One Night ✔

57. A New Normal

Getting dressed has become a chore. Nothing fits anymore, my feet have vanished from my vantage point and bending over is a convenience of the past which makes this simple, daily task nearly impossible. Sighing, I collapse onto the edge of the bed in exhaustion after wiggling into a pair of yoga pants for the last twenty minutes.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't even be getting dressed today but being mere weeks out from my due date, I had to attend weekly prenatal doctor's appointments to make sure that the babies were still cooperating with our plans to forgo a planned C-section and instead, try things the natural way. "Ready to go?" Lucas asks, entering the room and coming to stand in front of me, bending over easily. I envy him.

"I don't think I'll fit in the car." My fiancé laughs, shaking his head at me in amusement as he reaches out a hand to help me up. I take his proffered hand graciously, offering him my left hand that's noticeably bare since my engagement ring is now too small for my swollen fingers. "How many more weeks, realistically, do you think we have until I explode?" I ask as I get onto my own two feet and stand in front of my fiancé, looking like a whale by comparison. I remember when he first walked back into my life; I'd been in the best shape of my life and now I looked as if I swallowed a watermelon while he still turned every woman's head without trying.

"You aren't going to explode" he chuckles, moving to the closet to grab me a light, spring jacket. The first winter thaw being well underway. "But the doctor did say that you likely won't make it past another month with how the babies are measuring."

"Thank god" I groan, "because as much as I've loved being pregnant and am looking forward to having these two little girls in our lives, I really can't wait to start feeling normal again."

"Normal. I think I'm going to like normal with you; wardrobe arguments with Avery, feedings with the twins...long, blissful evenings in our bed." Lucas' hand settles on the small of my back as we step out of our bedroom. "Yea, normal definitely doesn't sound too bad" he nods, seemingly thinking very fondly about what a normal life would look like for us. And honestly, with thoughts of family dinners, bedtime routines and a forever kind of love, I couldn't disagree.

Normal sounded perfect.

~ 🌌 ~

I hate stirrups. I know they're necessary but really, they're almost as uncomfortable as the exam itself, which is saying something since my doctor's hands are quite literally inside my womb, checking the positioning of the twins to make sure that they haven't become breech in the week since I last sat in this position.

"Well, the girls still seem to be cooperating quite well. Baby B has turned just a bit, but I don't think she'll turn breech before your labor which, considering how they're measuring, should be starting sooner rather than later." She pulls the gloves off her hands and throws them into the trash as she resituates my gown to give me a semblance of decency.

"...When you say that?" I begin after a brief hesitation, "how soon are we talking? Because to be blunt, I'm really over being pregnant."

My doctor chuckles, nodding in understanding. "I'd say another two or three weeks. You're in the home stretch Riley, just hold on a little bit longer. I promise, it'll be worth it" she says with a kind smile as she stands up. "I'll let you get changed. You can make your next appointment in the lobby before you leave" she adds, exiting the room and leaving me alone with Lucas.

I sigh, staring up at the ceiling. "I know it'll be worth it, to wait until they're ready to meet us, but I really don't know if I can take another second of this, let alone another few weeks."

Lucas leans forward, placing his hand over my swollen belly. "Would it help if you weren't alone?" He asks, earning a raised brow as I turn my head to look at him. "Because, quite honestly, you shouldn't be home alone anymore. I can take some time off from the clinic, stay home with you-."

"You'd do that?" I ask, feeling emotional all of a sudden. I'd blame hormones but I think a larger part of me knows that the emotion comes from the past; of my first pregnancy with Avery when all I wanted towards the end was for Lucas to be there, to tell me that I could get through this. Of course, I'd never given birth before and had been terrified so, this time is a bit different, but the sentiment remains the same.

"Riles." He chuckles, rolling his eyes at the disbelief in my voice. "It's the least I can do." He insists, "I'll call the clinic as soon as we get home" he adds and suddenly, these next few weeks don't seem too bad.

~ 🌌 ~

"Need some help?" Glancing over my shoulder I find Lucas standing against the doorframe of our bedroom with a teasing lilt to his voice as he continues, "because I would be happy to." Dropping my hands to my sides and regarding him with my steady gaze as he meanders into the room, I chuckle. 

"I'm sure nothing would make you happier" I retort. My fiancé stops in front of me and hooks his thumbs in the waistband of my yoga pants; not being to bend over has made it difficult to take them off and quite honestly I wasn't going to force myself into anything else before climbing into bed. 

Placing my hands on his shoulders, I gracefully step out of each leg as Lucas guides my pants down. Admittedly, having him knelt in front of me is giving me quite a few ideas that I shouldn't be entertaining with our daughter and her boyfriend down the hall. "Luke." His name leaves my lips like a warning, my head snapping back to the open door. "We really can't do this right now." Not that I understand why he wants to do this any time. Certainly nothing about me or my current condition could be deemed a turn on. 

"You sure about that?" He asks, dragging his lips along my inner thigh. My legs go weak, my fingertips threading through his blonde hair. A sigh escapes as he nuzzles his face between my thighs. "You know, sex can induce labor" he smirks, leaning back on his heels ending my fleeting moment of pleasure. 

"I've heard that." I reply breathlessly making Lucas laugh. He stands back up and heads towards the door, sticking his head out. 

"Av!" He shouts. Our daughter's questioning reply comes a moment later. "I'm gonna run mom a quick bath before dinner. You need anything?" I purse my lips, crossing my arms over my chest as I observe my fiancé boldly lying to our daughter in order to get some. 

"Nope! We're fine!" She yells back and happy with that answer, Lucas closes our door and slides the lock into place. 

"This, whatever you have planned, could've waited until after dinner. Until after Hayden's left, at least!"

"No. It really couldn't" he insists, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling it over his head. "You really don't get it, do you?" He asks, strutting towards me as he undoes his fly. 

My mouth goes dry. "I'm not following" I admit, my eyes though quite busy following every groove of muscle that's been sculpted into my fiancé's physique. 

"Riles, your existence is enough to send my body into a fucking frenzy. And I know you don't understand that in thinking that being heavily pregnant turns me off but watching your body change these past months-." Trailing off as his fingertips tangle in the hem of my shirt. "You've never been sexier." 

Breathlessly, he captures my lips and making good on what he's told our daughter, he leads me into the bathroom and runs a bath only instead of taking it alone, he climbs in right behind me. "I love you" he murmurs as the bubbles from the bomb he exploded pop around us. 

Humming and nodding in agreement, I lay my head back against his shoulder. "I love you too." And when he sinks into me, I find myself unable to catch my breath until both our bodies are spent and I feel his heart pounding against my back, our fingers interlinked on the side of the tub. 

A comfortability, a normalcy I could definitely get used to.