Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay! Please read and review
Chapter 21
The last morning of their weekend getaway, Lulu woke up to sunlight streaming in through the huge windows. Dante was still asleep next to her. She carefully extracted herself from his arms and got out of bed to run to the bathroom for her first round of morning sickness. This time it didn't last long and when she was finished she brushed her teeth and went to look out the big windows. The swimming pool sparkled in the early morning sunshine and looked very inviting. She decided to throw her bikini on and go for a swim before breakfast while Dante slept. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a purple string bikini and tied it on. When she got down to the pool, she dipped a toe in to test the temperature. It was cool but not cold. She tied her hair up in a knot on top of her head and dove in.
Dante woke up alone in bed and called out for his wife. She didn't respond but he heard splashing in the pool outside. He got out of bed and looked out the window. He saw Lulu swimming laps back and forth in the pool. He watched her gorgeous body sliding through the water gracefully for a few minutes before brushing his teeth and tossing on some trunks. He grabbed a couple of towels and headed out to join her.
Dante sat on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water and waited her to make it back to his end. Once she noticed him, she swam right up and leaned up for a kiss. "Morning Babe." She said. He leaned down to kiss her and she pulled him into the water. He yelped as he fell in and came up sputtering.
"That was a dirty trick." He laughed and grabbed her around the waist.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and planted kisses all over his face. "I couldn't help myself."
"How are you feeling today?" Dante asked.
"I feel amazing today. This time away has done wonders. I had a little morning sickness when I got up but it passed quickly."
"You need to eat. I'm going to make you some breakfast." He said as he kissed her again.
"Can I interest you in a shower with your wife first?" Lulu asked.
"Hell yes you can." Dante said. She unwrapped herself from him and grabbed his hand as she climbed the stairs out of the pool. They wrapped themselves in the towels Dante brought out and headed inside to shower.
After their shower, Lulu checked her phone and found a text from Nik inviting them to dinner when they returned to Port Charles.
"Babe, Nik wants us to come to dinner at Wyndemere tonight. Do you think we should go?" Lulu asked as she walked into the kitchen where Dante was preparing breakfast.
"If you want to then we should. It might be nice to spend some time with your brother and try to reconnect. It's up to you though." Dante said as he set a plate of fruit in front of her to snack on while he cooked.
"Thank you." She said as she looked at the plate. "I guess we should go. He is making an effort and I should do the same. I'll text him back that we will be there."
"Good. Now eat your fruit." Dante said as he added vegetables to the egg white omelettes.
"You're so bossy." She teased as she started eating. "It's kind of hot."
"Oh yeah?" Dante grinned at her.
"I especially like it when you boss me around while wearing your pink apron." Lulu laughed. "I don't want to go home today. What do you want to do with our last day?"
"Just relax with my beautiful wife. When we get back to the real world we are going to be busy finding a new house and all of that so I want to use this time to just enjoy each other." Dante said as he brought two plates over to the table and set them down.
"Thanks for making breakfast." Lulu said as she polished off her food. "It was delicious."
"I'm happy to do it. I want to keep you and the baby healthy and happy." Dante said as he reached over and put a hand on her still flat stomach.
Lulu leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "You are the best husband a girl could ask for. You're pretty cute too. I think we'll keep you around."
He kissed her again and then got up to clear their plates. She insisted on washing the dishes since he had been waiting on her so much. He helped her by drying to make the job go faster.
After the dishes were finished, Lulu was feeling kind of tired from the morning swim. The one thing she was noticing about pregnancy is that she got tired very easily. "I'm feeling a little tired. Will you come cuddle in bed with me before we have to go home?"
"I would love to." Dante said as he followed her to the bedroom.
They climbed onto the bed and Lulu rested her head on Dante's chest as he pulled her in close.
"This weekend has been wonderful." Lulu sighed. "I wish we didn't have to go back."
"It has been great. We have a lot to look forward to at home though. My mom is going to freak out when she finds out about the baby." Dante said as he rubbed her stomach. "Do you think it is a boy or girl?"
