admit, Pagaro was a little worried,” Mia said. “His star—that would be me—hitting her head and all. He asked me to go see their doctor this morning, get checked out, just in case. That’s where Z and I went.”
Julian’s features were frozen like they’d been dipped in stone.
“I would’ve had you drive me, Jules, but I didn’t want you to panic. I only went to appease them, for their insurance, you know how they get. Don’t be upset with me.”
“I’m not upset with you, Mia. What did the doctor say?”
“He poked and prodded. Took some blood, shined a light in my eyes, asked me if I had breakfast, you know, life and death questions.”
“What did the doctor say?” Julian repeated slowly.
“Nothing.” Mia took a breath. “But, Jules, guess what he told me.”
“I thought you just said nothing.”
“I mean he said nothing about my fainting.”
“Don’t make me guess. Just tell me.” Trying not to look away from her face, Julian clamped his hands together.
“He said, congratulations, Miss McKenzie, you’re going to have a baby!”
The sound left Julian’s head.
“Jules, can you hear me?”
I can hear you.
“I know, right? Can you believe it?” She inhaled, then let out a thrilled laugh. “I can’t even. My mom’s gonna have a heart attack. Julian, you’re white—are you shocked? But shocked like amazed, right?”
Did he nod? Or did he just sit there? He swayed.
“I’m feeling so many things at once, I don’t know what to feel first. I hope we can finish shooting this thing before I become blimp-like, though the way this is going, the Haunted Warlord is going to be dragging a huge-bellied, knocked-up matron to this dungeon, because maiden certainly won’t be the right word for me . . . my mother’s gonna die. As soon as I have my lunch break, I have to call her. You want to call her with me?”
Did he nod? Or did he just sit there?
“I know your mom has like seventy grandchildren, but mine only has me and she’s waited her whole life for her baby to have a baby. It took her so many years to have me, trying and trying again, and you and I have been married five minutes, and we didn’t even have to try!” She emitted an elated cry, and then lowered and thickened her deathless voice. “It’s because I’m drowning in your love, Jules.” She blushed. “Oh my God, how do you feel, you’re not saying anything.”
Julian opened his mouth to say something. She didn’t let him get a word in.
“I know it’s a lot to process. Look at you, seven weeks ago a carefree bachelor—and today! No wonder I kept falling all over myself yesterday, tripping and slipping and sliding. Literally the gravity in my body was shifting, and I didn’t know it.” She chortled. “I told you 49 was my lucky number, and you didn’t believe me.”
Julian opened his mouth to say something.
“My body was telling me my life was about to change. Oh my God, I’m going to be a mother,” Mirabelle said and burst into tears.
She wiped her face. The foundation came off on her hands. Her cheeks were streaked. “They’re going to be so mad; I was three hours in makeup today. Oh, whatever, I can’t help it, I’m completely overwhelmed.” She laughed. “One second crying, the next laughing. Now I know why we couldn’t get around to buying any furniture. It’s like the universe knew we were going to be needing different kinds of furniture. We’ll convert one of your offices into a nursery? You don’t need two offices and a work-out room, do you, Jules? One of those rooms can be for the baby? Or we can keep it in the bedroom with us at first, my mom did that with me. Oh—but I’m warning you, she’s going to want to move in. She’ll need her own room. Maybe she’ll marry Devi, and they’ll both move in.” She laughed again. “A wife, a baby, a mother-in-law and a step-grandpa. You’re pretty shocked, aren’t you?”
He tried to nod.
“I know—it shocked the hell out of me. I said to the doc, it can’t be, it can’t, it can’t be conception, I’m using twelve kinds of contraception, I’m being responsible, in control, dependable, I told him I’m like the Fort Knox of anti-baby protection. And do you know what he said? There’s no protection against a miracle. If it can, the good doctor said, life always finds a way. For our baby’s sake, I hope the