Week 4

I stared at the stick I held in my hands, trying not to fall off the edge of the bathtub. I felt the blood drain from my cheeks as I realized all that little pink plus entailed.

I was pregnant.

I lifted a trembling hand to my lips, my eyes still intently trained on the pregnancy test I held in the other. This was the third one I'd taken so far, because I'd felt a pressing need to be sure, even more so after the second one had come out as positive.

It wasn't like Henry and I had been actively trying to conceive, but it wasn't like we weren't not trying either, if you catch my drift. We'd stopped using contraception about a month and a half ago, and had been having sex regularly, much like we'd always been. I knew it usually takes a while for the effects of the pill to fully wear off, though, so I hadn't expected to get pregnant so soon.

What was I going to do now? I knew I wanted this child, I knew Henry wanted this child. But what on earth was I going to do?

Tentatively, I placed a hand on my stomach. I knew it wasn't much bigger than a sesame seed right now, but even still, there was a life growing in there. I bit my lip, trying to stop the smile fighting to break free, too scared of all the things that could potentially go wrong.

But the smile still managed to break through, and I dared to hope. Dared to get excited.

I wanted to share the news—and my hopes and dreams and fears—with Henry immediately, but the problem was that he was on the set of his latest DCEU film. He had been since late last night, and I had no idea when he'd be back. It really depended on what kind of scene they were filming, but Henry had been secretive even to me. He knew I loved the movies, so he didn't want to spoil anything for me—which was sweet, but a little impractical in situations such as these.

I grabbed my phone from where it was lying on the counter and sent Henry a quick text, asking when he thought he was going to be home. I got a reply quickly:

Not long now. I think around 1/1,5 hour. See you soon, love.

That meant I didn't have very long to come up with a creative way to tell him about the pregnancy. I wracked my brain for what felt like forever, but what was really only a few minutes.

And then I suddenly got it. It would be the perfect plan, and I had to go out to get groceries anyway. So I quickly put the pregnancy test by the others and made my way downstairs. Kal and Persephone greeted me happily, but I was forced to ignore them under my time crunch. I got groceries at the supermarket I usually went to, but then quickly headed into a nearby toy store.

Immediately, I was struck by how many baby dolls they sold compared to when I was still a child. The variation was huge, and I walked down the aisle multiple times to find a good one.

Eventually coming across an extremely life-like one that claimed to be anatomically correct, I grabbed it and headed for the cash register.

Once home, I was certain I had only minutes until Henry would come home, but I still unpacked everything that needed to go into the freezer, and some things that couldn't be outside of the fridge for long. The rest I all repacked back into the brown paper bags, hiding the doll in one of them.

Sure enough, only ten minutes later, I could hear the front door opening. I tried to hide my smile. It was time to truly put my acting chops to work.

I pretended to hurry around the kitchen as he walked in, shrugging off my jacket. "Hey baby," I greeted him with a smile as I ducked down to grab a skillet from a cupboard. "I only just came back from doing the groceries, so could you maybe unpack them for me? Then I'll start on your lunch."

"Yeah, of course," he responded immediately. I bit my lip, trying not to cry at how incredibly sweet he was—or maybe my hormones were already fritzing. He had just worked an entire night and morning, and he must've been so tired—his fatigue showed on his face—and here I was, putting him to work when probably all he wanted to do was eat and sleep.

"Thank you, you're the best," I told him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before continuing on to the fridge.

Upon seeing I grabbed a steak out of the refrigerator, he said, "No, you are the best." He started to unpack one of the bags, and I tried not to groan when I noticed it was the one without the doll. If he didn't hurry up, I was afraid I might blurt out the surprise and ruin the entire joke.

"Hey, I'm just the one cooking you a steak, you're the one who worked sixteen hours straight and still manages to stand upright while unpacking the groceries for me."

He stopped what he was doing to walk over to me, brush my hair to the side, and press a soft kiss to my neck. "Anything for you, my love."

I gave him a smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you." I continued preparing the meat, taking my time so I wouldn't have to fire up the skillet yet. I had a feeling I'd forget all about the cooking meat and Henry's steak would be very far removed from the medium rare he prefers to have his steaks. I kept sneaking glances at him from the corner of my eye, but his fatigue made him slower than usual. I felt almost guilty that I was making him do this, but the prospect of him putting it all together was too exciting to tell him to stop.

