James's POV

I observe from my chair as she tugs her hair behind her ear before opening up the file and passing the flashdrive to her colleague who offers her a smile wider than necessary. It amuses me how oblivious she is to people's attention as she writes down something in her diary before her eyes flicker up to meet mine.

She doesn't even hide her surprise because she was oblivious to my presence when I entered the conference room and took a seat. Almost everyone greeted me, but she was in the corner of the room, fidgeting as her eyes roamed over her laptop screen.

I can't hide my amused smirk at her reaction, and in return she offers me a subtle glare, but with each second it stretches into a small smile. Once I raise my eyebrows at her, she finally grins and looks away, clearing her throat.

"Coffee, Mr. Clark?" The guy from the lounge downstairs asks me and I nod, offering him a smile.

"Thanks. Black, right?"

"Of course, sir."

He moves onto give everyone a cup, except Lillian who obviously denies it so I turn to look at Eve. "Can you ask him to get her a hot chocolate?"

"Sure, Mr. Clark." She gives me a knowing sweet smile that often annoys me, like she knows some secret I don't.

My eyes move to Alex entering the room, she takes a seat beside me, looking a little annoyed so I pass her a questioning frown. "Your best friend has a stick up his ass."

"Hold on, he's your husband now." I chuckle, moving to take a sip of the coffee as I try not to let my amusement be clear.

"He's a grumpy ass in the morning, did you know that?" She groans and takes a cup of coffee from the guy before turning to me. "I mean, I knew that but today it was like he's... just more Hale."

A laugh leaves me at her choice of words because I can imagine Hale getting on her nerves without even realising it. "What did he do?"

"Burnt my dress. I told him to iron it, and next I know there's a big burnt hole in it that he apparently claims isn't his mistake." She grumbles and I bite my tongue to hold in my laughter.

"Hale's not very equipped with home appliances." I inform her. "You're married now, so take it up as your first lesson of things, teach him."

She gives me a look, "You just have to flat iron a piece a cloth, what's there to learn?"

"Do you not know how things work in Hale's head? He's basically a child." I smile amusedly and she runs a hand through her hair, nodding.

"I hate that you're right."

"Always am." I shrug cockily and she just shakes her head at me.

My eyes move to Lillian. She's wearing a dark blue formal dress which honestly suits her way too much for it to be a formal outwear. Her eyebrows are furrowed together and I feel the sudden urge to walk up to her and kiss that frown away.

"Wait, Lillian's presenting today, isn't she?" Alex asks, her gaze following mine.

I nod in return, "Yup!"

"Is it weird?"

I simply shake my head. Lillian and I have been in the meetings together before, and she has had several meetings and presentations with her department, but she's been handling the Texas project so well that Elena asked her to take up this entire meeting and facilitate it for the authority figures of the company, aka her husband, Alex and Rosy. It's a big deal to Lillian, and she almost freaked out yesterday like it's her first presentation at school, but then we practiced it over until she calmed down.

If this goes well, the next step is for the board meeting, where usually Alex and I are supposed to pitch the ideas, but I'd rather have Elena do it for the hard work she has been putting in for this project.

"We can start now," I tell the team because I want to keep tight schedule on my meetings and not stay over the working hours today.

Lillian looks up at Elena who offers her a nod and then turns towards me, so I give her an encouraging smile. She stands up from her seat and looks at everyone before connecting the USB to the screen and turns to the people to present.

For the next hour, she presents the entire budget plan for the next quarter while answering every question along the way. She might be my wife, but when it comes to business, she knows I keep it separate. Now, I could've easily asked her these questions during the prep but that wouldn't have been fair, given that no one else has that advantage. It has taken me time, but I've learned to give her space at work to grow at her own pace.

After she's done and is gathering her stuff, I walk up to her and she turns to me immediately. "Hey."

"You did well."

"Yeah?" She asks me nervously, gulping before turning to everyone who are busy talking amongst themselves. "I bet everyone here thinks I got it easy because you're my husband. Someone should tell them you didn't grill me like that during the prep."

