One // Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Chapter Twenty

It was rare for London to have weather that was nice enough to enjoy outdoor activities. Fortunately, today was one of those days. It was neither warm nor cold but it was right in between.

Leigh dressed her little bundle of joy to suit the weather and took her out for a walk in the fields near her house. She packed two bottles of milk and one with water, extra diapers and a change of clothes just incase. Plus a stuffed puppy, that Chloe-Marie refused to let go of, to keep her occupied. She didn't intend to stay long but it was better to be prepared than blindsided.

After making sure she had everything she locked the house. She triple checked the weather prior to leaving to be certain that rain won't fall. She strolled along the path, pushing the pram. Chloe-Marie gurgled to herself while she watched the world go by.

Even though the area was secluded Leigh was hyper-alert for paps. Fans and the media knew her baby had been born but she hadn't been outside much. Especially not with Chloe. Whenever she went grocery shopping she asked one of the girls to watch Chloe for her. She also began buying her groceries in bulk. When she ran out, she had one of the girls get a couple things for her until her next grocery day.

As Leigh strolled down the gravel track, she took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. The further she walked, the more her mind cleared. The sounds of nature put her mind and body at ease. She felt a sense if serenity that she didn't often feel.

Ever since Chloe-Marie had been born she hadn't gotten a single nightmare. She was beginning to think it was just a pregnancy thing, which was both relieving and concerning. It had also been a while since she visited the therapist. The nightmares stopped so there wasn't any reason to. Plus she didn't exactly have the time.

Saying she was overjoyed that the nightmares stopped was an understatement. However, the fear that there is a possibility of them coming true lingered at the back of her mind.

The brown skinned beauty came upon the stream that was almost covered by a canopy of trees. Leigh parked the pram a little way from the small body of water. She unstrapped and lifted Chloe-Marie out of the pram then sat on the bank. She dipped her toes into the delicious coolness of the water.

Chloe-Marie stared at the stream in awe and curiosity. She sat on Leigh's lap poking her tongue out of her mouth, deep in thought as if she were trying to figure out the answer to a complicated math problem.

"What you thinking about, pumpkin?" Leigh asked, caressing the soft skin on her chubby arm. Chloe-Marie suddenly jerked forward. Leigh tightened her grip on the infant and pulled her into her chest. Heart beating a mile a minute, she  engulfed the small child in her arms. Her breathing rate skyrocketed causing her to feel a tad bit weak. She laid on her back, panting heavily. Her heart pumped hard, her head dizzy. Had Leigh not react as quickly as she did the one and a half month old baby would've plunged straight into the water. She closed her eyes and took a minute to recollect herself. She opened reopened them and looked at the unconcerned baby laying on her chest. She gurgled as if her very short life hadn't almost ended.

"Time to go home." Leigh breathed. She strapped Chloe-Marie into the stroller and began her journey back to her home.

She arrived home just as the sun set. It was a little while until Chloe-Marie's bedtime so she put her in her bouncer. After strapping her in and making sure she was secure, Leigh plopped face first onto her bed. She held her breath as the images of the near fatality replayed in her head.

"Great." She thought, "another reason to have nightmares."

She lifted her head off the bed to check the time. It was time for another feeding. Leigh dragged her tired body off the bed. She unbuckled Chloe-Marie and went downstairs. After that near accident, Leigh definitely wasn't up for breastfeeding. She warmed one of the bottles she pumped prior to their outing. She tested the milk on her wrist to make sure it was the right temperature then positioned Chloe-Marie in her arms. Her lips latched onto the nipple and began suckling away to her heart's content.