Tell Me You Love Me [COMPLETED]

Chapter 69: Popup from the Past

Friday November 27, 2020 - Tampa, Florida

Aesha POV

9:45 AM

I'm pregnant, I'm really pregnant again and I...I feel completely safe about it; I honestly missed being pregnant. Is this a dream? Am I dreaming still? I still don't want to wake up, however, my body does...like, urgently. My eyes shoot open and I dart into the bathroom, purging my stomach of almost everything I ate last night.

I did not miss this, however.

The bedroom door is closed, probably because Joe didn't want to disturb me, so he didn't hear me puke, otherwise he would've been here already. He's probably fixing breakfast for the kids since he'll be leaving in a few hours. So, I finish up that drama and go to clean myself up, starting with brushing my teeth. I'm still sleepy, between last night and the baby, I'm very sleepy, of course, so I'm a little slow, physically and mentally. However, it doesn't hit me just how oblivious I am until I look myself in the mirror as I'm about to put some toothpaste on my toothbrush, the tube in my left hand. I look at my reflection and what do I see?

No hot skippity flipping way.

I brush my teeth, staring at the ring on my finger the whole time, only using my right hand to do things, not wanting to get my ring wet even though I know nothing will happen to it, I'm just...in shock. So, once I'm done, I jet out of the bathroom and down the hall.

"JOSEPH! JOSEEEPH! WHAT IS—eep!"

I'm stopped in my tracks at the top of the stairs as I look down to see Joelle and the boys standing down at the bottom holding a big banner that says "Will you marry our daddy?"

I'm floored, even more so when they move and behind the banner is Joe, on one knee, waiting patiently with a big smile. I should move, I should be moving...but I can't, the tears and shock won't allow me. So, soon I feel a pair of hands on me and Joelle is now helping me down the stairs, slowly but surely with my body shaking as I try to fight my tears and shaken nerves. We finally get to the point where I'm standing in front of Joe and it's not until now that I notice that Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" is playing. Joelle lowers the music as Joe takes my hand and begins to speak.

"Aesha, baby, my queen, my love, we spend so much time showing and telling each other how much we love each other that I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record, and that's okay with me. I'll never grow tired of telling you how much I love you, how much you mean to me, how much I need you; I need your love, your touch, your kisses and hugs, your voice, I just need you. Aesha, I can't live without you and I can't believe how far I went through life without you, and I know for a fact that I can never go back to a life without you. No one has ever made me feel this way before, I've never been this deeply in love with someone before, Galina included. You're the only one that has made me feel this way. You stole my heart from the first time I laid eyes on you, lo'u alofa, you were mine from the moment I saw you and I'm never giving you back, I will fight for you, for us, no matter what. I know you said that I would never find the perfect moment for this, that it would just happen, and you were so right; I was gonna propose last night, but I kept chickening out and then you told us all that you're pregnant and I...I just wanted last night to be about you because this pregnancy is so important after everything you've been through. So, I had the ring hidden in my jacket all night, came home, and slipped it on you while you were sleeping so you would wake up and see it just there, like it magically appeared, just like you did. Baby..."