Page 83 of Finding Wonderland

“Honey, it’s okay. I know it’s a girl.”

“Did Mason tell you?”

“You told Mason?”

Vera shrugged as she continued laughing. “I had to tell someone.”

“She told me, too,” Eden chimed in.

“Okay, so,” Vera focused back on Isla, “how do you know it’s a girl?”

“Because I am carrying this one the exact way I carried Blake and Mason.”

“Did someone say my name?” Mason breezed into the kitchen, giving Isla and Vera a kiss before putting her hand on Isla’s stomach. “How are you doing, Mom?”

“She knows it’s a girl,” Vera answered as she dramatically threw up her hands and stood. Mason took her seat, keeping her hand on Isla’s belly.

“Not because I told her!”

“So, you knew and kept it a secret?” Isla chuckled. “I’m impressed.”

“Mom, please. Even if Mama hadn’t told me I’d know. You look just like that picture in the hallway when you were pregnant with me.” The baby kicked under Mason’s hand as she giggled. “Good morning, baby sis. How are you today?”

Isla put her hand on Mason’s shoulder as she watched her talk to her stomach. It was a memory Isla wanted to remember forever. Mason had surprised her with how involved she had wanted to be with the pregnancy. She'd gone to every appointment with her and talked to her stomach regularly. And the baby seemed to love it as she often responded more to Mason’s voice than anyone else’s.

“Mace,” Vera leaned up against the counter beside Eden. “What do you think we should name her?”

Mason shook her head as she grinned at her mama. “Oh no. You’re not putting that decision on me.”

“Well, we’re apparently not putting it on ourselves either.” Isla winked at Mason. “We’ll figure it out though. We have time.”

“You say that now,” Vera said in a singsong voice as her eyes sparkled. “But your due date will be here before you know it.”

Later that night, Isla found herself alone in the living room watching TV. Isla had tucked Ellie and Brayden into bed and kissed Mason and Eden goodnight before they went to their rooms. Vera had been paged to the hospital for a laboring mom, which meant Isla had to entertain herself. She much preferred to be hanging out with her kids or Vera instead of having a night alone. But she told herself to enjoy it as she’d be wishing for some alone time when the baby was born.

It had been twenty years since Isla had been pregnant, and she was determined to savor every moment of being pregnant with what she could safely assume was her last child. After all, she was forty-three, and her two oldest kids were twenty and twenty-three. Isla lifted her shirt and rubbed lotion into her rounded belly. No, this was the last baby.

As her mind started to wander back to days gone by, she heard the backdoor open. Without looking, she knew either Eden had left or Mason was coming in. To her delight, it was the latter. Mason sat down carefully on the couch beside her, propping her head up with her elbow on the back of the couch, and looked at Isla.

“Hey, pumpkin. I thought you went to bed.”

“I saw the light was still on.”

Always observant, just like her mama.

“I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

“I’m okay, Mason.” Isla smiled at her, but Mason’s narrowed eyes told her she didn’t believe her.

“It’s late, you’re still up, and Mama’s working,” she shrugged. “I had a feeling something was on your mind, so I came over.”

Isla swallowed the lump in her throat as she held her arm out to Mason. She snuggled up with her willingly as Isla fixed her shirt back. Kissing the top of her head, Isla couldn’t help but be thankful for her precious daughter.

“I’m okay, baby.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Isla sighed. “I was just thinking.”

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