Chapter {49}

Emrys Belle:

When Damon fainted at the gala everything just when downhill from there. I have put Damon to rest for a few days and not let people see him too much as it seems it just affects him further than needed. He won't tell me what came over him and if he remembered anything.

Aj has been extra difficult the past few days and as helpful as everyone is in the house Aj is not like other kids so trying to calm him down and deal with his tantrums is a lot more difficult than any other child.

Today seemed to be one of those days where Aj just woke up in a mood. I had been extremely tired these past few days between checking up on Damon, Aj and just growing a human, it was all become too much.

"Aj please, mommy needs you to put your shoes on. I need to get some stuff for baby." I knelt on the floor in front of Aj who was sat on the little bench by the door.

"No. I don't want to go." he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You have to Aj, you know grandad Asher, Paul and Ray are at work. Nana Everleigh has gone to see her son in Russia. Auntie Rose has gone with her and no one else can keep you were baba. I'm sorry but you have to come with mommy." I sighed trying to get the shoe on his foot.

"Daddy can look after me. Daddy's here." Aj shouted at me kicking the shoe out of my hand.

"Aj, you know daddy can't take care of you. We spoke about this." I sighed again.

"But I want him to." he pouted looking down to his hands.

"I know you do but Daddy can't. I told you he was hit his head very hard and he cannot take care of you at the minute." I tried to explain to him once more but he was having none of it today.

There was a rustling noise coming from by the door to the wall way and suddenly Damon's figure appeared.

I looked over to Aj who I knew was about to make a comment so I spoke before he could.

"How long have you been there?" the words slipped out of my mouth.

"Not long, I just heard voices so I wanted to see who was around," he explained, leaning himself against the door frame.

I just nodded and tried to put Aj's shoes back on with some struggle as he decided to start kicking me. I couldn't face Damon, I don't know how much of that conversation he just heard but I was not ready to say anything more to him.

"Aj, please stop." I reasoned.

I felt a presence next to me and next thing I knew Damon had taken the shoes out of my hands.

"You don't want to wear your shoes buddy?" Damon asked Aj.

Aj just shook his head and crossed her arms further.

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to walk barefooted then. We can't have you kicking your mummy with shoes on. That would hurt her, do you want your mummy hurt?" he continued to which Aj just shook his head no.

"Are you going to be a good boy today and do as mummy says?" he pushed further.

"I just want you to come too." Aj launched himself in Damon's arms crying into his shirt, clinging to his neck.

"Hey buddy, it's okay. I can come." Damon said meeting my eyes asking for permission.

I couldn't say no, I need the help no matter who it's from. I just feel so ill at ease around Damon now, I don't know how to act or what to say and that scares me.

"Let me just grab my bag and his and we can be off." I smiled.

I tried to get off the ground but being this pregnant made it hard to get off the floor. I saw Damon put his hand out for me to take to help me up which I gratefully took as there was no way I was getting on my feet without someone's help or a forklift.

Once I got back on my feet I walked over the where I had left my bag that was in the living room and walked back into the hallway to find Melodie standing beside Damon and Aj with her coat on ready to go.

"Melodie wanted to join us, I hope that's alright with you?" Damon spoke, concern in his eyes that he had stepped too far.

I swallowed the breath that was caught in my throat and shook my head waving him off.

"Fine, no problem," I said in a voice that I think only dogs could hear at how high pitched it was making me wince at my own voice.

"Great then let's go. I'm driving," he concluded opening the door.

"Um no, you are not. I am." I snapped at him, snatching the keys from his hands.

"You are too pregnant, it's not safe." he pleaded with me ignoring Melodie's look.

I got to the car and opened the driver's door.

"As long as my feet touch the pedals, that my stomach does not block the steering wheel and I can change gears, then I'm driving," I concluded and sat in the car letting Damon put Aj in.

When it came to who sat where was a little difficult. I really didn't want Melodie in the back with Aj as i do not trust her but I wanted her even less in the front with me. Thankfully Damon has long legs and a big build that he cannot sit comfortably in the back so he was set to the front next to me much to Melodie's displeasure.

