Page 70 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“Wait, you’re moving in?”

“It was his idea,” I said.

“You’re not going to be watching those kids full-time, are you?” she asked.

“We haven’t gotten that far honestly. I haven’t been feeling very well since I got back. Carter tells me what I’m feeling is normal. You know, since he’s done this three times already. But it seems a little extreme.”

“What do you mean? What’s going on? Do you have a doctor’s appointment anytime soon?” she asked.

“I do. We have an appointment this afternoon with a top tier OB-GYN.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from the rich guy. That where you’re headed after lunch?”

“It is. I just feel like my exhaustion is extreme. I mean, I get being tired, but I’m sleeping ten or twelve hours a night and still dragging ass during the day.”

“Yeah, that’s a bit much,” she said.

“And the headaches. I can’t get them to go away. I can only take so much of any sort of over-the-counter pain medication before it starts to threaten the safety of the babye. But sometimes they hurt so badly my vision throbs.”

“So no to watching the kids.”

“For now, no. I’m not really capable of it.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re moving in with him. Someone will be there to take care of you during all of this. It sounds like a lot.”

“Not just moving in. He wants to help me raise the baby. You know, like a family,” I said.

“When you told me he was moving you in, I didn’t expect anything less.”

“I’m not expecting anything of him, honestly,” I said.

“But at this point, you should. You need to. It takes two to get into this type of situation, so you need to make sure you hold him to that commitment.”

“He wants to pay for things, Emma.”

“Oh, I know you. You’ll fight him every step of the way on that. What, he doesn’t want you to get a job or something? You shouldn't. Technically, it sounds like you can’t.”

“I don’t want to be taken care of. I want to be seen as an equal,” I said.

“And I’m pretty sure growing a human makes you his equal. In fact, I’d wager to say it makes you better than him. Can Carter’s body grow a human and still function?”

“I don’t feel like I’m functioning very well.”

“Like you said, take it one step at a time. If you can’t get a job because of how this pregnancy is affecting you, then let him take care of some things. What, you’ve got your student loan payments and the car insurance?”

“And food. And gas. And lodging. And medical expenses.”

“Stop, Natasha. You’re driving yourself in circles. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Come on. Do it with me.”

I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, allowing my body to settle down. It was all a bit much at a very fast rate. Carter was having my things transferred from my storage unit to the house while we were at the appointment that afternoon. The scant furniture I did have was going to be donated to people in the neighborhoods surrounding us that could use it. By the time night fell tonight, I would be moved into Carter’s home and living full-time with the kids.

It was overwhelming, how much had changed so quickly.

“Feeling better?” Emma asked.

“Yes, actually. Thanks.”

“Okay, I’m going to throw this at you slowly.”

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