I would've been offended but the way she's amusedly smiling at me, I resist the need to kiss her. The two times I've kissed her in work premises, I've been reprimanded both by my father and surprisingly Hale to maintain the work decorum. Apparently, you can have sex with the woman you love in the closed office as long as no one knows, but can't kiss her in the lounge area.

"Just doing my job." I shrug and she waves it off. "At what time are you getting free today?"

She fakes a gasp as she turns to me with her bambi like eyes, "Forgot to tell you, have to work extra hours for this project, won't be home until late."

"Very funny." I roll my eyes and she grins at me. "See you in a couple of hours?"

"Yes, and thank you for the hot chocolate."

"No idea what you're talking about."

She shakes her head at me as I turn around to leave but then turn back towards her as quickly, my thoughts going on a different path, "How's the little girl?"

"James." She gives me a look. "First of all, I don't think it's even a girl or a boy yet, and it can very well be a boy and secondly, be quiet."

"Jesus." I frown at her. "Think positive thoughts, love."

"My positive thoughts wouldn't change whether you shot an X or a Y."

I can't help the loud laugh that leaves me at her words, "Holy—"

"Language!"

I roll my eyes at her before giving her hand a light squeeze and turning to move away. Did I mention? We're going to have a kid. Half her, half me. I hope it's more her than me because we both know who's the saner out of the two. But she has gone into this thing where she doesn't let me curse, because 'James, we have to develop a habit before the baby's born.' So, every time I remotely begin to curse or she does the same, we share a knowing look. If we she could hear my shitty thoughts at times, she'll have to warn me every second of the day

It has been a couple of weeks since we found out, but I think the moment we decided to go ahead with the decision of pregnancy, we both knew that somewhere deep, we both are ready for it. The idea of being a father is still scary because I don't know shit about it except that I already love this feeling, of knowing that in the coming months, my family would grow and I can't wait to meet and hold the baby. It's surreal to feel this way, but also amazingly beautiful.

If it isn't evident already, this woman would make an amazing mother and pamper our kid so much that by the time we realise it, it will be too late and we'll have to live the rest of our lives questioning how did our precious beautiful daughter turn into a brat.

We still haven't told anyone. She told me Caleb knows, but even he's unaware of the decision we made. Tonight, we'll tell our families, and the rest will find out sooner or later.

As I'm entering my office, I run into Hale and he shares the same annoying look Alex was wearing before the meeting. He grunts at my presence and I smirk at him.

"Marriage isn't going so well?"

"How do you do it?" He grumbles as we enter the office and he takes a seat on my chair. If it had been anyone else, well apart from Lillian, I would've been very offended by that action but it's just him.

"Explain."

"I feel like when the responsibility of the tag comes on, things get worse?" Hale glares at the stress ball in his hand before throwing it my way and I almost miss it. "I mean, how the hell am I supposed to be a perfect husband?"

I feel bad for him, I really do because in the beginning of my relationship with Lillian, I wanted to be the best husband out there too. I've always aimed for that, but it took me some time to realise that the tag is only going to fuck you up if you let it.

"You aren't," I start, taking a seat on the other side of the desk and he finally focuses his attention on me. "I can't believe I'm giving marriage advice but you aren't supposed to be perfect anything. You just have to be yourself, because that's who she fell in love with, and love her the way you've always been doing. Labels are going to pressure you, but you have to remember that you are still the same people you were before the tag came, and think what were the two of you doing right back then, because everything's still the same."

"Damn Jim, that's deep." He narrows his eyes at me, chewing on his inner cheek which makes me want to smack his head but I resist the urge and then he finally lets out a breath. "You should write a book. How to ace at marriage 101."

I glare at him at the suggestion, and he finally lets out a small smile which earns him a look in return. "Fuck off now."

He chuckles, standing up before he grins at me, "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." I flip off my finger at him and he understands that's my way of expressing gratitude, because I really am grateful to have a dickhead like him in my life, however immature he may act at times.

Once I'm done with the day work, I pack up my shit and gather it to leave. Eve is still outside at her desk, typing away at her laptop. She took up the role of my assistant quickly when I hired her. She can be a little clumsy at times, but she's good at what she does.