We arrived at the mall and hopefully, I was able to get to neutral things for the baby and get all the furniture I need for the nursery since I have two weeks left before my due date. I was cutting it thin with all the nursery business and literally had no baby clothes aside from the things that Rose and Freyah had kept from their pregnancies that they were graciously gifting me. Buying for a baby takes time and there are a lot of things to get and build in such a short space of time.

Aj was still refusing to walk and put his shoes on so Damon continued to carry him in the shops until I managed to get Aj in a shopping cart when we arrived at the baby store.

I was trying my best to ignore Melodie who was hung at Damon's arms and dragging him left right and centre so that he wouldn't have to walk by me constantly.

I was looking at some newborn baby clothes trying to figure the sizes I needed because no newborn baby ever fits in a newborn size. I was holding two white pyjamas in my hands with matching little beanies when Melodie made a comment.

"Eww, why would you pick those ones. They are hideous. I wouldn't put my child in anything like that. You can't put a baby in cheap clothes like that." she spoke with disgust in her voice at my choices.

"I think they are rather cute pyjamas, I would get some with the stars too." Damon jumped in trying to make me feel better.

"No babe, our child will not be caught dead in anything like that. I want Gucci and Nike clothes, anything with a label. You don't want our baby to be ugly." she continued.

I looked at the two sets I had and started to feel a little bad. Where they that cheap-looking? My child is a future Mortimer, does it need to show this much prestige straight away? Where there rules that I didn't know of?

"Melodie, they are babies. They will outgrow their clothes in minutes. Plus they throw up and drool and poo like it's no one's business. There's no point in getting such expensive stuff when they are just born." Damon reasoned.

I mean he had a point but I felt as if my child deserved better, heck perhaps Aj needed to be wearing more expensive clothes. I put the pyjama's back on the rack and started to push the cart along not wanting to hear any more comments that Melodie had to give.

"Listen, Melodie, take some money and get yourself something pretty while I help Emrys. Sound good?" I could hear Damon say in the distance.

"Why do you have to help her? Come with me and you can watch me change in the changing rooms, I won't tell if you won't." I could hear her sultry tone making my skin crawl, imagining the love of my life with that witch of a woman.

"No, Emrys needs my help. I've helped my sisters do this and mum isn't here to assist so I feel like I have to be there for her. I know what to look for."

His words warmed my heart but I felt as if he felt obliged to come with me, he must see me as some sort of defenceless pregnant woman who can't take care of herself. I have done well so far on my own and if I have to do the same with this baby then so be it, I don't want things to be this way but everything seems to be out of my control.

I continued to push the trolley and pick up some bibs and whatnots.

"Hey wait up for me," Damon yelled from behind me.

I stopped the cart and wait for him to catch up with me.

"Why did you go?" he questioned concerned.

"I– um, just– um." I tried to get words out but I myself wasn't quite sure why I walked away.

He looked in my cart and saw that I had put nothing in it.

"Did you not like the star pyjama?" he looked like a little puppy that had not gotten attention.

"Well, after what Melodie said–" I started but he cut me off cross.

"I don't care what Melodie had to say. You get to pick what you want for ou– I mean your baby."

With a determined look, he turned on his heel and strutted back to where all the white neutral pyjama sets were and grabbed as many as he could, including the star one and marched back to where I was stood in somewhat state of shock. He put everything in the cart with a satisfied look and stood beside me once he was done.

"There. Much better" he concluded.

"Umm Damon. That's very sweet but I can't afford so much. I just need a couple of sets and once I found out what gender the baby is then I will be more things."

I tried to tell him but he just took over the shopping experience making me get all the most expensive prams, bottles and car seats. Anything that was of good quality for the baby he added to the list. Since we couldn't get everything in the cart Damon called upon a member of staff to follow us around and write down everything he wanted me to have. I tried to tell him that he didn't need to do all this and that I was more than capable of doing it all on my own and get cheaper things but he refused. I can't say no to that man no matter how hard I try so I just let him lead the way and it almost felt normal. Like we had gotten back in time before he was shot and we were a couple shopping for our new baby. Aj had fallen asleep in the trolley so he was so problem at all while we shopped. I was hoping he would wake up in a better mood and possibly hungry since we had skipped lunch because of all the baby shopping.

