i think i'm kinda you know...pregnant

sure as every year comes to an end

after the initial shock of lynne's surprise visit wore off, ricky and nini were admittedly grateful to have the older woman around for the time being. overall, lynne reacted rather well to their endless supply of surprises, ricky couldn't be happier. it had been months since ricky or nini had seen their parents since their relocation. despite the couple's lack of preparedness for lynne's arrival, she managed to give them major tips and advice for their unborn daughter's appearance earth side.

bright and early, lynne returned from her hotel, back to the couple's apartment to see the unfinished nursery for the very first time. with ricky's hectic new work schedule, all they managed to do was paint the room a pale lavender color and purchase a butterfly mobile for their baby. nini did yearn to purchase the crib and other necessities; but, ricky was against nini doing any heavy lifting throughout her pregnancy.

lynne's eyes widened at the sight of the empty nursery, the baby was due in two months. quickly, lynne began listing different furniture and necessities for the nursery. nini took in the information being provided while ricky became overwhelmed by their lack of preparation. lynne noticed the the worried expression on her son's face, "the baby shower will provide the baby with most of her necessities. as her grandmother i would love to buy her crib. will the baby shower be in salt lake or los angeles?"

of course nini would have a baby shower thrown for her and lyric. ricky was unsure how nini's baby shower had completely slipped his mind. los angeles seemed like the most logical location to ricky, it was their new home and safer in case of emergencies. before ricky could express his rather valid concerns, nini answered the opposite of what he was thinking. "salt lake for sure, it would be the easiest on everyone else. gifts would have to be mailed from salt lake to our apartment."

"why not los angeles? are you comfortable flying on a plane farther into your pregnancy?" ricky tried to remain calm, cool, and collected while he felt immense worry. he rubbed her bump, feeling the baby kick a few times, making his heart swell. it felt like it was just them in the room, lynne was busy looking up nursery ideas on her cell phone, giving the couple some privacy to discuss the matter at hand. nini missed salt lake along with her family and friends, having the baby shower in utah would allow them one last visit before becoming parents.

nini gently rested her hand on her aching lower back, the other rubbing her bump. "bubs, salt lake isn't that long of a flight... it's an hour tops and on the bright side i'm allowed to fly until i'm thirty six weeks into my pregnancy." nini's optimistic smile did lift his spirits a bit, but he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the idea still. "we get to visit our childhood home one last time before becoming parents, that's a celebration in itself. i'm proud of how far we've come."

ricky's heart warmed at his wife's thoughts and kind gesture regarding their childhood romance, it had always been the two of them since they were five years old. there were many ups and downs for the couple, but they managed to make it together, expanding their love and family, adding a baby girl. ricky couldn't imagine life without nini in it, she was truly his soulmate as he is to nini. "i just love you both, so much my two bowen girls, i don't know what i would do if something happened while we were in salt lake." ricky felt relieved expressing his concerns and worries.

nini was well, nini, about the entire situation. she listened to his feelings and made him feel validated while easing his concerns with propositions that worked for the both of them. "i love you, i love how protective you are of us." nini nuzzled her bump against his flat stomach, "if there is any sign of dilation or contractions– anything remotely labor related, we will change the location to los angeles. deal?"

ricky happily obliged with nini's offer, it satisfied both of their wants while easing his mind. the rest of the evening was spent shopping and bonding over the newest addition to their family.

♫

a few weeks had passed since lynne's visit to california, the couple was actually saddened to see the older woman go when her trip was over. ricky's mother truly helped them prepare for parenthood and made them realize how serious they had become. after many pep talks and advice sessions, ricky went to work on the nursery. he began building the major furniture pieces for the nursery while waiting for the rest of the deliveries to arrive.

every day ricky would check the mail awaiting different baby necessities, he did not expect to find a package from his mother addressed to him. quizzically he grabbed the box taking a look before opening it up, he saw his nana's wedding ring dazzling brightly in a velvet box. with shaky hands, ricky pulled out his cell phone to call his mother, not caring it wasn't their usual call day.

"hello?" lynne's bright and cheery voice spoke aloud, making tears brim in ricky's eyes. despite his mother offering the ring to him, ricky truly did not expect to see the round diamond ring in his possession. glancing down admiringly at the ring, ricky sniffed slightly, unable to contain his excitement and love. "you didn't have to do this mom, thank you." ricky's voice cracked slightly as he tried to regain his composure, "i love you."

lynne's sniffles could be heard from the other line, "i love you so much and i love nina, she deserves a beautiful ring, she's amazing and giving me my grandbaby! send me pictures of her with the ring. i can't wait to see it on her." ricky happily promised his mom that he would honor her requests, especially now that he was no longer spending a large sum of money on a ring. he nearly tripped on every step on the way back up to the apartment. he couldn't wait to rightfully put this ring on his wife's finger.

♫

unrelated to the story but i have secretly been itching to write something petermj related or another rini story!! should i do it?