It was dark out. The pendulum clock in the corner of the living room downstairs swings soothingly during my nap on my marital bed. It was peaceful and resting, before I heard the front door slam shut and a very annoyed person marching their way up. My eyes slowly open and focus on Sebastian. He lays in bed with his phone in his hands and an unhappy expression upon his face.

"How was the saloon?" I ask, my voice still thick with sleep. "Did you manage to talk with Sam and Abigail?"

"No." He grumbles, laying in the bed and placing a pillow on his face.

I place my hand on his thigh. "No? What's wrong?"

"Damn hillbillies messing around where they aren't welcome. Lazy bums meddling in business that aren't theirs." He replies, his tone off with me. "Stupid doctor-patient confidentiality. Stupid Maru."

"So, I take they had thoughts?" I ask, capriciously, as a way to stop myself from laughing.

On Monday, Sebastian and I went to the clinic for a check-up. We already knew I was pregnant, and, for once in their life, my mother and my husband agreed that it would be for the best that I receive prenatal care in Zuzu City. We wanted to keep it a secret for a little longer, small town gossip and all that, but since Harvey is the only medic professional in the county, it would be ill-advised not letting him know.

The doctor, on his account, congratulated us warmly, assuring us that he would be accompanying the procedures in the city, and that he would be prepared for any eventuality. However, that also meant telling Maru. She was also sworn to secrecy, but, probably in her excitement to be an aunt, told Demetrius and Robin, who then proceeded to tell her yoga friends. From there, it was just as if they flown a blimp over the valley with the news.

Our relationship was still relatively new, as it has been less than half a year since we married, and while most people had warmly welcomed the idea of a young couple in the dwindling village, especially when half of that couple is the largest landowner in the county, some had not as much. In the same vein, we had had mixed opinions from our own friends and family, who believed that it was far too soon for us to be having a baby. That Sebastian was not responsible enough for him to fully shoulder the demands of fatherhood and could we not have waited just a little longer? Every time either of us passed through the gates of our land, there it was some villager with their two cents on the subject, and it was becoming grating.

"They certainly did." He huffed.

"And?" I ask.

"Mixed reviews."

"As expected." I offer. Sebastian shrugs unconvinced. "What?"

"Do you think we're too young?" He turns to me and I frown.

"For a baby?"

He nods.

"Well, it's a bit late to be questioning that now, isn't it?" I responded, snapping.

He turns his attention back to his phone. My mother, whilst happy now, had taken a long time to come round to the idea that I would be having the baby and had initially told me that she thought I was crazy to be going through with it, with Sebastian, no less.

I expected to hear this from many people, but not Sebastian. Not the father of my baby. I sit up, the duvet sheet falling from me. Suddenly insecure with my state of dress, I pull it back up around me, clutching the material in my fist between my breasts. Was he really having doubts?

He sighs, suddenly, letting his arm relax and sitting up straight, still not looking directly at me.

"I just… You hear it enough and you start to believe it." He explains. "Sebastian, 22, set to be a father. Sebastian, only just out of his teenage years himself has announced that he and his partner are due to be parents. Sebastian, the basement dweller, screw-up carpenter's child, not only bags the hottest bachelorette in the county, but also knocks her up and locks her down! It's just…"

He picks up the pillow to bury his face in it again but I knock it away from his hand angrily and turn to him.

"You're going to be a great dad, Sebastian. Regardless of your age or your depressive episodes. Why are you suddenly taking what they say to heart? You used to never care, you used to not listen not even to the best intended advice." I said, with a serious tone. "Paying attention to the naysayers won't accomplish anything, and it won't reassure you."

"That was before a baby was involved!" He argued. "I don't know if you noticed, but I got to listen, and that's running me haggard."

"And it'll only get worse once she's here." I reply then freeze as I realise what I have said.

"She?" Sebastian's head snaps up and he meets my gaze while dropping his phone. "She? We're having a girl?"

We had "agreed" not to know the sex of our child, so it could be a surprise. However, I thought that it would be unpractical to prepare for the birth if we did not know, and I did not want for Sebastian to have to run to the shops to buy clothes and toys while I recover.