Amy, however, left the company couple of months after she was transferred to Rosy, and that has been a good riddance in my life. When I exit the building, Lillian's waiting for me by the car but she looks a little pale.

"Lil, you alright?" I ask, looking at Reece in the driver's seat and move my eyes back to Lillian who nods at me. "Sure?"

"Just a little nauseous, that's all."

I nod, rubbing my hand on her arm and she offers me a weak smile. "Do you want to wait here a little before we go home? The car can make you sicker."

"Yeah, is that alright?"

"Of course." I kiss her forehead, before pulling away to give her space to breathe.

We hang out in the parking lot for a while as she tells me that Elena was really happy with her work today. She has excelled in the little time she has worked here, simply because she's dedicated at things and knows how to balance around.

When she feels a little better, we make our way home. I think amongst all these new happenings in our lives, she has forgotten my birthday. She knows when it is, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't realise what date it is today. But I'm not hurt or anything remotely close, she's been having continuous morning sickness and nausea, so right now all that matters is her health, because I want her and the baby both to be fine.

I'm not even fan of birthdays. I don't understand the people who make a big deal out of it, honestly. For me, it's another ordinary day. Except last year was nice, when she actually managed to make me happy with the small surprise dinner.

After we reach the apartment, I'm unlocking the door when she gives me a look and I immediately know from her expression what's going to follow after this. She rushes to the bathroom and I get her a glass of water from the kitchen before I hear her gagging noise.

"What did you eat for lunch?" I ask, rubbing her back as I hold back her hair from the other hand.

"Chicken sandwich."

I make a mental note to put it in the list of things which make her sick during pregnancy. Sometimes it's hard to keep up so I've stuck sticky notes all over the kitchen, and I'm really trying to be better at cooking because it worries me sick when she wants to do everything on her own.

"You need to rest, Lillian. Take a day off tomorrow, please." I request and she gives me a knowing look before standing up to wash her face.

She uses the mouthwash and then picks up the glass of water from the sink, gulping it down in one go before turning to me. "You've got to let loose, James. This is normal, I talked to the doctor about it. First trimester is all about nausea and sickness, you can chill."

"Bu–"

She shakes her head, stepping forward as she puts her hands on my shoulders. "I need you to chill. You've been pampering me since the day we found out, and please, just trust me. I got this."

I let out a ragged breath, pinching between my brows before I look at her face. She looks exhausted and it's beyond me why she thinks I wouldn't worry about her. My worry has increased, of course, now that our baby is in the picture but she's ultimately the one experiencing it.

Reluctantly, I nod at her, "Can I hold you for a minute?"

She doesn't respond, instead she wraps her arms around me and rests her cheek against my chest as I kiss her hair. I take in a breath, letting her smell invade my mind because it's my favourite one. Every human has a distinct scent, and I've always known it but I'd never been acquainted to anyone's in the past. But with her, I remember it even in my sleep.

"Hey James?" She mumbles against my chest and I hum in return. She creates a little distance as she meets my eyes. "Happy Birthday, my love."

A huge smile takes over my face. Of course, she remembered. This is Lillian we're talking about. I lean forward and place a peck on her lips and she grimaces in return.

"I literally just threw up."

"We've been married for almost two years now, Lil. There are a lot of gross things which exist, and this one doesn't even make it on the list."

She scrunches up her nose in disgust at me and I laugh at her expression, hugging her again.

"Shit, our parents are coming tonight, aren't they?"

"Language!" I raise my eyebrows at her. "You remembered my birthday, but not the birthday dinner?"

She gives me a sheepish smile before shrugging. "We're telling them, right?"

"Of course, we are! Hale's coming too, by the way."

"He's family, so yes, of course, he is."

Afterwards, we spend our time in the shower and then get ready. I'm trying to keep myself in check with the over-pampering because I know it can be exhausting for her sometimes. But it's like ever since I've found out, it's just a parental instinct that kicks in to make sure the health of the baby, and since I've always been a little protective of Lillian, this pregnancy has taken it up a notch.

