aTRACKion

Chapter Forty Three

At some point, my exhaustion must have paused all of my worries. The last thing I remember, were tears rolling down my cheek and soaking into the pillow. But my sleep is coming to an end. I sense that someone is sat beside me, making the duvet feel like it's tightly cocooning me within its comfy warmth. It's only when I feel fingers of affection, caressing my hair and face, do my eyes heavily keep trying to open.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Doug wears only a smile, a smile that is masking most of how tired he actually is.

"It's okay." Is my croakily given reply. Rubbing my sore and gritty eyes, I exhale harshly. "Have you not slept?" Reaching to run my hand across the contours of his exhausted unshaven face, I gaze at Doug with woeful worry.

Closing his eyes to the sensation of my tenderly given touch, he inhales a slow and fatigued breath. "I'll be fine." Removing my hand from his cheek, he then kisses each one of my fingers. "I just needed some time to think things through. I'm sorry if I worried you, but I think we both needed time to process what is happening to us."

With a weary head, I softly nod just the once. "It's a lot to take in."

Threading our hands together, Doug moves in closer against me. "I think I have everything straight in my head now."

My eyes sleepily squint on him. "You do?" Thinking to myself that I am nowhere near having things all straightened out in my own head.

Doug smiles, then tilts his head a little as he's about to speak. "I know that finding out you are pregnant, is a huge shock. It's a huge shock for me, too. It's not ideal, I know...but it's happening, Frankie." His thumb is now softly stroking mine. "I know we haven't been together long, I know getting pregnant is the last thing that we both had planned for us...but again, it's still happening." His smile is growing, growing with subtle assurance. "I know you're scared. I'm scared as well. I'm scared of getting everything wrong. I'm scared that I'll not be the father that my dad so greatly was." There's now an intensity sitting in Doug's brown eyes, an intensity that I've never seen before. "But how can we not want something that we have created, Frankie? How can we not want our baby to be a part of our lives, when it's already a part of us? I know it's not going to be easy, but together, we can do anything...anything."

Overwhelmed, I gaze back at him with my blue eyes becoming blurred with tears that are saltily full of uncertainty, relief and love. "You want this baby?" My question is asked with a wary and shattered whisper.

Supporting my quivering chin with two of his fingers, Doug leans in so lovingly closer. "I know we can do this, Frankie. I want to do this. I want to do this with you." Briefly kissing my mouth, he moves back slightly to look at me again. "I really think we could be wonderful parents." His smile blossoms right across his face. "Because we are."

I'm giggling.

I'm crying.

I'm confused.

I'm a happy mess.

"You really think we can do this?" My heart feels like it's buoyant within my chest, it's floating around with expectation and excited wonder.

Grabbing my face with both of his hands, Doug is now just a breath away from my mouth. "Yes, we can do this, Frankie. We can do this, because we love each other."

Yes, we do love each other.

And yes, getting pregnant isn't ideal.

But as Doug rightly said, it is happening.

And he is also right about how could we not want something that is already a part of us.

This pregnancy wasn't planned.

This pregnancy is a massive shock.

But some things are just meant to be.

Some things are just meant to happen.

Doug has always believed in me when I have doubted myself.

Now it's my turn to unreservedly believe in him.

**The video above is the sweet track: I BELIEVE IN YOU - MICHAEL BUBLÉ