Hi! Happy Saturday to you :D Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, they're making writing these little fics even more enjoyable :D

'Who knew shopping could be so tiring?' Stella grumbled to herself, ignoring the fact she was five months pregnant and developing an impressive bump. After less than an hour, she was cursing the fact that the item she wanted had been unavailable online. And then she realised she was about to walk past the store she wanted… Absent-mindedness, something else she was going to blame on pregnancy, along with her bladder being reduced to the size of a walnut. As soon as she got inside the store she located the restrooms and hurried towards them.

With that out of the way, she headed for the kitchenware section and proceeded to spend a fruitless and frustrating time searching for the elusive piece of cooking equipment Mac wanted for his birthday next month. Hot, annoyed and tired Stella plunged back into the throng on Fifth Avenue once more.

Two stores later, still empty-handed, she began to despair.

'This is crazy,' she growled out loud, heading for yet another restroom.

But her perseverance (some might call it stubbornness, Stella preferred to think of it as determination) paid off and the final store had one of the items left. Barely resisting punching the air, Stella grabbed it, paid and was about to head out of the store when something else caught her eye. Already longing to be home and putting her feet up on the couch, she made a quick decision and took out her wallet again. With her two purchases, she left triumphantly, hailed a cab and as soon as she reached home, fell asleep on the couch.

She woke to the sound of Mac clattering plates. Still groggy, she shuffled through to the kitchen, blinking.

'Hey,' she said, giving Mac a bleary smile. 'How was your day?'

'Good. How was your nap?' Mac grinned as he kissed her.

'Too short,' she mumbled wrapping her arms around him and leaning against him.

'Why don't you go back to the couch and I'll bring you dinner?' Mac offered.

Stella gazed up at him. 'That is awfully tempting, however, I've something to give to you first.'

'You do?' Mac raised his eyebrows. 'It's a little early for my birthday.'

'No, that you're going to have to wait for. Think of this as your very late Christmas gift.'

'I already had my Christmas gift,' Mac said softly, drawing her closer and caressing her bump. 'There's nothing more I need.'

She kissed his forehead. 'Then think of it as a just-because-I-love-you gift.'

She fetched the small carrier bag and presented it to him. Eyes bright, she clasped her fingers while Mac drew out the book inside it.

At first he stared at it, an uncertain expression on his face. Stella watched, tugging her fingers, also uncertain if it had been the right thing to get him.

'So… what do you think?' she asked finally.

Mac looked up at her and his face creased slowly into a smile. 'A training manual for the father to be – I love it, thank you.'

Stella gave a sigh and her fingers unknotted.

'I'm so glad. Not that I think you need it,' she added quickly, 'but it could be fun.'

'I'm not as confident in my abilities as a father as you seem to be.' The glance Mac gave her revealed some of his insecurity and she drew him into a hug.

'You're going to be great. And the two of us together? Amazing.'

Placing his hand onto her belly, and laying her hand over his, Stella smiled, then gave a gasp.

'See, our baby agrees.'

Mac's face shone as he felt the baby's kick also. 'I'm not going to argue with that.'

Thank you for reading! Please do leave me a review, and a prompt if you'd like :D Lily x