The Thunder Rolls

Chapter 19

His hand went straight to my stomach. His grip around me tightened and his face was in my hair.

"We're going to have a baby" he whispered

My mind was spinning, the room was swirling and I was going to throw up again. He felt my muscles tighten and his grip loosened but he didn't let me go. He held me up to the toilet until I was done and then brought me back down into his lap. He reached up to the sink and got the rag and got it wet, then put it on my head. I barely opened my eyes and could see his face beaming with his smile. He looked down and saw me looking at him and tried to hide his smile.

"Don't stop smiling"

" I feel bad though, you're miserable"

" but at least I know why and it'll pass, it's a good sick, trust me if I could I would smile bigger than you right now."

" I just don't want you to feel like I'm being insensitive"

" Dean we're going to have a baby. You can smile all you want. And when I stop throwing up and falling asleep standing up, I will too." I yawned.

And then on que with my words I feel asleep, I don't remember much. I remember feeling the floor change to the bed And hearing Amanda squeal, Dean told her. Then I felt Dean slide in bed next to me and settle his hand on my stomach.

When I woke the next morning his hand was still on me. The nausea was much better, but the weight of his lifeless hand made my stomach feel funny. I knew I needed to eat, I had emptied everything out yesterday and I would stay sick if I didn't at least eat small amounts of something. I slipped out from under his hand and walked to the kitchen. I made another lemon water and grabbed some crackers, I looked around the cabinets while I ate them. I made a bowl of cereal, but figured I should probably eat something healthy so I also grabbed a banana. Toast also sounded pretty good so I popped in a few slices of bread into the toaster and munched on what I had while I waited. When they popped up I buttered them and put jelly on them and went back and forth between my cereal, the toast and my banana, adding a few crackers in here and there. Dean walked into the kitchen and looked at me. I stopped chewing with a mouth full of food eyes wide in suprise, he laughed.

" you never wake up this early on the weekends. Yesterday you slept till 100. And now you wake up at eight in the morning just to eat?" He walked over and hugged me " this is going to be an adventure"

" I was starving" I said crackers escaping my lips.

He just laughed more.

"Do you want a real breakfast? I can take you somewhere, we can meet everyone, celebrate the news now that you feel better."

"I'd like that." I said

"Me too "

I finished my lemon water then made more for the road and went to get dressed. I was happy that I wasn't throwing up I hope the nausea didn't last long. We decided on driving to leesville and eating at IHOP with everyone. I was so happy once we got there, my stomach was growling.

Stella came running up to us and jumped in my arms.

"I missed you momma. I missed you daddy."

"We missed you too baby!" I told her giving her a hug. " let's go eat."

We followed our waitress to our table and Amanda gave me a huge hug before settling into her seat. She winked at me at the last second before she sat down, yep, Dean had told her last night. I unfolded the menu and my eyes wandered over all the pancakes, once again my stomach growled. Dean looked over at me and smiled, he put his arm around my shoulder and his other hand affectionately on my stomach. His touch warmed my entire body, I loved how excited he was that I was carrying his baby. His eyes met mine and we both smiled. My stomach growled again and we both laughed.

"Congratulations my dears" Elle May told us

"What?" I said confused, how did she know?

" On your engagement, did you already forget?"

I looked down at my beautiful ring. On top of throwing up all evening then finding out I was pregnant I had forgotten.

"Harlow was sick all night, but Elle May, Harlow and I have something we want to tell you." Dean said speaking for me

"Besides that you're engaged?"

"Yes" he replied with a small laugh

"Ok, what is it?" She asked eyes wide Amanda was beaming from ear to ear and Logan was smiling too.

"Can I take your drink orders?"

This waitress had impeccable timing.

"Oh my god yes. Can I please have some water and a side of lemons please."

Everyone else placed their drink orders and she walked away.

"Now what were you saying son?"

"I was about to say that, Harlow and I are going to have a baby, she's pregnant, you're going to be a great grandma."

" oh my heavens! I don't believe it!" She yelled throwing her hands in the air.

"Believe it, I threw up so much yesterday it wasn't even funny. Now I'm so hungry" I laughed

" well I'm so excited for you guys. We have a wedding to plan and a new baby to get ready for. I just cannot wait" Amanda said

Our waitress came back with our drinks and took our food order. We chatted about the wedding and decided to have the reception in the barn. Everyone was very excited about it.

"Amanda would you be my maid of honor? You've become the best friend I've had in a long time, I want you to stand up with me at our wedding."

" of course I will! We need to go dress shopping soon"

"I would love that." I told her so excited she had become my friend.

Our food arrived shortly after I said that and I was glad, I was still starving. I had already gulped down 3 glasses of lemon water but I was ready to devour my three pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast. We sat and talked for a little more then paid and headed out to the parking lot. We hugged, said our goodbyes and climbed into the truck, then got on the highway headed back home.

" Harlow,  I wanna ask you something" Dean said breaking the silence.

" anything"

" do you want to marry me before or after we have he baby?"

A smile spread across my face, I would have married him when he first asked me. He looked over at me and saw me smiling, he grabbed my hand and laced his fingers through his.

"What?"

"I was just thinking about how I would have married you last night of you asked me to. But now I honestly kind of want to wait till after I have the baby. I want the wedding of my dreams with you. And then our baby will be there too. But What do you want?"

" I want us to be a family. I want to adopt Stella and give her my last name, and I want to marry you whenever you want to. If you want to wait and have your dream wedding then we'll wait. I know you're mine. "

I couldn't help but tear up and smile at the same time, my hormones were already going insane, I don't remember them being this wild with Stella. I wanted all of that, everything he wanted and I wanted it with him.

"That's exactly what I want."

My life was shaping up to be everything I wanted it to be, and that scared me, I didn't want it to fall Apart. Part of me felt like Austin would come sweeping in yanking my life out from underneath of me like a rug, and part of me felt like he didn't care. It was always in the back of my mind, I wondered if it would ever go away.