Fall ❈ Benny Rodriguez

xxv. day is gone

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE!
DAY IS GONE　NOAH GUNDERSON & THE FOREST RANGERS

　

　

"THIS IS AWKWARD," I said, trying to keep the smile on my mouth believable.

　"Nonsense!" Luke angled his cell phone, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. "Wait, Kayla—fix your face. You look constipated."

　With a gasp, my jaw dropped; Benny, who had gotten to his knees quite awkwardly and placed gentle hands on my stomach, also lost his position. He almost keeled over laughing. This "photoshoot" was quickly turning into a disaster.

　"This is so stupid," I grumbled, jerking my shirt back over my stomach. "Liz, this is all your fault!"

　Moments later, Elizabeth popped her head out of my bathroom; her hair was still damp from the shower she had taken, combed and falling neatly over her bare shoulders. A grin spread like fire to gas across her face, as though she had been listening to the event unfolding in my bedroom.

　"Shut up," Liz said, "you love it."

　"No, I don't! Maternity pictures are cute until I'm the one having them taken." The hard complaint was evident in my voice. "Okay, I'm not cut out for this—taking pictures and stuff. I don't even take selfies anymore! Please, let's just stop this—my stomach isn't huge, so it's not that special—"

　"Quit complaining and smile," Luke said, once again raising his phone. "Let's get at least one good picture, and then we can go find out if my nephew is a boy or a girl."

　Despite my aggravation, Luke's comment pulled a laugh from my lips. He was an expert at that, sometimes.

　"Fine," I groaned, the elongated word tainted by my smile. "Asshole."

　Benny, surprisingly without complaint, pushed my shirt up over my stomach. It was definitely noticeable now; if I didn't wear only hoodies and sweaters to school, probably everyone would have already guessed it. And my breasts were definitely larger, which was extremely unfortunate, considering they were difficult enough to live with before.

　His fingers were light on my stomach, caring and thoughtful. Benny and I were posing, yes, trying to follow Liz's vision for the pictures she so desperately wished for. But he was sincere in the way he touched my skin, the only barrier between him and his child. There was joy and love in his every movement, anticipation and complete acceptance.

　Looking at the camera, for me, had been the awkward part. But no one was objecting now that I stared down at Benny, probably with my heart in my eyes. In those moments, I nearly forgot that anyone else was in the room, for I was too busy admiring the way Benny's lips curled helplessly into a smile, the way his eyes, fringed with dark lashes, flickered along the curve of my stomach, as if he could see behind it. Could see the baby inside.

　The sound of Luke snapping the photo jolted me, but only momentarily. The noise continued, an incessant clicking. Luke captured the moment I whipped to look at him, and when I started to laugh, and when Benny looked up at me and I met his gaze and we were both laughing, pure and filled to the brim with affection.

　"All right." Luke pressed the power button on his phone and slipped it into his pocket with a flourish. "I think we have what we needed."