Summary: Elizabeth finds a special way to tell her husband he is going to be a father.
Elizabeth Richmond-Walker was standing at her bathroom sink, breath held, fingers drumming against the marble countertop as she eyed the small white stick laying face down there. Nervous energy and uncertainty coursed through her while she waited for the result it would produce.
After she and Drake had gotten married slightly over a year ago, she’d gradually stopped taking her birth control pills to acclimatise her body to its natural cycle and they’d switched to condoms. But as life happened and they found themselves with less and less time in their individual schedules, more often than not lately they’d been forgetting in their desperation to make the most of their time alone together. When her period had been more than 2 weeks late, she’d stopped speculating and finally talked herself into going to the store and buying a test. It had remained hidden deep in her bathroom cabinet for another few days until her day off where she found herself alone and pushed herself to get it over with.
As she waited she contemplated both possible outcomes, Elizabeth took a deep breath attempting to rationalise her thoughts. If it was negative, it would be alright. She could just throw the test away out of sight and Drake would never get to know.
Drake…
Elizabeth couldn’t help but notice how he was trying to be more involved with Bartie every time they went over to Savannah’s house, asking his sister all sorts of questions about potty training and feeding to all of their surprises. A few weeks he’d surprised her by bringing his nephew back to their home while his sister took the day off. Elizabeth’s heart had melted at the sight of him playing with the little boy, pretending to be a spaceship as he piggybacked him around their living room. She’d never seen him so happy, so joyful like this before and after catching him reading one of Savannah’s parenting books a few times, in her heart she knew he was ready for children of his own. They’d breached the subject on a few occasions before but they’d never really settled on a time frame or even made the conscious decision to start trying.
She wasn’t worried about being capable to care for a child; she’d been caring for her many cousins and friend’s kids since she was a child — being Indian there was never a shortage of kids to help out with. By the age of 15 she’d learn more about things like potty training and feeding than anyone else she knew. Her mother and grandmother had bestowed her with a wealth of organic cures and herbal remedies for almost every ailment in the book. So in terms of all that she was ready but emotionally… less so.
Her phone chimed, signalling the end of the waiting period and while she could not ignore the sense of impending doom — why was she so scared — Elizabeth steeled her nerves with a deep breath and turned the test over. Her eyes flew over the small window, taking a few seconds to comprehend the conclusion that she was… pregnant.
An odd sensation rippled through her as the words repeated themselves in her brain.
Pregnant.
She was pregnant.
Elizabeth slid down the wall until she was seated on the bathroom floor, the test in her hands. She didn’t how to feel about being… pregnant.
Her first thought should have been pure happiness – and it was there – but she couldn’t help but feel a little… wistful. She was painfully aware of the fact that her and Drake’s relationship had not been normal from the get go. Because of the whirlwind of the social season, engagement tour and Unity Tour they’d never really passed all the normal milestones that couples go through. From big things like progressing through the dating phase to other tiny details like his first car or what his favourite movie was growing up, it may have seem insignificant to others but for her it was a big deal. And now that they were married, she thought that finally, finally they could settle down and take things slow and just get to know each other like they hadn’t had a chance to previously. A baby was a big thing, having children totally changed the dynamic of every couple and so far they were only just beginning to find their rhythm…
She couldn’t ignore her happiness however and she clutched the little stick tighter. She’d always wanted to be a mum, and after watching her father and mother argue all her life, finding a man who would make a committed and nurturing father was a top priority in her life. Though Danvir Richmond was well out of the picture right now, his effect on her life had still remained.
But he wasn’t Drake, Elizabeth reminded herself.
The man she had married was almost nothing like the man she called her father and their marriage thus far had only cemented that thought in her mind. Not that he needed to but Drake proven himself over and over to her in more ways than she could ask for. He loved her with all his heart as she did him so maybe this was possible…
They would be alright.
Elizabeth sighed, feeling some of the tension leave her body. Her doubts were by no means gone but they seemed to have receded a little and in their place happiness blossomed. She was going to be a mum. Her and Drake were going to be parents. The longer she thought about it, better it started to sound in her head. The bathroom door was nudged open and Cooper her corgi came waddling up, nosing the stick in her hands in curiosity before looking at her with his head cocked to the side.
‘I’m pregnant Cooper,’ She whispered, the words almost taking her breath away.
Now that she’d finally voiced them out loud, the concept of it suddenly seemed so much more real, much more profound and she cuddled the corgi towards her. He gave a little whine of confusion and she chuckled, snuggling him closer, explaining, ‘You’re going to have a little brother or sister soon.’
Cooper’s tail began to wag ferociously and his whole body followed, as it usually did when he was excited. Elizabeth swore dogs could understand real human feelings as he dragged his long pink tongue over her face, making her chuckle.
‘Now we just have to find a way to tell Drake..’