The doorbell rings and Lillian's changing into a dress so I move out to open the door. Gabriel and Bethany are standing on the other side and I immediately offer them a smile, even to Gabe despite our differences in the past.

"C'mon in, it's good to see you both after the wedding."

"Happy Birthday, dear!" Beth grins at me, pulling me into a hug that I return. She's a good mother to Lillian, and has always been sweet to me. I appreciate her for that.

"Thanks, Beth. You didn't have to get us anything, you know?" I comment, looking at the wrapped box in her hand.

"Oh, it's nothing. Happy Birthday!" Gabe pats me lightly on my back and I nod at him.

"Thanks. Beer or scotch for you, Gabe?" I ask, turning around to go to the bar. "Beth, wine?"

"Red's fine for me, James!" She takes a seat on the couch and I wait for Gabe to speak.

"Bourbon, if you have it."

"Of course."

I take my sweet time by the bar and Lillian steps out of the bedroom, her eyes bouncing to her parents, a huge smile taking over her face. "Mom!"

They exchange hugs as I go back with the drinks. I'm about to take a seat when the doorbell rings again and Lillian stands to move but I shake my head.

"Got it."

She gives me a nod before I move to open the door again. On the other side Alex, Hale and my father are chattering amongst themselves.

"Happy Birthday, Son!" My father moves to give me a hug, by which I'm surprisingly taken aback because he's not a very affectionate man in general.

"Thanks, Dad."

He nods at me before moving inside and Alex gives me a look before hugging me, "You let me on and on about this butthead this morning and forgot to mention it's your birthday? It completely slipped my mind, I'm so sorry. Happy Birthday!"

"It isn't a big deal. Thanks!" I kiss her cheek and she grins before nodding. "You both good?"

Hale just nods at me with a smirk and I shake my head before all of us move inside. Everyone greets one another and I take a seat beside Lillian on the couch, pulling her closer.

"I think Alex got you a cake." She mentions, and I resist rolling my eyes.

"Jesus, I'm twenty seven."

She gives me an amused smile. "I don't understand how do you not like cake."

"It's overrated." I deadpan at her and she just gives me a disappointed look in return. I look at everyone before turning to her. "Do you want to do this now or after the dinner?"

"Now?" She gulps and I nod. "We have to put Jer on FaceTime."

"Yes, I got it."

I pick up the iPad from the coffee table and call Jeremy. He picks up on the second ring and instead of his, it's Joan's smiling face I see.

"Oh, happy birthdayyyy, James!" She squeals. "You're old, dude. How do you feel?"

"Like I never want to be called dude again." I remark and she shrugs at me in return. Joan's the only person I've met who has less fucks to offer than I do. "Where's your boyfriend?"

I hear some shuffling behind before Jeremy comes to fit on the screen by her side. "Right here. Happy Birthday, man!"

"Thanks! Everyone's here, so I'm going to set up the screen on the table, alright?"

"Cool. Oh, hey Hale!" He grins at him, making me roll my eyes. Those two get along better than I could've anticipated.

Jeremy and Joan chatter with everyone and before I know it, Alex brings out the cake and I sigh internally. This is more attention than I've ever had in my life. However, Lillian gives my hand a light squeeze and kisses my cheek to keep me calm.

"Cut the cake!" Hale claps his hand and I already it's his favourite flavour, butter scotch.

"I like how you both worked around the flavour of this." I smirk at Alex who blushes at my comment.

"Well, you don't like cakes. So those who eat get to decide the flavour." Hale shoots back and I try to hold in my chuckle. "Now, c'mon! I'm dying here."

I look at Lillian who gives me an encouraging smile. I cut the cake and everyone animatedly sings the happy birthday song for me. Everyone is wearing such a huge smile on their faces and I turn to Lillian who gives me a knowing smile.

"Alright." I clear my throat as Hale lunges for the cake, Joan laughing from the screen as Alex serves everyone some piece of it. "We have something to tell you guys."

