Love and Conflict (Mpreg)✔️

Chapter 18

Liam woke just as dusk was falling outside and he blinked around in groggy confusion for several seconds before he noticed the note beside him, written in Zayn's loopy, graceful handwriting.

Liam, there's somewhere I have to be. I'm so sorry I had to leave while you were asleep. I will hopefully be back well in time for dinner.

I love you very much, precious.

Zayn xxx.

Liam squinted at the note with one eye, reading it more than a few times before his sleepy brain registered it. He sighed and stretched, sitting up slowly, shivering lightly as he pushed the thick covers off himself. He got to his feet, steadying himself carefully and then waddled slowly to the windows, his huge belly protruding in front of him.

Smoothing both hands over it, Liam blinked at the dazzling white scene outside that greeted him. Snow carpeted the ground in a beautiful, spotless blanket, and crowned the tops of the trees. The forest around the mansion lay quiet and still, the ones closest to the house draped in gold and red tinsel. Fairy lights twinkled from around the arches and statues, also draped over each fountain.

Inside the house, every pillar, every banister was decked in Christmas lights and colours, each floor boasting two heavily decorated, beautifully ornate trees. Mistletoe hung at frequent intervals (just another excuse for Zayn to kiss Liam all over the house) and the smell of cinnamon and oranges seemed to permeate the very walls of the house. Christmas was more than a week away but the air was warm, festive and cheerful.

Liam himself was bigger and a lot slower in his movements now, being due just in time for New Year's, Niall had estimated. He still felt great most of the time, except he was a lot more tired now. Most nights, his sleep was deep but broken because the baby seemed most up and about then, kicking and flailing inside him. And so Liam inevitably fell asleep for long periods during the day. He tended to experience sudden bouts of restlessness in between though, and Zayn had quickly learned to whisk him away out of the house at such times.

The forewarned increase in his sex drive was still rampant however, and Zayn and he enjoyed it to the very fullest. Zayn's initial worry and hesitance had faded away almost entirely, and now, watching Liam ride and bounce on his cock, swollen belly smooth and round between them, seemed to drive him utterly wild. Though wild, rough sex wasn't quite possible now, they indulged in endless sessions of unbelievably intense lovemaking that left them both boneless and blissfully sated.

Now, Liam padded softly out of their rooms and made his way downstairs, requesting a light meal to be served along with some tea. He sat in the library on the third floor, curling up on the sofa before the fire, and found himself flipping through his and Zayn's wedding photographs.

Half an hour and some sandwiches and cake later, Liam was sipping on his second cup of tea and still smiling through the pictures when the library doors creaked open. Heart leaping at the expected sight of Zayn, Liam turned around to spot Louis shuffling inside.

"Louis!" he smiled, glad to see him even if slightly disappointed that Zayn wasn't yet back.

"Liam, oh my, you startled me!" Louis laughed, clutching his chest for a second before walking towards him. "I thought you were still asleep."

"I got hungry," Liam sighed. "That's all I do nowadays anyway – eat and sleep," he scowled, and Louis laughed as he sat down next to him.

"Enjoy it, darling," he said softly, patting him thigh. "Once the little one is out, you're not going to have a moment's rest."

"I suppose," Liam shrugged and grinned at him, obligingly throwing the quilt that he was bundled under over his legs too.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, folding his legs under himself. "I hope you don't mind? I was to meet Harry here after work but then he had to accompany Zayn and so asked me to wait here until they get back."