Where We Belong

Chapter 10

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Ashley's POV—

"Stop," I groan at Evan before a soft laugh escapes my lips, my stomach clenching as the laughter leaves my lips.

Evan's hasn't stopped touching me since she found out I was pregnant. And I was over the moon relieved and happy that she was ok with it.

But since then, she hasn't stopped touching me.

We cuddled for a bit on the couch after she found out, and throughout it all, she had her arm draped almost protectively around my waist. And at some point, she slipped her hand under my shirt to place her hand on my lower abdomen directly.

Sure, she usually did that before she knew I was pregnant and we were cuddling. But it was different this time around.

Now we're in bed, me having just woken up from a good night's sleep. Evan was already awake, and when she noticed I was awake too, her hand was instantly on my lower stomach.

"Why?" Evan asks me as she continues to rub her hand over my just barely protruding belly.

"It tickles," I tell her before I shove her hand away, making her frown at me.

The frown dissolves, though, as her smile returns. And before I know it, she's dragging me closer to her to wrap her arms around me, intertwining her legs with mine.

She slept practically naked last night—like she usually does.

Wearing her boxers and nothing else.

"My baby mama," she says with a big ass grin on her face.

"Yeah, so you've said for the nth time," I tell her as I snuggle up closer to her.

"I can't help it. I like the sound of it," she mumbles before she presses her lips against my head. "You feeling ok?"

"More or less, yeah. Not feeling nauseous at least. Body still feels sluggish, though."

"We should probably see about making a baby appointment soon," she then tells me as she pulls away enough to bring her hand to my abdomen again. A look of wonder on her face as she glances down. "Is it weird that I already feel such love for this little being even though I haven't even met them yet? Let alone held them?"

With a smile growing on my face, I place my hand over hers. "No. Not at all...I felt the same thing the moment I found out. I wanted to call then and there to tell you the news. But I was nervous."

"Why?"

"Because we never talked about kids before. I've always known I wanted kids. Sure, I would have preferred to wait until I was more settled in life, but...I'm nervously excited about it. But...I wasn't sure if you would feel the same and that possibility only made me think of worst case scenarios. Like maybe you would feel like you had to be with me because I'm already pregnant even though you don't want kids. Or that you would just leave me and only give me child support," I explain to Evan, her nodding when I'm finished.

"I'll be honest..." Evan starts as she tugs me closer to her again, slipping her arm around my waist.

"I used to think that I never wanted kids. Or maybe it was more like I never even considered kids to be in my future because I used to not believe in commitments. The old Evan probably would have run away from it...but then you happened. You changed me in more ways than one. You literally took the core of my being into your hand and shook the hell out of it...you made me start to want things I never even knew I wanted in life. A commitment with someone, meaningful sex, love, marriage...and kids.