"Jules..." Henry said slowly, and I fought a smile as I realized he must've finally found the realistic baby doll.

"Yes?" I asked, pretending to look for something in a drawer.

"What's this?" he asked, his voice still slow, as if he was trying to grasp something that his brain simply wasn't equipped for.

"What's what?" I still wasn't looking at him, because I knew I'd break out in a huge grin if I did.

"Why is there a doll in our groceries?"

Finally, I turned around to look at him, an innocent look on my face. I placed a hand on my stomach, trying to make the gesture look as subconscious and natural as possible. "A doll?"

He held up the incredibly realistic doll, and I couldn't help but hope he'd hold our baby a little more appropriately, and not just by its little waist. "This doll," he said pointedly.

I just kept staring at him, trying really hard not to smile, knowing he'd eventually get it if he just let his brain do the work. When he still didn't get it, I stared at him a little harder, a little more pointedly.

"Wait a second..." he said, very slowly, and his eyes finally traveled down to the hand that rested on my lower belly. For now, it was still as flat as usual, but I knew it wouldn't last long. He looked from the baby in his hand to my hand on my stomach, a hesitant, doubtful smile on his lips. "Are you...? Are we...?"

At last, I let my smile that I had been fighting too long now break through my neutral expression. I nodded, very slightly, but it was enough for him. He hastily put the doll on the kitchen counter and raced his way over to me, scooping me up in his arms. He spun me around so fast that my legs flew up in the air. I squealed loudly, quickly throwing my arms around his neck for more stability.

When he put me down, he rested one hand on my cheek, the other on my waist. He bored his eyes into mine with incredible intensity. From this close, I saw those little brown spots in his right eye in great detail, making my smile widen. "Are you pregnant?"

I nodded again. "Yes," I said, my voice not louder than a whisper, almost as if I was scared to burst our little bubble. "We're going to have a baby."

"We're going to have a baby!" Henry shouted, and I was happy to see that it didn't burst our bubble. On the contrary, it only made it stronger—more real. He pulled me close and kissed me full on the mouth, the steak, the doll, and his fatigue completely forgotten.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Week 14

I rested my hand on my tummy. I was showing slightly now, but not nearly enough for people to have figured it out yet. Henry and I had chosen not to tell anyone until we'd reached the second trimester, just in case something went wrong in the first. We were hoping that it wouldn't happen, but we knew chances for a miscarriage were a lot higher in the first trimester, and we didn't want to risk telling everyone, making them all incredibly excited, only to then miscarry. Keeping this amazing secret to ourselves had been unbelievably hard, though.

But now that we'd finally reached the second trimester, it was just a matter of when. You'd think that would be simple, but we wanted to tell our loved ones in person, and with my family living in New Jersey and his living all throughout the United Kingdom, it made everything so much more difficult.

Which is why we were so lucky that my birthday was in the beginning of my second trimester. My whole family was coming, even my grandparents, aunt, uncle and Caitlin. Sadly, on Henry's side of the family, only his parents and Ethan and his family were able to come. His other three brothers were caught up with work—one of them was even somewhere in the Middle East right now with the Royal Marines. I had a talk with Henry about it, though, and though I was willing to wait, Henry decided he'd tell his other brothers over Skype so we could still somewhat do it face to face.

As I paced through the kitchen, my high heels clicking on the hardwood floors, Henry walked up to me and halted me, a hand on my back. He pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. "Are you nervous?"

I shook my head. "No, not really nervous. More excited than nervous, anyway. But this waiting is killing me."

Henry smiled. "I know, it's killing me too." He pulled me a little closer, his hand resting on my tummy, warm even through the thick fabric of my flowing dress. Bending his head down, he placed a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, smiling back up at him. I was sure the love in my eyes could be read from a mile away.

Suddenly, Henry chuckled. "Why do we always announce the life-changing stuff on your birthday? First our engagement, and now the pregnancy."

I laughed. "I'm sorry I'm hogging them all. Next time, we'll make sure to get pregnant one month later so we can tell them on your birthday, okay?"

