GINELLE
Finally I understood it.
The reason behind my endless fatigue, the very frequent headaches I was having, not to mention this nauseous feeling I was now starting to feel.
I was going to have a baby.
My hand went to my very flat stomach, the affirmation that I'd received a few hours ago now sinking into my mind.
I had a child within me and for a second that made me nervous. Surely I had imagined of this happening one day but the reality of it hit differently.
It was my first time. I didn't know what was expected of me. I didn't even know what to do next in the days to come.
My thoughts instantly shifted to Grey. I thought of what his reaction would be. He was usually fond of babies so I knew he'd be excited but I was still anxious.
I sat down at the couch for a while, thinking of what my life would become. What my life with Grey would transition to.
I zoned out for an entire minute, the vibration of my phone bringing me back to the present. I blinked up severally, before reading the text I'd received.
I'll be home in half an hour, sweetheart ~ My lovely husband
I immediately stood up at Grey's message, my heart beating even faster when he send me a photo of himself in the car, my favorite cake lying on one of the car seats.
Panic rose through me, my fingers touching the skin of the tummy again before I started pacing to and fro.
How was I going to tell him?
I ran my hands over my face three times, mentally telling myself to calm down and get myself together.
Everything is okay.
You're going to be alright.
There's nothing to be anxious of.
My thoughts of assurance flew out of the window when I heard the familiar hoot of Grey's car pulling into the driveway.
I wiped the palms of my sweaty hands over my trousers and peeked through the kitchen window.
He had just alighted, a small box in his left hand and a bouquet of yellow tulips in his right hand.
I took deep breaths again, my breath evening out for a second before I thought again of what I had to reveal to him and I was back to my anxious self.
"Sweetheart?" His ever sweet voice called after I heard the front door close and I took light steps towards the living room.
His smile widened even more upon seeing my face that he quickly dropped the items in his hands to the table nearby and took two large strides towards me.
By my thighs, he lifted me up to himself and cleared my messy hair out of my face, lovingly cupping my cheeks.
I smiled at him and he too smiled back, his lips resting over mine for the next one minute where we exchanged a loving kiss.
"I missed you baby," Grey's hands went to my back in teasing way, my legs around him tightening the more.
"How was your day?" I asked him as naturally as I could, ignoring the elephant in my mind for a moment.
"It was boring without you." He replied with a sour face that I chuckled a bit and pecked his lips twice.
"Did you have a good time with the girls?" He softly asked that I bit my lip and looked away.
Earlier on I had told him that I would be hanging out with Leila and Clarissa this afternoon but after the recent discovery, I had stayed home.
"Is something wrong?" He alarmingly stared into my eyes, his thumb rubbing over the skin under my left eye.
"No." I firmly denied but since Grey knew me just too well, I told him the truth.
Only part of it.
"You were all alone the entire time?" I nodded once and Grey pursed his lips, something he did when he wasn't pleased.
"But why?" He probed further even after I'd told him that I just didn't feel like meeting them today.
He looked into my eyes for a while longer and then dropped the matter after realizing I wasn't going to expound further.
"What did you bring me?" I shifted the conversation to something else so quick, Grey giving me another curious expression.
"You were craving the red velvet cake," he carried me with him to the table where he'd left the items.
I had randomly mentioned this to him yesterday night but to see that he'd taken it into account, I hugged him tighter.
"Thank you," he helped me unwrap the box and then began feeding me with the fork packed in there after we sat in the living room.
I ate a large amount, Grey only taking a couple of bites when I forced him to. He was insistent that the cake was entirely mine.
"These are for you too," he stretched out the bouquet he'd come with and I smiled brightly at how many they were.
"I didn't even prepare you anything," I wrapped my hands around his neck, easily resting on his lap.
"There's still time to prepare right now, you know what I love." He wiped away the corner of my lips where some cake cream perhaps lay as he gave me a suggestive look.
"You must be tired," I slapped his chest away and he smiled at the growing blush that continued to spread at his teasing remark.
"I'm never tired for that baby, you know it." I hid my face into the crook of his neck when he didn't stop.
"Alright, I won't tease you." He smiled mischievously and without warning carried me up to our room.
I helped him out of the clothes he'd gone in for work with and while he took a shower, I took my time to think.
I had to tell him soon enough. From our earlier conversation just now, I knew he had noticed that something was off with me.
