Pregnant?

- You can already hear the baby's heartbeat," Cole continues. Gabrielo, sorry, but could you call my assistant and have her fill you in on the paperwork, please?Gabrielo leaves the room quickly and Cole regains his seriousness.

- What are you going to do now?

- Keep this child. We were planning this anyway. Who would have thought it would happen so soon? I say, dropping onto the bed.

- It's usually a fluke. I can't believe this is how our first meeting happened. How does our mom-to-be feel?

- Surprised. I think I'm starting to freak out too.

- You're going to be fine. I'm sure it will. You tell Gab to invite me to dinner to celebrate. I want to be the godfather!

- No problem," I say, laughing.

Cole waves me off and walks out of the room. I lie on the bed still lost in thought. A child. Will I be a good mother? Am I ready to be a mother at all? Gabrielo interrupts my train of thought by entering the room.

- How are you feeling?

- Much better now that I've slept. What are we going to do?

- The question is what do you want to do? Gabrielo stresses as he sits down. Do you want to have this baby?

- That's not even a question. I'm keeping my baby.

- Then that's what we'll do," he smiles. We're going to get ready for this baby. What do you want to do now?

- How about dinner? I haven't eaten anything since we left.

- I already called the chef. He just finished dinner. Let's go.

We go down to dinner. After we finally finish dinner we go back up to the room to sleep. Gabrielo has just finished his shower and comes out with a towel around his waist.

- Alma, why don't you stop-

- No," I interrupted her categorically.

- I haven't even finished my sentence," he complains.

- I won't stop working until I have to.

- Alma, be realistic. You're not going to make it through the workload you have. Not to mention the all-nighters you pull before each deadline.

- I can take care of myself. I'll manage somehow. Just trust me.

- Alma, please," Gabo begs with his puppy eyes. I don't want to pick up your pieces.

- No," I answered hesitantly. Stop with the look. I won't stop, end of story. I have a big project I've been working on for six months. I can't quit now. Not after all the work I've put in.

- I'm not talking about resigning. We'll talk about it later," he huffs.

Gabrielo climbs onto the bed and takes me in his arms. Ah. He must be pouting again. Every time it happens, he reacts the same way. He holds me tightly without saying anything until he falls asleep. Silence is golden, as they say. Except that if it goes on like this, we'll both be sulking.

- Gabo?

No answer. Well, at worst I would have tried to make peace.

- Gabrielo, listen to me. I know you're not sleeping. Let me work. I'm fine.

- I'm just worried. Put yourself in my shoes. I see you running back and forth without a break all week. Not to mention the fact that you're running in stilettos and every time you do I feel like you're going to trip.

- Do I look that unstable in my shoes?

- No, but the point is. Take care of yourself.

- You always worry too much, I've told you that before. Go to sleep," I said, yawning.

- It's true that you have a bit of a belly now," Gabrielo whispers, feeling my stomach. I could sleep on it.

- No, you can' t. I've been working out every day. I worked out every day in India.

- It doesn't change the fact that you've gained a belly. I'm sure it's all the food you ate.

- You think? But we ate the same things and you kept your abs," I said, looking at him.

- We ate the same things, but not the same amounts. I warned you. You'd end up regretting it if you acted like a glutton.

He's touching my sensitivity.

- I swear, if you go on like this, you'll be sleeping on the sofa," I threatened, turning around.

_________

Did I mention that I hate Monday mornings? If you didn't, you do now.

- Rise and shine, Lady Worker. It's time to get up.

The blanket over my body disappears and I feel a cold breeze along my body. I shiver without moving. I curl up in a ball hoping for some warmth.

- I'm cold, Gabo, stop.

- It's already 8:34 a.m.," he begins as I stand up abruptly.

- Why didn't you wake me up?

- Easy, I've been trying to wake you up for an hour. I thought you weren't going to work today at this point.

- No, I am. It's just that I've been sleeping so much lately with tiredness. Are you going?

- Yeah, it's about time. I've got an important meeting. I'll see you later," he says, kissing my forehead. Take care of yourself. The driver will be here in half an hour to take you home.

I answer him distractedly, still asleep. He lets me go and leaves for work. It's a good thing I start at 10. It's time to get ready. I take a quick shower to wake up and quickly head to the wardrobe. I see my reflection in a mirror and start to inspect myself.

It's true that I've put on weight. I run my hand over my belly and lightly caress it. I am pregnant. I still can't believe it.

Anyway, I really need to get dressed. What am I going to wear today? I really hate that moment before I go out when I can't decide what to wear.

My stilettos are winking at me from the back of the room. I might not wear them for a while. I might as well enjoy them. Even if it's just for today. I'd better hurry before I'm late.

I'm on my way downstairs when the housekeeper - Gabrielo has decided to take over the one from his childhood home to 'make my life easier' - stops me on my way.

- You should eat something before you leave, madam.

- Call me Alma and stop being so formal," I say, smiling. Treat me like Gabrielo.

- Very good, Alma. Now let's eat. Gabrielo took care to ask the chef to prepare breakfast for you. He also told me not to let you go out on an empty stomach.

Gabrielo and his instructions... I go into the dining room and have a cup of tea before going out. When I get to the office, Jayna is already waiting for me to start.

- How was the honeymoon?

- Unforgettable. I tried everything I could get my hands on," I reply, sitting down at my desk. So, what are the appointments?

- From 2 to 6 p.m., near the rose garden. For now, there are some alterations to be made. We have to leave in ten minutes.

- We're still doing that? I thought we were done with this, I sighed.

- The bride doesn't fit into the dress and the ceremony starts in an hour. We have to hurry to the ceremony site.

- Let's go. Bring a corset with you. We may not be able to do all the touch-ups.

That's why I'm asking brides to watch their weight gain. Oh, dear. I hate these things. We hurriedly got into the car and drove off. The bride is already waiting for us in her room.

- Thank God you're here in time!

- Put the dress on so I can see what the problem is," I ordered, opening my briefcase.

The bride put on the dress and I watched her do it in silence. My goodness, that's more than a few grams she's gained. She's definitely gained three centimetres around her waist. I ask Jayna to get the corset out so the bride can put it on.

I zip up the dress, keeping my fingers crossed. I've made a few small alterations and the corset should make things easier. Bingo! The dress zips up without a problem. The bride thanks us and we head back to the office.

- It's already time for lunch," says Jayna. Let's go and eat outside.

- No problem, let's go. I'm starving.We stop at a restaurant near the company to eat. Our orders soon arrive and we can finally eat.

- Alma, when are you going to hold a wedding ceremony and introduce us to your husband?

- Not anytime soon. I have to attend my sister's wedding in a few weeks. I'll have to go away for a while again.

- I feel sorry for you. Your sister is really not a gift.

- I know," I sighed, "but I don't have that much choice.

I feel dizzy and close my eyes, taking a deep breath. The fatigue is starting to kick in. I knew I should have slept some more.

- Are you OK? Jayna worries.

- I'm fine," I smiled, pinching the bridge of my nose. Just a bit tired from being back at work. We'd better get going, don't you think?

- Yes, we should. Let's go before it's too late.

My phone rings, Gabrielo's name pops up. I get into the passenger seat and try to answer it. My phone slips out of my hand and I feel the fatigue take over.