Chapter Text
Late. He’d heard that one before. Seven times, actually. Each time ended with a positive pregnancy test. Which meant…Oliver took a deep breath to steady himself and squatted down so he could look into his wife’s eyes. He felt a smile twitch on his lips. “Your period is late?”
“Yeah. I didn’t even think of it because the goat ate the calendar a month ago and I wasn’t paying attention, but I’ve been really tired in the mornings, and I threw up a few minutes ago and it makes total sense, especially considering that a couple weeks ago―”
“I know.” He took her hands and squeezed. “Why were you in such a panic?”
“Because I’ve never done this before. You have, but this is my first time, and there is quite possibly a human growing inside of me, and what if I haven’t been eating enough for both of us? What if there’s two in there? Oliver, I might’ve already killed the baby!”
“Hey, hey.” He caught a tear on his finger and then placed his hands on her cheeks. “Felicity, this is normal. Nobody knows from day one whether they’re pregnant, and your body is designed for that. If there’s a baby in there, it’s just fine. I promise.” He smiled. “I’ll go get a couple pregnancy tests from the store. I’m sure they―”
“No!”
“What do you mean ‘no’?”
“Because if you buy a pregnancy test, everyone will know and oh my God that would be terrible. There’s like ten people in this town! They’ll all know that we had too much fun one night and made a baby!”
Yes, she was pregnant. At least the rise in emotions and overreacting said so. Oliver chuckled. “Felicity. How do you think babies are made? Everyone knows how that works.”
“Still.” Her lip quivered.
“Okay.” He looked up at the ceiling to buy himself some time to think. “How about I go to Martha’s house and see if she has any?”
“They’re on vacation. Plus, she’s almost eighty. Unless we’re back in Bible times, she hasn’t had a period in thirty years.”
“This is an emergency, and plus, people have stuff like that around the house.” He helped her to a standing position. “I want you to go inside and lay down. Try not to panic and drink some water.” He kissed her forehead and moved to go outside for the car, but stopped when Felicity called his name. “Yeah?”
“This is really sucky timing. Just when we decided that―”
“It’s a baby, Felicity.” He blinked back tears as his brain flashed back to memories of holding his children for the first time. “I couldn’t care less if it happened now.” He left her in the barn and ran to the car. Their only neighbors in a twenty-mile radius were an elderly couple with a TV, which meant they knew who the Queens were. The couple had ten kids, and they were all married now. There had to be a pregnancy test laying around the house, right?
He grinned. His prayer had been answered. In several months, baby number seven would come into this world. And his first baby with Felicity. She looked so terrified a few moments ago. Like everything was falling apart around them. In truth, it kind of was, but he could accept this kind of falling apart. They were expecting a baby.
Oliver used the spare key he’d been given to get into the house. He headed up to the bathroom and scrounged around in the cupboard but found none. Which meant he would have to go rob the general store because Felicity didn’t want anyone to find out.
Which he didn’t want to do. Oliver let out a sigh and squatted down to search through the bottom drawer of weird things that old people stored in there. Finally, at the bottom, he found a box with one pregnancy test. He pocketed it and drove back to the house at top speed. The smile didn’t fall off his face. How could it? Every few seconds, he could see their baby, swaddled in likely pink blankets, being loved by her brothers and sisters. After all this time, Annie would get her wish.
He parked and ran up to their bedroom. His wife lay on the bed with her eyes closed. “Hey, sweetie.”
Her hand flew out towards the end stand as she sat up. “Oh! Wow, you were fast. Did you find one?”
“I did, actually.” He waved the test in the air. “You can use it whenever you’d like.”
“’Kay.” She slid off the bed and took the stick from his hand. “Do you have any tips?”
“Not from the zero times I’ve ever used one of those.”
She sent him a glare as she walked to the bathroom. “You know what I mean.”
“Just get as much pee on the stick as you can. That’s the only tip I’ve got.” He followed her into the bathroom and leaned against the counter. Before anything happened, he raised his hand. “Hey, hold on a second.” She looked up at him in exasperation.
