The Boot - Next Steps (Book 2)

Chapter Eleven

A/N: Sorry it's been a while, it's been really busy with life (end of the school year, got a second job, my cat had to go to the vet) and I haven't had much inspiration but I'm back, enjoy the chapter!

JOHN

"Hey, breathe, it'll all be fine," Bailey assures me, wrapping her arms around me in a comforting hug.

"I can't! I'm freaking out!" I hyperventilate.

"I-"

Her voice cuts off as she lurches forward, clamping her hand over her mouth. She looks incredibly pale.

"Honey? What's wrong? You look like you're about to-"

I don't get a chance to finish my sentence, as she lurches forward once again, vomiting projectively all over our bed and the both of us.

"Oh, my God," she gasps, covering her mouth. "I am so sorry."

"Hey, don't be. It's not your fault," I move my hand to cover her belly. She's not showing a lot yet, but her bump is there. It's subtle, but it's there. "You're growing a human. It happens."

"Shit."

"What?"

"Well, Henry is supposed to arrive any minute and we're both covered in vomit."

"How about I call him and see how close he is? You can quickly go jump in the shower and, uh, I'll join you in just a minute," I wink.

Bailey smiles. "Okay,"

She quickly goes to grab a fresh set of clothes and whisks herself away to the bathroom. Shortly after, I can hear the shower water start running.

I pull out my phone and call Henry.

"Hello?"

"Henry! Hey! How are you?"

"I'm good, dad. Y'know, Abigail and I are really excited to see you and Bailey. We actually have some exciting news to share,"

"Oh really? That's great. Is Abigail with you right now?"

"Yeah, we're just about to leave our hotel and head your way."

"That's fantastic."

"We should be there in about twenty minutes. Thirty if traffic is really bad, which I'm not expecting it to be but with LA, you never really know."

"Great. We'll see you soon. Bailey and I can't wait to see you guys."

"Alright, bye. Tell Bailey we said hi."

"Will do. Love you, Henry."

"I love you too, dad."

The call ends and I retrieve my own pair of fresh clothing before going to join Bailey in the bathroom. Except when I get inside, the shower is running but Bailey is just standing in front of the mirror in nothing but her bra and underwear.

"Bailey? Are you okay?" I ask her as I take my shirt off.

She doesn't look away from the mirror as she stares at her reflection. More specifically, her midsection. I think I know what's going on. Tim told me about something similar that happened with Lucy when she was pregnant with the triplets and her bump first became noticeable.

I approach behind her and press myself against her back, wrapping my arms around her and resting my hands on her stomach. "It's beautiful, you know."

"Is it? I feel so fat," Bailey sighs.

"Hey. Don't talk about yourself like that. First of all, your body is going through some changes because you're pregnant. This is supposed to happen. I'd be far more worried if you didn't gain any weight. This is all just a sign that we've got a healthy little tike in there."

"Hm."

"Besides. I've never been more attracted to you than I am now. I happen to think that pregnancy looks great on you. But hell... it doesn't matter what I, or frankly anyone else think about you and your body. It only matters what you think. I need you to understand how beautiful, hot, and sexy you are and always have been."

"Thank you, honey,"

"Now let's get cleaned up. We want to look our best for Henry and Abigail."

"Okay,"

I move my hand to hover over her bra clasp, waiting for permission. She nods and I unclasp her bra, letting it fall to the floor. The rest of our clothes follow as we stumble into the shower together.

Thirty minutes later, Bailey and I are out of the shower and dried off when the doorbell rings. Bailey moves to answer it, but the motion makes her dizzy. I gently grab her wrist, silently telling her to stay where she was. "It's okay. I'll get it," I tell her. I stand and make my way to the door, opening it to reveal Henry and... "Holy sh!t..." I mutter, halfway between shocked and horrified. Abigail, Henry's wife, is standing beside him, her hand resting on a prominent baby bump.

My eyes glance back to Bailey, who's own baby bump is carefully hidden under some blankets.

Bailey makes eye contact with me before her gaze lands on Henry who is standing in the doorway. However, due to where she was, from her angle the door was covering Abigail completely so she had no idea what I was reacting to. "John, don't be rude. Henry, it's good to see you."

I sigh and open the door up the rest of the way, revealing Abigail to her. Bailey gasps, her eyes go wide. "Oh, sh!t."