Covenant (A Lapidot Fanfiction)

Chapter 27: Preparation

I pushed a chair into the living room. It turned out that fixing the house had taken a lot longer than expected. After the roof was finished, we had gotten a lot of unexpected rain, so I had stayed inside. It had been raining so much that Lapis was six months along now. The baby was kicking even more now.

"Should I move this a bit to the left?" I asked. "It just seems...off."

"Whatever you want," Smoky answered. "You're strong enough to push a chair."

I moved the chair around until I was satisfied with where it was. The house was so close to being finished. I couldn't wait. I heard the door open, and I looked toward it. Lapis was there, curiously peeking in.

"Honey," I said, reaching towards her.

Lapis carefully walked up to me and laid her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her close. She was being so cautious now.

"Is there something you wanted?" I asked.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to go to the store with me," Lapis answered in a quiet voice.

"Which store?" I asked.

"The nearby clothes shop," Lapis answered. "I'd like to start picking out some clothes for the baby."

"That sounds fun," I said. "You want me to drive?"

"I can drive myself," Lapis replied, smiling with an eyebrow raised. "I just want you to come with me. I want your opinion, too."

"Okay, okay," I said. "But are you sure we should be doing that this early? It just seems so...well, early."

"The earlier we prepare, the sooner we get it over with," Lapis responded. "Wouldn't you like to relax for these next three months?"

"That's so long!" I exclaimed. "You're really doing this seriously early."

"Hey, I just wanna get this stuff over with so I can relax with you," Lapis said.

"...fine," I replied. "Make it quick and easy though, alright? I don't have much of a desire to buy really expensive clothes for a baby."

"I'm not going to buy anything expensive," Lapis said.

"Good," I responded.

"When will the house be ready for us, by the way?" Lapis asked.

"It should be ready soon," I answered. "Of course, when we move in, I may be making some improvements here and there, but thar's easy to handle. We'll probably be able to move in next week."

"That's gonna be so exciting!" Lapis responded. "I can't wait!"

"Me neither," I said, smiling at her.

Lapis looked over at Smoky, who was resting her arms on the chair. She was grinning at us. Lapis held onto me and hid her face in my chest, clearly embarrassed.

"You alright?" I asked.

"Should I go by myself?" Lapis asked. "I mean...if you two are working, you don't have to come."

"We can take a break," I answered. "I'm sure Smoky would like some time with Bismuth." I looked up at Smoky, who was very much enjoying our conversation. "Wouldn't you?"

"You bet I would," Smoky replied.

"Alright, then we'll be going," I said. "You take your time."

I picked Lapis up and carried her back to Mom's house, where my car was parked in the driveway. I placed Lapis in the passenger's seat and jumped into the driver's. I looked over at Lapis, inspecting her. She was looking back at me, her cheeks flushed with pink. I smiled.