I honestly wasn't sure about continuing this story just because I feel like Catch Me was pretty much perfect and it was such a loved story. But I got the muse tickling today to keep writing this one so that's what I've done. I hope you like it.
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Part Four.
Beth stands in front of the full length mirror in the corner of the bedroom, sideways so she can study her profile. She doesn't look pregnant. There's a bump but it's barely there and she's been wearing loose shirts in an effort to hide it. Her face isn't swollen. There's absolutely nothing about her that makes it obvious that she's pregnant. So how on earth was Aaron able to take one look at her and just know that she is?
She and Daryl have made an agreement not to mention the baby until her fourth month and she knows that Daryl was reluctant to do so and she had smiled because she likes Daryl being so happy and excited, he wants to tell everyone about it. But anything can happen in the first trimester. It's still such a fragile time and if something does happen and she has a miscarriage, she'd rather that happen when only she and Daryl know of it. She wouldn't be able to deal with her own grief while dealing with everyone else's sympathy towards her.
Aaron was so apologetic once he realized – quickly – that he wasn't supposed to know about the baby and he swore up and down and promised them that he wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone. He promised them that he'd forget about it entirely and though Beth doubts that that's possible, and even though she still doesn't know Aaron and is just getting to know him, she finds herself believing that he will keep the secret.
With a soft sigh, Beth pulls her shirt back down, grabs the book she's currently in the middle of reading from her nightstand and heads towards the stairs. She stops though and heads down to the hallway, to the small empty bedroom next to hers and Daryl's. It's completely empty at the moment. When she and Daryl bought the house, they agreed that one bedroom would be theirs, one would be Matty's and the third and final bedroom would be for the baby they both wanted so badly. And since moving in, they haven't put anything inside of it. Not even a cardboard box from the move.
Beth stands in the doorway now and flips on the too-white overhead light and looks around the small, simple square bedroom with the simple white walls. The room is in the back corner of the house and has one window that looks over the backyard and another window that overlooks the side of the house and she imagines the sheer white curtains blowing in the gentle breeze when it's summer and it's warm enough to leave the windows open a crack. She's never had a nursery before and she remembers that after having Matty and he was a baby, they still lived on the farm with her parents, in her bedroom, the baby's crib pushed against one wall.
She stands in the doorway of the empty bedroom and imagines everything she and Daryl would be able to do with the space. New paint on the walls, new baby furniture, a rocking chair in the corner that she can sit in and cradle the baby and sing to them.
Her hand drifts down to the barely-there bump and rests it there and imagines when she'll finally be able to feel little Nibblet moving within. She's going to pray every day just as she always does and she'll pray that everything will be fine with this pregnancy. There's no reason why anything should go wrong. She's healthy and she's going to take the best care of Nibblet. Nothing had happened during her pregnancy with Matty and there's no reason why anything will happen with this one.
Flipping the switch, turning the light off and drowning the room in semi-darkness again, Beth turns and heads back down the hallway, this time going down the stairs. In the living room, Daryl and Matty are sitting on the couch – each eating their second cupcake of the night and drinking glasses of milk, the television on across from them. Every Saturday night, Daryl and Matty watch episodes of Cops together. Beth's not sure where the ritual came from. Daryl had babysat for her a couple of times – before they were together and she was dating Spencer, another lifetime ago. Maybe it had been then. Whenever it was though, it is a habit that is rarely broken.
Beth thinks that maybe, Daryl watches it with Matty as his way of making the boy stays on the straight. By showing him stupid mistakes people make all of the time, Daryl is trying to keep Matty from turning into every other man in his family line.
Beth goes to the front door, making sure it's locked even though she knows Daryl's already locked the house up for the night, and she then goes to curl up in the armchair, a hand going out to Matty's head as she passes. Tucking her legs up beneath herself, she turns on the lamp on the table beside the chair and opens the book where she left off. It's one of those light stories – about a woman who buys a dog compulsively after a breakup and winds up meeting the love of her life in a dog park. Beth prefers books like this. She is always guaranteed a happy ending and sometimes, life can be crappy enough without adding to it by reading books that make her feel crappy, too.
She gets engrossed in the story and it takes her a moment to realize that Daryl's standing in front of her. She lifts her head and smiles up at him.
"Gettin' more milk. You want some?" He asks.
She shakes her head, still smiling. "I'm okay, thank you."
He doesn't seem to like that answer though. "I'm gonna get you some milk. You need to make sure you drink plenty of it 'specially now," he tells her and she laughs softly.
"You read that in your book?" She teases him lightly.
"Yeah," he says. "Nothin' wrong with keepin' your bones strong."
"You read that chapter but you won't skip ahead to another chapter?" She asks with a raised eyebrow and she's still teasing at him but at the same time, she's completely serious. She loves that Daryl feels the need to be so careful with her but at the same time, she absolutely hates it.
