**UPDATED PICTURE OF POPPY'S OUTFIT BELOW (but with thick black tights lol)**

**Edited**

Poppy's POV

"Remind me why I fucking agreed to paint this Goddamn room on my Friday off in the first place?" Knox grumbled after emerging from the room we'd designated as the nursery, covered in smudges of pastel yellow paint with disheveled hair and an annoyed scowl. I giggled at the sight, finding it incredibly adorable.

"Because we agreed we wanted the room to have a personal touch and hiring someone else to do it just because we didn't want to isn't personal at all," I responded in a sing-song voice. He huffed before wrapping the wet paint roller in his hand with plastic so it wouldn't dry out before he got a chance to do the second coat.

"I'll add my personal touch when I put my fist through the wall," he growled under his breath, not thinking I heard him.

I quirked my eyebrow up at the statement. "Do it and that same fist will be the only one giving you pleasure until our baby's born," I shot back. He spun around quickly, a look of utter horror on his face and the mere idea.

"No need, Flower! I love painting. It's my favorite hobby. Actually, as a matter of fact, I think I'm gonna go ahead and start on the second coat right now!" he exclaimed with a cheesy grin before darting back into the room. I threw my head back and laughed loudly before making my way downstairs to the kitchen, desperately in search of some pickles. I'd found it was one of the only things outside of my norm diet of saltines that I could keep down. Safe to say it was a welcome change for my taste buds.

Leaning over the now almost empty jar was how Knox found me about forty-five minutes later.

"What're you doing baby? I told you to save your appetite because we're having dinner with my parents in less than four hours," he said, glancing at his expensive watch - which also adorned a smudge of paint due to his stubbornness about taking it off.

"Trust me, I'll be starving in an hour. Probably less, if I'm being honest. Are you sure you're still gonna want me when I'm big as a whale?" I asked with a playful pout while crossing my arms over my chest. He just laughed and shook his head.

"Never in a million years would I give you up. You're stuck with me for good, baby," he finalized before planting a sloppy kiss to my lips and patting my butt. "Now, let's go change. We have to be at the doctor's in about half an hour," he reminded me, doing very little to try and contain his excitement.

**

Knox and I arrived a bit early to the doctor's office, both of us too impatient to wait around the house any longer. Upon arriving, though, we discovered that our doctor was running behind schedule due to a late client which meant our appointment was being pushed back about twenty minutes. Figuring that we were already here, and there really wasn't anywhere we could go and be back in twenty minutes, so we just opted to wait until our name was called.

Big mistake.

The second we sat down in the small waiting room, Knox's leg started bouncing up and down uncontrollably. I finally moved a hand down to rest on his knee in order to halt the movements. He gave me a sheepish smile before going back to intently staring at the hallway the nurses came down to gather patients. Not even ten seconds later, he began drumming his fingers along the armrests of his chair. I released a mix between a huff and a laugh before dramatically throwing my leg over his and grabbing both of his hands in my own before pulling them into my lap.

"Would you please relax, Knox? I'm the one carrying the baby and I'm not nearly as antsy as you are. There's nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine, I promise," I reassured while giving him my best soothing smile. He blew a breath out through his lips and nodded. I puckered my lips and he leaned down to kiss me, looking a tad more relaxed than he had before.

"First-time parents I assume?" a middle-aged woman asked from her seat positioned catty-corner to us.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked with a quiet laugh.

"It's always like that for all first-time parents. By the way, you two will make adorable children," she gushed sweetly.

My cheeks pinkened at the comment. "Thank you so much," I replied before tucking my face into Knox's neck, shyly hiding away from everyone who was listening in to our conversation. The action caused Knox to chuckle, further lessening the tension in his body.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael?" The nurse called from the entrance of the hallway, thankfully saving me from Knox's impending teasing. Knox quickly stood, helping me up before resting his palm against the small of my back and guiding me through the halls and into our examining room.

"Hi, Mrs. Carmichael! I'm Doctor Anderson, but you can call me Georgina. It's nice to meet you," she chirped happily. "It's nice to finally put a face to a name; your mother always has such wonderful things to say about you!" she continued with a warm smile as we shook hands. She was a younger looking woman with dark hair, but her light eyes shone with warmth. If I had to guess, she was probably in her early thirties. I instantly liked her and the friendly aura she had around her.

"It's wonderful to meet you as well. And we're not actually married quite yet, just engaged," I corrected her while shooting daggers at Knox with my eyes. I know he did that on purpose.

"Small details," she joked, dismissing my comment with the wave of her hand as she winked knowingly at Knox. The gesture made him smile. "If you'd be so kind as to slip your shoes off, we'll go ahead and get your height and weight measurement," she instructed. Knox didn't look happy that we were leaving the room, but I blew him a kiss as we left. Once back inside the small examining room, she started asking me all about my past medical history, updating my chart as she went.

"Go ahead and hop on up here and we'll get your vitals before we start the exam," she said while patting the chair in the middle of the room. "Could you tell me when your last period was?" she asked while deflating the blood pressure cuff and taking it off.