“Oliver, I’m literally sitting on the toilet ready to pee on a stick.”
“I know, but just wait.” He squatted down next to her and looked up, a smile on his face. Her lip quivered but she returned the smile. “Whatever happens, whether this test is negative or positive, it won’t change how I feel about you. Nothing ever will, I promise. And we’ll deal with anything that comes against us. Because I have you, and you have me.”
She nodded. “One question.”
“Hmm?”
“Can you clarify how you feel about me?”
He stood up halfway and claimed her lips. When he pulled away, he winked. “There’s the only answer you will ever need.”
“Great, now get out of here so I can concentrate.” She pointed to the door. “Go do dishes or something.”
He chuckled, but said, “Okay,” and went downstairs. They did seem to have an infinite number of dishes to wash. Usually the three older girls split the work, with the boys throwing in their handy work every now and then. But today was Saturday. The day that they’d agreed that their parents would take care of all the food and the dishes that came after that.
He set a pot of water on the stove and started rinsing the dishes with cold water. In a few minutes, he could use the heated water to fully clean everything. He looked out the window and watched Piper and Annie groom their horses. Harper came out of the barn with two saddle blankets and helped the little girls get them on. William sprayed the girls with a hose.
Life had changed so much. All for the better. Sometimes he needed a moment like this to be in awe of how far they’d come. How far he’d come. Sure, the nightmares came. There were bad days when all he could think about was the verdict. Sometimes, he would hear a noise and everything would freeze into a spasm of panic. But each day he took a step forward. Some days were tiny shuffles and others were giant leaps, but each movement counted.
He could still picture the day it changed. Felicity’s words still echoed through his head sometimes. Life is precious. Those three words got him through the rough days and nights.
And the other three little words that they whispered to each other every night.
“Oliver?”
He spun around and took three long strides to his wife, who trembled against his touch. “Honey, what’s wrong?” He glanced down at the test. One line. His stomach dropped, and a little, “Oh,” slipped out. He turned his head to check on where the kids would be in five minutes, and then pulled her into a hug. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.”
“I’m not pregnant.” She cried against his chest. “I was so positive, Oliver. I thought we were gonna have a baby. Thought I was gonna be able to―”
“It’s okay, Felicity.” He held her tightly against him to allow himself a moment to be mourn, but his sadness didn’t need to be dealt with right now. It was his wife sobbing against him that caused his heart to crack in half. Oliver pried the test from her fingers and set it on the counter. “C’mon, honey.” He walked them to one of the bedrooms and sank down onto the bed. “Remember what I said a few minutes ago? It doesn’t matter.”
“No, it does.” She didn’t move from his arms, but the strength that he always felt from her was gone. “We both want a baby, and so far we’ve been unsuccessful. Maybe I can’t have kids. You obviously can, so why haven’t we been able to have a baby?”
“Sometimes it happens. There’s a lot of factors, and something just might not be right yet. There’s a plan, honey.” He let his fingers trickle down her back as he let his thoughts wander. Felicity’s crying quieted, but she kept her face against his chest. He wished there was something else he could tell her. Encouragement. But what could he do? Or say?
“Something’s not right with me.”
He shook his head and looked out at the kitchen where the test sat. An idea slowly took form. This didn’t seem right. If he counted back, he could get a conception date. Felicity had been throwing up the past few mornings, but felt fine in the afternoons. And she’d missed her period. Stupid goat. “I think we need to try again.”
“That’s a great idea, but so far it hasn’t worked, so…you are talking about that, correct?”
“We have no idea how old that test is.” He left her on the bed and grabbed the stick. “It could literally be thirty years old for all we know. That can sometimes affect a reading.” She just stared at him blankly. “Felicity, there’s a ninety-nine percent chance you’re pregnant.” Her eyes brightened a bit. “I’ve done this before, and I know signs better than most people. And I can’t find any reason why you aren’t. Which means I’m going to get a real test.”
“But people are gonna find out.”
“So what?”
“What if the Bratva goes through security footage and sees what you bought? What if they see that you bought a pregnancy test and then they’ll know.”
