Chapter 147 Chapter 147
"I hate feeling like this," she admitted softly. I brushed the tears from her cheek.
"You're growing our child," I said quietly, "chaos comes with that."
She relaxed slightly against me, and I realized something important watching family move seamlessly around her without judgment or impatience; nobody treated her emotions as an inconvenience. Protection didn't always look like violence or control; sometimes it meant adjusting the world gently until the person you loved felt safe inside it.
Later that night, after she finally slept, I remained awake beside her, listening to steady breathing, watching peaceful exhaustion replace earlier distress. Stronger heartbeat, steady growth, and less fear, and even though she cried over endings, flowers, food, and reasons neither of us understood, every tear still meant she was here. Alive, safe, and ours. I would manage tears over blood every day if it meant keeping her and our child exactly where they belonged.
Month Six
Zaiel
Month six felt unreal compared to where we started because for the first time since the pregnancy began, I wasn't waking every morning expecting fear waiting beside me. Tessa moved easier now, her energy returned in bursts, laughter replaced tears more often than not, and the house finally sounded alive instead of careful.
That didn't mean peace lasted long because her crazy cravings started, real ones, unpredictable ones, dangerous ones. It began at two in the morning when she shook my shoulder urgently.
"Zaiel, wake up," she said, and I sat upright instantly, already alert.
"What happened?"
"I need mango," she said seriously.
Relief hit first before confusion followed. "Mango?" I asked.
"With salt," she added. I checked the time; it was two fourteen.
"The kitchen has fruit," I said, and she shook her head stubbornly.
"No, not that mango, the street vendor one," she said.
There was exactly one vendor, she meant located nearly forty minutes away. I stared at her, and she stared back, completely serious. Five minutes later I was dressed.
By morning everyone knew because nothing stayed private in this house, and Damon nearly laughed himself unconscious hearing the story while Tessa defended her decision passionately from the sofa.
"It tasted different," she said. Mom only smiled knowingly while sipping tea, like this confirmed expectations she already had.
The doctor appointment arrived later that week, and I insisted on attending personally despite rescheduling half my calendar. Tessa sat beside me relaxed, while Mom joined us quietly, her presence calming without being overwhelming, which helped more than she probably realized.
The ultrasound technician smiled gently while moving the wand across Tessa's stomach, and I watched the monitor intensely, like reading classified intelligence. Movement filled the screen, strong, active, and alive.
My hand tightened around Tessa's fingers automatically, then the technician paused, smiling wider, before glancing toward Mom.
"Would you like to know?" she asked softly.
Tessa squeezed my hand. "We want the reveal," she said.
Mom stepped closer, and the technician leaned toward her, whispering quietly, and I watched my mother's expression change instantly, warmth flooding her face, eyes softening in a way I rarely saw. She looked at us both afterward, perfectly composed.
"I know," she said simply.
Tessa beamed, excited, already imagining the celebration, while curiosity burned steadily in my chest. A week later, preparations consumed the entire family; apparently, gender reveals in the Rhyland family involved full coordination.
Decorations arrived, lighting installations followed, security adjusted guest access, and the outdoor garden transformed overnight. Arthur supervised half of it personally, refusing to remain uninvolved, directing staff while arguing mildly with Anthony about placement like they had done this together for years.
"She needs shade here," Arthur insisted. Dad nodded thoughtfully, "Agreed," he said. Watching them work together settled something inside me because Tessa's father never stood outside our world anymore; he belonged here, fully just as fiercely protective as anyone else.
Meanwhile, her cravings escalated. Pickles dipped in chocolate became a reality; ice cream paired with spicy sauce followed. At one point she demanded noodles prepared exactly like a small restaurant across the city, and Carlo drove personally after she nearly cried describing it. Nobody questioned anything anymore.
The day of the reveal arrived warm and calm, family gathering across the garden while laughter replaced tension entirely, cousins filled the space, uncles debated business casually, Shea and Michelle adjusted decorations repeatedly while Damon handled music badly.
Tessa stood beside me, glowing in a way that stole breath from my lungs every time I looked at her, our child growing safely, her smile steady. Arthur joined us, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.
"You okay, kiddo?" he asked, and she nodded happily.
"Perfect," she said.
Mom approached holding the sealed envelope earlier replaced by preparation instructions, satisfaction clear in her expression knowing something none of us did; everyone gathered slowly, and anticipation built. Tessa squeezed my hand nervously. "What if it's a boy?" she whispered.
"Then it's ours," I answered simply.
The countdown began.
Three
Two
One
Color exploded upward, filling the air above us in soft drifting clouds.
Pink
Cheers erupted instantly around us, but sound faded beneath sudden realization settling deep in my chest. A daughter. My gaze dropped to Tessa, who was already crying with laughter while gripping my hand tightly.
"A girl," she whispered.
I pulled her carefully into my arms, overwhelmed by something unfamiliar yet undeniable; protectiveness multiplied instantly, and the world suddenly felt far more dangerous and far more precious.
Family surrounded us, celebrating loudly. Arthur wiped his eyes discreetly, pretending dust caused it; Mom watched quietly, emotional; Anthony clapped my shoulder firmly, but all I saw was Tessa and the future standing beside her. My daughter, god help anyone who ever threatened either of them.
Tessa
Finding out we were having a girl changed something inside me so completely that the world felt lighter the moment the pink smoke faded into the sky, like my body finally relaxed after months spent waiting for something terrible to happen, fear slowly replaced by excitement. I didn't even realize I had been holding back.
I kept replaying the moment in my head long after everyone stopped celebrating: the cheers, Alina smiling like she already loved her granddaughter before meeting her, Dad hugging me so tightly I laughed while telling him to be careful, and Zaiel standing beside me looking stunned in a way I had never seen before because nothing shook him easily, but the idea of a daughter clearly did.
That night I couldn't sleep, not from fear but from too much energy. I lay awake imagining tiny dresses, soft blankets, and small hands gripping my fingers, wondering if she would look like him or me, wondering what kind of personality she would have, and whether she would inherit Zaiel's stubborn intensity or my tendency to overthink everything. The baby moved constantly, like she sensed the excitement too, and instead of panic, the movement made me smile.