Henry bit his lip, fighting off a smile. At last, he said, "You already want another baby? We haven't even had this one yet."

"I don't know... I think so. I've always envisioned myself at least having two kids. Don't you want more than one?"

"I'm not the one who has to go through an entire pregnancy and labor. It's your choice, really."

I smiled at him. "No, it's our choice. So what do you want?"

"I think that, somewhere down the line, yes, I do want more than one kid. But if you ever decide that you don't want another after all, I won't force you. I need you to know that."

I stood on my tiptoes to press a kiss to the tip of his nose. "I do know that."

Henry kissed me again, and I couldn't help but smile as I melted into the kiss. I lifted my hand up to touch his face, feeling his soft skin underneath my palm as I slowly slid my fingers into his hair. I knotted my fingers in his thick curls, pulling his face a little closer to mine. I could feel him smile in return as his arms leisurely snaked around my waist. He pressed his palms flat to my back, pulling me in close.

Nothing ever made me feel as good as his kisses.

We were rudely interrupted by the doorbell ringing. I glared into the direction of the door as I pulled away from Henry's kiss, momentarily forgetting why the doorbell had rung in the first place.

But then I remembered.

Casting one last nervous glance at Henry, I made my way to the front door, Henry following closely behind me. When I swung the door open, we were met with the smiling faces of my family. Keegan and Klarissa stood behind them, and Keegan was doing his best to glare holes into the back of Lorene's head. Before I could wonder what the hell my aunt had said this time, his face lit up upon seeing me. "Julie!" he shouted, his arms wide for a hug, even though there were seven people separating us.

Henry and I greeted him and his girlfriend, as well as my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin with big hugs.

More people started arriving then, until the entire living room was filled with my family, Henry's family—minus three of his brothers—and our friends. It was a full house, twenty four in total, us included. It was a miracle we could even fit all of them in our living room, but we managed. Kal and Persephone were having a blast, sniffing everyone at the party.

As the people Henry and I loved so dearly chatted with each other and munched on the stroopwafels I'd made yesterday, Henry and I surveyed the scene as if slightly removed from it. I heard my heartbeat in my ears as if I was about to have a panic attack, even though I wasn't nearly as nervous as I was excited. I looked at Henry and nodded. As he nodded back at me, we rose as one and made our way to the kitchen. Two hand-woven baskets filled with wrapped presents stood on the counter. The gifts were small, only slightly bigger than a ring box, and wrapped in shiny silver paper and thin satin ribbons.

As we returned with the presents, everyone looked up, curiosity on their faces. Even though everyone was already looking at us, I cleared my throat anyway.

"Hey guys," I told them, giving them an awkward little wave with my free hand. "I realize that it's my birthday, but I wanted to give you all a little gift as well, because you're all really important to me, and it really means a lot to me that you're all here, even though some of you had to travel quite far. So, thank you all, and, I promise, this whole speech is gonna make sense soon," I joked.

Henry and I shared one last look before we started handing out the presents. I couldn't contain my grin as everyone started unwrapping their little boxes, excitedly anticipating what everyone's reactions would be.

One by one, everyone revealed their lollipops shaped as pacifiers. A short hush fell over the room, which ended abruptly when Hanna released a high-pitched squeal.

"Oh my God, you're pregnant?!" she yelled, cupping her face as her eyes flew wide.

Before I could even nod in confirmation, Mom threw her pacifier on the coffee table and rushed over to me to envelop me in a hug. "I'm gonna be a grandma!"

I laughed, stumbling back slightly from the impact of her hug. "Yeah, you are."

As everyone congratulated Henry and me, I felt warmer inside than I ever had. I was surrounded by all of the people I loved during one of the most exciting periods of my life. While Keegan and Scott argued in the background about who was going to be the baby's godfather, I looked at Henry, seeing the happiness I felt reflected on his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Week 26

"Henry?"

"Hmph..."

"Hey, Henry?"

"Hmmmmmm..."

"I need your help, babe."

At that, Henry's eyes shot open and he turned around so he was no longer lying on his stomach, but rather resting on his elbows. Even in the dark, I could see his biceps bulging. His curls were an adorable mess. "Is something wrong with the baby?" His eyes immediately went down to my baby bump. I was in week twenty six of my pregnancy, and it had grown considerably.

