The Baker, Part 2: Sous Chef

Chapter 34

"Why can't we wait until we get back to London?" Cassie currently had her shirt up and was waiting for a doctor to come in and check on the baby. Ben was concerned of how far along she looked and wanted to make sure the baby was okay. "Honey, I just want to be sure you're both okay. You're obviously pregnant, I just want to be sure everything's fine."

Liam, who had been playing with a couple of toys on the floor, got up and hugged Ben's leg. Ben picked him up and bounced him a bit. A few moments later, a nurse came in and set everything up for the ultrasound. Ben sat with Liam on his lap and watched anxiously. 

"Alright," the nurse said, "see that small shape right there?" Cassie nodded and the nurse said, "That's your baby. Do you also see this shape?" Cassie's eyes widened and she turned to Ben. He looked confused. "That," the nurse continued, "is the second baby. You're having twins." 

Cassie reached out and aggressively grabbed Ben's shirt. She didn't have to look over at him to know he was freaking out as much as she was! "Twin...twins," he breathed out. Cassie asked the nurse, "How...I mean..." She was at a loss for words! Was she happy? Upset? She didn't know!

"I'll give you two a moment," the nurse told them before walking out. Ben and Cassie looked to each other. "Twins," he said. "Holy shit. Are you...are you okay?" He noticed she was in a bit of a daze. "I don't know," she told him. "This is just...so unexpected."

Ben set Liam down and put his hand over her stomach. "Well," he said, "I'm absolutely thrilled. Honestly, this is the best news!" He couldn't contain his laugh or his smile. "I know this wasn't a part of the plan, but we can make it work. Twins, baby. This is great."

He smiled with tears in his eyes when he saw her do the same. "I love you," she whispered. He leaned over and kissed her. "I love you more than anything, beautiful. Come on, let's get our babies back to the hotel." As she wiped the gel off her stomach, she asked, "How are you being so cool about this right now?"

As he picked up Liam, he told her, "I'm honestly shaking. My heart is pumping, my brain is on fire, I feel like I've been hit by a bloody freight train! I'm freaking out, but I'm so excited." Cassie put her hand in his and saw how badly they were both shaking. 

"Just making sure," she chuckled. 

**

The last few days they were in New York were Ben's busiest days. He wouldn't come back to the hotel until almost one in the morning, then would be out again by four or five. The next time she really saw him was when they were getting ready to leave bright and early back to London. 

She was about to head into Liam's room to wake him when she felt Ben grab her arm. "Hey," he whispered, as he brought her to him. "I've missed you." She smiled and ran her hand down his tired face. "I've missed you, too. Come on, we've got to go."

They got Liam, packed everything into the cab and got through the paparazzi at the airport. By the time they sat down in the terminal, it felt like the entire day had passed. Just as Cassie was leaning her head on Ben's shoulder to rest, her phone starting ringing. 

She took a peak at who it was and immediately sat up. "Who is it?" Ben asked, gently rocking Liam's carrier to keep him asleep. "It's...it's Leo," she said. "I haven't heard from him since the wedding." She hovered over the answer button for a moment, but then hung up. 

"You don't want to talk to him? Get an explanation?" Cassie shook her head and asked, "What would you do if Tracey did that?" He thought for a moment, then said, "Answer the phone. I'd want answers, closure." She thought about that for a moment, then said, "I'll call him back when we get home. I won't have time to say the things I want to say before we board."

When they got situated on the plane, Ben fell asleep almost immediately with his hand on her stomach. He was so excited they were having twins, it was adorable. Liam was on Cassie's lap, wide awake and playing with some toys on the tray. Her eyes were drooping, but she couldn't leave Liam awake by himself. 

As soon as Ben woke up a few hours later, she immediately passed out. He let Liam play some games on his iPad so he could read through the Doctor Strange script. He's read through it many, many times, but enough.

Liam eventually did want his full attention, so he set down the script and talked with his boy. "Daddy? What's that?" He pointed to the overhead bins. "That's where we put our luggage," he explained. "And that?" He pointed to the cockpit. 

"That's where the pilots fly the plane," Ben said. Liam then looked to his mom and asked, "When will mommy wake up?" Ben smiled at his peacefully sleeping pregnant wife and said, "I don't know, but she needs her rest. Okay?"

Liam nodded, then got distracted by SpongeBob playing on the in-flight entertainment. 

By the time they landed, it was almost eight o'clock at night. They trudged into the house, jet-lagged and not looking forward to unpacking, to a very energetic Hunter. "Hey, boy," Ben chuckled as he scratched the dog's head. 

A moment later, Kelly and Alexis came down the stairs. "Hey, guys," Cassie greeted. "Thanks for watching over everything." Kelly waved her off and said, "No problem! Everything ran smoothly at the restaurant, Hunter was great and non of your plants died."

"Thanks to me," Alexis said with a sly smile. Kelly playfully rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, we should get home before our plants die." They all said their goodbyes, then left the exhausted couple to deal with their bouncing three year old. 

"Liam, it's time for bed," Ben said, annoyance edging his voice. Liam was bouncing up and down on his bed, giggling and shaking his head. "Liam, I'm not joking around. Get in bed right. Now." Again, Liam shook his head, but this time jumped off the bed and ran into your room. 

Ben chased after him, but wasn't able to reach him before he jumped on the bed and woke Cassie up. "Ugh, Liam, please," she whined. Ben came and hauled Liam up from the bed. "Alright," he said, "no dessert tomorrow night." 

Liam squirmed in Ben's arms and cried, "But, daddy!" Ben put him on the bed and pulled the covers up. "How many times did I say you had to go to bed?" He asked. "I said it multiple times and you didn't listen. Not to mention, you woke your mother. No dessert, Liam, and that's final. Goodnight." 

He kissed his son's head, but got pushed away. Liam crossed his arms and turned his back towards Ben. Ben could honestly care less.

When he got into bed with Cassie, he was careful to try and not wake her. Unfortunately, she did anyways. "Ben, please, I'm too tired," she whined when she felt his hand go under her shirt and on her stomach. "Oh no, baby, I'm not trying anything," he quickly said. "I just like holding your stomach when you're pregnant. You know that."

She huffed and said, "I forgot about that. G'night." He pressed a kiss to the back of her head and said, "Goodnight, my love."