Chapter Thirty-Seven #2
“I’m okay. It’s been a long day already, but I’m here to work,” I answer him, giving a smile before I head away from their table with my camera ready to go.
I spend hours capturing so many moments of the kids and adults.
While my main subjects are Kylan and Dakota, Cali wants pictures of everything.
I make sure to get the tables loaded with food and gifts, the birthday cake that turned out better than expected, and all of the decorations.
Once all of that is taken care of, I start taking pictures of the kids as they play and run around the yard.
Kylan is dressed in a pair of jeans with a tee-shirt on and a cut that looks just like his dad’s.
His short hair has been brushed out of his face and he’s wearing a sash proudly proclaiming him as the birthday boy.
Dakota is wearing a light purple dress now and her hair has been braided into some kind of crown that wraps around her small head.
Her sash is purple with pink and white polka dots and says ‘Birthday Princess’ on it.
She rushes up to me and hugs my legs while I tell her how beautiful she is.
Kylan joins her and I’m soon wrapped in the arms of the twins as they laugh and don’t let me go for the longest time.
I pretend I’m about to fall and they laugh so hard.
More kids come over to join them and see what’s going on but they never let go of me.
Kylan doesn’t let anyone else get close either. He’s so adorable.
“Annistyn, you need to eat,” Cali says, walking over with plates of food in her hands for the kids. “Go get in line before everyone else does.”
“Oh, I can wait. I don’t need to eat right now,” I tell her as Dakota and Kylan finally release my legs and follow Cali to a table.
“No. You really need to eat, Sweetheart,” she says and I wonder what the hell is going on, but I listen to her and head for the tables of food.
Kreed meets me there as I let go of my camera so it can hang around my neck and hold a plate while moving down the line of food, adding things I want to try along the way.
When we’re at the end of the food, Kreed grabs us each a drink and walks me over to the table Playboy and Sam are sitting at with Shy and Slim.
I greet them before digging into my food.
With each bite, I know it’s not going to stay down for very long.
My stomach turns a few times before I push my plate away.
“What’s wrong, Pixie?” Kreed asks, a worried look on his face.
Instead of answering him, I jump up from the table, barely removing my camera from around my neck and thrusting it toward him.
I run across the yard and into the clubhouse toward the bathroom in the hallway I’m in.
I manage to get inside and in front of a toilet before I get sick.
I’m instantly covered in sweat and my hair is sticking to my face and neck while I lose the food I just ate.
“I’m coming in, Annistyn,” Cali announces after several minutes and me being almost done as I dry heave.
When I’m finally done, I flush the toilet and stand from where I was crouched a minute ago. I leave the stall and head for the closest sink where I wash my hands and splash cold water on my face.
“Annistyn, I think you need to take a pregnancy test. You’re acting how I was with all of my pregnancies,” she says as I dry off my hands.
“What?” I ask, looking at her in shock. “I mean, Kreed and I aren’t doing anything to prevent it from happening, but we haven’t been having sex for that long.”
“It only takes one time, Annistyn. I have a test at the house you can take tomorrow. You don’t have a fever and I’m thinking this is the first time you’ve gotten sick so far.
Kreed told me you took a nap when you got home and slept for almost two hours.
It’s been a long time since you’ve taken a nap during the day.
When we were cooking early, the smells bothered you more than once.
When Manic made his lunch, I thought you were going to lose your shit.
I really think you’re pregnant,” she says pointing out things I wouldn’t recognize as pregnancy symptoms.
“Okay. I’ll take a test tomorrow morning and make an appointment based on what the results are. Please don’t say anything to anyone. I don’t want Kreed to know yet,” I say, looking at her while my mind wanders.
“I won’t say a word. He’s really worried about you, Annistyn. You’ll have to tell him something,” she says as we head for the door and pull it open to find Kreed standing there.
“You okay, Pixie?” he asks, looking me over from head to toe.
“I’m okay. I think it’s a combination of being overheated and some of the food not agreeing with me. It’s hotter than normal out today and I’m sure that’s all it is,” I tell him as he pulls me into his side and leads me back outside.
I spend the rest of the party working and taking small sips of my water.
Kreed makes sure I have a fresh bottle constantly as he plays with the kids and talks to everyone who showed up to celebrate Dakota and Kylan’s birthday.
Everyone is having a great time as I take a million pictures throughout the day and night.
It’s not until Cali and Caleb take the kids home that I stop.
It’s time for me to leave as the Feral girls make their appearance.
I don’t need to see anything that’s about to happen on this compound.
Kreed leaves with me once I make sure I have everything packed back in my camera bag.
We head home and he puts me right to bed.
He’s not even laying next to me when I fall into a deep sleep, dreaming of kids and our family expanding.