Page 121 of Calamity Rayne Knocked Up

After that, mom stopped by on a daily basis. She raved about how much she loved her house and bragged to anyone who would listen about how her daughter and son-in-law spoiled her. She put in her notice at work, and we arranged to have a moving company pack up all of her things so they could be shipped from Oregon.

Remington had once told me that Hale wouldn’t put down roots. He warned me that his son would eventually become so successful he’d move overseas or to a more metropolitan area like New York.

He was wrong.

Hale loved the idea of home. He loved marriage and family and all the things his father could never fully appreciate. Remington had multiple houses, as did Hale, but Remington could never claim the level of contentment Hale found through family. He once told me, wherever Elara and I were, that was home.

I was in no rush to return to work and unsure if I’d ever go back to working for Remington. I wanted to take my time and enjoy my children. Not every mother had the option to stay home, so I never lost sight of how lucky I was to choose.

Willow flew in three days before my due date. The doctor said I was progressing right on schedule and things looked good. That made me hopeful that this was going to be a smooth birth.

I had a few random contractions but no real signs of labor yet. Things were actually pretty peaceful. So much so, that I wasn’t stress eating or having any sort of anxiety whatsoever.

Willow definitely helped as she filled the house with tranquil music and diffused aromatherapy to release any negative tension. My stress levels were lower than ever before, and Istarted to think Hale was right. I was a fucking goddess.

My husband had one last trip out of town, then he was homebound for the next two months. I was relieved to start this next chapter of our lives, so I planned on making a nice dinner to kick things off when he returned home that evening.

But first, Marta’sChiles En Nogada.“Hello, lover,” I said as I opened the Tupperware and breathed in the fiery poblano peppers and ground picadillo. I was just about to take my first bite when the doorbell rang.

“Damn it.” I hoisted myself out of the chair and waddled to the door, disappointed and a little surprised to see Xander on the other side. “Oh, it’s you,” I greeted. “Hale’s not here.”

“Rayne.” Why did my name always bother me when he said it? “You’re looking…uncomfortable. Hale told me to meet him here. He’s on his way.”

“Come on in.” Buttressing a hand at my back, I waddled back to the kitchen, leaving Xander in the foyer.

“He has some papers he wanted me to sign before he goes on baby leave. Which, bythe looks of things, should have already started. Are you overdue?”

I sat down and glared at him over my stuffed pepper. “You’re very funny.”

“I try.” He sat across from me, always making himself right at home. “What is that?”

“It’s mine.” On second thought, I slid the spicy dish closer to him. “Did you want to try?”

He leaned forward and sniffed. “I’m set.”

Great. So he was just going to sit there and watch me eat. Awesome…

“How’s Tyler?”

I chewed slowly, narrowing my eyes. “Why do you care?”

He shrugged. “Just being polite.”

“How courteous of you. Tyler’s great. He’s dating this fabulous architect he met in Malibu last month.” That was a lie. Tyler was stuck in boring Oregon, reading a book a day and doing the same old stuff he usually did, but I wasn’t about to tell Xander that. “The new guy’s a real hottie.”

“Good for him.”

“It’s great for him. He’s not a man-child like the first guy he slept with, and he doesn’t play games. Rumor on the street is,he’s so hung he could make a Clydesdale blush. Also good, because I heard the first guy also had a micro-penis.”

“I know for a fact that’s not true.”

I shrugged and scraped up the last bite of peppers and sauce. “I can only go by what I hear.” I wiggled my pinkie. “Hung like a light switch.”

He narrowed his eyes and inhaled slowly. “Any idea how far away Hale is?”

I hoisted myself out of my chair and carried my plate to the sink. My stomach tightened and I grunted. “I haven’t talked to him.”

“Maybe I’ll come back later.”

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