Dance With Me {l.t.} ✔

Chapter Twenty-Six

The rest of the weekend seemed to go by in a blur of activity. After cleaning up from dinner, Phoebe and Daisy stayed over for a movie and a sleepover, while everyone else made their way back home. Lottie had a red eye flight to catch in a matter of hours. The twin girls had just been so excited about the baby news that they didn't want to leave, and Louis was never one to turn down time with any of his family.
We started up one of the Harry Potter movies in the living room, and after setting up the guest room for the girls, I popped some popcorn and joined Louis on the couch for some cuddling. He was beyond excited about the news, and he couldn't bring himself to be away from me for too long. Already, the small letter was held up by a magnet on the fridge, and the onesie and pacifier were on display in the office.
He was so happy.
I was so happy.
We were so happy. Together.

The next morning was a rough one. I woke up not feeling very good at all. The first hour of our day was spent running back and forth to whichever bathroom was closest. The girls were an amazing help with helping with our bags or grabbing me some water. Louis never believed me when I tried explaining that I felt fine.
"You're puking, love. Maybe we should call a doctor or something?"
"Baby, you know as well as I do that this is just a part of pregnancy. Now, can you grab a few granola bars and chips? I'll probably get hungry on the plane since I can't stomach any food right now."
Giving him a task helped him stress and hover less, for which I was grateful. I knew he meant well, and I had to remind myself that his stress was largely due to the fact that, unlike me, he didn't have a new sixth sense about what pregnancy felt like. He just had to stand by and watch it all.
Finally, we were able to get out the door, where there were two Ubers waiting in the driveway. One would take the girls home, and the other would take Louis and me to the airport.
"Cali, here we come!" He smiled at me as we loaded our bags into the trunk. I couldn't help but smile back, too.

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Life in Malibu was odd. Good, but odd. The last time I was living here, I was alone and definitely not pregnant. Still, this was my new normal, and I really liked it. Louis was in love with my house, and most days, neither of us would ever leave. Besides the comfort, it helped keep away from the paparazzi. Judging by a few articles, it had been leaked that we hadn't been spotted in Doncaster for the last couple weeks. My New York loft was also put up for sale just two days ago, so that sent more rumors flying.
We kept to our bubble, though, ignoring it all.
Tomorrow was my 22nd birthday, and I would also hit my 8 week mark the day after that. We were planning a small party, and I was super excited, mainly because Harry, Liam, and Niall were all able to make it. I had begged Louis to reach out to Zayn and invite him, but he was being stubborn. Once his closest friend, Zayn was now someone Louis looked at as an enemy, in some ways. Their interactions since Zayn's split from the band had been tainted.

Jay and I couldn't stand it, but we had yet to convince Louis to try and make amends. 
"I can't trust him right now," Louis told me. "I have no idea what he or the people who work with him would do with any kind of information they got. Now is not the time to try and talk to him, not when it could put you at risk."
He meant the pregnancy. We were planning to keep Baby Tommo a secret until I was well past my first trimester. Stress was harder on my body now than it ever had been before, and we didn't want to risk anything.
"I know, Lou. Let's just get ready, yeah?"
The night would be pretty easy going tonight. The boys, Taylor, and Lottie would be getting here within a couple hours. We were just planning to hang out and watch movies. Early March in Malibu was absolutely perfect, weather-wise, so I was excited to keep the patio doors open and have some fresh air. At the end of the night, after Lottie and Taylor had gone for the evening, the boys would spend the night. That's when we were planning to break the baby news to them.
"Oh, Harry is going to lose his shit," Louis grinned as he pulled a shirt on over his head. "He absolutely loves babies."
"Well, Uncle Haz is welcome to baby sit and get baby cuddle all he wants," I smiled back, slipping my feet into a pair of low-top Converse.