Lidia stomped down the stairs angrily and yelped as she turned the corner.

"Ollie, are you trying to make me have this baby early?" She asked as she put one hand over her heart and the other on her stomach.

"Sorry!"

"What are you doing down here? I thought you left."

"I wanted to make sure you were alright." He asked as he looked up the stairs.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked curiously.

"You're in a fragile state and he has been… different since you left." Ollie said, carefully choosing the word 'different'.

"Different how?"

"He just gets angry easier than he used to."

"I think that's because he's been angry at me." She said as she glanced up the stairs before the two of them began their journey to Ollie's home.

"Are you sure it's Alfie's? I mean, you were with Adam too." Ollie asked as he threw a pillow on the sofa.

"I'm positive." Lidia answered.

"But, how can you be sure? Adam would be a good dad and-"

"You think Alfie wouldn't?" she interrupted.

"I didn't say that." He quickly defended. "All I'm saying is, how can you be sure he's actually the father?"

"I bled since I was with Adam and then I was with Alfie and haven't bled since." Lidia said plainly.

"Ew! Honestly, Lidia!" Ollie said.

"Well, that's how it works! You bleed and you're not pregnant, you don't, and you are!"

"I don't need to know about your womanhood."

"Then don't question me." She said sticking her nose in the air and Ollie shot her a look.

"Are you alright though?" He asked and Lidia could see the deep concern in his eyes.

"Yes, I am fine. I came to terms a long time ago that I would be caring for this child alone. If Alfie doesn't want it, I will be alright."

"And if he does?"

"Then I'll figure it out, I suppose." She said shrugging.

Ollie looked at his sister with a small smile, "I'm glad your back."

Lidia smiled at her brother and hugged him over her stomach. "I am too…. I think."

The following afternoon, Lidia knocked on Alfie's door.

"He's in the back room, miss." Edna, his maid, said and Lidia proceeded to her destination.

Lidia found Alfie surrounded by beautiful pieces of deep maroon mahogany furniture that he was piecing together.

"You sent your messenger for me?" Lidia said.

"I sent your brother." Alfie corrected with a grunt as he tightened a screw.

"Same thing." She said with a wave of her hand. "You know, I'm sure you could pay someone to do that for you."

"I want to do it myself. It's not the first time I've build furniture." He said as he paused and reached in his pocket, pulling out a key. "Here. Ishmael is going to meet you at the bottom of the stairs."

"What's this for?" She asked looking at the key.

"It's to your shoppe. I had all your belongings moved from the house across the street a month after you left." He said as he went back to his wood. "Select what you want, and Ishmael will take men when you've finished to gather it and bring it up."

"I don't understand."

"Your things. Bring whatever you want of them. Clothes, kitchen things, furniture…. Though, I don't know where we will put that…" He said with a shrug. "But we'll figure it out."

"To… bring here?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Alfie sighed and looked at her, irritated that he was getting distracted from his project. "Because you are going to live here."

"Am I?" Lidia said, irritation growing in her voice as well.

"Yes."

"And you were going to ask me about this when?"

"I wasn't."

Lidia scoffed a chuckle. "Look, I-"

"No. You look!" Alfie said as he threw down his tools, "We never found whatever fucker was out there attacking you before. You're back now, and pregnant, and I'm not going to risk it. You will live here, and Edna will be here before I leave for work and leave after I get back and you will have one of my men that I trust with you any time you leave this fucking building."

"But, why do I-"

"Because I fucking want you to!" Alfie said anticipating her question. "I fucking want you here. I want you. I want the fucking baby. I didn't ask you because you hate when I ask what you want, so I am telling you what I want. And that's what we are going to fucking do…" He said before he took a deep breath and ran a hand over his eyes. "I just, I fucking want you both here. Alright?" he said calmly, looking at her as if saying the words aloud had exhausted him.

Lidia nodded, "Alright."

"Good. Now, Ishmael is waiting for you." He said as he turned back to his project and Lidia left him to it, stifling a smile.

She walked down the stairs and found Ishmael, whose eyes went round when he saw her stomach. "Ollie told us this morning, but we didn't believe him!"

"It's true." She said as she rubbed her stomach.

"And now you're moving in with Alfie." He said as he gave a tut of his tongue. "Never thought I'd see the day he moved a woman in the house."

