Life Happens | ONC 2024

Epilogue

❅ Two years later.

LEX

"Stop moving so much," I complain when Blanche tosses and turns for the umpteenth time in our bed.

She hogs the covers and since we've been living together, there hasn't been a night where my toes have been covered. I've started to wear my fluffy socks to bed.

Fuck clichés, but I don't like cold feet.

To be honest, I prefer she sleeps each night beside me. To wrap my arms around her and keep her close. If she pulls the blanket from me, it's another reason to scoot closer to her. I really meant it when I said I wasn't letting her go.

"Can't sleep." Blanche responds with a whiny voice.

I turn around to face her and offer her my arm as a pillow so she can cuddle with me. "What's wrong?"

She motions to her protruding stomach. "Bean won't stop kicking and he's keeping me up."

I smile and lower my hand under the covers to touch the swell of her belly where our son is growing. It's marvelous to see him on the echographies and I think it's a wonder each time I see he has grown a little bit more in the warmth of his mom's nest.

"Our little Anakin." I greet the little one.

"Nope." Blanche looks at me sternly. "I vetoed Star Wars names."

She did, but I'm always trying to get a rise out of her. Keeps things interesting. I reach out and comb her blonde hair—her natural color—back with my fingers. Blanche leans into my touch, her cheeks blushing faintly.

"No," I laugh. "You said no to Leia, but we found out it was a boy in the last appointment with the ob-gyn, so boy's names are on the table now."

She blows a raspberry. "I'm okay with a geeky name, but not something obvious."

"I'm not calling our son Palpatine or Gandalf." The notion of it makes me snort when I say it. "Although..."

"Lex Todd." Blanche swats at me. "Don't you dare."

She's a cute little menace, glowing with her pregnancy. Seeing her happy like this, I don't mind dealing with the hormonal mood swings.

When we found out, we were carefully optimistic and didn't tell anyone until Blanche was a little further along. We didn't know if we could handle the questions if another miscarriage was to happen. Until now, our little bean is a big and strong fellow.

We renovated the duplex above the bakery by doing a lot of work ourselves. Many months after work and on the weekends sanding and painting the woodwork, checking out garage sales in the neighborhood to spruce up some furniture that could fit our style.

Blanche framed all of my movie and game posters for the living room and even did the Ikea lamp hack to fabricate the Death Star above our dining table. Next to all my comic books are her romcom paperbacks in the reading nook we made with a modern bookshelf structure and a Snorlax lazy boy she found online.

"Oh, come on." I keep teasing her. "We should make each a list, though. Then swap it and cross out the ones we don't like and then choose from what's left."

Blanche hums in agreement. "Good idea."

I haven't lifted my hand, and suddenly I feel a soft kick. "He's moving," I exclaim happily.

"He won't stop." Blanche rolls her eyes, moving her hand to cup over mine. "Will you let mommy sleep a bit more, bean? I'm up in a couple of hours," she whispers, before gazing at the clock on my bedside table and groaning.