Life is the Long Game

Chapter 60

*Christmas Day*

Maya's POV:

The taste of vomit creeping up my throat wakes me up suddenly, I quickly wriggle out of Josh's arms and dash for the toilet. Almost immediately I feel Josh holding my hair and rubbing circles on my back to try and comfort me as I empty out my stomach's contents.
"Sorry about that, not a great way to wake up on Christmas." I say to Josh, as he helps me up, and I press the flush, before going to brush my teeth.
"It's okay, I don't mind. In sickness and in health remember?" He replies.
"Thank you."  I say after I spit out the toothpaste and rinse my brush.
"Merry Christmas." He kisses me.
"Merry Christmas." I kiss him.
"Maya, you do know though that you don't have to apologise about any of the things that are caused by the pregnancy. I'm not going to leave you, I promise, so please, for me as my Christmas present believe me." Josh says carrying me back to our bed.
"I'll try because I trust you, it's just hard, but I love you and I know you love me."
"Thank you, so do you want to get up now or go back to sleep for a bit?" Josh asks me, I glance at the clock.
"Well it's 6:57, so we could just get back in bed and cuddle for a bit?" I suggest and Josh nods, so we crawl back in bed and I curl up into Josh's big arms and bare chest.
"Wait, before you curl up to me too much I need to do something." Josh tells me and he gets off the bed and crouched down to where my stomach is.
"Happy 1st Christmas baby. We love you very much, and just be aware, you'll get a really big meal later." He says before kissing where our baby is growing.
"We definitely have to tell everyone today, I'll start showing really soon now." I say, placing my hands over Josh's on my stomach.
"You are sort of showing on your bare stomach, you just look bloated to the unsuspecting eye though. Maya I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl and I can't wait to feel them kick for the first time and oh boy, when I hold them in my arms, and they are actually here!" He rambles like a child on a sugar-high.
"You're cute when you ramble. Now get back in bed and hold me because I'm cold."
"Okay Matthews." He says getting back into bed and holding me close to him.
I must have fallen back to sleep because I feel myself waking up to Josh shaking me.
"Maya, baby, sleeping beauty, it's a 9 o'clock, we have to be at my parents at 10, it's time to wake up." Josh whispers softly in my ear.
"Okay." I grumble dragging myself out of bed and into the shower, within 20 minutes I am ready. Josh is loading up the car with presents, I decide to help him.

"Oh no you don't, all the gifts that are still in here are heavy! No heavy lifting baby." Josh says, taking the presents that are in my arms away from me. "You need to have some breakfast, I'll sort out the presents." He kisses me on the lips to avoid seeming bossy, he turns around to go out side and I quickly whip off his beanie and place it on my head instead, he laughs but carries on walking outside. I go into the kitchen and just grab a pop tart, because we haven't got long before we leave and I'm craving them too.
"Okay I'm ready to go!" I tell Josh, who has finished loading the car with gifts and is stood staring at one of the walls covered in photos, I know which ones he is looking at too, the one of everyone on that first Christmas he called me gorgeous, the other, a selfie we took when we saw our baby for the first time, we are holding the sonogram image too.
"Josh?" I ask, as he didn't reply, so I wrap my hands round his waist.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about how far we have come. From here, to here." He says, pointing at the pictures I predicted he was looking at.
"Yeah, a lot has happened in these past years." I agree, and hold his hand.
"I love you."
"I love you. But we better be going or we will be late." I drag him to the front door and then we leave.
When we arrive at Grandma, Grandpa and Mr Feeny's new house, everyone else is already sat around the living room, talking and laughing.
"Here they are! The newly weds." Eric says cheerily, welcoming us.
"Hi, sorry we're late." I say.
"You're not late sweetie, everyone else was early, don't worry." Grandma says coming and hugging me tightly before greeting Josh.

"Peaches! Merry Christmas!" Riley squeals, hugging me before going back to Lucas and they make out subtly, damn they do that a lot.
"Can we have presents already?" Auggie begs, eyeing up all the presents underneath the large tree.
"Of course, now that everyone is here, who wants to go first?" Topanga says in reply to Auggie.
"We do!" Josh says quickly, as I pick up the presents that contain the framed pictures of the sonogram.
"Now, you have to all open these at the same time." I say as Josh and I distribute the gifts to the correct people.
"Okay, 3, 2, 1." I say.
"Open." Josh says, and wraps his arm around me and pulls me close to him as we wait for everyone except Morgan and Riley's reactions. Gasps and smiles soon fill the room I blush and bury my head into Josh's chest.
"We're having a baby." Josh confirms, proudly, and soon everyone is coming up and hugging us and congratulating us.
"How far a long are you?" Lucas asks me.
"Um, 12 weeks."
"You've kept it from us that long?" Grandma exclaims.
"Yeah I guess, surprise!" I say happily.
"Maya, kiddo, I'm gonna be a grandad?" Dad says hugging me tightly.
"Yeah, feel old yet?" I joke and he laughs.
"Yes, my daughter is a married adult now and is gonna be having a child of her own." He hugs me again.
"You know what I just realised? Apart from Riley and Auggie, my great-grandchild is older than all of the rest of my grandchildren." Grandpa says, laughing as he makes his way over to play with Amelie.
"Excited to be an Uncle, Cory?" Josh asks his idol.
"Yeah, I just can't believe my baby brother is gonna be a dad. You're gonna be a great one Josh."
"Thanks bro, that means a lot to me." And they have a moment.
"My fierce Amazon warrior is gonna have a baby! Maya, I'm so proud of you!" Topanga say coming and hugging me.
"Thank you, for everything."
"You're welcome, my second daughter."
"Hold up! Riley doesn't seem all that surprised, neither does Morgan! Did you two know?" Eric asks.
"Yeah, of course I knew Uncle Eric!" Riley says stating the obvious.
"And I only knew because she came and visited me when I was in labour, after she passed out at school and was in hospital too." Morgan says in defence.
"That is why you didn't drink on Riley's birthday!" Uncle Jack exclaims.
"You noticed that? I thought we got away with that one." I say, thinking back to the day.
"Yeah, you were the only one that was entirely sober out of the adults, but I didn't think anything of it at the time."
Everyone talks about the news for a short while longer, before Auggie and I get bored and want to give and receive more presents.
When all the presents are handed out, Topanga and Grandma announce that dinner is ready, and as per usual, it is consumed in moments.
After another while, Mr Feeny asks to speak with Josh and I, this makes me nervous because he has been very quiet since we shared our news. We decide to go for a walk outside.
"Would you two please wipe those looks of fear of your faces. I couldn't be happier for the two of you! Especially when I look at how far you've come, from Josh, Cory and Shawn telling me about your hospitalisation in your freshman year, and Joshua explaining his love for you, Maya, to me and when you came down and told us you were a couple, Maya you were so scared that evening of what we would think, and I gave you some advice, and now you two are here, married and parents-to-be, I couldn't be any prouder of the people I have watched you become. Congratulations, and Merry Christmas." Mr Feeny tells us, warmly as we walk back up towards the house.
"Thank you Mr Feeny, that means so much to us, we really love you, you know?" Josh says, as we open the door to his and Josh's parents home.
"Just, keep dreaming, trying and doing good." He says quietly and we settle back into the crowded living room, to watch Christmas television, eat chocolates, drink hot chocolate and coffee and share stories. Perfect family time.