She had no doubt in her mind that he’d be overjoyed regardless of how he found out but she wanted to make the announcement in a way that was unique their relationship – a little bit of teasing to keep him on his toes. She jumped up, mind racing as the beginnings of an idea began to form in her head.
‘Come on Coop,’ she called to the corgi. ‘We’ve got some shopping to do.’
–
After a quick trip to the shops and some creative photoshopping, she was ready and at 6pm the front door to their manor opened to reveal Drake arriving home after work.
‘Walker? Liz?’ He called out, keys clinking as he put them away.
Elizabeth could barely contain her excitement – her new last name never failed to thrill her when he used it – but forced herself to remain composed before she rounded the corner leading to the foyer to find her husband kicking off his shoes.
‘Hey marshmallow, how was work?’
‘Terrible because I missed you,’ he told her, cupping her face to bring her into a deep kiss.
‘Did you really?’ She teased, kissing him back and hoping he wouldn’t be able to detect a change in her usual demeanour.
‘I always miss you,’ he answered, his voice revealing just how worn out he was. ‘Today was particularly tough though.’
‘Would a drink help?’ She pulled back, looking at him in askance.
’That would be perfect,’ he admitted as she pulled him into their lounge room, settling him on the sofa before bringing out a familiar bottle and two tumblers with ice.
He smiled appreciatively, recognising his favourite bottle of amber liquid. ‘Did I ever tell you how much I love you?’
Elizabeth scoffed a little as she poured out the beverage ‘I could stand to hear it again,’ she quipped, handing him the glass before taking a seat on the other end of the couch.
‘You’re just trying to get me to say it again aren’t you?’ Drake smirked.
She shrugged in reponse.‘Wouldn’t hurt.’
His dark eyes softened as he halted in his action of raising the glass to his lips. ‘I love you Elizabeth.’
Even though she’d head the words thousands of times before they never failed to make her stomach flutter a little in the best way. ‘I love you too and I like doing nice things for you,’ she replied, gesturing to the glass several inches from his mouth.
Instead of him taking a sip like she’d expected, Drake astonished her by setting down the glass on the coffee table, making her frown at his uncharacteristic action. When her gaze flickered back to his, she found a deep hunger in his dark eyes.
Oh fuck…
Loosening his tie, Drake smoothly slid over to her end of the couch, his hand immediately finding her upper thigh as he lowered his head to whisper deeply in her ear. ‘Maybe I should return the favour.. My turn to do something nice for you now and show my beautiful wife how much I appreciate her.’
His husky voice sent electricity sparking through her body and before she could react, his warm lips were on hers, enveloping her in a kiss so passionate she couldn’t stop herself from moaning in pleasure against him. His hands slid across her body, fingers tangling themselves into her hair, pulling sharply to expose her neck. As he lavished a collection of hot wet kisses across her skin, Elizabeth was suddenly reminded of her earlier mission.
‘Don’t you want that drink?’ She choked out, brain clouded with the haze of pleasure he was giving her.
Drake barely stopped in his ministrations, teeth scraping deliciously against her skin as he growled his answer. ‘The drink can wait, I can’t.’
His touch left trails of fire on her body as he began to lower them into a more comfortable position, grinding himself against her. Feeling the heat build up in her core, Elizabeth was loathe to stop her husband but her eyes fell on the bottle.
‘But I thought it was your favourite.’ She tried again, hoping to distract him just temporarily.
‘Wrong again Walker,’ Drake drawled from where he was nibbling her collarbone, slipping his hands under the hem of her t-shirt to massage her through the thin bralette she was wearing underneath. His eyes met hers again in a heated gaze. ‘You’re my favourite.’
Biting back a moan, she struggled to ignore the sensation of his hands slipping under her clothing to tweak at her nipples — by no means was he making the task easy — and wound her hand into his soft hair, pulling him up to face her.
‘I really think you should try some Drake. I wouldn’t want it to go to waste.’ That made him stop.
Brows furrowed, he brought his eyes up to hers, peering at her intensely.’What’s wrong Walker? You’re acting kinda suspicious.’
‘Nothing Drake I swear,’ she attempted to backpedal, searching for a believable excuse. ‘I just want you to have your drink is all. And when you’re done we can make all the mischief you want, I promise.’
Her husband let out a huff, shifting into a sitting position as he eyes her. ‘I’m holding you to that,’ he told her seriously picking up the glass again and took a deep appreciative sip.
Elizabeth watched in glee as his face screwed up in disgust at the taste.
‘What the fuck?!’ He spat, almost spraying her with the mouthful. ‘Elizabeth is this fucking apple juice,’ he demanded angrily. ‘You should know never to mess with a man’s whiskey!’
‘I didn’t mess with any whiskey,’ she retorted. ‘You’re the one that shouldn’t jump to conclusions without making sure you have all the facts.
Drake set the offending glass down and glared at her. ‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’
Sitting up, Elizabeth rolled her eyes, keeping up the pretence of being annoyed as she jerked her head towards the bottle.’Maybe you should take a look at what you’re drinking before you drink it.’
