"What are you doing?" When it came to the tall, spritely woman in front of him, Gabe always held a note of suspicion.

"God, have you never seen balloons and cake before? It's called a celebration, you Grinch," she said breezing past him into his own home. He didn't even bother asking her what they were celebrating, knowing the pair of them it could be anything.

At this point Lima practically lived there and he couldn't dissuade her from coming, she kept Natalia happy and entertained which was more than he was doing at the moment.

Everything he did seemed to annoy her, it was a mix of the old adage of "Familiarity breeds contempt," and "You knocked me up and caused all of this you brute," so he preferred to stay out of their way and focus on more productive things.

He had been on his way to check on the build out of their new house. Ty was still parked outside when he shut the door behind him, staring absently at the street ahead.

Gabe opened the door and let himself into the truck with a chuckle. For a highly trained Marine, Ty didn't even notice the intrusion into his truck; he was so lost in his thoughts.

Gabe grabbed him in a headlock surprising the taller man. Ty's instincts were still good; his lightning quick reaction was to exert force on the bone of Gabe's arm, seconds away from breaking it before Gabe announced himself.

"Fucker, it's me," Gabe said ducking from an elbow aimed into his throat with a laugh.

"Now why did you have to go and do that?" Ty, normally a good natured sport was fuming. He did not see the funny side at all.

"Man, you were gone. What were you thinking so deeply about?"

"Fuck you mean?" Ty grumbled defensively, rubbing the back of his head.

"What the fuck do I mean, huh?" Gabe parroted in a sarcastic drawl. "Shut up and drive me to my new house."

"And why can't you drive yourself?"

"What if the girls have an emergency and need the car?" He still hadn't gotten round to getting a new car for Nat. Since he was not planning to let her drive herself anywhere anytime soon it was a moot point, but there were still moments like these he had to account for.

"You know Lima drives like a bat out of the seventh circle of hell, right?" Ty said, his mood picking up at a memory.

"Even better. Why did Lima turn up with all them balloons and girly shit?" Gabe asked since they were on the subject of Lima.

"Yeah she's celebrating the 3 week in-aversary."

"Come again?" Gabe asked, he knew his baby was 7 months and 1 week along, he knew it as sure as he knew what day of the week it was, but he wasn't sure what Ty was talking about.

"The keep the baby in-aversary," Ty clarified in the same deadpan tone. His face froze when he had finished, comprehending what he had said and how ridiculous it sounded coming out of his mouth. Lima had ensnared him in her crazy schemes, and all 6'5 220 pounds of him went along with it willingly.

Gabe sniggered in full view of his frustrated friend.

"Fuck. I'm done."

Gabe patted him on the back. "What was it that you said about this particular situation? Take you out back and shoot you? Do you have a preference of what kind of bullet I use?"

"Shut up. I didn't make fun of you when you — "

"My woman is sane at least. How does it feel being down astronomically bad for a lunatic?"

"She's not a lunatic, she's just — different. That's all," Ty sniffed.

Gabe laughed again, the loud, straight from his stomach sound reverberating around the dense metallic cab of Ty's truck.

"How long are you going to be?"

"Don't worry Cinderella, I'll have you back at home with your Prince before you turn into a pumpkin."

Ty groaned again, flicking the radio on and ignoring Gabe's jibes as he drove them out onto the highway.

The house was coming along well, ahead of schedule even. Gabe had hired an interior designer to get started on the finishing touches. He knew that Natalia wanted to pick everything out but he had hired the flamboyant, Laurent to handle the heavy duty things, and he left Natalia to the fun of his credit card and their wifi connection. She could pick furniture to her heart's content or until she rinsed him dry of funds, whichever came first.

"Where to next, Captain?"

"Downtown."

"What for?"

"A curious little bird ain't you?"

Ty shot him a look at how evasive he was being but didn't say anything else. They drove in silence, the scenery might have changed but the silence between them was as comfortable as it has always been.

When they parked the truck and hopped out, it was almost time for Gabe's meeting.

"This is actually perfect, I can go see my accountant, meet you back here in 2?" Ty said.

"Don't tell me anymore I want to have plausible deniability about your money laundering activities."

Ty grinned, "I'm not laundering any money."

"Great, I'll tell the FBI that."

Tipping an imaginary hat in salute, the tall man bounded down the paved street in long strides. Gabe headed to the cafe. Natalia loved coming here, he made a note to pick her up a sweet treat before he left, maybe it would make her less hostile about being confined to a bed.

"Gabriel."

"Mom," he stood to greet his mother. "Any reason why we couldn't discuss this is at home?"