I sighed. "I thought you would change your mind about it sooner or later, so I just… Sped up the process. I didn't mean for it to come out quite like it has."

Sebastian's grin spreads across his face, his previous concerns clearly forgotten momentarily. His fingers tenderly brush over my covered, swollen belly; a nice tidy bump on show now perfectly for the world to see. The loose sweatshirt I wore for bed giving way for him to admire his growing child, the cool night air blowing against my stretched skin.

"A girl." He repeats to himself.

"You'll be an amazing dad to her, Sebastian." I snuggle into him as his arm wraps around my shoulders and I nuzzle against his chest, stroking it quietly and enjoying his bodily heat, happy to finally have distracted him with something a little more positive. "Who you are now is no different to who you'll be in a few years. You are kind, loving, mature, compassionate and determined. These are the traits I love about you. You're going to be amazing for her baby. Just look at what you do now!"

It was true though. I had bought a few pregnancy books to read but Sebastian had stolen them all for himself. Every week he tells me what size she is compared to a fruit or vegetable. This week, it seems she is a cauliflower. He informs me of how much she weighs and what I could expect in terms of symptoms. He reprimands me if I carry anything that he considers to be too heavy.

He has been hands on painting the nursery and assembling her furniture, with providential help from his mother. He is even taken to reading to her, hoping she gets used to her voice. He tells her that he is her dad, that he loves her and cannot wait to meet her, but that she should hang in there until she is fully grown because as much as we want to meet her, we do not want her too early.

I smile to myself as I feel her little kicks against his touch and look up at him. His hair is messy, he has three-day stubble but he looks suddenly more awake than minutes ago. To me, he has never looked better. Sebastian pulls the sheet down, exposing me but for once he does not make a comment about my breasts, hanging loose under the shirt, or my naked legs. Instead, his eyes are firmly on my belly.

"Hi, baby." Sebastian coos.

She kicks in response; a tiny lump appearing on the surface of my belly before wriggling back under again.

"Hi! How're you?" He strokes my skin, tracing over the few stretch marks that have appeared.

I have tried using creams, bio-oil and drinking more water but they are slowly appearing regardless of everything that I do. I am learning to accept that I will just not be the unblemished beauty I once had, but I will be a mother, with everything that it entails.

"You've never looked more beautiful to me, you know?" He comments as though he is reading my thoughts; his fingers running over each one in full, his eyes never leaving my belly as he does so. "You've got this, well, that pregnancy glow about you. It suits you. You look so beautiful, healthy and confident in your skin. You never had that before. It's sexy."

"Even with my lumps and bumps?" I ask.

"Especially with your lumps and bumps." He confirms.

I kiss his cheek. "I'm glad."

"Lots of people have babies young right?" He muses to himself. "It just means we'll have a lot more time to appreciate her. I won't be an old man when I'm running around after her."

His thoughts tumble out and I grin at his newfound optimism.

"Would I be a DILF?" He asks, his eyes meeting mine.

I chuckle at his preoccupation. "I don't think you are old enough, babe. MILFs are like, mothers in their 40s and older, not my age. So, you're definitely out of the DILF age range by 20 years."

Sebastian pulls a sad face.

"Disappointing." He retorts, making me laugh once more.

"I'm going to prove them all wrong." He pulls me close to him. "This is the best thing to happen to me."

I smile at his enthusiasm. "Better than moving away to Zuzu City? Better than signing with a record label?"

"Oh, now you've reminded me…" He trails off pretending to be lost in thought.

I playfully slap his chest and gain a chuckle from him.

"A girl." He says again. "I'm going to make her proud."

"You won't have to try hard." I smile at him, snuggling into his chest.

"We can take her to festivals, and you can introduce her to the animals and the crops." He grins. "She can wear a tadpole onesie."

"What if she's afraid of frogs?"

"How dare you." He shoots me a look. "Go and wash your mouth out."

"It's a possibility."

"Not in this house, it's not." Sebastian replies in an attempt to sound stern but his smirk gives him away. "She doesn't have to be a farmer or like animals. I just want her to be happy and be full of dreams."

"We'll make them all true."

"That we will." He agrees. "That we will."