44. Kate
Life was… nice.
Scratch that. It was way more than nice. Not quite perfect, but almost.
Everything felt settled. Elias had moved back into her house—he’d wanted to make sure she ate properly and got enough sleep before the baby arrived and she wanted to look after him while his leg healed. He’d even tried to convince her to quit work completely, but she liked her two night shifts each week. She wanted to be part of society and help people, and even though she was seven months pregnant, she still had enough energy to complete her duties. She was going to take some time off a few weeks before the birth anyway, and then at least three months afterwards. She was leaving it open in case she needed more time with the baby.
Elias owned his property outright, and because he was planning on opening the connected shop as a functioning gallery one day, they’d agreed he’d hold onto it. And after his last exhibition, he’d become so popular that Kate wondered whether he might need to convert his entire house to a gallery as well.
They hadn’t heard from Hugo since Kate had kicked him out. In some ways, she was sad their friendship was over, but when she had gone back and recalled particular events in their shared history, she could see he’d been much more selfish and dishonest than she’d realised. She often joked with Elias that the night they’d conceived the baby had saved her from a lifetime of misery. But it wasn’t a joke. She really believed if she was pregnant with Hugo’s baby, he would have pressured her into a relationship she didn’t want and potentially gone on to isolate her from friends and family.
She’d reconciled with her parents—sort of. Her mum still seemed to prefer the idea of Hugo to Elias, although Kate knew it would only be a matter of time until she changed teams. Surprisingly, her dad had switched his allegiance fairly quickly. It turned out her father had always harboured a secret desire to become a jewellery-maker, and Elias had invited him to his workshop a few times to teach him the basics.
Georgia had been a rock, as always, and Kate spent a day or two each week at her house helping out with the two younger kids during school hours and getting a practical course in all things baby-related.
And then there was Alexis and Sarah. They’d been awesome too.
‘Are you ready?’
Elias interrupted her train of thought by planting a kiss on her forehead and then kneeling so he was eye-level with her belly. ‘Today we’re going to learn how best to support your beautiful mother when you finally make your entrance.’ He rested his hands on her stomach and waited for a moment. ‘Tiger seems ready.’
‘Yes. This little creature has been very active lately. I’m wondering if they’ll be a bit impatient and try to arrive early.’
They hadn’t yet found out if they were having a boy or girl because Kate had decided it would be more fun to wait. Elias didn’t agree, but he’d reluctantly accepted her request.
He checked his watch. ‘The class starts in half an hour. We should probably leave soon.’
‘I still don’t know why you’re dragging me to a Lamaze class. I’m a doctor, remember? I have delivered many babies.’
‘But you haven’t given birth to one. And this is just as much for me.’
‘You could have at least booked a class not at my hospital. My colleagues are going to laugh at me.’
‘I thought doctors were supposed to be compassionate? Why would they laugh at you?’
‘Because I already know this stuff!’
‘Now we’re just going around in circles.’ He grabbed her hand. ‘Come on. We should at least attend the first session.’
They headed out to the car, and Kate grinned.
Elias was the sweetest.
* * *
An hour later,they were back in the hospital lobby.
‘I should have listened to you,’ Elias said, shaking his head. ‘What the hell was that?’
‘I might have to have a chat with whoever allowed that woman to operate from the hospital,’ Kate said. ‘I’m not sure she should be allowed to run classes like that.’
The Lamaze class hadn’t actually been a Lamaze class. It was a session run by a woman who had basically been there just to sell her book on alternative birthing. And while Kate was all about allowing women to explore different options, she hadn’t appreciated the blatant advertising, or that the core message involved making pregnant women feel guilty for preferring a hospital. Particularly since they were in a hospital for the class.
‘I promise to defer to you for all future birth and medical-related issues,’ Elias said.
‘As you should,’ Kate said, smiling.
The metal sculpture loomed in front of them.
Kate pointed to it. ‘Hey, do you know my dad said that sculpture looks like me?’
Elias didn’t reply, and Kate turned to him. ‘Sorry, did I make things weird? It’s probably based on some famous actress or an ex-girlfriend, isn’t it?’
He gazed at the statue and then at her. ‘It is you.’
She furrowed her brow. ‘Wait, what? How? We didn’t properly meet until the exhibition where this sculpture was the feature.’
He bit his lip. ‘But we did meet once before that.’
‘The only time I can think of was when you came to the hospital after…’
He smiled softly. ‘And you left quite the impression.’
She faced the sculpture again. ‘Seriously? That’s me?’
‘It is.’
‘Oh my God.’
‘Now I’m the one making things weird, aren’t I?’
‘No, of course not. I just didn’t realise…’ Her heart swelled. ‘I can’t believe you remembered me well enough to create something like this.’ She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. ‘I’m very lucky.’
‘I’m the lucky one. You and the baby are giving me the chance to experience what a real family should be. Levi always looked out for me, but I’ve never been the one to look out for anyone else. I can’t wait to experience every single future milestone with the two of you.’
Kate’s eyes welled up. Before she’d gotten pregnant, she hadn’t been much of a crier, but now she bawled at the drop of a hat. She wasn’t sure if it was hormones or Elias, but she suspected it was a combination of both.
‘I can’t wait either.’