KIMBERLY

burnt to you?" I asked Jace, looking down at the freshly-baked buns I pulled out of the oven.

They looked fine on top, but the smell coming out of them was every indication otherwise.

Jace looked over from the salad he was preparing with a confused look on his face. "They smell burnt."

"Jackass, that's why I'm asking," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "The smell is making me nauseous."

He narrowed his eyes at me and made his way over.

It was nice to know that after a little over a year of being married, we still annoyed the shit out of each other. For our one year anniversary, Jace and I decided to take a well-overdue honeymoon to Bali, enjoying three weeks of endless sex and exploring the island and local food.

We spent the months before that swamped with work, so it was nice to take a vacation with just the two of us.

But, after we got back, I realized that we never had an official housewarming dinner after getting married, hence us making food for everyone who was coming in a few hours.

So far, Rina was already with us for the weekend. Besides Dar, who was relinquished of his duties as my bodyguard and already had another assignment with the security company that hired him, everyone else was coming.

Ash and Lia were stronger than ever, her accepting the promise ring in Japan and him getting the scare of his life when I decorated his apartment clown-themed for his birthday when he got back.

Gigi was excited to start her internship in January, after graduating from law school this past summer. Even though her being in Valdonia would leave a void in our hearts, we were still optimistic about visiting each other at every moment.

Van and Vivi were also content with their relationship, taking things slow and balancing each other out. I couldn't describe how happy it made me to see my best-friend so in love. She was still the rigid Vivi I knew and loved, but Savannah made her brighter.

Emre was back in New York for the foreseeable future, flirting relentlessly with my cousin. Addison did her best to brush him off, but I caught her lacking, smiling when she thought no one else was looking.

Audrey, Azariah, and Caiden all graduated—it was really a summer of graduations—from Bellevue Academy and were off to college. They were all staying in New York. Audrey going to NYU for dance and psychology, Aza going to FIT for fashion design, and Caiden pursuing a pre-med path at Columbia like Lia.

What can I say? Wanting to leave New York was difficult.

Ana and Audrey were the only ones with no semblance of a relationship, the former thinking men were disgusting despite being attracted to them and the latter getting rejected by Caiden.

The two were still really good friends, but I knew my baby cousin was hurting.

And thinking about her being upset made me really upset.

God, I've been so emotional lately.

The look of hesitation on Jace's face wasn't making it any better as he used a spatula to lift one of the buns up.

I can't believe it.

The entire bottom was burnt.

I could already feel the tears coming. "Why can't I make anything?"

"Honey, it's okay," Rina comforted from her spot. "Why don't you come sit here with me?"

Great. Even my mother-in-law didn't want me in the kitchen. Still, I went over to her, pouting as I wrapped my arms around her waist, letting her rub my back comfortingly.

"I mess everything up," I cried into her shoulder.

"There, there," she soothed. "You didn't mess everything up."

"Yeah," Jace called out, cutting the burnt bottoms of the buns. "Babe, look at these shrimp skewers. That's all you."

"Don't lie to me, heathen," I wept dramatically. "All I did was assemble while you cooked."

"Well, if we don't want to poison anyone, it's preferable that I cook them," he mumbled, throwing the burnt bits away.

Rina yelled at her son as I cried louder.

Within a few seconds, Jace dropped what he was doing, came over to me, and pulled me off his mom and onto the counter. "Don't cry, Venus. You look like a blowfish when you do."

I choked out a laugh. "Jackass."

"It worked. You stopped crying," he reasoned, wiping the tears away. "But remember my vows..."

I nodded sadly. "I know. I know. I just wanted to cook for my family." I sighed when he gave me a pointed look, "I guess I kinda want them to live more."

"Good girl," he responded, patting my head. "Do you want to set the table?"

"Do you want to set the table?" I mocked before looking down sheepishly. "I'll go set the table."

I stuck my middle finger in his direction when he was turned away, causing Rina to snort and shake her head.

I still love him anyway.

♕♕♕

"Kimberly," Jace called out from the bottom of the steps. "Are you ready yet?"

I got up from the floor of the bathroom and scrambled over to the mirror. "Yeah, just a second."

I was in the middle of reapplying my lipstick when my phone buzzed with a text message.

: Hello Mrs. Astor-Kingston! This is Dr. Nigam. I hope you don't mind my unprofessionalism, but I just saw the test results and knew I had to contact you right away. Congratulations! I wish you and Mr. Kingston the best on this upcoming journey!