I shook my head, and I saw him relax immediately. The alertness in his eyes disappeared, making place for his fatigue to show on his face. It made me feel a little bad about what I was going to ask him, but what else was I supposed to do? "Can you maybe do a teensy tiny little thing for me?"

Henry sighed and let himself fall, throwing his head back onto his pillow. "Another craving?"

I nodded, feeling mildly guilty. "Yeah... Sorry."

"It's all right," Henry said, already starting to get out of bed. I bit my lip as I admired the muscles in his back. "What do you need me to get you? Pickles again?"

My stomach churned. "Ugh, no."

He laughed, sliding into his jeans. "No? No pickles this time?"

"No. God, no. Could you get me a Big Mac and a large order of fries from McD's? I neeeeeeed a burger. Stat."

"Sure," Henry said with another laugh. "Anything else? Because I know there needs to be something else. This craving isn't weird enough."

"Just get me a McFlurry with a shit-ton of crushed M&Ms and that'll be it. Oh, and ask them to leave the pickles off my burger."

He tugged a black T-shirt over his head. "Okay, then I'll be right back. There's one on Wiltshire that's open all night, right?" He walked over to my side of the bed and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I love you."

I smiled up at him. "And I'm very lucky for it." I placed my hand on the side of his face and pulled him down for a kiss. "I love you, too, baby."

He gave me one last lingering kiss before he left. My lips were still tingling by the time he'd already left the house.

With a faint smile, I quickly pulled on a robe and carefully padded down the stairs. When I got to the kitchen, both dogs sleepily lifted their heads. I dropped through my knees to give them a quick rub behind their ears, no longer able to bend down. I hadn't even reached my third trimester yet—I would in two weeks—and I already felt huge. Knowing Henry would be back soon, I quickly grabbed a carton of milk and a bottle of chili sauce from the fridge and walked back upstairs, climbing into bed.

And sure enough, Henry came back only ten minutes later, carrying two paper bags filled with delicious McDonald's food.

I pointed at the bags. "There's no way that's all for me."

He grinned. "You can't expect me to go to McD's—at three thirty in the morning, mind you—and expect me to not get anything for myself."

I shrugged. "Fair enough." I patted his spot on the bed, a big smile on my face. "Come over here, hot stuff."

Henry placed the bags into my lap before he lifted his shirt over his head and let his jeans fall to the floor. I tried not to moan at the sight of him in just his boxers, but I had to bite my lip to succeed. My hormones were going crazy lately, and especially my sex drive had been thrown into high gear. He saw me looking, and with a knowing smirk, he joined me on the bed, pulling the covers over his legs, but leaving his bare chest in perfect view.

I couldn't help myself and grabbed his face, pulling him close for a heated kiss. He moaned as I bit his bottom lip, and he pressed his hand to my back, pushing me forward so I was sitting closer to him. I threw my bare legs over his, and he covered one of my thighs with his free hand.

When I pulled back, I was breathing a little harder than usual and my head was spinning slightly. "Thank you for bringing me food in the dead of night," I mumbled. "I love you."

He pressed one last soft kiss to my lips before pulling away enough so he could grab one of the paper bags. "I love you, too. You know that."

I kissed his shoulder before I dug out my Big Mac. "I do."

After I'd polished off my Big Mac and large order of fries (within five minutes, which was a personal record), I grabbed my M&M McFlurry. I was happy to see the ice cream hadn't melted yet.

When I grabbed the bottle of chili sauce and squirted a bunch of it into the carton cup, Henry's eyebrows rose and he paused, the last bite of his Quarter Pounder halfway to his mouth. He shook his head in disgust. "I don't know why I'm still even surprised."

I shrugged. "Don't knock it until you try it," I said as I mixed the sauce through the ice cream. The previously white ice cream turned slightly reddish. When I believed it to be properly mixed, I stuck my first spoonful into my mouth, and nearly moaned in delight.

"Okay, I refuse to believe that that's any good," Henry said, pulling up his nose in disgust.

I dug my plastic spoon back into the cup, scooping out a good mouthful. I held the spoon in front of his mouth. "Care to try?"

