Eleven

Chapter Twenty-Four: Susan Stranglehands

"It's okay, North," I assured him, wincing at Gabriel's very direct approach as I fought back another yawn. "Just do what he says."

North gaped at me before shaking his head. "I'm not going to take your shirt off. Gabe, why do you have a camera? What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Here, I got it." Silas sat up on my other side, reaching out and gripping the hem of my sleep shirt. "Arms up, aggele."

I easily complied, reaching my arms up as Silas pulled the shirt around my growing baby bump and over my breasts before it slipped off completely. While this left me in my underwear, it wasn't like they'd never seen that before.

Gabriel was beaming, and he tugged pointedly on my ankle until I slid down the bed and fell back against my pillow.

I snorted as he climbed onto the bed, a smile taking over my face at his enthusiasm until my eyes fell on North's slack face gaping at us. One that was quickly reddening as he took in Gabriel's camera.

I offered a reassuring smile, pointing at my growing stomach. "It's okay, North. Gabriel is taking pictures of the baby bump growing."

"And he needs you naked to do that?" North bit out through clenched teeth, snarling at the grinning boy swinging a leg over me until he was straddling my thighs.

"Not naked, although that's still on the table as far as I'm concerned. Relax, man. This is just for our family, and it's all very tasteful," Gabriel explained, brushing the North's anger off as he rearranged my hair on the pillow. Silas reached out too, caressing the backs of his fingers over my cheek before booping my nose. I scrunched my nose back at him before blowing a kiss.

"I can't witness this shit." North grunted before his weight left the bed. I watched his broad back disappear out the door.

"Smile, Trouble!" Gabriel pulled my attention back as I rolled my eyes, and I looked up at the camera lense with a smile stretching my cheeks almost painfully. "Seventeen weeks. Can you believe it?"

"Nope," Silas answered bluntly, giving my chest an appreciative look from where he lay beside me.

Such a boobs guy.

"It's going by so fast," I agreed with Gabriel, cupping a hand over my growing baby bump as I looked down at it. "Dr. White said the fetus is about the size of a pomegranate now."

"A pomegranate?" Gabriel echoed unsurely, followed by the sharp click of the camera he hid behind. "I read somewhere that it's the size of an onion now. Or a taco."

"Stop it, you're making me hungry." Silas grunted beside me. "Why do we always compare the baby to food? Why not just say it's the size of a baseball? I'm tired of getting hungry whenever we talk about it growing."

Gabriel snorted a laugh as I stifled my own giggle, looking up at Silas's pinched frown.

"Sorry," I murmured through my smile and leaned up to press my lips against his downturned ones.

Silas's hand covered mine over my stomach, and the click of Gabriel's camera interrupted our chaste kiss before I backed off and snuggled against Silas's chest.

"That was a great shot," Gabriel announced, giving my thigh a squeeze before sliding from the bed. "Alright, Kota said he wants you guys ready to leave in fifteen minutes and we just used up a few of them."

"Where are we going?" I asked, tugging my shirt back on.

"Our family field trip," Gabriel answered at the same time Silas said, "We're babysitting the Toma family's little monsters today."