"The last one I can recall started September 24th. I took a test from the drugstore two weeks ago because I didn't get one in October. As soon as they all came out positive, I stopped taking my birth control," I explained. She nodded thoughtfully before typing for a minute or so on the computer.

"Alright, now onto the fun stuff," she exclaimed with a clap of her hands, "if I could have you lift your shirt up for me we'll take a peek at the little one and figure exactly how far along you are." I did as asked while swallowing the lump that'd been forming in my throat.

This was it. I was going to see my baby. I was going to get to see the life that Knox and I had created from our love.

"Okay, I'm just going to squeeze a bit of this jelly on your stomach. Just a forewarning, it's going to be a bit chilly," she murmured, but I was too wrapped up staring at the monitor screen despite the fact that there wasn't anything displayed yet.

"Alright, here we go!" she said before pressing the transducer against my small bump. A loud, erratic thumping noise echoed throughout the room and I couldn't help the tiniest of sobs that bubbled out of my chest.

"That's our baby," Knox whispered in awe.

"Well, it looks as if you're about nine weeks along, but I have some news for you both..." she trailed off, an indecipherable look in her eyes. I grasped Knox's hand and dug my nails into his skin, my mind instantly going to the worst case scenario first. I didn't loosen my grasp until I heard the doctor's wispy laugh.

"The ultrasound might look different than what you're used to seeing because it's not just one baby, it's two. Congratulations. You're having twins."

There was a sharp intake of breath to my left and I snapped my head to the side. Knox was full out bawling big fat crocodile tears, his eyes never leaving the black and white picture on the screen.

"I love you so much," he rasped out before grasping my face in his hands and kissing me passionately. The doctor chuckled at his antics before speaking up once again.

"You won't have any issue telling these little ones apart; if you take a look right here, you can see the line that indicates separate amniotic sacs which means you're having fraternal twins," she explained while pointing to a specific spot on the screen.

"Can you tell the gender yet?" Knox quickly questioned.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to identify the sex of either child until your second full ultrasound that we'll do at about twelve or thirteen weeks depending on when you can get back in for an appointment," she said.

"I'll go ahead and print out this ultrasound picture for you. With putting you at nine weeks gestation, that means your due date will be around June 16th give or take a few days. You'll need to set up another appointment for two to three weeks from today. By then you'll be in your second trimester. That's when we'll just make sure everything's still going okay and you'll have the option to do an NT scan to check for Down syndrome. Other than that, your babies are perfectly healthy. Is there any questions or concerns you have for me?" she asked.

"I've been having horrible morning sickness for a couple weeks now, except it comes at random times all throughout the day. I can barely keep food down unless it's crackers and soup or, until recently, pickles. I'm worried I'm not going to get enough nutrients in my body, especially now that I know I'm actually eating for three instead of two," I stressed.

"Ah, yes. Chronic morning sickness happens more often than you would think. I'll go ahead and send your pharmacy a prescription for the morning sickness as well as some prenatal vitamins. Both should help tremendously, just make sure you take them before or after eating. If those were your only concerns then we're all done here! I'll have you speak with my secretary to schedule your next appointment. If you have any questions or concerns just give our office a call. I'll see the both of you soon!" she beamed before waving and leaving Knox and me alone so that I could resituate my clothing.

Knox refused to let me hop down from the chair which caused me to roll my eyes at him, though I chose to keep quiet. Pick and choose my battles...

"We have about an hour and a half before we need to leave for dinner with my parents. Do you want to go home and take a nap?" he asked while reaching for my purse off the ground.

"I can think of a few things I'd like to do in bed, but none of them involve sleeping..." I purred. I could see the change in his demeanor almost immediately. His pupils dilated and darkened with his lust and he licked his perfect lips.

"Home. Now," he husked.

**

"Do we really have to go to dinner with them? I mean, I love your mother but I have no desire to see your father," I grumbled, leaning against the vanity table Knox had installed for me as I struggled to make my winged eyeliner match on both sides. I finally decided just to give up and leave them as they were before I screwed them up more than they already were. I stood from the chair and made my way into our conjoined closet, trying to find something cute but warm due to the frigid temperatures.

Knox's arms encircled my waist before I leaned into him.

"I know, Flower, but my mom is really excited to see you. You haven't been over since you and Kiara moved into the dorm and it's killing her," he mumbled against my skin. I sighed heavily. I really did love Mrs. Carmichael. How such a sassy, good-hearted woman ended up with such a terrible, terrible man I will never know.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this for her. Well, and you. And our babies, too. It's a shame our kids won't ever have a grandfather. It's a good thing they'll have the world's best daddy," I thought out loud. I gasped when his hand slipped from my waist to hotly clutch me between my thighs. He flicked my panties aside and began stroking my cleft.

"Careful baby, we wouldn't want to be late now would we?" he teased sexily. How he was still raring to go was beyond me. I thought I had for sure tired him out earlier. I guess not... His deep chuckle brought me out of my reverie and I whined at the loss of contact as he pulled his hands away.