"Hmmmm. My gut is telling me it is a girl." Lulu said.
"I would be happy with either of course as long as the baby is healthy. I can't believe I'm going to be someone's dad." Dante said incredulously.
"This kid is going to be so lucky to have you." Lulu said as she reached up to kiss him on the cheek.
"I just want our kid to know that we are going to always be there. I don't want to miss all of the stuff that our fathers missed." Dante said as he stroked Lulu's hair.
Dante heard Lulu sniffling and looked down to see tears streaming down her face. "Baby, what is it? Are you okay? What's the matter?" Dante said with worry.
"I'm fine. I just love you so much and hearing you talk about being a dad to our kid got me all emotional." Lulu said as she wiped her tears. "It is the pregnancy hormones."
Dante laughed. "I suppose this is the sort of thing I'm going to need to get used to for the next several months."
"That and all of the weird stuff I'm going to want to eat." Lulu laughed along with him. She tried to stifle a yawn.
"Baby, you should get a little rest before we have to leave." Dante suggested.
"If I go to sleep then the trip will be over that much sooner. I don't want it to end." Lulu protested.
"We can come back here really soon." Dante said, rubbing her back.
"Good. We are going to need a break from our crazy families once they find out about this baby on the way." Lulu said as she wrapped her arm around his waist and snuggled in to his side.
"I love you." Dante said as he kissed her head.
"I love you too." She mumbled, already half asleep on his chest. Minutes later her breathing was even and Dante knew she was out like a light.
Dante lay there with Lulu sleeping on his chest and he worried. The stress of constantly having to worry about Scott was not good for Lulu or the baby. He didn't know what else to do. He had been working day and night to find him and so far had come up with nothing. He felt like a failure as a husband no matter what Lulu said.
An hour later, Dante extracted himself from Lulu's grasp and got up to pack their bags. He wanted to let her rest as long as possible but they had to leave to go back to Port Charles fairly soon. After he had everything packed, he climbed back into bed with Lulu. He brushed the hair from her face and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Baby, it's time to wake up. We have to get going soon."
Lulu's eyes fluttered open. "Mmmmm, I don't want to get up. I was having such a wonderful dream."
"Oh yeah? It must have been about me then." Dante teased.
"It was actually." Lulu laughed as she tilted her face up to kiss him and then she hopped out of bed. "I'm just going to go freshen up and then we can leave."
Lulu went into the bathroom and Dante went downstairs to pack them some sandwiches for the trip home. A few minutes later, Lulu came downstairs carrying their bags.
"Baby, I would have gotten those!" Dante said as he grabbed them from her and put them down.
"Dante, I'm pregnant not an invalid." Lulu laughed. "I can carry a couple of bags."
"You carry the baby, I carry everything else." Dante insisted. "I packed us a few sandwiches for the trip home. Are you ready to go?"
"I don't want to go but I'm ready. We should tell your mom about the baby as soon as we get home. Since we had to go to General Hospital and Sonny knows, it is only a matter of time before she hears it from someone else and she would be so upset."
"You are absolutely right. She would kill me if she heard it from someone else."
Lulu went up and wrapped her arms around Dante's waist, nestling her face in his neck. "Thanks for this weekend. I feel so much better."
"Anything for you baby. I just want you and that little Falconeri you are carrying to be happy and healthy." He said as he squeezed her back.
Lulu sighed. "Okay, let's go."
Back in Port Charles
The trip home was pleasant and quick. They immediately headed over to Olivia's apartment to tell her the news about the baby. Dante stopped in front of Olivia's door and turned to Lulu. "Are you sure about this?"
"I'm sure. I know she is going to be really happy for us." Lulu said.
"Okay, let's do it." Dante knocked on the door.
Olivia answered and greeted them happily. "Hi kids! What brings you two by? I thought you were out of town."
"We were, we just got back right now. We have something to tell you." Lulu said as Olivia ushered them inside.
"Lay it on me." Olivia said warily.
"Ma, it's good I promise." Dante assured her. He looked at Lulu who smiled and nodded for him to go on. "Lulu is pregnant. We are having a baby!"