This gets almost everyone's attention, even Jeremy's who speaks up first, "Shit, you aren't getting a divorce, are you?"

"Hell, no!" Lillian scolds him. "How does your mind work like that, honestly?"

He offers her an apologetic shrug, "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone."

She shakes her head at him, trying to cover up her pissed off look, but I just rub my palm up and down her arm to calm her down. I know Jeremy sometimes speaks without thinking, so I don't mind. She sighs, running a hand through her hair as she offers me a small smile, nodding.

"I'm pregnant."

"What?" Bethany's the first one to gasp with her eyes widened. She stares at her daughter in utter surprise and I honestly worry that she's upset until a huge smile takes over her face with tear brimming her eyes. "Oh my god, I'm going to be a gran!"

I finally let out a huge breath as a laugh of relief leaves me. "Yes, you are!"

"You owe me fifty dollars!" Alex tells Hale who's still staring at us with surprise. "Congratulations, you two!"

She moves to give both of us a hug and Lillian turns to her, "What's the fifty dollars for?"

"We made a bet after the dinner couple of weeks back. I was pretty sure you were pregnant because you just wouldn't drink, but he said that James wouldn't be able to shut up about it if you were, like he'd freak out and shit."

I look at Hale, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, man!"

"Hey, he isn't wrong. You did freak out." Lillian reminds me.

"Yes, for two minutes. This is huge!"

"It is! And I'm so happy for you both." Joan squeals from the screen and Lillian finally looks at his brother.

"Thanks, Jo! Hey, Jer. You still with us?"

He passes a huge grin at us. "Yeah, congrats Lil. This is really big. How far along are you?"

"More than eight weeks, I think." She nods to herself.

"Woah. Congrats, you two!" Hale finally grins at us.

Gabriel stands up from his seat and Alex immediately rushes aside as he takes a seat next to his daughter. He wraps his around her, giving her a light squeeze.

"I can't believe how grown up you are!" He sniffs a little and I exchange a look with Beth who looks as surprised as I am. "This baby is going to be so pampered."

"Right?" Lillian laughs, her hand going to her belly subconsciously. "That's what James tells me all the time. This baby's the first of its generation in our family."

"Hold on, I just realised I won't be the youngest one anymore." Jeremy fakes disappointment and everyone laughs.

My eyes move to my father who looks like he's having a hard time processing everything. He gives the two of us a small smile before coming to pat me on the back and giving a light squeeze to Lillian's shoulder. Everyone gets excited and almost don't realise when he leaves the room to go the balcony but my wife does. She gives me a worrisome look and I give her an assuring smile before moving to follow him out.

Once I'm outside, I realise how chilly it is. It's never been fun to have birthdays in January because of how cold it is, but with Lillian, it's better because of how much she loves winter. My father never smoked often but when I see the puff from his cigarette, I grow a little worried.

"Dad?"

He turns around, surprised at my presence. "Hey, you should be inside."

"So should you." I remark, and he nods. "Are you not happy, is that what this is about?"

He chuckles, but it's low and almost sad as he shakes his head. "Far from it, Pete."

I try hard to cover my shock at his usage of that name. He hasn't called me that since my mother passed away, because that's what she used to call me. It's from my middle name 'Peter', who was my mother's father. I clear my throat to hide my emotions but the thing is, it brings back a lot of memories with it.

"What is it then?"

"It's just something your mother-in law said." He shrugs and somehow, I just know what he means.

"About how she's going to be a gran and Mum never got a chance?"

When he looks at me, his eyes are filled with surprise but then slowly nods. I can't even imagine what he must be feeling like at the moment. Mum was the love of his life, much like Lillian is mine, and as gross as it is to imagine your parents in love, even as a seven year old kid I admired their bond.

"You ever miss her?" He asks me, offering me a spare cigarette that I decline from the gesture of my hand.

"Always, Dad. I know you do too."

He lets out a humourless chuckle. "Yeah, she would've been so proud of you."

A feeling for longing overwhelms me as I listen to him say that. "You think so?"