He can't just make her fall completely in love with having sex with him and then refuse to have sex with her.
"'m gonna read every chapter," is all he says before going into the kitchen.
Matty's slouched on the couch, stretching his legs out so he can rest his feet on the coffee table placed in front of the couch.
"Did you have fun with Henry tonight?" Beth asks after glancing to the television to see that the show is on a commercial break.
"Yeah," Matty nods his head. "He's lucky. He has a ton of other stuff to do besides football. His dads makes sure of it. He takes violin lessons and he's in the science club."
Beth takes a moment to think of what to say to that. Matty never expressed any interest in doing anything other than play football. It never even crossed her mind that now that he's taking a break from playing, he might possibly be bored.
"Are you wanting to do something?" Beth asks.
Matty shrugs and the episode of Cops resumes and his attention focuses back onto that and Daryl comes back, handing her a small glass of milk and then sits down on the couch with his own in his hand.
"Where are they?" Daryl asks him.
"Pensacola," Matty tells him.
"Merle went down to Pensacola for a while," Daryl comments off-handedly. "Didn' go with him. Was already workin' at the garage when he went."
"You think he's on this episode?" Matty then asks innocently but Daryl chuckles as if that's one of the best things he's ever heard and Beth doesn't bite back her own smile.
"Don't know," Daryl then answers and Beth can hear in his voice that it's actually absolutely possible that Merle pop up on this episode. "Merle likes to surprise people."
And later, once they have turned off the lights and made sure the doors are locked and have gone upstairs, Beth makes sure Matty gets into his bed and then gets herself ready for bed before climbing in between the cool sheets, pulling her laptop into her lap. Daryl comes in from the bathroom a few minutes later, wearing a tee-shirt and boxers to sleep in, and he first goes to the window to open it a crack to allow the cool fall night breeze in as they sleep and he then goes to the bed, climbing onto his side and laying down flat on his back. He turns his head on the pillow to look at her beside him.
"Whatcha doin'?" He asks and barely gets the question out before he lets out a yawn. He adjusts the blankets over him. "You pinnin' more nursery stuff?" He guesses.
She smiles a little. Since the test came back positive, Beth's been on Pinterest constantly, adding all sorts of nursery related rooms to one her boards – setting it to private for the time being so no one can see – and she has shown Daryl plenty of ideas. They haven't made any decisions yet though she knows that whatever they do decide on for a baby's nursery, with Daryl doing it, it will get done just as she's envisions.
"No," Beth shakes her head. "Matty said something… I'm just doing some research."
"What kind of research?"
"Things at his school that might interest him," Beth says, her eyes not leaving the screen as she then opens a new window and types in the website for their town's YMCA, seeing if they have anything on their schedule that Matty might want to get involved in. "I know he's going to go back to football eventually but I think right now, he's feeling a little lost. Maybe even a little bored."
"Don't surprise me," Daryl says and does his best to bite back the next yawn. "If the kid's not at school, he's at practice and if he's not at practice, he's at a game. Got nothin' but free time now and a person who's used to bein' busy, once you ain't, you don't know how to handle it."
Beth wonders if Daryl ever realizes just how much he and Matty share in common.
After another few minutes of searching, Beth closes the laptop and carefully slides it onto her nightstand before slipping further down between the covers. She instantly turns towards Daryl, her head finding his chest and one of his arms wrapping around her shoulders as his other hand reaches out and turns the lamp off on the nightstand, sending their bedroom into darkness though not complete. Their bedroom faces the back of the house and their neighbor who has their backyard bordering theirs has a small back porch light they keep on all night. The man has a teenage daughter who sneaks out at night and she thinks her dad doesn't know about it but he does.
Beth knows it makes Daryl hope that they have another boy. Beth can't imagine them having a daughter who would sneak out though. Of course, anyone who gives birth to a daughter lives with the idea that their daughter is a precious angel and that they would never give their parents grey hair.
But it's not a bothersome light. It's not too bright and there's plenty of yard between the two and she pulls the drapes down most of the way when they're in bed.
Now that the lights are off and she's lying in bed, Beth realizes how tired she is and she had forgotten how tiring the first trimester of a pregnancy could be. Before she knew she was pregnant with Matty, she started falling asleep in class – something that had never happened to her before – and the teachers wrote notes home about it and it was her mom who read them and took her to the doctor, in the back of her mind, Annette already having a feeling as to what was going on with her daughter.
The second trimester will be better and she'll feel more like herself even as the baby grows larger and she gets larger, too. She'll have more energy and hopefully, she won't have the need to throw up every day and her husband will finish reading the pregnancy book and see for himself that there's absolutely nothing wrong with them being intimate even with little Nibblet inside of her.
