Snapshots of Our Life Chapter 08!
Title/Chapter: Snapshots of Our Life (08/??)
Author: amanda: jaclyn’s twin sister / writefiction
Fandom: Tommy Joe Ratliff
Pairing: Tommy Joe Ratliff / OFC: Bella Connor
Rating: G
Notes: written for schmoop_bingo. My card can be found HERE.
Bingo Square: pregnancy (male or female)
Warning: None. I don’t think there’s even a curse word in this chappy.
Other Notes: As stated before, Cam is a guy in this because, for some reason, I didn’t know she was a girl when I first started writing it o.O
Word Count: 2,969
Previous Chapters
Summary: Snapshots of the life Tommy & Bella build together.
Follow my twitter for fic updates! @writefiction
CHAPTER EIGHT
Tommy and Bella talked on the phone, texted and emailed every day while Tommy was on the road. When the North American leg of the Glam Nation Tour ended, their communication was whittled down to emails. The international cell phone rates were astronomical and neither wanted to wrack up their bills. It was depressing for the couple but it was better than nothing.
Bella was surprised when two weeks before Christmas she got an email from Tommy stating he’d be home in ten days and he wanted her waiting for him when he arrived home. He also stated there was no discussing this as he’d already booked her a flight and his roommate, Dave, would be at the airport to pick her up as his plane was scheduled to arrive two hours after hers.
On the one hand, Bella was ecstatic to see Tommy again and finally meet Dave who’d she’d been tweeting with for months now and was very fond of. On the other hand, she was terrified to see Tommy. She’d been keeping a secret from him. She hadn’t meant to, but it wasn’t something you told your significant other through an email. At the time, she had sighed and written back about how excited she was to see him after so many months apart. She conveniently left out the fact that they had a serious discussion coming their way and she was terrified of his reaction.
Now Bella was leaving the plane and entering the airport. She looked through the mass of people trying to find Dave’s familiar face. When she finally spotted him, she raised up on her tip-toes and waved until he noticed her. When he did, he grinned and waved back. They met half way and when the crowd of people parted and Dave was finally able to see Bella from the neck down, his jaw dropped, his eyes looking like they were going to fall out of their sockets.
“Bella, you… Are you… I mean… I don’t want to be rude…” he stuttered.
Bella sighed. “No, Dave, I haven’t gotten fat,” she answered Dave’s unspoken question. “I’m pregnant.”
Dave just stared for a moment, then promptly took Bella’s carry-on bag from her. “Does Tommy know?” he asked as they headed for the luggage carousel.
Bella shook her head. “By the time I figured it out he was already overseas,” she told Dave. “And I just couldn’t tell him through an email, ya know?” Dave nodded, grabbing the two bags Bella pointed out to him. He hefted them over his shoulders and headed towards the exit with Bella complaining that she wasn’t an invalid, just pregnant. But Dave wouldn’t hear it, the bags were heavy and Bella didn’t need the strain. Bella only relented when Dave agreed to let her walk to the car instead of bringing it to the airport doors. Then they drove to the house Dave and Tommy rented in silence.
Once the pair arrived at the house Dave carried Bella’s bags in to Tommy’s bedroom, Bella following along behind him. He set the bags down at the foot of the bed and turned to Bella. She looked exhausted. “Are you okay?” Dave asked. “Do you need a nap?”
Bella covered her mouth as she yawned, nodding her head. “Yeah,” she answered. “That’d probably be a good idea since Tommy isn’t supposed to land until what would be my bedtime if I was back home.”
Dave smiled. “Well, you’re more than welcome to nap in the living room while I watch some TV,” he offered. “Or you can stay here.” He gestured to the uncharacteristically tidy room. Belled looked around the room. She felt too nervous to be alone in the quiet space. So she took a deep breath and said,
“I think I’d like to join you if you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Dave replied. He grabbed a couple of pillows from the bed. “One or two?”
“Two. Please,” Bella answered.
Dave smiled, tucking the pillows under his arm. “After you,” he said gesturing to the door.