"Don't," he ordered, shooting me a reprimanding look. I grumbled quietly before grabbing a heavy, chunky beige sweater to go under my favorite overall-style black and white plaid skirt. I slipped the little ensemble on before pulling on a thick pair of black tights too. This was the most comfortable dressy-ish thing I had in this closet at the moment and I really wasn't in the mood to get all dolled up. I just wanted to stuff myself with food and then sleep for about nineteen hours.

We pulled up to the fancy restaurant his parents had made our reservations at. From one look at the place I knew I was going to have to stop on the way home to get something else to eat; portion sizes at places like this were laughable at best. My stomach would still be growing when we were done here.

The hostess scanned my outfit from head to toe with a single raised eyebrow, confirming what I already knew - I was way underdressed and didn't have a care about it. I was tired, hungry, my feet were already starting to swell, and my back was throbbing from the car ride. Not to mention, I was still horny from Knox's stunt earlier in the closet. This night was going to be a disaster, I could just feel it.

"Hi, we have a reservation under Carmichael," Knox relayed emotionlessly.

"Of course! Right this way sir!" she responded immediately. I wish I had the amount of energy she had.

We reached our table which was thankfully right next to a window. At least I would have something to distract me from my distaste for Knox's father. Knox pulled out my chair for me and I thanked him with a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Poppy, dear, it's been far too long! How have you been, darling?" Knox's mom's sweet voice greeted me.

"I've been good, thanks for asking! Sorry I haven't come to see you sooner, it's just that school's been keeping me really busy and I have quite a bit going on at the moment..." I rambled off, not wanting to reveal our big news seconds after taking a seat.

"I bet my boy here has been keeping you on your toes, too, huh?" Jim joked. All I could muster was a fake, tight-lipped smile in response. Knox must've noticed because he threw his hand over the back of my chair and rubbed my arm soothingly. He muttered a quiet "behave" into my ear before kissing my forehead. I huffed childishly, unable to help myself.

"So, Knox, you said there was something important you had to tell us? Obviously, it's not you two's new relationship status or the engagement," his mom joked with a friendly smile.

"Yes, we do, but why don't we wait until later? We haven't even placed our order yet," Knox said while picking up his menu and beginning to read. I followed his lead, my eyes instantly drawing to the sirloin and baked potato meal. My mouth watered as my craving for just that shot through the roof. I prayed the pills we picked up from the pharmacy on the way here would do the trick.

Thankfully, I was able to take the pill without either of his parents knowing. About an hour later, we were almost finished with our meal and I was feeling amazing. I had eaten every last morsel on my plate, and I could tell Angela, Knox's mom, was eyeing me with suspicion. Her interest further spiked when Knox offered me some of his own meal, which I gladly accepted. It was after we'd placed our dessert order that everything went completely downhill.

"Oh my god!" Angela gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes grew big as saucers. Everybody eyed her with a questioning look.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" she accused breathlessly. My face drained of all color as I looked to Knox for help. "You hate chocolate cake - always have since you were a little girl. Not to mention, I've never seen you eat even half a plate of food no matter where you go or what you get and you not only finished all of your own meal but helped Knox finish his, too," she pointed out.

Knox sighed, knowing there was no use denying it. "You're right. Poppy's pregnant with twins," he revealed, just ripping the proverbial Band-Aid off.

"How the fuck could you be so irresponsible?" Jim spat out, malice lacing his tone. "Did you honestly believe bringing a child into this world was a good idea? You could never be a good father to one child, let alone two," he hissed, banging his fists on the table in anger as his true colors seeped through his facade of niceness. The next thing I knew, I snapped.

"Ex-fucking-scuse me?" I growled, capturing all three of their attention. "How fucking dare you say such a horrible thing to him. Don't you think for one Goddamn second that Knox hasn't told me all about how nasty of a man you are! And to sit there and say he won't be a good father is the most asinine, hypocritical thing I've ever heard anyone say!" I continued, my voice beginning to rise until I was practically screaming in Jim's face. "He'll be a better father than you could've ever dreamed of being you giant piece of abusive shit!" I finished.

"What the hell is she talking about?!" Angela demanded, looking back and forth between the three of us. I didn't respond, just threw my chair back so hard it fell over and grabbed Knox's arm before storming out of the restaurant. He didn't need to sit there and listen to that load of crap. I wouldn't allow it.

Once outside, I spun around and nuzzled into Knox's chest. His comforting smell of mint and cologne calmed me as I squeezed the life out of him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I just couldn't let him sit there and talk to you like that." He chuckled before scooping me up in his arms and carrying me to the car. Once he sat me in the passenger seat, he swiveled my body so that I was facing him head-on, his open truck door providing a modicum of privacy for the two of us.

"Listen to me, Flower. You are the mother of my child, the love of my life, and the sole owner of my heart. I don't give a shit what anyone, but you, says. Your opinion is the only opinion that matters to me, yeah? I love you so much, baby," he rasped out as I nodded and clutched him closer, letting his steady heartbeat sooth my own heart that ached for him.

"Though, I will admit it was sexy as fuck watching you stick up for me," he teased.