Sorry for no updates for several days. My kiddos have decided they no longer like to sleep all night and so I have been very tired and therefore unmotivated to write. I'm about to be away from my computer for several more days, so I hope this update tides you over until I'm reunited with my laptop next week. Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. You are all very kind. :)

Chapter 14

Fred jumped up into Anna's lap and curled right next to her belly. Anna stroked the back of Fred's neck, earning a purr of thanks.

"It looks as though you've stolen my best friend," John said, taking the seat next to Anna. Anna chuckled, scratching behind Fred's ears.

"I think he actually likes the baby. He always curls up right next to my stomach."

John pursed his lips in thought.

"Ah, that's good then," he stated. "I'd hope Fred would like his new sibling."

"When the baby starts kicking, he might not like the baby as much," Anna playfully said. She turned closer to John, resting her head against his shoulder. It was growing dark outside and they had just finished dinner. They now spent nearly every evening together, either at her place or his. It was never much of a discussion about where they would end up, they just always ended up at one of their places.

"My lease is about up," Anna told John, still petting Fred in her lap.

"Oh yeah?"

"I am wondering if I shouldn't start looking into getting myself a house," Anna continued. "I have the money. I just didn't need a house before, but now with the baby…"

"We could…" John paused. "We could move into a house together."

At that, Anna sat up. She eyed John carefully while biting on her lower lip.

"Is it too soon?"

John's hand came up to rest on her cheek.

"I don't know. Is it? We haven't really done things in any specific order," he added, bringing his hand down to attempt to rest on her belly. Fred swiped at his hand though and John laughed, dropping his hand to Anna's arm.

"I mean, we could. We spend every evening together, anyway. And it would be best for our child to have us both every day," Anna mused. They hadn't spoken of their plans once the baby was born. It was a complicated subject. How, exactly, would that look? Moving into a house together would definitely make that easier.

"When is your lease up?"

"Next month. I have to decide soon if I sign up for another year," Anna answered. "I think it might be best not to though. I want our baby to have a big backyard to play in."

"Me too."

Anna inhaled and set her head back on John's chest. Suddenly, she felt a little anxious. Were they moving too quickly? They had only officially been dating for 9 weeks.

"I don't have to move in with you," John quickly added, seeming to read Anna's thoughts. "We don't have to decide, yet. I still have a few months on my lease here. We could play it by ear."

"Right," Anna uncomfortably replied. It was just now becoming clearer about how much the addition of the baby was going to complicate things. She placed her hand over the swell of her belly and sighed. Everything had to work out.

-X-X-X-XX-X-X-X-

"A house?" Mary asked Anna.

"Yes, I want a home for the baby to grow up in," Anna explained to her best friend. For the first time, in a long while, she and her friend had met up outside of work for lunch. It had become a rarity lately, because they were always busy with work.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Mary replied. "I can help you search. Would you like something closer to the firm? Or potentially on Downton Abbey property? We just had that new neighborhood built."

"That could be lovely," Anna mused. She had always loved the property at Downton. It was tucked away from the loud sounds of the village and there was plenty of open area for picnics and gardens.

"It's settled then," Mary simply said. "I'll take you on a tour. What about John? Will he be moving in with you?"

At the question, Anna glanced down at her hands and shrugged her shoulders.

"He said he would," Anna said. "But I worry…"

"It's too fast?"

"Yes," Anna honestly stated. "I never planned on any of this. I never thought I'd be in a relationship, much less become a mother."

"It's overwhelming?"

"It is."

"But John is kind? You two get along? Or do you argue all the time like at work?"

Anna shook her head and smiled. "He's wonderful, truly. It's all just happening very fast and not at all what I expected."

"Then take some time," Mary suggested. "Don't rush into buying a house together. If you need a place to stay, you can always stay in my guest house while you figure things out. I just don't want you feeling like you must take these steps. It'll all work out the way it's supposed to."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Once Anna got back to work that afternoon, she mulled over what Mary had said about not needing to rush the next steps. It was easy to say, but she felt like she had this short timeline to fit everything into. She was only fifteen weeks pregnant, but there were only 25 weeks until the baby was here.

She pressed her head within her hands and took in a deep breath. Everything had seemed easier two days ago.

There came a knock at her door and she glanced up to find John standing in her doorway. She gave him a nod to tell him he could walk in. John closed the door behind him and sat down across from Anna.

"You've seemed stressed since our talk last night."

"I'm fine," Anna dismissed, not wanting to talk about any of this anymore.

"You're not," he countered. "I had a thought. Since my lease has a little while longer, what if you moved into my flat first? Then we could see how living together worked out? That way, if it didn't, we wouldn't have gone into buying a house together and then regret it."

Anna took in a deep breath. It did sound like a good idea. It would keep them from taking too big of a step that they could end up regretting.

"Alright," Anna said with a small smile.

"And that doesn't mean you can't start house shopping. We'll just determine in a few months if I'll be moving in with you."

He placed his hands on Anna's desk, bending forward to give her a kiss. Anna brought her hand up to rest on John's shoulder and she met his eyes.

"We really need to find a good place," Anna said.

"We will," John replied. "The best place for our child to grow up."

"No," Anna said, fluttering her eye lashes seductively. "A good place for when I can't wait until the evening." A blush covered John's cheeks.

"Come on," he stated, taking her hands within his own and then tugging her up slightly. "We have time. I'm sure we can find somewhere."

To be continued...