The two made their way to the first floor and in to the living room. Bella settled on the couch, laying on her side. She tucked one pillow under her head and the other under her swollen belly. She wasn’t that far along, only in the beginning of her second trimester, but she was very obviously pregnant. Once she was comfortable Dave covered her up with a blanket from off the back of the couch. He tucked the blanket in around her and smiled. “Comfy?” he asked.
Bella nodded with a yawn. “Very.”
Dave leaned over and kissed her head. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “It’s nice to finally meet you after all the talking we’ve done on Twitter.”
Bella smiled at him. “The feeling’s mutual.” Dave smiled again and sat down at the other end of the couch. He flipped on the TV.
“Anything special you want to watch?” he asked.
Bella shook her head. “I’ll be out in the next five seconds so it doesn’t really matter.”
Dave chuckled lightly, rubbing Bella’s leg. “Okay. Well, you get some rest then.” Bella nodded her head, hiding a yawn behind her hand, and closed her eyes. Dave hadn’t flipped through more than three channels before Bella was fast asleep.
Bella felt the slow tug of consciousness pull her from a wonderful dream. It was one of a perfect life, almost like a fairytale. One in which her and Tommy were happily married with beautiful children and lived in a gorgeous beach front property with the most amazing view. It was a dream she didn’t want to ever wake from. But being pulled in to reality wasn’t something she could stop.
Bella could feel fingers gently moving through her hair and a hand resting on her swollen belly. “Mm, Tommy,” she sighed dreamily, still half asleep. Then she felt lips against the skin of her forehead.
“Hey, baby girl,” a voice murmured. A very familiar voice. Tommy’s voice.
Bella blinked slowly until the face of Tommy Joe Ratliff came in to focus. “Tommy?” she asked. “How long have I been asleep?”
Tommy smiled, still stroking Bella’s hair. “Well, Dave said you drifted off as soon as you got here at about six and it’s almost nine now. So three hours.”
“And you’ve just been sitting here watching me?” Bella questioned. Tommy nodded. “For how long?”
“’Bout a half hour,” Tommy answered. Bella groaned and pulled a pillow over her face. Tommy gently tugged the pillow from Bella’s head. “What are you doing?” he laughed, but stopped as soon as he saw the tears in her eyes. “Baby girl, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m sorry,” Bella choked out. “I’m so sorry.”
Tommy furrowed his brows. “For what?” Bella gestured to her pregnant belly. Tommy smoothed his hand over Bella’s baby bump. “No need to be sorry,” he told her, “unless it’s not mine.”
Bella slapped him in the shoulder, making him chuckle. “Tommy,” she whined.
“Sorry,” Tommy smirked. Bella looked away from him, wiping her face with a fisted hand. “Baby girl,” Tommy murmured. “Talk to me. Why are you sorry for the pregnancy?”
“Because… I’ve ruined your life,” Bella stated.
“Excuse me?!” Tommy exclaimed. Bella’s gaze quickly moved to Tommy’s. “You think you’ve ruined my life by getting pregnant?” he asked.
Bella bit her lip and shrugged. “Haven’t I?”
“What? No!” Tommy moved to sit on the edge of the couch, taking Bella’s hands in his. “How could you ever think that?”
“I just… I don’t know. I mean, we’re young and you’ve got this great thing going with Adam and we’ve been dating since August, but this is only the third time we’ve seen each other and…” Bella took a deep breath. “You… I couldn’t… I waited so long to tell you. I couldn’t help it, I didn’t want to tell you through an email, ya know?”
Tommy nodded. “I understand why you waited to tell me, baby girl,” he told Bella reassuringly. “I’m not mad about that.”
“Then what are you mad about?” Bella asked.
Tommy sighed. “I’m mad because you think being pregnant has ruined my life and it really hasn’t,” he answered. “I’m happy about this.” He pressed his hand over Bella’s swollen tummy.
“You… you are?” she asked.
Tommy nodded, a grin forming on his face. “Yeah. I mean, I was going to wait till tomorrow to do this…” Tommy trailed off, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket, making Bella’s eyes go wide.
