Montana Sky

Chapter 21: Dream a Little Dream (Part 2)

Come along with me to my little corner of the world
Dream a little dream in my little corner of the world
You'll soon forget that there's any other place
Tonight, my love, we'll share a sweet embrace
– Yo La Tengo:  My Little Corner of the World –

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The drive towards Whitefish was stunning, sun starting to slowly dip behind the mountains in the warm and clear early evening. Lea entertained them happily for the first hour, telling stories in baby language on her car seat; then she nodded off, tightly clutching the pink kitten in her small hand, her long eyelashes shadowing her cheeks and her rosebud mouth forming the familiar slight pout. Stefani watched the adorable little girl for a long moment, feeling such deep love in her heart that it was almost scary; Lea looked so much like her father, especially when she was asleep, a perfect miniature version of the man on the driver's seat.

She had sat down with Irina for a good, thorough talk before their departure, the model about to head back to New York too; they had settled things, reached mutual reassurance, reached the level where they were in full agreement that Lea's happiness and wellbeing came first, always, and the little girl's life had more than enough space for the both of them, space that they could share very comfortably. No matter how determined she was to never come between Lea and her mother in any way, Stefani could understand the brunette's fears about losing her child far better now, as well as the concerns that had plagued Bradley ever since he and Irina had ended their relationship; like she had told him during their conversation on the night before, she always had understood, but now everything made even more sense, on a much deeper level. Three different tests taken a couple of hours ago had confirmed what her heart had been telling her without a doubt last night and all day today: she was now on her way to becoming a mother herself.

After Holly had returned from the city and secretly slipped her the little bag, she had enclosed herself into the bathroom, waiting for what had felt like an eternity for the tests to be ready; each one being positive had been in no way a shock to her, and she welcomed the result more than anything, but tears had still risen into her eyes, the floor beneath her feet feeling a little unsteady for a while. It was such a huge, life-changing moment, immense happiness coursing through her; then fears had hit her at full force, making her tremble, clutch the sink with white knuckles. This would be a true challenge for her body, a test on whether it was able to sustain and support a pregnancy, to grow this precious baby to full term and give her and Bradley a healthy little treasure at the end of the year. Her mother and Holly had guessed the result immediately from her face when they had peeked into the room, both hugging her very tightly and shedding some more very happy tears; she had sat with Cynthia for a long while, her mother keeping her securely on her arms, telling her she just needed to trust her body and the vast capabilities it had to do the job that came so naturally to it.

She had called her doctor in Los Angeles, despite the fact it was Sunday, blabbering apologies for the first five minutes before managing to get to the point; the older woman hadn't seemed to mind at all, had confirmed the tests really were strongly positive when Stefani had sent over a photo of them, feeling quite silly to be doing so but needing a medical opinion immediately. She had received profuse congratulations, and as usual, her doctor had been able to calm a lot of her worries and answer many of her questions, instructing her to eat well, rest a lot and avoid stress; Stefani knew that apart from taking good care of herself and praying for a favourable outcome, there wasn't really much else she could do. She was truly lucky to be in the best place imaginable for a healthy pregnancy, in such a stunning, calm and relaxing environment with clean air, amazing local food, incredible people and above all, the man she loved more than anything, the man who made her so happy.

Turning her gaze from the mountains, she stole a little look at Bradley from the corner of her eye, then another and a third, swallowing at the strength of the emotions that moved through her. He was focused on traffic, looking so damn gorgeous in jeans and a white shirt, his long fingers tapping against the steering wheel.