Letters to Isabella

thirty one.

Laura's POV

"When are we going to tell everyone about our little secret?" Ross asked, nuzzling his head into my neck. He was stood behind me with his arms wrapped protectively around my waist. I was stood in front of our bathroom mirror trying to tie my hair up into a messy ponytail; although it wasn't going so well.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I mean... I'm not that far along yet." I explained, trying to keep my voice low. It was early in the morning but I knew that in our house there was always someone awake and listening. "I just don't want to tell everyone the news until we're one hundred percent certain that everything is okay."

Ross nodded and placed a gentle kiss on my neck, grabbing a bottle of his favourite aftershave out from the cabinet behind us. "You're right." He agreed, still nodding his head. "I'm just so excited, you know?"

I sighed and turned to face him, wrapping my arms lovingly around his neck. "I know honey. I'm really excited too." I ran my fingers through his hair and gazed happily into his eyes. "Let's wait until my three month scan." I offered, turning back to face the mirror. "If everything is right and how it should be then we'll sit the whole family down and tell them about our news."

Ross smiled and nodded in agreement with me. "Deal." He murmured, placing a kiss on my cheek. He opened up the bathroom door and yawned loudly to himself. "I'm going to go and make the kids some breakfast. Do you think Dean will want to go to school today?"

I bit my lip and glanced over at Isabella's closed bedroom door. I still couldn't believe that Ross and I had allowed our twelve year old daughter to have her guy crush sleep in her bedroom. Our morals had completely dropped out of the window but for a good reason; Dean needed any sort of help that he could possibly get right now and as adults, we had a right to give it to him.

"It's worth asking him." I agreed, tilting my head back towards the bathroom mirror. "If he doesn't though then I'm happy to stay here and take care of him today."

Ross stood on the bottom step and smiled at me. "Alright. I'll wake them up once breakfast is ready."

I smiled back. "That sounds like a plan."

Once Ross was out of sight I began to apply mascara and eyeliner to my exhausted hazel eyes. I looked like I hadn't slept in weeks, even though I'd probably overslept if anything.

I decided that I needed to look as fresh and vibrant as I possibly could so that nobody would figure out that I was pregnant again. It seemed that all the women in our family were experts when it came down to sussing out a pregnancy; I couldn't afford for anyone to find out, not right now at least. It was still early days and although my last two pregnancies had been smooth and problem free, I couldn't assume that for my third one.

As I stood applying endless amounts of blush to my cheeks the sound of our spare bedroom door opening and closing shut forced me to glance down our dimly lit hallway. I could see Trisha, half awake and half asleep, scurrying down the hallway to me. "Trish!" I hissed. "What are you doing?"

She quickly pushed me out of the way and locked the bathroom door behind her. I stood with my makeup brush in hand with a half done up face and listened as Trisha violently threw up down the toilet. I hammered my fist quietly against the door. "Trish! What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I — I'm fine. I just —"

She threw up again.

"Open this door Trish!" I whispered angrily, tightening my grip against the handle in a desperate attempt to try and open it.

Something was going on with my cousin and although she was an adult now that didn't mean I saw her as one. She'd always be a baby in my eyes. Call me selfish if you will, but that's just how I see her. I will always be her over protective older cousin, there's nothing she can do about that.