“Tommy, don’t,” she stated firmly.
The grin fell from Tommy’s face. “What?” he asked quietly, not sure he had heard right.
“Don’t do it,” Bella repeated. “Don’t ask me right now. Wait till tomorrow. I’m sure you have something nice planned. Please don’t ruin that just because I need your reassurances. Okay?”
Tommy’s grin reappeared. “You don’t want me to ruin the plans I made?” he asked. Bella nodded. Tommy leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “That’s really sweet. Thank you. I think you’ll really like what I planned for our special night.”
Bella smiled shyly at her soon-to-be fiancé. “You’re really not mad about the baby?” she asked.
Tommy shook his head and pushed a piece of hair behind Bella’s ear. “Not mad at all,” he answered. “Couldn’t be happier. I mean, it’s not happening the way I planned, but kids were definitely in the equation.”
“Wait, you have a plan?” Bella asked.
Tommy blushed, smiling sheepishly. “Um, yeah. I thought, ya know, that we’d get married and in a few years we’d start our family.” He shrugged.
“That’s very sweet coming from such a fierce pixie,” Bella said, reaching up to stroke Tommy’s silky blond locks.
“Do you still have to call me that?” Tommy asked making a face.
Bella giggled. “Sorry. Um… How ‘bout ‘baby boy’ since you’re always calling me baby girl?”
“That’s way better,” Tommy murmured, leaning down to kiss Bella full on the lips. She sighed quietly, curling her fingers in his hair. “I love you,” Tommy said with a smile.
“I love you too,” Bella replied. “And I’ve missed you. A lot.”
Tommy rubbed his nose against Bella’s gently. “I’ve missed you too. It’s been way too long since I’ve held you.” Bella sat up, making room for Tommy on the couch. Then he wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her close. She leaned her head on his shoulder, melting in to the embrace.
“You’re really not upset?” Bella asked quietly.
Tommy kissed her hair. “Not at all,” he answered. “I mean, look at Monte. He’s got Lisa and the girls and then twins and he’s happy as can be. The twins didn’t ruin what he had going with the band, did it?” Bella shook her head. “Then why would one baby ruin what I have?”
Bella sighed. “You’ve got a point.” She pressed deeper in to Tommy’s hold. “Are we ready for this?” she murmured.
Tommy gave her a squeeze. “Probably not, we’re first time parents. But we’ll be as ready as we can be when the time comes.”
“Promise?” Bella asked looking up at Tommy.
He smiled down at her. “Yeah, I promise.” He kissed her on the nose. “Now how about we get to bed?”
Bella nodded. “Sounds good to me.” Tommy helped Bella to her feet and escorted her upstairs to his room.
Once in Tommy’s room, the two prepared for bed. Before Bella could put her shirt on, Tommy dropped to his knees in front of her, tugging the waist band of her sleep pants down past her belly. He kissed her navel and then pressed his cheek against her swollen belly. “Hey, baby,” he murmured. “I’m your daddy and I love you very much. I only found out about you today, but you’re my world. I can’t wait to meet you. But until then, just stay in there and grow big and strong until it’s time for you to come in to this world. Okay? I love you so much and you’re going to have the best mommy ever, I just know it.”
Tommy kissed Bella’s belly again and then looked up at her. Tears were streaming down her face. Tommy instantly jumped to his feet and pulled her close. “What’s wrong, baby girl?” he asked.
Bella shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong,” she told him. “I just… That was so sweet, Tommy.”
“I meant every word of it,” Tommy replied quietly. Then he pulled back enough to cup Bella’s face in his hands, stroking his thumb back and forth against her cheek. “You’re going to be an amazing mom,” he told her.
“You don’t know that,” Bella whispered. “What if I completely fail at being a mother?”
Tommy chuckled quietly. “I highly doubt you’ll fail,” he said. “I mean, you grew up being the world’s best baby-sitter, remember? Being a mother is the same thing, except it’s twenty-four-seven. You’ll do amazingly.”
Bella sighed quietly. Then she leaned up to gently peck Tommy on the lips. “You mind if I finish getting dressed?”