He wouldn't persist but I knew he'd eventually ask me out of it after he'd given me time.
I prepared clothes for him to change into and after laying them on the bed, I went downstairs.
I started to prepare dinner, cutting the vegetables as we'd agreed so that Grey would do the actual cooking.
Grey joined me almost ten minutes later and I noticed that he'd showered for a short time, perhaps because he did it alone.
I bit my lip at my current thoughts, quickly helping Grey set everything up.
Since I had just had cake before, we prepared something small, Grey eating most of it though I too ate more than I thought I would.
I knew why.
Soon enough we were preparing for bed and I took a while longer in the bathroom, Grey calling me out when I didn't come out after a while.
It's time.
I whispered at my reflection one last time and walked out, colliding with Grey's chest since he'd been waiting by the door.
"I'm sorry," he soothed over my forehead and then pecked over the spot repeatedly with him looking into my eyes to check whether I was alright.
"I-I got a we are, s-sorry." The words I'd so practiced overlapped in my mind that I ended up producing a blabbered mess.
Grey's expression was still puzzled and I opened my mouth to say something comprehendible but nothing came out.
Like literally.
"Is there something bothering you, baby?" He tenderly asked as he hugged me sideways and adjusted the strap of my night shirt.
"I'm sorry," I apologized for what I didn't know and when his eyes rose in panic at my shivering body, he hugged me fully.
My face rested into his chest, my fingers curling into the soft fabric of his shirt as I inhaled his comforting scent.
He began to softly pat my hair down as we stood in the middle of the room just hugging, saying nothing else.
After I felt calm enough, I slowly looked up at him and told him that I was better.
Grey really looked puzzled, even as he walked by the night stand to bring me a bottle of water, I could see the uneasiness in his steps.
"I'm here, sweetheart." He patted my back up and down as I took the water, with him seated just beside me.
After I'd taken enough water, he turned to look at me with that same anxious face so I stood up, gaining some confidence.
"I have a gift for you," I began without mixing up my words and I saw Grey sit up straighter at the words.
"It's something you once told me you loved, so I wanted to share it with you but I got scared and didn't know what to do so the-"
I didn't get to finish what I was saying before Grey cut me off by taking my hands that I'd been painfully twisting together.
"Forget about the gift for now, are you alright baby?" His palm felt for my forehead, my body shaking with greater intensity than before.
"You're not looking fine," I stood just next to his feet as he looked up at me, still seating at the edge of the bed.
"You are already a lifetime gift for me, no need to buy me anything else." His thumbs rubbed over the top of my hands.
"Don't push yourself, I am perfectly content to have you as my wife. No material thing can compare to your presence,"
His eyes, voice and everything felt so sincere that I swallowed thickly and nodded, assuring that I trusted him.
"I love you so much Grey, you mean so much to me." My hands rested on his hair for a second before I hesitantly reached for my short pockets.
"This is for you," he looked at me and after passing him a smile to assure that I was fine, he took the small note.
I watched him open the card and reading the words written there, I watched him smile till the very end.
I had appreciated him for being in my life and for being the best man to me all the time despite our changing situations.
He stared at the very last page a while longer and then looked up at me and then back at the page.
There was a sticker of two yellow tulips, one bigger and the other one smaller.
I didn't know whether he got my message right away so I shyly looked at him and in a small voice, I whispered.
"Grey," he looked up expectantly and I shyly looked down at my feet for a second before finally breathing out the words.
"I'm pregnant,"
There was silence, his face remained neutral at first and then his eyes widened and he was up on his feet.
His mouth opened as he just stared at me, our eyes meeting for some seconds before he took a shaky step towards me.
He blinked after the words seemed to sink in, the corners of his mouth rising slightly as his left hand cupped by face.
"A baby?" His voice was almost like a whisper, the surprise on his face having not drained as he looked into my eyes.
I nodded and he dropped his hand and spinned around, releasing a heavy sigh.
"Here?" He looked at me again before pointing at my tummy and I nodded again, his voice still so small.
"Our baby?" He looked up from my tummy and back to my face and after I affirmed in a nod, I noticed a tear slip down his left cheek.
He didn't wipe it away and before I even thought of what to say, he pulled me flush against him.
One of his hands patted my hair down as he murmured words I couldn't comprehend, the other hand subconsciously tracing patterns round my waist.
We hugged for two minute straight, and I felt his body start to shake that I began patting his back, just like he'd down with me before.