Daryl is a stubborn man and Beth knows she can't force him to skip ahead and read that chapter first and then go back and read all of the other chapters. Daryl is going to read the book's chapters in orders and all she can do in that time is glare at him.
All she can do is hope that he's finished reading the book by her second trimester because if not, she might just have to kill him and she's really not looking to be a single mom again. Now that she has Daryl, she doesn't want to do anything alone ever again.
…
Beth is not imagining it. She knows she's not. Her mom is looking at her. Not just looking at her but looking at her.
Every Sunday, after going to church service in the morning, Beth and Matty go to the farm to spend the day. Sometimes, Daryl comes with them but usually, he goes to go visit Merle. Beth and Matty will go with him sometimes but Beth knows that Daryl likes to go on his own most times. He really doesn't like the idea of Beth and Matty going into a prison – though Beth has visited Merle on her own a few times – and she knows that sometimes, the two brothers talk about things that Daryl doesn't want her to hear.
Daryl has left straight from the church and Beth and Matty ride back to the farm with her parents, stopping at their house to pick up Otter. Once arriving at the large Greene house, Matty goes to the barn with Hershel. One of the horses was feeling a little under the weather and Hershel is going to check up on the animal with his grandson's help and Beth and Annette go into the house where Annette begins making dinner – which Daryl will be back in time for – and Beth helps.
Wearing aprons, they work on the fried chicken – which takes hours to make but is well worth it in the end. Beth is stirring the batter as she makes cornbread from scratch and she looks up every few minutes to see Annette's eyes on her. It's starting to be unsettling and Beth can't help but frown a little.
"What?" She finally asks.
But Annette shakes her head – as Beth expected her to do. "Nothing, dear," she says.
Beth does her best to keep from sighing. "That's not a nothing look."
"I'm sorry. It's nothing. Really, Bethy," Annette says with another shake of her head and coats the chicken with more flour. But minutes later, she's back to looking at her intently and Beth stops mixing and stirring to look back with a raised eyebrow this time. Annette lets out a slight laugh then as if she's just realized something.
And Beth feels her stomach tense a little. Her mom's not an idiot and she already knows what Beth looks like when she's pregnant but how can her mom possibly know? She doesn't look pregnant and it's Aaron all over again. How are people looking at her and knowing? Her dress is loose today. There's nothing to show off yet.
"How far along are you?" Annette asks, stopping in her work to wipe her hands off on her apron and she walks around the work table in the middle of the kitchen to come towards her.
"Far along with what?" Beth asks, trying to remain as innocent as possible.
Annette just gives her a look that tells Beth she knows better than to treat her like an idiot and Beth lets out a soft sigh.
"Not far at all. Three months. That's why Daryl and I haven't told anyone yet. It's still too new and we don't want something happening-" Beth cuts herself off.
Annette is looking at her with a smile and tears brimming in her eyes and Beth feels herself smiling, too, and tears sting her own eyes which she knows isn't because of her hormones going crazy. Annette takes the bowl from Beth's hands and sets it down before enveloping her daughter in a tight hug. And Beth smiles and hugs her back.
"I am so happy for you and Daryl," she says to her, kissing her on the head, pulling back and putting her hands on Beth's shoulders, she holds her back so she can look her over.
"How were you able to tell?" Beth asks curiously because maybe the way Annette had guessed is the same way Aaron had been able to guess and she wants to know so maybe, she'll be able to hide it.
Annette smiles. "You're glowing," she says and that's all she says; as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "How are you feeling? Any cravings? How's Daryl taking it? Bad morning sickness yet?"
"I'm feeling fine. Very tired all of the time but it's manageable. Cravings have just been butter pecan ice cream so far. Daryl is so happy but he's nervous and he's reading a pregnancy book and refuses to skip chapters. And the morning sickness has been about every day, usually just as I'm first waking up and then I'm good the rest of the day."
"You'll go upstairs and take a nap later," Annette says and it's not really a flat-out order but it's really not a mere suggestion either. "And Daryl will get to that chapter," she says with a smile, returning to the chicken, knowing exactly what chapter Beth is talking about. "He may be the best daddy Matty could ever ask for but he's still a new one. He just needs to learn these things."
Beth nods, knowing that even though she has to constantly remind herself that Daryl being careful isn't some terrible crime. It's actually very sweet – if it wasn't just so darn frustrating for her.
Annette keeps on smiling. "And the great thing about having a man who absolutely loves you as much as that husband of yours loves you… he can always be persuaded."
And even though she feels like laughing, Beth blushes instead because although she's not a virgin – obviously – talking about sex with her mom is still mortifying. She doesn't care how old she is or how many times she's been pregnant.
After the cornbread is mixed and baking in the oven, Beth tries to help with other things but Annette puts her hands on her back and gently pushes her from the kitchen, telling her that she's just put fresh sheets on her old bed and that image feels too tempting to Beth to stand strong against.
