Chapter Seven: Lilly's P.O.V.
Now in her final month of pregnancy, sometimes the events of the past year seemed surreal. A few years ago, if someone had told her she'd be living with Scotty, expecting his baby, and looking after her two-year-old niece, she would have laughed. Sometimes she felt as if her relationship with Scotty had evolved so fast, yet other times they seemed so compatible, it seemed as if they'd been together for years. The transition from being partners to being romantically involved hadn't been easy, but she didn't regret a minute of it. Scotty had been incredible to both her and Alexia.
It hadn't been easy to adjust from a solitary life to life with a baby. After checking Cristina into the rehab facility, she'd taken some time off from work to get Alexia settled into her house. Scotty showed up on her doorstep on her first night alone with Alexia, with a bag of Chinese food and some baby necessities. In a way, that's how their relationship began. After the night at the beach, they hadn't really had time to discuss where they stood in their relationship. She'd been a bit preoccupied with Alexia and Cristina. At first, Scotty only came over after work, to help with Alexia before bedtime. Then he started spending the nights on her couch, after they discovered he had a special connection with Alexia. When Alexia woke up in the middle of the night, she always asked for Scotty.
The pregnancy had certainly added pressure and work to Scotty but he'd handled it wonderfully. She knew she was awful to him sometimes, and she always felt guilty after lashed out at him. Sometimes, it seems, she couldn't control her emotions. She was used to being in charge, in control of herself, but the pregnancy had certainly made that difficult. On top of that, Alexia wasn't particularly happy about Lilly's pregnancy. At times, she seemed downright jealous, but her behavior was understandable, after all, she had been an only child her entire life. Scotty had been particularly patient with her, always making sure to set some time apart for just the two of them, which seemed to easy her jealousy about the new baby. She and Scotty had agreed they wanted the baby's gender to be a surprise, although she secretly knew he was hoping for a boy. She didn't care if the baby was a boy or a girl, because despite the fact that she hadn't even seen her baby yet, she already loved him or her more than she could understand.
She'd insisted on working during her final months of pregnancy, which hadn't pleased Scotty, or the boss too much. She already felt sluggish, and taking time off before the baby just made her feel worse. Working made her feel better, and besides she wasn't used to staying at home and doing nothing. But although she was still working, she'd been banned from any field duties and confined to desk duty, aside from an occasional integration. Scotty had somewhat opened up to the idea of her still working; one, because he didn't have a choice, once she made it clear that she wasn't going to change her mind, and two, because her presence at work made it easier for him to hover. Although it was sweet that he cared so much about her that he worried, it could also be a bit irritating. Sometimes she just needed some space, some time alone to think, or relax. But despite all the changes in her life over the past year, she didn't regret a minute of it.