Lidia and Ishmael arrived at the front of her shoppe and Lidia looked at the boarded window. "I thought he would rent it out to someone else."

"Yeah, well he hasn't let anyone near it since we moved your stuff in around all the books." Ishmael replied.

"I got rid of all the books." She said as she looked at him curiously.

"You sure about that?" He asked with a small grin and Lidia moved forward to unlock the door.

Lidia opened the door and gasped as she saw her shelves full of books, her furniture scattered throughout the stacks.

"Where did all these come from?" she asked, astonished.

"They arrived a week after you left. Alfie put them on the shelves himself. We even got the ones back from the boxes you sat out for people to take."

Lidia walked around the stacks, brushing off the dust. She realized after a moment that the books were replacements from what she had lost in the vandalism. Emotion grew in her throat as she realized the care that Alfie had gone through for her and guilt swept over her as she though of how his care had been left to grow dust in her absence.

"So, what are we thinking?" Ishmael said as he looked at her belongings, ready to satisfy his boss's orders.

Lidia sniffed back her emotion as a tear fell from her cheek. She quickly swept it away and turned to her task.

Hours later, Lidia walked back into Alfie's and sat on the sofa. Her feet wore sore and she was tired. She leaned her head back and exhaled, immediately falling asleep. An hour later she was awoken by a bang.

"Fuck!" one of Alfie's men said in a whisper. "Sorry!" He said when he looked up to find Lidia awake.

"it's alright." She said as she rubbed her eye. "That's my lamp."

"Ishmael said you wanted it." The young man replied with a worried look on his face.

"No. Yes, I did. I'm just… ignore me." She said, her mind still waking up. "Where are you taking it?"

"Mr. Solomons wants it in the nursery." He answered.

"The what?" Lidia asked as she thought she misunderstood.

"The nursery." He repeated.

"We don't have a-…. You know what, I'll follow you." She said giving up on the conversation.

She stood and followed him to the back room Alfie had been in earlier in the day.

"Well, look who decided to join the living." Alfie said with a smirk.

Lidia didn't respond. Her eyes her glued to the deep maroon mahogany crib that sat against the wall.

"You like it?" Alfie asked.

"You built that?" She asked as she turned her attention to him and he nodded.

Suddenly and without warning, Lidia turned away and began breathing heavy, attempting to hold back sobs.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" Alfie asked, shocked by her sudden outburst of emotion. "I can get a new one if you prefer a different wood or.."

Lidia shook her head as she buried her face in her hands.

"What's the matter?" Alfie pressed, growing concerned.

"You b-built this-s…a-and you r-replaced the b-books and.." Was all she could say.

Alfie nodded at the men to leave the room as he walked to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Feeling his touch, she melted into him and he wrapped his arms around her. He sat his chin on her head as she cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry." She said as she finally calmed down and leaned back. "Your shirts all wet now."

He brushed the hair from her forehead and said, "It will dry."

"This crib is beautiful." She said turning her attention to the furniture. "You built it by yourself?"

"Yes. With my own two hands." He said holding up his hands.

"Are you sure it's sturdy?"

"Oh, we're done crying so now we're being cheeky, hmm?" he said shaking his head. "Yes, it's sturdy."

"I mean, I don't want to lay my baby down and her fall through to the floor." Lidia continued, feigning concern.

"First of all, it's a boy. And the crib is sturdy. Here, I'll prove it to you. Jack!" He yelled and the young man from before came scurrying in.

"Sir?"

"Lay in this crib." Alfie said, never taking his eyes from Lidia.

The young man looked at Alfie for a brief second and then walked toward the crib.

"What? NO! He's filthy!" Lidia said looking from Jack to Alfie and seeing the humor in Alfie's eyes.

"Take off your clothes first, Jack." Alfie said never missing a beat, the smile on his face growing larger.

Jack immediately began to take off his shirt.

"No, don't take off your clothes! Do not get in that crib!" Lidia said with authority.

Jack froze and looked at her before looking toward Alfie for instruction.

"Go on, fuck off. That's all for today." Alfie said with a smile and Jack turned and left.

"That was not funny. You were about to let some filthy kid in our child's bed. What is he, twelve?"

"No, he's eighteen. He's terrified of me."

"I can tell." Lidia said with a laugh. "Did they bring my bed?"

"No."

"I told Ishmael-"

"Yes, I know but I gave him other instruction. I want you to sleep in bed with me."

