Page 32 of Oops, My Professor Got Me Pregnant!

“Are you looking forward to a day in the countryside?” Nico asked. Then he swept his gaze over Lauren and frowned. “Are you sure you have the right clothes?”

Lauren glanced down at her outfit, which was a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with walking shoes, then back up at Nico. “Unless we’re going to a swamp, I think I’ll live.”

“You look gorgeous,” Nico added. He gave Lauren another quick kiss, this time on the cheek, which elicited a loud “Ewwww!” from Louis.

“Sorry, bud.” Nico released Lauren’s hand and ruffled his son’s hair.

“Come on, come on!” Louis ducked his father’s hand and clambered into the back seat. “Let’s go!”

“I think that’s our cue.” Nico winked at Lauren, then circled the car to open the passenger-side door for her. “My lady.”

“Thanks.” Lauren slid into her seat, and Nico closed the door. Then she twisted to smile at Louis. “Are you excited for your day in the countryside?”

“Yeah. I hope we see some big snakes.” Louis held his hands as far apart as he could to indicate just how big the snakes would be. “But I’m a little worried about the bears.”

“The bears?”

“Yeah!” Louis’s eyes were wide with excitement. “There might be bears!”

“Really?” Lauren was more than a little skeptical that they would see bears in the French countryside, but perhaps Louis knew something she didn’t.

“Really!”

Nico slid in beside Lauren and turned on the radio. An eighties song about love and chasing the sun came on just as Nico guided the car out of the parking lot, and Lauren began to sing along. A moment later, Louis joined in with made-up lyrics. Nico laughed at them for almost a full minute before grudgingly joining in. By the time they pulled onto the highway, though, Nico was singing along just as loudly to a pop song about bubbles as Louis and Lauren were.

They exited the freeway onto a narrow country road a few miles later, and Lauren rolled down the windows to let the warm spring air in. The smell of fresh grass and sunshine floated into the car.

“Cows!” Louis exclaimed, pointing to a field on their left. Sure enough, there was a small herd of brown cows chewing lazily on the grass. They passed through a small leafy forest before Nico guided the car into a parking area. There were three battered picnic tables with a view over the forest behind them and the fields in front.

“It’s the wilderness!” Louis exclaimed. He couldn’t get out of the car fast enough and almost got tangled in his seatbelt. Lauren chuckled.

“He’s excited.”

“So am I. It’s a beautiful day and I’m apparently out in nature.”

“I don’t know if I’d exactly consider this as nature.” Lauren unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car. The picnic tables were only a few steps away. “Maybe we could go for a little walk and find a nice picnic spot. I packed a blanket, so we don’t need a table.”

“Yeah!” Louis punched the air enthusiastically. Nico looked a bit more hesitant, but he nodded.

“I just hope we don’t run into any wild animals.”

Lauren laughed and threaded her arm through Nico’s to pull him closer.

“You’re adorable. I doubt we’ll see any animals wilder than cows and maybe a bird or two. You’re such a city guy.”

Nico rolled his eyes and squeezed Lauren’s arm. “Just because I don’t usually spend my weekends tramping through a muddy field doesn’t mean that I’m a city guy.”

“No, of course not. The fact that you’re calling this gorgeous meadow a ‘muddy field’ does. Are you the one who told Louis to watch out for bears?”

Nico gave her a shifty look. “You can never be too careful when it comes to bears.”

Lauren laughed so hard she almost ran out of air. Then she chose a small path that wound back towards the forest and led the way on their adventure. Louis ran circles around them like an excited puppy, his arms loaded with bags that he insisted on carrying, while Nico hauled the cooler and Lauren took the last few items. After a little more than ten minutes of walking, they came across a perfect picnic spot: a small patch of clear ground near both the meadow and a small stream that ran through the forest. Lauren spread out the picnic blanket and they set up their lunch.

“Okay,” Nico said as Lauren handed him a chunk of baguette and a bottle of lemonade. “I have to admit that I was skeptical, but this isn’t bad.”

They looked in unison at Louis, who was busily jumping back and forth across the stream. He was as surefooted as a mountain goat on the large boulders and logs that lined the water.

“It really isn’t,” Lauren agreed. With a smile, she reached over and squeezed Nico’s hand. “Thanks for inviting me to come with you.”

---