Even with her overreact-ness, she brought up a good point. It would take him thirty seconds to get in and out with a box of tests. Oliver sighed and shrugged. “Fine. You win. Drink some water, and try to stay calm. I’ll be back in forty-five minutes.” He didn’t leave until she smiled up at him. They would be okay either way, but he couldn’t just sit here and wonder what went wrong. She was pregnant.
He knew it.
******
It honestly freaked her out a lot. How her husband so nonchalantly waltzed into the back of a store and grabbed a box of pregnancy tests. At least he left five dollars for it. That wasn’t stealing then, correct? Felicity watched him do it on her tablet, but as soon as he exited the store, she set it on the nightstand and fell back into bed. Her stomach constricted and threatened to empty again. This time, she fought it. A few more minutes laying here and her heart would return to normal. Maybe.
Regardless of the outcome of today, her heart would always be different. If the next test came back negative again, it would give her clear evidence that something was wrong with her. Maybe she couldn’t have a baby. But if it came back positive, it would mean that in eight months or so, she would hold her first child in her arms. A baby she made with her husband.
Oliver.
The best thing that had ever happened to her.
Half an hour later, he appeared in the doorway, holding a box. And smiling. “Got you a present.”
“A box of tests?”
“That too. But there’s ice cream down in the freezer.”
“Let’s not even call it a freezer.”
“It keeps things cold. For the most part. Would you like to try?”
“I have to pee, so yes.” She took the box from him and started to the bathroom. Before entering, she looked back and beckoned for him. “I don’t want to do this alone, and since I know I don’t have to, can you come in here with me?”
A minutes later, she set the stick upside down on the counter and sat down on the chair. Oliver leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. He looked so calm. The exact opposite of her. And she needed to kill a few minutes before the results came. “How did you and Annie find out that you were expecting Ellie?”
“Me and Annie?” He let out a laugh. “We went through an entire box of tests over the course of two days before we decided that they were all correct and we were gonna be parents. That was a day I was almost thankful my parents were gone. Because that news might have killed them.”
“Just imagine telling my mother.” Felicity’s eyes widened at just the thought. “That would be the pinnacle moment of her life, I’m sure.” If she was still alive. But that couldn’t be on her mind right now. “How many minutes has it been?”
“One.”
“One?”
An eyebrow raised. “Felicity, how many times did you look at the test the last time?”
“Ten.”
“I won’t judge if you look now.”
“If you judge me for this, I can only imagine what else I’ve been judged for.” She flashed him a smile as she lifted the test. “Obviously, there’s nothing. But I feel better looking. And how on earth have you done this so many times and not had a heart attack?”
“Sometimes…” Oliver shrugged, but then he chuckled. “Sometimes you just know. Childbirth is a whole different story, but this…this I can do.”
“I can’t do this. What if I am pregnant? Oliver, I can’t…” she tried to take a deep breath, but her breathing hitched. “I can’t breathe.” She pressed a hand against her chest as her breath double-timed. Her other hand reached towards her husband, who got to her side in Flash speed. “Oliver…help. Help me.”
He pulled her down to the floor and weaved his fingers through her hair, something he did almost every night. Most of the times she could barely remember him doing it; she was about asleep, or just on the verge of waking up from a nightmare. But with that touch she knew Oliver was next to her, and nothing seemed as scary anymore. How could it? Now, with his body pressed to hers, and his hands against her face with his fingers intertwined through her hair, she took a deep breath that resulted in a cough. Her hyperventilating slowed down.
Oliver loosened his grip on her, and while she kept her head against his chest, she could hear and feel him rummaging around on the counter. He could look first. She didn’t want to know. Either answer would bring panic. It would rip at her, causing her to fall into a darkness she’d never known before. There would be happiness, but what about all the things that they had to do? That she would have to do?
“Hey, Felicity,” Oliver’s whiskers tickled her ear. “Open your eyes.”
