Chapter 37

"I'm moving in with Daryl. Oh, and I'm pregnant, too!" Carol frowned as she stared at herself in the mirror, hair slicked back from the shower, drips of water cascading down her shoulders as she stood in nothing but her bra and panties. "Hey, you guys know how I do everything in warp-speed? Well, Daryl and I are moving in together, and by the way, I'm knocked up!"

"Thought you were waitin' to tell 'em about the baby," Daryl said with a smirk. Carol yelped in surprise, turning to see Daryl standing in the doorway to her en suite bathroom with nothing but a towel draped low around his hips. Water dripped from his wet hair that was plastered to his face and neck.

"I am," she said, taking a slow breath to relax herself. "But I'm practicing."

"You said you were waitin' to tell the kids about me, too, but that didn't happen," he reminded her.

"Well, the perfect opportunity presented itself, and I took it." She shrugged her shoulders, sighing softly as Daryl came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder before kissing her neck. She smiled, leaning back against his chest. He smelled like soap, and heat radiated from his skin, warming her own skin as she pressed back against him. "Good morning, by the way."

"That good mornin' in the shower wasn't enough for ya, huh?"

"It's never enough," she admitted, turning to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him slowly, tenderly. His hands moved down her sides and over the curve of her spine, and she traced her tongue against his lip in a kiss that promised much more to come. She suddenly pulled back, when his hands were on her ass. "Mmm, we should probably keep this PG. The kids'll be up soon."

"Best thing about movin' into my place? Locks."

"We aren't locking the kids out," she laughed. "We'll just have to encourage them to knock every time they want to come in."

"Might wanna re-think the lock idea."

"You're awfully sure that it's going to be non-stop sex when we finally shack up," she teased, kissing his jaw, as his hands pawed at her hips.

"Hey, we're still in the honeymoon stage," he pointed out, a grin spreading across his face.

"If only we were actually married," she teased him.

"We could get married. Right now. Let's go," he offered, only half-teasing, as he tugged at her hand. She swatted him away.

"Is this your way of proposing to me when I least expect it?"

"Nah. Just testin' the waters. Least you aren't squirmin' away or listin' reasons why I shouldn't wanna marry you this time," he offered.

"You're an ass," she laughed, as he picked her up and deposited her on the bed. He stepped toward her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to drop the towel and crawl over her. Instead, he sat down next to her.

"What kinda wedding would you want?" Carol cocked her head to the side, playing along.

"Well," she mused, "nothing too cliché like a wedding at sunset on the beach. Nothing tacky like a camo wedding. Something simple with our friends and the kids, of course. I don't want anything fancy or church. Just something for us."

"Damn," he murmured after a moment.

"What?"

"See, I pegged ya for low maintenance."

"I am!" she insisted with a giggle.

"Nah, see, you're sayin' you want it simple but not tacky or nothin' like that, but what you're really sayin is that it better be the best damned day of your life, or I'll spend the next thirty years never livin' it down. Am I right?"

"Maybe," she grinned. "I'm serious, though. Nothing big. Nothing fancy. I just want you."

"Good thinkin'," he murmured, leaning in to press his lips against hers once again. He pulled her into his lap, and she wrapped her legs around him, her eyes growing dark with desire as she felt his erection pressing against her from under the towel.

His hands moved up her arms and over her shoulders, sliding the straps down her arms. She shivered as his tongue darted out to lick his lips, as he peeled back the cups of her bra to reveal her hardened nipples. She threw her head back as he took one nipple between his teeth, gently nipping it before soothing it over with his tongue. He sucked softly then, surprising her and sending a bolt of heat directly to her core. He then switched to the other breast, and she began to squirm in his lap.

Her fingertips tucked under the towel, and she wrapped her fingers around him, giving him a few strokes, just enough to make him groan against her lips.

"Fuck, you're killin' me." He moved his hand up her thighs, and he pressed his hand against her heat. She gasped, tugging on his lower lip before she pulled back.

"You're playing with fire, Dixon."

"Tit for tat," he muttered, sucking on her neck. He dipped his fingers inside of her panties, pushing two inside of her. She gasped softly at the feeling, and he stroked her, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. She began to move her hips, bucking against his hand as he moved them inside of her.

A creak from the hallway had them both stopping, listening for any sign of movement. Daryl quickly withdrew his hand, placing it at her hip, and she moved her hand to his chest, feeling his racing heart beneath her fingertips.

"They awake?" he croaked out, struggling to regain his normal breathing.

"If they were, we'd know it."

"Better stick with keepin' it PG," he offered, giving her a peck on her pouting lips. "I'll make it up to ya later.

"You'd better," she murmured, sliding off of his lap, adjusting her bra and panties, wondering exactly how she was going to get through the day knowing what she had to look forward to when she got home tonight.

...

"So they're ok with it?" Michonne asked, sipping on her iced tea as she, Tara and Carol sat at their favorite cafe on lunch break.

"Sam's pretty ok with it. He's gotten past the newness of it all, and he's telling everybody in preschool about how he has a dad. Sophia's a little more hesitant. I think she's confused about how this stranger went from being mommy's date to mommy's boyfriend to suddenly being her father all in such a short period of time. It's...it's a little new and scary, I guess. Maybe a little bit scary for all of us, but she's coping. She likes Daryl. I think she doesn't know whether to treat him like she always has, like mommy's boyfriend or if she should be more wary because he's her dad. It's...I don't know. But Daryl's so patient. He's not pushing them, and I think that's best."

