Dawn's pov

I stood in front of my wardrobe, staring blindly into it, wondering how my day went from thinking I would never see my husband again to having him in my apartment using my toilet.

Lightning flashed across the sky and a loud rumble of thunder followed. I drew my eyes away from the wardrobe to the closed window blurred by the heavy drops of water hitting it. The rain still poured heavily with no sign of stopping anytime soon and with David's car dead somewhere, it meant he was going to be passing the night here. We were going to be alone.

The sound of the toilet flushing snapped me out of my thoughts. I drew out the biggest pj's I could find and closed the wardrobe. He was totally going to look ridiculous in pink but he'd have to settle for it because I didn't have any male clothes.

I heard the faucet run and soon after he emerged, still soaked and looking dreadful.

A moment of silence ensued, only broken by the clearing of his throat. He took a step forward, his eyes drifting from my stomach to my face. "Dawn, i—"

"Here." I cut him, stretching my hand out to give him the Pj. "It's the only thing I have. Change up or you might catch a cold."

He looked at me with a somber expression. It was glaringly obvious what he wanted to talk about and I knew I shouldn't have cut him off that way but for some reason, I didn't want to hear what he had to say.

Maybe because I was still very much angry he'd left me for a whole two weeks. Maybe it was because I was scared his answer wouldn't be what I wanted.

"Thank you." He said, accepting the PJs and placing it on the table beside him. He then reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his hairless chest coated with toned muscles that flexed with every move.

The moment he undid his belt and pulled down the zipper of his jeans, my insides grew hot and my mind became a vacuum of its own imagination, leading me back to places, reminding me of the times I'd watched him strip, reminding me of all the carnal things that followed.

I inhaled quickly, shaking my head mentally to rid myself of all thoughts. David paused, looking up at me and It was as if realization dawned on him at that moment because he held up his pants, stopping them from dropping even if they already fell halfway, showcasing his drenched red briefs that glued his skin, creating the perfect outline of the semi-hard on he housed. "Shit. I'm sorry Dawn. I forgot this is your place and—"

"It's fine," I said over him, feeling my cheeks flush. He had definitely not lost weight around that area. My mouth suddenly felt parched, I licked my lip and watched his eyes drop to them. "Just bring the wet clothes out with you when you're done. I'll be in the kitchen."

His eyes lifted back up and his lips parted to speak but I was already out of the door and hurrying into the kitchen before I lost all composure in front of him.

Refusing to let my thoughts wander, I moved over to the coffee machine, turned some coffee grounds and water inside, and turned it on.

I didn't let myself think. I crumpled up all the fantasies in my head and threw them out. When the coffee was ready,  I filled a mug and walked out of the kitchen, half expecting to see David in the living room but he wasn't there. I strolled back to my bedroom. He wasn't there either.

As I stepped out, I saw that the door to the nursery room was left slightly a jar. I walked over, surprised to find him inside, standing by the baby crib, a sullen look on his face as he stared into it.

A nudging sensation filled my belly, making it twist in a very different way. I squeezed my hand around the mug. I didn't want him in here, at least not now.

"It's beautiful..." He murmured, more to himself than me. "The color, it's..." He turned his head and his grey eyes sought mine. They were glassy. "It's perfect."

Ignoring his words that pierced my heart, I walked forward and dropped his coffee where he could reach it. "You can stay till the next morning. If you're hungry, there's food in the fridge, I'll be in my room." I swiveled around, ready to leave. I was losing my shit and I didn't want him around anymore but locking myself all night in my room was better than asking him to endure the rain and leave so I was going to do just that but I only managed to take two steps before he snagged my hand in his

"Dawn..."

I bit my lip, stopping it from trembling. "What do you want?"

He let my hand go. "I want us to talk."

"About what?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"About you, about us, about our baby."

Our baby.

Warmth flooded my body but I pushed it aside, struggling to gather my thoughts.

"Look at me, Dawn."

I shook my head, hanging fiercely to my last thread of hatred because I was still very much weak for him.

"Dawn..." He stepped close,  so close I could feel the warmth of his body behind me. "Look at me, please."

"Why should I?"

"Because I need you to see me when I say my next words." His hands rested on my shoulders, making them stiffen. "I'm so fucking sorry for staying away." He started, turning me around. "You gave me another chance but I screwed things up again."

"You did," I told him, finally finding the courage to meet his eyes.

"I know, I did." He forked his fingers through his wet hair and blew out a shaky breath. "But I'm here now and after the days spent trying to come to terms with it, I've made my decision. I choose you," His eyes lowered to my stomach. "I choose both of you and I'd much rather die than have to live without both of you in my life."

A scalding pain shot through my chest along with a cold realization. "You don't mean it."

"I do." He stepped closer, looking at me with so much sincerity and somberness that it made my throat clog with tears I didn't let fall. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Dawn. I want both of you and yes, I'm scared shitless but I refuse to let my fear ruin what I have in front of me. You're my home, Dawn, my family. Both of you are. And I know I've already missed out on a lot." His eyes shifted to the crib. "But from now on, I want to be with you every step of the way. No more what-ifs. Just happy baby thoughts."

I huffed out a laugh. A tear slipped. "I don't know." I sniffed, wiping my face. "It just feels like you're saying all this to make me feel better."

"Dawn..." He called, his voice breaking halfway. "I love you and I want this baby, I want you to have this baby, and I'm sorry for the mean things I did to you. I'm sorry for trying to get you to—" he sighed, leaning forward, resting his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry and I swear to God, I'll spend the rest of my life being sorry if I have to." He let me go and knelt before me, raising my baggy shirt to push his head in there with my bump. "I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you for what I did." My chest tightened when I felt his lips on my stomach. He was planting kisses, apologizing over and over again, whispering his promise to never hurt it again and when he was done, he was up on his feet, back to me. "I love you, and you don't have to say it back. I know you probably still hate me and you don't trust me but I love you, I love you, I love you so much I ache."

"I could never hate you, David, even if I try." I took a deep breath. "I love you." Tears leaked through but I didn't stop them. "It is physically impossible not to love you."

His eyes lit up with a glint of amusement. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

"It means my heart still hurts a little but we're getting there."

He grinned. "I'll take it, I'll take whatever you give me Dawn, and I'll wait as much as you need me to."

I smiled through my tears. "I've missed you, David." My arms came around his waist. "It's been so hard and lonely without you."

"Never again." He cupped my cheeks, swiping my tears away with his thumb. "We'll never be apart from each other again. Nothing comes between us."

I choked on my response, trying to find my voice. "Nothing..."

"Nothing..." He repeated, dipping his head, lightly touching his lips to mine, soft, warm, I opened my mouth to him, pride and logic thrown out of the window as I let his tongue mate with mine, drowning in his taste.