Recovery (Sequel to Been You)

Chapter 70: Family With Me

JUSTIN'S POV:

After dinner, we all have ice cream for dessert. El and I are the last ones left at the table. Ely ate both her and my serving, making me swoon over how much I love her and her appetite. There's not a bit left in her bowl, to which she smiles, accomplishment plain on her face. I kiss her, smiling as well. When I pull away, she says, "Let's go upstairs and cuddle."

I peak into the kitchen to see my mom washing dishes. Guilt settles in my stomach. "Yeah, you go ahead up and take off these clothes, I'll be right up," I excuse. El gets up, pecking me on the cheek before heading up. I stack both of the bowls before carrying them into the kitchen. "Hey, Mom, can I help?"

"Sure, sweetie. Can you dry?" She asks, gesturing toward the clean dishes.

"Of course," I agree, grabbing a dish and the dry rag.

"So, you and Ely are getting pretty serious, yeah?" Mom asks, making conversation as she washes.

"Yeah. She called you 'Mom,'" I marvel, taking a dish from her.

"I know," Mom says disbelievingly. "After all these years, she's finally really comfortable here. I can't believe it."

"Yeah, I'm so happy. I love her so much," I swoon.

"I know, sweetie. I'm so glad you two made it through that rough patch," Mom celebrates while cleaning a glass. "How did you end up making things right, anyway?"

"I, uh, invited her over to decorate for Christmas. You know how she is about the holidays," I smile to myself.

"Oh, how adorable. You're such a sweet boy," she pinches my cheek, making me feel like a child. I shy away giggling. "You better not risk losing her again though, young man!"

"I won't, I won't," I comply, holding my hands up innocently. "That's my girl."

"You go ahead up and be with her, then. I've got this covered, Justin," she allows.

"Seriously?"

"Yes," she nods, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Thanks, Ma!" I say as I breeze off, but not without kissing my mother on the cheek.

"Behave yourself, young man!" She scolds, to which I smirk, never agreeing. I hurry upstairs to my room to find Ely sitting on my bed, looking down. I can tell by the expression on her face that something's not right. I take a seat next to her on my bed. I worriedly place a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly.

"What's wrong, baby?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowed in concern. She looks up to me with tears welling in her eyes, which she blinks back, taking a moment to compose herself. Now, I'm really worried. Did I do something? She opens her mouth to speak, but she chokes back her words. She looks up frustratedly, finally settling on pulling something from behind her back and handing it to me. Upon realizing what it is, my stomach drops twenty stories. It's a pregnancy test and it's positive. My jaw falls open and Ely bursts into tears. Instinctually, I pull Ely into my arms, hugging her. She sobs heavily into my shoulder, soaking my shirt. I can't even think about how I feel, I'm too concerned with whether or not Ely's okay. Once she's all cried out, she pulls away from me, looking at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Are you... do you want to keep it?" I whisper. She nods her head, her movements small. I happily laugh out a cry, pulling her back into me tightly. "I'm gonna be a father," I marvel. "We're having a baby." She pulls away, surprised, eyeing me with wide eyes.

"You're not... mad?" she chokes out.

"Mad? How could I? This is the best news," I whisper cry. At this, Ely chokes out a cry, pulling me into her this time. While still holding me, Ely rambles.

"I just thought that since you wanted to wait until after you were signed, and how we're still young, you might not want to keep -"

"Hey!" I stop her, offended. "My only priorities are sitting right here in front of me," I say sternly. "As long as I've got that, I'm great," I assure, rubbing her still flat tummy. "My baby's in there," I ogle. Ely laughs happily through her tears. "Do you... have you seen a doctor?" Ely shakes her head, no. "Okay, we'll make an appointment in the morning, yeah?"

"Justin, tomorrow is Christmas Eve," she laughs disbelievingly.

"Well, it can't hurt to try, right? We're gonna be parents, oh my god!" I exalt.

"Shhhh," Ely giggles.

"Wait, so is this why you were throwing up?" I question.

"How'd you -? Yes," she answers simply.

"And acting weird?" I press.

"Yes," she answers flatly.

"And why your butt looks so good?"

"Justin!"

"Sorry, sorry," I laugh. "Oh my gosh, sorry, Little Justin," I whisper into her tummy.

"What if it's a girl?" Ely teases.

"Then, sorry, Luna," I apologize.

"How did you...? How did you know that was one of my choices?" Ely asks in amazement.

"Luna and Solana. You told me... before the accident," I realize.

"And you remembered?" she inquires, touched.

"Well, yeah. That's kind of a big thing," I answer plainly.

"You... you really envisioned having babies with me? You really... want this?" Ely weeps.

"Yeah, I mean... I love you, baby." She throws her arms around me, kissing me lovingly into a lying position on my bed.