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It’s a cold day, and getting colder as the sun starts to set on the farm. Fresh from a hot bath, Dina heads to the kitchen and goes for her favorite mug. Ellie had given it to her as a gift for her birthday not long after they had returned to Jackson. She remembers it vividly, Ellie wouldn’t stop giggling about it. That was a good day.
She smiles at the memory and pours herself a cup of tea, a brew Robin recommended to her to help with the nausea she still hasn’t been able to completely shake. She rubs a hand over her extended belly, trying to calm the ever restless baby. Steaming cup in hand, she goes off in search of her girlfriend.
She finds her in the den. Dina leans against the doorway, looking into the room as she sips her tea. The ginger-raspberry leaf tea is a nice blend, if a bit sharp for her tastes. The den is warm and cozy, with a crackling fire in the fireplace. From her spot in the doorway, she quietly watches her girlfriend.
Ellie lounges on the couch, legs stretched out with a book propped up by a pillow on her lap, looking very engrossed with whatever she’s reading, a small grin on her face. Ellie has always been a bookworm. Dina feels herself mirror her grin.
Ellie looks up over her book, grin widening, “Hey babe”.
Dina wordlessly sets her mug down on the table beside the couch and moves to sit opposite of Ellie, batting her feet, “Scooch”.
Dina sinks into the couch with a sign, glad to be off her swollen feet, and beckons Ellie towards her.
Ellie notes the page and sets her book aside for a moment, and playfully tosses her pillow at an unsuspecting Dina.
“Oh, I see how it is”, Dina responds just as humorously, “Maybe I don’t want to cuddle with you after all!”
Ellie moves across the couch, and kisses Dina on the cheek and pulls back to look into her eyes, staring into them with an easygoing smile and moves in again to place a soft, sweet kiss against her lips.
“Can you forgive me”, Ellie whispers against her lips, looking quite pleased with herself.
Dina lightly smacks her in the face with the pillow, “Only time will tell”.
Ellie chuckles as she takes the pillow back and adjusts it against Dina’s very pregnant belly and lays against her, propping her feet up on the opposite side of the couch.
As Ellie picks her book back up from its spot on the couch, and leafs through it to find the page she left off from, Dina starts to play with her hair. Ellie closes her eyes at the sensation, basking in the attention.
“Whatcha reading?”
Ellie opens her eyes at the question, attention back on the book, “It’s about a psychic detective that’s investigating ghosts in a haunted mansion. It’s pretty goofy to be honest”
“…Sounds like something you’d like. Would you read aloud for us?”
“Us?”
“Yeah, it’s supposed to help the baby. Like to get them to recognize you and develop literacy skills early or something. It was in that parenting book I was reading yesterday before bed”
“You mean the one you were nodding off to?” Ellie quips with a smirk.
“You shut it!” Dina laughs before imploring again, “Please?”, her playful plead stretching out the word.
“Do you want me to start back from the beginning?”
“No, from wherever you left off is fine, I can catch up”
“Ok. Ahem...”, Ellie clears her throat, “…you arrive at the horse stable with an open gate”, as Ellie begins to read, Dina reaches over to pick her mug back up to take a sip of tea, “inside, sitting on a stool, is the source of the violin music: a chimpanzee playing his heart out-”
Dina snorts into her mug, choking a bit on her laugh at the unexpected line, nearly spraying the room with tea, “What!? I thought you said this was about a detective??”
“I told you it was crazy!”
Their laughter over the ridiculous story eventually fades, and Ellie sets the book down, resting it open against her stomach.
“We should get some books for the baby, I don’t think we have any baby books yet”, Ellie ponders softly.
“I’m sure we can find books either in town or at Eugene’s library”
“Je-" Ellie pauses briefly, worries at her bottom lip before continuing, “Jesse mentioned that he only had one book as a kid. It was…damn, I wish I could remember the name of it.
Dina resumes playing with Ellie’s hair, both to sooth her and to sooth herself,” “We can ask Robin when we’re next in town. I’m sure she would love to pass it on to her grandbaby”
“I just- I just want to make sure we have enough. Our kid deserves everything.”
“Ellie”, Dina, tone turning serious, tugs on Ellie’s hair, silently asking her to look up at her.
“Yeah?” Ellie says weakly, leaning back further into Dina, and finally looking up at her girlfriend.
Dina holds her gaze, “We are enough, we may not be prepared for every little thing, but we will face this together. Yeah?”
“Yeah”, Ellie says again with greater conviction, “Love you babe.”
“Love you too”, Dina leans forward to place a kiss atop Ellie’s head, “Besides, the baby is always calmer when I’m around you. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Ellie reaches up and takes Dina’s hand, and holds it tight.