The wave of nausea hit me again when she sent me the results from my appointment earlier today.

Holy shit... I can't believe it.

Now in a complete one-eighty from just a few hours ago, I was overcome with a deep sense of happiness.

Holy shit.

With a giddy smile on my face, I made my way downstairs, smiling even wider when I saw my husband.

He looked confused by the sudden joy on my face but smiled at me nonetheless. The happiness was cut by shock when I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed the living daylights out of him, not caring that our family had the perfect view.

"Is everything okay?" he asked when I pulled back. I nodded wordlessly. "Your mood swings are something else."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the table where everyone was already seated, chorusing me with greetings.

With Lia's being a compliment, it was the first one I listened to. "Kim, you look great!"

I bowed dramatically before taking a seat. "I know. It's a wonder someone like me exists and people can stare directly at me without burning up."

"A simple 'thank you' would've suffice," Audrey laughed from across the table.

I winked at her. "And where's the fun in that?"

"The fun is hearing you talk as little as possible," Ashton muttered, still not over the clown-cident.

I stuck my tongue out at him, which he responded to with the same action.

"Kids," Mom and Aunt Lucy warned at the same time, while Dad and Uncle Eli just shook their heads.

Alex, being the softy he is, just smiled at the two of us adoringly.

Regardless, we stopped sticking our tongues out at each other as the dinner table started bustling with conversation and people passing food around.

The last time all of us were together like this was the kids' graduation party, so it was nice to catch up about everything.

Mom, Gigi, Vivi, and Van were asking about my time in Indonesia, while Ana, Jace, and Lia were discussing everything that Jace cooked.

"I can't take all the credit," Jace muttered shyly. He's so cute. "Kimberly made the buns and helped out with the skewers."

Immediately, Addison, Dad, and Ash dropped the skewers they were holding up to their mouths while Audrey, Aza, and Caiden continued to chew on the buns slowly, conflicted over whether to spit it out or swallow it.

Assholes.

The only one who kept eating was Emre, who called out, "K, these are amazing!"

I would've taken that as a complement if Jace hadn't told me about the time Emre dipped pickles into peanut butter and wholly enjoyed it.

I crossed my arms, leaning back in the chair. "Y'all are so mean. The skewers are edible; Jace cooked them"—the offenders started eating them again—"and don't worry about the buns. Jace scraped the burnt bits off."

The three teens looked relieved as they kept chewing, Caiden having the audacity to give me a thumbs up.

"Damn," Ash mumbled, turning to Jace. "I can't believe you have to deal with those mood swings."

I got ready to throw a bun at him when Rina pried it out of my hands, keeping my cousin safe temporarily.

♕♕♕

We were all settled in the living room when another spout of nausea hit me, taking my head with it.

"Is everything okay?" Ash asked, pouring me a glass of water that I accepted.

I nodded, taking a sip. "Yep, just a little nausea."

The smile as I said the last word escaped without me even realizing it, leading to suspecting glances from the moms and Lia.

"Is it the... sobriety?" Despite being proud of me, everyone was still a tad-bit on edge when talking about my sobriety. I have been sober for about ten months now, but it was still a daily struggle.

When you spend most of the last decade of your life addicted to something, it takes a toll on how well you were able to let it go.

Therapy was helping, and becoming more public about my struggles allowed me to bring attention to a topic that is overlooked and filled with judgment. Becoming addicted wasn't something I strived for, it just happened.

Regardless, I was healthy. Something I once took for granted.

"Nope," I answered. "It's been ten months, and I'm feeling pretty good."

"That's great, Kimmy," Alex replied. "I'm proud of you."

Everyone called out similar sentiments, sharing equally warm smiles and I knew it was time for me to say it.

Jace was sitting next to me, eating the chocolate cake Rina made, unsuspecting about what I was about to announce.

Everyone else, besides the few people who gave me suspecting glances earlier, were equally as clueless.

I couldn't imagine not giving this news without being surrounded by everyone I loved.

"Thank you," I cleared my throat. "It's been hard, but I have a new motivation for the next nine months."

Silence.

A deep silence with underlying notes of happiness and excitement filled the rooms.

Jaws dropped and cutlery chimed against the porcelain plates as everyone held their breaths, waiting for Jace's reaction.