"You guys are killing me," Tara groaned. "I swear, I just...I mean, you're so lucky." She sighed. "I hope one of these days, when Rosita and I have kids, that they'll be just as understanding when we tell them how they got here. How did you do that, by the way?"

"Um," Carol chuckled, "I explained about mommies having eggs and daddies having special seeds."

"Damn," Tara laughed. "My mom just told me that babies got here by magic, and I'd find out when I'm older. I asked my dad when I would be old enough, and he said thirty." Michonne snorted at that. "Little does he know, I found out a lot sooner than he hoped." She shrugged her shoulders, and Carol grinned.

"How are things with Rosita, anyway?"

"Good," Tara said with a nod, taking a sip of wine. "Things are good. I'm happy. She's happy. We're good." Carol grinned, taking a sip of her ice water.

"So no plans for a wedding yet, hmm?" Michonne asked Carol, tapping her fingers on the table.

"No. He hasn't asked me yet. He's waiting for a time when I'm not expecting it, except now, I'm always expecting it." She blushed. "But I'm happy with how things are. I'm so happy."

"So happy you're just picking at your food?" Michonne noticed.

"I'm not...not very hungry," Carol admitted, pushing her plate away. Michonne pursed her lips, eyeing her best friend for a moment.

"Well, you do look happy. You're glowing," Michonne pointed out. Tara's eyes went wide.

"You are! You've got that...happy glow."

"Ohhhh," Michonne teased. "Is that why you're only drinking water?"

"What? No!" Carol scoffed.

"Oh my God," Tara stammered. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"No?" Carol offered, but it came out as more of a question.

"You're a terrible liar, Carol Ann," Michonne scolded. "Are you?"

"No!" It wasn't any more convincing, but at least she tried.

"Oh holy shit! You are!" Tara squealed, her voice rising above the usual cafe sounds of clattering silverware and whispered conversations. A certain stuffy waiter came walking by, pausing beside Tara's chair. She looked up at him sheepishly, and his usual stoic expression turned to a warmer one filled with amusement.

"Miss," he said, clearing his throat.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I'd like to thank you."

"What for?" She glanced at Carol and Michonne, who were equally stumped.

"You've just earned me free dinner for a week. See, my co-workers and I had a bet from the moment you walked in the door this afternoon. We were betting on how long it would take for you to make a scene. I won."

"Um, you're welcome?" She offered with a mild shrug. The waiter just chuckled and walked away, and Michonne clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Oh God," Carol groaned, covering her eyes with her hand.

"What are you embarrassed about?" Tara groaned. "Guys, am I really that loud?" Michonne snorted, and Carol reached over to pat Tara's hand.

"It's one of the many reasons we love you, honey."

...

When Carol pulled into the drive, she noticed Daryl's truck parked out in front of the house. Seeing his truck outside always made her feel a little better at the end of a long day. Given the fact that her friends knew her better than she'd given them credit for and saw right through her not feeling well enough to eat and only sticking to water, she at least wanted to end the day spending time with the man she loved and her kids.

When she walked inside, however, she wasn't greeted by the sound of cartoons on the television or of Sam and Sophia giggling. The house was a little too quiet, and it immediately sent a wave of panic over her.

"Sam? Sophia!" No response. She heard a creak on the stairs. "Daryl?"

"Hey, up here," he called. "Kids are with Rick and Michonne. Don't panic."

"Oh," she murmured, letting out a sharp breath. She started for the stairs only to find Daryl in her bedroom, sitting on the edge of her bed wearing only a towel, just as he had been this morning. He was damp from the shower, too.

"Did you wear that to work?" she teased.

"Nah," he chuckled. "Got a little dirty at the shop." Carol grinned, tossing her purse in the corner chair and toeing off her shoes.

"Well, it suits you," she offered with a wink. Daryl smirked at her.

"Work go ok?"

"Mmm," she hummed, removing her belt from her work pants. "Lunch went a little differently than I planned. They figured out that I'm pregnant."

"Did they figure it out, or did ya tell 'em?" he asked, a grin sliding over his face.

"They figured it out," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. "I didn't want them to know just yet. I tried to deny it, but they see right through me."

"You ok with it?"

"I guess," she shrugged. "They were gonna figure it out sooner or later." Daryl nodded at that, as Carol stepped over in front of him. He placed his hands on her waist and stared up at her.

"We got the house to ourselves for a couple of hours. Michonne and Rick took the kids to a movie."

"A whole couple of hours?" Carol asked, quirking her eyebrow. "Gee, what could we do in a couple of hours?"

"Maybe somethin' we could do a few times over." His hands moved around to her ass, leaving no question about what he wanted.

"Daryl Dixon, I am a mother!" she teased, playfully slapping at his hand as he pawed at her backside.

"Ya ain't my mother," he replied, pressing his face against her stomach, inhaling the deep scent of her perfume and the underlying, natural scent of just Carol. His favorite. "You have too many clothes on." He was already tugging her shirt up, pressing his lips and tongue against her stomach, and she shivered at the sensation.

She quickly helped him rid her of the garment, and then she stepped out of her pants. Wearing nothing but her bra and panties, she settled into his lap, wrapping her legs around his hips, smiling as she caressed his scratchy jaw with her fingertips.

"That better?" she asked.

"Still got too many clothes on," he replied with a smirk, flipping her onto her back and crawling over her as she legs tightened around his hips.

"Well," she panted, eyes darkening with desire, "whatcha gonna do about that?"