Chapter 1

Ame got pregnant. It had to be deliberate; she controlled when I fucked her and she controlled how. She didn't even tell me until she was a month along and having morning sickness every damn day.

Three months in, she was home sick a lot. By five months, her Doctor put her on bed rest which did nothing to improve her already short temper.

In the end, we both took the time off. She just quit the firm, refusing even to work online from home. I took an extended leave from the fishery. Not that it's that big a deal.

My Mom offered to move in with us but I decline. Neither of us is any good at keeping our tempers and I figure four months of bed rest was gonna have us crawling the walls and looking for a target. I'd rather Mom not be in the way of that. Still, she comes over fairly frequently - as does damn near every one in the family. I spend as much time answering the damn door as I do tending Ame.

When we're alone, we argue. A lot. Stupid shit. All it really boils down to is that she's bored and worried and I'm worried and frustrated. I wanna spend my time away from her but every time I'm gone for more than half an hour, I start worrying about her. Peter tries to help but I wind up starting a fight with him and coming home with a sore shoulder. By the end of the second month, I'm sleeping on the couch. We can't even do the new parent bullshit - paint the nursery, buy baby junk, take a Lamaze class together.