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I'm glad most of you enjoyed the last chapter.
"Change your tone when you speak to her."
"Wyatt," Steffy started, trying to diffuse a situation that really didn't need to get more acrimonious.
"Why don't you mind your own business?! Why are you even still standing there?"
"Liam!" She scolded more hotly, but they both kept ignoring her.
Wyatt smirked mirthlessly at Liam. "You aren't used to people challenging you, are you? To being called out when you're out of line?"
Steffy sighed heavily.
"Oh you would know about being out of line. You have crossed God knows how many lines in the past ten minutes!"
"Enough!" Steffy raised her voice and finally gathered their attention. "I have neither the time nor the patience for this." She told them pointedly. She brought a gentle hand to her stomach, sensing that the baby was feeling unsettled too, and took a deep breath to calm down. She tilted her head up to Wyatt and addressed him in a softer tone, "Wyatt, I'm sorry, Liam and I have an important appointment to get to. We should get going. Can we catch up later?"
"Of course." Wyatt nodded. "I hope everything goes well." He wished to the pair, but only Steffy dignified him with a response.
"Thank you, Wyatt." She acknowledged with a small smile. "I'll call you."
"I will be waiting." He spared her a final glance before leaving the room.
/
Hope and Pam swiftly moved away from the door as they heard Wyatt say his goodbye. Pam sat to her desk and started leafing through a fashion magazine while Hope stood there, pretending to be busy on her phone.
"Hi." Wyatt greeted as he walked towards the blonde who had her back to him after closing Steffy's door.
Hope turned to face him. Her breath caught in her throat when she caught full sight of him. Her gaze traveled from his gorgeous face to his wide shoulders down to the rest of his toned, athlete-like body. He was a hottie.
Realizing she hadn't replied, she quickly looked up at him, hoping he hadn't caught her unladylike moment of 'visual appreciation'. If he had, he had the decency not to show it.
She "Hi. Hope Logan, nice to meet you." She introduced herself after managing to recompose herself and extended her hand to him.
"Wyatt Fuller." He shook hands once with her before bringing her hand to the soft touch of his lips.
Hope let out a shaky half-laugh half-gasp, embarrassed by his gesture, and blushed in spite of herself.
"Enchanted to meet you." The smoldering look he gave her almost took her breath away.
She held his gaze a moment before slowing retrieving her hand not to seem rude. As gallant as his gesture was, it remained unwarranted and inappropriate.
"So you're the Hope Logan?" He noted with emphasis.
"I am." She nodded. "You've heard about me."
"I have. My mother works for you. Quinn Fuller."
"Oh, I didn't realize Quinn had a son." She commented, not letting on that she had found out about this piece of information mere minutes before.
Wyatt smiled ruefully, and Hope wondered if she had said something wrong. She hadn't meant to upset him. She was about to apologize when he replied, "She does unfortunately."
Hope frowned at that. What a weird thing to say. "Why unfortunately?"
A myriad of emotions flashed through his cloudy eyes, but as suddenly as they had appeared, they disappeared before she could attempt to decipher any of them. He shook his head and waved a hand dismissively. "No reason."
Clearly, there was something wrong, Hope decided, but she did not know him and had no right to press the matter, so she moved on. "Well, she's doing a great job. I can tell you that much. Her jewelry is stunning, and she's got a really good sense of what I want for this new collection." She was full of praise.
"I'm glad you are satisfied with her work." He said impassively.
"Were you visiting her just now?" Pam, who had been silent until then, asked.
Wyatt looked over Hope's shoulder, acknowledging her, and answered, "No, actually, I was visiting a friend."
"Steffy?" Hope offered before she could stop herself.
"Yes." He brought his attention back to her. "You two friends?"
Pam snickered under her breath from her seat at her desk, earning her a glare from Hope.
"I wouldn't say that. We're coworkers." She eluded.
Wyatt nodded, under the impression that there was more to this story. He would have to question Steffy about that.
"You have been friends a long time?"
"Not really, a few weeks… although it feels like we've known each other forever." He mused out loud.
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Hope smiled pensively, remembering how close she instinctively felt to Oliver, from the very first moment that they met. She had no idea who he was, but there was just something so incredibly sweet and disarming about Oliver that she couldn't help trusting him.