Tommy smirked. “You want to finish getting dressed? I was hoping you could get undressed again.”
Bella rolled her eyes. “Not tonight, okay?” Tommy nodded and kissed Bella’s head. Then he let her go, letting her readjust her pants and pull her shirt on.
“Do you need to be on a certain side of the bed?” Tommy asked. “Do you need any extra pillows or anything?”
Bella sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, looking at Tommy’s bed. It was in the corner of the room, one side pushed up against the wall. “Well, I should probably take the open side since I’m already having to use the bathroom more often. It’ll be easier than climbing over you to get out of the bed,” she told Tommy.
Tommy nodded. “That’s fine. I usually sleep on the side closest to the wall anyway. See, we’re perfect for each other.”
Bella chuckled. “You’re such a dork.”
“Yeah, but that’s why you love me,” Tommy replied with a cheeky grin.
Bella turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course it is,” she said. Then she leaned in to kiss him lightly on the mouth. “Bed now?” she asked.
Tommy nodded. “Bed,” he agreed.
The two climbed up on the bed and crawled under the blankets, turning off the bedside light. Bella turned on her side, facing Tommy, and curled in to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Tommy, in turn, wrapped his arms around Bella, holding her close. “Goodnight, my fierce pixie,” Bella murmured.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to call me that anymore,” Tommy whined.
Bella giggled. “Sorry, force of habit.”
“S’okay,” Tommy replied, kissing Bella’s head. “I actually don’t mind as much as I used to. I mean, if someone else called me that, I’d probably kick their ass, but this is you. I love you. It’s your pet name for me and you’re not calling me that to make fun of me.”
“Of course not,” Bella agreed. “I would never call you a name to hurt your feelings. I love you too much.” She snuggled deeper in to Tommy’s side. “You’re my everything,” she whispered.
“Ditto,” Tommy replied quietly.
The couple laid in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Then Bella spoke up. “I didn’t mean to get pregnant,” she stated quietly. “I didn’t think I could get pregnant.”
“Why’s that?” Tommy asked. “I mean, you’re a healthy twenty-five year old and we didn’t use protection.”
Bella sighed. “Because. In my family, usually if you’ve been on birth control for an extended period of time, you need medical intervention to even get pregnant. I’ve been on the stuff since I was fourteen.” She shrugged. “Plus there’s only a one percent chance that you can get pregnant while on the pill. I thought I was pretty well covered.”
Tommy chuckled causing Bella to slap him on the chest. “Sorry,” he said. “So I guess you could say our baby is kind of like a miracle?”
Bella nodded slowly. “I guess you could.”
“We should pick a name that means miracle,” Tommy suggested quietly.
“Really?” Bella asked.
Tommy nodded. “Mm-hmm.” He paused. “We should get a baby name book tomorrow.”
There was a moment in which neither said a word. But then Tommy heard Bella sniffle and felt a tear drip on to his bare shoulder. “Bella?” he murmured quietly. He reached over her to turn on the bedside light. “Bella, what’s wrong?” he asked.
Bella sniffled and shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong really,” she answered. “It’s just that… I was so scared for months now. I thought you might actually break up with me and now… Now you want to buy baby name books and name our child something that means miracle and I just… There’s so much relief flooding me right now that I can’t help the tears.”
“Oh, baby girl,” Tommy chuckled quietly. He leaned down and brushed his lips against Bella’s. “I would never ditch you just because of an unplanned pregnancy.”
“I know, but I was so worried,” Bella murmured.
Tommy stroked her hair gently. “No more worries, baby,” he told her. “I am so on board for this. You don’t know how excited I am.”
“Really?”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah. This is what I planned. I mean, the plan skipped a few steps, but it was always what I wanted.”
“I’m glad,” Bella whispered. She leaned her head up, touching her lips to Tommy’s. “Sweet dreams,” she said.
“No nightmares,” he replied softly. Then he turned off the bedside lamp again, the couple curling back up in each other’s arms, and the two fell in to a peaceful sleep.