Upstairs, in her childhood bedroom, Beth slips out of her heels and with a contended sigh, she slides onto the bed and with the warm sunshine on her face, she closes her eyes and almost instantly, she feels herself dropping off into sleep.
She's not sure how long she's asleep but the next thing she knows, she feels a dip on the mattress beside her and even without opening her eyes, she knows who is it.
His strong, familiar arms wrap around her and she can smell his familiar scent of leather and smoke and earth and with her eyes still closed, she snuggles in closer to him.
"How's Merle?" She asks, her voice heavy and groggy.
"Fine," he answers but he does it too quickly and short and she knows Merle's not fine.
"Does he need anything?" She asks and she is finally able to open her eyes, looking at him as he lays stretched out next to her on his side, holding her close to his front.
"A new brain maybe," Daryl says and Beth keeps looking at him, not saying anything; waiting for him to say more. He exhales a soft breath. "Stupid shit got into a fight. And even with him limpin' and bruised, stupid shit's still smilin' like nothin's wrong."
Beth isn't too sure what to say about that. She likes Merle and Merle likes her but Daryl has much more experience with his brother and knows him far better than she ever will and even if she says something, Daryl will just shake his head and not believe her and she knows that he has more than enough reason not to believe her when it concerns his older brother.
Daryl exhales another breath; as if he's exhaling Merle from his system and when he looks at her again, his entire demeanor changes. His body is visibly more relaxed and his eyes are warmer now, too.
"How you feelin'?" He asks and she knows his brother's completely from his mind now – for the time being.
"Mom knows. She guessed just like Aaron did," Beth tells him.
He doesn't look surprised. He just smirks a little. "Would explain the hug she gave me downstairs that almost made me black out."
Beth giggles at that and she snuggles in closer to him and his arms tighten around her. They lay there for a few minutes. Or maybe even an hour. She doesn't know and she doesn't even really care. She knows nothing in life is ever perfect but there are always moments like this. Quiet moments that don't seem like much but in actuality, are everything. Moments that make life seem absolutely perfect.
Her legs are bare, her dress having hitched up around her knees as she slept, and she feels the soft material of the pants he wears – black dress pants he wears to church – and the softness of the bed's comforter. She feels Daryl's thumb on her shoulder – the bare patch of skin from where her cardigan sweater has slipped a little – brushing back and forth. She can hear Otter barking outside at something and then a moment later, Matty calling out to him to leave the cows alone.
"I've been thinking of names," she then says quietly, wanting to keep the moment quiet.
His thumb doesn't stop it's slow and gentle sweeping. "Thought you said we shouldn' think of names 'til at least the fifth month."
Beth shrugs in response to that. "Do you mind?" She tilts her head up a little so she can look at him, his face already turned downwards towards hers.
"Why'd I mind that? What do you got?" He asks, making her smile.
"Mark or John if it's a boy," she says even though he already knows that and he nods now, reminding her of that.
When she was younger, when she had Matty, she had in her mind that if she had four sons, she'd name the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. She doesn't know if she and Daryl will have four children – let alone four sons – but she wants to keep going along with this particular plan of hers.
And Daryl doesn't seem to mind it.
"And if it's a girl, what do you think of Ophelia?" She asks.
He makes a face and she can't be sure whether it's one of distaste or not. "Ophelia?" He echoes, trying it out on his own tongue, that look still across his face and it makes her laugh a little.
"She was a character in Hamlet, a Shakespeare play," she tells him.
"I know what Hamlet is and I know Ophelia went and drowned herself in the river," he says with a furrowed brow. "You wanna name our daughter after her?"
"I've always thought the name was so beautiful," Beth says as her defense.
His thumb is still brushing along her shoulder and she almost wishes it wasn't because although she loves when Daryl touches her, she loves it even more when he does something besides touch her. She can't help but shift now as if uncomfortable and she supposes that that is exactly what she is. She moves her legs, brushing them along his, and her hands slowly trail lower on his chest.
Daryl watches her with dark eyes.
"What names do you like if we have a daughter?" She asks in a voice that sounds breathless even to her own ears and it's beginning to ache between her thighs. She wonders if he'll figure it out if she lets out a little whimper right now.
Daryl stares at her and she keeps her eyes locked with his and she thinks maybe… but when her fingers then boldly follow the seam of his pants zipper, he springs up as if she's just stabbed him. He hurries off the bed, his breath heavy, and his body obviously tight with tension.
"Daryl," Beth frowns at him, sitting up, too.
But he's already almost out the door. "Dinner's just 'bout done," he says to her from over his shoulder, not stopping.
"Would you just read the chapter?" She calls out after him and then exhaling a heavy sigh, she flops down on her back and glares up at the ceiling, trying to get herself calmed down again but she's coiled as tight as a mattress spring and doesn't see that happening any time soon.
…
Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to review!