Olivia gasped. "I'm going to be a Nonna? You are having my grandbaby?" She asked Lulu.
"Yes, Olivia. You are going to be a Nonna." Lulu confirmed. Olivia immediately got teary eyed and then pulled them in for a group hug.
"I'm so happy. The first grandbaby!" Olivia said as she released them.
"Ma, there is just one thing. You can't tell anyone yet. Only you and Sonny know about it so far." Dante said.
"Sonny knew about this before me?" Olivia demanded as she slapped Dante upside the head.
"Ma! We needed his help to get out of town so I had to tell him." Dante said defending himself.
"Fine but I get to know about the next one first." Olivia stated.
"Whoa. Let's get through this one first before we start talking about any next one." Lulu said. "If by chance there is another one, we promise you will be the very first to know."
Olivia ushered them over to the couch. "So tell me everything. When are you due? What are you having? Where are you going to live?"
Lulu laughed. "I'm only a couple of months along so it is too early to tell what we are having. We don't know where we are going to live yet. We have to look for houses since obviously the loft is too small."
"Are you feeling okay? Do you want something to eat?" Olivia got ready to run to the kitchen.
"We just ate on the trip back thank you. I have had some morning sickness and we had a little scare the other day when I passed out in the bathroom. Dante took me to General Hospital and I was just dehydrated and had low iron levels. I'm feeling much better after our weekend away." Lulu assured her, seeing the look of panic on her face.
"Has my son been taking care of you? He better be feeding you and rubbing your feet." Olivia warned.
Lulu laughed again. "He has been really wonderful. He doted on me all weekend and wouldn't even let me carry my own bag."
"Good. I would have to slap him upside the head again if he wasn't. You two should stay for dinner."
"Sorry ma, we would love to but we already agreed to have dinner with Nik. We should get going. Remember, this is a secret for now just until things settle down and Lulu is further along." Dante said.
"I won't tell a soul. I'm so happy for you kids." She said bringing them in for another group hug. "You promise me you'll come over for dinner this week."
"We will Olivia. Thank you." Lulu assured her. Dante and Lulu hugged Olivia one more time and left to head home and freshen up before dinner with Nik.
The ride over to Wyndemere afforded them a wonderful view of the sunset. Lulu leaned against Dante as the boat sliced through the water and they enjoyed the warm breeze.
"We don't have to stay long do we?" Dante asked, kissing her neck. "I want to get you alone again."
"We are going to stay a respectable amount of time. He was nice enough to extend this olive branch, I'm not going to be rude and leave early." Lulu reprimanded. "I promise though if you behave that I will give you a reward when we get home."
"I will be the picture perfect brother-in-law." Dante promised as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "We should call some realtors tomorrow and start looking for houses. It might take us awhile to find one we love and can afford."
"I can't believe we are going to buy a house. We need a nice yard so I can watch you mow it shirtless." Lulu teased.
"Who says I'm going to be mowing the lawn? Maybe you should be the one mowing shirtless." Dante teased right back.
"I'm going to be too pregnant to mow anything and I doubt anyone is going to want to see me shirtless." Lulu said.
"I always want to see you shirtless." Dante flirted.
"We'll see about that when I have a huge fat belly."
"You will still be the most gorgeous woman on the planet." Dante said as he resumed kissing her neck.
"Good answer." Lulu laughed. "Now kindly unhand me. We're here."
Dante groaned and let go of Lulu. He climbed out of the boat first and then reached for her hand to help her out.
They arrived at Wyndemere right on time for dinner and knocked on the large doors. When Alfred didn't show up they let themselves inside and called for Nik. They entered the dining room to find Scott Baldwin sitting at the head of the table with a very much alive Siobhan sitting at his right. Lulu was stunned not only to see Scott but to see Lucky's wife who was supposed to be dead. Before they could react, Dante was captured from behind by one of Scott's henchman and a knife was put to his throat.
"No!" Lulu screamed.
"I wouldn't make any rash decisions Lulu. Your husband's life depends on it." Scott smirked at her.