Wyatt admired her in silence, an intense look on his face, taking her in. She had such a pretty smile, and there was a warmth in her eyes that spoke of who she was as a person. Truth be told, the woman was simply breathtakingly beautiful.
Her phone rang pulling her out of her daydream about her awesome boyfriend.
"I guess that's my cue." Wyatt spoke, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I should leave and let you get that and… resume whatever you were doing before I interrupted you."
Hope smiled back at him and nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Wyatt. Perhaps, I'll see you around."
"I certainly hope so."
/
After Wyatt left, Steffy proceeded to explain to Liam who he was, that he was the same man who had waited on her and her mother and had rescued her from the paparazzi a few weeks ago as well as how he was related to Forrester Creations' new jeweler, Quinn Fuller.
She tried to remain as calm and sensible as possible, but Liam's obvious irritation with a man that he did not know at all was starting to upset her more than just a little bit. This was just so out of character for Liam. He was the most compassionate soul she had ever known. She had always found his kindness and good heartedness nothing short of staggering, hence her incomprehension at his hostility towards Wyatt. It truly came out of nowhere and was completely unjustified. It only made Steffy more nervous for the future, yet another cause of anxiety which she really didn't need at the moment.
Liam made her understand that he simply did not get why she did not tell him about all of this as it happened. She had always confided in him in the past, so why did it suddenly feel like she was shutting him out?
Finally starting to see where he was coming from, Steffy closed the distance between them and cupped his face in her hands, making Liam look at her. She slowly moved to press her lips to his, pouring all the love she had for him into the soft yet passionate kiss, intent on washing away all his insecurities.
They shared a tender smile before Steffy kindly reminded Liam that until a couple of days before they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms, and well, with everything they were going through at the time –her learning to trust in him and their love again, their struggling to find their way back to each other and solidifying their love –Wyatt and his growing presence in her life didn't seem like the most relevant matter to discuss.
She apologized for hurting Liam's feelings if she had and assured him that it had not been her intention to be deceitful. In all honesty, Steffy thought Liam was making a big deal about nothing. So she had momentarily omitted to tell him about a few minor changes in her life. So what? It wasn't like she deliberately set out to keep Wyatt's entrance in her life a secret. She meant to tell him… eventually, once she knew how to appropriately release the information.
Liam was already so hostile towards Wyatt, and what he knew was onlu the tip of the iceberg. Steffy had a dreadful feeling in her stomach at the thought of his reaction when she would tell him everything. She was not looking forward to it.
/
"Are you ok, sweetheart? You seem tense." Liam noted.
Steffy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just, I'm feeling sort of nervous I guess…" she trailed off.
Liam smiled indulgently and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "It's all going to be fine."
"I know. I know. I have no idea why I'm nervous. I shouldn't be. I have no reason to be, right?"
"I think it's natural. Any mother would be nervous."
She nodded, looking down.
He lowered his head, searching her gaze. The corners of his mouth curved into a small smile. "It shouldn't stop you from being excited though."
"No, I know. And I am. I'm definitely excited. Actually, I think the only person who might be more excited than I am is my mom."
"Or my dad." Liam added. "You will never guess what he suggested this morning?"
"What?" she asked, a smile already growing on her face.
He chuckled. "He was thinking about getting the baby his first car to celebrate this special day."
"He was not!" Steffy exclaimed, disbelieving.
"I promise you he was. Well, I think he was mostly kidding, but you never know with my father, right?"
She joined him in his laughter. "Right." She raised her eyes to him, onto him. She knew Liam had been trying to take her mind off her concerns about the baby by telling her about Bill's extravagant idea of a baby present, and she loved him for it. She brought a loving hand to his face and ran her thumb across his cheek. "Thank you."
"What for?" Liam inquired, but Bridget entered the room before Steffy could answer him.
"Hey!" She greeted them enthusiastically with a cheerful smile. "How are you? How are you feeling?"
"Oh, I'm fine, thanks." Liam answered and only realized that he had spoken when both Bridget and Steffy turned to look at him.
"I think she was talking to me, babe."
He shook his head and knit his brows in embarrassment. "Right. Of course. Sorry. I guess I am feeling a little nervous too."
Steffy smiled kindly at Liam. It was nice to know they were in this together, and she wasn't the only one feeling all sorts of anguish. She found herself worrying constantly. Was her diet healthy enough? Did she sleep enough? Work too much? Should she exercise more?