He cast a dirty look her way before grabbing the bottle, grumbling under his breath while his eyes scanned the label while she waited anxiously. Drake suddenly froze, body rigid, the only things moving were his irises as they darted over the bottle again to make sure he’d read it right before he brought his gaze up to hers.
‘Is it… Are you…’ His voice was impossibly soft, in disbelief, not fully allowing himself to believe it just yet.
Elizabeth immediately nodded, her own eyes filling with tears of happiness. I’m pregnant Drake. We’re going to be parents.’
Drake stared at her, shock still for a long moment — just long enough for Elizabeth to wonder if her little prank had gone too far — before suddenly lunging towards her, big hands on her waist as he picked her up, spinning her around their lounge room.
‘You’re pregnant!’ He exclaimed, joy radiating from every pore and she couldn’t help laughing along with him. ‘I’m going to be a dad!’
He set her down and immediately pulled her into a joyful kiss, clutching her towards him as he enthusiastically roamed her lips. Just as she was starting to kiss him back, he pulled away, running a hand through his dark hair as he began to pace.
‘That means you’ve been pregnant for a month and the baby will be here in eight more months and we still need to get everything. The crib, the pram, the baby clothes, nappies, formula, car seat. I need to start reading baby books, I have to know what to do…’ He rambled on before Elizabeth caught his hands, halting his pacing.
‘Drake we don’t have to get everything done now. Like you said, we have at least eight months to prepare. We should just enjoy it for ourselves,’ she told him, though the flatness of her tone at the end gave away from to the doubts she’d been feeling earlier. ‘We should enjoy ourselves,’ she repeated lamely and picking up on her uncertainty, Drake immediately drew her in, looking intently at her as he spoke.
‘ Walker… Liz… Do you not want this?’
Elizabeth hesitated. With her face trapped between his palms and his dark gaze boring into hers, she knew she couldn’t could never lie to him. The joy in his eyes moments ago had been replaced with a profound concern and if she looked closer, there was… fear. Fear that she didn’t want this. The sparkle of joy that had lit up his entire being seemed to vanish right before her, the longer she looked at him and she forced herself to find her voice again.
‘I do… I do want this,’ Elizabeth told him, trying and failing to sound convincing.
‘But…?’
She sighed, unable to hide it from him any longer. ‘I just wanted to have more time as the two of us you know? This entire time, our entire relationship has been full speed ahead from the moment we met, I just wanted to take it slow for a bit and have time to learn about each other before another big change happened.’
‘Oh.’
That one word broke her heart and his shoulders sagged, revealing just how badly he’d wanted this.
Elizabeth rushed to finish what she was saying, grabbing his hands from where they’d fallen to his sides. ‘It might have been a little sooner than I expected but seeing you so happy only affirmed how right this is for us.’
Drake eyed her hesitantly, his voice deep and sombre. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes I’m sure,’ she nodded, trying desperately to bring back the look of joy from just moments ago.
‘Liz…’ he sighed, looking deeply into her eyes. You can tell me if you’re not. And we can…’ — he sighed again, this time the devastation in there hit her hard — ‘We can wait for as long as you need.’
Elizabeth let out a small gasp, stunned at his words. This man loved her so much he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness and joy just so she could be comfortable. Marrying her had meant taking on the title of Duke, a title he still struggled with but he’d done it. He’d already given up so much to be with her, all his old habits, the wedding he’d wanted, the chance at a normal life, free of prying eyes and harsh critics of the public eye. When she put it all into perspective, her wishes seemed rather selfish.
‘Drake I am sure about this,’ she told him firmly, her turn to grasp his face now. ‘Its a bit unexpected I’ll admit but if you’re willing to put up with the late night cravings, swollen ankles, midnight feedings and everything else, how can I not give the man I love what he’s always wanted?’
As soon as the words left her mouth, the tension in his body released and a deep relief settled onto his handsome face where it were held between her hands.
‘Oh Elizabeth you don’t know how long I’ve wanted this..’ he admitted with a sigh, turning his head to kiss her palm and her heart soared at his words. He was going to be an amazing father.
‘I love you,’ she told him, closing the gap between them, feeling the intense relief in the kiss and as it deepened she rediscovered the joy there too.
‘I love you too,’ Drake whispered back breathlessly against her lips as he pulled away to rest his forehead on hers. They stayed like that for a long moment, just basking in their joy and each other presence before he pulled away to look at her, his gaze reigniting the fire in her belly.
‘I believe I was in the middle of showing you just how much earlier.’
Elizabeth returned his smirk as her hunger for her husband returned with renewed intensity. ‘Oh I think I’ll require a very thorough demonstration before I’m satisfied.’
He grinned back at her devilishly, making her knees grow weak as he swept her up into his arms with a flourish before addressing her flat stomach.
‘You better hang on to something in there, little one. Mummy and Daddy have a lot of loving to do.’