Part of her wanted to drag this out and avoid the truth, but the other part of her hated mysteries. Felicity did as she was asked and stared at the test. Two lines. Which meant…“Oh my God.” She opened her mouth to say something, but a cry slipped out instead. “Oh my God! We’re…” she couldn’t say anything else.
“We’re gonna have a baby.” Oliver choked, and then coughed. Felicity looked up at him. He was crying. Nothing could suppress her tears. There wasn’t any panic. She’d always imagined how she would feel at this moment. Ever since she was a little girl and put together the truth about babies. Five seconds ago, she knew panic would be the reigning champion, but it wasn’t.
Peace swarmed her, buzzing its promise of hope and a future. Happiness rushed at her, enveloping her in its arms. Oliver’s arms.
A baby had started growing inside her.
A baby who would be loved by so many people.
Oliver stood up and brought her with him. She still clutched the test, but it wasn’t what she looked at. She couldn’t stop staring up at her husband’s face. His smile. No one could take this away from them. She dropped her head on his chest and whispered, “We’re having a baby. Like an actual baby.”
“Yup, an actual baby.”
“I can’t believe it. I have a human being inside me. Which is slightly alarming. What if―”
“You can’t worry about that. Not right now. As I said before, it’s a natural thing, and your body knows how to do things.”
She let go of his hands to splay her fingers against her stomach. “There’s a baby in there.”
His eyes went soft as they filled with tears. “Yeah, there is.” The whisper made her cry again, and she scrubbed her face. “We’re gonna have to pull ourselves together or the kids are going to put something together right away. Or maybe we do want them to know?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we shouldn’t. Give ourselves a little bit to get a game plan and then we can tell them.”
“To game plan?”
“We were about to go after the Bratva.”
“I’m about four weeks. At most, and this will be my first baby, which means that I won’t be showing for quite a while. We can go after the Bratva, but we’ll have to get it over quickly.” She pursed her lips when he frowned. “Oh, no. Are you one of those kind of husbands? Who is over protective and bothersome?”
He copied her facial expression, which made her giggle, despite the underlying feeling of worry about the behavior he would be showing in the next several months. “No.”
“If I ask Ellie, will she give me an entirely different answer?”
“Thankfully she won’t remember anything.”
Felicity looked down at the test again. Two pink lines never looked so pretty. So perfect. Just like their baby. She let out a huff of laughter. “Our baby. Can you believe it?”
“Uh huh.”
“Yeah, right.”
“No, I can. Because there’s an age old saying that says that if a couple loves each other so much, it’s not surprising when there’s a baby.”
“That is not an age old saying.”
“I’m sure someone’s said it.”
“Uh, guys?” Harper knocked on the door. “Sorry to disturb you, but the cows got out again.”
“Oh, great. We’ll be out in a second!” Oliver drew Felicity next to his body and kissed her. She looped her arms around his back and smiled. She pulled away first and raised the test in the air. He chuckled and kissed her one more time. “We don’t want them to get any ideas, so put that thing away. I gotta go get the stupid cows.”
She put the test in the cabinet and opened the door. “We were talking, so sorry if we missed anything. How’d the cows get out?”
“When Annie and Piper went out riding they left the gates open.”
“Oh, come on.” Oliver pulled on his muddy boots that he would be getting in trouble for having upstairs later. “How many times is that? I’ll be back in a bit.” He grabbed his jacket and stomped out of the room, but before he went downstairs, he turned and winked. Felicity smiled, but then sighed at the muddy trail he’d left. She went for the broom. Though he couldn’t milk a cow in under ten minutes to save his life, Oliver had adjusted well to the ‘it’s a farmhouse; why keep it clean?’ philosophy. She didn’t care what the downstairs looked like, but the bedrooms needed to be perfect.
More perfect because eventually there would be a baby up here with them.
She finished cleaning up the mud before taking a seat on their bed. Her imagination came to life, placing the stack of diapers on the dresser, and the baby pictures along with their one family photo that they’d taken from the mansion. Maybe Oliver would be okay with them printing out a few of their new child. He or she could sleep between them. That’s what parents did, right? Or did they have baby in a bassinet? Either way, their baby was sleeping between them. That way she and Oliver could always protect him. Or her.