"Of course, kid. She always had big dreams for you, and you're living that dream of hers. Trust me, if she can see this right now, that woman is doing her silly little happy dance somewhere."

I laugh at his comment. "Yeah, that was pretty horrible. But always entertaining."

"She knew how to laugh, and how to make everyone laugh." He sighs, putting down his cigarette as he looks at the skyline of the city. "I'm proud of you. I don't say it often, but you deserve where you are. I've seen you work your ass off."

"Thanks." I smile at him, looking inside the glass door to see Lillian's attention switching to us from time to time.

"She's a keeper. I know I made the decision for you, and you weren't happy about it. But I hope there aren't any regrets."

"None, whatsoever. I think it's the best decision of my life." I immediately respond, meaning every word. "So, you're ready to be a grandfather?"

He finally laughs, the sound relaxing me because my father and I might be emotionally distant at times but he's the only parent I have in my life. I can't imagine it otherwise.

"Of course, can't wait to spoil that little bug."

We spend a little more time talking in the balcony, mostly reminiscing my mother before Hale calls us in for dinner. It isn't much, just a little bit Lillian and I could pull off but no one seems disappointed at all. The entire dinner table buzzes with the excitement of the news and it warms my heart to know that our little one is already loved so much.

Since it's work night, almost everyone leaves by eleven. I'm putting the dishes in the dishwasher and Lillian's eating chocolate covered strawberries on the barstool.

"Was Carrack alright tonight?"

"Yeah, I think he was just overwhelmed."

She nods, offering me a comforting smile. "It's a huge news for everyone."

"Hey, I never opened the present your Mum got me." I tell her and her eyes light up with excitement.

"Yes, I'm going to get it."

When she's back, she puts it on the kitchen island and I turn to her. She gestures for me to unwrap it so I do just that, my curiosity peeking up to find out what's inside. But when I do see it, I stare between the gift and her.

"This must be expensive shit."

"Wow, Mom went overboard." She laughs, but I know she likes it by her smile. "But imagine how good the timing is. We can take so many photos of this little potato."

I laugh loudly at her words, "Okay, love. I don't think our kid's going to appreciate being called that."

Her parents got me a DSLR. It's one of the most unfit gifts anyone could've ever given me but Lillian's right. There's so much we can make from it for the little one now that we're expecting.

"Well, I'll call that kid whatever I want," she tells me with a pout and I lean over the island to kiss her. She tastes like chocolate and strawberries and I immediately moan into the kiss.

She pulls away a little and I pull her closer, making her laugh. "Please, I need you."

"Time for birthday present."

"If that's code for sex, let's go!"

She shakes her head at me. "No, but yes, let's go."

I frown at her words but she doesn't say anything. She just takes my hand and leads us to the study. After her ultrasound and other basic tests, we decided to turn this into nursery. We've moved most of the stuff in one of the guest rooms that had the space to accommodate it but there's still one spare table by the wall here.

"Have you decided on a colour yet?" I ask, looking at the white walls like the rest of the apartment but this room's going to be different, definitely.

"We did narrow it down to yellow or green." She reminds me and I nod but then my eyes move to the table and there's a box lying on it.

"Is that my birthday gift?" I smirk, a little excited to see what did she think of this time.

She bites on her lower lip before nodding, "Yeah, go on."

I walk towards the desk and immediately realise how it's filled with bunch of stuff which surprises me because I was expecting one thing only. So, I pick up the first thing on top. It's a black beanie and I can't help the idiotic smile on my face when I see that it has a small J knitted on the side.

After I pull it out, I run my hand through it, realising that it's been hand-knitted and it's definitely not perfect which makes me turn to her, "You knitted this?"

She nods, looking a little embarrassed, "Yeah, John's been a grumpy teacher."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from him." I look down at the soft material before meeting her eyes. "It's amazing, Lil. I absolutely love it."

"Yeah?" She looks a little unsure.

Just to prove a point, I put it over my head and she starts laughing, "You look adorable."

"I am adorable, love. Thank you very much." I teasingly grin at her.

