After Kenna has surpassed her fourteenth week of pregnancy, she and Bash manage to relax. The first miscarriage happened around the twelve-week mark and some of the pregnancies never even lasted beyond five weeks.
With this in mind, they head over to Bash's family's home to join them for Sunday dinner and announce the plans for their imminent future. Their home in the 'middle of nowhere' and their baby.
"You're glowing," Catherine states softly, pulling Kenna aside as the others talk over dinner. "Are you...?"
Kenna nods a little. "Yeah," she breathes out happily. "We're telling everyone right now."
Catherine beams, eyeing Bash from their position and how he grins when James crawls into his lap. "I always did say you and Bash would make beautiful children... Then again, all of my grandchildren are beautiful," she says proudly and boastfully before rubbing Kenna's shoulder.
She joins her husband as Kenna sits beside Bash, letting him fix her plate up. She studies him as he single-handedly keeps James on his knee and scoops food onto her plate with his other hand. He slides it over to her and she accepts it, allowing James to take a bite first much to Mary's annoyance since the child is fussy and never lets her or Francis feed him. Bash also accepts the plate of nuggets and ketchup from the chef and James warily eyes it.
"You're naturals," Francis comments, eyeing Bash in particular as James starts patting his now ketchup-stained hand against Bash's cheek. "So patient. You've definitely got the 'dad magic'."
Everyone quietens down and that's when Kenna and Bash realise that they know. Of course, they do. First, a struggling couple makes breakthrough after breakthrough and now, they're really ecstatic that happiness oozes out of them and they're gushing over James which they never do unless they babysit. And everyone knows their thoughts about children.
Bash admits it with a playful roll of his eyes. "We're expecting."
"Oh!" Mary gushes, standing and hugging Kenna after handing a five-month-old Rose over to Francis who is just as desperate to hug Kenna and Bash so tuts lightly and waits. "I'm so happy for you guys!"
"Yeah," Leeza says, coming over to press a kiss on Bash's cheek as Margot ruffles his hair, making him glare at her and her laugh.
Claude's happy about the news too, giving Kenna a cheeky remark about making Bash a DILF for all those playground mothers much to her brother's horror and his wife's amusement.
"We're very happy," Kenna says after everyone has settled back into their seats. "Anne, James, do you want a cousin?"
"Too many babies," James mutters darkly, eyeing Rose.
Francis guffaws, shaking his head at his son. "Don't worry, Annie's happy. Aren't you, sweetheart?"
Anne nods happily, missing tooth evident when she grins at her aunt and uncle. "It has to be a girl! So we can play princesses!"
"We'll see," Bash tells her with a wink. He doesn't mind either way as long as he becomes a father at the end of it. Then he takes Kenna's hand. "We're also building a home. We bought some land and it will take a couple of years to build it but it will be ours and where we raise Raisin."
"Raisin?" Henry asks, confused.
"What we named the baby for now," Kenna tells them, laughter escaping their mouths.
Mary grins. "Better than naming Rose, 'Chicken Nugget'."
"You were the one craving those so it stuck," Francis retorts, shrugging.
Mary laughs, slapping his arm. "Raisin is much sweeter."
Henry gives Bash a wide smile, raising his wine glass up in their honour before observing them. They have really come a long way and he can't wait to become a grandfather again. It would be nice to share a grandchild with a close friend of his that is still alive.
"Pepe, can you eat my carrots?" Anne whispers to him.
Henry laughs. "Only two but your parents will kill me if you don't eat the rest," he replies, gaining a chuckle from Bash.
...
Bash slumps back on the bed. He's flushed and winded as Kenna fans herself from beside him. "God, I don't think I have it in me to go another round."
Kenna smirks his way. "You must be getting old."
"Or my horny wife is too much for me to handle," Bash mutters lightly, pressing a long kiss on her forehead.
Her second trimester's become a rollercoaster ride for him. She comes home from work every day, ready to jump his bones and he's left quite dazed and thoroughly satisfied before it starts all over again after dinner and early into the morning, leaving her tired and yawning by the time she heads to work.
"Perhaps, we should get you sleeping by eleven," he tells her. "Because you're still working and the baby will keep you up already so..."
"Mhm," she hums tiredly, snuggling up into his side as his arm protectively keeps her against his chest. "But you are enjoying making love, hmm?"
"God, I keep scolding myself, asking how I denied this for so long when we were..." He yawns. "Sex with you is... fireworks, chérie."
She chuckles against his chest. "You really are tired, mon amour," she mumbles, nipping at his ear.
"We've had sex every day for the past month. Aren't you?" He asks her, bewildered.
Kenna creeps her hand down his chest and he gently stops her, entwining their fingers and pressing a kiss on hers. "I am," she admits after a while, looking down at him and seeing that his eyes are closed in content. "But I'm scared I'll push you away because I've read what other people have put on the mum blogs. Men feeling abandoned and distant from their partners by the third trimester. Lack of sex, leading to them finding it elsewhere... If I can get it out of your system, you won't cheat on me because you'll be sick of sex."