It didn’t matter.
She was going to have a baby.
*******
“Y’know, usually when the cows get out, you are in a ridiculously growly mood.” William looked down from his perch on the horse and grinned. “Today you almost seem to enjoy it. Which is great for me. And the cows.”
He would enjoy anything right now. Just the mention of happiness brought a grin to his face. Oliver tried to hide it and glanced up at his son. “They’re not being so bad right now. Plus, this is one of the first time’s they haven’t escaped at the least convenient time. So yeah, I’m in a good mood.”
“You are literally smiling. What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“C’mon, Dad. Your lying capabilities have decreased a lot lately.”
“It’s not something I can tell you.” But boy did he want to. Oliver looked up at the sky to distract himself and followed the line of the storm clouds gathering. Great. Just what they needed. More rain. But it couldn’t take the smile off his face. “I’m not intending to change the subject, but we should make sure everything’s inside. Including the rest of the animals.”
“Which you want me to do.”
Oliver raised his eyebrows. “Is it something you find surprising?”
“You are too good.” William rolled his eyes. “But since I have the horse and you’re gonna have to walk the rest of the way, I’ll go get everything in. Have fun talking to the cows.” He tipped his cowboy hat and rode off towards pasture that housed the goats. Maybe it would be best if they died. Oliver whacked the rear-end of a cow that had stopped. “Let’s go, guys. I don’t have all day.”
He glanced back to watch William disappear over a hill. They would be thrilled to hear the news, but they couldn’t tell them yet. What if something happened? It would devastate the kids, and they’d all just reached a good point where there weren’t tears every few days about their lives.
This baby would make it, though. They’d had too many miracles for him or her to not.
By the time he got the cows into the barn, the wind had picked up. Annie and Piper came riding into the yard and led their horses to the water tank. Oliver took a deep breath and strode over. They looked up at him, smiling. They knew what they’d done. Only guilty little girls smiled like that. He crossed his arms. “Hey, what are the two rules that we decided on when you two go riding?”
“Be back before the sun gets over there!” Piper pointed to the line of sunset.
“Oh, and wear helmets.”
“That one is technically an unspoken rule. Which leads us to the matter of whether or not you are supposed to leave the gate open.”
Annie puckered her lips and looked down at the ground to mumble, “Sorry.”
“Yeah, sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s okay, but this is the fourth or fifth time it’s happened in a few months, and we’re all getting tired of bringing the cows back. There’s two of you, which means that there’s two of these.” He tapped their foreheads. “So if you want to continue going riding without restrictions, use those brains of yours. Or school will start early.”
“What?” Piper yelled so loud that her horse started. She crossed her arms. “You can’t do that.”
“Yes, I can.”
“But we’re not starting until September. You can’t make us start school early.”
“If that’s the best way to learn a lesson, then I can. I’m sure your mom would gladly spend some time doing math.”
Annie stuck out her lower lip. “Sometimes we forget. It happens.”
“I know, and I’m okay with it happening, but at some point those cows are going to disappear and I’ve bought enough animals.” Time to be done arguing this. Oliver turned towards the house and called behind him, “Get the horses cleaned up and then it’ll be time for dinner!” He ran up the steps and met Felicity on the porch. “How’re you doing?”
“Well, like morning sickness that they talk about in books, it only happens in the morning, because I feel fine. And take your boots off right here. Or you’re cleaning up the mud that you track all over.”
“Everyone else gets mud in―okay.”
“That’s the best way to respond.” She flashed him a sweet smile and entered the house. Oliver chuckled and shed his boots, along with his dirty jacket. When he stepped into the kitchen, he stopped at the doorway and watched. His girls moved about the room, setting the table and finishing up dinner. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Ellie spotted him and smiled.
“Cows are in?”
“Uh huh. William’s getting the goats.”
“We should just let them die.”
“True, but every now and then my newly restored humanity makes me feel bad, so they can live another night. What’s for dinner?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs. Probably made from the goat that Mama killed.”
