“Less corpsey, do you mean?”
I can’t help but laugh. The fact that she’s cracking jokes is a good sign, in my not-so-professional opinion. And the truth is, she does look less corpsey. There’s more of a light flush on her cheeks, more of a spark in her eyes.
“Slightly,” agrees Uri. “But I’d prefer you stay in bed until the corpseyness has reached zero.”
Polly wrinkles up her nose in a scowl. “I’m gonna go stark raving mad if I stay in there. A girl can only have—”
“Yes, yes, I heard the whole speech already,” Uri snaps irritably. He softens and says, “Fine, you can stay down here for a little while. Go hang out with Nikolai or Lev. But you—” He turns those scintillating baby blues on me. “—get your ass back upstairs and rest.”
“Come on, Lys,” Polly says to me with a conspiratorial wink as she comes and scoops my elbow in hers. “Let’s do as we’re told. Otherwise, your baby daddy might actually blow a fuse. That vein in his jaw is never a good thing.”
I have to suppress laughter as I throw Uri a wink and follow Polly upstairs. “I expect you back in our room in twenty minutes,” he yells out after us.
When we get to Polly’s room, I make myself comfortable on the window seat while she sprawls out on the floor with a huge stretch and yawn. “Sorry about Uri,” I say. “He’s been a little tightly wound since our last doctor’s appointment.”
“I can’t say I blame him. You really are a menace to your own health. He doesn’t even know you’ve been cleaning Lev’s room and fetching me snacks from the kitchen, does he?”
My eyes go wide. “You aren’t gonna tell him, are you?”
“Don’t worry. Your dirty little secret is safe with me.” She holds up a finger in warning. “But if you don’t start taking it easy, I may have to rat you out.”
I frown and flop back against the wall behind me. “You’re as bad as your brother.”
She smiles sympathetically. “I get where he’s coming from. And I’m inclined to agree. You need to put your feet up and let yourself be pampered.”
“Blech. I’d rather be waterboarded.”
Polly laughs. “I know you’re worried about me, Alyssa. But don’t be. I’m okay.” I raise my eyebrows and she nods emphatically. “Seriously. I’ve been doing better lately. I’m not gonna lie: some days are harder than others. But today’s a good one. I feel… optimistic." Her eyes land on my belly. “Mostly because I’m gonna be an aunt in a few months and I can’t wait. But in order for me to be an aunt, you need to give birth to two healthy babies. So…”
“I know, I know. Bed rest,” I mutter. “You really are as bad as your brother.”
She laughs. “And I don’t want him blaming me. So off you go.”
“You’re kicking me out of your room?”
“Just for the time being. We both know he’s in your bedroom right now, counting down the twenty-minute deadline he gave you one second at a time.”
“I’m surrounded by a bunch of neurotic crazies.”
Polly laughs. “Can’t argue with you there.”
I drop a kiss on her forehead and head down the hall to my bedroom. Sure enough, she was right. I walk in to find Uri standing by the window, waiting for me.
“Three minutes to spare,” he growls, glancing at his watch. “Not bad.”
I roll my eyes. “Polly forced me out of her room, thanks to you.”
“Smart girl.”
I pull off the wraparound dress I’m wearing and crawl under the covers, burrowing into my nest of soft sheets and blankets. When I glance up out of my cloud, he’s watching me with a strange look in his eye. “Want to join me in here?”
He pulls off his shirt and slips under the covers with me. I slide my hands over his rock-solid arms and abs while his hand lands on my belly.
“You know something I was thinking… you’re going to be a great mother,” he says gently.
“Thanks,” I say with a blush. “What makes you think so?”
“The way you look out for the two kids—Polly and Lev. You’re a mother already, whether you know it or not.”
I exhale slowly. “I always wanted to be a mother,” I admit. “I just didn’t think it would happen so early.”
“You regret it?”
I glance at him in surprise. “No,” I assure him emphatically. “Not at all. I just… I was scared when I realized I might be…”