"Considering I'm neither pregnant nor suffering from crazy cravings, no, I would not."

I shrugged. "All right. Your loss." And I happily shoved the spoon into my own mouth instead.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Week 39

As I felt another contraction, I knew it was time. I wasn't due yet for another week at least, but these contractions didn't feel like Braxton-Hicks—they felt like the real thing. A moment of pure panic and anxiety overwhelmed me for a second, but I forced myself to take a deep breath.

Placing my hand on my round tummy, I slowly waddled out of the bedroom and downstairs to the living room where Henry sat with the dogs, watching TV. For a moment, I was struck by how lucky I was as I watched him. It was early in the morning, so his hair was still an unruly mess of curls, his jaw unshaven. He wore a simple T-shirt and sweatpants, his feet bare.

"My God, you're beautiful," I blurted out.

He turned his head, giving me a cheeky grin. "Am I now?" he asked jokingly. "You're not too bad yourself, Mrs. Cavill."

I started to smile back at him, but as another contraction hit, my face contorted in a grimace.

Henry was off the couch and in front of me in a flash. "What's wrong?" he asked, his hands flitting all over my body in an attempt to discern where I was hurt.

"I, uh... I think I'm in labor?"

Henry froze, his eyes the only part of him that moved as they rose up to my face. "What?"

"I'm actually pretty sure I'm in labor," I said, trying hard to breathe calmly through the pain. "So we should probably head to the hospital."

"Holy fuck," Henry said. "Holy fucking fuck. Okay, so this is happening. Wait right here, and I'll grab our go-bag. Don't move."

He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before he dashed off, moving faster than I'd ever seen him move. I couldn't help but feel slightly amused. With a small smile, I grabbed my phone, quickly dialing a number. When Henry came back, I'd already called my doctor and Hanna to let them know I would be heading to the hospital within a few minutes.

"Are you ready to go, Jules?"

"Yeah, hold on."

I made my way over to Kal and Persephone, bending down as far as I could. "Be good, you two, okay? When I see you next, you'll be a big brother and a big sister. I mean, technically, you're already a big brother, Kal, but you know what I mean." I kissed the tops of their heads. "I love you both."

"Are you done talking to the dogs?" Henry asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah," I said, straightening up again. "Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Meet William Noah Cavill," I said, smiling proudly up at Hanna and Scott, holding my newborn son in my arms. I felt gross as all hell, my sweaty hair matted to my face, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was that my heart had doubled in size to fit all the love I felt for William.

"He's so beautiful, Julie," Hanna said, slowly walking closer. "You should be proud."

I smiled. "I am."

"Not half as proud as I am," Henry said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head. "You pushed him out like a champ."

I laughed. "I couldn't have done it without you letting me squish your hand to a pulp."

"My hand will be fine," Henry said. "It's nothing compared to what you went through. I'm so proud of you, and I love you so much."

I smiled, tears filling up my eyes. I was tired, and I was filled with so many emotions that it didn't take much to push me over the edge. "I love you, too, Henry."

"Look at you two being disgustingly cute," Scott joked, leaning his chin on his wife's shoulder.

Henry grinned. "Look at who's talking, Taylor."

"We wanted to ask you both a question, though," I said, glancing at Henry. He gave me an encouraging smile. I turned back to Hanna and Scott. "Do you guys want to be William's godparents?"

Hanna squealed. "Of course! Right, Scott?" She shook her head. "Why am I even asking?" She turned to me again. "Why are you even asking? Of course we will be!"

I laughed. "I'm glad."

I looked down at William, at his tiny little face. I already recognized so much of Henry in him. He'd probably have a cleft chin just like his dad, but his eyes already had a slightly greenish hue, so they'd probably be like mine. He had a few dark hairs on the top of his head, but there was no way to tell whether it'd be curly or not. I hoped he'd have curls, though. I quite liked the idea of a mini version of Henry running around the house.

Henry surprised me with a kiss. "I'm the luckiest guy in the entire universe," he told me, "and no one can convince me otherwise."

I smiled up at him. "Just as long as I can be the luckiest girl in the entire universe."

Henry smiled back at me. "Deal."