Speaking of my husband, his jaw remained slacked as his hand stilled in the air, holding a forkful of cake. His eyes shot to mine, unspoken words twinkling behind them.

"I love the confidence, Kim. But that's an oddly specific number of months," Ashton called out mindlessly, only to gasp right afterwards. Camelia slapped her hand over his mouth, waiting for Jace to reply before even thinking about releasing him.

"What?" Jace's voice came out as a whisper as he put the plate down at the table and looked down at my belly before meeting my eyes. "Venus, are you serious?"

I nodded rapidly, yelping as he got up, taking me with him into a tight hug. Jace spun me around, holding onto me like I was the only thing grounding him in reality. He put me down, before getting on his knees and kissing my belly.

Even in a room filled with people, the intimate moment between our little family was enough to make me forget all about them.

Their cheers and congratulations were all drowned out by the man currently on his knees before me.

"I love you," Jace said before looking down at my belly and kissing it again. "I love you too."

"I knew it," Camelia called out, finally releasing Ash's wide-open mouth. "It was so obvious from the way you were glowing and the mood swings."

"Exactly," Rina replied, still hugging Mom. "I figured it out the second I heard you throwing up this morning."

Mom released Rina from her hug and walked over to me, placing a kiss on my forehead. "I'm so happy for you, chiquitita."

I smiled, pulling her in for one too. "Thank you, Mama."

Dad was looking at the two of us adoringly before his wide eyes set in and he took a seat. "I'm going to be a grandfather. Holy shit," he said in disbelief, his reaction proving that I am for sure his daughter.

Mom laughed and walked over to him. "Don't worry, oldie. I'll still love you when you're all wrinkly and gray-haired."

Dad pulled Mom onto his lap and kissed her, earning a groan from all of us.

Disgusting.

"Oh my god," Ash exclaimed. "I'm going to be an uncle."

"Forget about you," Gigi gushed. "We're gonna be aunts! I'm so excited. I wanna cry. Stasi! We're going to be aunts!"

Ana smiled at her sister who was jumping up and down. "I know, Nessa. That's what happens when your brother has a kid. You turn into an aunt."

Her nonchalantly sarcastic delivery was met by Gigi slapping her arm in excitement, not caring that her sister was making fun of her.

Vivi and Van came up to us, the former hugging me and the latter hugging Jace.

"Who knows what you're unleashing into this world?" Vivi teased, smiling at me while slightly tearing up. "I'm proud of you, babe. Look at you... You're happy and you're about to become a mother. Younger Kim would also be proud."

I teared up, the burning sensation in my nose. "God, I'm gonna be a mom. Thank God I have the next nine months to prepare. I swear if I get a mini-me, I'm running for the hills."

Audrey and Addison came up to us during our heartfelt conversation.

"I think we could benefit from another you," Addison said, a slight smile as she hugged me. "Just slightly more... Jace-like."

I rolled my eyes, returning her hug and turning to Audrey. "What do you think, kid? Am I ready?"

I loved everyone in my family equally, but the bond I had with Audrey was unique. The younger girl beamed at me. "I think you did a great job with me. You're bound to be an amazing mother, K. It's just who you are."

The tears fell harder as I wrapped her into a tight hug. "I love you."

"I love you too," she soothed, patting my back and reversing the roles from when she was younger.

I was quickly pulled out from her arms and lifted into the air. "I can't believe you let him put a baby in you, sexy."

Jace snapped at Emre. "You're right. Our baby is in her, so don't go lifting my wife up."

I laughed as Emre put me down, ruffling my hair. "Good luck being stuck with that grouch. If you or the little gremlin ever need Uncle Emre, you know where to find me."

Just when I thought the craziness was over, Ashton called out from across the room. "Kim, you know you love me. So, I think it's absolutely necessary that you name the baby after your favorite cousin. The gender? Doesn't matter. Ashe, Asher, Ashwin, Ashford, Ashley... These are all good candidates," he announced proudly, Lia shaking her head from next to him.

Jace snaked his arms around me from behind, placing one on my belly as he leaned his head down and kissed my collarbone.

"We're never naming our baby that, right?" he whispered against my skin.

"Absolutely the fuck not."

***

i literally can't stop crying. i swear i'm not pregnant, but damn. this shit be hitting me in the feels.

i have a love-hate relationship with this chapter. love because it's cute, hate because i feel like i could've done a better job writing it.

regardless, i'm happy.

love, zia.