruit from its skin when an excited Steven appeared at her door, his son and Melissa ’ s brood in tow.

“ It ’ s time! ” he shouted.

“ Time for what? ” she asked, her lack of coffee making her feel dull so early in the morning.

“ Baby time! ” he shouted.

“ Mama is having the baby, ” Jeffrey said helpfully.

“ Yeah, she ’ s gone to the hospital, ” Johnny said. “ She looked like she wanted to poop but it hurt! ”

Marley ’ s hand flew to her mouth, stifling a giggle at the image the young child had provided.

“ I hope it ’ s a girl, ” Maisie said. “ Daddy said it was gonna be a boy, though. He said almost all born Mylos are boys. ”

“ You coming or what? ” Steven demanded.

“ Hold on. Is she having it right, right now, or just started? I ’ m not even dressed yet! ” Marley said, gesturing to her pajamas. “ I was just about to have some breakfast first. ”

“ Fine! ” Steven huffed. Darla appeared over his shoulder.

“ Calm down, Steven. We ’ ve got a little while yet, they said. Let her eat and get dressed. ” Steven rolled his eyes.

“ Fiiiine. Just don ’ t take too long. She ’ s had three kids before so who knows how fast this will go? ”

Darla giggled. “ It ’ s not like they will disappear off with the baby, you know. If it ’ s born before we get there, we ’ ll still get to see it, ” she told him. “ You go ahead and eat and then get dressed. Steven, while she ’ s doing that, why don ’ t you take the children over to the nursery on your old ship? We can meet you at sickbay right after, ‘ kay? ”

Steven nodded frantically. “ C ’ mon, you guys, let ’ s go! ”

“ But we wanna see the baby, ” Maisie replied. Darla and Marley laughed as they watched Steven cajole the children into going along peacefully.

“ I hope it ’ s not as crazy when this one comes along, ” Marley said without thinking, dropping a hand to her stomach. She realized what she ’ d said as soon as the look of shock of Darla ’ s face registered.

“ Oh my God! Are you serious! Wow! How far along? ” Darla squealed.

“ Come in and let me eat and I ’ ll tell you all about it, ” Marley answered.

“ You bet you will! ” her friend replied. “ I can ’ t believe it. Wow! Does Kranow know? ”

“ I told him yesterday, ” Marley said as she settled herself onto the stool and began eating. She answered the rest of her friend ’ s questions between mouthfuls, only escaping once she was finished and in the bathroom for her shower. Lathering up under the warm spray, she sighed in contentment. She had a loving mate, good friends, and soon, a baby to love. She closed her eyes, imagining her baby growing up with Melissa ’ s, best of friends. Life was good, she decided.

Three hours and seventeen minutes later, Marley got her first peek at Melissa ’ s new son. Junrig beamed as he held the small bundle.

“ Everybody, this is Lapresh, ” an exhausted looking Melissa said.

“ Look at those little scales, ” Steven cooed.

“ Those will recede as the birth hormones level out, ” Melissa informed them. “ His pupils will widen then, too, they said. ”

Marley ’ s arms itched to hold the child. Was this what her own child would look like? Scales and reptilian eyes set in soft baby features? With his little tuft of dark hair on top standing up like a Mohawk, little Lapresh was utterly adorable.

“ He ’ s so cute! ” Darla gushed before turning to Marley. “ Bet you can ’ t wait to get to hold yours, huh? ”

All eyes turned to regard Marley. She blushed. “ This wasn ’ t how I meant to tell you guys, but yeah, in about five months, Kranow and I will be having one of our own. ”

“ That is splendid news! ” Junrig said, beaming. “ Lapresh will have a playmate! ”

“ I bet Kranow is over the moon! ”

“ Yeah, he said something about celebrating and a secret. ”

Darla startled and looked away.

Interesting. Whatever it is, Darla must know something about it. She resolved to pump her friend for information later.

They each took a turn holding the baby before being shooed from the room by medical staff, with Steven promising Junrig that he ’ d collect the children from the nursery and feed them dinner as they left.

“ I ’ m not going to go get them until right before dinner, though, ” he told Darla and Melissa. “ They will just want to go see the baby right away. If I wait, they ’ ll eat and then know it ’ s time to start getting ready for bed, so they ’ ll wait. ”

Marley nodded. It was a sound plan. Darla agreed. “ We should go celebrate. ”

“ Late lunch at Rosa ’ s? ” Steven suggested. “ We never got to eat and I ’ m starving! ”

“ No, let ’ s wait to do that when Melissa is feeling up to it. I ’ m thinking Mexican food and margaritas. ” She turned to look at Marley. “ Yours will have to be virgin ones, of course. ”

“ Of course. ”

“ That okay? It won ’ t make you sick or give you heartburn? ” Steven asked, concern in his yes.

“ Shit. I didn ’ t think of that. ” Darla looked chagrined.

“ No, it ’ s fine, ” Marley reassured them. “ I ’ ve not been sick yet at all. ”

“ Jaffe ’ s? ” Steven asked. “ It ’ s a few shops down from Rosa ’ s. ”

“ Jaffe ’ s, ” Darla affirmed.

“ Sounds good to me. Let ’ s go! ” Marley said. The trio of friends turned to enter the nearest lift. As the doors slid shut, Steven began to sing about going to Margaritaville while the two women laughed.