Chapter 8

"Oh my god I felt it!" I giggle in surprise as I keep my hand flat against her, "Hey there little Vera." She kicks again and both Vera and I erupt in dramatic gasps once more. We really were the perfect pair of dramatic bitches. "That's right! It's your Aunty Hayden." I say as I lean closer to her belly, "I'll tell you a secret. When you come out into this world and meet us, you're going to look just like you're beautiful mommy." Vera scoffs and rolls her eyes just as I feel another little kick, "That's right! You're going to be so pretty!" "Ok, if she's anything like me she's already got a bloated ego, you don't need to add to it." Vera chuckles as she sits up and places her hands to her knees, "Help me up?" "Of course." I stand, grab her hands and help her to her feet. When she was standing in front of me, I wrap my arms around her as she does the same, "If you decide to keep it, and I'm not saying you should or shouldn't, I just want you to know that you would be an incredible mother." "Thank you, Hayden." Vera whispers into my ear  before I stand back, still smiling as I look at her gorgeous face. "Also, why did you barge into the room like a woman on a mission?" My eyes "Oh shit, I needed to pee." "I'll meet you downstairs, Hay." Vera explains as I quickly turn and rush towards the bathroom. I close the door behind me and quickly get to business before my bladder exploded. After finishing everything I needed to in the bathroom, I grab a large t-shirt from my room and make way way to the ground floor of the beach house where I could here chatter and laughter. Everyone was in the lounge. One of Levi's wildlife documentaries were on the tv which he was throughly involved in. Penn and my mother were gushing over Vera's belly and I knew my mother was already planning the baby shower in her head. "Hayden, have you felt the baby? Come feel it." My mother beckons me over as soon as she spots me. I grin and stop behind the sofa suite. "I already did." I reply as I place a hand on top of Levi's curly head who sat below me. His curls were too soft not to touch. "Noah thought I was hiding bread under my robe and was ready to fight me for it." Vera scoffs as I glance at Noah who sat on the edge of the sofa, stuffing his face with chips. "In my defence, it genuinely looked like the loaf of bread Andrea brought home from the market. I would fight to the death for that bread." Noah puts his hands up as we all laugh at him. "Ok, maybe not death but like hospital-visit level." My eyes glance at Chase who was sitting on the arm chair across the living room and I shiver under his gaze. Shit, stop looking at me like that Everett. I glance away and drop my hand from Levi's hair. "I guess I better cook a little more since you're eating for two now  Vera." David chuckles as he begins to move towards the kitchen. David was rich enough to afford personal cooks but he says he enjoys to cook. Plus it always taste delicious so there's absolutely complaining. "Yup and I think she has the appetite of her uncle and aunty." Vera scoffs as Noah and I lock gazes simultaneously with large grins. We air high-five like the idiots we were while cheering, like it was something to be proud of. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ I kick the little pebble beneath me, taking my anger out on it instead of the person on the other end of the phone who I so desperately wanted to reach through the screen and strangle. "I swear I put the Becker showing in the yellow binder and Mueller showcase in the purple." I explain for the umpteenth time since I picked up the call. I groan under my breath and run my hand through my hair in frustration. "Well, now I can't find either of those. How the fuck am I suppose to know what the reserve is for all the pieces of both artists?" My boss, Anika Marchland of Marchland Galleries explains through the phone and lets out and exasperated sigh. I roll my eyes, thankful that she couldn't see me. Only if she had actually read what I had spent hours writing and filing into those damn color co-ordinated binders then maybe she would have an idea. "I left  them on your desk. Have you asked Dexter if he's seen them?" I question as I grab onto my chin, deeply wondering who actually ran the whole gallery between Anika and I. I was her personal assistant, she was the gallery owner and host. I had gotten a job through my art professor last year and at the start it was pretty good. But then Anika started to depend on me more and more. I was in charge when she spontaneously left on what she deemed "self-care trips" to the Bahamas. I only stayed because it's been a dream of mine to own an art gallery and it payed extremely well. It was just hard balancing work that I was severely unqualified for and my studies. "No I haven't—Dexter!" I cringe and hold my phone from my ear at the very unpleasant shriek from my boss, "Where the fuck are those binders?" Poor Dexter, he's only been there for a week and I'm pretty sure his internship is coming to an end. I was once an intern at the very famous and successful gallery and I was apparently the only one who could handle Anika and her bullshit. I swear she enjoys it when I pull her up on shit she's done wrong. She's only two years older than I am yet I always feel like the more mature one. "Of course he knows where they are." Anika sighs as she returns to the phone call, "I'm firing him, Hayden. I've fucking had enough." "Nik, remember that we wait until they quit. The last thing an intern needs is getting fired after the first two weeks." I remind her as I fold my arms and glance over the ocean. The sun was setting and it was a gorgeous sight that was calming me only slightly during this tense phone call. "He ate my sandwich."