Donovan had come to realize that ever since it had been made public news that he and Danielle were going to have a baby, people thought it was okay to ask them any and every question they could think of – Is it a boy or a girl? Do you have a name picked out? Do you have a theme for the nursery? Is the paint going to be dark or light blue? Are you going to get a nanny?

She wasn’t even far enough along for her to be showing, which made it hard for them to be able to tell them all the things they wanted to know. He was actually kind of surprised by how many times they had to look at each other over he course of the night, like they were trying to kinetically formulate an answer other than ‘we’re not sure’, which was how they answered most of the questions that night. He wanted to be able to talk more about the little boy who wouldn’t be there until late August, but seeing how he was barely even a person yet inside his wife’s belly, it was hard to have all the answers.

Tonight had been especially grueling, seeing how they had been out with a few of his co-workers and their families, and each of them decided that instead of listening to the questions they had already been asked, they were all just going to ask them the same ones over and over again, until the Rookwoods were able to recite their answers like lines from a play. They had just parted ways with the last couple, making their way down the sidewalk towards their house. It was freezing, and he was walking with his arm slinked around Danielle’s waist, allowing her to lean against him as they walked so she wasn’t cold.

“How’re you holding up?”

He asked the question with a subtle lift of his brow, looking down at his wife, wondering if she was as mentally drained as he was.

Graciela let out a breath, stretching down to her toes underneath the blanket. She rolled from her side to her back and was surprised when her arm hit the mattress and not the body she'd fallen asleep beside. Graciela blinked a few times at the empty space that Edward had left, still waking up as she tried to figure out where he could be. The shower wasn't running, and he was not at his desk where she often found him at odd hours of the day or night when inspiration struck. With how the sunlight was streaming in, it was still fairly early, but Graciela did not often get to sleep in and was seriously considering turning over and going back to sleep. Zacharias was with his father, and Edward's flat was more than convenient for a weekend of birthday celebrations. Why rush the start of the day?

Though it seemed that Edward was already on his way. Graciela ran a hand over her face, wondering if it would be bad to fake still being asleep. But his bed was so comfy and warm, and the shirt she borrowed smelled like him and she could not often be this way. Just---relaxed without a care in the world or a mouth to feed. She could not even find it in herself to feel guilty about having Zacharias stay with Alex; it was a much needed holiday and escape into a life she'd never had and couldn't often visit.

She'd just decided to let herself slip back into sleep when the door opened, and Graciela remained in her splayed position on the bed as Edward entered. She smiled and covered her face with her hand before beckoning him to come back to bed.