She was in a never-ending state of concern. She never pretty much every decision she made affected her baby somehow, and that was such an overwhelming responsibility. If she felt so stressed out this early in the scheme of things –when her child was still safe and sound in her belly –Steffy didn't even want to think about the anxiety she would experience once the baby was physically present.
Knowing Liam would be there with and for her every step of the way did take some weight off her shoulders though. Together, they could accomplish anything.
"So Steffy, how are you?" Bridget asked Steffy again, drawing the brunette from her thoughts.
"Good." She answered with a not so convincing smile.
"Yeah? Not too anxious? A little?"
At that, Steffy narrowed her eyes at Bridget. It was almost as if she could read her thoughts. Then again, it wasn't very surprising. Bridget had always been quite perceptive from what Steffy remembered. Besides, she was a mother herself. "A little." She ended up reluctantly admitting.
"Yeah?"
Steffy nodded several times. "More than a little actually." She added. "I feel like anxiety has become a part of me at this point. I spend my days second-guessing myself, wondering if everything I do is what's best for the baby…" she trailed off.
Bridget smiled at her sympathetically before reassuring her, "That's natural, Steffy."
"Really?" she hoped Bridget wasn't just saying that to comfort her.
"Yes. Absolutely."
She heaved a sigh. "It's just, I'm afraid of how much worse it will get when the baby is actually here."
"There won't be much of a difference."
"I find that hard to believe." She admitted, her skepticism evident in her expression.
Bridget moved her chair closer to the examination table where Steffy was sitting. "Listen, all the concerns that you have are legitimate. It is completely normal for you to be anxious, and it won't be significantly different after the baby is born. Steffy, you are not going to become a mother in fourteen weeks. You already are a mother, in every way that matters. You switched into 'maternal mode' the second you found out you were pregnant albeit unconsciously." Bridget finished explaining, doing the quotation marks with her fingers.
"I guess that makes sense…" Steffy acknowledged.
"You're fine. Your baby is fine. I got your blood test back. Your hormone levels are normal. Everything is okay. Try to relax, ok?"
"Ok."
"Yeah?"
Steffy nodded.
"And if you ever feel overly anxious about your upcoming responsibilities, you are free to babysit Logan whenever you want. Practice makes perfect…" Bridget offered.
Steffy beamed. "We would love that, wouldn't we?" she asked, turning to Liam.
"We would. Absolutely." He confirmed.
"And now, you're about to see your perfect baby, ok? Don't worry; I had the gel warmed this time." Bridget gave her a reassuring smile and Steffy returned an appreciative one.
Bridget had explained to them on their first ultrasound that the purpose of the ultrasound gel was to prevent any extra air space between the transducer and the pregnant woman's skin, thereby optimizing the resulting scan.
Bridget applied the gel onto Steffy's stomach, and then picked up the probe. "Are you ready?" She smiled warmly at the soon-to-be parents.
Liam took Steffy's hand in his and kissed the back of it. They exchanged a look and nodded. Yes, they were ready.
Steffy gasped when the image of her belly appeared on the monitor, replacing the black screen with a heap of grey blots, and the baby's heartbeat started echoing in the room.
Although it wasn't the case, Liam felt like he was hearing it for the first time. It was a magical experience. This was the life that he and Steffy had created… the living fruit of their love.
"That's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard." He said.
"By far." Steffy agreed.
"The soft tissues appear in grey, and the hard tissues, such as bone, are in white." Bridget explained. "See, that's the spine right there. It's very visible." She indicated on the screen.
"Is everything ok?" Steffy suddenly inquired.
Bridget's lips curled up a little; someone's maternal instincts were already so strong. Steffy really had nothing to worry about. She would be an excellent matter in Bridget's opinion. "Yes, he's fine."
Steffy smiled, happy, and looked at the monitor again, before Bridget's words managed to get to her cerebral cortex and the meaning behind them hit her. Her head jerked back to the doctor. "He?"
"Yep. You're expecting a perfectly healthy baby boy."
Steffy stared at Bridget in disbelief, her mouth agape, and she felt her eyes get watery as she fully realized what Bridget had just revealed.
"Are you sure?" Liam asked.
"Absolutely. There's no doubt. See this? This is your baby's little p…" Bridget showed them men's favorite instrument of fun on the monitor.