Bash's eyes slowly open in concern. "Kenna, I'll never cheat on you just because you're pregnant with my baby. You're growing our child, you're so special to me and I love you. Even if you push me away, I'll be waiting for you. Naked, if you want me. I'll even throw in the whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Glitter too if we must." He playfully rolls his eyes.
Kenna laughs, kissing him softly before licking her lips in thought. "Thanks for the reassurance."
"Any time, gorgeous." He brushes his nose against her forehead. "And did you really think you could make me sick of sex?"
Kenna snorts. "You're complaining that you're tired now and you stopped me from sorting you out. And you know I love hearing you scream my name."
"Because you need to sleep," Bash tells her with a blush. She can get him screaming all sorts and people would never have thought them to be a kinky couple. "Before Raisin does twelve bouts of rounds inside you. And I might be a tiny bit worn out. Even if you pushed me away and I wanted sex, I'd wait a million years for you to be ready than find it somewhere else."
Kenna straddles his hips and kisses him. "One more round because your words just take my breath away..."
He laughs, his hands squeezing her hips. "One more."
...
"Bash?"
Bash looks up from the house plans and he's met with his wife's baby bump in his face. "What's happened?"
Kenna's smiling, pressing his hand against her bump. "Feel," she whispers, his eyes lightening up when he feels their child kick. "Do you feel it?"
"Yeah," Bash breathes out.
She's about six or so months gone and he presses a kiss on her bump after lifting her shirt up halfway to reveal the shiny, stretch-lined bump. Resting his forehead against it, he sighs happily and feels her fingers massage his scalp.
"You're so beautiful," he whispers.
"Oh, I thought you were talking to me," his wife quips. "But Raisin's flattered, I guess."
Bash chuckles, looking up at her. "You always look so beautiful."
She straddles his hips, pulling his shirt up and over his head. "That just turned me on."
Bash lets out an exasperated sigh but then he laughs and leans up to kiss her deeply, interweaving his fingers into her hair that smells so much like cocoa butter. He loves the smell, thinking about when they were still distant with each other and he'd sniff her hair and try not to disturb her as she slept. It was almost as if he had no right to touch her because they were in a rocky stage of their marriage and anything could set off a whole array of problems. Even touching her hair and sniffing it.
"You," kiss. "Drive," kiss. "Me," kiss. "Insane," he breathes out as she moves to suck at his neck.
She pulls away breathlessly, normally chocolate brown eyes dark as onyx. "I love you."
Bash smiles, his heart leaping with joy. He brushes her untamed hair from her face and studies her for a moment. He smirks when she shies away from his gaze and he gently coaxes her face so their eyes meet again and he brings her head down for a soft kiss before kissing the spot just before her left ear.
"I love you too, Kenna," he whispers into her ear before she's off him and pulling to the living room sofa, too lazy and hot and bothered to take things upstairs.
More clothes come off and soon, the night sky rises above them and neither of them makes any moves to turn the lights on or get started on dinner.
"We should start thinking about names," Bash says into her ear.
"Why are you whispering?" Kenna asks, amused as his breath tickles her ear.
Bash smirks. "I don't know," he whispers back. "So... names?"
"For a boy... 'Robert' after my dad, I guess... Like Mary named Jamie for Uncle James," she says quietly, gripping her husband's hand tightly against her bump. "For a girl, 'Eliza'."
Bash presses a kiss on the back of her head. "I like naming our kid after our fathers if it's a boy," he says. "They supported us greatly, raised us to become good people and it would be a lovely honour. As for a girl... I was thinking about 'Diane'. O-Or 'Anastasia' after my grandmother because I know how you feel about my mother."
Kenna's eyes water and she curses her hormones. "If you want to name our daughter after your mother, you can," she tells him.
"No," he mutters. "I wouldn't want her to live up to such a name."
Kenna smiles wryly, bringing his hand up to her lips for a kiss. "My love, forget about the past and focus on the future. If our little girl is born, she may very well bear her grandmother's name and she will wear the name with pride and honour and be a better person than all of us combined."
Bash sniffles and she tuts, running a hand on the nape of his neck. "You're too good for me."
"It's me who doesn't deserve you," she whispers. "I'm forever sorry for hurting you."
"Forget about the separation," he tells her gently. "It's in the past."
She laughs, pressing more kisses onto his hand. "We're back on track, baby."
"We are," he says, nuzzling his face against her hair. "I love you."
"I love you too. I'll never tire of letting you know it," she replies.
Bash runs his nose across her neck and he presses a kiss on her skin before taking it into his mouth and sucking. She moans and he grins as he feels her grip on his thigh tighten over her legs.
"So you do want to be worn out," she breathes out.
"Might as well," he replies before he shifts onto his back as she straddles him. "Love you."
"I think I'm tired of saying it," Kenna jests before she squeals when he tickles her.
"Rude."