A/N: This chapter has a very mild sex scene, so be warned.

Chapter Two

At five months pregnant, Jillian Deline felt as big as a house. Putting on a surprising amount of weight with her second baby, she started to feel self conscious about her body. Sighing as the woman pushed the back door open, she walked into the kitchen, bags of groceries in her hand.

Ed, who had taken a half day, looked up when he saw his wife and immediately jumped to his feet. "Jillian, my god," he said as he rushed over to help extract the bags from his wife's arms, "You are pregnant, honey, you aren't supposed to be doing this."

"Well I wouldn't have to do this if I got a little help around the house," she spat at her husband. "I do everything around here! I cook for you, I clean for you, I wash your clothes, I iron your shirts, I take your suits to the dry cleaners so they will look nice, and I don't get a lick of help around here."

Her husband sighed deeply, ever since she became pregnant, Jillian's moods were a roller coaster, one minute she'd be happy, the next crying, and the next she'd be angry. Pasting a smile on his face, he went over to give his wife a kiss, who, quickly held up a roll of garlic bread. "Don't you think you've done enough? It was your kisses who got me like this in the first place."

Trying to lighten the mood, Ed said, "But sweetie, I've already done the damage, what more can happen?"

As soon as his back was to her, Ed felt something hit up in the back of the head. Turning around, he looked down on the floor at the package of lunch meat. "I'll just put that away for you," he said as he bent down to pick it up. "And for the record, Jillian Marie Deline," he said as he rose back up to his feet and looked at her, "I wasn't the only pushing the buttons that night."

Hot, tired and moody, Jillian said, "Ed, you couldn't find those buttons with a flash light and a map."

Later that night, once dinner was eaten and Delinda was bathed, Ed walked into the bedroom he shared with his wife. Neither had spoken a word to each other since their earlier argument, except when forced. Looking at his wife lounging on their bed, he said, "I'm going to go out and tinker with the car. It was making a funny noise earlier."

As he turned to leave, Jillian looked up and saw his retreating back, "Eddie."

Turning around, Ed saw his wife invite him into the bedroom. "Come sit with me, please."

Sighing quietly, her husband made his way back into the bedroom and sat down next to her on the bed. Jillian reached out and took her husband's hand and held it in her lap, "Eddie, I'm so sorry about earlier, I was wrong to say what I did."

Ed shook his head, "No, I'm sure that I deserved it."

"You didn't," she said. Noticing that Ed wasn't looking at her, she bit her bottom lip, "Honey, please, look at me."

Slowly turning his head, Ed looked at his wife and then she continued, "I was wrong, Ed. I was so very wrong. I find myself a lot more tired this time, I've put on all this weight, and I know that that isn't any excuse, but I feel like a beached whale."

Smiling softly at her, he reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "You look like anything but, honey. You are so incredibly beautiful right now, Jillian, you have no idea how hard it is for me to keep my hands off you when you look like this. I had the same problem when you were pregnant with Delinda, I just always wanted to have my hands on your body. Pregnancy suits you beautifully."

Jillian swallowed the small lump that was forming in her throat and smiled at her husband, a tear falling down her cheek. "I lied," she whispered softly, "you know exactly where the buttons are and you know exactly how to manipulate them."

Grinning at her, he leaned in and kissed her, "You say things like that," he said softly, "and it only makes it that much harder for me not to want to just jump you right here and now."

His wife gave him a devious grin, "Well, as a wise man said earlier, the damage has already been done, what more can happen?"

Ed laughed as he slowly lifted her nightgown up and draped it above her stomach. Smiling in delight when he saw her swollen belly, he slowly leaned down and kissed it and then rested his head on it gently, "I don't want to hurt you," he said quietly.

Reaching down to rake her nails gently through her husband's hair, Jillian smiled, "You didn't hurt me when I was pregnant with Delinda." Pausing, she noticed he still held a lot of reservations, "Please, Eddie?"

Not needing to be asked twice, Ed lifted his head up and gently moved over his wife's body and rested on his side. Leaning over, he kissed her passionately as his hands slowly untied the ribbons which held her nightgown closed, his hand slipping in and cupping one of her heavy breasts.

Moving onto her own side to face him, Jillian's fingers found their way to the waistband of his pants. Slowly unbuttoning the button, her hand slipped inside and she heard her husband gasp in surprise when it wrapped around his member.