Marveling at their unborn child on the screen, Steffy laughed through her tears while Liam smiled, overcome with joy and thankfulness. The Lord had heard and granted his prayers. Glory be to God. A girl would have messed with his mind and he would have ended up with grey hair by thirty three, but a boy, he could handle, and he knew by experience that Steffy could too.
She turned to look at him, smiling happily in spite of her shed tears. "We're having a boy."
Liam stroked her hair and nodded, grinning back at her. He wiped her tear-streaked face before leaning down and capturing her mouth in a tender, soul-searing kiss. "I love you so much." He said against her lips, his voice breaking a little at the end of his statement.
"I love you too."
Bridget hated to interrupt the sweet moment but felt like she had to, "Look, your baby is waving at you."
Returning their eyes to the monitor, they found their baby his perfect hand in the air. He curled his fingers a little, barely noticeably.
Bridget held the wand still so they could admire their baby clearly.
"Wow." The couple breathed at the same time.
"Hi, my baby boy. I could watch you all day." Steffy said with emotion, observing the embryo moving with intent. "Look at what we've created." She turned her head to Liam just in time to see a single tear fall off his eye.
His eyes danced with utter love and wonder.
"Liam…"
He turned his gaze on her, making Steffy temporarily stop breathing. He looked at her with a mix of awe, adoration, reverence… and fear?
"You have never looked more beautiful." He sincerely said to her.
Winding his fingers into her hair, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
/
"I renewed your prescription for prenatal vitamins. Make sure to take them daily, with a 6-hour interval minimum." Bridget said, handing Steffy said-prescription. "Get enough rest."
"Please tell her." Liam encouraged.
Steffy turned around briefly enough to cast him a glare.
Bridget held back a laugh at the silent exchange between the two lovebirds before she continued, "As I was saying, get some rest… at least seven hours a night. You need them, and so does the baby, even more so when you enter the third trimester of your pregnancy."
Steffy nodded in understanding, silently promising herself to work on getting enough sleep for the sake of her child. Frankly, she had always believed that sleep was for the weak. She had no time for it; she was too busy living her life to the fullest. That being said, things were different now. She was a mother, and her child's health and wellbeing were her top priority, so she would make an effort.
"You need to watch your diet as well. I know all about pregnancy cravings, but try not to indulge too much." Bridget advised.
Again, Steffy nodded and looked down, feeling the tiniest bit uncomfortable, what Liam didn't fail to notice. He immediately rushed to her rescue so to speak, "She doesn't. She actually follows a very healthy diet…" he turned his head towards Steffy and gave her a dirty look. "…and makes me do the same."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Good. Very good. I'm glad." Bridget said appraisingly. "And I'm not saying that because of your figure." She quickly added, the look on Steffy's face at her previous comment having not escaped her, and knowing how self-conscious pregnant women tended to get.
Bridget herself had personally never been there during any of her pregnancies. She had desired to be a mom for as long as she could remember, and she had tried so hard to conceive a child and carry the pregnancy through term that she had embraced every single moment of the experience –the morning sickness, the uncomfortable back-pain, and the tiring mood swings, just as much as physically feeling her child move inside of her for the first time or seeing him on her first sonogram –including all her curves and edges.
However, the fact that she hadn't experienced pregnancy-related insecurities herself didn't make Bridget any less empathetic towards Steffy's feeling. It was rather common for women as far along in their pregnancy as Steffy, not to mention that Bridget had battled with a negative self-image throughout her entire teen and adult life, so she was quite familiar with how the most innocent of remarks could set one off and send one through a downward spiral.
"You're in great shape, Steffy. Really." She reiterated. "I'm just concerned about your diet, because well, at the moment, it is directly related to your baby's… and it is critical that he gets all the nutrients he needs."
Steffy nodded and smiled, appreciative. "I understand, and I do eat healthily, Bridget. I mean I was never really into fast food anyway. You know me… I'm athletic, I exercise regularly, I drink tons of water, I have a balanced diet…"
"Do you still? Exercise?"
"Yes. Well, not as often, but I try to go at least twice a week."
"She's doing everything to ensure our child's wellbeing and health, believe me." Liam assured the doctor.
"That's great. You keep on doing what you're doing and everything will be fine." She opened a file and started reading off it. "Um, your baby seems to be following a normal development, both mentally and physically. As of now, he's about 14.5 inches, which is a little taller than usual for a fetus that old, and he weighs 3.42 pounds." She said summarily, skipping through the inconsequential details of Steffy's and her child's health assessment and focusing on the most important bits of information.