& & &
Stay Tuned for Chapter Nine!
Author: amanda: jaclyn’s twin sister / writefiction
Fandom: Tommy Joe Ratliff
Pairing: Tommy Joe Ratliff / OFC: Bella Connor
Rating: G
Notes: written for schmoop_bingo. My card can be found HERE.
Bingo Square: pregnancy (male or female)
Warning: None. I don’t think there’s even a curse word in this chappy.
Other Notes: As stated before, Cam is a guy in this because, for some reason, I didn’t know she was a girl when I first started writing it o.O
Word Count: 2,969
Previous Chapters
Summary: Snapshots of the life Tommy & Bella build together.
Follow my twitter for fic updates! @writefiction
CHAPTER EIGHT
Tommy and Bella talked on the phone, texted and emailed every day while Tommy was on the road. When the North American leg of the Glam Nation Tour ended, their communication was whittled down to emails. The international cell phone rates were astronomical and neither wanted to wrack up their bills. It was depressing for the couple but it was better than nothing.
Bella was surprised when two weeks before Christmas she got an email from Tommy stating he’d be home in ten days and he wanted her waiting for him when he arrived home. He also stated there was no discussing this as he’d already booked her a flight and his roommate, Dave, would be at the airport to pick her up as his plane was scheduled to arrive two hours after hers.
On the one hand, Bella was ecstatic to see Tommy again and finally meet Dave who’d she’d been tweeting with for months now and was very fond of. On the other hand, she was terrified to see Tommy. She’d been keeping a secret from him. She hadn’t meant to, but it wasn’t something you told your significant other through an email. At the time, she had sighed and written back about how excited she was to see him after so many months apart. She conveniently left out the fact that they had a serious discussion coming their way and she was terrified of his reaction.
Now Bella was leaving the plane and entering the airport. She looked through the mass of people trying to find Dave’s familiar face. When she finally spotted him, she raised up on her tip-toes and waved until he noticed her. When he did, he grinned and waved back. They met half way and when the crowd of people parted and Dave was finally able to see Bella from the neck down, his jaw dropped, his eyes looking like they were going to fall out of their sockets.
“Bella, you… Are you… I mean… I don’t want to be rude…” he stuttered.
Bella sighed. “No, Dave, I haven’t gotten fat,” she answered Dave’s unspoken question. “I’m pregnant.”
Dave just stared for a moment, then promptly took Bella’s carry-on bag from her. “Does Tommy know?” he asked as they headed for the luggage carousel.
Bella shook her head. “By the time I figured it out he was already overseas,” she told Dave. “And I just couldn’t tell him through an email, ya know?” Dave nodded, grabbing the two bags Bella pointed out to him. He hefted them over his shoulders and headed towards the exit with Bella complaining that she wasn’t an invalid, just pregnant. But Dave wouldn’t hear it, the bags were heavy and Bella didn’t need the strain. Bella only relented when Dave agreed to let her walk to the car instead of bringing it to the airport doors. Then they drove to the house Dave and Tommy rented in silence.
Once the pair arrived at the house Dave carried Bella’s bags in to Tommy’s bedroom, Bella following along behind him. He set the bags down at the foot of the bed and turned to Bella. She looked exhausted. “Are you okay?” Dave asked. “Do you need a nap?”
Bella covered her mouth as she yawned, nodding her head. “Yeah,” she answered. “That’d probably be a good idea since Tommy isn’t supposed to land until what would be my bedtime if I was back home.”
Dave smiled. “Well, you’re more than welcome to nap in the living room while I watch some TV,” he offered. “Or you can stay here.” He gestured to the uncharacteristically tidy room. Belled looked around the room. She felt too nervous to be alone in the quiet space. So she took a deep breath and said,
“I think I’d like to join you if you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Dave replied. He grabbed a couple of pillows from the bed. “One or two?”
“Two. Please,” Bella answered.
Dave smiled, tucking the pillows under his arm. “After you,” he said gesturing to the door.
