Chapter 239

“Anything yet?” Richie asked as he passed through the living room on his way to the kitchen.

“No.” Tori replied from her seat on the couch. She didn’t look up from the lists she was making of what they needed to pack for their trip to New York for Shirley’s gala opening in a couple days, what she needed to do before they left and the couple things she needed to talk to Jon and Matt about while she was there. Normally, for such a short trip she wouldn’t need the lists, but pregnancy brain mush had set in. Some days she was surprised she could remember her own name!

“Anything yet?” Richie returned with two glasses of Coke and several cookies. He set one glass on the table in front of her.

“Thanks, and no nothing yet.” She put down her lists to look at him. “I promise you I’ll yell if Peanut gets active.” For the past three days, Peanut had started making his or her presence known to the world outside the watery pool of her womb. Unfortunately for Richie, he was never in the right place at the right time, and kept missing it. And he wasn’t happy about it.

“Yell loud.”

“Yes dear.” Tori grinned as she watched him walk down the hallway towards the studio.

An hour later he was back.

“Anything yet?”

“No.” She’d been sitting quietly, hoping it would encourage Peanut to do some callisthenics. If Richie didn’t get to feel the baby move soon, one of two things was going to happen. Either he was going to drive her crazy….or she was going to kill him.

With a sigh, he sat beside her, placed a hand on her swollen belly and bent close. “Come on Peanut, say hi to Daddy.” Nothing.

Tori smiled and stroked his hair. “Sorry sweetheart.” She glanced at her watch. “You’re going to be late picking up Bean.”

He sat up. “You’re sure you don’t want to come with me?”

She shook her head. “No, I’ve got some things to do before we go to New York and if I get them done now I can spend more time with Bean.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in a few.” He kissed her and Peanut and left.

The sound of the Hummer’s engine hadn’t faded yet when Peanut kicked – or punched, she wasn’t sure which. She stared down at her stomach. “Now, you wake up!”


“Tori!” Ava yelled as soon as she stepped through the door.

“In the livingroom Bean!”

“Hi. I have a project due on Monday. Can you help me with it?” Ava fell onto the couch next to her stepmother and leaned over to kiss her sibling. “Hi Peanut.” Suddenly, she felt something push back against her mouth. Ava sat up and looked at Tori, her eyes wide. “Was that Peanut?”

Tori nodded and smiled. “Yes.”

Ava looked back at Tori’s stomach and placed a hand on it. “Cool!” Peanut kicked again.

“Richie!” Tori yelled. “Hurry!”

“Daddy! Peanut’s kicking!”

Richie almost ran into the room, his hand reaching out to touch before he’d even sat down. Nothing. “Aww, come on Peanut! That’s not fair!”

Tori fought back a smile at the frustrated pout on his face. “Bean, you try.”

“Peanut, say hi to Daddy.” Ava urged.

A few seconds later, Richie finally got his greeting. The look on his face brought tears to Tori’s eyes. “Hi there little one.”

Later that evening, Tori looked down at the two heads, one dark, one light, pillowed on her chest with an indulgent smile. Each of them had one hand on her stomach while Richie read tales of life in the Hundred Acre Wood. Finishing a chapter, he reached for his glass to take a drink. Peanut kicked in protest.

Ava giggled. “That means don’t stop Daddy.”

“Oh it does, does it?” Richie smirked at her, but obligingly resumed reading.

Tori stifled a sigh and shook her head. She was beginning to feel like a third – or was it fourth – wheel. They only needed her around because she was currently housing Peanut. The pattern continued over the next couple days. Anytime she stopped moving she could expect within about a minute to feel a hand on her stomach.

The night before they were to leave for New York, she was ready to clobber her husband. They were laying in bed. She was ready to sleep, but Peanut apparently decided it was play time. Richie was lying beside her, stroking her stomach and talking to the baby.

“Hey you two, it’s bedtime.” They both ignored her. “If you’re going to keep doing this, I’m going to start wearing a nightgown.” She threatened.

Richie glanced up at her. “Why?”

“Because I’m cold.” He’d pushed the blankets down to bare her stomach and gooseflesh was starting to rise on her arms and torso.

He grinned sheepishly, and pulled up the blankets. She turned onto her side, he curved his body around hers, placed his hand on her stomach and all three drifted off to sleep.


When they landed in New York, Tori was surprised to find the car turning towards the city instead of New Jersey. “Where are we going?”

“To the hotel.”

“Aren’t we staying with Jon and Dot?”

“No. I thought we deserved a little mini holiday, and I know you haven’t seen much of the city, so I booked us a hotel and we can spend a few days playing tourist.”

She raised her brows, but smiled at him. Leaning over, she kissed him. “Thank you.”

They reached the hotel with enough time to spare to allow Tori to rest a bit before getting ready. When Richie walked out of the bathroom to find her dressed, he almost swallowed his tongue. “Jesus Tori!”

“What?” At his outburst, she turned from the mirror where she’d been fastening her earrings.

“I hope you brought something else to wear, because you are NOT going out in public in that dress.”

“Why not? What’s wrong with it?”

“You’re almost falling out of it, that’s what’s wrong with it!”

“Oh stop! It’s not that bad.” She adjusted the neckline slightly.

His frown deepened. “That didn’t help. I don’t want to have to spend the evening watching other men ogle my wife!” He pulled on his clothes with almost angry movements.

She shot him a disbelieving look. “Oh come on Rich! Look at me. I’m hardly a sex object with this belly.”

He stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. “You don’t get it do you? You don’t understand how beautiful you are. Your fertility is anything but a turn off...I don’t know how to explain it….there’s just something incredibly sexy about a pregnant woman.”

She snorted and handed him her necklace to fasten for her. “I just seem that way to you because it’s your baby.”

He grinned at her in the mirror, then sobered. “I may be biased, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. You’ll see.” He sighed. “At least the rest of the guys will be there to help keep the wolves at bay.” He bent and kissed her bare shoulder. “You are beautiful you know.”

She turned to face him and rolled her eyes as he tugged on the bodice of her dress. “Thank you. I’m glad you think so.” She reached up to straighten his tie and smooth the lapels of his jacket. “I have to look worthy of being by your side.” It was his turn to snort. “I’m serious.” She caught his eye. “And your opinion is the only one I care about.”

He bent until his forehead met hers. “Then change your dress.”

She tilted her head slightly and kissed him. “No.”