August

I am going to put the next person that wakes up Robin in a chokehold.

It's been a few months since we found out she was pregnant. The obstetrician told her—because of the miscarriage—she needed to keep the stress low or it could harm the baby.

But my girl, the woman I love so dearly, has to be the most stubborn woman to exist on Earth. She works constantly, not allowing herself more than two days off, and won't sleep for more than four hours.

But I have a plan. Today is the baby shower and gender reveal. Meaning, most of our friends and family will be coming over. Robin wants to control the whole thing, but I'll be damned if I let everyone stress her out. I'm going to host the baby shower.

I tiptoe out of the bedroom as Robin finally closes her eyes. I glance back, making sure she is fully asleep before I jog into the dining room. I accidentally bump into the table, causing the picture of Robin's parents to fall.

"Shit," I mumble, lifting it back up. I breathe a sigh of relief when I don't spot a crack on the frame.

"August, what was that?" Robin shouts.

I scratch my head and look around. "Uh… it was nothing baby! Just go back to sleep alright?"

She mumbles something as I make my way back to the room. When I step inside, I smile. She has already fallen back to sleep. I kiss her forehead before exiting the room again. After reaching the dining room again, I choke myself. I don't stop until I am coughing hysterically.

There is a knock on the front door just as I am about to start decorating. I wince and jog to the door. I look through the peephole and find Damien and Marie standing behind the door.

I open the door and Damien smiles. "Hey—"

I kick his knee and place my index finger over my mouth, signaling for him to shut the hell up. "Robin is sleeping you inconsiderate fuck!" I whisper-shout.

A facial expression of amusement appears on his face as he holds his hands up and walks past me. When Marie tries to follow suit, I place my hand over her face. "Hold it, peasant."

I take the list of people Robin invited out of my pants pocket. I scan through the names and see her's isn't there. "You're not invited."

She frowns. "Well, surely that's a mistake."

I match her frown. "Well surely, it's not a mistake. Robin doesn't make mistakes. Now be gone, peasant. I've got work to do."

She leans forward. "Is she still mad at me?"

My frown deepens. "Mad about what?"

Her mouth goes agape. Marie pauses for a moment before stepping closer. I back up. "So, she didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

When she doesn't respond, I grow irritated. I shut the door, only for her to reopen it as I walk away. I roll my eyes.

"Damien, I'm about to let my dogs make your girl their lunch," I say, walking into the kitchen.

He turns around from the decorations set out. "Can I ask you a question?" He replies, his facial expression turning serious.

"No."

"For the last year or so, she's been acting different. I have an inkling something is going on. But, every time I ask her, she turns it around on me."

I take the fruit trays out of the refrigerator. "Tough shit." I reply. I hand him the trays. "Put this on the counter."

"What should I do, man? I love her too much to let her go, you know? She's my first love. I can't… I can't just walk away."

After removing the rest of the fruit trays, cheese platter, and drinks, I face him. I sigh and pat his shoulder. "You want to know what I think?"

"Yes."

"She doesn't love you. She has probably mentally left the relationship ages ago. When you realize that, it'll make it a whole lot easier to leave."

I walk away as he remains silent. Marie sits on the red living room sofa where the baby carrier rests. I grab it and strap it on, the place where the baby is supposed to go, sits on my chest. I walk back into the kitchen and grab the turkey out of the freezer. As I place the turkey inside of the baby carrier, I hear Damien laugh behind me.

As soon as I turn around, he starts to wheeze, holding his stomach as he points to me. "What the fuck are you doing?" He says, his eyes watering as if it's that fucking funny.

I cover the invisible ears of the turkey. "I'm preparing myself. When the baby comes I'll be ready." I reply, highly offended.

I've been doing this for a while now. Robin had the same reaction but after a moment, she kissed me and told me it was cute. That only offended me even more.

When he finally calms down, he clears his throat. A smile remains on his face as he covers his mouth. "What's her name? Turkina?" He asks and begins laughing again.

I fake a smile and wheeze. I slap my knee. "Man, that was hilarious!" I hit his arm. "You're a funny guy!"

He stops laughing and stares at me. A scowl on his face. "You're being sarcastic aren't you?"

I drop the smile and point to the living room. "Since you have jokes to make about my kid, you can start decorating."

"It's a fucking turkey." He mumbles.

As he walks away, I pause. "Wait." A smile slowly spreads on my face. "We're having a girl?"

He stops in his tracks. Damien turns around with a panicked expression. "Who told you that?"

"You said, 'What's her name?'" I start to grow excited. "Robin and I are having a girl aren't we?"

