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The song is Nick Carter

CHAPTER 3

Dressed in her new dress with flip flops, having taken advantage of a free make-over in the department store, Gabi felt a little lighter as she came back into the apartment, instantly hearing Troy talking to Fiona and sussed their voices were coming from the bathroom.

Fiona was being bathed in the sink by Troy, who was damp in spots on his tee and had bubbles dotted on his face from the foam on the water where he'd used too much bath liquid.

He had a rubber duck in the sink with her and he was chatting away to her animatedly.

"This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home" he said, touching her tiny toes "This little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had none…and this little piggy went wee wee wee! All the way home" he finished with a smile

She cocked her head, wishing she could be like that, too. All she felt was tired and emotional. She wanted to feel energetic, to play with Fiona like he did.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and you're a disaster area" she smiled adoringly at him, feeling like she couldn't measure up to his natural parenting skills.

He looked at her, his gaze travelling over her body swiftly, his eyes intense as they met hers. He scooped Fiona from the water with a towel, gently drying her as he headed over

"Well, look at Mummy" he murmured, leaning to kiss her mouth and she didn't reject him this time, much to his relief "Doesn't she look amazingly hot?" he asked Fiona and Gabi's eyes widened

"You can't teach her that!" she smiled

"She doesn't understand" he shrugged "Besides, she should know her parents love each other" he added, and then touched his forehead to hers "Very much"

She met his gaze, taking his message and smiling as he handed Fiona to her and she dressed her, laying her in her crib as he waited for her on the sofa, collapsed tiredly against the arm.

"Sit between my legs, babe" he invited as she came back through "I wanna sneak a peek down your top" he grinned and Gabi smiled at him

"Uh-huh, that's my romantic husband" she rolled her eyes

"Well, you did agree to marry me" he reasoned

"You know, I am sure I didn't feel well that day, delirious even" she said as he cuddled her

"It was my good looks, babe, don't you remember? You were all a swoon at seeing me in my board shorts…" he teased and she downright giggled at his suggestion

"All a swoon?" she repeated, taking breaths as she laughed "Uh-huh, that was it" she smiled but shook her head

"And I sure as hell almost disgraced the church when I saw you in that dress. All I can say is, it's a good job my shorts were baggy" he grinned against her ear, his arms tight around her waist from behind her and she felt his arousal against her lower back as he talked now of his attraction for her.

She turned in his arms, kissing him hesitantly, one ear listening out for her baby as she relaxed in his arms, his lips brushing hers softly to begin with, but soon their passion was re-kindled and his tongue was darting into her mouth.

She climbed up into his lap as he shifted to accommodate her so that she were now straddling him and he let his hands trace her womanly curves, cupping her swollen breasts as he threw his head back and moaned outright. He loved the feel of her, the size of her breasts while her body underwent changes.

She stiffened against his touch, conscious of the scars on her body from the caesarean, how her breasts had gained stretch marks from the sudden growth.

"Hey…" he said softly as she pulled away, cuddling her to him as she crawled between his thighs again as he made room for her there and held her against his chest protectively, his arms as tight around her as he could get them. He kissed her hair, knowing she was struggling with intimacy and determined to show her she had all the time in the world to recover from the huge upheaval of having a baby.

He just wanted her to know he loved her, would always love her.

"Did she make a noise?" Gabi worried, thinking she heard something

"No, it's okay" he smiled as he held her to him "She just gurgled"

"I wish I could tell" she said sadly

"Gabi, you're her mom, of course you can tell." He frowned

"I just panic all the time that she's…well that something is wrong" she said

"Is it because of your mom?" he wondered and Gabi felt her body pop in shock as the realisation hit her.

He was right. Her mom had warning signs before she became ill. Just like Amy, and she had missed them all.

What if she missed something with Fiona? She would never forgive herself. She cried against Troy's chest then, deep sobbing cries that ripped his heart in two and he knew she was still grieving for her mom. He thought how difficult it must be, becoming a mom without having one of her own. She would have wanted to share all this with her. Get tips, advice.

