Temptation

Bachelor Party

"Oh my God!" Cassie and Anna both screamed the moment they set eyes on each other in the airport. They ran and embraced in a tight hug while their men shook hands. "I think they're excited," Roger said as he balanced Kerry in one hand and their luggage in the other. Ben took the luggage from him and said, "Just a bit."

"Will you both shut up?" Anna asked as her and Cassie continued to hug. "We haven't seen each other in four months!" When she pulled back, she held Cassie at arms length and looked down at her stomach. "And look how huge you've gotten!" 

Cassie scoffed, "Thanks? I think? Where's my Goddaughter and why haven't I held her yet?" She made her way over to Kerry, who was reaching out to her. "Hi, sweetie," she cooed as she took the little girl. "How have you been, huh?" Kerry just gurgled a laugh and squeezed Cassie's nose and cheeks. 

Ben was next to coo his hellos, then led everyone out to the car. "You didn't have to pick us up," Anna told Ben as he drove them to their hotel. "Nonsense," he told her. "You would have paid a fortune for a cab. Anyways, Cass and I have a few last minute things to pick up before the wedding and before this one is born."

"You excited, Ben?" Roger asked. Ben scoffed as he said, "Over the moon! I'm getting a wife and child within a month of each other. Killing two birds with one stone here." About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the hotel. Ben helped unload the car and made sure the bellhop was there to take their things. 

"Bye, babe, we'll see you tomorrow," Anna said, giving Cassie a hug. Her and Roger were extremely jet lagged, so they just wanted to catch up on sleep for the day. Ben and Cassie headed over to their wedding venue to see how things were coming along, then went to the baby store. 

Cassie was having an internal battle between which onesies to get. "Darling, we don't have to decide at the moment," Ben gently told her. "Once we see if they're a boy or a girl, then we can pick out more. As for right now, I think we have plenty of those neutral colored ones at home."

Sighing, she told him, "I guess. I just feel like we aren't prepared." He hugged her from behind as he said, "Of course we aren't. We're first time parents, we're never going to be prepared, no matter how many books we've read or onesies we buy." 

He ran his hand down her stomach, then kissed her neck. "Come on, you need to get to bed and get some rest. I've let you do enough today." She rolled her eyes at him and, although he didn't see it, he could feel it. "No arguing and no eye rolling," he told her. "Trust me, I'm going to be like this on our wedding day, too. We can't risk anything."

She knew he was right, but she was still slightly annoyed. 

When they got home, he got her into bed and comfortable with the T.V. on. "Want anything to eat?" He offered. She shook her head, then said, "I think I'm just going to take a nap." He nodded and told her, "Well, I'd join you, but I've got some last bit of work to get done before my wedding vacation time and paternity leave. Christ, I'm going to be so backed up when I return."

He rubbed his eyes and tried not to think about the loads of paperwork he would have piled on his desk when he gets back. "Can't you work from home?" Cassie asked. "You usually do." Sighing, he told her, "I could, yes, but there are some things I have to go into the office for. I'm sure as hell not leaving you both here on your own, though. I want to be with this little one as much as possible before I'm buried in work again."

He put his hand over her stomach and felt a powerful kick. Cassie really felt it. "Oh, geez," she laughed. "Not so hard there, pal." Ben chuckled as he said, "Ah, my little girl is a fighter." He gave her a wink because he knows she thinks it's a boy. 

"Alright, Batch," she said, sticking her hand out, "let's make a bet. Fifty bucks it's a boy." He glanced down to her stomach, then back to her. "Fine," he said, sounding a bit unsure of himself. He timidly shook her hand, curious at the smile on her face. 

"Easiest fifty bucks I'll ever make," she said. 

**

"Go."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't feel comfortable leaving you. What if you have another false contraction?"

"Benedict, go!"

"Cassie, no!"

This was the world's stupidest fight. Ben's co-workers want to take him out for a small bachelor party the night before the wedding, but he refused to go. Cassie's been having some bad false contractions the past couple of days and he didn't want to leave her alone. 

Granted, Anna and Roger were just around the corner in the hotel, but they didn't know how to drive in London. Calling a cab would take forever and they probably wouldn't take her if they thought she was giving birth. He just wanted to be cautious. 

"I want you to have fun," she whined. "I don't want you looking back and thinking how I or this baby held you back from that." Ben gave her a sympathetic look, then pulled her in for a hug. "You are doing no such thing," he told her. "Stop overthinking. You know how stressed you get when you do that and that isn't good for the baby or you."

She nodded into his chest and allowed him to comfort her. "Why don't we invite Anna and Roger over and we can all sit around and watch a movie? That sounds like a better bachelor party than drinking and going to strip clubs." 

Cassie let out a laugh and said, "Okay."

Ben called Anna and arranged for them to come over in about an hour. In the meantime, Ben went out and picked up some Chinese food and a couple of movies. He even set up the playpen he got for their baby, for Kerry. 

"Yeah," Ben sighed blissfully to himself a few hours into Anna and Roger being over; Anna and Cassie laughing over something, Roger playing with Kerry on the floor, "definitely better."