I can't believe she actually knit me a damn beanie. It has to be the most personalised gift anyone's ever given me. A feeling of love washes over me as I stare at her, admiring how the hell did I hit jackpot in the love department. I genuinely have got it all at this point, and that's scary sometimes because I don't want to lose it.

My eyes move to the box again and below the beanie is a thin magazine like book which I pick up. As soon as I read the cover, I dramatically fake a gasp, "Okay, that bruises my ego now."

"Trust me, it's the most useful gift of all."

"Cooking for dummies, really?"

She bites on her inner cheek to stop herself from laughing but it doesn't go well because she ends up chuckling a little. "Don't go with the title, it has some really good recipes. I used it when I lived in the dorm."

I roll my eyes, mocking hurt which only makes her grin wider as I move to the next thing. It's upside down frame so I pick it up, turning it around. It's a black surface that says 'Happy Birthday' on top and below it is a circle of constellation of stars, followed by 'Stars above Atlanta, US on 26.02.18'. It's the day we got married. At the bottom of the black surface, in italics is a line that I've heard her say so many times now.

'Always grateful for our stars aligning together on the day we got married, for we wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for our wedding.'

My eyes roam over the entire frame as I run my hand on it before turning to her. I part my lips to say something but I feel utterly speechless. How the hell does she manage to always leave me like this? She looks a little nervous about my reaction so I close the distance between us, rushing to her as I wrap my arms around her waist before kissing her, letting my actions be evident of the love I have for her because words are failing me right now.

When we part, she's breathing heavily as she rests her head against mine, "One more gift to go."

"I don't think anything can top this, Lil."

"Trust me, I'm good at this." She grins, kicking in my excitement with those words. "C'mon."

I nod, hesitantly parting away my body from hers as I frown at the last piece in the box. It's a recorder with attached earphones. I frown at her but she just nods for me to go ahead.

"Play it."

I put the earplugs in before pressing play, and hear a very faint and strange voice asking, 'Ready?'

'Yeah,' I hear Lillian's voice and then her gasp.

There's a pause, and Lillian takes the recorder from my hand before turning it around and putting it in my palm. The moment I hear a sound pick up, I read the words on the note she stick on the back of the recorder.

'Happy Birthday, Dadda!'

It takes me a moment but when the realisation of the sound hits me, my eyes fill up as a very similar gasp as Lillian's leaves me. Fuck! I pull her a little closer as the sound continues to repeat through the recorder. Filling my ears.

Heartbeat. It's our baby's heartbeat.

A series of emotions rush through me as I hit play again after it ends and Lillian's eyes meet mine. She's pretty much mirroring my expression when I put one of the earplugs in her ear and she wraps her arms around my waist.

"It's our little one, love. We can hear her," I tell her and she nods, brining up her hand to cup my cheeks as she dabs on the little happy tears I spilled.

"Yes, we can. Isn't it beautiful?"

"I think it's my favourite sound in the world," I say, honestly. I mean it to the very core of my heart; it is my new favourite sound.

How can a little foetus manage to erupt so many emotions within us? It seems surreal, but also brings us so much closer to the reality. I kiss Lillian's hair as I hold her a little tighter. She picks up the last thing from the box and holds it in her hand. It's a sonogram from her ultrasound. I can spot the little bean almost immediately, my heart feeling like it would explode from these emotions.

"I love you, so much." I whisper in her ear. "I love both of you, so much"

•••

so a lil disclosure about me, which i've never ever given in the past, mostly because i feel like it bores people. but i've got incredible fifteen readers who always vote and read always. love you guys so much. so hey, i'm from India. i got active again on wattpad after two years couple of months back, just to complete and publish this story here which i originally started writing more than two years back and got the storyline idea almost more than four years back. i was a teenager back then, now i'm an adult and sometimes question whether i should be this involved in the fictional world.

in case it isn't obvious, i judge myself a lot. woop, Lillian and i have something in common there. but your views, comments and votes keep those doubts at bay a lot of times and help. so i just wanted to express my gratitude, thank you so much for reading! all my love to you.

share your thoughts on the chapter and don't forget to vote and comment!