Baby Steps

Ch. 13 :Tom POV

Tom

ENews: Tom Hiddleston reveals he is a dad.
UsWeekly: Tom Hiddleston is a proud new daddy. But who is the mom?
People: Is Ashley Clearwater sporting a baby bump? See pictures in link below.

I am a fucking idiot.

Phil has been fielding calls from various news outlets since I spilled the beans about the twins and the stunt Ashley is pulling on social media right now. What the hell was I thinking? Well, I wasn't thinking. That was the problem. I was so caught up with Chris's story I just couldn't help but gush about my kids as well.

Willa has been keeping her distance since the tapping. Except when my parents flew in over the weekend. She was polite to them and happily answered any questions they had about the twins. She even cried when my mum gave the twins matching baby blankets that she knitted herself. Overall their short trip went well. Of course my mother called me an idiot for spilling the beans about the twins.

But since they left a few days ago she's gone back to keeping her distance. Whenever I go over she makes sure to leave whatever room I am in. Right now she's locked in her office. As soon as I walked in the door she told me she had a meeting and escaped to the office. It's been over an hour already. I know she's upset but we need to talk about this and I can't take anymore distance.

Not only do we have to talk about my slip up on Kimmel but we also have to talk about our kiss in the green room. I cannot leave for London tomorrow without talking about everything so I guess I will have to force the conversation.

As soon as the twins are down for their nap I am pushing my way into her office and locking us both in. Another thirty minutes go by and twins are finally down for their first nap. And like I said earlier I am forcing myself into Willa's office so we can talk.

I knock twice waiting for her to grant me entrance but nothing comes. I knocked again and nothing. Sighing in frustration I grip the door handle. "Willa, we need to talk."

I press my ear against the door searching for any sign of movement but hear nothing. What the hell is she doing? I push done on the handle and realize the door is unlocked. I push the door open and spot Willa on the floor. For a moment I panic and immediately think something is wrong. When I rush to kneel at her side and check her pulse. I have never had to check someone's pulse before so I'm not even sure I'm doing it right. But then Willa opens one eye and glares at me.

"What are you doing?"

"Umm..." I remove my fingers and sit back on my hunches. "You were just laying there and I thought something was wrong."

Willa chuckles and sits up, "I had a headache and needed to lie down." She stated.

I nod and stand holding my hand to her. She sighs but takes it, allowing me to pull her up. But before she can pull away I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close.

"We need to talk, Wills." I murmur.

"No." She replies but bites her lip, holding back a smile.

I rest my forehead against hers, inhaling her sweet lavender scent. "Come on, darling." I kiss her forehead then pull back and drag her to the living room. I hear her sigh behind me but I don't look back. We've dodged this conversation long enough.

We settle in on either side of the couch. Willa brings her knees up to her chest and hugs them close, resting her chin on her knees.

"Where do we start?" She asked.

"Well for starters, I am sorry for blurting out the news about the twins." I run a hand down my face, I'm sure the exhaustion is clear in my face. "I was so wrapped up in Chris's story that I couldn't help but gush about the twins."

Will sighs and nods. "I know. At first I was shocked that you said it on national television then I was angry but then I finally understood." She moves closer to me on the couch but still keeps her distance. "Any chance I get I always talk about the twins so it's understandable that you want to as well. Plus, the look on your face after you knew you fucked up was definitely worth it." She chuckles.

I laugh as well and scoot just a tiny bit closer.

"Should we talk about the kiss?" I ask.

Willa groans softly and throws her head back.

"I don't want to but I know we should." She replied.

I scoot an inch closer to her where my hand rests near her thigh.

"I know I have to finish the mess with Ashley but..." I cup her check and rest my forehead against her. "I want to explore us as a couple when the time is right."

She sighs and I feel her soft breath on my face. "I don't know, Tom." Her voice cracks as she moves to stand up. My eyes track her as she starts to pace.

"I don't think it's a smart idea to 'explore us' when you are just getting out of a relationship."

I scoff. "Ashley and I were never actually dating."

She looks at me with that "don't play dumb" look.

"So you and Ashley never had sex during your fake dating?" She asked.

I pull my lips together, internally scolding myself.

"That's what I thought." She scoffed.

"Willa, please just listen to me." I stand from the couch and hold my hands up. Carefully walking towards her I place my hand on her shoulders.

"I regret walking out on you that morning. I regret not calling you. I regret missing out on your pregnancy and the first ten months of Atticus and Talia's lives. But I'm standing here begging for you to give me a chance."

I swallow the lump in my throat as my eyes sheen with tears. "Give us a chance." I pleaded with her.

Willa chokes on a sob. Her hands tremble as she wipes a tear that has slipped free. I grab her hand and place a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist. Then I do what I should have done when I saw her at the premiere.

Slowly, I lower myself down to my knees while keeping eye contact with Willa.

"Please." I beg.

Willa chokes on a laugh as a few tears of her own slip free.

She cups my cheeks and smirks. "You look good begging on your knees."

"I will only get on my knees for you, darling." I murmur

She chuckles, "We'll start with one date."

"One date." I say while standing. "But I plan on us having many more after that."

Then I capture her lips with my own.