"You know, my mom is sat at home twiddling her thumbs. Why don't you go on over and spend some time with her and Dad?" he suggested

"Have you got to go away?" she asked, sniffling against his chest

He chuckled "You know me too well, babe"

She looked at him then, her brown eyes fearful.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to joke about it" he apologised, rubbing her tears away with his thumbs

"It's two days. I'm booked in for studio sessions and it cost a lot of money so I kind of have to go, but it's in Iowa" he explained "But after that, I am back and I am all yours" he promised

Gabi looked at him with vulnerable eyes "Who will hold me at night?" she wondered

"Well, you have Pirate" he suggested "Or your other boyfriend" he added, a painful smile on his face as his heart broke at having to leave her, again, albeit only for a short time.

"Do you know how much I'm going to miss you and Fiona?" he asked as Gabi just stared at him.

"I'm going to miss you so much my heart aches." He said candidly and Gabi nodded, knowing he had to fulfil his commitment, but wishing she hadn't gotten pregnant when she had.

She could still remember the day she found out…

****

"Gabi! You're not gonna believe this!" Troy shouted excitedly from the apartment doorway as he came in.

Gabi sat on the edge of the bath, her hands shaking as she held the indicator stick in her hand and her eyes streamed with tears. She quickly wiped away her tears, hiding the pregnancy test in the drawer.

She straightened, taking a deep, shaky breath as she rose. She opened the bathroom door and Troy appeared in from of her, startling her.

"Oh!" she jumped

"My album went platinum!" he shouted in her face "Platinum baby- YEAH!" he whooped, grabbing her around the waist to spin her.

"That's amazing!" she mustered up a smile and tried to look enthusiastic.

He studied her face, squinting "Are you okay?" he frowned

She nodded "Of course" she lied

He cocked his head "You're not are you?" he said again

"I just don't feel too well, that's all" she lied again, hating herself for lying to him.

She didn't want to ruin his moment with her news.

It wasn't as though they hadn't talked about having a baby; it was just that they had planned for it to happen a few years down the line.

Not six months after being married. And when his career was hitting its peak.

"Let's celebrate!" he suggested and Gabi nodded

"I'm gonna put a suit on" he decided "Seeing as we can't go out without being hounded, we can pretend" he smiled like a child playing dress up, proud of his ingenious idea.

She smiled back, catching his infectious grin.

Gabi chose a stunning floor length dress from her wardrobe that glided over her curvy body, the midnight blue suiting her perfectly.

She twisted her hair up on her head and smiled as she came out to meet her husband who was dressed in a grey suit with a dark tie, stubbled and sexy.

"Oh my god, my wife is beautiful" he said as she came out

She smiled "And my husband is very talented" she returned

"Is he now?" Troy joked "And what does he do for a living?" he asked interestedly, taking her in his arms after putting a CD on and gently dancing her around the room, singing along to their wedding song

"#I stare at your face
Into your eyes
Outside, there's so much passing us by
All of the sounds
All of the sights
Over the earth
And Under the sky
Too much cold
And too much rain
Too much heartache to explain

Who needs the world when I've got you
Switch off the sun, the stars and the moon
I've all I need inside of this room
Who needs the world when I've got you

Oh, no no

I walk on the street
Talk in the dark
I see people, strangers, just falling apart
I open my arms
Try to be true
Seems like my only truth is you
Am I wrong or am I right?
All I want is you tonight

Who needs the world when I've got you
Switch off the sun, the stars and the moon
I've all I need inside of this room
Who needs the world when I've got you

Who needs the stars so bright?
And the grass so green?
And the morning light?
Who needs the wind to blow
And the tide to rise
Who needs it?
I don't know, I don't know#"

"Oh he sings or something, I'm not quite sure now" she said with a hidden smile

"Sings? What kind of job is that?" he poked fun at himself "You know, I'm sure you would be better off with me" he suggested lightly as his lips met her neck, softly kissing her, brushing his mouth over her ear and pressing closer to her.

"Oh but there's a good reason why I can't leave him you see" she said meeting his gaze which was steady and loving

"Mm? What's that then?" he asked

"He has this adorable teddy called Pirate…" she giggled, then met his eyes again

"Anything else I should know?" he checked with a lift of a thick brow

"Oh, and I love him" she said

He grinned at her then, dancing her over to the table where he had placed two wine flutes and filled them with champagne

Gabi tensed, thinking oh shit I can't drink that!

"Err, no thanks" she said as Troy's eyes flicked to hers "I'm not feeling so good" she reminded him

His forefinger and thumb delicately linked around her wrist next to her bracelet as he framed her face with his other hand "What's up?" he asked

Her brown eyes met his for a long moment while she lost herself in the shades of blue she found there.

