A/N: Here's the next chapter, I just want to thank you all for your continued patience for sticking with me and this story. I had thought I would have this completed by now but it will get done when it gets done. I've finished uni but life is still very crazy. If you want to keep updated with Autumn Changes and more then please feel free to add me on FB - B A Henwood Author, I had to create a profile as I couldn't get the page to work properly. But I'm editing Autumn Changes which has been a slow process but I'm confident I can get it finished and published sooner rather than later.

I'm not sure when chapter thirty will be posted. I haven't even written it yet but I'm planning to do a re-read and make a plan on how I can finished up Life Unexpected as there are many loose ties to tie!

As always, enjoy my lovelies :)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Entering the restaurant, Elizabeth smiled as she greeted Jane and Lydia with a hug each before taking a seat next to Lydia. Now that Mia and Alice had been informed, Elizabeth and Will had decided to share their news with the rest of their families.

"It feels like it's been ages since we last had lunch together like this." Lydia smiled.

"We've all been so busy," Jane replied, "Lizzy opening her business, you with your graduate position and me…well life is always busy."

"Work is definitely a welcome distraction these days," Lydia commented, picking up a menu, "Mum and Dad either argue or cry separately. I can't wait to get my own place with Denny once we've saved up enough."

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It had been five weeks since she had last spoken to her parents following their betrayal. Valentine's day had come and passed, she and Will had celebrated with a candlelit dinner and a film at home whilst Alice had taken Mia to the cinema for the evening. Elizabeth had celebrated a quiet birthday at the end of February turning twenty-six and now it was early March. She was nearing sixteen weeks into her pregnancy and was starting to notice subtle changes to her body. She could feel a strange notion like bubbles popping in her stomach and her lower abdomen had started feeling firmer and swollen where the baby was growing and her uterus expanding. For now, she could hide it under clothing but not for much longer. For now, she had planned to tell her sisters while Will informed Reginald and Georgiana about the baby before she could decide how to tell her parents she was pregnant. It was still raw for her, and she was still trying to process what had happened.

"Have you heard anything from mum and dad, Lizzy?" Jane asked quietly.

Elizabeth nodded stiffly, her heart beating faster. She hoped that her sisters would not nag her about reconciling with their parents. However, Jane and Lydia had yet to be informed as to why Elizabeth had not spoken to her parents since January.

"They've tried to contact me, but I've not answered their calls. I've read their texts but haven't replied." Elizabeth replied quietly.

"I assume your argument with them is serious?" Lydia queried.

Elizabeth nodded.

"It is serious, I've been going through something recently which meant I had to see David again and he told me that he was never in a rush to marry me and mum paid him to propose as soon as he did." She muttered.

The look on her sister's faces changed from concern to shock at the news.

"I can't believe mum would interfere that badly." Lydia whispered.

"She would. She didn't want another daughter letting her down, in David's words. But there's more. It turns out that David is the one who is infertile, not me. Mum knew about it and Dad found out which is the reason why mum had an extended stay at Uncle Ed's." Elizabeth shared.

"Hold on…How would mum know about David…and how did you find out?" Jane questioned quietly.

"Because she went to see David to see if he would change his mind and he told her that the reason he wanted to divorce me was because he couldn't give me a child. I found out about it because I had to clear some things up with David…because I'm pregnant."

Elizabeth inhaled as she looked between her sisters. For a few minutes there was complete silence between the three of them, the only sounds were the chatter of the other restaurant diners and the clanking of plates and glasses. She felt like a weight had been lifted as she shared the news of why she wasn't speaking to her parents and her exciting news. The next thing she knew, Lydia had thrown her arms around her, and Jane had leapt out of her seat and rushed to the other side of the table to join in a triple hug.

"Lizzy…that's amazing…" Jane gushed.

The sisters all sat back in their seats.

"How far along are you?" Lydia asked.

"Nearly sixteen weeks. I'm due in August." Elizabeth replied.

"That's amazing, Lizzy." Jane smiled.

The sisters continued to gush about Elizabeth's pregnancy, asking varying questions about how the scans had gone, how she felt when she found out about the baby, how Will and Mia reacted and more as they ordered their lunch and drinks. Elizabeth continued to smile from ear to ear as Jane squealed repeatedly at the prospect of being an auntie for the first time and Lydia was already calling dibs on being godmother. As the waiter brought over their drinks, the conversation took a turn which wiped the smile off Elizabeth's face.

"Lizzy…have you told mum and dad yet?" Lydia asked.

Elizabeth shook her head.

