𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 | ✓

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩 𝟑𝟗

My fingertip gently traces the big medusa tattoo in the centre of his back while he sleeps, along with the other faint scars. I've never really noticed any of it before, it's rare for him to take his shirts off around me, and when he does, I only ever see the front of his chest.

Maybe he didn't want me to see it. It pains me to remember everything he's been through, the times he needed me and I wasn't there. I wish I could take it all away for him, he didn't deserve any of that.

My mind travels somewhere else, the sex we had and the following orgasm. It was different, different to anything I've ever felt before. It was bigger, more intense, and I could feel it deep in my stomach. I tried to control my release as I normally would, but it was no use.

Me and Luka never done it all that much. While we had been intimate on a fair number of occasions, we were still young and tended to stick to the same routine. — And he certainly wasn't as big as Ryder.

The sound of Ryder's voice echoes through my mind, his words replaying over and over again, the thought of having his children one day.

I had braced myself for the familiar wave of panic that usually followed at the thought of having a baby. But to my surprise, my heart had fluttered in a different way, the sudden aching feeling in my stomach, waiting for a baby. His baby.

I refused Luka of ever having a child, and he eventually came to the terms that I'd never change my mind and accepted it.

As a kid, I had always known that I didn't want to have children. The way I was raised had left a deep impression on me, and I couldn't imagine myself being a suitable parent.

I had seen firsthand the mistakes my own parents had made, and I didn't want to repeat them. The thought of putting another human through the same pain and suffering that I had experienced, having a child feeling like a burden, left to fend for themselves, pains me.

But with Ryder, it's different. I want to carry his child. Ever since he said it, the picture in my head won't leave, it's all I want now.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

"I have something to show you." I quickly crawl off the bed, and over to my vanity, grabbing a large, weathered picture book with a rich, brown cover. I found it while going through the other bedroom, and wanted to show him some pictures.

Ryder's eyes were fixed on me, following me as I made my way back towards the bed. A smile spread across his face as he reached out and pulled me back into his warm arms. His eyes then flickered towards the book I was holding, a curious expression on his face. 

I gracefully positioned myself beside him, crossing my legs and opening the book that rested on my lap. As I flipped through the old photo album, memories flooded my mind. Each picture captured a moment in time, frozen forever on the page.