"That's moving a bit fast isn't it?"

"You've done it before."

"Yes, for one night. This is different."

"Mm. You're pregnant with my child. So, you probably should have spent the past seven months in my bed." He said nodding.

Lidia sighed. "Alfie, I don't think you know what you're asking. You want to, what? Go from fighting to me being gone to living with you and sharing a bed every night? Do you realize how big of a change that is?"

"I didn't say it would be easy." He responded.

"So, you to live in sin?"

"Treacle, I've been living in sin my whole life." He said as he turned to walk out of the room. "Now go to bed, you're fucking pregnant. My child needs rest." He ordered in a cheeky authoritative tone.

Lidia shook her head at him and rolled her eyes before she went to ready herself for bed.

She stared at the bed in her slip. She had only given him the choice last night; she hadn't expected him to make his selection so easily. She suddenly felt awkward, unsure of how she would adjust to yet another large change. They were barely on speaking terms when she had left and now, they were going to live together?

"What?" He asked as he watched her from the doorway.

"I suddenly feel incredibly overwhelmed." She admitted.

"It's just a bed, Lidia."

"Yes, I know but.. I thought if you wanted the baby then I would live in a house close by or…"

"For all we know there's a madman out there waiting for his chance to attack you again. I can't give him that opportunity."

"I know." She said with a nervous sigh.

"I can sleep on the sofa." Alfie offered.

"No, don't be silly." She said before she walked forward and pulled the sheets back.

Living together was an adjustment. Lidia felt as if she were out of place. After the first week, however, Lidia began to relax and started doing things around the house that she preferred to do rather than Edna. She followed Alfie's instruction and didn't leave without being accompanied by Ishmael, Adam, or himself. She expected Adam to treat her different, but instead, he treated her as if nothing had happened between them and they were friends.

Alfie had wanted to be around Lidia since she left and was happy she was back in his life. He was terrified and overjoyed at the thought of becoming a father but knew the true test would be when it arrived. He knew Lidia was anxious about their arrangement so, in an effort to ease her transition he refrained from telling her about Rosalie.

Rosalie walked into his office the day after Lidia's things were taken to Alfie's house and threw herself onto him. She grabbed his face and kissed him, hard. Alfie put his hands up and then pushed her off him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, irritated.

"You act like her being back changes things." Rosalie scoffed.

"She lives in my fucking house."

"And?" Rosalie said as she sat herself on his desk and spread her legs.

"Go home, Rosalie."

"You'll call for me again." She said as she angrily closed her legs and jumped from his desk. "And when you do, I will come to you just as I always have. We are inevitable, Alfie. You can't stay away." She said before she walked out, confidence in her eyes.

After a week, Alfie was growing frustrated. He hadn't gone this long without sex since the war. He didn't try sleeping with Lidia, primarily because she turned away when he tried to kiss her for the first few days and then when she finally allowed him to kiss her, she would stop before things got too passionate. Truth is, she wanted to. Lidia wanted sex more than ever since she had gotten pregnant. but she didn't know if he was still sleeping with Rosalie and refused to allow herself to be his second.

Alfie crawled in bed and turned off the light. He turned on his side and reached for Lidia who faced him. He pulled her close and kissed her.

"Alfie?" She said, pulling away from their kiss. "When was the last time you slept with Rosalie?"

"What?"

"I need you to tell me, and be honest, please."

He furrowed his brow at her, "Before you got back."

"You swear?" She pressed.

"Yes. I've not slept with anyone in over a fucking week." He said, his frustration audible and Lidia smiled.

"Kiss me." She ordered softly and he leaned in and placed his lips on hers.

They kissed, passionately and Lidia ran her hand down and between his legs. She grasped his erection and began to move her hand before she leaned up.

"Lidia.." He started as she began to move herself lower on the bed.

"Shh." She replied as she kissed his stomach, moving down his body.

She licked his shaft before she engulfed him in her mouth. Alfie hissed between clenched teeth. She sucked on him, using her tongue to add to his pleasure. She felt his hips begin to tighten and she hesitated for a moment to decide if she wanted to continue with her mouth or have him enter her.

"Fuck," Alfie said with his eyes closed as he ran his hands through her hair enjoying the pleasure she was inflicting him, "Don't stop Rose."

The minute the words escaped his mouth his eyes sprung open, in shock at what he had just said.