Pushing the material off Jillian's shoulders, Ed reached down for the pair of cotton panties that she was wearing under it and gently pushed them down. Stopping, he looked at his wife and caressed her face softly, whispering, "You can stop me now if you want."

Feeling him gently playing with her nipple, Jillian closed her eyes and said, "If you stop now, Ed, so help me god you will never find yourself in this position again."

Laughing quietly, he kissed her deeply as his hand drifted between her thighs, parting them gently as his fingers caressed her womanhood. Jillian immediately responded with a soft moan, encouraging him to continue.

Laying down on his back, Ed grinned as he pulled her on top of him, watching as she lowered herself down slowly. Leaning down, Jillian kissed her husband as the two fell into a familiar rhythm.

The sounds of a little girl screaming jolted the couple awake. Ed and Jillian quickly looked at each other and then both started to grab their robes. "We are coming, buttercup," Ed called out as he helped Jillian into her robe.

The pair made their way out of the bedroom and down to where their daughter slept and walked in. Immediately, Ed turned the light on as Jillian sat down on the bed, holding their sobbing little girl. Glancing up at her husband, she said quietly, "She's soaked, Eddie, we need to get her in the bath and change her sheets."

Ed nodded as he sighed quietly. Lately, their daughter was plagued with nightmares so intense it caused her to lose control of her body. Running his hand along the back of her damp hair, he said, "You get her in the bathtub and I'll change the bed. I'll bring some clothes in for her too."

His wife nodded as she picked the little girl up and brought her into the bathroom. After stripping her, Jillian started a warm bath and helped as Delinda climbed into the bathtub. Gently washing her body with the love only a mother can possess, Jillian smiled down at her daughter, "Feeling better?"

Delinda nodded quietly as she splashed some of the water a little, "I'm sorry, mommy, are you and daddy mad at me?"

"No, no, no," she said, shaking her head as she scrubbed her daughter's back gently, "sweetie, don't worry, daddy and I aren't mad. Was it the same one?"

The little girl nodded wordlessly, her vivid eyes studying the weave of the washcloth that was floating on the surface of the water. Sighing softly, Jillian leaned down and pressed her lips on the crown of her daughter's head, "And you still don't want to tell us what it is about?"

"No, mommy," she answered.

Ed walked into the bathroom carrying fresh pajamas and a clean pair of panties, "Here you go, buttercup," he said, placing them on the counter, "and daddy got your bed all fixed, okay? Nice, clean, dry sheets, okay?"

Delinda nodded as she smiled at her father, "Thank you, daddy."

He smiled as he went over and kissed her cheek, "You are welcome. Not too long now, okay? You and mommy both need your sleep." He gently gripped his wife's shoulder and headed out of the bathroom, going back to the master bedroom.

Moments later, Jillian rose to her feet and held the towel open, "Ready, sweetie?"

The girl smiled as she stood up and got out of the bathtub. Jillian dried her body and smiled, "Okay, you get dressed and I'm going to take these pj's downstairs and run them through the wash, okay?"

"Okay, mommy," she smiled.

Once Jillian left, Delinda quickly got dressed and ran out of the bathroom. Instead of going back to her own bedroom, she went to her parents room and found her father already asleep in bed. Tiptoeing over to the bed, she climbed up and snuggled in close to Ed, resting her little head on his chest.

Opening one eye, Ed couldn't help but smile as he wrapped an arm around his daughter and dozed, waiting for his wife. Absently playing with a lock of her lemony curls, he opened his eyes when he heard somebody walk into the room. "Shhhh," he said to his wife, smiling.

Shaking her head, Jillian removed her robe and slipped into bed next to her daughter. Turning on her side, she smiled at her husband as she reached for his hand, "She can't sleep with us forever, Eddie."

"I know," he whispered, "but she just looks so pretty when she's like this, I swear there are times when I just want to eat this child up."

Jillian giggled as she shook her head again, "I hope this baby is a boy. I'd hate to watch the girls fight over their father's affections."

"Well, I hope it's a boy too," he said, his thumb running along the top of her hand, "but only because I'm dying to teach a boy how to throw a baseball."

His wife smiled as she leaned over and kissed him softly and then kissed their daughter, "I love you, Ed."

Smiling, Ed reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, "I love you too, honey, goodnight."