Before she knew she was pregnant, when she had thought about having a baby with Troy, the idea had filled her with excitement.

Since actually seeing the strip turn positive, she'd felt nothing but fear. It hadn't exactly been her life plan to start a family at nineteen.

"I'm pregnant" she said starkly, swallowing nervously

Troy's eyebrows rose into his fringe "What?" he asked softly, his voice breaking, his eyes alight with hope

"I'm pregnant" she repeated "With child, expecting, up the duff…"

His eyes crinkled as he grinned at her, awed, delighted "Babe, that's amazing!" he grinned, pulling her into a hug and then leaning back to look into her face "Isn't it?" he checked

Gabi twitched her mouth to one side "It's not exactly planned" she said quietly.

"Hey…this is the best news I have had ALL day" he smiled a little but there was an indentation in his forehead at his concern for her

"Apart from the album sales" she pointed out

"INSTEAD of the album sales" he proclaimed

Gabi gave into his embrace "I want a baby with you Gabi; I don't care whether it's now or ten years from now"

"I know, it's just not great timing" she sighed

"I can put off a tour. We can't put off a baby" he joked

"I love you Troy" she said as his mouth claimed hers, his hands going to her waist to pull her closer, her news filling him with hot longing.

She was pregnant, with his child and he couldn't think of a more perfect ending to their story.

Gabi let Troy kiss her and felt the tingles go over her skin at his touch. She gave herself up to the desire that assuaged her, even now, even after 2 years of passion with him she still felt it every time he touched her.

It didn't take him long to lead her to the bedroom, pulling off her dress and kissing her body, brushing a hand over her stomach gently as though she looked different now that he knew.

"Mmm Gabi" he moaned, climbing between her thighs as her hands trailed down his body, his muscles a familiar pattern to her fingers though sometimes he was heavier than others depending if he had a shoot to do or if he were touring.

He kissed her body until she was crying out his name, her hands roughly running through his hair as his tongue flicked over her nipples, sending her wild with desire, her body bucking beyond her own control with her need for him.

When he slipped into her, she moaned in protest at the pleasure it brought her having him hot and hard inside her.

She arched against his entry, marvelling at his size every time he took her, no matter that they had been joined more times than she could count.

"Mmm" she murmured, loving how his strong thighs drove his body against hers as their bodies rubbed and hit together with hot friction.

His hands were gripping her hips and bringing her against his groin as he crashed into her, his rough, carnal lovemaking stamping a very big mark on her. She was his and no-one else could have her.

Gabi found herself spiralling into a deep sparkling hole as her orgasm hit, her body clenching and releasing several times over as she orgasmed before Troy and he eventually fell between her thighs, exhausted, sated and trembling from the aftermath of their mind-blowing connection.

"You're having my baby" he said softly, kissing her, worshipping her face with his gentle hands

She nodded

"Our baby" he amended, rolling from her body so he could stroke a hand down her torso, between her thighs where his fingers plunged gently, causing a shocked gasped from her mouth

"I'm sorry if I hurt you" he said of his lovemaking, his fingers gently teasing her, his thumb brushing her nub to bring her to her peak again as she felt a delicious tingle wash over her whole body in ever increasing waves, culminating in a shuddering finish.

He kissed her tenderly and she stroked his face as her brown eyes met his "You didn't" she assured him, curling into his ready embrace.

****

Gabi knew that Troy had to work. She knew he had cancelled a lot of his commitments and put dates back for his tour to allow time to be with her and the baby. And he had treated her as nothing less than a princess during her pregnancy. But the thought of being without him for two days was overwhelming.

What if his mom thought she wasn't capable? What if she was a burden on them? They would surely wonder why she had gone into motherhood so young when she clearly wasn't mature herself.

Troy held Gabi in his arms and cuddled her, wishing away her thoughts.

He knew she'd been worried from the day she fell pregnant to the day she gave birth and she had worried every day since as well.

He felt helpless to relieve the pressure on her, not quite sure why she felt like this or what he could do to alleviate her feelings.

When he got back from Iowa, he would ask his mom to babysit, with Gabi's permission, and take her out so they could go and have fun and she didn't have to worry at least for one night.

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