He laughs. His forehead starts to sweat. "What? No. Maybe. Hey, man, I don't know! Don't ask me!"

I stride into the living room and stand in front of Marie. She looks up at me in confusion. "The baby is a—"

The door flies open. "Ms. Davis, I have good—" Kelly brings her attention to Marie and the grin she wore, vanishes. "Why the fuck is she here?"

Marie stands up, fear evident on her face. I ignore them and go back to the important matter at hand. "Are we having a—"

Before I have a chance to finish, Kelly charges at Marie. Marie screams as Kelly tackles her to the ground. My eyes widen and I back up. "I know what you did!" She shouts. They begin wrestling on the floor.

I start to grow irritated. "Can someone tell me if we're having a girl?" I yell.

"Yes!" Damien rushes to Kelly and tries to pull her off Marie. "You weren't supposed to find out until tonight. Now can you help me? Kelly is biting Marie's neck like a fucking beaver!"

I smile widely and throw fist pumps in the air. "Yes!"

I run out of the living room and into our bedroom. I hop on the bed and shower Robin with kisses. She groans and opens her eyes. "What? What happened?" She whispers and sits up.

"You fucking happened, you goddamn princess!"  I cup her face and kiss her deeply. When I pull away, she is breathing heavily.

Robin smiles and pushes the hair out of my face. "So you found out the baby's gender, huh?"

My smile grows wider. "I want to marry you."

Her mouth parts and she sucks in a breath. Tears form in her eyes. "What?" She whispers, so quietly I'm surprised I can hear it.

"I need to marry you. I don't want anyone else. Can I marry you, Robin?" I ask, feeling like I am about to explode in excitement.

Her eyes nearly pop out. "Right… right now?"

I kiss her cheek and hop off of the bed. "No, baby. I'm not talking about right now. I'm asking for permission to someday get down on one knee and ask the love of my life to be my wife." I hold her hand, helping her get off of the bed. "Do I have your permission?"

She holds her heart. A tear falls down her cheek as she steps closer. Robin nods and that's the only response I need. I smile. "Thank you." I wipe the tear with my thumb. "Don't cry, beautiful."

She smiles and chuckles. "I'm sorry. Hormones, I guess."

There is a scream, causing Robin to flinch. She frowns. "What's going on out there?"

I scratch my hair and hold her shoulders. "Don't be mad, alright?"

"What did you do?"

I exhale a deep breath. "Kelly is strangling Marie. But she's fine—"

Her nostrils flare. "Marie is here? Why is she here? I did not—"

I push the turkey that is starting to slip out, back inside of the baby carrier. "Babe, it's fine. Everything is—"

She gets out of my hold and rushes out of the bedroom. I hurry behind her, having fear for everyone out there. As soon as she spots Kelly, she pushes her off of Marie. "This is what happens when I'm asleep?" She yells.

Marie coughs loudly, rubbing her neck as she stands up. Kelly stands up as well and fixes her hair, breathing heavily. "Ma'am, I am deeply sorry. I will not say she didn't deserve it though."

"Thank you, Robin," Marie says. "I knew I could—"

"Fuck you!" Robin shouts and slaps Marie. The slap is so hard it causes her to fall to the ground. She cries out loudly, holding the side of her face.

When Robin gets on the ground and starts to choke her, even I am surprised. "I should have done this a long time ago, cunt." She mutters, squeezing tighter.

I rush over to Robin and pull her off Marie. She starts to hit my arm as we back away. Once I am able to sit her down on one of the sofas, I face Damien with a glare. He nods and turns to Kelly and Marie.

"Ladies, ladies, what is the problem? Why are we fighting so much?"

"Because your wife is a backstabbing bitch." Robin mumbles, smoothing out her hair. I cover my mouth to prevent a laugh.

A sob leaves Marie's lips as she sits up. Damien helps her to the sofa. He holds her hand. "Marie, what did you do?"

"I-I… I didn't—"

"Tell him." Says Kelly.

"Go on, Marie. Tell him what you did. Tell him about Henry." Robin chimes in.

More tears fall down her cheeks. She shakes her head. "Damien, I'm so sorry. I—"

"What did you do?" He asks more aggressively.

"Do you… d-do you remember our anniversary a couple of months ago?"

He drops her hand. "Yeah," Damien replies, his jaw tightening. I shake my head and begin massaging Robin's shoulders. This usually calmed her down.

"That night, when I told you I was going out to get your gift, I lied. I cheated on you. I cheated on you with Robin's boyfriend at the time. I'm so, so, sorry. It meant nothing to—"

"Stop." He shakes his head and moves away from her. "Please. Just stop."

