Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Baby Steps

Chris and Denise anticipated Luca's scolding even before they arrived at Blue's Steakhouse. She first showed concern for Denise and her baby, making sure they were both alright before she dropped the hammer. And drop the hammer she did. Chris was the primary subject of her reprimanding as she'd expected him to be more mature and sensible. But alas, Denise had him wrapped around her finger as his wife. He did whatever she asked- nay, begged of him. It was incredibly difficult for Chris to say 'no' to her, especially when she exploited him with her puppy dog eyes. Perhaps everyone was right about him being whipped. But then again, many thought Denise was whipped too. One supposed that was just the price of unconditional love.

The couple also anticipated that Luca would release Denise from her responsibilities as Maid of Honor, though she didn't take the title; her best friend would still stand by her side on the day of her wedding. Majority of the planning had been completed, the finishing touches Luca said she and Sebastian could handle themselves. All Denise needed to do now was to rest, take some time to wrap her head around the fact that she was becoming a mom because she clearly needed to. And she had plans to do that, to just sit and talk with Chris about parenthood; a conversion that was well overdue.

Denise also had plans to continue working, despite Emilia's continuous assurance that she could wait until she'd given birth. As a mother herself, she understood how challenging things were for a first time mother at that stage of a pregnancy. But as a mother working in the Hollywood industry, she also understood Denise's determination and fear when she said "Hollywood waits for no one." With the job consisting of predominantly meeting at that point in time, Chris didn't have a good reason to stop her from working. That, and he knew she'd be more stressed out if she couldn't be a part of the process.

After dinner, both couples parted their respective ways. Chris and Denise returned to their home above Laurel Canyon, while Sebastian and Luca to their apartment in Westwood Village. The forty minute drive had Denise thinking about lots of things, like whether or not she and Chris should continue to stay in Los Angeles once Jack was born. The house that they'd turned into a home since she'd moved into Chris' place was beautiful, and though it probably wasn't the safest place to raise a child- Chris had baby-proofed it to be safe enough. But still, it wasn't the plan. The plan had always been to move back to Boston, to live in the house Chris had purchased, to have their kids and raise them there- thirty-four minutes away from the house he'd grown up in.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Chris took one hand off the steering wheel to hold Denise's hand. She smiled when his fingers found their way in-between hers, giving her hand a squeeze. She said nothing for a while, she just appreciated how comforting his touch was. She didn't think she'd find someone so capable of understanding and calming her and her chaotic mind. "Is it something worrying or stressful that you need me to ease you away from?" He quizzed, throwing her a quick glance.

"It's nothing bad," she shook her head, running her other hand up and down his forearm. "I'm just wondering if we should continue staying in Los Angeles after Jack's born." He shot her another quick glance when she said that. "There's an actual house waiting for us in Boston. Boston: where you grew up, where you said you were going to raise your kids."

"You're talking as though we don't have an actual house waiting for us at the end of this drive," he countered. "And California is where you grew up, where you thought you were going to raise your kids." He continued and she felt her eyes narrow; his response was not what she'd expected. "I hear what you're saying, Denise, but I just don't see the point of us moving now. You've just started work with Sony Pictures, and my job has me here majority of the time. Why do you think I bought a house?" He said and she sighed. "I know you want to follow the plan, but for now, staying here makes the most sense."