Loving Lucian ✅

Chapter Forty Three

"Are you ready to see the baby, Lucian?" Peyton asked me, swinging our hands back and forth as we decided to take a walk through Central Park. She told me to take her to Poppy's beforehand so she could get dill pickle flavored popcorn and vanilla ice cream. Which is disgusting, and had conflicting smells, and after she scarfed it down she ate about four peppermint patties because it 'went with the vanilla'.

"You mean in eight months or on Monday?" I replied in question, really glad she ate those peppermint patties. She looked at me with a smile that I couldn't look away from. "At the ultrasound Monday," she tilted her head to rest on my shoulder.

"Oh, of course I'm ready. It's good you won't have the baby until June, 'cause that is how long it's going to take me to be ready for that," I chuckled in disbelief. "Actually, I can't even believe you're pregnant."

She relieved a short laugh, rubbing her stomach. "Well if this isn't enough evidence for you, I could take a pregnancy test for you, Lucian,"

"Nah, I'm good. I honestly had know idea you had got even the slightest bit bigger, I couldn't really feel a difference. You felt like the same, thin woman." Then something came up in my mind and I asked, "you said this child was conceived the night of the last date we had? When did you find out?"

"The next morning, at the doctor's. And then I had to tell my guards, and that's why—"

"That's why Trevor yelled at you about our relationship? First, props to you for coming up with such a believable white lie that day. Second, you lied to me, but at this point I don't care, and third, it's not like you meant to get pregnant, it was a happy accident."

"Ha, mhm, happy accident," she bit her lips together with a nod. "But he apologized, like this huge-ass speech that he forced me to listen to, and I forgave him, but I'm still not going hang out with him or anything, because I know that eventually he'll try to get me to kiss him or something. I meant what I said, I'll never stop just loving you, even if we impossibly wind up getting divorced in the distant future, I'll be done with relationships for the rest of my life."

"And good thing that'll never happen because there's nothing wrong with us that could break us up anymore. That's a pretty big vow, Peyton,"

"Well I still mean it,"

"Then who am I to stop you? You—"

"Oh, my god," She suddenly placed a hand over the peak of her bump, sitting on a nearby bench. Of course, this scares me. "What, what's wrong?" I crouch down in front of her and she smiled assuringly. "I'm not dying or anything, I just got the heaviest wave of nausea I've gotten yet and I don't think I can stand until it's over. And, I don't have my vows anymore,"

I sighed with relief, I thought there was something seriously wrong, and I smiled. "It's okay, I never wrote vows to begin with. I already know what I'm going to say, it's just everything that's already on my mind." I sat down on the bench next to her and she leaned back against me as I put my arms around her. "Okay, I guess I'll just wing it too then. And, Lucian?"

"Hm?"

"Don't get me wrong, I think the 'expensively rugged' look is sexy on you, but I want all this gone before the wedding, okay?" She looked at me and used her forefinger to point out my facial hair growing extensively and longer-than-intended-to-be hair. I chuckled, scratching my chin. "Well I'm sorry, I was too busy worrying about you to actually care about my appearance."