Chapter 27: The Puppy Bump
#27 of The Mating Season 5
Chapter 27: The Puppy Bump
"So, Dad . . ." began Enya. She was kneeling beside the fire pit in the home she shared with Yuri, packing fresh food in her father's bag for the journey yet ahead. "How'd you bust your lip anyway? You and Uncle Kilyan get in more trouble?" She studied her father with a critical eye.
The room was filled with the family. Everyone was making preparations and saying their goodbyes. Kilyan hugged each of his parents, then Wynn hugged her grandparents and watched fondly as Inden received a last word of encouragement from Kel. Zaldon - who had refused to stay in bed - sat large and imposing in a chair beside the fire, and loyal Yuri sat at his side should he get tired and wish to return to bed. The great white wolf gazed upon the family mistily and hugged Kilyan readily when the younger male came to him with arms open. Roan and Theo, meanwhile, moved in and out of the front door bearing all the wedding gifts Kel and Aliona had been given by Yuri and Enya to further warm the house they would be sharing now with Zaldon. Their friendly complaints as they bore the gifts away with grunts left the others laughing.
While the laughter echoed around the room, Enya stopped packing her father's bag and just stared at him.
Keeno awkwardly avoided his daughter's gaze. "I fell down some stairs," he lied. And when Enya cocked an eyebrow at him: "A lot of stairs."
Enya burst out laughing.
"Alright, fine," admitted Keeno with a defeated smile. "Wynn found some stuff out she shouldn't have and ran off. I chased her down and got ah nice punch in the kisser. That girl's gotta mean left hook."
"Oh, boy," said Enya guiltily. "Let me apologize for that. I taught her a little self-defense when she was little. Didn't think she'd ever use it on one of us!"
"Yeah," said Keeno, adjusting his jaw, "me neither."
Enya passed her father's traveling pack to him, and he slung it over his shoulder, then threw his arm around Enya as he guided her away from the bustle and chatter of the house and into the back garden for a last private word.
"So," Keeno said, "when can I expect a grandchild?"
"Dad!"
"Look, I'm not teasing, Enya. It's just - I see the way Zalia looks when Lea and Ohana are gushing over Mio and Zee. To be honest, I feel the same. I want some grandbabies! So Zalia and I got to talking and we figured, why not? Why not find you a sort of surrogate father? There's this nice boy back at home, wants to live up here in the sun village bad. Can't stop talking about the place. And he's not just any boy, Enya. He's a good boy, responsible, caring - hard to find those nowadays --"
"Dad!" Enya cried again. She rolled her eyes. God, Keeno sounded old.
"It's true! Kids these days! I don't want some male who'll just have this pup with you and then disappear. I want him to take a part in the kid's life, help you out when you and Yuri might need it! I mean, now that Yuri is taking a pay cut, no telling what might happen to you girls --"
"Dad, it's already done," said Enya sheepishly.
They had been walking at a slow pace through the garden, but hearing Enya's words, Keeno halted. His ears pricked forward and he stared at his daughter. Enya laughed at her father's shock when he sputtered out, "Done? B-But - who? How - when?"
Enya closed her eyes and laughed, rubbing a small paw over her womb. Keeno looked down and noticed for the first time that his daughter's once trim figure wasn't just matured like Yuri's: Enya had a puppy bump! The pouch he had thought was simply youth stealing away was motherhood creeping up. Keeno stared at his daughter's swelling belly in wonder.
"But . . ." he placed an uncertain paw over Enya's belly and rubbed a moment. His dark eyes snapped on her face, "Who?"
Still glowing with the secret she had kept from her father for so long, Enya replied, "Theo. He and Roan want a pup too, Dad! The four of us have been talking about it for a long time. I mean, it only came up again about a year ago. Roan got hurt badly on patrol duty a while back and Theo was distracted caring for him, so we didn't talk about it for years. Then a couple months ago, we decided to . . . give it a try." She grinned at her father.
"Oh, shit!" said Keeno happily, and Enya burst out laughing again: everyone had known but Keeno. She had been waiting for the right moment to tell him - or for him to notice. But after days of displaying a steadily prominent belly in her father's presence, Enya had finally realized that Keeno was never going to notice on his own.
Keeno pulled Enya into his arms, and she closed her eyes and smiled as he embraced her. "God, maybe I shouldn't go home after this stuff with Wynn, maybe I should come back here --"
"Dad," said Enya, pulling back. She shook her head and smiled at her father's typical concern. "We'll be just fine. And Mom needs you to look after her - or more likely the other way around."
Keeno shook his head. "There's no telling when I'll see you again now that Yuri's been forced to give up magic. I want to see you and the baby, honey. I want to be part of your lives." He touched his daughter's face, as if to make her understand.
"Oh, Daddy," Enya said, closing her paw over his, "you'll see us again! Just not as often as before, but you will."
Keeno looked around, as if to see if anyone was listening. Turning back to Enya, his ears pricked forward and he smiled at her as he offered his pinky. "Pinky swear?"
Enya grinned and hooked her pinky in his. "Pinky swear."