CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Blake opens the door and guides me into the entrance. His arm circles around my waist and he nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck. We stand in the shadows as footsteps wander from the kitchen and into the dining room.
"Buttercup is yellow with a star on her cheek. She likes yellow flowers and carrots. Fluffy is blue and has sparkles in her yellow and pink hair."
"What about the other one, the white and pink one?"
"Oh, that's princess sparkles!"
"And the blue one is Sky, right?"
"Yes," Lo cheers.
He peers around the corner and chuckles. Nudging him to the side, I peek over his shoulder and grin. I slap my hand over my mouth to stifle the chuckles.
London is perched on a chair whilst Dad is putting the plates and cutlery out. She tugs on a large smile and flutters her eyelashes.
"Why do you want another yellow unicron if you already have Buttercup?"
"She told me she wants a sister."
"I could buy you the yellow unicorn."
"Would you really?" She gasps.
"Of course!" Dad kisses the top of her head.
Blake grabs my waist and pins me against the wall. He presses his face into my neck to stifle the laughter. I wrap my arms around his waist and tug his body closer to mine.
"Does she get this from Logan?" His breath tickles my skin.
I weave my fingers through his hair and nod.
His lips brush against mine and my heart flutters.
"Do you remember that time I snuck into your bedroom."
"Yes." I laugh.
"I wish we could sneak upstairs."
"Sometimes I wish we could skip back in time, just for a day."
"If I go back in time, I would tell myself to say hi to you. Perhaps I wouldn't have wasted so much time if I knew you felt the same about me."
"You wouldn't have London, though." I sigh.
"We'd always have her, one way or another."
I wonder if Logan is destined to die in every alternative reality, I hope not.
Blake cups my cheek and kisses my forehead.
"I love you so much."
"We should say hi before they find us."
"Alright." He nods.
He hooks his finger under my chin and guides our lips together. I slide my hands down his chest and circle them around his waist. Blake takes my hand and pulls me into the dining room.
London beams with happiness as she leaps off the chair and races around. I scoop her off the ground and she wraps her legs around my torso.
"Hey Lo." I smile.
Blake hooks an arm around my waist and kisses London's cheek.
"How was the sleepover?" I poke her side.
"It was amazing."
"Yeah, I bet it was." Blake laughs.
"London, can you help me with something?" Mum calls.
I place her on the ground and she races away. Blake squeezes my side and I smile at him.
"Do you want something to drink?"
"Yes, what do you want? I'll grab it from the kitchen."
"Can you find me a beer?"
"Sure." I nod.
His hand slides away as I enter the kitchen. Mum is dishing food into a pot while Angela is pouring red wine into a line of glasses.
"Do you want a glass?"
"No, thanks."
"Really?" She frowns.
"Please tell me I don't drink that much!" I bite my lip.
"One glass of red wine is good for you."
"Hm, that's what an alcoholic would say." I chuckle.
With a bright smile, Angela grabs the wine glasses and wanders away. I take the water jug from the fridge and slide it onto the bench. Mum rests against the bench and sighs.
"Dinner smells delicious." I grin.
"Thank you." She tugs on a smile.
I open the cabinet door and reach for a cup which is pushed to the back. My shirt slides up and Mum gasps. I twirl around and place my finger on my lips.
Her eyes water as she nods. She tugs me into a hug and I squeeze her back.
I pour water into the glass and take the drinks to the table. Blake slides the chair out and I slip onto it. He takes a swig from the beer and nods as Angela rattles on about something. He puts his hand on my knee and squeezes it.
"Dinner's ready," Mum shouts.
London ends up in the middle of Thomas and Dad which makes me laugh. I wonder if she's going to con Thomas into buying her another unicorn too.
I wrap my arms around his arm and rest my head against his shoulder.
"We have some news to tell you," Angela comments.
"We always pick dinner to share the good news." I chuckle.
"Dinner is the best time of the day." Dad grins.
"I'm pregnant and I'm planning the gender reveal party by myself. And we're having a gender reveal because I want to pop a balloon with confetti in it."