"Will and I are discussing it tonight." Elizabeth replied.

Both her sisters shared a look, but both nodded and changed the subject of conversation. Elizabeth listened to the updates in her sister's lives, how the twins were doing at school, how both Jane and Lydia's relationships were going, and their work lives too. The waiter brought over their food and they tucked in, leaving Elizabeth to silently ponder at just how she was going to approach her parents.

ooOoo

Three sharp knocks on the front door reached Will's ears as he climbed off the sofa and crossed the living room to the hallway. He took a deep inhale and exhaled before he opened the front door to see his father and sister waiting on the other side.

"Hello Fitzwilliam!" Reginald greeted cheerfully.

"Hi dad, Hi Georgie." Will greeted.

He stepped aside to allow his father and sister to step into the house and closed the door behind them. Reginald and Georgiana took off their shoes and coats and followed Will through to the living room, sitting next to him on the sofa.

"I'm surprised you asked us both over, Fitzwilliam. Aren't you supposed to be working today?" Reginald questioned.

"I'm working from home but I'm taking an extended lunch break." Will explained.

"How are Mia and Elizabeth?" Georgiana asked brightly.

"Yeah, they're great. The business is doing well so Elizabeth is busy managing it all. Mia is doing well at school too." Will replied.

"I'll have to come over to see you all on the weekend soon." Georgiana smiled.

There was a moments pause before Will cleared his throat again. His heart was racing. He was certain that Georgiana would be happy at the news she was getting another niece or a nephew but his father, he was certain would not take the news well. His father had been against his relationship with Elizabeth even before it had officially started and after his last meeting with Reginald, he had asked for some space.

"What is it?" Reginald asked with a frown.

"Elizabeth and I are expecting a baby."

The look of shock was evident on his father's face, but Georgiana's lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. Will let out a winded puff of breath as his sister leapt from her seat and threw her arms around him, squealing with delight in his ear.

"Oh Will, this is fantastic!" Georgiana breathed, once she released him from her embrace.

"Thanks Georgie." Will smiled.

"When is the baby due?" Georgiana asked giddily.

"The nineteenth of August."

"That's amazing. How is Elizabeth? How did Mia react? How does Elizabeth feel about becoming a parent to two children at once?"

Will grinned at his sister's questions, enjoying that Georgiana was excited to be an auntie again. He answered his sister's questions, that Elizabeth was doing well, the sickness had passed, and she wasn't as tired as she had been. Mia was excited and looking forward to having a sibling, she was already reading baby books with Elizabeth, and both were overjoyed that Elizabeth would officially be Mia's mother in a matter of months.

"Is it a good idea to allow Mia to read the books?" Reginald questioned.

Will's smile faded. His father had chosen to remain silent until now.

"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked.

"Mia's nine. Reading those types of books isn't appropriate for a child her age." Reginald stated.

"How isn't it appropriate, dad?" Will demanded.

"Those books have diagrams on how babies are born. Do you really want a nine-year-old to know that before she has to?"

Will rolled his eyes and scoffed with disbelief. The books were something that he and Elizabeth had discussed extensively after Mia had seen them on Elizabeth's bedside table one night. Mia had been curious why there were books on pregnancy and having a baby and wanted to look, and it was something that the two adults had questioned if it was something she was ready for. But, as Elizabeth had said, Mia would be starting sex education soon and would be learning about how female anatomy worked, there was no harm in reading up about the pregnancy stuff.

"Mia's going to be ten in August and whilst I would love for her to stay an innocent child forever, it won't be long before she starts her period. There's nothing wrong with her learning about how big the baby grows each week or what the cord or the placenta do. It's a good bonding experience and it makes Mia feel included." Will replied defensively.

"I think you're making a mistake." Reginald sighed.

"Dad!" Georgiana admonished.

"No surprises there but I don't really care what you think. I only told you because I felt you ought to know. I wasn't asking for your blessing." Will growled.

Reginald's eyes widened; he hadn't been expecting Will's outburst.

"This relationship isn't long term. Hell, you haven't even been together for a year! And already she's got you investing in her business, knocked herself up and is adopting yours and Natalie's child! Fitzwilliam, please, think more carefully!" Reginald pleaded.

"I think I do need to think about certain things more carefully, such as your involvement in my life and the lives of my family." Will growled.

"There we go! Threatening to cut me off from my grandchildren!" Reginald shouted.

"I'm not threatening. I'm promising. The moment you step out of my house, you are no longer welcome in my life, Elizabeth's, Mia's or even my unborn child's life. I'm cutting you off from us for good."

