That morning, Amelia leaned over the toilet bowl, her stomach turning. Every single day started the same way, with a terribly upset stomach, and now Amelia knew why. She was expecting a baby.
“It’s a good kind of stomach upset, right?” George asked hopefully. He sat supportively behind her on the edge of the tub.
“Ugh…” Amelia moaned.
“Does it feel different than sea sickness or car sickness?” George asked. “It must feel not so bad knowing that it’s because of our little pollywog.”
Amelia swallowed hard, trying to ignore George. It was no difference from sea sickness or car sickness. Her head spun and so did her stomach.
“I’m still so stunned that we’re going to have our own little tadpole!” George said. “Amelia, how shall we tell our parents? Should we have a dinner with a baby theme? We could serve baby carrots, and I saw these devilled eggs in the shape of babies in blankets!”
Oh, the thought of devilled eggs was not helping!
“George… why don’t you make us some breakfast?” Amelia whispered.
“Of course!” George said, and he planted a kiss on the top of Amelia’s head before he headed out of the bathroom and toward the kitchen.
And then it occurred to Amelia that they would have to tell people. George was right! She sat up straight, her nausea finally passed.
But couldn’t they keep the secret, just for a little while?
George could not be happier to cook Amelia breakfast. Now that she expecting, her appetite had grown, and George took it as his own personal duty to make sure that Amelia had delicious, nutritious food whenever she wanted it.
He whistled to himself as he cooked a delicious ham and cheese omelet for Amelia. George was not a very clean cook. He tended to cook with passion and verve. He chopped veggies with the might of a Viking warrior. He beat the eggs with the muscle of… well, of a Viking warrior. And he flipped the omelet with the skill of… Okay, he was stuck on a theme here, but George really did feel like the strongest and most capable man in the world. At least he could be for Amelia.
Amelia came tottering into the kitchen.
“Feeling better?” George asked.
“I am,’ she replied. “But I was just thinking. Can we keep the pregnancy a secret for a little while? I think it would be nice to have something special just between us. And I’m not ready for all the advice.”
“Of course,” George said. “Only… Does your mom know yet?”
“Well, I did tell her,” Amelia admitted.
“And I told mine, too,’ George said. “She suggested these.”He passed Amelia a tube of saltine crackers. Just nibble on one. It’s supposed to help.”
Amelia took out a cracker and began to nibble.
“Okay, so besides our mothers–top secret, right?” Amelia said.
“And besides the people our mothers tell….” George winced. “You know they’ll talk! They’re about to be grandmas.”
Amelia started to laugh, and George started to laugh, too.
“Maybe we should enjoy the attention,’ she said. “I don’t think we’re going to get any privacy with this at all!”
Patricia Johns came over to Amelia’s home with a question.
“My readers are wanting a frog bookmark,” Patricia said. “I’m having trouble finding a silhouette that will both be recognizable as a frog, and easy enough for me cut out of a book page.”
“I see your problem,” Amelia replied. “That’s rather sweet that they want a frog bookmark. I’m honoured.”
“I found one that was cute, and I’m not sure how I’d cut it out, but–” Patricia pulled out a page, and Amelia gasped.
“Patricia! This is… This is…”
“Is there something wrong with it?” Patricia asked.
Just then George came into the room. He also gasped, knocked over a vase of flowers, and snatched the picture away from Amelia.
“It’s indecent!” George said.
“It’s indecent?” Patricia turned pale.
“He’s not even wearing a sweater!” Amelia said, and George folded the page up. “You cannot make bookmarks out of that picture1 What will frogs think?”
“I didn’t know, Amelia!” Patricia said, aghast. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea!”
“You’d better pass these things by me before you do anything rash,” Amelia said. “And that picture is going straight into the wood stove!”
“Right now!” George said firmly, and he marched out of the room with the offending picture in hand.
“Please tell George I had no idea!” Patricia’s face was blazing red. “I’m so embarrassed! I’m just going to take my leave now…”
Patricia hurried out amidst a flurry of apologies and Amelia sank back into her chair. Then she started to giggle. Now that the shock of it was over, it really was rather funny! What on earth had Patricia been thinking?
Have you checked out my books lately? I have quite a backlist, so if you’re looking for some stories with rugged heroes, families, drama, delicious good, and swoon-worthy romance, I have you covered!
Also, if you’d like to sign up for my monthly newsletter, you’ll be entered to win one my special bookmarks! (They will not feature frogs just yet, but they do feature butterflies, cats, and dogs the come Amelia approved!)
Happy reading!
❤
Patricia Johns 
Your comments make me feel warm and fuzzy. Seriously!