He pulled away first, his hand dropping from my hair as he looked at my face. He stared blankly at first, then the largest grin I'd even seen him wear made an appearance.
His left cheek dimple prominently showed, there was a twinkle in his eyes as he leaned closer to kiss my forehead.
My eyes closed when he kissed over every part of my face, from my forehead to my eyes then my cheeks, my hair and then both of my hands.
"I-I can't describe how elated I am," he placed my right palm over his heart that beat unusually fast that I looked up at him in alarm.
"I am that excited, sweetheart." He spoke between hiccups, the smile he wore brightening even more as he spoke.
"I-I..." He kept stammering over his words as he held onto my hands, his eyes speaking for him instead.
I smiled at his reaction, him being unable to speak being something I had never imagined, not to mention the tear he'd shed earlier.
"You're a goddess, my goddess." He declared in yet another whisper and then got on his knees before me and hugged me by my waist.
I ruffled his hair as he snuggled his head into me and held me tighter, as if never wanting to let go.
He looked up at me and continued to smile, his eyes appearing like two bright and beautiful diamonds.
"Meeting you had to be the best occurrence of my life." He had spoken the words to himself but I still heard them.
"You amaze me every passing day. Do you know how heartwarming it is to just see your face?"
I shook my head and bit my lip to hold my smile as he continued, "Wherever you are, my dreams lie there too."
"I look forward to seeing our baby grow here with us and to have you as a wonderful mother."
His trust for me in this matter made me take confidence as I nodded along at his words.
"I love you Grey," I would never get tired of saying these words to this man who knelt down in front of me.
"I'll always love you, my tulip." He looked into my eyes as he confessed the words that were like a forever promise.
We gazed at each other and exchanged smiles, our hands still interlinked and our bodies huddled into each other.
Grey looked at my waist again and then asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I feel okay," he looked at my face longer before lifting the tips of my shirt a little bit higher so that he'd see my stomach.
He carefully touched my tummy area, alternately looking at my face to check for any discomfort.
He kissed my navel thrice before he continued rubbing over the whole area, his smile still as wide as ever.
"Daddy and mommy already love you," he continued to massage over the whole area, our smiles matching the excitement in our hearts.
"Sweetheart?" He called out after sitting me down on the bed, still holding onto my body, his hands never leaving my tummy.
"Don't hesitate to tell me anything you need, just ask me, I'll provide it for you." I nodded, his immediate concern already warming my heart.
"What do we do next?" I honestly didn't know where to go from here, this being something I'd never experienced or even learned from someone.
Grey dressed my feet in a pair of black socks after realizing that they were bare and then ensured that my back rested properly on the headboard.
"We could go visit the doctor tomorrow and know how the baby is?" He suggested and I too felt like it was the right thing to do.
"Then we'll tell our families next, right?" He easily agreed and there a far away expression in his face.
"What else are you thinking of?" I watched him smile as he took both of my hands and pecked them again.
"The name of our first baby," he saw my smile and pecked my lips, hugging me closer to himself.
"But the baby has barely grown, we don't even know the gender." I tried to reason out but he shook his head.
"This was something I've always thought of since that time you nursed me back to health after my injury."
He looked at me and then cleared up my confused expression by saying, "Remember that secret I kept from you then?"
I nodded my head and he added, "I was thinking of us sitting at the backyard of our house as we watched our children play."
I just gaped at his confession.
He'd already thought of us that far?
What did I do to get such a great man?
He helped me lay down on bed and adjusted the covers over my body after ensuring that I was comfortable.
His hand went to the skin of my stomach again and he whispered goodnight to our unborn baby.
"We shall have a beautiful family, our baby will be just as beautiful as you, sweetheart." He cupped my cheek and lovingly stared at me.
"And they'll also be as exemplary as you are." I toyed with the buttons of his shirt as I added, his grin widening.
"The Marshal family," he closed his eyes after my last whisper and slipped his hand to my bare back.
"What a beautiful family," he whispered into my neck and after leaving a small bite there.
I couldn't agree less.
✪ ✪ ✪
The length of this chapter just tells you how much I missed this couple.
This is my first time writing bonus chapters, I hope they're kinda relatable.
Thank you so much for 300K+ reads. To everyone reading, voting and commenting, know that I'm always grateful.
I also would like to wish you all happy holidays with everyone you're celebrating with.
(๑˙❥˙๑)