Oliver glanced at his wife as he took a seat at the table. “Huh?”
Harper set the pan of meatballs on the table. “She yelled at him in two different languages, and then threw a spoon at his butt.”
“That happened while I was gone?” Didn’t Felicity say that she felt fine? Maybe not. Or maybe he should do his best to not annoy her for the next several months. “And since when do you know different languages?”
“I don’t. But I’ve learned enough from you talking in your sleep.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s nothing to be sorry about. Mostly because it’s entertaining.” Felicity winked at him as she sat down. “Where’re the little girls?”
“Here!” Piper burst into the house, followed by Annie. “Willie’s on his way. It’s looking really stormy out. And sorry, Daddy, about letting the cows out. We didn’t mean to, and we’re gonna do our best to not do it again.”
What he really wanted to know was how much of that apology came from the threat of starting school early. When William got in, ranting about the goats and their ‘Annie-like tendencies’, they started eating. Soon after, thunder boomed. The littlest Queen scooted closer to Oliver, but when she reached for his hand, he pulled her onto his lap. “Don’t worry, honey. It’s just a thunder storm.”
“I don’t want to go down to the basem*nt again.”
“If we have to go down tonight, we’ll be able to keep the lights on.” A pang of guilt hit him when Annie didn’t look convinced. They’d been down there a lot, and not often for storms. The middle of the night scares had traumatized all of them, especially his littlest. Who wouldn’t be his baby anymore. He smiled. Of all the kids, Annie would be the most excited about the news.
“Daddy, why are you staring off into the distance?”
“Well, it can’t be anything bad cuz he’s smiling. Leave him alone.” William whacked Piper’s arm, which sent her fork to her lap. “Oopsies.”
“Now I got spaghetti sauce all over my riding pants!”
“Sorry?”
Piper huffed and scooped a meatball and some sauce off her lap. Her eyes flitted from the plate to William. Oliver caught the movement first and let out a warning, “Don’t do it.” But she did anyways, and hurled the red stuff at William’s chest. Here we go.
“Mom just washed this shirt!”
“Yeah, well, my dress was just washed too.”
Clayton raised his hand. “Just so everyone knows, I folded everything.”
Thunder rocked the house.
Annie screamed.
Oliver sighed, and looked across the table at his wife, who pursed her lips. This happened sometimes. The longer they lived here without anyone around, the more aggressive the kids became. There wasn’t anything that they could do to stop it, but tonight did not have to be the night where he had to break up a fist-fight between Harper and anyone else. She would eventually get in on the arguing, and there went a relaxing evening. Oliver clapped his hands against the table, which shut everyone up. “Okay, guys. The fighting needs to not happen tonight. So that’s enough.”
“Sorry.” Piper reached across the table and shook William’s hand. “But let’s agree I would have won that fight.”
“Probably so, but―” he stopped when Oliver glared at him. “Yeah, you would’ve won.”
As thunder exploded in the distance again, Felicity stood up and went for her tablet. He bit back a snarky question about how often she used that without telling him as she checked the weather.
“I think we’d better head downstairs for a while. Just because.” She tucked her tablet underneath her arm. “But instead of what happened a few days ago, we can bring some games down and some treats. Leave the dishes.”
Ellie grabbed a few board games and led the kids into the basem*nt. Oliver reached for his weapon, but Felicity glared at him. “But―”
“No one is going to attack us.”
“The Bratva attack when people are weak, and there’s―”
“Oliver.” She pushed the bow back to its position on the wall and took his hand. “This is your wife saying that it’s okay to relax for a little bit. We should be celebrating right now, because we’re having a baby.” That word brought another smile to his face. “So let’s go downstairs and have a game night and not worry about anything, because there is truly nothing to worry about. Not right now.”
Clayton appeared in the doorway. “Are you guys gonna kiss all night or be spared from the tornado that is going to try to kill us all?” The last half of the sentence was almost yelled, for the benefit of Annie, who let out a howl of terror. Oliver sighed and let go of Felicity. “Buddy, you have got to stop scaring your sisters.”