We got to the tills to ring everything through and I noticed Damon had picked up a lot of girl clothes and accessories such as bows and other toys.

"Um Damon, I've told you before I might not be having a girl." I sighed picking up some of the little bows and matching outfits.

"It's a girl. I got some little boy trackie bottoms too, she's a girl and will be a little princess but she's going to be a sporty girl that can beat any boy at anything." he justified.

Seeing him talking about the baby made me feel all sad. I didn't know if he would be able to have that bond with his baby if he didn't remember.

"Rhys? Why are you crying? Was it something I said?" he stepped to me concerned, placing his hands on my arm ready to pull me in a hug.

"I'm sorry if I did anything to upset you," he whispered in my hair as he held me tight.

I just sobbed in his arms, never wanting to let him go. It must have been a very odd scene in the middle of a baby store, halfway through the checkout but I just needed to feel him close, to be able to hug him.

"Shhh, it's all going to be alright. I'm sorry." he rubbed my back while I tried to compose myself a little.

The young girl behind the till called out to us to say that she had finished and asked us to pay.

I quickly pulled away from Damon and wiped my tears slapping a smile on my face.

"Sorry about that, hormones." I joked pointing to my stomach to which the girl smiled along with me and shook her head understanding.

I went to get my card out but Damon simply pushed me aside and paid for the bill.

"Damon!" I exclaimed.

"I don't want to hear it Emrys. My gift to you and that little ray of sun you are having." he waved me off and took the receipt.

"Just before you go, could you please fill in this delivery form for all the larger items." the girl behind the till called about before we stepped away.

"Sure." I nodded and started to fill all the information in.

When it came to the delivery address I didn't know where to put. I couldn't possibly put Damon's flat down, nor the Mortimer residence because I can't live with them forever, so out of habit I wrote down my old address and felt a little pinch in my heart as I did so.

"Here." I handed the form back.

"Thank you, the delivery should be in a couple of days time. You will receive a text giving you a time of when the delivery should be expected to make sure you are available during those times. If you have any enquiries there is a phone number helpline on the receipt or just pop back in-store and someone will be able to help." the girl informed and smiled back as us as we left the shop.

Damon had taken Aj into his arms as he was still very much asleep and refused to let me carry him and it was a lot more comfortable to be in Damon's arms than in the trolley. As we stepped out of the store Melodie was there waiting, a scowl on her otherwise beautiful face, bags and bags of shopping surrounding her feet.

"DAMON! I have been waiting for forever! Carry my bags." Melodie demanded.

"Melodie, I have my hands full at the moment, you managed to carry them here, I'm sure you could carry them to the car." he reasoned, lifting Aj higher in his arms.

"My arms are tired, Damon. You don't need to carry her runt, let her take care of her child. Or is she so incapable of doing that either." she snapped turning her gaze to me.

"Melodie, that was a step too far. You don't have to be so rude to her." Damon said in a hushed tone as to not wake up Aj in his arms.

"Pick up those bloody bags and walk to the car. You bought the stuff you can carry it all. I don't want to hear you complain, you have done my head in all day and I'm tired of it."

Melodie took a step back a little shook from Damon's words. If I were her I would want the ground to swallow me up, being told off like that in public, I would hate it.

"Come, let's get you off your feet darling." Damon held his hand out to lead the way letting me walk ahead with the shopping cart.

With a sulking Melodie, we made it back to the Mortimer residence. I fixed Aj a snack and happily put my feet up. I couldn't help but feel at this end of this day that my Damon was peaking at the surface, wanting to break out. I could see it in how he interacted with Aj over dinner, the softness in his eyes as he played with my son. That gave me hope.

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Hello, my loves!

Hope everyone is doing alright!

Fun chapters are up ahead so stay tuned!

I shall try my hardest to get more updates up as soon as I can but it takes me about 4 days to write a chapter and that's when I have time and are inspired!
Also i'll be starting up
Work again (thank god) so it will be hectic for the next couple weeks i think xx

so, what will happen next?

best bits?

Melodie is getting on my nerves

any other thoughts or comments?

until next time

xoxo