Page 41 of Soaring and Saucy

“What’s wrong with cherry wood?”

The question was so far out of leftfield that it took him a second before he realized she was talking about the baby bed. He leaned forward and tapped on the laptop pointedly.

“Can you show me? Did you have something in mind?”

Suddenly, her form seemed to soften as she looked at him questioningly – and opened the laptop. He released her hand and scooted closer so he could see the baby beds… and smiled. Yup, it had to be her idea because when she got backed into a corner, she came out swinging. She would be a protective mama bear when it came to their little cub. He loved that thought and adjusted his seat slightly at his body’s reaction.

She needed ‘thoughtful’ and ‘safe’… not ‘rearing to go’ and ‘playful.’

“Princess,” he said gently as her fingers moved across the keyboard – and paused as she looked at him. “I know this is a lot. It’s not what either of us planned, and it wasn’t your choice to have a baby with me, but I’m really grateful that I met you.”

She looked at him, her face a mix of emotions, and shocked him to the core as she then leaned forward to drop the softest kiss on his lips before backing away. The urge to lean forward, to make her kiss him again, was so powerful that it took everything in him to remain where he was as her eyes held his.

“Thank you for saying that,” she whispered thickly. “If I was going to have an unplanned pregnancy with anyone – I’m glad it’s with you. Just give me time to adjust to all of this.”

“Take all the time you need, my princess.”

12

STEPHANIE

Stephanie lay there in bed listening to Lance humming in the distance. He was moving around in the apartment, and she could hear the coffee brewing. She wasn’t ready to wake up yet or say hello – but instead wanted to live in this bubble for a few moments longer.

Last night had turned around quite unexpectedly. They had looked around at baby things and picked out all sorts of toys, outfits, teethers, and such together. It was ridiculous because she didn’t have much family, and what family she did have – she wasn’t close to. Her friends might get her an item or two, but this list they were building was getting quite large, and there was no way it would ever get filled. No, this was simply a fun exercise to do together. Lance had rubbed her shoulders, peering over them as they clicked on each item. He usually had some quip or comment to make that had her either rolling her eyes or laughing – but it was nice.

After a while, they sat on the couch together. They watched television for a bit, giving her time to unwind until she fell asleep unexpectedly. At some point, Lance scooped her up in his arms and carried her into her bedroom, kissing her gently.

“Sweet dreams, princess,” he whispered – and then, if that wasn’t enough, she felt a slight pressure on her stomach as he kissed the material of her shirt, whispering, “You too, peanut.”

And she melted, reaching for his hand blindly in her exhaustion. She managed to grab it, only to feel a kiss pressed to her palm.

“Sleep, Steph… we can talk tomorrow,” he whispered, and she slipped away, feeling safe, comforted, and treasured for the first time in what felt like forever.

That sweetness is what gave her hope when he slipped up, making remarks that got under her skin. It wasn’t like he was trying to irritate her, but rather, it was the fact that he seemed to be content, okay, even accepting of the fact that their lives were spiraling out of control.

Or at least it felt like that to her.

There was so much to decide, so much to do, so many questions were coming at her fast and furious. Do you want a boy or a girl? Have you picked a hospital yet? Are you going to have medication or do things naturally? Have you bought maternity clothes yet? Should you be eating that? Should you be gaining this much weight? Where’s your husband?

And Lance was adding one more level to her stress. He wanted her to move so he could be involved. She understood why, and honestly, it was a blessing, but when her mental ‘plate’ felt like it was cracking under the pressure – adding one more thing seemed to bring out the worst in her.

Sure, she could find another job – but it would be harder when she started showing later on. The idea of looking for an apartment halfway across the country seemed intimidating.

To him, he seemed to think this was all normal, yet it was anything but that. Maybe he was used to picking up and moving, but she had grown up here, had roots here and knew her way around town. She had never been to Florida, and while she loved traveling with Lila and Natalie – they went as a trio. She was never alone, even if she was just holding their seats while they partied and hesitated mid-thought as the bedroom door opened fully.

“Hey,” Lance smiled, holding two cups of coffee in front of him. “I thought I’d surprise you and do my best to keep you from giving me heart failure again this morning. Maybe if I bring the coffee to you, then you don’t end up sprawled all over the kitchen floor.”

“Ha ha,” she began glibly, softening her words with a smile as she sat up. “I could get used to having coffee in bed. Just warning you now.”

“If you wake up like this, smiling at me, I could get used to bringing it to you,” he countered easily, matching her smile as he set it down beside her on the bedside table. “Are you hungry?”

“Food, too? How long have you been up?”

“Well, before you quantify it as ‘food,’” he chuckled easily, smiling at her. “It’s just a little something because I still owe you that T-bone. I thought maybe we could grab brunch together. You know, steak and eggs?”

Stephanie scrunched up her nose and looked at him skeptically.

“What?” he asked, grinning.

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