“It’s hilarious.”
From the basem*nt, Annie screamed, “No, it’s not!”
“She’ll get you back for it, you know that, right?” Oliver tossed his son a teasing look. Clayton shrugged. “You’re gonna regret it at some point. She’s got a revengeful spirit.” He shut the bullet-proof, steel door and locked it. He wanted his bow down here, but if he wanted to keep his pregnant wife happy, he needed to listen to her wisdom. “Alright, guys. What game do you want to play?”
They decided on Monopoly, and they played that until the lights went out. Oliver pulled Annie onto his lap and cuddled her until she stopped crying. When she started hiccupping, he whispered near her ear, “I have a surprise for you.” She stilled against his chest, which caused him to chuckle. “But I can’t really tell you if you’re crying.” He didn’t intend to tell anyone about their news, but for now, the idea of a surprise could get Annie through the storm. She didn’t like the dark, and any moment when this happened, it made him want to snap everyone’s neck who ever stepped foot into the Bratva cooperation.
“I have an idea.” Felicity clapped her hands. “Let’s play the game of our favorite things.”
“Mine is my horse!” Piper yelled, but then muttered, “even if it gets me in trouble all the time.”
“Ha! Maybe it’s because her rider is ridiculous.” William laughed. “Mine is this family.”
Harper scoffed. “That is pathetic. Is there anything less sappy than that?”
“It’s true. I’m happy.”
“Well, can anyone top that?” Ellie whacked William’s arm. At least he assumed so, because his son shrieked. “I guess my favorite things are―”
“Oh, no, there’s a list.”
“When there’s a rainbow after it rains―”
“Oh, no.”
“When Daddy cooks, and when Mama doesn’t cook.”
Everyone laughed at that, even Annie. Felicity let out a scoff.
“That’s not fair. But true. Oliver’s next.”
“Uh…William kind of stole my line.”
Annie whacked his arm. “Then you gotta come up with something else!”
He chuckled and looked up at the ceiling. “Well…my favorite things are my wife, and you kids, and…” don’t say it. “I think my favorite thing is after dinner when we can all go out to the porch and talk about random things. Those will be some of my favorite memories. Beat that one, dear.”
“My favorite thing is what’s happening right now. Oooh, frack.”
Oliver closed his eyes and dropped his head back against the wall with a low moan. They weren’t getting out of this one.
“What’s happening right now?” Annie asked the first question. “You don’t mean the storm, right? Cuz that’s just wrong.”
“Well, the storm isn’t necessarily my favorite thing. I love storms, but they wouldn’t be on my top ten favorite things in life. Not even top thirty.”
“Then what’s happening right now?” The inquiry came from Ellie, which was followed by questions from Harper and William. Oliver set Annie on the ground and scooted the few feet to his wife. She grabbed his arm. “Oliver, I didn’t even think!” Her whispering would end up giving her away. “I can’t believe that I just completely―”
“Tell them.”
“What?”
“Daddy, I’m ready for you to hold me again!”
“Hold on a minute, Annie. Tell them, Felicity.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s a good time to tell them.”
“Okay.” She cleared her throat. “Your dad and I have something we’d like to talk to you about. And no, it’s not what you think it is.” When they all shouted variations of ‘what’, she laughed. “Sorry. We are, uh, going to have a baby.” And just like that, the lights went back on, illuminating everyone’s reactions.
Ellie burst into tears, but she didn’t get to them first. Annie did, making a nose dive over Oliver to her mom. She splayed her fingers on Felicity’s stomach and leaned in closer. “There’s a baby in there?”
With tears streaming down her face, Felicity nodded. “Yeah, there is.”
“So that means…” her eyes lit up. “That means I get to be a big sister!” She turned around to look at the other kids and squealed. “I get to be a big sister!”
Oliver caught Piper in his arms, but he focused on his oldest daughter, who hadn’t moved from her position against the wall, face on her knees. Her shoulders shook, but she was the only one who hadn’t come to give hugs. “Elizabeth, are you―”
She lifted her head and wiped her eyes. “I’m just so happy. I’ve…I’ve been praying for another little sibling for longer than anyone knows, and now I finally get one.”
