You hum softly as you walked through the clearing, your house drawing further and further, but what else was there to do? Dinner was already fed to your man, the house was kept, your baby decided that y’all weren’t hungry, so you walked.

The fallen grass lightly crunched under your steps. The fireflies were startled enough to spark their green ‘hinds and light the way. You could feel your man’s protective gaze hitting your back, he was a paranoid man, and rightfully so. Technically, he was a bad man. He stole, he cheated plenty out of money, killed, injured, yet he’s always done right by you and the pending little one in your belly…but he did not play. You were allowed a hundred steps, he even marked it off with a steep line drawn into the soil by the head of a shovel.

He was leaning on one of the pillars, counting mentally. Yeah, sure, the doctor told you to move the baby out, meaning more cardio or…marital activities, but one misstep and his world could literally crumble. He wasn’t taking that chance.

He paced after you, meeting you in the middle as you were on your way back to start again. His hands went to either side of your clothed baby bump, rubbing through the soft fabric of your dress.

“How’re you feeling? Y’all aight?”