"Really?" Steffy asked, astounded. "Our little one only weighs 3.42 pounds? Then why do I feel so fat?!"
Bridget smiled at the pregnant woman compassionately. "The operative word being feel..."
"My love, I swear to you, you have never looked more beautiful. You're the furthest thing from fat." Liam's reassuring words and their truthfulness brought a tight-lipped smile to Steffy's face.
Although she knew Liam meant what he was saying, it didn't change how Steffy felt. She didn't like her appearance much these days. That was just the way it was. She couldn't help it.
"Very true. It's all about self-perception. To me, to Liam, you look absolutely beautiful. But you're used to looking a certain kind of way. You've always been skinny, and you will be again a few months after you've given birth." Bridget gently explained. "I advise you to think of the changes your body is going through as mere accommodations for your baby boy. It will help you be more acceptant of everything."
Steffy nodded, once again. "Right. No, you're right." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said anything."
"No. Hey, Steffy, it's good for you to talk about this. The last thing you should do is keep those thoughts to yourself. Talk to Liam or Taylor or me or whoever you feel comfortable confiding in. But don't let it in."
Liam silently listened to and watched the exchange between the two young women, learning disturbing facts about his fiancée. He hadn't realized she had developed such a negative self-body image and wondered how that could have happened right under his nose without his noticing. It just went to show how secretive Steffy could be when she felt she needed to. She was so self-reliant and fiercely independent it got infuriating. She never let herself need anyone. Ever. Not even Liam.
And as much as he loved and admired her strength and independence, Liam did wish Steffy would lean on him more often. A marriage was an equal partnership. One was supposed to give as good as one got, but Steffy wasn't letting that happening. She was intent on being there for him. Always. However, when the situation was reversed and she was the one in need of comfort or reassurance, Steffy had the annoying tendency of curling up on her own. He guessed that was something else they would have to work on in their relationship.
/
"Thank you for everything, Bridget. We'll free the room in a couple minutes." Steffy declared.
The blonde doctor waved her hand dismissively. "Take your time. There's nothing scheduled in this room before another hour." She informed them.
"Thank you so much. We appreciate it." Liam added.
Bridget smiled nicely. "You're most welcome. Take it easy, ok? You're in very good health, but you don't want to overdo it. Get enough rest, and don't forget to take your vitamins daily." The mother-to-be smiled and nodded at the caring advice. "And Liam, I trust you to take good care of your woman."
Steffy turned her head towards Liam and beamed at him with glee. "As always." She responded in his place.
Smiling back at her, he moved to press a reverent kiss to her temple.
"Bridget, I'll call you about that shopping spree." Steffy brought her attention back to Bridget.
"Anytime, dear. Please take care of yourself."
"I will. Thank you so much."
Liam bent down to whisper into Steffy's ears after they were left alone. "You know, there is something I've failed to hear from you." Steffy raised a questioning eyebrow, not seeing what he was referring to. "You were right, Liam?"
"Excuse me?" she stared at him disbelievingly.
"I was right about the gender of the baby!"
Steffy scoffed. "Oh please, you had one chance out of two. You got lucky, that's all."
"Is that so?"
"Yes!" She responded pointedly.
Liam couldn't hold back a laugh any longer. She was such a sore loser. They should have made a bet on it. "Fine, my love, whatever you say." Steffy's lips puckered as she fought a smile. "I just hope you know my father won't let you off the hook that easily."
She rolled her eyes playfully, knowing full well that was unfortunately true.
A second later, Liam's phone went off. He retrieved it from his jacket's pocket and checked the caller id. "Ah, speaking of the devil."
Just then, Steffy's phone started ringing as well. "Hmm, great minds think alike." She said and showed Liam her phone screen.
"Your mom?"
"Uh-hm. Hey, how about we don't tell them?" She proposed. "About the gender, I mean. Let's have them meet us at the house along with Thomas, Caroline, Katie, and we can tell everyone at the same time…"
"That's a great idea." He didn't mention that his father had suggested something similar earlier that day.
Having agreed on that, they answered their parents. Refusing to disclose the gender of their bundle joy just yet, they instead conveyed them to a family gathering early in the evening, which Bill and Taylor both agreed to.
Thank you for reading.