"Damien—" Marie tries to touch his arm but he jerks it back. Damien stands up and slips his wedding ring off of his finger. He removes her white scrunchie from around his wrist as well.

As he starts to walk to the front door, he pauses and turns back around. He faces Marie. "Did you ever love me?" He asks, his eyes watering. He wipes them quickly and shoves his hands in his pants pockets.

"Of course I—"

Damien brings his gaze to the floor. "Because I loved you, Marie. I really fucking loved you." He shakes his head again. "But that wasn't enough for you was it? The fact that I would have killed for you wasn't enough. Fuck, that hurts."

He lifts his head back up and tosses the ring and scrunchie to her. It lands on her lap as he storms out.

I glance around the room, unaware of what I should do in this very, very awkward situation. When I bring my gaze to Marie I find her sobbing uncontrollably. I frown in confusion.

"Why are you crying, Marie? You did it!"

Robin rolls her eyes and stands up. As another minute passes that Damien is gone, I know I have to go talk to him. Otherwise, he was just going to drink away his pain. I know that because I used to do the same thing.

I tuck the turkey back inside of the baby carrier and begin walking to the door. I remember how angry Robin is right now and turn around.

I point at Kelly and Robin. "Five minutes," I say, walking backwards. "I'll be gone for five minutes. Stay calm alright? Everyone, just keep your hands to yourselves."

Robin smiles, taking a seat next to Spence. "Okay."

By the tone of her voice I know she is not going to listen to a word I just said. I turn back around and open the door. "Baby, I'm serious. I don't want to come back and find Marie dead. Orange jumpsuits are not really my style."

I rush out the door quickly. I spot Damien sitting on the porch of my neighbors' house. I stand in front of him. He looks up at me and sighs before bringing his gaze back to the ground.

"If a crazy dude named Mr. Walker steps out of this house with a broom, don't say I didn't warn you," I say, glancing at the door.

He shakes his head and stands up. "He's probably looking for the turkey you stole from him."

I gasp and cover the invisible ears of the turkey. "Not in front of the child!" I lean forward. "And I didn't steal anything. He gave it to me without knowing it."

"Why didn't you just buy a turkey from the grocery store?"

"You can't buy a child. What is wrong with you man?"

He chuckles and glances at the woman walking on the other side of the street. Damien brings his gaze back to the ground and places his hands back in his pockets. He wipes his eyes.

"I'm going home." He mumbles.

"No, the fuck your not. You're gonna let that shit out."

He lifts his head and stares at me, confused. His eyes are red and watery. "What?"

"You're gonna cry, Damien. You're gonna cry like a big fucking baby. You deserve that."

He shakes his head. "I don't—I don't cry. That's… no. I don't cry—"

I cut him off with a hug. The turkey inside of the baby carrier prevents us from touching all the way thankfully. I pat his back as he slowly rests his head on my shoulder. I do this for a while as he sobs on my shoulder.

After a while, I start to feel it on my skin. I gag and push him back. "I said cry not drool, fucker!"

He pushes me back and wipes the remaining tears from his cheeks. "Shut up." He grumbles. Damien clears his throat and sniffles. "So what should I do now?"

I wipe my shoulder and shrug. "Hell if I know."

"Should I go back in there?"

I frown. "What am I? The love doctor? Stop asking questions." I turn around and start walking back to the house. "Just go in there for Robin. She's been excited about this baby shower for weeks."

Damien and I return inside. It is oddly quiet. Marie sits in the same spot she was, staring blankly at the television. Kelly also remains in the same seat, except she stares in the kitchen's direction with a smile. I follow her gaze. When I reach the kitchen, I find Robin walking behind Marie with a knife slowly. A grin rests on her face.

I run behind her hastily and pry the knife from her hands, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You stubborn little shit."

She scoffs and storms off. After a while, I am able to make Marie leave. The guests arrive shortly after. They are mostly her employees, some of my teammates, and old friends. I had thought about inviting my family but I didn't want to put that pressure on Robin.

Robin announces the baby's gender after gifts have been given. By ten everyone has left. Robin and I are alone at last.

We lie on the sofa. Robin's head rests on my thighs as I sit up, rubbing her stomach softly.

She yawns. "No more." She says. "No more names, August. Please."

"Alright, alright. What about Robgust?"

She hits my arm. "Hush. The baby and I need to sleep."

"What about—"

She leans up and pecks my lips. "Goodnight."

I kiss her back and smile, finally coming up with a name. She hits my arm again. "Say it back dickhead."

I kiss her again. "Goodnight, gorgeous."

She smiles as her eyes fall closed. It doesn't take for her to doze off.

"Isabella," I whisper to myself.  "I like it."