Hope

For the next two months, Killian had lowered his guard, so much so that we survived living with each other splendidly.

I started my new job, grateful to be getting out of the house and even more grateful to be back on my feet. Thankfully, things went well with my internship and I got to meet jay in person which was like a major accomplishment for me.

Killian, being the paranoid man he was, checked in on me at every chance he got, making sure I was okay and then sending me lunch because he didn't trust the cafe food. He even made me send selfies of me eating because he didn't trust that I did.

He'd given me a personal car from the fleet in his customized garage but with my closed-in work schedule, I didn't have the time to get a driver's license so he dropped me off at work every morning and picked me up every evening by six sharp.

He still didn't reveal much about himself but he was a good listener. One time, I'd made an offhand comment about not fitting into my old clothes anymore and he'd surprised me by taking me shopping the next day and filling my wardrobe with so many exotic clothes, enough to start up my own mall.

Living with him became much easier after that. Every Saturday, we visited grampa Edward and then face-timed Mary because she was so adamant about the progress of my child and sent me so much baby clothing even though we didn't know the sex of the child yet.

Today, Friday, I was laying with my twenty-week-old pregnant belly on the exam table, anxiety eating me alive as the ultrasound tech inspected my stomach because last night, I had barely gotten any sleep due to the pains I felt.

"How's the pain like?" She asked me.

"It feels a bit like a sharp stabbing."

"In your lower abdomen?"

"Yes."

She smiled. "That is because your child is moving."

My eyes grew wider and I turned to steal a glance at Killian who sat beside me, having skipped work just so we could be here. "It's moving?"

She nodded. "Yes, many women experience some pain or discomfort when their baby moves. This is because its growing muscles are becoming stronger, making its movements more powerful and straining, and although continual wriggles and kicks can be distressing, they aren't usually a sign that something's wrong. In fact, your baby's movements may actually be a sign that it's doing well. Rest assured that all these sensations are perfectly normal. Luckily, this stage won't last long."

I felt relieved. "Is there anything I can do to curb the pain though?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "Lying on your side may help to relieve the pressure. Alternatively, try kneeling on all fours several times throughout the day for a few minutes at a time. This may encourage your baby to move freely with ease."

Killian passed me a look and I sent him a nasty glare. There was no way I was kneeling on all fours when he was anywhere near the house because this man took any opportunity he got to stick his dick in me.

"Also," she continued, earning back my attention. "Try to remember that every pregnancy is different. Most mums don't even feel discomfort as much as you do. Just get to know your baby's own unique pattern of movements to learn what's normal for you."

She closed her clipboard and lifted her glasses to push her bangs up.

"If you have any concerns about your baby's movements, you can always discuss them with your midwife. Either bring it up at your next antenatal appointment or just give her a call if you're really concerned. She should be able to reassure you that everything's normal."

"Thank you very much." I thanked her, feeling a bit relieved that everything was fine because the more I neared my due date, the more I freaked the fuck out.

"You're most welcome." She smiled. "I'll just go ahead and check the heartbeat." She reached into a drawer and grabbed a doppler before squirting some gel on my belly and moving the microphone around for the heartbeat.

In less than a minute, the baby's heart rate pumped through the doppler, and my insides fluttered as it did every time I heard that addicting sound. It was amazing how madly in love you could be with someone even before you met them. Killian seemed to share the same sentiment because he stared at the screen like he was hypnotized.

"Heart rate is good. Everything looks great and baby measurement seems to be right on track. Do you want to know the sex?"

My head snapped back to the tech. This wasn't something I had discussed with Killian before. I turned to him. He gave me a simple shrug.

I turned back to her. "We're keeping it a surprise."

"Okay," she smiled knowingly. "I'll print the photos." She wiped away the ultrasound gel and gently pulled down my gown and I just sighed, staring at my visible bump as she worked on her computer.

I read in one of the many pregnancy books Killian brought home every now and then that it took a while for a belly to pop with a first pregnancy but that wasn't true for me. In a span of five months, I went from having an orange size bump to a watermelon with a slight shade of brown vertical pregnancy line running down my belly.

"I'd like to talk about my weight," I spoke, clearing my throat as she turned to me. "I've been adding a lot lately and I don't feel comfortable with the fact that I feel humongous. Is it normal?"

Killian gruffed and mumbled underneath his breath. "Maybe if you didn't eat so much junk food in the middle of the night you wouldn't feel humongous."

The tech chuckled when I shot him a nasty look. "I'll have you know that I find that a little offensive."

He leveled me a flat look. "And I find it offensive that I have to fill my fridge every single night because you eat like a glutton."

"It's tit for tat since all you do is stick your dick into me the whole time." I snapped back, and I wanted to suck the words back the moment they left my lips.

Shit. Stupid mouth.

Killian sent me a murderous glare that told me I was in trouble.

My cheeks flamed. "I'm sorry...Stupid mouth of mine."

The tech laughed, no doubt trying to clear the awkward air between us. "It's totally fine. You both are married and healthy after all." She turned her attention to me. "And you are growing a human inside you. Some changes to the external body are expected and it's totally normal to gain weight especially when you're heading to your second trimester. You'll be fine Hope." She assured me with a rub of my shoulders. "You just need to wait it out."

I managed a smile. "Thank you once again."

"You're welcome." She handed me the photos and stood to shake both our hands. When she left the room, I helped myself down from the exam table.

"I stick my dick into you all the time, huh?" Killian finally spoke, getting up from his seat.

I sighed before turning to stare at him. "It was a slip of tongue. I didn't know what I was thinking when I said that."

"Didn't seem like it."

I scoffed at that reply. "What are you honestly going to do? Punish me?"

He stared at me for the longest. "Maybe I would've If your stomach wasn't looking like it could explode in my face any minute from now."

I couldn't help the bubble of laughter that rose to my lips. "You're the worse."

His lips tilted. "That's not what you were saying last night," he reminded, urging my stomach to jump giddily at the memory of it. "It was more like oh yes, like that, don't stop, yes right there, oh, you're so deep—"

I clamped my hand over his mouth. Jesus Christ. "Killian, are you insane?"

"Maybe." The hand on his mouth muffled his words. He pulled it away and tugged me close, close enough that I could smell the heady scent of his aftershave. "Maybe I am."

"You're such an overgrown baby." I scolded, feeling a smile tug on my own lips.

"Well, this overgrown baby wants his woman." He countered, dropping a brief kiss on my lips and I smiled, convincing myself that one day I might actually be his woman, not because we were bound by the child we'd made together, but because... he loved me.