The two made their way to the first floor and in to the living room. Bella settled on the couch, laying on her side. She tucked one pillow under her head and the other under her swollen belly. She wasn’t that far along, only in the beginning of her second trimester, but she was very obviously pregnant. Once she was comfortable Dave covered her up with a blanket from off the back of the couch. He tucked the blanket in around her and smiled. “Comfy?” he asked.
Bella nodded with a yawn. “Very.”
Dave leaned over and kissed her head. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “It’s nice to finally meet you after all the talking we’ve done on Twitter.”
Bella smiled at him. “The feeling’s mutual.” Dave smiled again and sat down at the other end of the couch. He flipped on the TV.
“Anything special you want to watch?” he asked.
Bella shook her head. “I’ll be out in the next five seconds so it doesn’t really matter.”
Dave chuckled lightly, rubbing Bella’s leg. “Okay. Well, you get some rest then.” Bella nodded her head, hiding a yawn behind her hand, and closed her eyes. Dave hadn’t flipped through more than three channels before Bella was fast asleep.
Bella felt the slow tug of consciousness pull her from a wonderful dream. It was one of a perfect life, almost like a fairytale. One in which her and Tommy were happily married with beautiful children and lived in a gorgeous beach front property with the most amazing view. It was a dream she didn’t want to ever wake from. But being pulled in to reality wasn’t something she could stop.
Bella could feel fingers gently moving through her hair and a hand resting on her swollen belly. “Mm, Tommy,” she sighed dreamily, still half asleep. Then she felt lips against the skin of her forehead.
“Hey, baby girl,” a voice murmured. A very familiar voice. Tommy’s voice.
Bella blinked slowly until the face of Tommy Joe Ratliff came in to focus. “Tommy?” she asked. “How long have I been asleep?”
Tommy smiled, still stroking Bella’s hair. “Well, Dave said you drifted off as soon as you got here at about six and it’s almost nine now. So three hours.”
“And you’ve just been sitting here watching me?” Bella questioned. Tommy nodded. “For how long?”
“’Bout a half hour,” Tommy answered. Bella groaned and pulled a pillow over her face. Tommy gently tugged the pillow from Bella’s head. “What are you doing?” he laughed, but stopped as soon as he saw the tears in her eyes. “Baby girl, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m sorry,” Bella choked out. “I’m so sorry.”
Tommy furrowed his brows. “For what?” Bella gestured to her pregnant belly. Tommy smoothed his hand over Bella’s baby bump. “No need to be sorry,” he told her, “unless it’s not mine.”
Bella slapped him in the shoulder, making him chuckle. “Tommy,” she whined.
“Sorry,” Tommy smirked. Bella looked away from him, wiping her face with a fisted hand. “Baby girl,” Tommy murmured. “Talk to me. Why are you sorry for the pregnancy?”
“Because… I’ve ruined your life,” Bella stated.
“Excuse me?!” Tommy exclaimed. Bella’s gaze quickly moved to Tommy’s. “You think you’ve ruined my life by getting pregnant?” he asked.
Bella bit her lip and shrugged. “Haven’t I?”
“What? No!” Tommy moved to sit on the edge of the couch, taking Bella’s hands in his. “How could you ever think that?”
“I just… I don’t know. I mean, we’re young and you’ve got this great thing going with Adam and we’ve been dating since August, but this is only the third time we’ve seen each other and…” Bella took a deep breath. “You… I couldn’t… I waited so long to tell you. I couldn’t help it, I didn’t want to tell you through an email, ya know?”
Tommy nodded. “I understand why you waited to tell me, baby girl,” he told Bella reassuringly. “I’m not mad about that.”
“Then what are you mad about?” Bella asked.
Tommy sighed. “I’m mad because you think being pregnant has ruined my life and it really hasn’t,” he answered. “I’m happy about this.” He pressed his hand over Bella’s swollen tummy.
“You… you are?” she asked.
Tommy nodded, a grin forming on his face. “Yeah. I mean, I was going to wait till tomorrow to do this…” Tommy trailed off, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket, making Bella’s eyes go wide.
“Tommy, don’t,” she stated firmly.