Clayton squeezed in-between his parents and looked down at Felicity’s stomach. “I call dibs on him sleeping in my room.”
Harper scoffed. “Who says it’s gonna be a boy?”
“I don’t care.” Piper cuddled up against Felicity. “It’s a baby. I’d be happy with either.”
“Or twins!” William winced when Felicity groaned. “Unless that would be too much.”
Oliver chuckled and squeezed his wife’s hand. “I don’t think there’s a history of twins on either sides of our family, so I doubt it. But Piper’s right. It doesn’t really matter, and if we have twins, then we’ll deal with that when it comes.”
“But it’s probably going to be one.”
Eight kids…that would be scary. He’d have to buy a twelve-passenger van. If they ever made it back to the states. And Felicity was right…they couldn’t go after the Bratva now. It wasn’t safe, and who knows what kind of pregnancy she would have. They would postpone it, and in a couple years, take down the organization. They could survive another couple years here, right?
But what if Felicity wanted a water birth?
Or a hospital birth? The closest hospital was four hours away. By the time they got there, the baby could be born.
“Oliver, honey?” Felicity’s hand ran along his back. “For a happy moment, you look really stressed.”
“I’m not. Just thinking about things.” He leaned over Clayton to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m gonna go check out the storm. It’s probably close to being over.” She shot him a look that said they would talk about this later, but he stood up and headed upstairs. Lightning still sparkled in the distance, but even Annie could handle this. “All clear, guys!” Piper came up first, and joined him at the door.
“It’s really pretty out there.” Her arm looped around his waist and she leaned against him. “We’re really having a baby?”
He looked down at her, and returned the smile. “We are.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“I can’t really believe it either.”
Oliver slid underneath the covers and scooted closer to his wife. “Jeez, it’s getting cold at night.” When she rolled her eyes, he chuckled. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“I try not to, but…honey…” her fingers trailed down his bicep. “You are not the man who gets to complain about it being cold in the room. You slept on the barn floor for three weeks with one blanket. You’ll live.”
“But that was two years ago.”
“And?”
“Whatever.” He curled her body closer to his, aware of how her stomach pressed against his side. It would take a while for her to show, and though he looked forward to those days, he wanted to treasure these times when there wasn’t a big belly keeping them from cuddling. In eight months, there would be a baby between them. “I guess our plan to not tell the kids didn’t work so well.”
“Is that a dig at me?”
“I’m glad we told them.”
“I’m still in shock, I think.”
What would happen in the next eight months? Would it peaceful bliss, or would it be a reenactment of the five years where he hid in a hole? The Bratva would come; it was just a matter of when. What if they came when her belly made it difficult for her to run to the basem*nt? During labor? His hand rubbing her back slowed as his brain went to places it shouldn’t. “Me either.”
Felicity sat up on her elbows and looked down at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Oliver.” She flipped the light back on and sat up all the way. “What. Is. Wrong?”
“I don’t want to dampen the mood.”
“Like it or not, you’re dampening the mood by being distant.” Her eyebrows crinkled together as her fingers traced his face. “Honey, you’re worried about something. Is it the baby? We aren’t going to lose her. Or him.”
“It’s not that. It’s just…” he scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m worried about a lot of things. I’m thrilled about the baby, but now we have to put our plans to take down the Bratva on hold. And what if they attack? And what about having the baby? We can do it here, or we can drive four hours to a hospital, and by then―why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s just that…I’m usually the person who does all the worrying, and you’re the one who stoically reminds me not to worry.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Oh, I’m not going to.” Her eyes went wide as she continued to run her hands through his unwashed hair. “Because I’m scared to death, and I’m asking myself the same questions. But. We’re in this together. Rain or shine, darkness or light. Even if there’s no umbrella to hold over me when it does rain. You and I make an epic team, and we’ve got a lot of members that are willing to tag along to help us. So we’re gonna do this. Okay?”