"Fitzwilliam-"

"I have nothing more to say to you. When you decide to accept my decisions on my love life and my parenting then I'll willingly talk to you regarding your reasons you don't like Elizabeth." Will said dismissively.

Reginald looked filled with rage as he stormed out of the house. Both Will and Georgiana heard their father's car start and pull out of the driveway and then silence.

"I'm not sure what his problem is with Elizabeth, she's lovely." Georgiana sighed sadly.

"I'm not sure either but I'm done with his negativity. I'm finally moving forward with my life, and I've got so much to look forward to." Will said brightly.

ooOoo

When Elizabeth stepped over the doorway that evening, she was greeted to the smell of pasta filling her nostrils and her little girl skipping through the house to the hallway. Elizabeth hung up her coat and took off her shoes as she hugged Mia tightly.

"How was school today?" Elizabeth asked.

"Usual. We did gymnastics in PE today." Mia replied.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah…it was okay. Dad took me to dance while you were at work then we came home. Dinner is ready."

Heading through to the dining room, Elizabeth and Mia sat in their seats and helped themselves to the pasta that Alice had cooked. Dinner was a fairly quiet affair; it was mostly Mia talking about her school day and the adults listened and added comments here and there. Alice and Mia cleared the table whilst Elizabeth went to change into her pyjamas. It had been a long day at work and having lunch with her sisters. As she entered her bedroom, she unbuttoned her work shirt and threw it into the laundry hamper, crossing the room to her chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of pyjamas. As she stood in front of the mirror and shimmied out of skirt, she glanced at her reflection and moved her freehand to the little swell in her stomach. Elizabeth smiled as she felt the popping motion and moved her fingers tenderly over the spot where she had felt them.

She heard a whistle from the doorway. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled at Will who crossed the room to stand behind her, his hands wrapping around her stomach and nestled on top of her own.

"Pregnancy suits you." Will whispered in her ear.

"You think?" Elizabeth whispered back.

"Yes, I like pregnancy curves on you."

Elizabeth laughed and turned in his arms.

"I told Jane and Lydia, they're happy for us."

"My dad isn't. He thinks we're making a mistake." Will sighed.

Elizabeth dropped her pyjamas to the floor and turned in his arms, cupping his face in her hands.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

Will shook his head.

"No. He doesn't like the woman I love, the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. The woman who is giving me another child and another chance at happiness. The woman who is becoming a mother to my firstborn. We have so much happiness and good in our lives right now and he has such a problem with it." He sighed.

"Will…I wish I could make it better for you…"

"You've done nothing wrong. He just assumes that you're some gold digger and you've got this mastermind scheme to rob me blind."

"Sadly, I can't prove your father right…I would never look good as some pantomime villain…" Elizabeth joked.

"See…he can't even see how you're rising above his pettiness…he's never bothered to get to know you properly. He has cooked up this scheme in his head and he tried using Richard to get between us so we wouldn't fall in love. He's a bastard." Will growled.

"Will, he's still your dad. One day, I hope, things will be better." Elizabeth said encouragingly.

"I told him that I'm cutting him off from our family until he can accept my decisions." Will stated quietly.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. She had not realised the extent of how bad this afternoon had gotten between Will and his father. But she wasn't going to allow Reginald's negativity about her ruin their happiness. She could deal with Reginald at a later time, but for now, she wanted to enjoy the baby she never thought she would have and enjoy the experiences of being a mother of two and being in a relationship where she felt valued and wanted for once.

"Whatever his problem with me is…I don't care. We love each other…I love Mia…and this is our time." She said softly.

Will nodded in agreement and captured her lips with his own. Elizabeth moaned appreciatively into his mouth as the kiss deepened. As Will ran his hands through her hair and broke the kiss and moved to kiss along her cheek and down her neck, their moment was interrupted.

"Lizzy you're phone's ringing!" Mia called from the bottom of the stairs.

Elizabeth laughed at Will's pout and quickly pulled on her pyjamas before heading back downstairs. As she took her phone from Mia, she unlocked the screen and saw she had three missed calls from Jane. Swiping left next to her sister's name, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited for her sister to answer.

"Lizzy! Thank god you've answered!" Jane said with a panic in her voice.

"What's the matter? Are the twins okay? Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked quickly.

"They're fine…but Lizzy…you need to get to the hospital…"

Elizabeth didn't say anything but listened to the last words her sister said before hanging up the call.

"Dad has had a heart attack, he's in the hospital."