The grin fell from Tommy’s face. “What?” he asked quietly, not sure he had heard right.
“Don’t do it,” Bella repeated. “Don’t ask me right now. Wait till tomorrow. I’m sure you have something nice planned. Please don’t ruin that just because I need your reassurances. Okay?”
Tommy’s grin reappeared. “You don’t want me to ruin the plans I made?” he asked. Bella nodded. Tommy leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “That’s really sweet. Thank you. I think you’ll really like what I planned for our special night.”
Bella smiled shyly at her soon-to-be fiancé. “You’re really not mad about the baby?” she asked.
Tommy shook his head and pushed a piece of hair behind Bella’s ear. “Not mad at all,” he answered. “Couldn’t be happier. I mean, it’s not happening the way I planned, but kids were definitely in the equation.”
“Wait, you have a plan?” Bella asked.
Tommy blushed, smiling sheepishly. “Um, yeah. I thought, ya know, that we’d get married and in a few years we’d start our family.” He shrugged.
“That’s very sweet coming from such a fierce pixie,” Bella said, reaching up to stroke Tommy’s silky blond locks.
“Do you still have to call me that?” Tommy asked making a face.
Bella giggled. “Sorry. Um… How ‘bout ‘baby boy’ since you’re always calling me baby girl?”
“That’s way better,” Tommy murmured, leaning down to kiss Bella full on the lips. She sighed quietly, curling her fingers in his hair. “I love you,” Tommy said with a smile.
“I love you too,” Bella replied. “And I’ve missed you. A lot.”
Tommy rubbed his nose against Bella’s gently. “I’ve missed you too. It’s been way too long since I’ve held you.” Bella sat up, making room for Tommy on the couch. Then he wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her close. She leaned her head on his shoulder, melting in to the embrace.
“You’re really not upset?” Bella asked quietly.
Tommy kissed her hair. “Not at all,” he answered. “I mean, look at Monte. He’s got Lisa and the girls and then twins and he’s happy as can be. The twins didn’t ruin what he had going with the band, did it?” Bella shook her head. “Then why would one baby ruin what I have?”
Bella sighed. “You’ve got a point.” She pressed deeper in to Tommy’s hold. “Are we ready for this?” she murmured.
Tommy gave her a squeeze. “Probably not, we’re first time parents. But we’ll be as ready as we can be when the time comes.”
“Promise?” Bella asked looking up at Tommy.
He smiled down at her. “Yeah, I promise.” He kissed her on the nose. “Now how about we get to bed?”
Bella nodded. “Sounds good to me.” Tommy helped Bella to her feet and escorted her upstairs to his room.
Once in Tommy’s room, the two prepared for bed. Before Bella could put her shirt on, Tommy dropped to his knees in front of her, tugging the waist band of her sleep pants down past her belly. He kissed her navel and then pressed his cheek against her swollen belly. “Hey, baby,” he murmured. “I’m your daddy and I love you very much. I only found out about you today, but you’re my world. I can’t wait to meet you. But until then, just stay in there and grow big and strong until it’s time for you to come in to this world. Okay? I love you so much and you’re going to have the best mommy ever, I just know it.”
Tommy kissed Bella’s belly again and then looked up at her. Tears were streaming down her face. Tommy instantly jumped to his feet and pulled her close. “What’s wrong, baby girl?” he asked.
Bella shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong,” she told him. “I just… That was so sweet, Tommy.”
“I meant every word of it,” Tommy replied quietly. Then he pulled back enough to cup Bella’s face in his hands, stroking his thumb back and forth against her cheek. “You’re going to be an amazing mom,” he told her.
“You don’t know that,” Bella whispered. “What if I completely fail at being a mother?”
Tommy chuckled quietly. “I highly doubt you’ll fail,” he said. “I mean, you grew up being the world’s best baby-sitter, remember? Being a mother is the same thing, except it’s twenty-four-seven. You’ll do amazingly.”
Bella sighed quietly. Then she leaned up to gently peck Tommy on the lips. “You mind if I finish getting dressed?”