"You're always so suspicious, relax," his mother laughed breezily and she sounded suspiciously a lot like Natalia. They had been spending a lot of time together lately, it both pleased and scared him in equal measure. "You look tired, are you getting enough sleep?"

Gabe sighed as his mother ran her critical eyes over his face, she was taking in the dark bruising circles under his eyes and his pale pallor. "I'll sleep when this is over."

Elizabeth pursed her lips, as she ordered for both of them. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I've hired a doula."

"What in the hell is a doula?"

"Mind your language, Gabriel," his mother reminded him and in the same breath continued with, "A doula is a trained midwife who can help you and Natalia monitor her health, diet, advise you on the birth plan, whatever you both need she's here for you. We're meeting her here now, ah there she is..."

A tall older Black woman was approaching their table. Gabe pursed his lips and crossed his arms. He didn't like being ambushed, who did? He couldn't very well be impolite to this lady, his mother had raised him better than that. So he listened impassively if not a little defensively as his mother interviewed her.

She answered each question with skill and efficiency, two things Gabe valued in people that he worked with. As the interview went on, he couldn't help but think that a Doula was exactly what they needed. With someone else taking over the painful parts, offering professional and impartial advice he could focus on being a supportive partner instead of approaching this like it was an illness and project managing it like a disease.

It was a pregnancy, he wanted to enjoy this time with Natalia without being in an endless battle with her blood pressure. He was tired of being the bad cop while everyone else got to be a good cop. Like Lima, who got to show up with balloons and cake to celebrate the 3 week milestone of Natalia retaining her pregnancy. His baby was officially out of the danger zone and he hadn't even thought to mark the occasion. He was seething at himself and the situation.

His mother made eye contact with him across the table, when he nodded, she knew that he had come round to the idea and had offered the lady the job on the spot. When she left, Gabe asked her how much it was going to cost him.

"Nothing, the ridiculous alimony your father is paying me will be covering this."

"Mom — "

"I've missed so many of your milestones, this is the one thing I can contribute to, don't take that away from me."

"Okay," Gabe agreed. While the toxic masculine in him, loathed the idea of someone else paying for his family, the son in him saw this for what it was, an olive branch; and the budding father in him recognised that you would always feel responsible for the wellbeing and happiness of your offspring even if they were having their own.

Elizabeth had been making amends since she had left and divorced his dad, moved to Austin and throughout Natalia's pregnancy. Natalia adored her and was starting to see her as the mother figure she didn't have, they were becoming as thick as thieves. And he couldn't begrudge the two of them their growing relationship.

"Thank you for this Mom," he said again as he was leaving. He hoped his mother knew that he appreciated her help but it needed to have no strings attached. Their conditions did not work for him when he was younger and they wouldn't work now either, especially now when he had Natalia and their child to think about. He wouldn't hesitate to cut her off.

"I come in peace," he announced when he came home and went up the stairs to his and Natalia's bedroom. Lima had left with Ty, he was glad that she recognised his need for private time with Natalia for once, without her ever present presence.

Her eyes zeroed in on the package in his hand, as soon as he came in. "Please, please tell me there are chouxnuts from Annabell's in there."

"Mmm, that information is going to cost you."

"What will it cost me?" She eyed him with crossed arms and a raised brow.

"A kiss at least."

"Well that's all I can give you in this condition, it's going to have to suffice," she pouted so sternly that Gabe laughed out loud, the tension that had been building up in his shoulders all day releasing.

He handed over the sweet, glazed contraband and started removing the outside clothes he had been wearing before getting into bed with Natalia.

"Sorry, did you want some?" She asked, her cheeks rounder than a chipmunk's, most of the contents of the paper bag were stuffed into her mouth.

"No," Gabe laughed, settling into the pillow, and watching her with amusement.

"Oh man, that made my day," she moaned, licking the tips of her fingers.

"Lima didn't bring you any cake?"

Natalia glowered at the question. "She did but it was one of those vegan, no dairy, no sugar, raw, no fun and no taste cakes."

"I'm sorry, babe," Gabe consoled but he was pumping his fists on the inside. Lima: 0, Gabe. +10. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he was keeping score.

"And you? How was your day?" she turned her full attention onto him in a way that still gave him butterflies and made his knees weak. There was something extremely arresting about the full power of her chocolate brown gaze meeting his and the set of her pouty lips as she processed his words.

He started telling her about his day, including the doula — she didn't know what that was either, and they laughed about it. He felt lighter than he had in the past 3 weeks. They were going to get past this. They were going to be okay.

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Sorry that I was a little MIA guys, my sincere apologies. Thank you for bearing with  me. Nee readers welcome, I hope you're all enjoying the ride. Leave me y'alls comments and opinions, they make my day!