The Baker, Part 2: Sous Chef

Chapter 36

"Hi, baby," Liam said into Cassie's fairly large six month along stomach. Cassie smiled down at her son and said, "Babies, remember? There's two in here." He still couldn't seem to grasp that. 

When she and Ben told him about the pregnancy, he was confused at first. Ben had to explain it a bit more gently until Liam finally understood. At first, he was a bit upset and Cassie calmed him down. Eventually, he started to get a little more excited at the idea. Now, three months later, it's become his routine to say hello or good morning to her stomach. 

"What should we make for when daddy comes home tonight?" She asked him. Liam thought for a moment, then shouted, "Pizza!" Smiling, Cassie said, "That sounds amazing. Gonna be my sous chef?" He held up his arms, so she picked him up and set him on the counter. 

While she started on the dough, she had him pick off the stems from the spinach. When she got the dough soft enough, she let Liam knead it. She stood behind him and helped his tiny hands that only made small dents. 

By the time she got to mashing the tomatoes to make the sauce, she heard the front door open and that booming voice call, "Hello, I'm home!" Liam looked to Cassie and gasped. She got him off of the counter and he bolted into the living room, shouting, "Daddy!" 

Ben hauled up his son in a giant hug as he said, "Oh, buddy, I've missed you. Have you been good for mummy?" He nodded furiously and said, "I'm her suit chef!" He chuckled at his son's wrong pronunciation of the word and said, "Well, let's go see what you two are making."

He walked into the kitchen with Liam still in his arms and smiled when he saw Cassie chopping furiously at the tomatoes. "Bloody hell, what did those tomatoes do to you?" He asked with a light laugh. She turned to him and lit up a smile. 

As she went up to him, Ben set Liam down and welcomed Cassie into his arms. "Hello, hubby," she said, putting her arms around his neck. "Hello, wifey," he greeted. "God, look at you." He ran his hand down her stomach. 

"Yeah," Cassie giggled, "look at how fat I've gotten." He shushed her with a kiss, then said, "No...look at how beautiful and radiant you are. Don't take this the wrong way, but I find you the most attractive when you're pregnant. Especially with two babies."

"Well, maybe I should be pregnant more often," she told him. He hummed, then kissed her ear and said, "I won't object to that." He then gave her a full on kiss, holding her close against him. When he pulled away, he kept a hand on her stomach and asked, "What are you two making?"

Before she could answer, Liam excitedly shouted, "Pizza!" Ben hummed in approval, then said, "I'm going to go unpack and get changed, then I'll come down and help you guys." While he rushed upstairs, Cassie taught Liam how to mash the chopped tomatoes in a small wooded bowl. 

By the time he was done, Ben came bounding down looking comfortable in his pajamas. "Have you thought about coming with me to Cardiff?" He asked as he scooped a bit of the mushed tomatoes onto his finger and tasted it. Liam giggled and did the same, but made a disgusted face. 

"I have," Cassie said as he handed Liam some water to wash it down, "and I will...but I won't be there for one of the days you have off next month. I have to come back here for the day for a meeting about the restaurant." He pouted, then said, "Okay. Liam and I can have a boys day. We'll go to the pub, drink some beers, flirt with girls, maybe even get him a girlfriend."

Cassie playfully scoffed, "No! My baby boy will not be dating any girl any time soon." Ben chuckled and ran his hand over his son's head. "I like how you're not okay with the dating, but the drinking..." He laughed when she threw a tea towel at him. 

"Season the tomato sauce, will you?" She asked. He let Liam put the salt and pepper into the sauce whenever it needed any, then handed it over to Cassie once it was perfect. She entertained Liam by using her dough spinning skills as Ben watched with a wide smile. 

"Alright," she said, wiping her hands on the apron after putting the pizza in the oven. "That'll take around an hour. In the meantime, what should we do?" Ben thought for a moment, then said, "Well, Liam seems to be occupied with Hunter. Why don't I grab you some juice, me some wine and we can talk about our week? I always feel like I miss so much when I'm away."

He was doing Doctor Strange re-shoots all week, hopefully the last ones he'll have to do. "Well, at least when Sherlock is done," Cassie said, "you'll be home for the next...what? Six to seven months?" A blissful smile appeared on his face as he thought about that. 

"Yes," he said, "and we'll have these little ones in just a few months. Also, we only have two more bedrooms in this house. We might want to think about moving if we're going to have more here." Cassie put a finger on his chest and said, "We are waiting even longer to have more after these ones are born, Mr. Cumberbatch."

He pouted, then said, "But, baby, my biological clock is ticking here. I'm forty years old and you're thirty. You may have plenty of time, but I sure as hell don't. You really want to risk waiting until I'm...what? Forty-five?" 

She pretended to think for a moment, then said, "Yes."