"Congratulations, hun!" Mum cheers.
"Ahh!" Angela screams. "Can I just-"
"No." Blake laughs.
"What about-"
"No."
"Blake!"
"Mother."
"Fine, I won't do anything."
"There's the baby shower once she's further along and all the parties after that. You should really be a party planner with how excited you get over these things."
"Well." Angela smiles. "That's why we were keen about dinner."
"Angela and I have created our own party planning business! We're launching on Wednesday."
"Aw Mum, Angela, I, wow, I'm so proud and excited for you." I grin.
"You two were right! We enjoy party planning and now that our kids no longer need us, we need something else to do with our lives," Angela says.
"That's amazing! We'll recommend your planning services to everyone," Blake comments.
"Thank you!" Angela cheers.
"If the business goes well, Thomas and I might be kept men." Dad beams with happiness.
"Now that would be something to celebrate. I could be a good housewife." Thomas smiles.
"You would if we hired someone to clean and cook." Angela rumbles with laughter.
"I don't consider that a roast because I would prefer someone else to take care of the domestic duties. I could go out and have a spa day or something."
"Don't get too excited, the business might not go anywhere." Angela sighs.
Thomas rests his arm on the chair and laughs.
"There's no way this business will fail with you two."
"Thank you." Angela smiles.
"We should eat before the food gets cold," I say.
Mum takes London's plate and dishes pasta onto it. She smiles with happiness as the creamy pasta is stacked onto it.
"Now that's a face you make when I serve you food," Blake whispers.
"You're right about that." I chuckle.
* * * * *
London skips into the lounge room and plonks onto the couch. Blake sits behind me and I rest against his warm chest. She crawls across the cushions and snuggles against me. I wrap my arms around her body and kiss her head.
She leans back and pokes my stomach. Her blue eyes meet mine and she frowns.
"How does a baby fit in there?"
"Babies start super tiny, like those icky peas."
"Oh." She wrinkles her nose.
"Over the course of nine months, the baby grows and develops. Once it's finished growing, the mother gives birth and you have a baby."
"Hm." She ponders.
I pull my shirt up and Blake slides his hand over my stomach. London presses her ear to my stomach and sighs.
"What are you doing?"
"Listening to the baby."
"You can't hear anything right now, but when the baby is born, you will." I giggle.
She rests on my stomach and I drape an arm around her back. I twirl strands of her blonde hair around my finger and she falls asleep.
Blake kisses my shoulder and his warm breath tickles my skin.
"I'm going to die of happiness once our little bub gets here."
"Don't die on me, I need one more child after this one." I chuckle.
"I'll stay alive then."
"Do you want to carry her to bed?" I yawn.
"In a second, I'm trying to memorise this moment."
We sit in silence until Blake slides off the couch. He scoops London into his arms and carries her to the bedroom. She stirs but goes back to sleep once the blankets are on.
He turns her night light on and piles the unicorns onto the bed which makes her smile. We creep down the hallway and Blake swings me into the air.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking my wife to bed."
He carries me into the bathroom and places me on the bench.
"Thanks." I smile.
We brush our teeth and wander into the bedroom. I sprawl across the bed and collect the paint samples and toss them into the drawer.
"We still need to decide on the colour for the nursery."
"What are your thoughts?" Blake grins.
"Soft yellow or grey."
"Now I'm thinking about baby elephants."
"That would be adorable." I smile.
"Should we wait for the gender reveal or go with a yellow room?"
"We could have an outdoor theme, with a sky or something?"
"I don't mind, just as long as you don't make the room pink if we're having a boy."
"Alright." I nod. "I'm obsessive over cute baby elephant prints."
"Let's sleep on it then."
Blake slides under the covers and pushes my shirt up. He kisses my stomach and flops beside me. I wrap myself around his body and kiss his chest.
"Goodnight, my loves," he murmurs.
I squeeze him and snuggle a little closer.
I'm sure it's Saturday somewhere 😂