18 "I would've never guessed"

Yes, of course, she would.

Staring at the chinaware Rogan had used, she placed a hand against the tiny mound of her stomach. How could she not bake for a child if he asked? Wasn't that part of motherhood?

Except at this stage she wasn't really a mother. Was she? She didn't feel motherly. She felt....tired. And irritable. Because, God forbid, anything could happen in the next seven months. Well, standing here whining about it wasn't getting her anywhere.

In the kitchen she began rinsing the dishes. No stress, Lily had said. Right, Lee thought. Maybe she ought to call the good doctor, tell her about the baby's grandfather inferring Lee was a slut, and the man across the hall looking at her as if he wanted to get in her pants.

Heck, in comparison, fitting Sky Dash into her life---and her expanding midriff---between now and her due date in October would be a cakewalk.

--------------

At seven the next morning she headed for the shoreline trail for her regular Saturday walk with her sisters. With the advance of Emma's pregnancy, their pace had changed from running to brisk walks. Still, she loved these exercise sessions with her sisters. After returning to Jeju Island, she felt closer to Kat and Emma than she ever had in their childhood.

Today, fog whispered over the trees and across the tiny cove, bringing with it dew drops that clung to every surface in sight: budding leaves, blades of grass, stones, pylons and the pier.

Dressed in black yoga pants and a rose-coloured sweatshirt, Lee headed for the mouth of the shore trail near her plane. Ahead, the fuzzy gray shapes of her sisters stood waiting.

After hanging her head over the toilet bowl thirty minutes before---she'd forgotten to take her meds---she hoped the cool morning air and the ginger ale in her water bottle would settle her stomach.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said, starting up the path at a steady pace. "How are you feeling this morning, sis?" she asked Emma.

Her younger sister grunted. "Like I've been pregnant forever".

"Not forever". Kat fell in step on Emma's other side. "Just nine more weeks".

"Well," Emma grumbled. "Feels like eternity. All I have to do is look at Skip and I get pregnant".

Lee chuckled. "You're just a highly fertile woman around him".

"And so damned horny, it's not even funny".

Kat burst out laughing. "Oh, honey. That was so me when I carried Blake".

"It was?" Lee asked, surprised.

"Really?" Emma chimed in.

"Oh, yeah. I was climbing into Shaun's lap every chance I got. Poor man was exhausted by the time Blake arrived on the scene".

"I would've never guessed," Lee said. "If I recall, you were such a demure little homemaker back then".

Kat snickered. "Well, you know what they say? What goes on behind closed doors and all".

A pensive lull fell as they walked on, the trail spongy with pine needles beneath their feet.

Finally Emma said, "When I was pregnant with Becky I'd cry myself to sleep sometimes because I wanted Skip so bad".

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