Tommy smirked. “You want to finish getting dressed? I was hoping you could get undressed again.”
Bella rolled her eyes. “Not tonight, okay?” Tommy nodded and kissed Bella’s head. Then he let her go, letting her readjust her pants and pull her shirt on.
“Do you need to be on a certain side of the bed?” Tommy asked. “Do you need any extra pillows or anything?”
Bella sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, looking at Tommy’s bed. It was in the corner of the room, one side pushed up against the wall. “Well, I should probably take the open side since I’m already having to use the bathroom more often. It’ll be easier than climbing over you to get out of the bed,” she told Tommy.
Tommy nodded. “That’s fine. I usually sleep on the side closest to the wall anyway. See, we’re perfect for each other.”
Bella chuckled. “You’re such a dork.”
“Yeah, but that’s why you love me,” Tommy replied with a cheeky grin.
Bella turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course it is,” she said. Then she leaned in to kiss him lightly on the mouth. “Bed now?” she asked.
Tommy nodded. “Bed,” he agreed.
The two climbed up on the bed and crawled under the blankets, turning off the bedside light. Bella turned on her side, facing Tommy, and curled in to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Tommy, in turn, wrapped his arms around Bella, holding her close. “Goodnight, my fierce pixie,” Bella murmured.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to call me that anymore,” Tommy whined.
Bella giggled. “Sorry, force of habit.”
“S’okay,” Tommy replied, kissing Bella’s head. “I actually don’t mind as much as I used to. I mean, if someone else called me that, I’d probably kick their ass, but this is you. I love you. It’s your pet name for me and you’re not calling me that to make fun of me.”
“Of course not,” Bella agreed. “I would never call you a name to hurt your feelings. I love you too much.” She snuggled deeper in to Tommy’s side. “You’re my everything,” she whispered.
“Ditto,” Tommy replied quietly.
The couple laid in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Then Bella spoke up. “I didn’t mean to get pregnant,” she stated quietly. “I didn’t think I could get pregnant.”
“Why’s that?” Tommy asked. “I mean, you’re a healthy twenty-five year old and we didn’t use protection.”
Bella sighed. “Because. In my family, usually if you’ve been on birth control for an extended period of time, you need medical intervention to even get pregnant. I’ve been on the stuff since I was fourteen.” She shrugged. “Plus there’s only a one percent chance that you can get pregnant while on the pill. I thought I was pretty well covered.”
Tommy chuckled causing Bella to slap him on the chest. “Sorry,” he said. “So I guess you could say our baby is kind of like a miracle?”
Bella nodded slowly. “I guess you could.”
“We should pick a name that means miracle,” Tommy suggested quietly.
“Really?” Bella asked.
Tommy nodded. “Mm-hmm.” He paused. “We should get a baby name book tomorrow.”
There was a moment in which neither said a word. But then Tommy heard Bella sniffle and felt a tear drip on to his bare shoulder. “Bella?” he murmured quietly. He reached over her to turn on the bedside light. “Bella, what’s wrong?” he asked.
Bella sniffled and shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong really,” she answered. “It’s just that… I was so scared for months now. I thought you might actually break up with me and now… Now you want to buy baby name books and name our child something that means miracle and I just… There’s so much relief flooding me right now that I can’t help the tears.”
“Oh, baby girl,” Tommy chuckled quietly. He leaned down and brushed his lips against Bella’s. “I would never ditch you just because of an unplanned pregnancy.”
“I know, but I was so worried,” Bella murmured.
Tommy stroked her hair gently. “No more worries, baby,” he told her. “I am so on board for this. You don’t know how excited I am.”
“Really?”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah. This is what I planned. I mean, the plan skipped a few steps, but it was always what I wanted.”
“I’m glad,” Bella whispered. She leaned her head up, touching her lips to Tommy’s. “Sweet dreams,” she said.
“No nightmares,” he replied softly. Then he turned off the bedside lamp again, the couple curling back up in each other’s arms, and the two fell in to a peaceful sleep.
& & &
Stay Tuned for Chapter Nine!